The Dead Riseth in the End
Chapter 1: Dueling
The two of them stood silent inside the dank and musky hall of the Faust Mauseleum. Without making any sort of noise, both of them took a mana potion and both of them threw their bottles on the ground. Looking over at Raeson, Faust began to try to analyze his tactics. However, he didn't have much of a chance. It wasn't long before one of Raeson's own skeletal minions began scraping across the cold floor of the tomb. In a failed attempt at espionage it attacked Faust from the side. Almost too instinctively, the young necromancer had thrown up a corporeal manifestation of a dead spirit from the afterlife, and forced it to form a set of makeshift armor around his arm. The skeleton's sickle type weapon smashed against this armor, shattering it, but still leaving Faust fairly untouched.
Backing away from the minion, Faust let out a silent prayer to Trang'Oul, the dragon deity of the Rathma following, and he was granted a part of the dragon's magic. Using the energy of his mana, Faust channeled the desire through the wand in his hand and expertly pulled three of the Den'Trag from their ethereal plane of existence and hurled them at the skeleton, shattering it.
With a shrug, Raeson looked at his cousin. With a deft ease that made it seem as simple as breathing, Raeson summoned two more minions from the walls, bringing his total to three. The numbers, Faust could tell, were two much for him to handle. These skeletons also seemed to be stronger than the last one that Faust had destroyed; it seemed that Raeson was gaining better control over the spirits he chose to inhabit the bodies.
Having no other choice at them moment, Faust looked around. The mausoleum was lined with all sorts of corpses, embalmed so that they could still be used for any purpose the necromancers of the family required. By default, a priest of Rathma already understood what could happen to their body when they were dead, and naturally, none had any complaints.
Seeing the bodies gave Faust an idea, using the Den'Trag could be a laborious task for his own magical energy, but he saw it as the only way out. Using the Den'Trag as blades of sorts, Faust began launching them into the walls, cutting down a variety of corpses. He had to keep moving, however, for a very good reason.
Raeson had begun to be more aggressive with his minions. All three of them, which Faust had assumed that was the number Raeson could sustain, had begun attacking in cooperative group formations and attacks. Faust had much trouble staying out of their reach, and much to his dismay, they all had shields, shields which the Den'Trag could not break. None of that mattered, however. Soon it should be over.
Corpses now littered their dueling area, and Raeson was glaring smugly at his cousin behind the protection of his minions. With a cocky smile that still reeked of the Necromancers inner talents, Raeson spoke;
"Nice decorations." he said with a sneer; "Too bad you just gave my more fodder as well. Nice job. All of that time with the poisons must have stunted your cognitive faculties."
Without saying anything himself, Faust just picked up the body on the floor next to him. Death had made the body stiff, and relatively light. With a great outburst of strength, Faust hurled the body at the skeleton minions, who easily skewered it together with their weapons, holding it in mid air. Raeson moved in closer to the minions in order to get into the light. Faust could see the glaring look on his cousin's face, who was obviously proud of his minions' achievement.
However, they couldn't feel what Faust was really doing. Using some more of his mana, which had recovered since his great dislodging maneuver, Faust was altering the very bodies of his cousin and his skeletons. To the skeletons he was loosening the structures that held them together, making them weaker, so any impact would do more damage to their form. To his cousin, he was opening up the nerves and limiting the red blood cells in his body. This would cause his cousin to feel more pain.
Raeson spoke in his usual boisterous tone, one that disgusted Faust; "See what my minions can do? They're far superior to your bone techniques. It seems you picked the wrong specialty, Faust." He said his name with a bitter slur as he spit on the ground.
Faust only smiled; "Yeah, I picked the wrong ability alright..."
As a nightmarish smile crept on Raeson's face, Faust concentrated on the corpse the skeletons were holding. In a manipulation of decay, he forced volatile gases on the insides of the corpse to expel themselves. A violent explosion echoed in th halls of the mausoleum, and the force shattered the vulnerable skeletons, but Raeson was worse off. The burning hot gases inside the corpse had erupted full-force into his face, which was the level the corpse was being suspended at. As the young summoner stumbled, his cries of pure anguish and pain permeated the humid death shrine. Faust only continued. Raeson had backed into one of the other corpses, Faust set it off. The corpse sent the same hot gasses into the back of his cousin, obviously scouring him.
"OH TRANG'OUL IT BURNS!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
Faust only stood, deaf to Raeson's cries. As his cousin stumbled, cried, and clutched his face, Faust prepared for another explosion. However, he couldn't conjure it. He had used to much mana. Faust moved in, and withdrew the dagger he had been keeping...
However, he didn't have a chance to use it. Before he could, a streak of blue shot through the tomb and hit Raeson, freezing him and freeing him of the pain of his wounds. What followed for Faust was much more painful. A large spire of corporeal bone, a Talon of Trang'Oul pierced the shoulder of his armor, breaking the bone armor he had fashioned before and pinned him to the wall behind him. Into the chamber, with a swish of a cape and an aura so foreboding the corpses seemed to shudder, The Grand Necromancer Faust MMIV walked into the chamber....
And it looked as if he was going to have a word with his son.
Chapter 1: Dueling
The two of them stood silent inside the dank and musky hall of the Faust Mauseleum. Without making any sort of noise, both of them took a mana potion and both of them threw their bottles on the ground. Looking over at Raeson, Faust began to try to analyze his tactics. However, he didn't have much of a chance. It wasn't long before one of Raeson's own skeletal minions began scraping across the cold floor of the tomb. In a failed attempt at espionage it attacked Faust from the side. Almost too instinctively, the young necromancer had thrown up a corporeal manifestation of a dead spirit from the afterlife, and forced it to form a set of makeshift armor around his arm. The skeleton's sickle type weapon smashed against this armor, shattering it, but still leaving Faust fairly untouched.
Backing away from the minion, Faust let out a silent prayer to Trang'Oul, the dragon deity of the Rathma following, and he was granted a part of the dragon's magic. Using the energy of his mana, Faust channeled the desire through the wand in his hand and expertly pulled three of the Den'Trag from their ethereal plane of existence and hurled them at the skeleton, shattering it.
With a shrug, Raeson looked at his cousin. With a deft ease that made it seem as simple as breathing, Raeson summoned two more minions from the walls, bringing his total to three. The numbers, Faust could tell, were two much for him to handle. These skeletons also seemed to be stronger than the last one that Faust had destroyed; it seemed that Raeson was gaining better control over the spirits he chose to inhabit the bodies.
Having no other choice at them moment, Faust looked around. The mausoleum was lined with all sorts of corpses, embalmed so that they could still be used for any purpose the necromancers of the family required. By default, a priest of Rathma already understood what could happen to their body when they were dead, and naturally, none had any complaints.
Seeing the bodies gave Faust an idea, using the Den'Trag could be a laborious task for his own magical energy, but he saw it as the only way out. Using the Den'Trag as blades of sorts, Faust began launching them into the walls, cutting down a variety of corpses. He had to keep moving, however, for a very good reason.
Raeson had begun to be more aggressive with his minions. All three of them, which Faust had assumed that was the number Raeson could sustain, had begun attacking in cooperative group formations and attacks. Faust had much trouble staying out of their reach, and much to his dismay, they all had shields, shields which the Den'Trag could not break. None of that mattered, however. Soon it should be over.
Corpses now littered their dueling area, and Raeson was glaring smugly at his cousin behind the protection of his minions. With a cocky smile that still reeked of the Necromancers inner talents, Raeson spoke;
"Nice decorations." he said with a sneer; "Too bad you just gave my more fodder as well. Nice job. All of that time with the poisons must have stunted your cognitive faculties."
Without saying anything himself, Faust just picked up the body on the floor next to him. Death had made the body stiff, and relatively light. With a great outburst of strength, Faust hurled the body at the skeleton minions, who easily skewered it together with their weapons, holding it in mid air. Raeson moved in closer to the minions in order to get into the light. Faust could see the glaring look on his cousin's face, who was obviously proud of his minions' achievement.
However, they couldn't feel what Faust was really doing. Using some more of his mana, which had recovered since his great dislodging maneuver, Faust was altering the very bodies of his cousin and his skeletons. To the skeletons he was loosening the structures that held them together, making them weaker, so any impact would do more damage to their form. To his cousin, he was opening up the nerves and limiting the red blood cells in his body. This would cause his cousin to feel more pain.
Raeson spoke in his usual boisterous tone, one that disgusted Faust; "See what my minions can do? They're far superior to your bone techniques. It seems you picked the wrong specialty, Faust." He said his name with a bitter slur as he spit on the ground.
Faust only smiled; "Yeah, I picked the wrong ability alright..."
As a nightmarish smile crept on Raeson's face, Faust concentrated on the corpse the skeletons were holding. In a manipulation of decay, he forced volatile gases on the insides of the corpse to expel themselves. A violent explosion echoed in th halls of the mausoleum, and the force shattered the vulnerable skeletons, but Raeson was worse off. The burning hot gases inside the corpse had erupted full-force into his face, which was the level the corpse was being suspended at. As the young summoner stumbled, his cries of pure anguish and pain permeated the humid death shrine. Faust only continued. Raeson had backed into one of the other corpses, Faust set it off. The corpse sent the same hot gasses into the back of his cousin, obviously scouring him.
"OH TRANG'OUL IT BURNS!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
Faust only stood, deaf to Raeson's cries. As his cousin stumbled, cried, and clutched his face, Faust prepared for another explosion. However, he couldn't conjure it. He had used to much mana. Faust moved in, and withdrew the dagger he had been keeping...
However, he didn't have a chance to use it. Before he could, a streak of blue shot through the tomb and hit Raeson, freezing him and freeing him of the pain of his wounds. What followed for Faust was much more painful. A large spire of corporeal bone, a Talon of Trang'Oul pierced the shoulder of his armor, breaking the bone armor he had fashioned before and pinned him to the wall behind him. Into the chamber, with a swish of a cape and an aura so foreboding the corpses seemed to shudder, The Grand Necromancer Faust MMIV walked into the chamber....
And it looked as if he was going to have a word with his son.