The Advanced Lich Xaren arrived at the rogue town of Moonstone, eager to collect the head of Eryndor from the demi-beast Lionid Kieran. "Scoundrel, I didn't kill you, but you're dead because of me, hehehehe," Xaren thought wickedly to himself.
As he approached the meeting place, he saw Kieran and his group waiting for him. Kieran held a bag in his left hand, with blood dripping from it, and Xaren's excitement grew. "We've done the deed, now pay us and be on your way," Kieran said, his voice firm and businesslike.
"Ah, excellent work, Kieran," Xaren said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "First, show me the head," he demanded, his bony fingers twitching with excitement.
Kieran tossed the bag, and the head rolled out of it. Xaren's joy was short-lived, however, as he realized it wasn't Eryndor's head. "What is this? Are you kidding me? This is not the person's head that I wanted!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the streets of Moonstone.
Kieran's expression turned angry. "You said you wanted the head of the person who carried this sword, and we brought the man's head. Are you going back on your words?" he growled.
Xaren's face reddened with rage. "You brought the wrong person's head! How do you expect me to pay you?" he bellowed, his undead body trembling with fury.
"You're trying to cheat us, Lich," one of Kieran's group members, a wolf-like demi-beast, snarled. "We did what you asked, and now you're trying to welch on the deal?"
The situation quickly escalated, with Kieran accusing Xaren of reneging on their deal. The group of demi-beasts charged towards the Lich, who summoned two massive undead giants to defend himself.
"Take them down!" Xaren cackled, his eyes blazing with malevolent energy.
The giants were swiftly defeated, and the group closed in on Xaren. The Lich used his short instant teleportation to attack Lila, a felis and the weakest member of the group.
"Ah, no you don't!" Kieran shouted, leaping to Lila's defense.
Although Lila dodged Xaren's initial attack, his dark blast struck her, sending her flying across the street. The group's anger ignited, and they transformed into their true forms, their muscles bulging, and their animal instincts heightened.
Xaren realized he was in grave danger and attempted to flee. "I'll show you the true power of the undead!" he cackled, summoning a smoke bomb to confuse the demi-beasts.
However, his plans were foiled when the smoke bomb failed to confuse the demi-beasts. With no other options, Xaren decided to force his evolution into an Ultimate Lich, which would allow him to discard his body and inhabit another.
"No...it can't be...I have no choice," Xaren muttered, his eyes blazing with desperation.
The Lich chanted the evolution spell, and a dark dome surrounded him. The group retreated, expecting a powerful blast, but instead, the spell ended with a dull thud, and Xaren's bones collapsed to the ground.
The demi-beasts soon realized they had been duped, and the Lich had escaped. "No...he got away," Kieran growled, his eyes scanning the surrounding area.
Xaren materialized in his lair, but his body had transformed into that of a child's skeleton, a side effect of his forced evolution. His magic power was unstable, and he would need to recuperate for years.
"I'll have to recover for a few years now, damn those demi-beasts," he cursed, his voice barely above a whisper.
Meanwhile, Eryndor was having a beautiful dream when the toad excitedly interrupted him. "Shaddup!" Eryndor shouted, slapping the toad's head. "What are you doing, shouting in the middle of the night?" he added, rubbing his eyes.
The toad explained that the Lich's power was currently low and unstable, making it the perfect opportunity to kill him. "We can't miss this chance, Boss," the toad said, his eyes shining with excitement.
Eryndor's face remained unsure, but the toad's conviction eventually won him over. "Alright, let's ready ourselves and go visit our enemy," Eryndor said, a plan forming in his mind.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Boss?" the fairy asked, her voice laced with concern.
Eryndor grinned. "Of course, it's a great idea. We'll sneak in, catch the Lich off guard, and finish him off once and for all."