Chapter Eleven.

Keidra screamed. And this, this was a real scream, a scream of pain, of bone breaking agony. A blood curdling scream that snapped my head up, eyes wide, adrenaline already pumping.

She was five feet away from me, hands grasping the large, pointed, blood-soaked bone that protruded from her chest. It was a massive bone, larger around than my forearm, and I could see its connecting bones behind her, originating from the ground behind her.

As I watched, stunned, the bones pushed out of the ground, the earth sloughing off the moving skeleton of a massive beast, likely mammalian in origination, but not distinct enough for me to draw any conclusions.

A high-pitched cackle came from the edge of the clearing, and out, into the light of day, stepped a small humanoid. Gray in complexion and likely shorter than my waist, he wore purple robes and had a shock of black hair. A goatee adorned his pinched, weasel-like face because of course the villain has a goatee.

This, obviously, was Reginald Umberthatch. The Carrion Lord.

“So sorry to drop in like this, dear Keidra,” Reginald said.

“Reginald,” Keidra said his name like a curse, through gritted teeth. Her eyes started glowing before the skeleton that had impaled her shook its hand, sending her gasping in pain.

“Ah, ah, ah, we can’t have that, can we,” the gnome said. “I’m so glad I managed to surprise you. I’m sure that little band Rendal’s gathered will be shocked when they see you’ve changed sides!”

“Over my dead body,” Keidra said.

Reginald laughed, “Oh, Keidra, you make it too easy! No, I shan’t rise to the bait. Oh, but I must! It’s just sitting there, I have to.” He grinned wickedly, “That, my dear Keidra, was always the plan.” He finally looked my direction. “And who’s this chap? I’ve not seen him at any of the gatherings. A newbie? Hired help?”

“Runes,” Keidra gasped, her eyes looking to me. “Run!”

“Oh, you can’t really believe I’d allow that, can you?”

Reginald snapped his fingers, and I heard rustling at my back. From the trees behind me stepped two skeletons. Looking around the clearing, I saw many more stepping out of the trees, ringing me in.

I turned back to Keidra. “Go!” she shouted, more force behind her voice. “Find Rendal!”

“Kill him,” Reginald said, and the skeletons advanced.

Shit.

This. This was bad. Very bad. Keidra had told me that the necromancer was too much for me to handle, and that had been at the idea of tagging along with their whole party. Fighting him, and his minions, that was way above my power level.

Damn it. I didn’t like the idea of leaving Keidra with this maniac. Shit, he was a necromancer, and he had literally just bragged about how he was going to kill her then defile her corpse by raising her as an undead.

But what choice did I have?

If I fought, there was basically no chance of me surviving this encounter. I die, Keidra dies, Reginald spirits our bodies away, and Rendal and the rest of the party are left none the wiser.

If I ran, I might, might get away. Platston is only a minute away, and I might, miraculously run into Rendal just inside the gate, and he might miraculously be accompanied by the rest of the adventuring party. We could then run back to this clearing and attempt to take down Reginald.

But Keidra still dies.

Keidra still dies.

Dammit.

Dammit!

DAMMIT!

“Runes!” Keidra shouted. I held her gaze. She was pleading with me. Pleading with me to go. There was a resignation in her eyes. A preparation for something.

Shit.

The skeletons closed in. I spun backwards, lightning at my fingertips. The two from the forest behind me had reached melee range, and I shot out both of my palms. A wave of electric energy burst forth, my Static Palm Strike in action. The skeletons seized up, and I dashed between them. Tears clouded my vision as I sprinted into the forest.

I was leaving Keidra, the first friend I made, the first person I trusted, the woman I maybe almost kinda loved, to die.

To my right, three more skeletons attempted to chase me, these ones armed with bows. As they drew, I swung my right arm, releasing a wave of lightning towards them. It dissipated in the air, but a shockwave reached them, knocking them back a step. Had I the time or the ability to care, I might have marveled at the thunder I had just conjured. I had neither.

I kept sprinting, my legs burning as I pushed them harder than ever before. The town was only a minute walking, which meant that it had to be a fraction of that while sprinting, right? Ahead I could see the end of the forest, and the road beyond.

Then something heavy landed on me, dropping me face first into the dirt. After a short skid, I struggled to my feet, but a boot pushed me back down to the ground. “Mmm, looks like someone’s caught the master’s interest,” a feminine voice said above me. I tried to look above me but the boot on my back kept me pinned to the floor with a supernatural strength.

Then I heard a massive thunderclap, and the world trembled. I looked back towards where I had left Keidra, the source of the thunderclap. Maybe she had escaped? Could she be fighting back?

“Oh, that’s not good,” the woman above me said, and with the pressure of her boot lessened, I was able to get a look at her. Immediately, my sight was drawn to the large bat wings at her back. She turned to look at me, saying, “Well, my job ends here.”

Then her other foot kicked my face, sending me into the abyss of unconsciousness.