Chapter sixteen: The Proditor’s Sword

The twelfth elder jumped back at the last moment, but he still couldn't totally escape harm. He was launched back into the wall, making a man shaped crater. The black robed mage stared in astonishment as the shadows around the twelfth elder dissipated. He cut a sorry figure as he limped out of the crater. A small trickle of blood could be seen flowing down from his lip as his eyes radiated hatred. “Stubborn fool! How dare a little pup hurt me! I'll make sure to erase your entire clan!”

The black robed mage felt a chill go down his spine when the twelfth elder glanced his way. “I'll deal with you once I've cleaned up this mess!” The twelfth elder only gave a simple threat before he disappeared, but that was more than enough. The little mage shivered in fear as his mind raced through the possibilities. He considered ending his own life, but a single glance at the pile of bones that was once a lich caused him to dismiss such thoughts. Not even death would allow him to escape his punishment.

The twelfth elder reached into the shadows, feeling the position of both his own troops and the enemy. With a simple thought the goblins began to push the various groups towards a central area. “I expect that you can handle this, right?” The Twelfth elder stood in the middle of a large cavern, as he spoke several figures appeared. Several liches, Ghost’s, and other dark figures kneeled before the twelfth elder as a black shadow arose from the ground in front of him.

“This much is nothing, just don’t forget your promise.” The shadow who appeared flipped off his hood to reveal the appearance of a very elegant dark elf. He looked almost identical to other dark elves on the surface, but his elegant nature coupled with the silver symbols glowing on his skin set him apart.

The twelfth elder doned an annoyed expression. “No need to worry Proditor, we will keep our word.”

Proditor’s face darkened as he looked at the twelfth elder. “Call me lost one.” The lost one pulled out a glowing silver sword as he turned around and walked towards a tunnel.

“A name so established is not so easy to change.” The twelfth elder waved his hand, and the five human nobles appeared from a shadow. A look of bewilderment flashed across their faces before they realized where they were. They quickly brandished their weapons at the approaching dark elf. “I want their corpses intact!” The elder shouted out one last unreasonable request. The nobles grimaced upon hearing this.

“You think we’re some inexperienced children you can toss over your knee! We are proud soldiers of Murus who have defended mankind for over a hundred years! Prepare to learn what men can do you beast of the dark!” One of the nobles, who let off a blood thirsty aurora, could not take the insult. He charged forward towards the lost one; who looked as if he was deep in thought.

“Hmmm, this will be harder than I thought.” The lost one looked like he was trying to solve a riddle rather than fighting for his life. Just as the noble drew close, the lost one shifted his body barely avoiding the strike. The silver blade seemed to slowly flow towards the nobles heart. He tried to dodge, but despite the seemingly slow movement the blade still hit it’s mark. The blade glimmered as the light disappeared from his eyes. “Do you really need them all intact? It’s really hard to subdue so many.”

The twelfth elder’s voice took on a chilly tone. “After today's losses we need every body we can get.” As the twelfth elder was talking a shadow had come up out of the ground, swallowing the corpse that had slid off the sword.

When the Twelfth elder’s words finally sunk in, the remaining nobles felt a chill go down their spines. “Don't leave a corpse when you die, and be careful of that sword, it has some sort of strong magic!” A noble covered in ice took a step forward, warning his fellow combatants. The group began to spread out, trying to surround this dangerous opponent.

“young'uns, you wouldn't be thinking of ganging up on an old man, would you?” The elf who didn't look a day over twenty winters tried to appeal to their sense of honor.

“What would a demon know about honor?” The four men were unmoved by the elf's words, as one of them taunted back. Despite their brave front, none of them had attacked yet. They had all seen how their comrade die without being able to fight back; like a lamb to the slaughter.

While they were preparing to attack, the sound of an army rushing forward could be heard. The remaining humans rushed into the room, followed by hordes of goblins and trolls. A smirk appeared on the twelfth elder’s face as a large formation appeared under his feet. “Looks like everybody is here!” Shadows began to spread out from his feet. As the shadow reached the human soldiers they felt an unusual cold spread throughout their bodies.

“Everyone escape quickly! This is some sort of curse!” The icy noble shouted out to the soldiers, but it was too late. The various elites around the twelfth elder had already begun to advance towards the several groups of soldiers. Their swords became heavy as the goblins rushed from behind, boxing them in.

A golden light spread out under the feet of a mage. “Everybody group together! We have to take as many of them with us as we can!”

“ looks like your friends won't last long. Maybe you should help them?” The lost one stood leisurely, holding his sword loosely, but the group of four could not find a single opening.

The icy noble stared at him in frustration. “Now!” With near-perfect harmony they charged together, but the lost one seemed like a ghost. They couldn't touch him at all, and within seconds two of them had been stabbed in the heart.

Of the two remaining, one was covered in fire. Seeing his comrades fall he jumped back, preparing to torch their corpses. “Hold him for just a moment!”

Just as he was about to release the power in his sword he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Everything grew dark in an instant.

“That was close.” The lost one stood with his sword thrust through his last opponent. His other arm was pointing towards the noble who was formerly clothed in fire. A dagger could be seen sticking out of his chest.

“Magnificent! I have to thank you. If I had tried to subdue them myself; they would be little more than puddles right now. An ancient really shouldn't be underestimated.” The twelfth elder quickly pulled the corpses into the shadows.

“Don't get too excited; they did a lot of damage before they died.”

“You're right.” The twelfth elder looked over at the other battle; which was almost at an end. The liches looked back at him as they felt his call. “Raise what you can. Leave the rest for the goblins to eat.” With that the twelfth elder left to deal with the black robed mage.

“How long do you think it will take them to rebuild the path to the surface?” the Headmaster glanced at the four brown robed mages who had closed the cave.

One of them stepped forward. “We used several spells. Not only is the pathway gone, but we also hardened the wall. We even left a few traps, but it all depends on how skilled they are. If the goblins have to carve it out themselves then about four weeks, but a couple of earth mages could do it within days.”

“Very well, we should have all the formations and traps set up on the surface. Let’s head back to the capital now.” Headmaster Frederick gave out a few commands before returning to study the information that was gathered.