“A reunion! How wonderful.” said Rubrus rising from his throne. “I’ve missed you all so much.”

Stone stepped forward. “What’s going on lad? Why are you holed back up in here?”

I felt Rubrus curl the pointed teeth he’d morphed my faceplate into a smile. “Dungeons are where monsters belong. They’re the best places to lure in foolish adventurers for a tasty meal.” He emphasized the last word with a rapid opening and closing of his faceplate, making a snapping noise.

“It’s not him,” said Hrig, gripping her axe more tightly.

“The voice sounds like his master."

I could feel a tinge of annoyance from Rubrus. He clearly wanted them to think he was me. I’d had no doubts that they’d see through it. He had a bit too big of a personality to pretend to be someone else.

Kyren’s face hardened. “If his master has somehow gained control of him, he’d want us to stop him.”

“Aye.”

Hrig didn’t answer, but her face contorted in rage and I saw a glow begin emanating from runes one her skin. She blasted forward, moving more quickly than I’d thought was capable of. Rubrus barely had time to dodge as her axe sliced his throne in half and glided a foot into the stone below.

Before Rubrus could recover Kyren sent out three bolts of holy energy in quick succession. He managed to dodge the first two, but the third one slammed into his chest, knocking him back.

The bolt damaged me and Rubrus both and our essences recoiled from the holy energies as they washed over us.

Rubrus touched the floor and runes lit up across it. Hrig and Kyren slipped and fell as they were closing the distance, but Stone managed to leap at the last minute and close the distance between them. He brought his sledgehammer down across Rubrus’ shoulder removing his hand from the runes and freeing Kyren and Hrig to move.

Rubrus slashed at Stone with a clawed gauntlet, but he deftly dodged away before slamming at Rubrus again with his hammer.

The hammer bounced off an invisible shield and Rubrus summoned a multi-sword copy into his hand to slash at Stone. He caught his hammer with only a glancing blow, but the sheer force of it sent Stone reeling away.

Hrig slammed her axe into Rubrus’ side and the shield he’d cast over himself cracked, but held firm. He began swinging at her wildly with his sword, but Hrig was too skilled, and deftly dodged or deflected each of his blows. Clearly his focus on eating mages over warriors had a few drawbacks, especially while he was in a body unable to cast spells his usual way. Against an opponent like Hrig he wouldn’t be able to rely on brute strength.

Rather than continue engaging her he rolled away and placed his hand against the wall. Suddenly draconic runes across the ceiling lit and small bolts of fire started raining down.

Kyren extended a bubble of force around herself deflecting the orbs. Hrig dodged and ducked trying to make her way closer to him, but failing to make any headway, and stone jumped and dodged as fast as he could, but was clipped by several of the firebolts.

Stone took a small metal orb off of the strap across his chest and lit the wick on a descending firebolt before slinging it across the room. Rubrus caught it deftly with one hand, and looked closer at what Stone had thrown for a moment before an explosion sent him flying across the room and slammed him into a pillar. The firebolts ceased as soon as the explosion occurred and Hrig and Stone quickly closed the distance between them.

Kyren unleashed a burst of energy and the edges of Hrig’s axe and Stone’s hammer were lit with holy light.

Rubrus brought his arms up, thickening the armor on them as much as possible as Hrig and Stone started to bring down their weapons again and again. I could feel every blow and I knew it was just as damaging for him. I saw his essence crack even further. Suddenly he activated something and I could sense the energy from Stone and Hrig drain into me. Their blows began to weaken and Rubrus slammed forward, knocking them on their backs. He went to leap onto them, gauntlet claws extended, but at that moment chains of light extended from the wall and wrapped themselves around him. They yanked him back into the wall. He strained against the chains, trying to place his gauntlets against the wall where runes were already beginning to glow in anticipation of him activating them, but the chains gave him nothing.

Hrig approached, the runes on her body lit like miniature suns. Her eyes were filled with tears as she raised her axe.

It was now or never. I slammed my essence into Rubrus’.

…

The games had been fun. The armor was proving its worth even beyond the expectations I’d had when I’d created him. It didn’t quite make up for the loss of power I’d incurred when I stored the power Aurum had given me within him, but it was a fine consolation prize. I was curious how well the traps had done this time. I sensed that three of the original adventurers had survived so far, an impressive majority of them. That would make things oh so satisfying for the finale.

The group entered. I could tell there had been some injuries, but their overall health surprised me. What surprised me the most though was how much blood was on the armor. He’d participated far more in the battles up to this point than he had in the past.

“I see you made it to my inner sanctum.” I swirled the wine in my cup, “I’m impressed.” I watched them regard me, attempting to size me up. I luxuriated in it for a moment.

They fanned out, readying themselves for a charge. I didn’t like that, I had hoped for a bit of banter. It just wasn’t as fun when they decided not to play.

“Nothing to say? Not, 'stop killing villagers?' Or, 'we’re here to end your reign of terror?' Come now, I’ve been terrorizing this area for years, I’m sure you could come up with something!”

I saw some glares, and the dwarf approached me, thinking he was in my blind spot.

“Oi, I’ve got something,” he muttered, doing his best to look intimidating with his hammer. It was adorable.

I smiled, hoping he’d engage in a bit more back and forth, but he disappointed me.

“This!” he charged, raising his hammer to strike.

I sighed, but didn’t move. The hammer fell, cracking the throne, where I’d been, but I’d long since blinked away from there to stand behind him. I drained the goblet I held in my hand, crushed it using strength enhanced with magic and threw it aside.

“Fine, we’ll skip to the part where I kill you.”

The big woman jumped at me with her axe high in the air, but I raised my hand and sent her back with a blast of force from my palm. The dwarf followed, swinging his hammer, but he lost his footing when I had a pillar of earth rise up at his feet, and launched him into the air.

After that the armor made its move. We’d had a simple routine down at that point. I'd dodge his downward blow, the one to my right, and a shield bash, staying just out of his reach each time. I let out a dramatic yawn, winked at the armor and tapped his armor, letting him throw himself backward.

I was suddenly engulfed in white light. The pain was excruciating and I could tell from it’s signature that it was holy. I’d been particularly susceptible to that type of damage since I’d found myself with half a soul. I turned my attention to the holy woman and started approaching her as she prepared more spells.

I was surprised when the big woman and the dwarf both struck me at the same time. The hammer had bounced off my shield spell, but the woman’s axe had left a small cut.

“That’s enough!” I yelled and sent a wave of force to knock my attackers backward. I then sealed all three of them into stone coffins, restricting their movements.

The armor rose and charged me with a scream. It was an excellent bit of theater, I almost felt like he was genuinely upset. I raised my hand and he went still. We were at my favorite part of the performance.

“You cannot defeat me, warrior. I’m too powerful. ”I pretended to crush him with invisible force and he complied by crumpling himself slightly. “Do you wish to live?”

“Yes... I do.” He said in what I assumed was his newest voice.

"I shall let you live… on one condition,” I responded with a wide smile.

“Anything,” he said just loudly enough for the adventurers to hear.

I was quivering with anticipation. This part was always so deliciously wonderful. “Kill your companions.”

He looked over at his false allies. The big woman and dwarf’s faces were twisted up in fury, but the holy woman was incredibly calm.

“Do it,” she said.

I unwillingly let my expression shift from one of contempt to surprise.

“He’ll kill us all anyway. There’s no shame in saving yourself.”

This wasn’t part of the script!

“She’s right. Do what you need to do,” said the big woman, “I already owe you my life for earlier."

“As do I, lad, do what you need to do,” said the dwarf.

This was awful. A complete waste of a dramatic performance. I took a moment to consider what horribly way I could afflict them for ruining my entertainment, dropping my shield to prepare a spell I hoped would turn them inside out.

Pain exploded in my side as a sword ripped through the small wound in my stomach up through my spine. My eyes widened in surprise as I turned them to the armor. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I still had so much more to do. I’d done so much to survive.

My vision narrowed, I felt blackness surround me.

…

I woke to the sound of gentle droplets hitting my armor. I wondered for a moment if it was rain before the eyes staring down at me came into focus. I was in Hrig’s lap, I could feel a deep rend in my armor through my shoulder and across my chest. I heard sobbing and realized Stone was standing on the other side, crying along with her. Kyren put an arm around him. She was the only one managing to hold back tears, though I could tell they were welled up in her eyes.

I lay there for a moment and did a quick inventory on myself. I was damaged, possibly more than I ever had been before, but it was only physical. My core, the essence I’d made my own, was mostly unharmed. I let myself sit there for a moment, enjoying how warm Hrig’s lap was against my helmet before I decided I should seal myself up. I began to close the gash across my chest, sealing in the black ichor leaking from me with a shield spell, and drawing material from the steel bars I had stored within me. As I did so I started reshaping myself, returning my body to the form I was used to.

There were gasps and Hrig stood quickly grabbing her axe, Stone and Kyren similarly took a defensive stance.

I sat up slowly, careful to keep my hands at my side. “It’s me.” I said.

“How can we be sure?” asked Kyren.

“I don’t think it would be possible to be completely sure.” I responded.

Stone chuckled, “That sounds like Sevald, I’d think an evil sorcerer would likely attempt to be a little more convincing."

Hrig dropped her axe and crouched down to hug me, wiping tears from her eyes as she did so.

Kyren laid a hand gently on my shoulder. “Welcome back to Caedun.”