--- Lowan

Is it time already? Bring it on, necromancer. Show me what you are made of.

Lowan crossed his arms, standing just behind the shield wall. If you could call those twelve people a wall, by the way. The fog was too thick to see where the attack would have come from, so the commander decided to put his heaviest frontline guarding the main entrance of the ruins and hope for the best. He had thought of sending a couple of men to patrol the surroundings, but nobody among his mercenaries felt like venturing outside anymore and it wasn't like Lowan would risk their lives so carelessly.

I'm tired of waiting. This Rickhart surely knows how to put pressure on his opponents.

The commander gave a look to the soldiers around him. They all seemed very nervous, some even sweating in fear, but he knew they would have fought to the end. Those were his most loyal men, at least a dozen of them following him since the very start. Many had died, over the years, and a lot more had left after the war in Sinen.

The ones who stand here are all I have. The rest is gone. I must have disappointed them so much...

He shrugged that thought away. His mercenaries were still with him. It was also because of their faith that Lowan had been able to go on until that night. All the commander had to do now was leading them at the best of his abilities, and try to bring back alive at least a part of those brave souls.

For what we know, the enemy has stacked up a lot of corpses but Tolwin said he can't summon them all at once. If we stay here and defend the ruins, we still hold some kind of advantage. The problem is, if we lose even a single man our numbers will start working against us.

There was no strategy to counter a similar situation. The single thought of having to put down his own soldiers once they turned into undead gave Lowan shivers. Even a veteran like him had never experienced something like that. The upcoming battle, with such cruel rules, would have been an ordeal no matter the result.

"A shadow! There, in the fog!"

A man was pointing in a direction immediately in front of them. A group of cloaked people had appeared, just outside of the range of the archers, in a place where the fog widened to let them pass. They all seemed to be humans, led by Rickhart on his reanimated horse.

Lucky me. At least, that boy will attack us from the open ground. This way we can keep him at bay with pikes and shields, and even if he tries to flank there are Wals and Ugrin guarding the side entrances... Is he really going for a plan so simple?

"As promised, I am back," announced the necromancer. "Your decision, commander?"

Lowan took out the White Talon and lifted it high in the air.

"Come, you fiend," he replied. "Once I'm done with your stupid puppets, I'm going to take your head."

The mounted figure just raised his left hand, in silence. Noises echoed all around the ruins. It was impossible to define where they came from exactly, but the commander was already aware of his enemy knowing the battlefield much better than he did. He, however, had a lot of fighting experience to compensate and was ready to react. So, finally sure that the majority of his opponents were coming from ahead, he raised his voice.

"Prepare to fight!" he yelled. "Wals, come here in the front and lead the shields! Ugrin, keep the left flank!"

"Commander, but there are enemies on the right too!"

"I'm heading there, just hold the main line! It's where they will strike the hardest, but we have our best there!"

He will be enough for these guys. I'm leading the other group.

Lowan turned around, and rushed towards the left flank. The defensive circle was less than fifteen meters wide, so one could get from side to side in mere seconds. After switching places with the Turtle, the commander reached the pile of rubble that covered most of that side. It probably belonged to the ancient chapel of Velmar.

"To me, my men!"

He got there just in time to make everyone raise their spears, and then they appeared.

Pale bodies, empty eyes. All armed with farming tools and old, worn weapons. They advanced running, like Tolwin had predicted, scattered and without any officer to order them around.

Predictable!

Five of the abominations ended up impaled on the top of the pikes almost instantly, but some reason Lowan suspected that the necromancer didn't care in the slightest about their fate.

"Hold them back!" he shouted. "Aim for the head of the ones that get through!"

Damn it. One thing I didn't expect was them being so lively. At this rate there won't be any chance to avoid a melee. That's precisely what Rickhart wants.

The archers shot a couple of their few flaming arrows and more undead fell on the ground on fire, but it wasn't nearly enough. From the corner of his eye, the commander noticed that the other two sides had also been engaged. A man who was standing by his side took a step back, his face distorted in terror, but the commander put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him right in the eye.

"I... Commander?"

"Follow my lead," he said. "Let's take these monsters down."

Shortly after, with a roar, the mercenaries absorbed another impact with their monstrous opponents. The undead didn't seem as skilled as regular fighters, but the fact that they didn't feel any pain made them extremely dangerous. Lowan decapitated one of them with a clean cut, rallying his men at the same time.

"Be strong! We can win!"

I hope things are going well on the other side. Do they need my help there? I'll have to trust the others or else-

He parried the thrust of a pitchfork, wielded by a woman that was missing half of her face. Grabbing the weapon with his left arm and keeping it in place, the commander slammed the blade of the Talon deep into the neck of his opponent.

Crap. That wasn't strong enough.

The undead kept charging, letting go of the wooden pole and drawing a kitchen knife. But when she was closer a spear appeared from outside Lowan's field of vision, stabbing her chest and pushing the walking corpse back. He didn't waste the opportunity of finishing the job.

He turned around to see the identity of his savior, finding out that it was the same man who was about to run for his life a couple of moments before. Well, he still looked on the point of running but he had probably realized that the only way out was fighting.

"Thanks," said the commander, before focusing on the assailants once again.

The mercenaries seemed to be winning for the moment. The ground was littered with dead bodies, all dismembered and beheaded to prevent the necromancer from controlling them. Lowan's hopes, so dire at the start of the battle, were now beginning to rise.

Ha! That arrogant boy! Did he think we would be completely unaware of his minions and their weakness? Only a few remain on this side... We are making it!

All of a sudden, among the four or five shambling figures that were still standing in front of them, Rickhart's pale horse appeared. He was smiling smugly, just like someone who was still fully certain of his own victory.

"It's time to end this, commander!" he announced, rasing his hand a second time.

The ground shook twice, and Lowan's heart skipped a beat.

What's happening? Don't tell me that-

An arm emerged from below, grabbing the leg of one of the soldiers close to him. He cut it off at once, instinctively.

"Did you forget where you are standing, Lowan?" Rickhart mocked him.

It's true. Damn, how could I be this stupid? This is the site of a battle!

More and more undead, buried just a feet below them or in the rubble, started to come out. To Lowan's horror, some of them were also being raised inside the circle. He tried ordering his men to react, but in the end it was useless. One of his mercenaries, just before his eyes, was stabbed from behind by two corpses who had come back to life under his nose.

The commander couldn't do anything but watch. The man collapsed with the two enemies crawling over his body, biting and cleaving his flesh. He remained motionless for just a couple of seconds, then he began to move.

That bastard is doing it! He turns my soldiers into his puppets!

In that moment, commander Lowan realized to be completely powerless. No matter the amount of skill or experience he possessed or had thought to possess. That foe was completely out of his league, and his men were about to pay with their lives for his horrible mistake.

Makers help us.

***

--- Roric

The undead were everywhere.

Roric had already faced them once, at Lord Stelvan's mansion, but seeing them again wasn't exactly a top priority for him. During the first assault he didn't manage to fight any of them because he stood too far from the point where they charged in, but even after the others pushed them back he didn't feel much safer. Sending those abominations to the slaughter, without any kind of plan? Rickhart couldn't be that stupid, that much he knew.

Because of that, the boy wasn't completely taken by surprise when new enemies appeared from below. One of them emerged right behind him, but thanks to his superhuman reflexes he dodged the first blow and answered in kind.

I was right about this sword. It's heavier than what I'm used to, but there's no way it won't go through the necks of these monsters.

The boy spotted Tolwin, fighting behind the frontlines. Spinning his hammer left and right, he struck down three opponents in a matter of seconds. Seeing that one of the mercenaries had been turned, a few meters from where he was, the priest fired a luminous bolt from the palm of his left hand and sent the abomination flying in many pieces.

His paladin title wasn't just for show, as I suspected. But even like this, we still have to find a way to win!

Roric ducked at the last moment to avoid a mace that was coming from his head. He couldn't afford to lose his focus now. While much faster than the previous time, those monsters were still easy to predict for someone like him. Their expressionless faces didn't give away any sign of when they were going to strike, but in the end they didn't seem to follow any kind of strategy. The boy took a couple of steps back, gaining some space, then he dodged again and seized the chance to kick the undead who was attacking him in the back. The walking corpse fell to his knees, leaving him free to claim his head, but from his new position Roric had to put a lot of strength into it to be sure that a single blow would be enough.

I'm already feeling tired. I'd better look for the others. We have to rally.

His eyes quickly ran across the battlefield, catching a glimpse of Meran. The other boy was currently engaging two enemies at once and a third one seemed to have taken a liking to him, so Roric decided to rush to his aid. He climbed over a collapsed piece of the wall and jumped on the abomination before he could get closer, driving his sword through its body.

Take this! You won't kill my friend!

When the undead tried to bite him, close as he was, the boy instinctively tilted his head to the side and punched the creature in the face, pushing it back and freeing his weapon. A moment later, the head of the monster was rolling on the ground.

"Meran!" he yelled. "I'll take that one! You just-"

Roric didn't have the time to finish the sentence. The tip of a rusty spear emerged from the chest of the other boy, ripping his leather armor like a sheet of paper. Meran dropped his sword and looked back at him, with a terrified expression. A gurgling sound came out of his mouth, along with reddened spit. Then, the undead who had just struck kicked him down and he remained there, dead and motionless.

No. Meran! This can't be real...

Before he could even rationalize it, the body of Meran moved again. He stood up, slowly retrieving his sword. Roric couldn't move, paralyzed by fear, and felt his own legs shaking. His new, friend, a person he had just started to be in good terms with, was now walking towards him with a blank face, the mortal wound still spilling blood.

"I can't, I just can't..." murmured the boy. "How am I supposed to-"

The monster raised his weapon. Roric panicked, and prepared to deflect it.

What am I going to do?

A bolt of energy came from his right, smashing into Meran's corpse and ripping it apart.

"Roric!" shouted Tolwin. "My boy, come this way!"

He didn't lose a single moment, and sprinted towards that voice. There, the priest was still slaying opponent after opponent, seemingly without any effort. Yet, from the look on his face, it became evident that he wouldn't have lasted for much longer. Roric stopped at his side, panting vigorously.

"They killed... They killed him," he babbled. "They really-"

"Get a hold of yourself! The battle isn't over!"

Tolwin was right, they were still in danger. Ugrin's flank was falling in pieces. Roric gulped, knowing that he had last seen Rata among them. Slowly but steady, the mercenaries had begun to retreat towards their commander.

"We need to regroup!" yelled the priest. "The enemies outnumber us. It's just a matter of time before they break through the shield wall."

Still a bit startled by what had just happened, the boy glanced at the shieldbearers. They were completely surrounded and many of the assailants had very familiar looks.

They will all be turned, at this rate... All of them. I'll die here too if it keeps up like this...

His thoughts went to Frauli. The blond mercenary was so eager to fight in that battle, and he probably had mere moments to live. Roric cursed himself, unable to find a way to save his friend.

There's still hope. I need to stay alive. As long as I remain close to Tolwin, we can make it. Then, maybe we can help Frauli to get out...

The boy didn't notice that two undead were right in front of him until the very last second. He jumped back, but one of their weapons scratched the left side of his jerkin. The feeling of pain surged through his body, dragging him back to the real world. His sword moved across the air, chopping the head of one of them, while the other collapsed after being hit by one of the priest's Light spells.

"Pay attention, Roric!" Tolwin urged him. "I need you to keep your mind clear!"

Roric took a long, deep breath. Then he nodded.

"I have to find the necromancer. Stay with the others."

He nodded again, clenching his fingers around the handle of the sword. His mentor had a very determined look on his face.

I'll survive. I promise.

Tolwin smiled and turned around, heading to the place where Lowan was supposed to be.