Act 1: A new challenge

Am I going to die?

Corpsefire's hand slowly descended.

My quest cannot end like this!

Thalasi groped about for his wand, his left hand coming into contact with a zombie head.

Corpsefire's fist loomed closer.

Will I be able to block his attack?

Thalasi grabbed the zombie head and brought it up before him.

Thud. Corpsefire's fist smashed the zombie head.

Thalasi's right hand found his wand.

"Raduno il thee, trang'oul grande del drago, per conced…"

Corpsefire's head tilted as it regarded the zombie head.

Thalasi pointed the wand at the zombie's midsection.

"Denti triplici!"

Pure desperation caused Thalasi to try and summon 3 teeth, instead of the usual 2. He could feel his spirit energy draining, but he managed to yank the teeth from the nether realm to this realm.

Three teeth burst out of the head of the wand. The range was so close that Thalasi did not need to guide the teeth to its target. The teeth burst through the zombie, leaving three big holes in the zombie's stomach.

Corpsefire looked down at its torn stomach. With a groan, the zombie split into two.

Thalasi stood, panting, savouring his victory over the zombie. He looked at the head he held. In the dim light, he could see that although the head had dented, it was still circular and capable of blocking more blows. Hmmm, zombie heads make good shields for a necromancer. Thalasi also regarded his wand. Although this wand is good for helping me focus my spirit energy when casting spells, it is not good for melee combat. There is a spell that can be used with a dagger, so I should find a dagger to supplement my weapon skills.

Thalasi looked around. The 4 corpses and his skeleton's bones were scattered all over the floor. The cavern floor was painted red with blood and gore.

Looking at the blue zombie corpse, Thalasi saw some items on the floor. The zombie must have been carrying these items before it died. Thalasi squatted to pick up the items. There were 4 blue potions and a dagger. Thalasi took the blue potions. He looked at one carefully. If he remembered correctly, these potions are similar to the red ones that Akara had given him, but these replenish his spirit energy instead of speeding up the healing processes of his body. Thalasi popped the cap off 1 vial and downed its contents. They were as bitter as the red potions, but he could feel his spirit energy increasing.

Thalasi picked up the dagger. It was an ornate dagger, carefully crafted. There was a red skull at the end of the hilt, and the hilt itself had many patterns. The patterns wove in and out, and the necromancer supposed that it was some unknown language that was carved unto the hilt. The blade was freshly sharpened, and instead of just a long, straight blade, this one was curvy. It resembled a slithering snake. Thalasi unwrapped his scroll of identify and placed the dagger upon it. Setting the scroll on the floor, Thalasi waited.

As if by magic, words appeared on the scroll. The letters flowed from left to right, as if someone was penning them. When the last letter had appeared, Thalasi pocketed the dagger and read the scroll:

Fleshripper

Fanged Knife

Weight: 0.75kg

Blade length: 0.25m

Abilities:

Poison enchanted

This dagger will help me a lot, Thalasi thought as the rolled up the scroll, causing the words to scrunch together and become ink again, which got absorbed into the paper. Luckily these scrolls are re-usable, unlike those pesky scrolls of town portal. The scrolls of town portal could only be used once. When the seal is broken, the town portal will draw energy from the surrounding air and rip a hole in space. The location for this hole is the town that the seal-breaker has in mind when opening the seal.

Thalasi looked at the bluish zombie's corpse. Since this is the ringleader, its head should be a better shield then my current head. Thalasi took out his newfound dagger and sliced off Corpsefire's head with a swift stroke.

Armed with his new shield, Thalasi stood and looked around at the four corpses. What a pity to waste them, he thought.

"Dalle viscere del mondo nether denomino il thee al mio servizio… aumento in su!"

Thalasi casted the spell over two corpses. Since his spirit energy was not as depleted as the previous time, the skeletons emerged from the black fields easily. The necromancer closed his eyes and concentrated. There was no longer an evil stench in the air. The den of evil had been cleansed.

"Is that all it takes to win the rogue's trust?" Thalasi asked out loud.

Thalasi took out the scroll of town portal and broke the seal, visualising the rogue encampment. A hole of swirling blue appeared before him. Taking a deep breath, Thalasi stepped through, and his skeletons followed suit.

The world spun. Thalasi felt as if he was spinning, head over heels, in space. Bluish lines of energy arced all about him. He only could see blue.

A few seconds later, the journey was over and Thalasi stepped out of the town portal in the middle of the rogue encampment. Warriv was in the general vicinity, and he came over. "Wow! How did you do that?"

Thalasi laughed at how naïve Warriv was. "This is a town portal. I don't recommend you enter, seeing that it appears in the middle of an enemy cavern. Warriv shuddered and resumed his talk with a muscle-bound woman, who has sitting by an anvil, a hammer in hand.

Thalasi went to Akara's tent. "Akara, I have returned."

Akara stepped out of the tent. Thalasi greeted her and proffered the head of the blue zombie. Akara's eyes widened. "Kashya! Kashya! Come over here!"

Kashya broke off talking to her rogues and approached the duo. Her eyes registered recognition as she gazed upon the blue zombie head. "This zombie seemed to be the ringleader or mastermind of the gathering," Thalasi told them. "I have cleared out the cave of all monsters. You can rest easily now."

Akara thanked Thalasi profusely. Kashya, however, was staring at the necromancer suspiciously. I wonder what is her problem? Thalasi thought.

After Akara ended her thanks, Kashya stepped forward and looked at Thalasi. "Akara may be the spiritual leader of this camp, but the rogues will take battle orders from me. Killing a few beasts in the wilderness does not impress me." Kashya glanced down at her bow. "If you really mean good for our encampment, you will…"

Kashya had not finished her sentence when a rogue interrupted them. "Kashya! When scouting out the cold plains with Flaive, we came across Blood Raven! She was raising the dead from the monastery graveyard! We cannot allow our warriors' graves to be desecrated like this! We must launch an attack to kill Blood raven! She has gone too far this time."

Kashya placed her hand over her closed eyes. So, a quasi-necromancer has been raising the dead as well? Looks like I can prove my worth to Kashya. "I can go and kill Blood Raven. There is no need for you or any of the rogues to risk your lives."

Kashya opened her eyes and looked at Thalasi. "Very well, necromancer. Be warned, however, that Blood Raven was once an accomplished rogue before Andariel corrupted her." Kashya glanced at her bow again. "She was the one who gave me this bow." Thalasi peered into Kashya's eyes. Did he see a tear at the corner of her eye?

Kashya looked up and blinked the tears away. "Go, necromancer. Grant peace to the tortured soul of Blood Raven." Kashya turned and walked towards her tent, the rogue scout following her.

Thalasi considered his new quest. An ex-rogue turned necromancer? Now this would be interesting. Thalasi decided not to re-enter his town portal, but rather to trek through Blood Moor and look for the Cold Plains. He gripped his wand and zombie head and marched out from the encampment, his skeletons following close behind.

It took Thalasi the two hours to trek across the blood moor and the cold plains. He had encountered Flaive, who was standing guard at the entrance to the cold plains, using her bow to prevent the zombies from straying over to the blood moor. The necromancer had many skirmishes during this time in the cold plains, causing him to re-summon his bone armour and to raise one more skeleton, making the grand total of skeletons three. All of them wielded sickles and shields. Their sickles were covered with the blood of demons and zombies, as was Thalasi's dagger.

Thalasi paused as he came across a split in the path he was following in the cold plains. Flaive had told him that one path would lead to the cemetery that Blood Raven was raising her army from, and the other would lead to the stony field. Thalasi pondered over which path to take as his three skeletons sliced up an unfortunate zombie who happened to wander too close.

Thalasi closed his eyes. Trusting his inner sense, he stepped towards the path to the right, where the stench of evil was stronger.

He was rewarded ten minutes later when he came across a huge area. There were metal bars sticking up horizontally from the ground, seeming like a cage or a wall. There was only one entrance into the yard. Thalasi looked around and saw a mass of zombies and skeletons congregating in the middle of the caged area. This must be the graveyard where Blood Raven is raising her army. The zombies looked like the usual zombie: a rotting corpse that can walk and hit. The skeletons differed from his own skeletons. They were wielding swords and shields and were a dull yellow colour instead of bone white.

Thalasi agreed with the rogue scout. He could not just stand around and watch the graves of fallen warriors desecrated. Striding into the graveyard, he commanded his skeletons to attack.

"Raduno il thee, trang'oul grande del drago, per conced…"

The undead army moved, the whole bulk of it bearing down on his three skeletons.

"Cinque denti!"

Five teeth burst out from the tip of Thalasi's wand. He knew that his skeletons would not be able to last long without reinforcements.

The five teeth smashed into the undead army, felling many. Thalasi continued to send a steady stream of teeth out as the zombies and skeletons clashed in a melee battle.

Thalasi thought he was winning, as more and more zombies crashed to the ground. However, he also noticed that several were picking themselves back up again.

Thalasi knew his skeletons would not last long if Blood Raven kept resurrecting her minions, so he looked around, trying to spot Blood Raven.

His actions were futile; as Blood Raven herself stepped out of the throng, her bow in hand. One of his skeletons crashed to the ground, buried under the wave of rotting flesh, leaving only two bone white skeletons among a sea of rotting flesh.

A chilling voice spoke out.

"Join my army of the dead."

Blood raven levelled her bow at Thalasi and fired, a blazing fire arrow arcing towards Thalasi.

Thalasi raised his shield as he dodged, and sent out a pair of teeth to strike Blood Raven.

Unlike Corpsefire, however, Blood raven still retained much of her original dexterity. She dodged the two missiles, causing them to smash into the unfortunate zombies behind her. When she completed her movement, she sent two arrows flying at Thalasi.

The necromancer caught one arrow with his shield, and the other smashed against his bone armour, embedding itself unto his chest plate.

One more of Thalasi's skeletons went crashing to the ground.

Thalasi raised his wand, thinking to raise another skeleton from the corpses of the slain zombies around, but was forced to dodge and defend himself as Blood Raven sent more arrows flying his way.

Thalasi's final skeleton collapsed.

This is going to be … challenging. Thalasi thought, his mind recalling the incantation for yet another summon spell as he continued to defend himself against the arrows.

With the skeletons vanquished, the remaining army of 5 zombies and 2 skeletons turned towards Thalasi.

I'd better hurry.