The CalmHighmax stood alone. The others either refused to join her or stayed away in fear of her. The beats of the enemy's marching coming down that long forgotten entryway. The mad, twisted monsters held themselves up with their own horrors, fighting them the whole way. The infighting was only proof of their madness; Highmax knew that. Once they killed everyone living, they would only kill each other until Ur's forces slew themselves. While it would have been fitting to lock themselves in and wait for them to kill themselves, the smell of forumite flesh would bring them all here, and until they were gone, they would keep being hunted. They had no choice but to slay their foe here and now or die trying.
A lone troll broke the everlooming marching, its roar quickly silenced as Highmax slashed its face. She didn't give him the courtesy of screaming in pain as she mangled his face with an accuracy only she knew. The blue ichor of the troll painted her and the walls as she finally slashed through his neck. A second troll appeared, and Highmax caught its leg, but the Troll lunged its horn into her. The blow wasn't fatal, but it pulled her neck. The sheer impact damaged her spine. Now was the time where she was going to die. She dropped her blade and shield as her body seized up and the troll grabbed her.
But she wasn't done yet.
Using her only weapon left, herself, she bit down on the troll, and in pain, he reeled and let go. The troll got back into it right away and grabbed her again by her teeth this time, but to no avail. The rabid Highmax, both arms refusing to work, bites done on his head and knocks the troll out. With all of her might, she ripped into his head with her teeth, paralyzing the troll like he did to her. Blood poured from her knees, both shattered from this troll but she kept fighting. Tired, winded and feeling faint, she pressed on. The troll awoke, and with his tusks, stabbed her in the chest. Coughing up blood, Highmax kept on biting the troll. But then the worst happened. Highmax collapsed from exhaustion.
While this happened, the diplomat visitng decided to announce he left unhappy, oblivious to his inevitable demise.
Then, on the 15th of Moonstone, as the other soldiers came, they watched as Highmax collapsed from exhaustion for the final time as the monster ran his tusk straight through her cheek and into her skull. The people knew that order had to be put into place before the terrible announcement befell.
Highmax was slainThere was no time to mourn. Only act. The soldiers were called to the front, but no one came. The horror of their champion being slain was too great as the enemy flooded into the halls and slew everyone in their path.
Apiks watched as everyone he knew die before him. He failed. He could only sit and watch as trolls tore helpless children apart and Necrothreader's rose them as soon as their hearts stopped beating, with some still screaming as they are cleaved by sword or axe before they turn on the living. The magic was all he had left, but it faded from disuse. He had one chance.
But then 'he' came...Blackened by ashes, his body mangled and pulped, Sprin stood before apiks. But he was not undead; far from it. His heavy breathing was indicating that, but his eyes were red and fueled by hate. A hatred that could only have been fueled by the thousands of lives he has lived and the thousands that he died only to return to this place.
"I can't let you escape apiks... I've killed you hundreds of times and I will kill you thousands more until this ends."His voice echoed as if a thousand voices spoke low in hushed unison. Apiks knew he wasn't lying; his usual maddened demeanor was gone. This was the most serious he had gotten in both here and in Necrothreat II. But how did he-
"You cheated and made it to this world. But I will not let you do that again. You die here and now. I won't stop until all is gone. We deserved a better life... The next life... Away from them. Don't make this harder than it already is."His one good arm raised the hammer up and was brought down with a force that was gained from his time in the army.
Damn you Highmax! Damn you! You made him grow too strong! He cursed in his mind as he brought up his pickaxe. White light glowed as a shield of pure magic blocked the hammer. The mad doctor swung his hammer quickly, and Apiks could only keep up with his magic.
The undead began to close in. He had to prepare the spell or he would join the damned. An arrow was fired and pierced the blackened forumite and he stumbled. Apiks took the opportunity to bring his pick down, striking the forumite in between his shoulder and his neck; a killing blow! But Sprin rose, gripping the pick and ripping out of himself. Apiks saw clearly now: the singed flesh killed all of his nerves, and his body was so broken that only magic would be the answer for this. The familiar maddened laugh poured out of its mouth as his hand gripped Apiks' through, an inforumite strength crushing his flesh.
"I have made it my vow to see it all end. And here it does."The sound of his neck snapping as Sprin struck Apiks' head with his hammer. The old one died slowly as he watched Sprin smile as his body was rent by axe, sword and spear, flesh flying off his body, but his smile stayed as a purple mist flowed from his body. His laugh burned in his head, Apiks felt nothing as he saw a blade stab into his chest, and a spear slash into his belly, spilling his innards.
Apiks did the one thing he could do and tried to mimic Sprin. White mist slowly came out of his mouth and Apiks could only be aware of what proceeded afterwards as the demonic forces of hell poured out of the ground itself, finally free of their prison and destroying the undead.
One last flash of light from Apiks' magic as he made one last effort to change fate...
There was light...
And then there was darkness...
Only one thing came across his mind as the light faded...
END NECROTHREAT III