Dean led the party through the opening and down the narrow tunnel beyond. The air grew thick and musty, and a thin sheen of moisture lined the walls before running down them in small droplets and gathering into a small trickle of water down the tunnel. They’re torches sputtered in the humid air, cast uneven shadows that seemed to jump out at them.

After a hundred paces, the tunnel opened into a small manmade cave, the walls probably etched out centuries ago with pickaxes, containing a cot, three tables, a bookshelf and a few chairs. Dean paused at the entrance, lifting his torch up as he confirmed there wasn’t anyone in the room.

“I think someone lives here.” Amelia said as she glanced around.

“Who would live this far underground?” Neva asked.

“A Dark Mage.” Famor whispered. The three elves fell into a grim silence. From the looks on their faces, Dean knew they were expecting a hard fight ahead. The quest had mentioned a necromancer, so he guessed that’s what they were referring to with the term dark mage. While his only experience with a necromancer so far had been Ben, he knew a fight with an accomplished Necro would make for a dangerous opponent. If that’s what lay ahead, and he’d take that bet in a heartbeat, then this was about to get interesting. His stomach knotted up in fear, but his heart started racing at the same time in anticipation. I’m afraid and excited about the fight ahead, Dean thought, because that’s not at all messed up.

Dean studied one of the tables, probably a workbench from the vials of various alchemy ingredients, two health potions and three mana potions. He pocketed all of them before moving to the bookshelf. Most had fallen apart from the humidity or were useless, but a couple caught his attention.

Spell Book: Lightning Bolt

Initial Cost: 12 Mana

Maintain Cost: 2 Mana/Second

Duration: N/A

Cooldown Timer: N/A

Casts a bolt of lightning at a target, causing elemental damage and AOE damage

Spell Book: Summon Fire Sprite

Initial Cost: 25 Mana

Duration: 30 Seconds

Cooldown Timer: 20 Minutes

Summons a Level 1 Fire Sprite

Spell Book: Summon Undead Warrior

Initial Cost: 25 Mana

Duration: 30 Seconds

Cooldown Timer: 20 Minutes

Summons a Level 1 Skeleton Warrior

Dean read the Lightning Bolt and Fire Sprite spell books. He saved the Undead Warrior book, thinking that Ben could use it if he ever respawned, and joined the others.

A second tunnel of steep stairs curved deeper into the ground, its aged steps cracking at the edges. Dean noticed a faint light emanating from below after several minutes. It grew brighter as they went, until it was bright enough that Dean extinguished his torch a few steps from the bottom of the stairs. Another tunnel, lined with burning sconces and arched wooden beams, opened into a large cavern.

Most of the floor was covered in ankle deep water, with the area near the entrance and a large island at the center the only dry ground. Water dripped in a steady rhythm from hanging rock columns, Dean couldn’t remember what they were called, and crystals in the ceiling glittered and glowed in an assortment of colors, creating a shimmering mosaic on the water’s surface. A robed figure stood on the island at a stone alter, surrounded by roughhewn monoliths, chanting something in a guttural language with a deep, resonating voice.

Dean glanced back at a sound of rock’s crunching underfoot behind him to find Neva, wide-eyed and mouthing ‘Sorry’ as the other two stared angrily at him. The chanting cut off abruptly. Dean turned back around in time to see the robed figure facing them, hand outstretched, and realize the mage was about to cast a spell. Dean ducked, pulling Amelia with him to the ground, as he screamed, “Incoming!”

The other two dove out of the way as a fireball shot out of the mage’s hand and exploded against the wall behind them. Growling, Dean climbed to his knees and cast lightning bolt. He felt the hairs on his arm stand up as a static charge built up around him before a bolt of lightning shot out. It arched across the room before striking a newly constructed ward the mage threw up. The lightning sizzled as it danced across the ward. Dean cut off the spell as he drew his sword.

Keeping the ward up with one hand, the Mage used the other to cast a second spell. The ground erupted as four skeleton warriors climbed out of the ground, armed with swords and shields, and lumbered towards the group. Once clear of the ward, Neva and Famor fired arrows at the two closest. The first arrow passed straight through the skeletal body without striking anything, while the second struck high on the sternum, the arrow sticking halfway out of the ribcage.

Dean charged into the first skeleton, knocking it back several steps. Before it could recover, Dean attacked with a flurry of blows, each strike broke or splintered bone. The skeleton didn’t react to the damage, instead raising its own sword high over its head before swinging downward with a mighty blow. Dean blocked the attack, but the power of the blow almost buckled his knees. Dean had no idea how a creature without muscle could have so much strength to it.

A fireball exploded against Dean’s shoulder, showering him in liquid fire. The pain caused him to inhale sharply, allowing the fire to race up his nose, down his throat and into his lungs. He blinked several times, trying to clear the pain from his eyes, as his whole body convulsed in small shivers. He snapped his mouth closed and the taste of copper flooded his throat from biting his tongue.

Dean’s vision cleared just enough to see the skeleton fall apart as its health hit zero before the liquefied fire burned his retina. Blindly, he fished a health potion from his belt as the liquified fire evaporated once the spell ended. He chugged the potion in two swift gulps. The potion cooled the back of his throat as it went down before the tingling warmth of the potion raced through his body, leaving behind a chill along his skin.

He spotted Famor out of the corner of his vision, dancing around in the sword form against two skeletons. Famor’s thin blade flicked around in controlled arches, severing one of the skeleton’s necks with ease. The skeleton collapsed as the magic keeping it together winked out. The second skeleton jumped backwards, out of the way of Famor’s blade, and raised its shield. Glancing in the other direction, Dean spotted Neva fighting the last skeleton.

Neva’s movements more erratic than Famor’s dance. Watching the fight, Dean was reminded of an old anime he used to watch about ninjas as Neva flicked small throwing blades at the skeleton as he jumped and ducked around the skeleton. Each one struck, embedding themselves deep in the bones.

Amelia was hacking at the ward with her sword while attempting to dodge any spells the mage threw at her. She was able to dodge most, but a few sharp bolts of purplish black energy connected. Each bolt sent her flying several feet where she’d quickly recover before resuming her attack.

Dean stared at the necromancer, wondering how the hell the man, at least Dean thought it was a man from the deep chanting earlier, still had any mana left. Somehow, the mage was maintaining a ward, had summoned skeleton warriors and was still launching magical spells at the group. He had to have a huge mana pool and, Dean realized, that would mean every other stat was probably incredibly low.

Dean cast a second lightning bolt at the ward, sending ripples of electricity flickering across the surface. He maintained the spell as he walked towards it, downing a mana potion in the process. A bolt of energy slammed against his chest, throwing him several feet. He made it to his knees before a second bolt slammed into his back, dragging him across the floor.

Dean rolled over, grabbed a second health potion from his belt as he tried to climb to his feet. He drank the potion in large gulps as he strafed around the ward and ducked beneath incoming spells before casting the lightning bolt spell at the ward.

The ward shattered a few seconds later while the Mage was uncorking a potion. He downed it quickly and cast a new spell instead of trying to erect a new ward. Inky black tendrils spread from the Necromancer’s body, lashing out at the group. The first attack struck Amelia across the chest, throwing her across the cavern and into the wall. She collapsed unconscious on the ground.

Dean ducked beneath the first one to attack him and leapt over the second. He heard a scream of pain from the other side of the tendrils. Dean thought it was Neva but couldn’t be sure. Instead, he cast lightning bolt, hoping the light from the lightning would push the tendrils back, but the tendrils swirled around the incoming attacks.

Dean slashed the nearest tendril in half as he ran through the opening it created before the tendrils snapped back together behind him. The tendril twisted around back onto itself and attacked him, but Dean predicted the attack and jumped sideways, slashing a second tendril to make another opening. He lined himself up in the direction he’d last seen the necromancer and took a gamble.

Dean hacked his way forward, jumping and rolling to openings in the spell. He touched a few tendrils as he went, barely scraping against them in the narrow confines, leaving his skin agonizingly blistered and burned wherever it touched.

A blow against his back threw Dean halfway across the room, his body passing through several tendrils along the way. He landed on his back, sword flying out of his hand, and found himself staring up at the Mage’s back. He blinked in surprise for a second before rolling over and looking around for his sword. He found it a foot away on the other side of more tendrils. He reached through them, biting his lip against the pain to keep from screaming and feeling the blood run freely down his chin. He yanked the sword back before pushing himself out of the way of tendrils that smashed the ground where he’d been a moment before. The ground sizzled and melted.

The mage must’ve heard the noise because he turned towards Dean’s prone body. Dean pulled himself up to one knee, fighting his muscles as they went between convulsing to seizing up. He held the sword with both hands as he felt his fingers shaking from spasms. Dean locked eyes with the mage for a split second. The mage opened his mouth, but Dean threw the last of his energy into launching himself upwards to drive the blade through the Mage’s stomach, up through the chest and out the back of the head. Dean lost his grip on the sword and collapsed onto his knees.

The mage coughed blood as the tendrils dissipated and his eyes dulled. The dead body fell to the ground, revealing Dean’s friends on the other side. Famor was on his hands and knees, gasping and shaking in pain, while Neva had crouched over Amelia to hold a health potion to her lips. All three looked the worse for wear with large blistered covering their bodies and faces.

Dean fumbled at his belt for another health potion, his spasming fingers slipping every time he tried pull the potion out of his belt. Luckily, his fingers clenched up a second later, grasping the potion causing several blisters on his fingers to pop. He yanked it out of belt and used his teeth yank out the stopper before spitting it out and downing the bottle. The blisters and welts along his body began to shrink as his muscles relaxed.

He pulled up his status menu and blanched at his health points, thirty-six total. He’d been down to sixteen points without realizing it. He used the final two health potions in his inventory one at a time before closing it.

“That was close,” Dean said as he helped Famor to his feet, “And he was only a level three.” Dean had scanned the Mage when they’d locked eyes but hadn’t bothered looking at the information since he’d needed to act.

“Aye,” Famor nodded shakily, “That’s why necromancers are killed on sight.”

Dean chuckled, “Then remind me not to introduce you to a friend of mine.”

“You’re friends with a necromancer?” Famor asked incredulously.

“Yeah,” Dean shrugged, “but it’s different for players. For one, he only uses the spells on bad guys and monsters.”

Famor shook his head, “I truly do not understand this concept of players if necromancers aren’t considered evil among you.”

“What I want to know is what he was doing here.” Dean said as the two walked over to the stone alter. There were symbols on the monoliths, each one different, drawn in something that had dried dark red almost black. Probably blood. A final symbol, bigger and more complex than the others was drawn on the altar. “Any idea what these mean?”

“No,” Famor said as he stared at it, “But it’s far more complex than any other spell I’ve seen.”

“You’ve seen Dark Magic spells before?” Neva demanded as he approached with Amelia following behind, “When? How?”

Famor waved Neva’s concern away, “I’ve never seen Dark Magic before, just regular magic, and this is far more complex than anything I’ve seen before.”

“So? Maybe Dark Magic has to be more complex since it goes against the laws of nature. Did you ever think of that?” Neva retorted.

Famor shrugged, “Maybe.” Dean didn’t think Famor was convinced though, and neither was he for that matter. He’d seen Ben cast several spells already, and none of them required complex symbols to perform. He was about to say something when he saw the look on Amelia’s face.

“I’ve seen this before.” She said barely above a whisper.

“Where?” Famor asked in surprise.

“In one of Mother’s books.” She reached out to touch the symbol in a trance but stopped herself short and drew it back where she clutched it to her chest. “I found it while looking for something else. I don’t remember what now, but was curious because it was about the Mad King’s disciples and I didn’t know why Mother would have it. She found me as I was flipping through it. That’s the maddest I’ve ever seen her in my life.”

Neva made the sign to ward off evil. “The Mad King? You’re certain?”

“Do you remember what the spell was?” Famor demanded.

She nodded slowly. “It was part of the spell to release him from his prison.”

“Obviously, the necromancer didn’t finish the spell,” Dean said, “Otherwise, the king would be here, wouldn’t he?”

Famor blanched at the thought, “No, I don’t think it works like that. The Demon is trapped beyond the portal at the center of the world. If Amelia’s right, then this spell would just open the portal.” He looked up pleadingly at the others. “But it can’t be this easy, not for a spell like that. This is just too easy. I don’t care if the symbols are more complex than anything I’ve seen. It can’t be this easy.”

“You’re right.” Amelia said with a start, “It’s not this easy. It takes hundreds of mages, not just necromancers, working across the world. I don’t remember exactly how, but I remember that much.”

Two new quest notifcations popped up. Dean quickly skimmed both.

Quest: The Necromancer's Lair Pt. 2 Reward: 40 xp Description: Amelia mentioned that the dead necromancer has allies trying to revive the Mad King. Learn more about this group of mages. Quest: The Mad King's Return Reward: 20 xp Description: Repeatable. Kill any mage you encounter that's working to release the Mad King from his prison.

Famor and Neva sighed in relief. Famor said, “Still, Mother needs to know about this immediately. Neva, go back to the village and tell her about this spell. Tell her what Amelia said about the book. She might remember it if she was truly that angry about it.”

“She will.” Amelia said ruefully.

“All the better, then.” Famor said.

“What about you three?” Neva asked. “What’re you going to do?”

Famor glanced at Dean. “Dean agreed to help us with this task if we helped him save his friends.”

“By letting him change his spawn point to our village.” Neva countered.

“I know,” Famor said before grinning at Dean, “But I wish to help him more than that. I’m going to travel with Dean to this new village and help him defend it from the orcs.”

“What? Why? He’s a human.” Neva sputtered. He pleaded with Amelia, “You’re not thinking of doing the same thing, are you? Tell me you’re not going to help him.”

Amelia opened her mouth to retort something but stopped as she glanced back at the altar. She pointed at the alter as she slowly said, “I don’t think we can afford not to. There wouldn’t be a point of doing all this without having others around the world willing to help him, and that means there’s people out there is trying to restore the Mad King’s dark reign.” She looked pleadingly at Neva. “If that’s true, we’re all in danger.”

Neva gulped several times before nodding. “Fine. I don’t like it, but it’s better than what you’re talking about.” He glared at Dean. “If you so much as hurt-“

“I won’t,” Dean cut him off before Neva could finish saying something he’d regret. Neva audibly ground his teeth but didn’t say anything. “But first, I want to loot the mage, and then we need to get back to the surface.”