"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The war drums bellowed over the clouds in Fort Zuka. The sun hid in the sky as battle raged down below. Undead monsters, zombies, skeletons, and spiders are swarming everywhere, vastly outnumbering the men.
Lucan charged. Rolling forwards on the ground, he sliced off two zombie heads in one stroke and kicked a skeleton apart. He stabbed another spider dead as he found Kiyoshi in the mess.
Kiyoshi twirled his long halberd like a whirlwind. The advantage of a long weapon is that the zombies can't even near him. Because they were in a dense forest, skeletons couldn't shoot without getting within the halberd's length. Spiders could only throw their threads from afar with no avail. Kiyoshi fought like ten men. One by one, he slaughtered the Undead. The Necromancer controlling the hoards watched in dismay as his army disintegrated.
"Hey." The Necromancer turned around to see Lucan with his sword. With one swift motion, Lucan sunk the weapon through the uniform and into the Necromancer's chest. Without a human, the monsters returned to their normal weak selves, and were quickly picked off by the remaining men.
"Fort Zuka is too valuable to fall into the hands of the Necromancers." Kiyoshi emphasized as he stowed his weapon on his back. "We can't let the Undead make it away with those weapons and supplies."
Lucan wiped his sword of germs and mucus on a leaf. "So whose idea was it to build walls if they could just tunnel underneath?" He asked.
"Well most enemies don't travel underground with an army of undead, do they, Lucan?" Kiyoshi retorted.
"Wasn't a question." Lucan made a face. "But perhaps we should do something about it?
Kiyoshi, however, was distracted by a rustle in the leaves. He saw a familiar figure with green eyes and cat's ears. Nikka dropped out of the tree and joined the party.
"Is she going to follow us to every battle?" Kiyoshi mumbled.
"Nikka!" Lucan exclaimed. He hadn't seen her for a while. At least, not face to face. She was always a shadow in the trees, behind the bushes, two silver flashes, and gone without a trace.
"I saw the Necrolord inside his fort." Nika said. "He's using a staff to control the undead. If I can get in there and retrieve it…"
Lucan caught her train of thought. "They won't be able to control their army. That's a great idea."
"And if you fail, what then?" Kiyoshi disagreed. "You'll just scare them off. We need to attack all at once without giving them time to flee."
But Nikka wasn't listening. She was already scaling the tree. "I don't take orders from you, Kiyoshi." She threw back.
Lucan looked at her silhouette as it disappeared between the branches. That is why he admired Nikka. She dares do, and can do, what she wants. Lucan sighed. Because the attack on Mt. Tempus failed, he is still under service for Felden. When will this end?
"Your friend better not mess this up for us." Kiyoshi said. This is what he hated: people not following the optimal strategy. "Come on, to the front gate- let's go!" He hollered to the soldiers. "Everybody let's go!"
Nikka slipped into the tunnels. Sliding through the shadows, careful not to disturb the monsters, she found the Necrolord inside the largest cavern. He was alone with the staff, his back turned towards the door. The staff stood in a corner, its eyes black. Nikka sneaked up on him, her cat feet making no sound on the dirt floor.
Then, he turned around. Slowly, as if welcoming a guest. "You must be Nikka." He cooed. His voice was raspy, like sandpaper. "I've been looking forward to thisss… opportunity for a very long time now."
Nikka froze in her tracks. Should she attack? The Necrolord picked up the black skeleton and raised it above his head.
"Just relax my dear." The Necrolord cooed, "and look into my eyes."
The staff's eyes lit up a blazing white. Nikka held her head. She felt dizzy. Something was inside her brain, like a parasite. She began shaking her head. Then, her eyes began to glow. Her green pupils vanished. All that's left is a bright, dazzling white.
"Very good, my dear." The Necrolord lowered the staff. "Now, go and take care of your… friends, will you? Nikka knelt on one knee before him and bowed. Then she rushed out, her eyes lighting the tunnel and drawing out her katanas.