Lucian the Necromancer

I turned around. In front of me stood an old man. His gray hair and beard were long and unkept. He wore brown and gray robes that were filthy and tattered. The man standing before me was Lucian.

He spoke sternly,

“Stop right there tax collector! I’m not just going to stand around and let you take my thralls, especially my life long friend, Arno.”

“Who’s the old old guy, Mr. Arno?” Erika asked.

“That’s Lucian.” I mumbled.

Lucian stood somewhat menacingly in front of us. He had his staff firmly clutched in his right hand and had it pointed at us. The staff was wooden and its top was twisted in a spiral shape.

“You know she isn’t a tax colle-,” I tried speaking, but Lucian spoke over me.

“Nice try, Arno! I know she brainwashed you somehow into following her. Government agents like her are known for their deceptive tactics, nothing she says can be trusted.”

“Um… Excuse me-” Erika tried chiming in, but Lucian snapped at her.

“You listen here, female! The only way you are leaving here with Arno, is if you defeat me in a duel.”

“I don’t really know what you actually do in a duel, but if it means my new friend Arno can leave here. I’ll do it!” She responded, not seeming to like Lucian’s attitude.

I stepped in front of Erika with my hand on my dagger and my staff in the other,

“No, I’ll deal with him.”

There was no way she could take on a master sorcerer like Lucian. I was fairly certain his magic abilities surpassed anything she was capable of. I was prepared to go as far as killing Lucian if I had to. I may not be able to use magic right now, but I was still an undead. I couldn't feel pain and was resilient to a fair amount of damage, while Lucian is still just a mortal.

Lucian held his staff out towards me. The top of it began glowing. I unsheathed my dagger and took a step towards him.

“Arno, you don’t have to do this.”

He seemed hesitant, almost unsure of what he should do. I continued to close the distance between us.

“I’ve waited nearly a century for this moment. I’m not about to let you stop me.” I responded.

I was now face to face with Lucian. He still stood in the same place, still seeming unwilling to attack.

“I don’t know how someone like you managed to mind get controlled, Arno, but I’ll try to-” Lucian tried speaking more of his delusions.

I could have stabbed him right there, but whatever I couldn’t bring myself to do it. For some reason there was a feeling of nostalgia that overcame me. Instead I put my dagger away and balled my fist and punched him as hard as I could. He fell backwards to the ground.

“You fool, I broke my seal with you of my own free will.” I spoke sternly.

Lucian still didn’t seem to get what I was trying to say.

“But why with a tax collector?”

“She’s not a tax collector. She’s just some random girl that wandered in here.” I Responded.

Lucian stared blankly as if it was taking his brain a moment to process what I just said.

“But why would you want to leave Arno?”

“We’ve known each other since we were twelve. Do you honestly think I’m the kind of person who wants to spend an eternity sitting around in this labyrinth?” I exclaimed.

“I guess you're right. You’ve never been one to take too kindly to authority… But wait… You’re not planning to try and unseal the hy-” Lucian tried talking but I stopped him.

“Of course not. I’ve turned over a new leaf after all these years. I plan to go out and make a ‘difference’ in the world.”

That was a lie. He was referring to the incident I caused just prior to my death that would have plunged the entire continent into chaos. I had planned to unseal an ancient beast known as the Hydra, which was a nine headed dragon capable of destroying all in its path. Then from the ashes of the old Kingdoms I would have built a new world with my own two hands. Unfortunately, I was stopped when I was killed by a certain “hero”. Once I had the opportunity, I very much intended to pick up where I left off.

“There’s nothing I can do to convince you to stay? I was prepared to kill the girl and make her a thrall, but now that I know she isn’t a tax collector, I wouldn’t feel right doing that.”

Erika spoke,

“Oh… well thank you for not killing me, Mr. Lucian. I promise I will take good care of Mr. Arno… and to never become a tax collector”

“Yes please do… Erika, right?”

“Yep, It was nice meeting you, Mr. Lucian!”

“Well then, I guess this is goodbye old friend.” Lucian spoke, getting a bit emotional.

Back in our younger years, when I was alive, Lucian and I traveled from country to country as adventurers for several years, along with one other person. That person’s name was Henri Sorcier, my lifelong rival, as well as the man who ended up killing me. I had to give Lucian one thing, in the end he was the one who resurrected me. If it wasn’t for him, my existence would have ended that fateful day.

With that, Erika and I bid him farewell and I opened the gate. This was it. I was finally in the outside world after all these years.

"Hey Mr. Arno, your friend Mr. Lucian was nice and all, but why did he smell so funny." Erika asked.

"That's because he hasn’t bathed in over seventy years."

That wasn’t an exaggeration. He’s never bathed once since shutting himself away in the labyrinth. It was a good thing I didn’t have a nose all these years.