DD mini-origin: A friend of the dead

DD mini-origin: A friend of the dead

When one thinks about a career or job they would like to do, they should not only look at the obvious advantages like salary and work-time, but also the more subtle factors. Like... what will others think about you?
A shining example of a socially-respected, nay, worshipped career is that of a paladin. Holy warriors who smite evil demons and all that, ya know. Then, there are careers at the other end of the spectrum... like my own.

******

She ran as fast as her legs would permit, not caring about direction. Her beautiful shoes were ruined, her sky-blue dress torn in uncountable places. But she did not stop. She couldn't, for the knights were right behind her, mounted on fine steeds.
They were toying with her, she knew. But that did not stop her from attempting escape. Suddenly, a rock wall appeared beyond the trees, forcing her to stop. She turned and looked at the knights in brown armour. Each had an emblem on his chest, a three-headed, green dragon. The mark of Vesperia, kingdom of the wyrms. One of the soldiers got off his horse and walked closer to her.
“Tired, princess? Ready to come along?”
“When my father hears of this...!”
“He will gladly surrender his lands without a fight.” her eyes went wide and heartbeat slowed, “oh, indeed. It shall be a glorious victory. And we won't have to lose a single soldier. Now, get up!”
The armoured hand came closer and she closed her eyes with fear. But then, a strange sound echoed and she dared to peek. The tip of a blue arrow was pointing from the soldier's helmet and he soon collapsed, his metal armour making a terrible racket.
The others formed a circle around the princess, determined to fulfil their mission. Suddenly, strange, other-wordly battlecries filled the air and beings appeared from the forest. They attacked the Vesperians. Steel clashed against steel, but the soldiers seemed to be... afraid of the foes. She could not see her saviours, her sight was blocked and the battle was too chaotic.
But, one by one, the knights fell to the ground due to numerous injuries and she saw them... and was not as happy as you would think. In front of her, stood a group of skeletal warriors, parts of their bodies clad in armour and their weapons seemingly enchanted. Blue flames could be seen within their skulls.

She sat there, silent with fear. One of the skeletons approached, hand outstretched. And she couldn't take it anymore. A shriek filled the forest, scaring smaller animals. She waited for the cold touch of the thing's hand... but it never came, for the undead had stopped in its tracks.
Then, to her amazement, it spoke:
“Uhhhh... sorry for scaring you.”
She stared at it, wide-eyed. Only after a few seconds did she muster a response:
“You... you can...?”
“Talk. Yeah, we all can. Listen, uhhh... what's your name?”
“Lizbeth.” she answered, almost in a whisper.
“Okay, Lizbeth. Your scream probably alerted anything else close-by. We need to move.”
“W-where?”
“You'll see, come on!”
The hand again approached, but this time, she slowly took it. The skeletal one pulled her up and the whole group started moving. It wasn't not like she really had a choice.

******

During their silent walking through the forest, she gazed at her saviours. They were far from the empty husks she knew from old folk tales. And not just because they could talk. No, they showed emotions, human-like intelligence and most of all, different personalities. They were just like living people... just... not living.

They soon reached a small cave and entered. It was too dark for her to see, though, the skeletons didn't seem to mind. Her walk became slower as she tried to avoid any rocks or other debris on the ground, which would make her trip. She could hear the squeaks of bats above and their echoing footsteps.

They suddenly stopped, but she didn't know why. Lights suddenly appeared before her and a part of the stone walls before them started sliding to the side. And she could see light! The passage was large enough to let them all pass at once. Once her eyes got used to the light, her jaw dropped.

Within a massive cavern in the mountain, a small city had been built. The buildings were mostly one-story and completely made out of wood, but they were still buildings. The only thing not made of wood was a large, tower-like structure, which was constructed from something akin to black marble. A staircase spiralled around it, leading to its highest level. At the base of the stairs, what seemed to be a walking armour stood, a massive claymore on its back.
The skeletons started moving in all directions, only one staying with her.
“Come on! The master will want to see you.”
Lizbeth got a bad feeling about meeting the... the necromancer. He'd probably want something from her father... and, considering the Vesperians were ready to strike, that would not be good. But she still had no choice and so, she approached the staircase. The armour turned to her, a flame like the ones in the skeletons burning within it.
“You are expected. You may pass.”

And she took the first step up the staircase. Stair after stair, she slowly got closer to a silver door at the very top and knocked.
“Come in!” could be heard.
And she pushed it open.

******

I must say, I had not expected such a beautiful young lady. Her dress may have been torn in many places, but that did not take from her charm. Long, blonde hair, accompanied by blue eyes. Such a nice combination, if ya ask me. Overall, she was easy on the eyes.
And her voice was quiet... yet had that order-giving ring to it, as if she was used to always telling. I would soon learn, that it was just like that.

******

The room she entered was breathtaking, to say the least. The black marble was traded for some sort of dark crystal, which reflected light from a single, silver chandelier above. Grey gems formed small works on art on the walls, most of the time depicting skeletons or spectres.
A large table took up the chamber's middle, all kinds of things on it, from vials, to skulls. A simple bed, perhaps fit for a peasant, was in the corner, the sheets on the ground.

But what caught her attention the most... was the man. He stood there, quite tall, dressed in a green robe, which had three black skulls in the chest-area. His face was concealed by a hood, a single, green eye shone. The left one. He held some vials, but next to him, leaning against the table, there was a staff. That staff was made of bones and seemingly nothing else, except for the top, where a black gem shone.
Without warning, he spoke:
“Aaaaah, welcome. I understand my warriors found you in the forest? Harassed by knights, were you?”
“Y-yes.” she answered after a few seconds.
“No need to be afraid here, my dear. No one is going to hurt you.”
His voice was somehow calming. She actually believed him... but for all she knew, it could have been some mind-trick.
“What do you want in return?”
He seemed to be surprised by the question.
“You do not even wish to know more about this place before negotiating? Strange. In any case, I wish only to send you back home.”
“What?”
“Don't look at me like that! I am no liar. You may leave whenever you wish. However, I would not recommend travel at this time. Nightfall is close and the forest is filled with all sorts of dark creatures.”
“You don't understand! I must get home as soon as possible!”
“Calm down, my dear. First, let us exchange names. I am Darken. My last name lost its importance a long time ago.”
“I-I am... Lizbeth.”
“Heh. What a strange coincidence. Like the local princess.” he saw the sudden shift in her composure from lightly nervous to downright terrified. And the realisation struck him swiftly, “oh....”
“P-please! Don't do anything to me!”
Tears were already in her eyes. She should have known her feelings would betray her.
“Shhhhhhhhh,” came from him and she looked up, “as I said. Nothing will happen to you. Now, put those tears away and tell me how the Hell you got here and who were those knights.”
He talked like a noble, even if he did not realise it. The way he articulated, how he stood while doing so. Yes, she had seen that many times before. It's never the same, but not completely new, either. And, figuring she had no other choice, she started.
Lizbeth told him everything. How her carriage was attacked, how they slaughtered her guards and even the maids... more tears came out as she talked, while Darken simply listened. She finished with:
“And that's when your... skeletons found me.”
He nodded one last time and then, for some reason started walking from left to right.
“This is most troubling news.”
“Why would the Vesperians do this?”
“Hmmm? Do you not know about politics between our two kingdoms?”
He put an emphasis on 'our' for some reason.
“I thought we were neutral. We even trade. But my father said I was too young to be exposed to politics.”
“Aaaah, yes. King Enethil is a wise man. Well, you see, while to commoners it may seem the two are neutral, maybe even a bit friendly, once you gaze at the situation from above... yes, the rivalry becomes apparent. Mostly for the gold mines in the south east, which are just out of vesperian reach. Come to think of it, a war was pretty much inevitable.”
“How do you know this?”
“My dear, I spend my time gathering information, researching or...”
“Making slaves.”
He immediately stopped and turned to her, offended... even enraged.
“You could not be further from the truth. Have you seen nothing?! They speak, they think! My warriors are like living, breathing creatures!”
“You still brought them back from their peaceful sleep their will!”
“And again, you accuse me of evil rites without knowing the facts! Unlike other necromancers, I only sought out restless spirits! I gave them options! To live again as thinking undead or be sent to the afterlife! They knew the possible consequences and I can send them away whenever they wish! Do not judge me!”
“How can you create an army like that?”
“I wish not an army! Only companions...”
“Why?”
“Let's just say... I had been lonely since my early childhood.”
And there was silence. But she found the courage to break it:
“I am... sorry.”
“No. I should be the one seeking an apology. After all, I should be used to such things.” he indeed was... so why did it so hurt much more, coming from her? He would perhaps never know, “but we have gotten far from the problem at hand. A Vesperian attack is inevitable. And their military is better equipped and trained. Looks a bit one-sided to me. Udina will need allies... which could be a problem.”
“Why? There are many kingdoms nearby.”
“And all are under vesperian influence. Mostly, they are influenced by fear. The Kingdom of the Wyrms is a powerful force, you know.”
Then, an idea crossed through her mind. It seemed strange, even insane. But she also knew it was her home's only hope. And the question left her lips:
“How many troops do you have?”
“Around six-hundred, amassed over the years. Why do... oh,” it dawned upon him, “you can't be serious. Your troops would gladly slaughter us with as much vigour as the Vesperians.”
“Please. Without your help, we're surely doomed.”
“But...”
“Please.”
He just couldn't say an outright 'no', for two reasons.
“I first need to ask the men.” she stared at him, mouth wide open, “I'm serious! They're thinking beings, for crying out loud!”
“I suppose I really don't have much of a say in this matter, do I?”

******

After giving the order, it took the boys around five minutes to gather around the tower, Mahar bless their souls. Of course, knowing how enthusiastic they could be, I knew what the outcome of this 'meeting' would be.

******

They stood on the stairs, a sizeable force of skeletal creatures below, each with a blue flame in its skull. The living armour maintained a small gap between itself and and the horde, preventing all access to the staircase. They were quite noisy, many voices filling the air with chaos.
“Shut up, idiots!” he screamed and absolute silence ensued, “very good. Now, there is a certain matter I wish to discuss with you lot. But first, let me introduce you to princess Lizbeth Enethil of Udina!” the chatter again filled the surroundings, “she will explain the situation.”
The chatter again ceased and she spoke:
“I am pleased to meet all of you. You have saved me once already, so I am in no place to ask for further aid. But I have no other option. The soldiers, that attacked me, were from the Kingdom of the wyrms, Vesperia. Currently, their army is undoubtedly marching towards our lands, wishing only to conquer. Our allies are few and far between. Alone, we will perish. And so, please, hear my plea for help. You may be our last hope.”

They were all silent, so Darken asked:
“Well? Do we accept?” all of them broke from their trances and screamed 'AYE!' in unison, raising their hands into the air while doing so. He turned to her, “I believe you have your troops.”
To that, she could only smile.
“When do we march?”
“Tomorrow, as soon as the first rays of light bathe the forest. You should get some rest. You can take my bed in the tower.”
“But where will y...”
“You need not worry about such things, princess.”
“Lizbeth.”
“Hmmm?”
“I mean, you can call me by my name.”
“As you wish, Lizbeth.”

******

A knocking on the tower's large wooden doors echoed throughout the room. Her eyes shot open. Above her, the chandelier hung, looking like it could fall at any moment. But she felt rested, anyway. The knocking came again. Knowing she was still in her dress and had nothing to fear, she shouted:
“Come in!”
The doors burst open and in came none other than Darken.
“It is almost time to leave, princess. And I simply must get suited up.”
“Suited up?”
“Indeed. What? Just because I'm a necromancer means I can't actually kill things in melee? You'd be quite surprised. I had been part of a noble's elite guard at one point.”
He then moved up another staircase, not showing himself for about half an hour. But when he returned, it was obvious, that the necromancer was actually a deathknight.

The armour he wore was held together by green metal, but otherwise, it was made out of bones. But these were strange and definitely did not look like human ones. Coloured in a red hue, the armour looked quite impressive.
An equally red, skull-like helmet with a single eye-hole was held in Darken's hand, his face visible for the first time. The skin was dark, almost brown. A large scar made its way from the forehead to the bottom of his chin, right eye in its way. That eye, however, was hidden by a black eye-patch.
“Oh, my...”
“Do not worry. This particular wound has not hurt for a long time. Though, my soul still thirsts for vengeance against that treacherous... But I digress.” he attached the helmet, completing a quite fearsome visage, “it is time to move, Lizbeth.”
Her curiosity got the best of her.
“Before we go... what kind of bones are those?”
“Let's just say this cavern had once been a dragon's lair.”
She stared at him all the way down the stairs. The ancient green dragon of Tellnara forest... the one that had been terrorizing the land for centuries, then suddenly vanished. So it was the doing of undead...

******

The forest was eerily quiet. That couldn't have been caused by the sizeable undead army marching through it, could it? Nah.
But only two rode upon horseback. True, the horses were undead and skeletal, but it was still better than walking with the rest of the troops. Not that the troops minded. They had no muscles to ache, anyway.
Lizbeth suppressed the urge to ask 'Why do you only have two?' and just rode next to the deathknight, silent. He suddenly spoke:
“We will soon reach the forest's outskirts. Then, farmland awaits.”
“I know. And the silver roads and finally, the capitol. This is my home, you know.”
“Of course, sorry.”
Yet another question about her rescuer entered her mind:
“And... where do you come from?”
There was a brief silence.
“I believe keeping that information to myself would be for the best.”
“I see.”
Silence ruled for the rest of the way.

At the edge, they hid behind the last trees and watched the spectacle before them. Two armies, one brown, the other blue, clashed upon the vast farmlands. Arrows and fireballs flew through the air, the screams of countless knights completing the spectacle. And the brown tide was obviously winning.
“No... they'll raid the villages! The citadel guard will not be able to stand against such a force!”
A blue mist suddenly appeared before them, forming a vague humanoid shape.
“I return with news, master.”
“Excellent. Tell me everything, Kelthor?”
“The enemy commander is hidden deep within their ranks, but they seem to depend on him quite a lot. His name is Gerrard Galth.”
“What?! Are you certain?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Celestial armour suddenly formed around the mist, turning into the 'stair guardian'. She had wondered where he had vanished. Darken was yet again silent, then started commanding the troops:
“Kelthor, you stay with Lizbeth and make sure nothing happens to her.”
“Understood.”
“Vagarin! Get every bow ready and shower them when I give the signal.” an undead archer nodded and started gathering fellow bow-wielders, “and Balter! Get every melee fighter ready for an all-out charge! But remember! The commander is mine!”
And with that, the undead were ready to aid the living defenders.
“And what should I do?” she asked.
“You stay here. I doubt a battlefield is a place fitting for a lady like you.” not waiting for a response, he began the attack, “FIRE!”

Over a hundred arrows was launched into the air. Soon, they fell upon the vesperian force, piercing many a skull. And they watched the forest in surprise, since they had not expected any enemy reinforcements. Especially not reinforcements of such a kind.
Darken raised his staff into the air and a field of green energy surrounded it, along with his other arm. Soon, instead of the staff, he held a spear shimmering with necrotic energy, along with a soul-shield on his left arm.
“I thought you were a... different necromancer.”
“Hey, I know many tricks. And these are a temporary necessity. Now, as was said before, you stay here.” he turned to the rest and screamed, “and as for us, we're going to show these vesperian scum the true power of death! CHAAAAAAAARGE!”

And with that, the undead horde rushed out of their hiding, Darken's steed and spear at the head of the attack. The brown ones were taken by surprise. Arrows now shot from both sides, but the skeletons did not mind, for their very forms made any such attack ineffective, many arrows simply passing through the opening between their bones. The Udinans just stared at the charge in awe, not attempting an assault while the undead charged at their enemies.
While most of the undead clashed with their living foes on the first battle lines, Darken did not slow down. His intended target was in the army's middle. His steed crushed any poor fool, that evaded the shining spear. And the enemy commander was in sight, fully clad in silver armour, which actually made him quite a visible and vulnerable target out here.

But before he could trample the man, another knight slashed his steed's legs and it tumbled to the ground. Gerrard was in plain sight, but surrounded by many sword-wielding soldiers, with many more around the deathknight in general. They approached, expecting to simply overwhelm him. And he grinned under his helmet.
He did not assume a defensive position as they had expected. Rather, he charged straight through the nearest soldier, bashing the fool with his spectral shield. One of the commander's guards moved to intercept and attempted to block his spear with a shield. But the magical weapon went straight through and impaled the man. The deathknight then reached with his mind into the underworld, seeking a fitting soul. And it soon did.
A terrible wail filled the area as the spirit of a banshee became one with him for a second, making all but Gerrard to take a few steps back. Darken looked straight at the silver-clad and shouted over the sounds of battle around:
“Long time no see, brother!”
His eyes went wide.
“D-darken?! This cannot be!”
“It is, Gerrard. And I've come here for revenge!”
The commander made a gesture to his troops and they made a circle around them.
“Revenge for what?! Trying to rid the world of your heretical blood?!”
“You knew I would have never used my powers for fell deeds! And I trusted you! Oh, I look forward to returning this scar and much more!”
Gerrard reached onto his back and drew a massive claymore, which glowed in a blue hue.
“No fell deeds?! You march at us with an army of tortured souls! I will gladly put an end to your evil!”

And with no further words, he charged. Darken immediately put up his shield, blocking the large blade. He then pushed, sending his brother away and thrust with his spear. But Gerrard dodged with ease and counter-attacked with a flurry of slashes. The deathknight tried to block them, but the assault was too furious and every hit from the enchanted claymore sapped some energy from the shield. Finally, it dissipated, leaving his arm unprotected. Well, almost. The sword met with the dragonbone and threatened to pass through.
But the remains of the proud beast held, much to Gerrard's surprise and shock. And that small window in concentration was all Darken needed and his spear thrust for one last time that day. Its tip struck where the helmet's joints were located and went through his brother's neck, whose eyes were wide. And he withdrew the spear, letting the body fall to the ground.
“I had hoped for a loner death, but this will have to suffice.” he stared at the Vesperians around him and knew the battle had been won, “I know your code! Whenever the supreme commander is killed in a fair duel, the army must surrender and retreat! Your code of honour betrays you today! And to think your war effort was destroyed by a rule so obscure!”

They just stared at him, rage evident in their eyes. Indeed, Vesperians had always been a proud people, listening to any law or rule, no matter how strange it would seem. Soon, horns sounded everywhere around and the Vesperian forces moved. But not in assault, rather, in full retreat. In the history of their kingdom, only one other such loss was chronicled. And that had been two hundred years ago. Since then, no commander had been foolish enough to actually accept a duel.

Soon, his undead warriors stood around him, already cheering. But the udinan force was still ready for battle. A sea of blue now stood before them, a golden knight surrounded by more cavalry at the front.
“You may have aided us, foul creatures! But that does not mean we will let such an unholy force exist in our lands.”
“Stop this instant!”
Every head turned to the right and every eye saw something quite peculiar. The princess, escorted by a living suit of armour, which could only barely keep up with her.
“Princess Lizbeth?! What are you doing here?! You were supposed to be in Landoria by now!”
She knew the commander quite well.
“Jauffre! We got attacked in the forest. Without the help of several brave skeletons, which I can't really identify out of this horde, I am afraid...”
From the force, there came:
“I AM OFFICIALLY OFFENDED!”
All of the undead, along with the deathknight and princess, laughed, while the blue army stared in confusion.
“Yes, well... they are far from actually harmful and do not want anything bad to happen to Udina.”
“Indeed. But, to avoid any conflict, we shall return to our... erm... hideout, you could call it. Should you ever need our aid again, however, send Lizbeth over. She knows the way, after all.”
She smiled and replied:
“I hope you'll come for a visit personally sometime.”
“If some peasants don't burn me on the way, I shall. But for now, our paths divide. Farewell, for now, Lizbeth.”
“Farewell, Darken!”
And with that, the undead force slowly made its way back, carrying many disassembled brethren with them. Repairs would have to be made at base.

******

I indeed visited the capitol two days later, to some objections from several officials. Had to change my clothes, though. From that day, I know I don't like blue.
After a few weeks, a paladin, of all things, just popped out before my tower, clad in golden armour. He called me '76'... and myservice at the Dimensional Defensive began... crazy, eh?