[Theesa]

Theesa awoke with no real recollection of why she had been asleep in the first place. One moment she had been talking to December... and the next she was opening her eyes and seeing him looking down at her. She was still seated in her chair, but her feet had been propped up on December's antique table and a few pillows had been placed behind her head.

"What?"

"This is getting to be a habit," said December. "You have been with me a very short while... yet you've managed to spend most of that time unconscious. Happily, you have only been out for a few minutes."

"Sorry. What hap-....OH!" Theesa sat straight up and looked around the room.

"You will see no more of J'Hasp," said December.

"What? He.... I..."

"It is a common reaction. Those of a more delicate nature often experience... discomfort at J'Hasp's presence."

"I'm not delicate." protested Theesa.

"Really?" December smiled.

"Where did it go? Where is it?"

"J'Hasp nests in the walls and-"

"THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

"It is what he does."

"But what IS it?"

December shrugged his large shoulders and then sat back down in his own chair.

"You don't know?"

"Wiser men than I have been unable to answer that question. He is my companion... and that is satisfactory for both of us. "

"Companion," said Theesa with doubt in her voice. "What kind of jeweler had a THING as a companion."

"Perhaps it is time you learned more about-"

"Where did you GET it?"

"My homeland. I rescued him from a pack of... animals. He decided to follow me, and since then we have saved each other's lives more times that I can recall."

"Like with the King brothers?"

December nodded.

"Who was that other man? The man who told you about Katherine?"

"Ahhh... you saw that as well. Your visions are very thorough. That was N'Doki, another of my companions."

"He seemed... I don't know... evil."

"He is."

"Oh. Uhh... how did... never mind. I'm sure I don't want to know."

"He has been both teacher and mentor for many, many years."

"You have strange friends. J'Hasp. N'Doki. Reynaldo. But I STILL don't know what happened back then to make you so c-... uhh...."

"Cold?"

"I wasn't going to say that."

"I see."

"I want to know more. IF you don't mind... I mean, I don't want to intrude."

"You have already intruded."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I have far too many secrets... they have been hidden so deep for so long, that sometimes I need to be reminded of just what they are."

"You DO have a lot of secrets, don't you?"

December turned to look at her.

"But what of you?" he said. "What do YOU get out of this curiosity?"

"Satisfaction, I guess. I mean... I want to know-"

"WHY do you want to know? What is it about me that intrigues you so?"

Theesa's throat was suddenly dry.

"I... December, this whole ordeal has been like a dream. I came to Montfort looking for... I don't even KNOW what I was looking for. Then I got attacked, and then there was you, and..."

Theesa knew she was babbling, but she had no real answer for December's question. At least, not one that she was going to share. That last thing in the world she wanted to do was tell December that she was falling in love with him. She could barely admit that to herself. But it was true.... even now, emotions began to well up within her, and her effort to hold them back only made them worse.

I love December she thought.

She turned away from him. She heard December rise from his chair and approach. The sudden chill in the air told her that he was standing next to her.

"It is late," he said. "And you have had a long day. Shall I escort you to your room?"

Theesa looked up and saw that December was holding out his hand. She took it and together they ascended the stairs.

Her room was exactly as she had left it. She turned to face December.

"Thank you," she said. "For today. For everything."

"I would say that it was nothing.... but you and I both know that to be untrue. Sleep well."

"Are you going to lock me in?" she asked.

"No. Your door will be unlocked... unless you wish it to be otherwise."

"What about yours?"

"Mine? Why would you... I mean... you... I..."

"Sleep well, December" said Theesa with a smile. She closed the door and sat down on her bed. She lay back and rested for a while, but she quickly realized that her heart wasn't going to let her sleep.

[December]

He walked down he hall to his own room and closed the door behind him. His bed was made, but he sat down in a large stuffed chair and sighed. There was a book on the night stand, he opened it and had gone through several pages before he realized that he had no idea what he was reading. He didn't know the title... the author... or even the subject. His eyes had touched every word, but his mind was somewhere else.

He stood and walked over to the window. December looked out into the night sky and tried to bring himself back into focus. For the first time in years, he noticed how beautiful the night sky actually was.

He wondered what secrets it held What events were transpiring under the moon's watchful eye?

N'Doki was probably in his hole, doing whatever it was that N'Doki does. Eric and Lovvorn were stalking the streets, risking their lives for him. Zade and the Night's Bloom were presumably doing the same. The night was the same as any other... but why did it feel so different? Why did it seem so ominous and wonderful both at the same time? Was it Theesa? Was it him? Chain? What?

Lost in his thoughts, December almost didn't hear his bedroom door open and then quietly close.

His heart thumped painfully in his chest, and suddenly he felt uncomfortable.

"Theesa?" he said.

"Expecting someone else?"

December tried to take a deep breath, but found that he couldn't. For a second, he felt something akin to fear... stark raving terror... and then he felt Theesa's hand on his arm as she joined him by the window.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.

"What's wrong?" said Theesa.

"Nothing," he replied.

"The sky is pretty tonight."

"It is," said December. "Perhaps we can stand here and watch it for a while."

"If that's what you want."

"I would like that very much."

Ignoring the cold, Theesa snuggled up next to him and leaned her head against his strong shoulder.

"I wonder what's happening out there?" she said after a while.

"So do I," he replied. "So do I..."

------

[Chain]

The night was eerily quiet near the cemetery. Even the gentle wind seemed reluctant to disturb the twisted, dead trees and overgrown grass that lay beyond the carefully locked gates.

Then the men came.

Sixteen dark shapes appeared at the far end of the street. Framed by the almost-full moon, they approached the cemetery like an army of shadows. Their leader was a large man with a clean, bald head. A huge chain shifted noisily around his waist, and a large, heavy sack was thrown over his left shoulder. Immediately to his left and right were three men dressed in expensive armor. Everything about them screamed military... their walk... their weapons... even the way they *breathed* screamed danger. Behind this core group were twelve of Montfort's worst trouble-makers. Thieves and cut-throats... murderers and street-fighters. Each man was armed and armored... axes, swords, spiked maces and crossbows rattled against bracers, chest-plates and even an ornate shield.

The expression of each face spoke of intense readiness, and even of annoyance at having been kept from their objective for so long.

But now was the time.

They were going to war.

Chain brought the party to a halt before the large metal gate of the cemetery.

"You... pick that lock." He pointed to one of the thieves, and the man immediately set to work picking the lock with a set of home-made tools.

Chain threw his sack to the ground and began removing the contents. Inside were seven torches... each was soaked in incense and engraved with arcane symbols. In addition, there were sixteen amulets... Fifteen of them were identical... simple disks of silver engraved with some of the same symbols as the torches. The final amulet was larger, with a smooth black stone set in its center.

Chain distributed the objects among the men, but kept the unique amulet for himself. There were more objects in the bag, but Chain closed it quickly before anyone could venture a look inside. When one of the thieves opened his mouth to ask about the remaining contents, Chain silenced him with a look and a frown.

"So what do we got here?" said another man.

"Light from the torches will keep most of the spirits away. Amulets have a shorter range... they can touch you, but it'll most likely be fatal for them."

"I don't think I like the sound of that."

"That's what you've got weapons for. You don't like the idea of something sinking it's claws into you... then kill it before it gets the chance. Or take the cowards way out and stay close to someone carrying a torch."

"And where did this stuff come from? YOU'RE not a mage."

"From a source. That's all you need to know. Is that lock done, yet?"

The lock gave way with a loud click, and the thief stepped back. Chain nodded.

"Belladrox, you're on point."

"What?" A tall wild-haired man with a crossbow for a right hand stepped forward. He had a spiked mace tied to his belt, and his right hand ended in a crossbow. He wasn't pleased. "Why do I gotta walk point?"

"Because I asked."

"But why-"

"Just DO IT!"

Belladrox gave Chain an evil look as he loaded a bolt into the crossbow-hand

"Bradley... get your weapon and stay alert. You and Drox-"

"That's BELLA-drox..."

"...are our distance. Watch our periphery... Anything move that isn't one of us, put a bolt through it."

Bradley, a street-rat armed with a complex, mechanically-augmented crossbow took up position just behind Chain.

"The rest of you just keep your eyes open and be ready for anything. Light those torches come on."

Chain didn't wait for his men to comply... He just signaled Belladrox and pair of them entered the cemetery. Not far behind them, the men fumbled for flints and tried to keep up with Chain's rapid marching pace.

Inside, the grass was alive with rats and vermin. The beasts scattered at their approach, rustling the dry grass in a way that the wind never did. Chain led them through the maze of half-hidden tombstones, remembering their location from his last visit. He made his way toward a large above-ground crypt in the very heart of the graveyard.

About halfway there, the rustling of the rodents suddenly stopped. There was silence for a moment, and then something larger began to move toward them. It was hidden in the grass, sliding towards them with a long, slow...

-SSSSSSSSSS-

Belladrox and Bradley both raised their weapons just as the huge serpent erupted from the sea of weeds. The beast was a slithering column of scales ten feet high from the point it emerged from the grass. Though it had the body of a snake, the thing was topped with the shriveled, grinning head of a man.

"Great," said Chain sarcastically. "It's THIS thing again..."

"What's THAT!" shouted Bradley

"It's a TARGET! SHOOT IT!"

Unfortunately, the demon-serpent showed none of Bradley's hesitation. It shot forward, and Bradley's delayed shot vanished into the darkness just past the beast's head.

Bradley dodged to one side, but the man behind him was too slow.

A scream pierced the night, ... and then was cut short as the snake swallowed the man whole in a single gulp.

"I thought you said these amulets would protect us!" shouted Belladrox.

"From the undead," said Chain. "Obviously, THIS thing is very much alive."

"We'll see about that!"

Belladrox released his first bolt, and it stuck tight in the monster's throat just beneath the chin. The serpent hissed and turned towards its attacker. Bradley adjusted his weapon to three-quarters tension and fired at the monster's head.

The bolt struck the beast dead-center in the face. It didn't stick fast as Belladrox's had done... no, it passed completely *through* the monster. The back of its skull exploded in a shower of blood and brains as the bolt exited. The serpent twitched and collapsed... Bradley's bolt continued up into the night sky and was lost from sight.

A shout rose up as the creature thudded to the ground. Most of the men cheered, but Belladrox gave Bradley a sour look.

"Show-off." he said.

"Belladrox," ordered Chain. "Burn that thing. I've seen it killed twice now and I don't want it waiting for us on the way out."

Belladrox extended his good hand and barked a few unintelligible phrases. Several blasts of greasy, green fire erupted from his fingertips and set the beast's corpse alight. The thing twitched as it was rapidly consumed by the blaze.

"Think your fancy bow can top THAT?" said Belladrox to Bradley.

"Never mind that," said Chain. "We've got more work to do."

Chain turned towards the crypt and started walking. The stone building sat beside a large dead tree... and Chain's eyes were already scanning the area, searching for what he already knew was there.

A large, gray creature stepped out from behind the rotting oak. Its roughly humanoid body was thick and top-heavy, with the upper portion composed primarily of its huge throat and jaws. It stood on thin legs, and spindly clawed arms sprouted from its sides as if added as an afterthought. The thing turned toward Chain and opened its mouth.

"BRAK!"

Belladrox turned from the burning corpse of the snake and saw the new beast. Both he and Bradley raised their weapons

"BRAK!"

"NO!" shouted Chain. "EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

For once in his life, Belladrox obeyed without question. He threw himself on the ground just as the banshee unleashed its deadly scream...

"BRAK! BRAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."

The shockwaves generated by the enchanted creature's throat swept across the cemetery in a narrow beam of destruction. Everything in its path was pulverized....Tombstones exploded, trees shattered, and the ground itself split open as if being plowed by some invisible caretaker. What the banshee's scream did to the three men who were too slow to hide themselves was beyond description.

Their blood rained down upon the grass like a summer shower.

Suddenly everything was quiet.

Belladrox rolled over onto his back. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, but he could barely hear himself. The creature's sonic assault had robbed him of his hearing.

Just before he panicked, Belladrox saw *something* whiz through the air above him. Thinking that Bradley had fired another fatal shot, he looked around and saw Chain standing tall in the waist-high grass, his arms folded defiantly across his chest. The chain...or chains... around his midsection were twisting and churning like a nest of steel snakes.

Chain's hands were nowhere near them.

Moving of their own accord, two lengths of the living metal had shot across the intervening distance between Chain and the banshee... over 30 feet.

"BRA-"

The banshee's cry was cut off as the two heavy steel chains wrapped themselves around its body. Both chains looped over the thing's huge head and forced its powerful jaws shut with an audible *SNAP*

"What the Hell?" said Belladrox.

The Banshee thrashed and struggled, but it was held tight. Too tight. Waaaay too tight...

Chain winced... and there arose a sickening wet *crunch* as the Banshee was squeezed to death. The metal chains tightened with incredible force, crushing bone and pulverizing flesh. Fresh blood splashed over the tree and the stone wall of the crypt.

Without a single motion from Chain, the lengths of metal released the corpse and re-wound themselves around Chain's waist. The body of the Banshee looked like... like nothing any of the men had ever seen before. Sharp points of broken bone protruded from the mass of twisted, ruined flesh, making the creature completely unrecognizable.

"That's a nice trick ya got there," Belladrox said as he got to his feet. He realized his hearing was beginning to return, although it wouldn't be back to normal for at least a few days.

"Let's go," replied Chain. He motioned for Belladrox to lead the group into the crypt.

Once inside, they found themselves in a dark rectangular room, illuminated only by their own torchlight.

They were standing between two rows of stone vaults lining the left and right walls. Each vault was wide open. And empty. At the far end was a large metal door. When Belladrox and Chain entered, the door was open, but as the rest of the party began to file into the crypt, the door swung shut violently. The sound was like a large explosion, and it elicited several yelps from the men.

"Bradley... put a hole in that door."

Bradley stepped forward proudly and took aim. He adjusted the mechanism to full tension and fired.

*BANG!*

The bolt put a fist-sized whole in the center of the door and warped the metal so badly that it was nearly folded in half. Both the top and bottom were torn away from the frame... The rusty hinges popped off and ricocheted off of the walls three times before finally settling to the floor.

Even the normally nonchalant Chain seemed stunned.

"Ummm... okay move that wreckage out of the way."

Four men stepped forward and stood beside the ruined door. Two held torches, and the other two grabbed the twisted metal and tried to pull it free. It wouldn't budge.

"It's stuck," one of them said.

"Stand back."

The quartet backed away. The unmistakable sound of rattling chains filled the air as Chain's metal links came alive. One length of chain unwrapped itself and shot into the hole that Bradley had made. It emerged from the space at the top of the door and looped back in through the bottom. After encircling the metal barrier four times, the chain yanked it free with one tremendous pull. Chain stepped to one side, and his metal namesake snapped like a whip... sending the door flying out of the crypt and into the cemetery.

"Let's go," said Chain.

Just beyond the doorway was a winding stone staircase leading down... into an abysmal darkness.

"Down." said Chain.

"Uh-uh," said Belladrox. "I've done my tour at point... time for somebody else to lead. How 'bout wonder-boy with that fancy crossbow."

"How about YOU," replied Chain.

"You know-"

"What?" Chain gave Belladrox a mean look, and his chain shifted noisily on his waist.

"Nothing."

Holding his torch high, Belladrox descended.

He was followed by Chain, Bradley, Chain's soldiers, and then the rest of the men. The flickering torches revealed cracked stone walls, but gave no indication of how far the group had to descend. So they went blindly into the darkness. The passageway was narrow, barely large enough for two men to walk abreast. Chain studied the situation, then stopped and had his men space themselves out along the stairway. He and Belladrox took the very front, with Belladrox carrying the enchanted torch. At the rear he left three Montfort men, armed with two swords and one torch. The rest were gathered in the center with the remaining weapons and torches.

The silence was overwhelming. Everyone was either holding their breaths or breathing so shallow that it made no sound. Even their footsteps seemed muted, and the further they descended, the more the place reeked of death and decay.

After a few moments, Belladrox spoke

"Hey, I saw something move," He thrust his torch forward and everyone caught a glimpse of *something* backing quickly away from the light. "See."

"Good job." Chain turned to check the rear of the group. "Anything back there?"

"No."

"There will be."

"What?" said Belladrox. "What do you-"

"Trap." Chain said calmly. "Remember those empty vaults upstairs?"

The antagonistic look on Belladrox's face melted and quickly faded away.

"You mean... Oh, shi-"

The shrieks of the undead swallowed the remainder of the sentence. From both the front and the rear, gangs of shriveled zombies reached from the darkness, their eyes glowing with hunger and malice

Most of the men raised their weapons and prepared to defend themselves, although a few just shivered and soiled their clothes.

"NO!" shouted Chain. "Don't fight them... Use the TORCHES! THE TORCHES."

Belladrox waved his blazing torch at the first zombie and the thing's flesh began to sizzle. It screamed and backed away, but four more took its place. Each got a face-full of torch. With agonizing shrieks, the zombies fell back, covering their rapidly dissolving faces with their decaying hands.

"Hey-HEY! I LIKE this!" said Belladrox. He step down a few more steps and forced the zombies further back. Some were too slow... the torch's light dissolved them before they could reach safety.

"Come on... follow ME!"

Belladrox continued his descent.

"How we doing in back!" yelled Chain.

"Hey these things really WORK." came the reply. It was followed by an immediate shout...

"Gimme that torch!"

"No! Get your own!"

"I AM... YOURS!"

"HEY, LET GO!"

"Give it HERE!"

"LET GO!"

"Well if you've got the torch then you don't need THIS!"

"My AMULET! GIVE IT BACK!"

There was a loud scuffle, punctuated with curses and oaths. And then...

"AIIIGH! I'm ON FIRE!!!!"

Something hit the ground and the zombies began shrieking with glee..

"He DROPPED the TORCH!"

"HELLLP!"

"We need another TORCH back here!"

"...dammit..." leaving Belladrox alone at the front, Chain forced his way back through the men. A still burning torch rolled down the steps as he ascended. When he arrived, he saw one man completely covered in flames and running straight into the approaching zombie horde.

Despite the flames, they set upon him immediately and began ripping him limb from limb. Chain couldn't tell if the man was screaming more from being burned alive or from being torn apart.

The zombies made short work of the burning man and then started down the steps toward Chain.

"BACK! Everyone BACK!"

Of course they were already gone, and the torchlight from the middle group was fading as they followed Belladrox further down. In a few more seconds Chain would be alone.

"Can't leave these things at our back."

His chain extended itself once more. It twirled in front of him in an ever-widening circle until the very end of it scraped the stone floor, ceiling, and walls. The chain spun faster, drawing sparks against the stone surroundings as the zombies came forward.

"Come and get it." said Chain. The last flickering light from the group faded just as the first zombie rushed into the rotating chain. The rain of gore and crushed bones had not yet ended when the second, third, and forth zombies charged to their doom as well. The chain tore threw them like a spinning blade, splattering the resulting chunks in every direction. Unfortunately, Chain's view of the action was limited to the short, staccato bursts of sparks from the walls. But he heard the shrieks and felt the gore plastering him from head to toe. They continued to come in twos and threes... throwing themselves onto the chain of death. When no more came, Chain walked slowly up the stairs and dismembered a few more that were trying to hide..

Finally there was nothing left to kill. The chain returned to Chain's waist with a set of loud *clinks,* and then Chain felt his way back down the stairway.

He met up with the rest of the men after only a short while. Some of the Montfort crew were actually surprised to see him, but Chain's own men weren't.

With some help from Chain's professionals, Belladrox had managed to erase the zombie frontal attack with little difficulty. The stairs were coated with the slippery, leftover sludge resulting from the enchanted torches. Belladrox had a self-satisfied smile on his face as Chain assumed his former position.

"Our rear is clear... take us down."

The group continued their descent, and reached the bottom of the stairs after just a few more minutes. There, Chain gave Belladrox his much-deserved break from walking point. Chain took the lead himself, with Bradley immediately behind him.

"Everyone on guard," he said.

"What? There's MORE?" replied one of the men.

"A LOT more. We haven't even met the man himself, yet."

"Will these torches-"

"No. The torches won't do squat against him."

"Well what's the plan, then?"

"Yeah... what are we supposed to do?"

"We attack him. Fast and hard... don't give him time to think, or we're all dead. I'll take him down myself, but the rest of you have to distract him... attack him from all sides and give me the time I need."

"If he's that dangerous, how're YOU going to take him down."

"I'm not out of surprises yet."

The men nodded. The were curious, but they already knew that they'd gotten as much of an answer as they were ever going to receive.

"Now, if we're done chatting..."

Chain waved for the others to follow.

The stone walls on either side were riddled with cracks, and as they continued deeper into the necromancer's layer, the cracks became wider and more jagged... as if the entire place had been taken up in a giant's hand and smashed against the ground.

"Hey, look at that..." said one of the men. He pointed into a deep fissure running from the floor to almost chest-height. "...I think a saw something in there." He stepped closer and rolled up his sleeve.

"Back away," ordered Chain.

"No, wait... it looked like a diamond or something-" The man reached into the crack, burying his arm up to the shoulder in darkness.

"Somebody grab that man!"

Chain's men rushed forward...

"No... I got it! It's a jewel. Lemme pull it ouOOOOOAIIIIGGGHGHHHH!!!!"

The man pulled back a bloody stump. Beside him, Belladrox burst out in hysterical laughter, which ended suddenly as a toothy *thing* emerged from the crevice. The creature was the size of a small dog, but with no hair... in fact it had no skin at all. It's head was a sharply pointed triangle ending in a long snout filled with dagger-like teeth. The beast screeched once and sank both clawed hands into the injured man's chest. It ripped open a whole large enough to admit its head, and then dove in. Chain's men hacked at it's hindquarters with their blades while Belladrox quickly backpedaled to a safe distance.

"What the Hell IS THAT!" he howled.

Injured and oozing green slime, the creature released its first victim and ducked back into its hiding place. One of Chain's men thrust his sword in after the beast, only to have it yanked out of his hands. Both creature and sword were gone.

"Get back!" said Belladrox. With green sparks already crackling from his fingertips, he stepped in front of the crevice and released a sizzling blast of fire and energy directly into it. The entire corridor was bathed in green light as the flames played up and down the wall. Belladrox kept up the assault even after sweat began pouring down his face.

"Enough!" barked Chain.

Belladrox ended the spell and backed away. Then as an afterthought, he raised his right arm and fired a single bolt from his crossbow into the hole.

"I think it's dead now." he said.

"For all we know you could have just fed it breakfast," said Chain.

"Noooo... it's HAD breakfast," he nodded to the still-twitching corpse on the floor. Most of it's chest cavity was completely empty... heart, lungs, ribs... all gone. "Yummy," said Belladrox with a chuckle.

"He brought that on himself. Everyone move away from the walls and TRY not to do anything stupid."

Men gathered in the center of the corridor and followed Chain in an almost single-file line. Everyone eyed the deep crevices nervously as they continued down the hall. At times there DID appear to be something shining deep within the walls... a small jewel or a glittering stone. But now they new that the walls didn't hold riches... only death. For a while, it seemed that the necromancer's creatures were content to stay within their stone holes, but when no one took them up on their tempting offer of free jewels, they began to grow bolder.

"LOOK OUT!" someone shouted.

A single clawed arm reached out of one fissure and made a grab for Belladrox. The battle-mage yelped and backed away... and almost backed into a *second* creature that was emerging from the other wall. Soon the walls were alive with screeching demon-dogs for as far as they could see. Oddly enough, they never completely emerged from their holes, instead, they kept their hind-quarters safely hidden deep within the wall.

Weapons were drawn and the men began attacking. Belladrox lifted his spiked mace and obliterated one creature's head, then turned and fired a bolt through the chest of another. He heard a scream, and turned to see the man standing next to him being pulled into a jagged crack. His head and shoulders had already vanished into a hole that was much too small to hold either. Belladrox dropped his mace and threw magical fire all along the wall... incinerating both the man and the beast that was holding him. The flames continued to cascade down the wall dipping into the deep crevices and rushing back out again. The creatures zipped back into their holes and went silent.

"OTHER WALL!" yelled Chain.

Belladrox bathed the other wall with a similar blast, with identical results. Soon the party was standing in a quiet corridor filled with smoke and embers.

"Guess we all know who's pulling their weight around here," the battle-mage boasted.

"Never doubted your skill," said Chain. "Just your intelligence."

"HEY!"

Chain spun on his heals and walked away. They continued down the hall with no further interruptions or attacks... until they came to a large opening in the wall. In truth, it was just a crack like the others, but it was MUCH larger. It may have actually been a door at one time... but now it was a jagged six-foot wide crevice stretching from floor to ceiling.

Chain brought the men to a halt, and then signaled them to back away.

He listened to the silence, then turned to his men.

"This is it," he whispered.

"How do you-"

"I said this is it. We go in at once. Whatever you see in there, attack it. Keep moving as much as you can to draw attention away from me. Oh... and for those who don't know... it's never a good idea to look a necromancer in the eye."

"Let's get this over with," mumbled Belladrox.

"And keep that fire to yourself," said Chain. "Mage-fire and enclosed spaces don't usually mix."

"Why don't I just put a bolt through his chest?" asked Bradley. He held up his crossbow.

"Try it and see what happens. Everyone ready?"

"Everyone that's left," said Bradley. "We started out with sixtee-"

"GOOO!"

Nine men burst into the necromancer's chamber... a large area that reeked of scented candles, incense, and death. The necromancer himself was in the center of the room, floating about three feet off of the ground in an upright stance. His body was a skeletal remnant of a man, with brown, leathery skin hanging off of him like a set of cheap rags. Each of his bony fingers was tipped with a single black talon about an inch long. His head was bald, and his smiling face was split by two rows of pearly-white teeth... all filed down into sharp points.

"Ahhh... dey haf finally arrived!" he said with a chuckle. "And dey bring MUCH magic wit dem! Dat iz good... N'Doki like de challenge!"

"ATTACK!" shouted Chain. "GET HIM!"

N'Doki's chuckle became an outright laugh as the men charged towards him.


Staying behind, Chain dropped to one knee and began pulling objects out of the bag he had been carrying. He removed a ceremonial candle, a shallow bowl and several vials of different liquids. He placed these on the floor in front of him, and then from his other pocket he removed a small ornamental bottle. He un-stoppered the vials and began mixing the reagents. As he did, he kept one eye out he action going on around him.

Still hovering in the air, N'Doki waited for the men to surrounded before making his first move. As the first one dashed in and tried to slash at his legs. N'Doki made a sweeping gesture that ended with a bony finger pointed at the charging man. There arose a viscous screaming... not from the attacker OR N'Doki... it was as if the air itself had begun to howl.

Chain paused in his work and squinted at the air. He saw shimmering disturbances in a few places, like that caused by the heat above a raging fire. They were Wraiths... evil flying spirits, invisible except for the barest traces in the air. Summoned by their master, they filled the room and began circling N'Doki. One reached out for the first attacker. When it's invisible claws touched him, the soldier's amulet glowed with a blinding white brilliance. The man shouted, but it wasn't audible over the death-shrieks of the Wraith. Like the enchanted torches, the protective amulets would not let the spirits attack. They rewarded the attempts with flashes of holy light that dispelled them immediately... and painfully.

"IGNORE THE SPIRITS!" shouted Chain. "ATTACK THE MAN!" He went back to his own task... quickly mixing the ingredients to the spell that would end this horror.

Nearby, Bradley turned to face N'Doki. He raised his crossbow, and as he did so, the necromancer pointed to him. A wraith descended and tried to rip out the archer's throat, but at the first touch it vanished in a pulse of light. Bradley fired.

The bolt was too fast to even be seen with the naked eye, but not too fast to be diverted. Yet another wraith snatched the speeding missile out of the air just inches away from N'Doki's chest. It snapped the bolt in half and then shot down towards the one who had dared fire it. Obeying Chain's orders, Bradley ignored the spirit, drew his dagger and charged in for a more personal attack.

Meanwhile, the rest of the men were gathered beneath N'Doki trying to grab, slice, cut, or otherwise inflict damage upon the laughing abomination that floated effortlessly above them.

Swords sliced at the necromancer's feet, but he simply floated further up and out of range. Belladrox wasn't having any more luck with his crossbow than Bradley had. The battle mage finally extended his left hand and fired a blast of fire straight up. The rest of the men scattered, trying to give the mage room and avoid being caught in any retaliation from their quarry.

Oily green fire engulfed N'Doki. For a few moments he was obscured from view, but his deep, ominous laughter continued unabated. When Belladrox's blast began to give out, the men could see the necromancer through the flames. The fire played harmlessly around him... touching his skin but doing absolutely no harm.

Belladrox ended the spell and looked up at N'Doki in disbelief.

"What the-"

"DON'T LOOK AT HIM!!!" shouted one of the men. He was too late. N'Doki suddenly descended a few feet and pointed at the mage.

"Taiki!" he hissed.

Belladrox's protective amulet glowed as it tried to resist the necromancer's power... but it was to no avail. Belladrox suddenly grabbed his stomach and doubled over in pain. A second later he fell to the ground and began screaming.

"AIIIIGH! HELLLP!!!"

Clawing frantically at his clothes, he finally ripped open his shirt and exposed his gut. His stomach was swollen... and was still swelling. At first, Belladrox looked sick... then pregnant... then finally his distended gut looked almost ready to burst.

"HE PUT SOMETHING IN MEEEE!!! HELLLLPP!!!!"

Another man suddenly leapt over Belladrox and grabbed N'Doki's leg with one hand. He yanked the necromancer down a few more feet and then reached up with his dagger.

N'Doki responded by slashing at the top of the man's with his claws. The man ducked just in time, and then with one fluid motion he sank his dagger into N'Doki's calf. Black blood oozed from the wound.

"Soo, dese ones want to kill me wit dere knives, eh?" hissed N'Doki. "Perhaps N'Doki come down dere and let dem try..."

The necromancer dropped to the ground and pushed his attacker away. The man charged in with his knife, but one slash from N'Doki opened up the man's chest and halted him in his tracks. The slash also severed the leather cord on his protective amulet. As soon the silver trinket hit the floor, the wraiths descended. They grabbed the man, lifted him up and slammed him had against the stone wall with such force that most of his bones ended up on the outside of his body.

N'Doki laughed.

Two more men charged with swords ready. One swung high, trying to behead the necromancer, while the other rushed in with a straight lunge for the gut. N'Doki grabbed the first sword as if it were a child's toy. One twist snapped its wielder's arm like a toothpick. At the same time, N'doki made a sudden move to one side. The second man's blade still pierced his flesh, but just barely. N'Doki's arm shot out and he grabbed the man's head. Before the man could use his blade again... N'doki squeezed.

The soldier's head exploded like a melon hit with blacksmith's hammer.

The instant N'Doki opened his mouth to laugh, Bradley sank his own dagger deep into the necromancer's back. N'Doki spun and snatched the archer up by the throat. Then he rose up into the air once more, carrying the struggling thief with him. Bradley's legs kicked frantically in the air... both of his own hands were locked around the necromancer's wrist.

"HELLLPP!"

"CHAIN!" shouted one of the few remaining men. "Chain we're getting SLAUGHTERED out here!!"

"CHAIN HELP MEEE!" Cried Bradley. Just below them, Belladrox's stomach continued to swell to inhuman proportions. It truly was a wonder that he hadn't popped like a balloon already. There was nothing anyone could do to help either one of them.

Bradley opened his mouth to scream, but suddenly...

*ssss-CHINK!*

Twin chains snaked through the air and encircled the floating necromancer. In less than a second they wrapped him from neck to waist and then snapped tight.

*Krrrr-ACK!*

Bones shattered, and black oozed poured out from between the links.

Bradley suddenly found himself free-falling. He hit the ground and rolled to safety.

N'Doki's head swung around to face Chain.

"You tink dis magic will hold N'Doki?" he said. The pain was evident in his voice, but it was clear that he was nowhere NEAR death.

"Yeah."

The chains whipped downward and slammed the necromancer to the floor so hard that the stone cracked.

"KILL HIM!" shouted Bradley.

N'Doki spoke a single, unintelligible word, and then his form began to blur. There was a buzzing sound... insects... LOTS of insects... N'Doki's arms and legs blurred even further, and then appeared to disintegrate into clouds of black dots that hovered in the air around him like a swarm. Wasps.

"HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

"Oh, no he's not!"

Chain held out a tiny cloth bundle, tied at the top with string. It was oily to the touch and smelled of herbs. Chain drew back and tossed the package directly into the gathering cloud of wasps.

When the two encountered each other, there was a flash and a powerful shockwave that knocked several people to the ground. When the smoke cleared, N'Doki was once again contained within the coils of Chain's chain.

The necromancer screamed in rage... but his cry was weak and desperate.

The chains moved again, only now they were *releasing* their prisoner and returning to Chain's waist.

"What are you DOING!" shouted one of the men. "YOU HAD HIM!"

"I've still got him. He isn't going anywhere now."

N'Doki looked up at Chain. He tried to speak, but suddenly lacked the strength as the magic Chain had used continued to drain him. He couldn't move. His body was a jumble of broken bones.

N'Doki hissed weakly.

"Don't bother," said Chain. "Power's gone. No more wraiths. No spirits. Look over there..." Chain pointed to Belladrox, who was back to normal and was just getting to his feet. "I've got you."

"KILL that bastard!" shouted Belladrox.

"No."

"NO? NO!?!?"

"That's just what he wants. Never kill a necromancer... they've got too much power on the other side. We kill him now and he'll be back later tonight with even more power than before. No... no I've got something else in mind."

"What's that?" asked Bradley.

Chain didn't answer. Instead he picked up the bowl that he had been mixing and slowly poured the contents over N'Doki's broken, unmoving form. The thin liquid sizzled as it touched the necromancer's flesh.

Then chain uncorked the small bottle, raised it over his head and began to chant. As he did, his amulet began to glow. When Chain finished the spell, the amulet flashed white. A sudden wind arose and began to grow in intensity as Chain moved to stand directly over N'Doki.

The wind grew more and more powerful... like a sudden storm. Both N'Doki and the tiny bottle were encased in a bright, greenish-white glow. Without warning, N'Doki was lifted from the floor by the wind. He twirled around helplessly in the air, circling Chain and the bottle as if caught in a cyclone... and then...

FLASH!

A bright light...

...a popping sound...

...a sudden release of energy...

When everyone could see again, Chain was standing in the middle of the necromancer's lair, and N'Doki was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd he go?" asked Bradley.

"In here," He held the bottle up in the air in front of him. The cork was tightly fastened. "Look."

The men gathered around to look. Indeed, there was a tiny shape buzzing around in the otherwise empty bottle. No one could quite make out what it was... but it was something.

"In there?" doubted Belladrox.

Chain nodded.

"Yeah, but for how long?"

"Supposedly until someone lets him out. Given enough time I'm sure he'll find a way out on his own... maybe, maybe not. But either way December is short one necromancer."

"So what are you gonna do with that bottle?" said Belladrox

"This? I'm going to keep it as far away from you as I can."

Chain put the bottle up to his ear and shook it. He smiled, and then placed the bottle safely in his pocket.

"Come on, men." he said. "The night is young, and we're just getting started."

[To Be Continued]