AN: Finally out of the canyon, but the MC is not about to journey back towards New Wair just yet.

By the way, folks, under the "Popular This Week" tab, the story has gotten to #76 on the fourth page. So thank you all for getting it this far. However, under the "Active Top 50" tab, it's #249. Not exactly sure how that one is rated, seeing how most of the stories under that tab have been inactive for quite some time.

Well, no matter. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns you may or may not have, do not hesitate to leave it either down below, or in my PM box.

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The day ended with them still arguing about who should do what, as I and the All Mother arrived at the canyon's gate. She did not wish for me to go, and had to promise a hasty return in time for our union. "Promise to return?" Her eyes were hopeful, as though she were wishing her loved one a swift return. It was... an odd feeling, to be sure.

"Of course," was my reply, as my skeletal body left the canyon, making the short trek to the surface and just in time to see the sun beginning to rise above the horizon. The hues of reds, golds, oranges, and purples scattered themselves across the morning sky to greet the residences of the world. It was beautiful, and my person moved quickly to leave the canyon so that I may enjoy this beautiful scene in all its glory.

There was a slope in front of the entrance to the canyon, one that was not there when I had first journeyed down, and once I climbed it, I was met with the drying blood and gore of the battlefield. Gone was my want of witnessing the sunrise once more, and in its place was disappointment. Mentally, I sighed, as my body stalked forward, pushing my way through the decaying bodies.

Predators small and large fled from my presence for a short time, only to return to the bodies that littered the ground, as I continued forth until something wreathed in shadows rushed towards my person. "I will kill you," it howled, launching its body into the air. A mental eyebrow was raised, as it fell towards my person with something long and sharp barely hidden within itself. It might have been a blade of some sort, but I would not find out, as one of my primary clawed hands reached out and formed itself as though it were choking another.

Whatever was in its hands had fallen away once I intoned the spell, ">," which did halt the body of this shadowy creature in the air. By applying another called, ">," I was able to bring this creature into one of my lesser clawed hands. This allowed me to firmly grasp its body, and examine it freely.

"These shadows of yours are annoying," my voice came out in a rumble, shaking the earth beneath my feet, "No matter. >," I intoned, >," and watched as the shadows melted away from a squirming, naked, and wailing human male. This human was shrieking with such volume, it attracted many of those within my horde to my presence. Needless to say, they were elated I had returned to them, but remained silent as I tried to understand the human in my grasp.

This thing called a "human" was devoid of skin in its entirety. So much so, that it was bleeding whilst its flesh sizzled and smoke for having been in contact with the diluted poisons upon my bones. If you are wondering why the poison upon my bones did not affect others, it is because their skin gives them some resistance to it. However, if one is without skin, such as the human here, then they are without said resistance and are very much susceptible to its dissolving properties.

Although it did not have any skin, it did have something odd upon its face. This was some sort of solid mask without any sort of discernible features beyond the slits where the eyes should be. However, upon touching it, let alone trying to remove such an object, the human creature would elicit such a wailing as I have never before heard since more torturing escapades began.

I would have enjoyed more, yes, but the creatures body was decaying in my grip. So, acting quickly, I intoned the spell, ">," and targeted the creatures short term memories, as well as its abilities and skills. Of course, there were more wailings and screamings emitted from the thing, and yes, they were pleasing to listen to, but I was not there to enjoy such songs. No, I desired to know who and what the thing was.

Just before the silvery orb left the skull of the creature, and journeyed to my own, my eyes did spy something of a small procession heading towards my body. There was a total of five grotesque orcs carrying a box between them, and did set it down in front of my person with something akin to reverence. Inside it, however, was the head of Brutus the Lich, who began to apologise for losing his 'perfect' body.

He stopped his apologies and begging for forgiveness once I held a foreclaw over what remained of his body. There was an audible snap, as the silvery orb entered my mind, giving me a glimpse as to who and what the creature in my grasp was.

*

As per usual, my body stilled itself as my eyes did gaze deep into my own mind. The world itself was full of white and grey shadows, as it flitted past my own inner being. It began to play upon the battlefield between my horde and the dragon-men began to slaughter the humans left and right with a pincer attack. This creature of shadows began to speak between two identical, bald humans wearing some sort of loose fitting clothing.

"Sean. Joseph," hissed the shadowed creature, who could only be Derrel, as they vaulted over something with many teeth and tentacles. Orbs of blue fire launched themselves from one of the twins, torching the mass of tentacles as it shrieked in pain and fury.

Dark flame erupted all over the mass, causing it to become a pile of ash within moments. "We need to find their leader, and fast." The other two nodded in agreement, just as a howl of something that should not exist upon this world charged towards the shadowed human. Of whom exclaimed with a loud yelp, and leapt backwards whilst holding a long bladed knife in front of it.

"Undead," shouted the twins in unison, as each struck out against the ghostly skeletons in a futile attempt to break their skulls. "Something else?" Their heads cocked to one side, then rolled out of the way at rusted iron swords slammed into the ground.

"It's a Lich," Derrel called out, pointing towards a partly fleshed individual with a sickly green mist flowing about its person. However, the Lich, whose name was Brutus, turned his partly fleshed head towards the three. He then pointed a long, bony finger towards their position which caused many of the dead and damned to surge towards them.

"Shit," cried out the twins, who began rolling away from very real, and very deadly, rusted iron swords and spears which hungered for their blood. "How do we hit something that cannot be hit?"

"You kill the Lich," responded Derrel, whose magicks were doing very little damage toward the undead.

A bolt of shadowed lightning then fell upon the body of Sean, who shrieked with pain as the dark magicks scorched his flesh within mere moments. This allowed a few of the undead, who were near his person, to repeatedly pierce and chop his body into large chunks of flesh. Whereas Joseph, on the other hand, screamed his brother's name as he watched him die. Then, with anger and rage in his voice he did launch his body high into the air, leaping over the undead ghostly skeletons, and near Brutus. The pair began to exchange blows with one another, whilst Derrel simply ran away from the battlefield.

Yes, the human was a coward, and repeatedly had to hide amongst the dead to avoid detection from all three armies, but stopped once he noticed the fleeing forms of the rest of his comrades. However, they were running away from a giant skeleton who had survived an onslaught of spells, and a torrent of arrows upon its body. This skeleton was my self, and if you can recall, I breathed my poisoned breath upon the humans in retaliation of their annoyances.

The shadowed human had fallen to its knees at this point, and witnessed the deaths of his comrades, one by one. He then watched, with a numb mind, as the humans' general appeared, fell, and lost everything as his own son became a puddle of flesh within his arms. The rest of what happened to the human creature? Ramblings of madness, as it stalked the battlefield in search of my person until it found Brutus.

The pair battled for a time, until the Lich's own head flew from the body, of which was torched to ash, before the creature vanished. It was lying in wait, as it watched my body enter the canyon, and for nearly a sennight, it waited until, at last, I had emerged.

Thus we come to the present.

*

"My Lord God?" Called Brutus's head, as my mind returned to reality once more. It seems my return had called much of what remained of the horde to my person, and many had "presents".

They each stared upon my person with hopeful gazes, to which I mentally sighed, and gave my ascent for them to do what they will with their captives. This sparked grateful and gleeful howls, as the rending of flesh, the breaking of bone, and the screams of humans filled the air about us. No, I did not partake in listening, nor watching what was happening, as my own attention was towards the dead body of what used to be Derrel.

After watching the memories flit past my mind, I had come to the conclusion that this human had become maddened by the deaths of his companions, and desired revenge. However, all was for naught in the end, and to make sure it was final, my clawed hand dropped the ruined body, as my maw opened to spew forth a torrent of poisoned breath upon it.

"M-my Lord God?" Stammered the head of the Lich, whose emerald pinpoints became enlarged for a brief moment as he watched my actions.

"Brutus," my voice rumbled with mirth, "the heroes are all dead. Now and forever, they are all dead."