the area where the history and legend; of the creation of the alliance
of the forming of the three; this has been deemed worthy to pass on..

[..Part Three: A Song of Blood..]

'Take care this night, my son, for an Alliance of great and terrible power stalks its prey. They will not mince words, nor even hear you out, but simply kill you once and for all, where'er it be you stand. They are the guests about whom I told you a while ago. When you go out this twilight--and that of each following moon--take with you a regiment of the Undead Guard, and may their cold Touch protect both you and them.'

My son snorted as he left, and so I sent a half dozen of my personal Bodyguard to shadow him as he searched Above for the Golden Talisman. Rarely now did I leave my burial chambers, I had little reason to do so (not to mention several not to)--I had started the undead insurrection, but I now had others capable of leading it from there. Instead I could spend my days playing my war games down here, planning the conquering of Tamarst--away from the debilitating sunlight.

I traversed the ornate hallways of white marble, aware of the sculptures, but not really seeing them. I was deep in thought, and thus directed my course without conscious effort. When I looked up again, I was in the Prophecy section of the library. Not knowing what I was looking for--except to pass the time and maybe find some entertainment--I picked one of the thicker volumes for no reason whatsoever; I opened to a random page in the middle of the tome and read the first complete entry on the left hand side:

Doom shall spread
Across the earths.
A flood of dead,
Darknesses births.

Even on this MidNeit still
Hope's seed dormant being hid, lies:
Buried in the Winter Chill
And cannot free itself, unless it tries.

Heroes from afar arrive,
To fight for life; to win they strive.
Led by man like conq'ring Argive
Freeing Hope, Lights day's alive

* * * * *

For the first week or so, we wandered through the streets, familiarizing ourselves with the city, how it was laid out, and where we were in relation to everything else. We scoured the streetmaps, and ventured out at night to learn the routes around the city, the secret hideaways, the shortcuts, and what have you.
One night, we had an encounter, which was.. interesting. Romulus, Kierdane, Emyr Helenas--the token female that night--and I were snooping around one of the back alleys of Arbiranth, in one of its 'shadier' parts.
Kierdane stopped, and motioned for the three of us to stand still a moment.

'Something here does not seem right. We are not the only one who explore the town this night. Should we stay and see who they are? Or should we leave this place as though we had never been here. The choice is yours, my friends. Decide now, or we'll meet these night stalkers no matter what you want.'

Romulus, his mind resting as always on the blade of the Atomizer, the near-legendary broadsword that hung at his side as though it were made for him, opted for a 'meeting', if you will. I too decided that we should eliminate any threats to our well being, and that of the city. Emyr, the sole voice of reason among us that night, protested fiercely against our staying towards an inevitable showdown, but knew that she was out-manned. Kier shook his head, but went along with the decision of the majority.

Emyr went up an escape ladder to wait from above. Romulus drew the atomizer with a distinct ring of adamantine on steel. Even as it was drawn, it dulled. Even as it was drawn, it sharpened itself to a point that could cut any particle of matter, from a sheet of lead down to the tiniest of hydrogen atoms. Constantly sharpening, never losing mass. Truly a blade to fear in its own right, and more so in the hands of its vengeful wielder. Rom stood out in the open, under no cover of any sort--the one false step that betrayed us. Kier moved into a wall, froze, and disappeared in an instant. I stood in the middle of the dark little alley, and wrapped myself tight in my black cloak, and vanished in plain sight. The creatures were soon upon us.

Half a dozen zombies, with shocking blue flesh, white-pupiled black eyes, crooked, pointy teeth, and dreadlocks that looked for all the world as though the beast had put its fingers on a lightning rod. Evidently they were meant to guard one of the Creations of the Neit's Dark Magiks, for behind them walked a man who seemed to be alive, other than red skin, torn clothes, and glossy eyes. Even so, he moved with such a purpose that there must be some form of intelligence there. Now I knew that there was such a thing as a Lich. And he was a prince among them, for these things were the fabled Ever-Guard, manservants to the Lich Lords since the first one was made.

I looked up, and saw Emyr shivering quietly in either revulsion or fear, to this day I do not know which. Rom stood fast, as resolute as a boulder and as stubborn as an angry lover. Nothing came from Kier: he was still motionless, and would capture the element of surprise, probably from behind. They came round the corner, and Romulus glared defiance to these threats to the living.

'The dead have no place in this world! Prepare yourselves for you leave-taking!'

He raised his fallen grandfather's sword above his head and swung it at the first one giving it the first haircut it had ever received. I moved around the crowd, and shot a string of flame along the ground, sending it through the feet of the other five. Their smoking toes did not stop them from moving forward. These were beings made of such extreme cold that my fire merely gave them energy. And a trace to their source: my position.

Emyr's hands didn't seem to move, but a short, ornate dagger appeared in each, and were promptly hurled in the direction of the Lich. One of the Ever-Guard raised its head, noted the flying weapons, and reached upwards. It took two daggers through its right hand. This was not going to be a pleasant night, especially if it were to be our last.

Kier still had not moved; I, however, had. I was still wrapped in the magikal folds of my cloak, and so remained hidden from scrying eyes. Romulus was now surrounded by the five who'd enjoyed the warmth my magik had to offer them. The other Ever-Guard was climbing the ladder to reach the Elven Princess of the Helenas line. Our illustrious leader took a great swing, and severed the leg of one zombie. It collapsed onto another, and unbalanced its supporter enough to cause it to fall as well. To prevent it from reattaching, I consumed the now unprotected leg in the hottest flames that I could produce. Our leader, the only visible one screamed at the searing cold touch of one of the zombies striking out at him.

'It's a Wight!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!! Avoid its cold touch!'

We all knew right then just how deep the shit pile was.

Rom's sword felt heavier in his hands, and his reflexes slowed a bit. The Lich Prince fell back a bit. It was at that point that Kierdane decided to fly into action. The wights sank into the solid street, being sucked down slowly by the forces of Kierdane's mastery of Earth Magik. He then fled the shadows, drawing his knife, poisoned and made of tempered steel that was a flat black. He sprinted towards the Lich, and knocked him one in the chest with his left hand, returning with a slash across the face. The Lich was quite resistant to poisons of any nature, and so was merely slowed.

The Ever-Guard were not completely done with us yet. Hands stretched out of the earth, grasping at Rom's ankles, trying to drain more of the life energy from his spirit. They could move through the earth that they were trapped in. Emyr took a ten-point dive off the railing of the escape ladder, rolling as she landed on the hard pavement. She raised her hands above her head, and began to recite a blessing that would quell the evil of these foul incarnations. Rom sliced off any hand that ventured too near him, and I did my part by immolating them.

Kier had torn the flesh of the Lich enough so that it matched his clothing, which hung off his fame in tatters: rags that were not even fit for the lowest of beggars, even if they once were fine silks. The poison of the blade had been passed on in sufficient quantity to begin to affect the thing. It no longer held onto its consciousness. Kier picked up the living corpse, and walked back towards the rest of us. Emyr removed the spiritual effects of the wights' attacks with a different blessing, and we set out to find our way back to the inn.

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