Bone walkers entered the town, targeting homes in the dead of night. By the time people processed the horror, it was too late—many retreated to bed; others barely managed to stand.
Doors crashed open. Blood dripped down windows, floors painted red.
A voice cut through—
"Twitch!"
A spark of lightning shot across the sky, chaining to every light source in town. Torches, candles—everything lit up to its fullest.
The flash alerted everyone, allowing them to finally see the horror before them. Realization came all at once. People screamed, ran, and tried to flee from their homes as their homes weren't safe anymore. Nothing was.
Bonewalkers tore through the streets.
The townsfolk were slashed, severed, pierced.
They couldn't run. Couldn't escape. The hex weakened them. And with the dark of night choking them too, it was a nightmare.
Just... a hopeless blight.
But one woman, Volka, was a spark in the gloom—hope, and determination surged through her like current.
She ran to alert the town guard.
"Heyyyy Volka, what's the need in using me so suddenly?" a relaxed and static voice echoed in the atmosphere about her.
As a blue humanoid, fey-like creature buzzed out of her body, crackling with electrical mana.
Volka didn't respond. She just kept running, her electric mana lighting her path.
The creature floated beside her mid-run, a frown appearing on its face.
"You can't be serious… It's been years since; that happened, Volka! And you're still mad?"
He waited for her response but she remained silent.
"Just tell me when you need me, I suppose." His voice buzzed a sigh, and with that, he began to fade.
Volka still said nothing—just ran, now at abnormal speeds.
She reached one of the guard barracks and kicked the door open.
Some guards hadn't even left their beds.
Others were barely awake, fumbled to get their gear on.
Too weak.
Even with everything Volka had done, it wasn't enough.
"What's wrong with them?" she wondered
Twitch!
Her eyes lit with luminescent blue.
She could see it now—a symbol on all of them.
"Twitch, what am I seeing right now?!"
Twitch emerged, inspecting, thinking.
"Oh. It's a hex!"
"How do I fix it!?"
"Hold on, let me think... Maybe you'd know if you'd, used my power more often—"
"Twitch! No time. Quick!"
"Fine," he sighed. "Suppose, I could use this moment to teach you anyway." He folded his arms. Volka looked up at him growing inpatient.
"Just fry 'em like you always do—"
Volka, hearing the word, gritted her fangs.
No hesitation, she slammed her hands on the floor of the barracks, lightning crackling.
Twitch quickly placed a hand over hers.
"Whoa, whoa. Hold your horses. Not like that, i didn't finish"
"What now?!"
"Calm yourself—it's all about mental flow. Follow after me."
She centred herself. They both Breathed in and out.
Then—pure blue, sparkly mana flowed from her hands, sweeping like a wave across the barracks.
One sluggish soldier, still trying to put his boot on, stood straight up.
"I feel great!"
Volka looked at her hands for a moment as twitch disappeared with a smirk,
"Wasn't that bad was it?" his voice reverberated in her mind.
The soldier noticed Volka and saluted, "Thanks, West Lieutenant Volka!"
"Forget formalities," she snapped. "Alert your captain. Now!"
He ran deeper into the barracks.
Volka scanned again. The hex symbols were gone.
She took a deep breath, then shouted with urgency:
"WAKE UP! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! EAST POST—REPEAT—UNDER ATTACK!"
And she dashed off.
Twitch appeared floating beside her.
"You know, if you actually used my power more, you'd learn how to do more than basic imbuement."
"Twitch, I am not going to have this conversation with you." she said, as she steadily dashed between guard posts.
Twitch didn't reply. He just vanished. She sped off, freeing and alerting each guard barrack ,which sat at separate far corners of the town.
She did all this and reached the town square in about 23 minutes.
Soon enough all the guards had prepared and left.
Their weapons clanged, the torches they used flickered through dark, marching through the night, making them appear as bright lines that beamed from all corners of the town, leading toward the centre.
Every bone walker reacted preemptively to this by switching their attention from the townsfolk, and ambushing the soldiers: making the lines break, and lights snuff out.
Then—
CRASH!
A loud noise echoed through the square.
Volka rushed toward the sound and saw them.
"Rookie?!"
Three figures:
The Rookie
The Captain
The Commander
The captain was a tall human man in his 30s, slender but toned, with short wavy blonde hair, a beard and matching blue eyes. He wielded a massive barbarian axe with sharp runes etched on the blades, clad in light plated Armor—E-rank, high-end fighter.
The Commander was bulkier, encased in heavy Armor. His helmet covered his entire head, except his pointy elf ears along with his lush blonde locks, which spilled out. A massive dark steel shield, long sword, and a D-rank rating marked him as the strongest present.
"Captain! Commander?!"
"Volka!" the captain called out, smiling in relief.
"Lieutenant," the commander's face was stoic, "Do you know if every post is currently active in the battle against our oppositions?"
"Yes, Commander. I have managed to inform all guard barracks"
"Good," he breathed.
"See commander, I told you my lieutenant was the best!"
Volka face turned shy,
The commander ignored them, and turned his head toward what was at hand.
"Later. All that's left now, is just this strong undead."
"Is it not the necromancer, sir?" Volka asked.
"No. Merely one of its monstrous lackeys." the captain answered staring the undead down seriously
"L-Lackey?!" Augustus screamed.
The commander was the first one to ready his stance as Augustus rushed in on Arcaeus at full speed with his sockets licking red with rage.
He bellowed, "Scatter!"
Everyone managed to evade one side.
The undead charged.
Let's test your strength, shall we. the commander thought grimly
He braced himself fast as Arcaeus, the undead warhorse, reared up and stomped down: cursed mana pulsated from the stomp, crushing the commander as he held his shield.
Cursed mana broke under him cracking the ground below. "stronger than I expected…dammit if I wasn't struck… with this sudden…weakness…" he said head low eyes closed as he struggled.
Twitch's voice reverberated inside Volkas mind "Don't forget Volka there all hexed"
Her eyes illuminated again she sees symbols on the 3 of them
The commander struggled.
The captain looked on attentively on the side lines with his great axe at the ready.
And the rookie watched in a ready stance too.
She touched both the captain and rookie—blue mana pulsed through them.
Instant relief struck them.
"I feel fresh!" the captain said.
"Thanks, Lieutenant!" the rookie added.
"Now for the Commander," Volka said—
"YAHHHHHH!" he roared as he slowly pushed Arcaeus.
The Commander barely pushed Arcaeus away fully but managed to bump Arcaeus off him just enough to make an opening to escape. The commander smirked eyes glinted, as he took the chance to slash instead, he rolled and ran forward slashing as he went—but it did nothing.
Sparks flew.
The commander gasped as his attack bounced off.
The spectral stomp hit again—an explosion of cursed mana lit the battlefield.
Bringing up smoke and debris covering augustus and arcaeus
Volka looked surprised Or not. Even when weakened he could still overcome it she thought with admiration in her eyes.
The commander managed to get out of the way, fully distancing himself far behind the undead duo's shrouded forms.
"Everyone, REGROUP—OVER HERE!!" the commander shouted, gesturing everyone to come over.
Refocussing, Volka ran to the Commander.
"Hey commander! Give me your hand" She hovered her hand over his, pulsing blue mana, freeing him.
"Ha! I feel great!" he said, instantly swinging his sword.
"Back to my old self!"
"What's your name, Lieutenant?"
"Volka Venderbush, sir."
"Well, Volka—if we survive this, you'll be promoted."
"You too, Rookie!"
"Commander, how about me?" The captain chimed in.
"Not you, Berner. You still owe me money."
"But Joldwin, I paid you back!"
"Yeah—after ten years!"
They argued
Augustus had seemed to have lost all sense of self and rationality; he was berserk along with Arcaeus.
Both a shell of their former selves…
Now merely just: an undead berserker and his loyal undying stead.
Monsters.
It walked out from the smoke and dust, its grimoire wide open, crackling with purple, electrifying mana. Slowly, it stretched his skeletal hand toward the pages. Ripples instantly formed across them. With its palm half-open, it thrusted its hand inside the grimoire.
After a second, it pulled it back out—clutched in its grasp was a long, bone-like weapon. It was a jousting lance made of reinforced bone, now glowing with that same necrotic purple mana that pulsed around the undead horsemen and its warhorse.
"No more" it growled, muttering it again under its deathly breath. "No more."
Spectral fog came out of its maw, as it swiped the lance across the battlefield. Sparks of mana scorched the earth, vibrating with crackling, purple necrotic power.
Both undead walked as a unit, toward them—slowly and menacingly.
Everyone felt it immediately: the overwhelming pressure of the undead horseman.
Volka gasped, winded beneath the weight of its aura. It was crushing.
The rookie kept calm but couldn't ignore the suffocating tension.
The other two veterans stood resolute.
"We haven't been in a fight like this in years," one said.
"You ready, Joldwin?"
"Always, Berner."
"Alright, soldiers! Here's the plan: me and Berner will hold it off. You two—take advantage of the openings in its rhythm."
"UNDERSTOOD!" they all barked in unison.
The undead horseman charged.
"NO MORE!" it roared again.
"FLANK NOW!" Joldwin commanded.
Volka and the rookie bolted at high speeds, rounding to the sides. Captain Berner remained beside Commander Joldwin.
"I'll take the brunt of its attacks," said the commander. "You apply pressure. Got it?"
"Understood, Commander." Berner moved behind him.
Thin coat of mana outlined both Berner and Joldwin as they readied.
The warhorse slammed into Joldwin with the full force of the lance—but Joldwin blocked it perfectly. Pushing back with all his strength, he forced the undead and its steed to slide backward, sparks flying from the clash.
Captain Berner leapt over the commander, and came down for a crushing slam—but the warhorse dodged.
Berners axe struck the ground with a crash, but he continued attacking. He swung again missing, again. And again. Four consecutive misses.
The undead was relentless. Without even resetting its stance, it thrusted.
But Commander Joldwin's longsword was there, deflecting the lance at the last second.
Berner seized the moment. He swung his massive axe at the warhorse side—his axe's dragon-shaped rune glowed with fiery power.
"Dragon Combustion!"
The axe hit dead-on, causing a fiery explosion that sent the undeads tunneling through multiple structures, finally smashing to a halt in a fiery cloud of dust.
"That was a good one, Berner," the Commander said, tapping weapons with berner.
"Haha! That's why they used to call me the Undead Smasher!"
"No one called you that." Joldwin folded his arms knowingly.
Berner looked around,
"Shoosh! My lieutenants here—"
"COMMANDER! CAPTAIN! WATCH OUT!" Volka shouted from atop a building.
Galloping echoed for only a split second—the undead was already in Berner's face."Brace yourself, Berner!" The Commander slid in front of him, shield raised.
This time, the warhorse used its head—slammed under the Commander's shield and tossed him skyward in a violent spiral.
"Lieutenant Volka!" Joldwin cried mid-air.
She was already moving.
The horse reared on its hind legs, twisting just enough to give the undead rider momentum to thrust at Berner with deadly force.
Berner froze.
I can't react in time...
Volka appeared in front, her shield sparking with electricity. The impact was thunderous. She felt every ounce of the force ripple through her bones. The ground cracked beneath her, lightning danced across the battlefield.
"Run, Captain—I can't move!"
Berner's head twitched. "Damn you." he growled
He shoved her aside and twisted to dodge the lance, then used the spin's momentum to slash downward.
This is a little skill I learned from someone back in the day!
He brought his axe down and severed the undead's arm completely.
Got him, he thought proudly.
But before he could react, the undead let out a feral roar and lunged with its remaining arm.
"I WILL SHOW YOU!" it bellowed, its sockets glowed deep crimson.
A devastating punch struck Berner's face, launching him through several buildings.
The undead hit the ground but began to rise again—bones cracking and animating back into place.
The rookie dove at him with twin axes, but it was futile. The warhorse spun and backheeled him away effortlessly.
Volka caught him midair.
Unbothered, the undead picked up its severed arm—still clutching the lance and reattached it.
He crawled back onto Arcaeus like a corpse dragging itself from the grave.
At that moment, Commander landed on his feet harshly, grunting as he stood up straight.
Blue mana outlining his body still.
My reinforcement has been doing a good job alleviating force on its hits which has lowered the strain on my body when fighting him. Even so I still feel it. I have got to end this!
The earth beneath his boots cracking from the fall.
"You're fighting me now, monster!"
The undead growled. Its warhorse snorted spectral steam. They rushed in immediately, and aimed to impale Joldwin, but the Commander blocked high while moving forward.
"There!"
He struck at the warhorse's back leg—but the blade deflected. Its bones were heavily reinforced due to the amount of mana circulating between the undead horsemen and its undying steed, so even possible weak points were pointless.
"What?! How—"
He skids to a halt, pivoting halfway—only to see the undead already preparing another barrage.
Here it comes again...
The horseman now mixed swipes and thrusts, using the horse's movement to throw off angles.
Damn it! I can't attack and barely defend!
Joldwin was forced into a corner, relying solely on his mana reinforcement to hold up. He felt it draining fast. If it runs out, my Armor won't hold either...
A few feet away, the small orc held Volka up, she also held him, her mind reeling from the pain in her body.
"Lieutenant, are you okay?"
She steadied herself "Yeah... thanks, rookie."
"What's your name, by the way?"
"Krog, Lieutenant."
She suddenly stood tall, a fire returned to her eyes.
"Alright, Krog. If you've got anything up your sleeve—now's the time."
Her pupils narrowed to slits. Her stance shifted—becoming feral, ready.
She shouted, "Twitch! I need more power!"
"You sure? You've never gone this far before."
"I'm ready."
"You won't blame this time?"
"Just do it."
"You know the penalty, right?"
"Yes."
"Are you—"
"Twitch, DO IT!" she snapped.
The intensity exploded. Electricity surged through her body, lightning arcing off her and slamming into the ground and nearby structures.
"Stay here, Krog—I've got an idea!" Her voice now carried a static buzz.
She vanished in a flash, a trail of lightning in her wake.
Meanwhile, "DAMM UNDEAD!" Commander Joldwin was sweating, his defence nearly broken.
Then—hope.
A man rushed forward, a potion leaving his mouth. His great axe came down—but missed. The warhorse dodged instinctively. But that attack was a feint.
He faked another strike. Then another. Four in total—each one baiting dodges and building momentum.
The undead horseman grew restless. So it charged in.
The Captain smirked, "Idiot…"
A rune glowed, Fiery mana flared up around him, and his eyes blazed with killing intent.
As—WHAM—captain Berner planted his foot, axe already hoisted high, and brought it down with all his force.
"DRAGON'S—!"
At the last second, Volka appeared on top of the war horse's rear end directly behind the horsemen. Her landing alone disrupted the warhorse's footing.
"MIGHT!"
The axe connected. A violent clash of flame and cursed mana erupted, throwing the horseman off the warhorse.
Volka, in her wild, uncontrolled form, didn't stop. She zipped after him mid-air and delivered a thunderous spinning kick.
The undead was hurled across the square, smashing into the ground in a cloud of dust. It tumbled, then caught himself by jamming his lance into the dirt.
It knelt, confused… and weakened.
"It ends here, undead," a figure said, a shadow looming over him.
it tried to rise—Krog brought both axes down as the undead raised its arm trying to defend himself but Krogs overwhelming strength forced him back to his knees.
The undead then raised his lance in desperation.
Krog hooked one axe over it and pulled it down too.
As they struggled against each other Krog, muscles flexed against the undead's enhanced state.
"Give up, monster!" krog strained against the undead, sweating.
The undead stared at Krog as he loomed above him. A distant memory flickered in the undead's mind...A twisted grin. Sadistic amusement.
His crimson eyes faded to a soft reddish pink.
his stopped, frozen in place. As Krog overpowered him, and pushed him back down to one knee.
Krog raised his axes. Killing intent radiated from him like a storm.
"You're finished!"
With a single motion, he struck.
And beheaded the undead horseman—Augustus—completely.
His head hit the ground. No light remained in the sockets.
He was gone.
At the warhorse, the captain still struggled to push his axe down.
"Damn it! I can't..."
Then—hands joined him. It was Commander Joldwin.
Berner grinned, as they roared together "AGHHHHHHH!" pushing down with every ounce of strength.
The rune blazed brighter, fire fed by willpower.
They crushed the horse's head completely.
The axe struck the earth, exploding, and tearing a small crater in the town centre.
They slumped to the ground and sighed in relief.
"We won," Joldwin muttered, taking off his helmet.
"Yeah... we did."
Volka walked over to Krog, hands on her hips. "Well done, rookie."
She high fived him. "Great induction!"
"You're... That was just the induction?!" Krog gasped.
She laughed heartily.
In the background, the battlefield still burned. Bone fragments were strewn everywhere.
The undead berserker's head lay intact, but lifeless. No glow in his eyes. Just an empty shell.
They were both gone.
Just like that.
Truly a shell now.