The Envoy of Darkness

Chapter 23 - The Necromancer Part 2

Liliana felt a hint of discomfort. The young man suddenly appeared oddly unfamiliar. He felt distant and cold. His new persona made her heart ache.

"And how are we supposed to – Eh?!" With little struggle, Amy found herself free from the ropes. It was the same for Liliana.

The girls took the chance to speedily retreat further into the room while the chief hopelessly watched on, gnashing his teeth in rage.

As the one responsible for their new found freedom, Max said nothing. It was easy for him to condense the air into tiny blades and cut through the ropes like a hot knife through butter. It would have been an impossible task had his affinity with the air continued to wane.

"Don't worry about us. Even without wands, we aren't helpless."

Seething, the chief barked at his prized creations, "Stop waiting around! GO! Kill them!"

With bizarre yells, the three undead knights attacked, their timing synchronized. Three among the five summoned zombies closely followed suit, but slower and stiffer like mechanical robots.

Liliana and Amy were ready. Without their wands, they were limited to shortened chants and weaker spells. Flames bloomed as fireballs and arrows shot forth.

The undead knights ferociously swung their heavy weapons. Axe and hammers smashed into the spells, feeling no obstruction as they made their way to Max. Overjoyed, the chief laughed and haughtily awaited Max's seemingly imminent death.

"Max! Get out of the way!" Liliana yelled. Unleashing more fire arrows, she watched in horror as Max stood still as the weapons came crashing down. "What are you -"

With his bare hands, Max calmly stopped the heavy weapons in their tracks. Expressionless, he quickly shifted his weight, his right leg a momentary blur as it opposed the dead woman's momentum. The nimblest of the three undead knights met face first against Max's boots and was instantly sent flying towards the summoned zombies.

Like bowling pins, the zombies were sent tumbling to the side while the original victim of the kick finally slammed into the casket from which she had emerged.

The unbelievable turn of events left the chief shell-shocked. Rooted to the spot, he stiffly reconfirmed the truth. Within the coffin, the female knight's body convulsed as she attempted to stand back up. Her neck was twisted at an awkward angle and it was obvious that that wasn't the only thing broken.

The male knights felt nothing at the loss of a comrade, instead focused on trying to pry their weapons from Max's hands. Loosening his grip, he took a step forward and made quick work of the two ordinary zombies that had managed to crawl their way towards him.

The undead knights attempted to deliver another blow only to have their rigid movements exploited. Max had the two by their throats. Unwilling to give them a chance, he violently smashed their heads into the floor. Crack. The disgusting sound of bones being crushed echoed through the tiny warehouse, the sheer force of the impact leaving behind a crater beneath each knight's face.

The chief's confidence... it had finally begun to waver. Fear took root in the depths of his heart. His own inexperience in combat left him unable to cope with the rising emotion.

Kneeling down and suppressing the struggling knights, Max controlled the air to congregate and compress around his fists. "You'll be the first to experience this on Asterisk. Consider it a sign of respect." He mumbled, punching down without hesitation.

The ground quaked from the impact, the walls shaking as if faced with a storm.

The shock-waves were enough to scare everyone present, but the accompanied blood splatter served to amplify its effects. There was almost nothing left of the knights. Their upper torso gone, only two pairs of legs left behind. Blood oozed from their waists while their heads rolled sideways and stopped near the wooden crates. It was a scene to behold, revolting and nightmarish all at once.