"Zek...ZEK!" came a voice, rousing the assassin from his deep reverie. "Zek! Wake up!"
Zek blinked as he slowly came to. Peering at him were two glowing green eyes. Verielle. He shot her a half-smile smirk. "Didn't I tell you not to wake me up before breakfast is ready?"
She flicked him on the nose. "Make your own damn breakfast." she said. She blushed slightly. "Um...Zek. Not that I mind it...but we need to get moving...so could you let me go?"
Only then did Zek realize he still had one arm wrapped tightly around her waist. And THEN he realized where his hand was resting...or grasping, as the case may be. Verielle giggled quietly as the rogue blushed and obliged her, allowing her to get up. The pair got up and began to take measure of their situation. Verielle's weapons were both intact. Zek had lost a dagger but still had both swords. They were both out of healing potions and had nothing in the way of rations.
"How long have we been down here?" Verielle asked, as she stretched out her stiff muscles.
Zek reached into his armor and retrieved his Ravenholdt insignia. He closed his eyes and once more suppressed his talent once more and tapped into the insignia's enchantment. After a few moments, he was able to contact Kitara.
Zeklor, thank the Light! Are you alright? she asked.
We're fine. Both of us. We both passed out from exhaustion after the cave in. What's the current situation?
Tharador and the rangers left several hours ago - ever since the cave-in. They were heading to Silvermoon City to get reinforcements. We stayed behind to watch the area for them. Other agents have arrived. We weren't certain if had survived.
Good, Zek thought. At least they haven't assumed all was finished. Most likely the necromancer was still alive, but trapped below with them.
What about Ruby? Has she surfaced yet?
No, we have not seen her. We assumed she was trapped below.
That was to be expected. After pulling that particular stunt of hers it could take upwards of half a day for her to recover her strength and reconstitute herself. Draconic magic was strange. Especially the elemental variety.
Verielle and I will keep searching. Stay on guard, I don't think we've seen the last of the necromancer. Attempt to contact me once Tharador returns.
Zek received her affirmation and terminated the link, then relaxed. Suppressing his ability for long period of times took immense effort - he didn't want overexert himself. He would have to show Verielle how to use the insignia.
"We've been down here for several hours," he said, tossing the insignia to Verielle. "The others made it out safely. Tharador went to get help from Silvermoon and the rest of the agents are staying vigilant above."
Verielle looked the insignia over. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"Hang on to it. Let me know if it gets hot. Keep it next to your skin."
She put away the insignia and Zek began looking at their surroundings. They were on the small ledge, darkness below and darkness above. His eyesight was good in the dark, but not THAT good. "First thing we need to do is find a way out of here. We have to find that necromancer - and Sadriel."
"But there is only two of us...and four of them! Five if we can't get through to Sadriel." Verielle said, casting her eyes down and fighting back tears.
"There's only one necromancer. He just happens to have a plethora of bodies at his disposal." Zek said, as he reached into his belt pouch and pulled out two thick-walled vials. He broke open their stoppers and began to mix the contents together, pouring them between the two containers.
"What do you mean?" Verielle asked, watching him work.
"During the fight, only one of them spoke at a time." Zek said, continuing to mix. As he worked, the contents began to emit a pale glow. He continued, "When one was speaking, it actually had facial expressions and mannerisms. Then a different one began to speak, the previous one changed completely. Also, only the speaking one would use magic." He held the vials up and made sure their contents were equally distributed and began to put the stoppers back in. "Are you familiar with liches?"
Verielle scowled and spit on the ground. "Of course."
"Normally, when a necromancer becomes a lich, they are granted control over an undead body. Normally it's their own. However...I think our friend here is special. You saw those glowing runes on their foreheads?"
Verielle nodded.
"Necromantic runes. I'm not familiar with that exact rune. But I suspect it acts as an anchor of sorts. Allows him to freely control the body. In this case - four of them."
"But...Sadriel had a rune carved into his forehead too. Does that mean...?" she trailed off, her voice filled with worry.
Zek shook his head. "Not necessarily. Sadriel is still alive. Living and breathing. The other four are corpses. Whatever has been done to Sadriel, I think his mind is still in there, but the necromantic rune is keeping him under the necromancers control. You'll notice that not once did the necromancer speak through him. I think because Sadriel is alive, the only think the necromancer can only use him as a weapon - not a vessel."
"But...why would the necromancer split himself into four different bodies? Wouldn't that be difficult to control?" Verielle asked, thoroughly confused.
Zek watched as the vials began to glow brighter and brighter. "Yes and no. I think he enchanted the bodies with base animating magic. Allowing them to and move independently. It's actually quite smart. He has four different vessels. He can freely jump between them to confuse his opponents. And it prevents him from having to escape into his phylactery if his physical form is destroyed. He can then just jump to the next body."
The vials were now glowing brightly, illuminating the entire are. "I think it also gives him the added bonus of being able to control more undead. Even if he isn't controling the body directly, he can still use it as a beacon of sorts - broadcasting his willpower to the undead its vicinity."
He passed Verielle one of the glowing vials. He dropped the other over the side and watched it fall. It was barely visible when it hit the bottom. Going down wasn't an option. He glanced around in the light from Verielle's vial. To his relief, he saw a path to the side that seemed stable. It was barely wide enough for them, but it was better than nothing.
"So how do we free Sadriel from the necromancer's control?" Verielle asked as Zek took the vial back from her.
"I don't know, Veri." he said quietly. "But we won't find the answer here. Let's go." He motioned for her to follow him and the started down the narrow path.
The pair found that the narrow path soon led to another tunnel, which seemed to lead them deeper into the labyrinth. However they WERE heading in the upwards direction, much to Verielle's relief. Zek had taken point ahead of her and walked slowly but deliberately, holding the glowing vial up, casting its light into the tunnel ahead. She was always surprised at how resourceful he was. Most alchemists tended to stick to the basics of the trade - few that she had heard of had aspired to create as many unique things as Zek had.
Zek held a nad up suddenly and cocked his head to the side. He quickly put the vial in his belt pouch, casting the tunnel into darkness. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side, behind a large rock formation.
The got out of sight just as a large undead lumbered into view from around the corner. Accompanying it was a smaller figure - the necromancer.
Or one of his bodies, Verielle realized. The features on its face were blank. It walked forward with confidence, but its face was a blank mask with no reactions. The abomination stopped and peered down the tunnel that she and Zek had just come from.
"Stay here." commanded the body. It's voice was hollow and dead. It lacked inflection and accent. "Attack anything that attempts to pass." It turned and headed back from where it came, disappearing around the bend.
Zek motioned for Verielle to follow him. The quickly took to the shadows in pursuit.
Zek groaned inwardly as he looked around the ruined remains of the cavern. Once it had held a massive undead army poised to strike at Silvermoon City. With the collapse, the undead forces had been reduced to a mere fraction of what they were. But they were still grossly outnumbered.
The necromancer sat on a pile of rubble, obviously infuriated at the situation. His bodies were roaming through the undead, organizing them. Zek could make out Sadriel's cloaked figure standing near the necromancer's sitting form. He motioned for Verielle to follow him and ducked behind a rock and sat down. He signed for Verielle to keep watch and then took up his thinking position.
Ruby always said it made him look like he was trying to "expel a hangover from the wrong end" when he did it. She teased him endlessly but even she begrudgingly admitted he came up with some very...interesting...plans when doing.
He leaned forward while sitting and rested his head down on his palms, whispering quietly to himself as he thought.
Cave in. No way out. Surrounded by undead. And a beautiful elf. Fucking stop with the elf Zek, worry about her later. Necormancer, five bodies. Four dead, one living. Living may not be fully under his control. Only one body at a time can use magic. Others corral the undead. Think. Assets: beautiful elf, my ability, element of surprise, gorgeous elf, and potions. No healing potions, one "Ruby" potion. A few miscellaneous odds and ends. Some holy water...
He snapped his head up. Holy water...
He reached into his pouches and found the holy water. It wasn't much - meant to be a component more than anything. However...he did have a few extras he could use.
Quickly, he pulled out a few extra components and began to mix a concoction. Normally he liked to work on new ideas in the comfort of a laboratory. Buy hey, he thought, beggars and choosers.
Finally he was satisfied with his creation. He turned to Verielle, who had glanced over at him with interest and motioned for her to join him.
"Take this. When I give the signal, thrown it at my feet." he whispered in her ear, handing the potion bottle to her.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, eyeing the sparkling liquid.
He closed her hand over the bottle and held her hand for a moment. Verielle looked up at him and blushed.
"I'm about to do something very stupid." he said quietly, hoping his nervousness didn't show. "I don't know how this is going to turn out. Whatever happens, I want you to promise me something."
She nodded her head slowly. "Find Ruby. Take care of her. And...tell her I said for her to take care of you." he said. He let go of her hand and took a step back. He winked, then jumped up on a nearby rock, putting himself into plain view.
"Alright, you two-copper necromancer!" he yelled. Glowing eyes turned towards him. When they saw him they started burning with intense hatred. "You and I have some unfinished business. Release my friend from whatever control you are exerting over him and I'll let you live. Or continue un-living. Whatever it is liches do."
The necromancer jumped into the body nearest to him. Zek saw the body's eyes flare brightly. Its face contorted into a look of pure rage.
"YOU!" he bellowed. "Months of planning! WASTED!" He curled his fingers towards Zek and let loose a bolt of necromantic energy. Zek easily dodged and began sprinting towards the infuriated wizard. Snarling, the necromancer made a quick motion with his hands. Instantly undead began to move and chase after Zek. Zek nimbly dodged through them evading tooth and claw. Soon a bulk of the undead force had him surrounded.
Unfortunately for them, it was exactly what Zek wanted. "VERIELLE, NOW!" he shouted.
The elf jump up from her hiding spot an hurled the potion at him. It sailed over the heads of the undead monsters and landed at his feet, shattering. As soon as the concoction inside was exposed to air, a thick cloud of smoke spewed forth. In mere moments Zek and the undead were enveloped in the thick haze. All around him the undead started to wail and shriek. The fog - permeated with holy water - ate away at their flesh and the enchantments that bound them together. A few at the edges were able to escape unscathed, but a bulk of the force had been destroyed. Zek stood in the center of the chaos, admiring his handy work.
"Well...shit." he said. "That actually worked."
A bolt of necromantic energy slammed into the ground next to him and he lept aside. The necromancer had been furious before - but now Zek could see he was redefining "enraged".
"KILL! KILL HIM!" the undead sorcerer shrieked.
Here it comes, Zek thought.
Sure enough, Sadriel came rushing towards him. Zek quickly popped the clasp on his cloak - it would only inhibit his movement - and brought his blades to bear. Sadriel came in fast, slashing at his chest. Zek knocked the sword back and forced the elf back with a low feint. He stepped back as Sadriel took up a guarded stance. He took a close look at the elf's eyes - the glowed with necromantic magic. Not as bright as the other bodies, even when not actively possessed, so that was a good sign.
Now for the fun part. Zek thought.
"Verielle! Distract the others!" Zek called out. He couldn't see her - she had taken to the shadows. However he saw one of the bodies crumple to ground - even undead could be incapacitated.
He lept forward and attacked Sadriel. The elf parried the attack and responded with his own. Their blades clashed, echoing brightly across the cave. The sparks from their strikes flashed in the dim lighting. Zek pushed Sadriel on the defensive. He didn't want to kill him if he didn't have to. If only he could figure out how to disrupt the necromancer's control.
Nearby there was a howl of rage. Zek stole a quick glance and saw a second body had been taken care of. Two down - two to go. Verielle had ambushed the necromancer in one body and had forced out to another - taking advantage of the switch to cripple the body he had left. The necromancer was randomly blasting the area with magical attacks, trying to flush her out. Zek didn't have much time. He ducked to the side as Sadriel slashed at his face. Instinctively Zek brought his blade up as well, catching the elf's hood and exposing his mangled face, with the glowing necromantic rune.
The rune...Maybe...just maybe! Zek thought.
Stepping forward he launched into a brutal assault. He came at Sadriel with the intent to kill...nothing less would force Sadriel to put his defenses up. Zek launched a dizzying attack, slashing and stabbing at the elf with speed and precision. He brought one sword down on the knee while simultaneously stabbing and elbow. He ducked under Sadriel's counter attack, spun, and slashed up his back. He dropped to his knees right as the expect backhanded slash came around and when Sadriel's arm extended - Zek brought both blades up like scissors - severing the arm. There was a loud clang as the elf's sword hit the ground. He shrieked in pain - the first real sound Zek had heard him make. Quickly, before he could recover, Zek swept the elf's legs out from underneath him, sending him to the ground on his back. His head slammed into the ground and stunned him. Zek then brought his sword to bear for the killing blow.
Only to pull his hand back at the last second - instead of severing the elf's neck, Zek brought the sword across Sadriel's forehead, slicing through the rune.
The necromancer suddenly howled in both anger and pain. The feedback from the rune's destruction had been unexptected. There was a flash as the magic dispelled - the eerie undead glow in Sadriel's eyes faded. The elf cried out in sudden pain as the necromancer's magic left his body, leaving him in control once more. Gripping the stump of his severed arm, he rolled around the ground in agony.
"SADRIEL!" Verielle cried, appearing from the shadows and running over. Zek looked around quickly - the necromancer was doubled over in pain, stumbling away from them in the opposite direction.
"Sadriel.." Verielle said, putting her hand on her friend's face. "Are you there...can you hear me?"
"Verielle?" he gasped. "What...where am I?"
"You're in a cave system under Eversong. You were taken by the enemy. We've saved you." Zek said, sheathing his weapons. He glanced at the severed arm laying a few feet away. "Well...most of you..."
"Siphon...is that you?" Sadriel said, glancing up at the man. Zek nodded at him and took a knee.
"You're badly wounded." Zek told him. "The enemy's magic was keeping your body sustained. I don't know how much longer you can survive. We have to get you out of here." He reached down and went to pick up the elf. "Verielle, help me pick him up. We need to get out of here before the necro regains his senses."
Verielle nodded and grabbed Sadriel's arm to help. She never saw the blast hit her.
A bright flash of necromantic energy slammed into chest and hurled her backwards. Zek cried out in alarm. Across the cavern, the necromancer stood, snarling. He began to stumble his way back to them - along with his last remaining body.
Zek laid Sadriel back down and sprinted over to Verielle's fallen form. The blast of power had scorched her armor and burnt her skin. He looked her over - the armor had absorbed the brunt of the attack, but she was still badly wounded.
"Verielle...no...stay with me...STAY WITH ME!" he cried, picking her up. Her eyes fluttered and she came around.
"Zek..." she whispered.
Zek began to cry. This couldn't be happening. She had trusted him. He had let her down.
Verielle weakly reached up with her hand and placed it on his face. Zek looked down at her and she smiled.
"I'm glad I found you Zek." she whispered. She winced in pain and dropped her hand. Zek carefully set her down and propped her up on a rock.
"Lay still. We'll get you out of here." he said, standing up.
Zek was tired. He was angry. So very, very angry. The necromancer had pushed him to the brink. It was time to push back. To the nether with his orders.
"NECROMANCER!" he bellowed, drawing his swords.
The necromancer had reached them. His face was twisted into an evil grin. "So...all it took was to kill the little girl. A pity. I supposed I will have to keep you alive...so you can fight her after I turn her!" he chuckled wickedly. "Or...I suppose I could kill you now. You would make a fine specimen to use for experiments!"
Zek said nothing...he only closed his eyes.
"Ho...giving up already?" taunted the necromancer.
Zek normalized his breathing. Reaching deep within himself, he visualized the restraints that he put on his ability, keeping in check. He thought of Verielle, laying on the ground dying behind him. And of Sadriel, dying if not already dead. He tore those restraints free.
The necromancer hurled a lethal bolt of energy at Zek. The bolt slammed into his chest. The energy of the bolt began to twist and curl around his body seeking to consume him. The necromancer began to laugh, only to choke in shock as the energy began to fade away.
Zek opened his eyes, now glowing bright blue as his body absorbed the magical power.
"My name is Zeklor the Siphon, Master Assassin of the League, beholden to Ravenholdt." he proclaimed, taking up a fighting stance. "Your executioner."
He lept forward.
Author's notes: My sincerest apologies for the long wait. Writer's block + lots of work associated with the move. Next chapter: the full extent of Zek's ability will be revealed!