Undead Army

I wasn’t really sure how Kang was tracking the Lich we had to dispose of. There was still a lot I was unsure of. It was night time, but the moon was bright enough that we could see. After a while, we reached some ruins. 

The tops of buildings poked above the sand, their concrete frames forever standing. An old truck’s front half stuck out of the stand, the tires gone from the old wheels. The sand here was much more hard and compact than earlier. Kang stopped.

“We’re here.” That was all he said. That’s all he needed to say. The relaxed demeanor of everyone changed in an instant. Azarin put his hands up, getting ready to cast those discs at any moment. Chiaki readied her staff, the orb on the end glowing. Kti pulled two bright red spheres from his coat, looking about excitedly. As for me… I followed suit. I got my sword ready, sucking in my breath.

Then they showed themselves. Skeletal creatures climbed over rubble, armed with various swords fashioned from old metallic plates and shields from wreckage. Each had a pair of glowing red eyes in the sockets of the skull, dressed in rags. It was like something out of a nightmare. I felt my blood go cold.

“Here we go!” Kti cried excitedly. He threw his two bombs, two small explosions erupting much too close to us. Bits of bone went flying, and dust picked up, blinding me. Unable to make out the others, I stumbled back, hearing the sounds of combat. 

I could see the glow of Azarin’s discs streaking through the dust, and the sound of metal striking metal. I’m so lost… what do I do? My question was answered as a skeleton lunged at me. I quickly lifted my blade, blocking their strike. I slid back from the force, letting out a grunt.

“Watch yourself, Yuka! These minions are stronger than usual!” Kang cried from somewhere in the fray. Thanks for the warning. The creature lunged again, aiming for my throat. Stay calm. It’s just a minion. Remember what Kang taught you. 

I met their strike with a parallel block, our blades clashing. As I regained my footing, I had a newfound confidence. Parrying their blade to the side, I swung upwards with one clean slash. The creature stared at me as it slowly fell in half, the red glow disappearing.

“Boom!” Kti yelled from somewhere. I felt the gust of an explosion. Good to see everyone else is holding their own. I quickly reacted as a creature threw a spear at me. I barely ducked under it before leaping at the skeleton that threw it. In midair, I slashed its neck before landing behind it. I got to my feet as its head fell off, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Having fun?” Chiaki’s voice caught me off guard. I squeaked in surprise before looking to my right, seeing her with a blue glowing circle around her staff.

“Y-Yeah. Not as bad as I expected,” I admitted. A skeleton leaped towards us, but a blue orb fired from Chiaki’s staff. The moment it hit, the miserable thing was reduced to dust. And I thought Kti was brutal.

“The minions are the easy part. Once we destroy enough of these small fry, the big guy will come out. Ever played an RPG? It’s kinda like that,” she explained as she reduced another monster to dust. Standing next to her, I felt much more safe. Then again, I’ve had no trouble so far. I can really hold my own against these things. Another explosion rang out along with a cry from Azarin.

“Dang it, Kti! It was already destroyed! You’re wasting resources!” Azarin raged. The sounds of battle were dead, and with that the dust began to settle. Kang was a little ways away, surrounded by fragments of bone and steel. Kti was whining as Azarin continued to lecture him. I could see several craters around Kti, and in the ruins as well.

“Alright… status report,” Kang said, keeping his swords out.

“I destroyed five, no injuries to report,” Azarin replied.

“I took care of five as well,” Chiaki said softly. Kti stared blankly.

“I blew up a lot,” he said simply. I looked down at the ground.

“I took on… two,” I admitted shamefully. Kang sighed.

“Not bad for your first time. Don’t look so–wait…” he suddenly trailed off, tensing up again. I gripped my sword, instantly getting into a combat stance. Is it the Lich? It has to be.

A chunk of building sticking up from the sand nearby exploded into debris. I lifted my arm to shield my eyes as a gust of dust and sand blew forth. I could see two red eyes in the dust. It didn’t lunge like the others. It didn’t even attack. It walked from the dust, dragging a large purple crystalline sword beside it. It looked similar to the skeletons earlier, but with a black cloak on.

“There it is,” Chiaki breathed. I gripped my blade, stepping to the side. Then it struck. It didn’t swing… it threw the sword. I didn't even realize the blade was on a long chain. In a moment, the tip was right in front of my face, about to cleave my head in half. Run… dodge! Move! My legs… they won’t move! I knew I was dead. Then a disc suddenly hit the side of the blade, knocking it off course. It sliced my arm open, making me grit my teeth in pain. Right through the armor.

“Move, Yuka!” Kang cried. The monster ripped the blade back towards it, pulling it back towards me. I was frozen. Chiaki tackled me to the sand as the blade flew overhead, the Lich expertly catching it. I still couldn’t move. Chiaki rolled off me, grabbing my hand. I could see Azarin firing his discs off, the creature blocking them each time, sparks flying.

“You’re okay.” Her words snapped me out of my trance. Chiaki smiled.

“You’ll be okay, I promise. We have your back,” she assured me. I gave a small nod, getting to my feet as Azarin continued to clash with the Lich. I lifted my sword. I can do this.