Ghouls and ghouls, so many annoying undead bastards. Several torn-up undead made their way to us, or us to them. We trekked through several messed-up chambers where a pissed-off ghost was rampaging. I guess ghosts were really dangerous once they were off the leash.

  Marius's spectral bond was really showing its worth. I once saw him reach into a ghoul's head and extract its brain. Sure, the act drew a lot of energy from Marius, but he had levelled up a bit from practically soloing several ghouls.

  I had to admit he was much better with a sword than I. When pressed; he revealed it was more akin to muscle memory as his past was still beyond his reach. Once he got the hang of it, I would so get him to teach me a few things. He may not have had the theory, but he sure had the instincts.

  It took a while and walking over several ghoul corpses before we arrived at an open chamber. What was different about this one from the myriad others? Well, there was the fact that angry voices were coming from it.

  "Destroy the traitor!" A raspy voice in need of a lozenge roared at somebody.

  Hurried footsteps, grunts and the swing of weapons suggested battle. Was that ghost causing them so much trouble? Surely it was a lower level than whatever mini-boss Mister Raspy was. Then again, spectres probably had ways of being slippery, and maybe whatever Marius did made the ghost resistant.

  However, all of this was speculation, and soon we will reveal the truth as we entered. What greeted us, both fresh and ready for a fight, was a throne room. Well, I should have expected it, and the angry lich seated on his throne barking orders made it all clear.

  The lich considered himself a monarch, with the way his skeletal frame lounged in the obsidian chair. Upon closer inspection, the lich was level twenty. Mostly skeletal with a few patches of dried flesh and twin orbs of blue fire dwelled in its eye sockets.

  Instead of royal regalia, the lich had the typical black robe and gnarled staff. Spell formations and runes covered the robes. The staff had the typical I am evil, look at me. Skull atop, green sickly aura and ashen wood.

  "Bring that traitorous spectre to me!" the wannabe lich king commanded a group of ghouls and spectres.

  But despite the lich's demands, the ghost kept slipping out of even incorporeal hands. Our ghostly semi-ally was lower level but considerably faster than the rest of these jokers.

  So there we were — a Revenant, a Clerk and a cat atop my shoulder. Standing at the entrance to a lich's throne room. Noone had spotted us yet, probably because our ghostly friend was tearing it up. Really going to town on these dudes.

  Eventually a ghoul spotted us, and screeching wails and angry voices preceded their attack. The lich barely even spared us a glance. Let us change his mind.

  "You think your song can cover this whole place?" I asked Marius.

  "We shall see, and what a perfect venue to unveil my second verse." Marius replied with a flourish of his sword.

  "Second verse?"

  He didn't answer, and I didn't have time to query him. A ghoul arrived and soon intimately met my Aetherblade. I was getting better at slashing up ghouls. It had become an art form, and vaguely pondered the idea of a sword style. Perhaps when we can rest, I could do another round of experimenting.

  Dispatching the ghoul and readying to slay the one behind it. Suddenly, a sombre orchestra came out of nowhere. Building up from a whisper to somewhere between a rave and a concert. A little deafening, but I have rocked to louder ballads before.

  Turning back to check on my companion, I found ethereal spirits circling around him. Before they formed a ghostly band. I could see violins, cellos and drums. Each ghost was rocking out like this was a power ballad. Marius stepped forward, like the monsters were the audience and the lich's throne room was his concert.

  "Sing to me a final tune, a truth you buried we exhume. Dark and cold are the depths below. A kindred ear I'll bestow." He sang with a low baritone voice, kind of operatic.

  The initial effect was obvious; every undead visibly stopped in their tracks. Ghouls ceased their feral sprinting; ghosts lingered in mid-air, staring into space. Even the lich and his death knight were stock still, enraptured by Marius the great.

  "Life once lost, a past forgot. Left behind to fade and rot. Truth unbent is your desire. See to the truth as all require!" With the rising cadence at the end, so did the orchestra ascend.

  Somehow even my own thoughts were rhyming, if that was all just about timing. Not sure how this was affected. Probably esoteric magic, but how do I reject it? Shaking my head to remove the confusion. Did my brain get some sort of contusion?

  "What the hell is going on?" I asked no one in particular, only noticing just now the surrounding chaos.

  Ghouls screamed at the top of their lungs, clawing each other in a mad dash to remove everyone in range. The ghosts and ghast wailed to the heavens before setting their sights upon the enthroned lich. What followed was sheer pandemonium, and I didn't stay idle for one second longer.

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  Nodding to Marius as he brandished his sword and summoned his spectral bond, we both waded onto the battlefield. Slicing through crazed ghouls killing each other. With my higher attributes, I stretched my kinetic field further than ever before. Still, my fine control was lacking. But I could now blast an enemy back with a single palm strike.

  One strike made a ghoul fly — well, bits and pieces of it. Anyone else met the end of my sword, slicing through limbs and necks like they were paper. After cutting my way through the rabble, someone of note finally appeared.

  The lich, out of his confusion, raised a hand and sent his lackey. With a thud of metal boots on stone, the black armoured knight crushed a ghoul with his landing. Seems they saw them all as expendable; made sense since they were sending so many. Now that it was before me, I gave it a once-over.

  An inspection revealed what I suspected him to be: a death knight at level eighteen. His level was quite high compared to mine, and his equipment was much better. Red fiery eyes with a decayed flesh-covered skull. Draped in obsidian steel full plate with a tattered black cape. A big, curved great sword and a giant tower shield completed the look.

  Vanguard of death would be an apt description, and I was about to battle it with an experimental sword, force punch powers and the ability to spam people. Chuckling at the absurdity, I readied for a crazy-ass fight. Instead of rushing to turn me into a red paste with that tower shield, he just stood there.

  "Are you going to attack me?" I probed the towering lug.

  He didn't respond, just stood there like a statue, a big, death-dealing statue that can move. Perhaps he was the defensive type, would make sense with the whole tower shield. Also, Marius' spell song did not really affect him? Did that mean he was loyal to the lich?

  Too many questions and not enough stabbing. So, I made the first move and leapt into action. Using my impressive speed, I arrived upon him in moments and started a downward slice. Faster than I had expected, he maneuvered his shield into the path of my blade, and it bounced harmlessly.

  The knock back was strong, and I had to right myself or fall over. Luckily, enhanced reflexes and resilience worked their magic. I avoided embarrassing myself in front of this towering fellow. Despite my desire to destroy this guy, he looked freaking cool.

  "Before we get more into this battle to the death. I just want to say that you look impressive. I would totally wear your stuff after killing you if it fit."

  The death knight's fiery eyeballs glowed brighter as a wisp of frigid air escaped his fleshless mouth.

  "That assumes you will survive." The undead replied with a spine - chilling deep voice.

  "Woah, you can talk!?" I couldn't help but say.

  "Did you think I was among the mindless rabble?"

  "Certainly not; you look way too epic to be just a mere foot soldier." I complimented and then wondered why I was complimenting an enemy.

  "Epic? I do not know this word." He tilted his head in confusion.

  "Oh, sorry, dude."

  "Dude?" He tilted his head to the other side.

  "That's earth lingo; epic just means you look powerful and impressive. Dude is shorthand for another person." I explained.

  "Earth lingo?"

  "Consider it an obscure language from a far-off place."

  The death knight nodded, apparently accepting my words before raising his great sword. Settling into a defensive and powerful stance, he awaited my next strike. So it seems talking was over and now a very different discourse was about to begin.

  Charging up a kinetic strike or the mental equivalent. I selected my target, got my blade ready and tried my luck with another strike. Sprinting at full tilt, I closed the distance in a matter of moments, deftly dodging an overhead swing and meeting his tower shield. With a swift and brutal palm strike, I blasted that hunk of metal with everything I had.

  The shield actually cracked from the impact, but remained relatively intact. I felt the blowback. My hand throbbed with pain, but it was bearable. He didn't get away unscathed as the impact knocked him back a few steps. Not wanting to get a great sword through the face, I leapt back to assess my options.

  With little effort, he righted himself. Glancing at the damaged shield, he remained unbothered. A staunch defender of his master, he remained stock-still and ready for another round. Testing strike done, I determined one major problem. Going head to head with strength alone will take far too long and damage me more than him.

  Having limited knowledge of fighting, the only option was to rely on another attribute. Luckily, I invested in my reflexes, and my speed was no joke. With the rest of my underhanded tricks, a path was before me. A dangerous one, but worth it in the end.

  "Let's do this." I declared, getting ready to speedrun this guy.

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