Blood of the Righteous

Undead Rising

Dameus waded through the waist-deep water, the stench of raw sewage rising from beneath him. A glowing yellow ball hung above him, lighting his way through the ice-cold water. Slime and other filth hung from the arched ceiling, only two hands from his head. He had been searching for several hours and his legs were starting to go numb, yet they had to be here somewhere.

The night before, from his room at the inn, he had magically searched the castle for the presence of the dead. His mind had traveled back, years into the past. Six men, criminals escaping from the dungeon beneath the castle, had found their way into the sewers that led to the River Vissik. The anticipation of freedom filled them, as did thoughts of revenge against their jailers. They traveled through the darkness, searching for the way out. Suddenly, their hopes turned to frustration as they encountered the metal bars blocking their way. The speed of the flow picked up and the water began to rise. They were too weak to fight against the current, and they were swept under. Pinned against the bars, they thrashed to get to the surface. Dameus had felt the sweet touch of death take them. It had happened so long ago, yet the feeling of their deaths was so strong.

Another sudden drop in temperature brought Dameus' thoughts back to the present. Sagaroth had damn well better appreciate what he was doing for him. He continued to trudge on through the vile water. The feeling of death was starting to get stronger. He was getting close.

Up ahead, a small tunnel branched off to the left. He hurried towards it, almost loosing his footing on the slimy, uneven ground beneath the water. Rounding the corner, Dameus spotted the metal bars that blocked the men's progress those many years ago. They were still intact.

Turning around, he stretched out his left hand. Yellow energy arced from his palm and a magical field appeared, sealing the side tunnel off from the main flow. The last thing he needed was for the current to carry the bodies out into the river. He then sealed the other end of the side tunnel off about twenty feet beyond the metal bars. His hand then started to glow red, and he plunged it into the water. Slowly, the water level receded until the ground was completely dry. The magical force fields still held the main flow back.

Just beyond the metal bars lay what he was looking for. Six skeletal corpses, still in tattered clothing, were scattered across the filth-ridden ground. Still plenty of time left, he thought, as he unsheathed a small serpentine dagger. Time enough to create six greater undead. He quickly produced five black candles from his robe. A quick blast of magical energy and they were dried. Pointing at the ground, flame shot from his index finger, charring the ground in the shape of a pentagram. He then placed the five candles at the apexes and lit them. Turning around, he grabbed hold of two of the bars. A yellow glow encompassed them and they crumbled away. Repeating this three more times left enough room for him to squeeze through.

"Well, my friends, your souls may be in hell, but it looks like what is left of your bodies shall have your chance for revenge after all," he said, smiling.

After several trips back and forth, he moved the pile of bones next to the pentagram. Carefully, he pulled bones from the pile, arranging them to create a complete skeleton within the circle. He sliced his hand with the dagger, allowing the blood to drip onto the skeletal form. As the blood drops splashed against the bone, they were instantly absorbed. He then kneeled and began to chant. The familiar yellow glow encompassed the bones and the skeletal figure sat up.

"Your command?" the skeleton said in a raspy voice.

Dameus looked up, sweating and hands shaking. Creating greater undead was a lot more draining than he had remembered. "Arise."

The skeleton stood up, staring at him with empty eye sockets, head tilted slightly to the side.

"Now help me with the others. We've a long task ahead of us."