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Time seemed to be at a stand-still.

"The survivors will be harvested directly." That terrible voice filled the air again. "Be happy, you cattle shall serve to further the master." Enek's curiousity driving him to sneak a glance around the corner. He looked in on the market square and his heart sank at what he saw.

The cities central fountain, a shining example of the advancement of technology in this time, had been converted to a holding area for those who were still alive. Huddled in around it, the reamining alive sobbed and held one another. Some in various states of health, it wouldn't be long until they were turned anyway. As various undeads ringed the area, the source of the voice was found.

Heavy segmented plate armor stained as black as night, with entricate and horrifying details etched into the shoulder pauldrons that appeared to be faces in mid scream, stood none of than Taeln. He had previously been a lanky and skinny man, but his body seemed to have given away even more of its mass, lending to an almost skeletal image with a slight blue tint. His usual warhammer was no where to be seen, one that looked more like a tenderizing hammer with the blunt edge replaced with long spikes instead remained at his side. The head of the weapon rest on the ground as Taeln's hands held the opposite end. He stood almost regally, flanked by skeletal guards and overseeing the kneeled, frightened citizens. "Quite your sniveling, you fools." His tone was that of boredem.

Enek couldn't hold back against his baser emotion and took a deep breath as he stepped out of the alleyway. "This must be a dream come true, eh Taeln? You always joked about wanting to cleanse this place." His eyes were narrowed as he looked at his former friend. "I don't know if there's any real shread of you left in there, but if I'm going to die I'll do it after making sure you've been released from this.. undeath." He pointed his sword at Taeln.

The undead surrounding the area all hissed, groaned, or clattered as they took up aggressive stances, Taeln only laughed. "Enek... you weren't supposed to be here. The master so graciously spared your life, he hadn't intended on hunting you down." He picked the hammer up, shouldering it as he idly walked towards Enek. "But since you're here now, Lord Faust says I should convert you into a fellow dreadknight for his service. It's not so bad you know? You never feel the need to eat, sleep, or even breathe again. I can see in the dark as if it was day. Temperature doesn't bother me.." Taeln counted off every 'benefit' by holding up a finger for each with his hand. "Oh, and the best part. I hardly feel pain anymore." He gave Enek the same cocksure grin he'd used for years now, holding up his hand and silencing all of the antsy undead.

Shaking his head, Enek's eyes were focused on Taeln. "It's not an existence, it's a prison. Is such power worth it when your very being is at another's control?" He shook his head. "You might think undeath has made you stronger, but I have a feeling it actually has dulled your senses. Just look around you, the city burns and all you can think about is pleasing you 'master' by having a little duel with me?" They had slowly started circling another another in a cleared area.

"What's one city, or a few thousand lives? I have an eternity to enjoy myself now. I help destroy, and in exchange I get what I could never have before, power.." He took a step forward and swung the warhammer down with one arm. The spiked head of the weapon crashed down right where Enek had been only a moment before sidestepping the heavy weapon. "No more busting my ass for scraps, now I'm part of the group that will control not just the accumulated wealth, but the very lives of the world."

Grabbing the hammer with both hands, Taeln pulled it from the ground. Fire light glinted off of the polished surface of the obsidian armor. The eyes of the former friends were focused on another another as they matched each others footing. When one moved, the other did as well, keeping a short distance between them. It was tense moments like these that could ultimately decide a duel. A misplaced step, or even the slightest distraction might cause you to lose your head.

Taking two quick steps towards Enek and swinging it in a wide horizontal arc, the moment was broken by Taeln. Managing to duck the slow attack, the adrenaline was coursing through Enek as he used the opening to charge forward and ram the blade between armor plates. Blackened blood ran down the flat of the sword as Taeln had a surprised look on his face, twisting to a sinister grin though. "Told ya." His gauntleted hand released the hammers handle and grabbed Enek's neck before he could dodge out of the way.

Taeln's strength was truly beyond mortal limits. His fingers were like a vice around Enek's neck as the human dropped his hold on the sword still buried in the undeads chest to grasp at the fingers. "Weak, I could crush your neck right now. But the less damage done to your body the better when the conversion is done." He lifted Enek's weight off of the ground and held him suspended into the air. "Doesn't mean I can't have some fun." His fingers clenched tighter.

Crying out in pain, Enek's voice fell away to gasping for air. Prying at the fingers with diminshing strength, the world began to darken in his vision. Time seemed to slow down in that moment, allowing him to notice his surroundings more than previously had been able. From the alleyway Asyr sprang from the hiding place, claws flashing in the moonlight as a look of desperation crossed her face. *No Asyr... I wanted you at least to manage to escape this. It's my fault you were here in the first place, it's not fair to have to die because of it.* Enek thought to himself, beginning to wonder if he was dying given the strangeness of his current perception of time.

Slamming into Taeln's back with her claws, Asyr scrapped against the tough plate metal before digging into the joints in the armor. Growling fiercely, she sank her fangs into the back of his neck and tearing the flesh. He cried out as his eyes went wide in pain. The attack had been flawless, and against a normal foe they'd have been dead in the instant. This was not an average enemy unfortunately. Throwing Enek into the wall of a nearby building, a sickening crunch could be heard which was followed by a groan from him and Taeln turned to face the new threat. Enek's body laid limply in the material that shattered on the impact.

Asyr took a sharp breath. "Enek!" She cried out for him, spitting flesh and blood from her mouth.

"Argh, what is this?!" Taeln shouted, reaching back and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck causing her to yelp in surprise. Yanking her around to face him. Her claws grabbed into his back and neck and drawing deeper lines, but appeared to not even faze him. "A mongrel? A mutt?" He laughed, tossing her to where Enek laid unmoving. "And she called for you by name. You never mentioned you were fucking some tribal canine bitch on the side partner. How sweet, you'll get to die together then." Taeln rubbed the back of his neck, pulling his hand away dripping the same blackened blood that still ran from the sword buried in his chest. "I'll let you keep her as a pet, and if the master allows maybe a fellow dreadknight if her will is strong enough to overcome becoming just another slavering ghoul. Unless that's what you're into... I'm certainly not judging."

Taeln had a sick grin on his face as he turned, mocking Enek. His voice cut short as the firebolt crashed into his chest and erupting in a brilliant explosion. He cried out, thrashing as the fires began consuming his flesh.

Enek's hand was outstretched and steam rising from his fingertips. Trying to sit up and breathing heavily, his vision hazed and swam. He knew the other undead would be closing in now as he forced his body to stand. Every muscle seemed to ache, and more than a few bones he was fairly certain were broken. He stood shakily on his feet and helped Asyr to hers.

"ENOUGH!" Taeln shouted, the magical fires extinguishing. Bits of his flesh had burnt away, leaving patches of bone showing through his jawline and cheeks. "I'm killing your pet for that.." The ghouls and skeletons nearby all slowly moved towards them with a wave from Taeln's hand. Retrieving his hammer from where it lay before advancing on the two as well.

Staggering on his feet and leaning against Asyr for support, something fell from Enek's pack. The ringing of metal hitting the ground resonated through the air, and the undead all stopped in their tracks for the moment, Taeln included. Turning his head slowly, Enek glanced down at the source of the distraction and found the crown laying on the ground amidst some of the scattered rumble, the firelight glinting beautifully off of it's golden surface. He bent down and picked it up, holding it in his hand. The polished metal was warm to the touch, the inlaid gems more so. Holding it out towards the previously advancing undead the lesser ghouls bowed their heads, while the skeletal guards lowered weapons. Even Taeln's arms twitched in response.

A genuine look of fear passed over Taeln's face, one that reminded Enek of the moment when he died back in King's Rest.

Looking the crown over as he held it in his hand, Enek slowly lowered it onto his head. The world around him shifted in strange new ways, the undead all had softly glowing auras and the darkness in the area looked as bright as day now. The crown perched atop his head now, he conjured fire to both of his hands. The lesser ghouls now bowed their full bodies to him, crawling on hands and knees. While the skeletal guards, armed and armored as they were, all kneeled. A tugging sensation in his mind was coming from these undead, as if they were all asking him for their next orders. Enek swallowed hard as he mentally commanded them to defeat and subdue Taeln. Not knowing what to expect in the next moment, the surprise came when the skeletons raised back to their feet and pointed weapons at the Elven. The ghouls had even risen back to their feet and shambled towards him.

"What is this?! Put your weapons down, I order you!" Taeln shouted at his turned allies and focusing on them. Through Enek's eyes he could see Taeln's aura wash against the undead, but they were unmoved by the action. Instead of lowering the weapons, they collectively brought them down in attack. Signaling the start to a new frenzy, the ghouls entered the fray, biting, clawing and pulling Taeln to the ground as he swung his own weapon in retaliation. Overwhelmed by the sheer number advantage, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The power! It felt amazing! Had Enek been missing out on this the whole time? His eyes slowly glanced towards the group of survivors and noticed their own smaller auras, waiting.. no, asking to be commanded as well. And who was Enek to deny them that? A grin slowly started to settle in across his face as he pressed his will against theirs, but was interrupted by a touch at his arm. "Enek.." It was Asyr, with a soft whine as she watched the assault happening on Taeln.

The world seemed to come back into focus at this as Enek realized what he had done, and was just about to do. He went to reach for the crown and pull it off. Silence covered the area in these moments as a cold laugher cut through it, ending the sudden stalemate. The voice sent a chill down every spine, it was airy and ephemeral, yet the tone was deep and encouraged you to listen to the speaker. "C..u..r.i..o.u.s." The undead brawl had ended as all eyes seemed to search for the source of the voice. Enek recognized it all too well, it belonged to the Lich. "The crown... has responded... to you..? Taeln, return to me at once. I've collected enough." Getting to his feet, bleeding for several new wounds, Taeln and the undead began to retreat the area.

Enek hurled a firebolt, exploding it into the group of ghouls and skeletons. "No! Don't think you're just allowed to leave. Not after what you've done here." His body continued to ache, but the adrenaline sustained him for the moment as he relit his hand for another attack.

"Arrogance... Do not waste the life I have to graciously spared, twice now.. You are little more than an insect for me to crush at any time mortal." At this, Enek felt ethereal hands closing around him. They crushed the air from his lungs and lifted him into the air. "Your resolve is strong.. But you will serve one way, or another. As all will.." The grip tightened, more crunching could be heard as Enek took breathless gasps.

Asyr could only look on in horror, with no physical target to attack she frantically looked about. The danger of the undead posed too much risk to fight head on as she normally would have.

Suddenly dropping back to the ground, Enek simply laid there. Hanging onto consciousness for the moment, he felt Asyr kneel down beside him and hold his head gently. The unsettling pressure that had been over the area seemed to lift as the undead marched out of the town center. Taeln looked over his shoulder one final time before they exited sight. As the world slowly darkened in Enek's vision, the last thing he noticed was a figure standing on a rooftop across the way but, silhouetted against the night sky and the full moon which now had a bloody red tint to it from all the smoke in the air.