Necromancer For Hire- Arc 1

Arc 1, Chapter 21

The Reprisal

Esper suddenly stood up, shoving at the nagas that surrounded him. "Get out of the way!" he hissed, the gentle and caring tone having left his voice.

Staring at him in confusion, the nagas parted, allowing him to stomp through. One of the guards grabbed his arm, blinking in shock.

"My lady, what's gotten into you?" she gasped.

"You've held me captive for all these years, and you have the gall to ask what's gotten into me?!" Esper snapped, stomping his foot. "I'm sick and tired of being nice and submissive!" He waved his hand in Umbra, Victor, and Aunora's general direction. "These people have come to rescue me, and I'm going home!" Esper was fuming, cheeks flushed and his body shaking like an angry Chihuahua. "And finally... I'm no lady, I'M A FREAKING NATURE SPIRIT!"

His body suddenly changed to a sort of fluid light, searing the retinas of the nagas that were in close contact with him and causing them to fall down. Umbra and Victor shielded their eyes, and Aunora turned her monstrous head away.

When Umbra realized that the light had died down, he uncovered his eyes, finding that Esper had changed his form to that of a giant stag.

His fur was a creamy light brown, with a patch of greyish green running down his chest and belly. His antlers were giant, branching off to around sixteen sharp points, and they were wrapped in vines with small pink flowers on them. Bandages wrapped around the deer's eyes, alerting Umbra that Esper's blindness was a dominant trait in all of his forms.

"Come, Aunora!" Esper's disembodied voice floated through the air. "We've got to leave now, before reinforcements come!"

He's using telepathy, Umbra thought, gazing at Esper mystified. Thinking quick, he rushed to Victor, grabbing the boy by the collar. Victor clung to his father's chest, shuddering.

Nearby, the demon horse whinnied and made shrill noises, staring at Esper in shock. She suddenly glowed, and Aunora transformed back into her human form. She dropped to her knees, staring up at the stag. "Esper..." She whispered.

"There's no time for this!" Esper's telepathic voice cried, the spirit lowering his neck and pinning his ears to the side of his head. "We've got to go!"

At his feet, the nagas that been stunned by his bright light started to groan, pulling themselves up and rubbing their eyes. "Kill the traitor!" the naga Esper had screamed at exclaimed, pointing at him.
The serpent people stood up, drawing their weapons and creeping near the four troublemakers. They were forced into a circle, back to back and prepped to fight for their lives.

"Alright, Mr. Commando," Aunora whispered, elbowing Umbra in the back. "You said you were in charge of this operation...what do we do? I'm not sure if I can take on all these guys." Her armor had disappeared after she had transformed back into her human form, and what little color was in her face had drained, leaving her looking desperate and exhuasted.

Umbra swallowed, at a loss for words. He wasn't even sure what to do- his mind was too muddled from blood loss and lassitude to even form a coherent plan. Victor was practically deadweight leaning on his chest, and the pain in his arm had turned to a constant throb that traveled throughout his body. Esper was the only one that was in any condition to fight, and even then, Umbra had no idea of his capacity in combat.

Umbra let his shoulders slump, opening his palm and allowing the naginata he clutched to dissolve. Offended, Aunora gaped at Umbra, glaring.

"What the crap, dude? You've gotta be armed to fight!" she growled, weary of the nagas that closed nearer to them.

"I...we...it's useless. We can't do it." Umbra murmured, holding Victor closer and kissing him on the head.

"No it's not!" Aunora hissed, her shoulders heaving along with her chest. "We've gotta to do something!"

On the other side of the platform, a portal crackled open, and around thirty nagas slithered out, all of them holding spears. The group formed neat lines, systematically making their way towards the rebels.

"Oh no..." Esper's voice was faint, echoing in Umbra's mind and sending a chill down his spine. "They've arrived."

Blood roaring in Umbra's ears, all hope evanesced from his heart. Sighing, he shoved his hand into his pocket, trying to weave a lie that could convince the nagas to spare their lives. Within his pocket, his hand brushed against his foldable knife.

That's it! Umbra thought, suddenly perking up. Like a meek candle, joy kindled in his chest as he spun the idea in his mind. This could work...

"Guys," he whispered, a smirk coming to his face. "I have a plan."

Author's Note- A shorter chapter, since I didn't have that much plabned for it. The climax is almost over :O