The Endless Book 1. ((Closed))

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Hearing the Dirge Mage's words; the ghoul simply grinned underneath the layer of the endless. Sharpened senses heard the heavy boot falls. Screams in the distance also caught the ghoul's ears as the enemy fell to the various traps and vile contraptions placed eons ago by the ancestors of the ghoul. These goblins are careless bastards. Their forces will be cut in half long before they ever make it to our position. Seeing a goblin sword on the ground; Lorenor moved his boot quickly and kicked it in the general direction of the Dirge Mage so that the other could wield it effectively. "Arm yourself; there will be many and we have proper supplies at our feet! Take the weapons and equipment of the fallen. Don't be too proud to steal."

Lorenor instructed; taking command of the situation. The ghoul knew that the Dirge Mage probably wouldn't like being bossed around but the situation required leadership. The ghoul stepped up deciding that he would rather be the one to do most of the bossing around in whilst his companion faced a moment of weakness. He suddenly found himself missing Tyria; who was likely to become a friend. The numbers that accompanied him prior to his meeting of the Dirge Mage dwindled down and in the end there was one. Lorenor didn't care so long as he met his goal and found what he was looking for.

Their chieftain is in possession of it. The Endless whispered in the back of his mind. Lorenor nodded and grabbed the handle of his newly acquired sword tightly. He waited until the enemy was well within range. With his eye sockets narrowing; the ghoul observed the haze of the hallway carefully.

Torches were visible in the distance as the sound of the mob came at them and a feeling of destruction entered his gut. Lorenor was prepared. A feeling of determination crept up his spine. Staring at the face of the enemy; he knew that the traps were making short work of their forces. Also; there was another quickly cutting the goblins down as well...

************

...Lorenor's spawnling ran through the hallway towards a cadre of targets.

He had eyes full of hatred and wrath. The goblin was armed and still retained the memories of his martial skills through genetic memory.

Stopping approximately a few pieces from the nearest uninfected goblin; the goblin leaped forward and prepared his attack. Nearby goblins suddenly stopped everything that they were doing as their own ken attacked their forces. Goblins reacted in a slow fashion; confusion settling into their ranks as their numbers fell to the traps of the temple. The infected goblin quickly slashed at the nearest warrior; pulling the victim's weapon to the side. The goblin reached forward with snarling maw and vicious teeth. Overwhelmed by the sudden savage act; the attacked goblin fell. The infected reached forward with his powerful jaws whilst the other goblins shrieked and screamed in shock. This all happened in a matter of moments. The infected tore through the throat of the goblin he was attacking and began to consume the flesh of his victim. He tore out much of the trapezius and neck region; but left the spinal cord intact. The infection was passed from attacker to victim starting off the process of domination.

************************

Something was happening. The goblins were taking too long a time to arrive to their destination. Lorenor reasoned that they were hopelessly outnumbered and outflanked by their forces; what was the delay? Then; loud shrieks and shouts of confusion emerged from further down the hallway. It is beginning. The Endless whispered. Lorenor felt his muscles tighten now as he could only guess at that meaning. He remembered the blur passing by him moments prior. Lorenor shot a glance to the Dirge Mage as his own chest rose and felt with intensity at the thought of battle. "Something is going on; I'm not sure what. But it is something extremely dangerous."

The ghoul was the catalyst.

[Dirge]

It truly was a matter of pride that created the hatred for the goblins gear within the sorcerer. To take a weapon from the ground, especially one as ugly and battered as those used by the little green gremlins would be beneath him. It was beyond reproach, yet the threat of death was before him, surrounding him. In the face of his own demise, he reached down and removed a small sword from the ground, having little to no time to retrieve his cane sword from the hallway off to the side. It was crude, a full tang iron blade wrapped in what felt like half-way tanned leather. He grimaced as his delicate hands felt the sweat of its former master, shook his head at the many notches that had been cut into it over time.

He turned the blade over and over, testing the weight as if he knew how to actually use it. After a quick flick of his wrist and the rise and fall of the weapon, he nodded and tossed it aside. His magic was slow to react, hard to summon, but it would be better to even consider using that before stabbing himself in the leg with the useless weapon. The iron clattered against the stones, just as the screams of peril were raised. Vigo shot a sharp eye towards the darkness, not seeing a single hint of the combat yet, but hearing the pleas of the dying.

A grim smile lit his sharp face. The drops of blood continued dripping slowly, and through a fog of red he looked at the heavy inhale and exhale of the ghoul. He sounded as if he did not know, did not recognize the stupidity of the goblins. The halfling knew though, did not at any point second guess the luck the two had. Things were swinging their way quickly.

“Extremely dangerous?” The man laughed, pushing past the undead creature and his awful smell. If it was so dangerous, why were they not part of it? And what could be more dangerous than the pair of them? “Then why are we not part of it?”

Vigo started forward, the runic symbol at the tip of his spine glowing softly. It itched, and he scratched it willingly, but found something strange. It was not the soft, warm touch of skin that caressed the tips of his fingers, but the harsh cold and grainy texture of exposed bones. For a second he lost his footing, stutter stepping to a halt. He closed his eyes, letting the groaning dead and dying be forgotten in his own moment of peril. A single thought, about touching the bone, and he felt the tip of his spine remove itself from his head like a striking serpent.

Within a matter of seconds he was holding his own, exposed spine. No pain flooded his body, just overwhelming fear at what was taking place. His tightly closed eyes began to pour blood from the sides, dripping down his cheeks and across his traveling garb. It would be no loss, for what he had discovered was well worth the smeared image. He pulled and the entire spinal column was loosed, slipping from his back like a sword being unsheathed.

“Lor… Lorenor?” His voice was timid, the whisper of a frightened child. His body was loose and free. Bending low, he could move in ways normal beings should not have been able to, twist around twice over, never opening his eyes to see what sick thing he had become.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Preparing for the inevitable battle was a matter of great concern to the ghoul.
He kept his eyes on the road ahead; staring casually with a look of displaced indifference in the general direction of the enemy. The cries of the dying didn't move the ghoul one bit whatsoever. They were a threat that was being taken care of by the temple; and perhaps, something else.

Dank hallways filled with the scent of death surrounded the ghoul in every direction. They were deeper underground now; much deeper than they were at the entrance of the structure. Lorenor guessed that there were floors of the building above him as well as below him. Lorenor was attempting to assess the depth of exploration they would have to undergo when something completely unexpected happened. As if in reaction to the symbol that Vigo touched; the Dirge Mage suddenly transformed into an apparition as hideous as the bastard child himself.

The odds didn't seem as bad when the Magus revealed his new gift. His flesh turned into a rubbery substance; his body twisting and contorting in ways that a normal humanoid shouldn't be allowed to move. Lorenor grinned widely at his companion's state of momentary suffering. Hearing the cries uttered from Vigo's mouth; the ghoul took no pity or remorse on the man's cursed situation. Lorenor simply saw their given advantage as it was.

"It can't be helped. You're still able to move and that's quite an unusual weapon you're wielding. I'd hate to feel how sharp it was. In any event; let's get going. We have work to do."

The screams from the hallway intensified for a moment as the children of darkness were overwhelmed by some sort of terror from beyond. Lorenor decided to take the point of their party whilst his companion went through his currently vulnerable state. "Be strong, Vigo." Lorenor said and walked forward letting the Dirge Mage to his own devices for the time being. All that the ghoul could do was protect the Magus from harm anyway. "I'm going to scout ahead; stay here until you gain control of your movement."

****************

Not more than a few feet from his former position did he see signs of the slaughter that had actually taken place. In a fell matter of moments; the creature that Lorenor himself had created quickly tore through the ranks of the enemy. There were mutilated bodies everywhere; with signs of partially being eaten. The ghoul looked around at the signs of the carnage and heard a single noise of whimpering in one of the corners of the maze like hallway, it was close. Painfully close. Lorenor counted at least twenty bodies. He made his way towards the whimpering and saw a lone goblinling crying hysterically at the carnage. Lorenor stopped a few paces away from him.

"Pull yourself together you freak. What the hell happened here?"

"It came from the darkness. We thought it was one of our own. But it quickly tore through our ranks. Then; the dead started to rise up. The dead...they started to rise. Only they weren't our friends anymore. They were monsters..."

"Necromancy." Lorenor suddenly knew the word. The Endless told him the meaning of the word and the ghoul understood just exactly what was going on. I am the catalyst. Lorenor took the goblin's sword in his hands and prepared to enact the deed of dispatching the enemy. The ghoul moved into combat stance. The young goblin looked up at Lorenor with a sad expression on its ugly face. "Will it hurt?"

"I promise you it won't." Lorenor said calmly. And a moment later; the goblin's head was rolling down the hallway in Vigo's general direction. The body fell headless to the ground. Black blood was flowing from the goblin's body. Then; Lorenor noticed something about the goblin's person. He was carrying pouches and containers in his travel packs. The ghoul leaned down and removed the pouches and packs from the goblin's possession. Looking down towards Vigo's position Lorenor called to his companion.

"Vigo; I think I've found something!" Lorenor yelled. Knowing that they were alone now.

[Dirge]

The words of encouragement could only calm the man so much, his mind was loose and his fears free. The sickly skin that coated the ghoul was only half an impressive as the rubbery skin and freed spinal column that the mage had at his command. His eyes opened, jade orbs peering through a crimson haze. He could see through the darkness, but the world was a monotonous black and white, only the blood splattered stains at his feet from his bloody tears were vibrant. He let his free hand touch the small pools, dipping them in with a twisted smile crossing his face.

Vigo watched the shadowed ghastly man pass him, watching him in his unnaturally black encasement. The man was darker than the shadows, his steps quieter than the darkness, and the dirge mage was right behind him. He would let the man scout, let him look ahead, but if only so that he himself could create a surprise attack none would see coming.

From the tunnel ahead the sorcerer could hear the pathetic mutterings of a cowardly goblin. His cried and words were cut off by the sly tongue of the ghoul, though the conversation was unappealing and drifted through the dusty tunnels slowly. Vigo could only catch a little of what was said between the two, but as he rounded the corner the end result rolled to his feet. The head of the goblin had tightly shut eyes, mouth open, and an oozing puddle of blood flowing from its severed head. The gooey substance was the only color the sorcerer saw, and the livid deep scarlet made his mouth curl into a sneer.

The mage held the head of the goblin to face him, looking deep into its cherry eyes. The orbs could have held the last image the goblinoid saw, the cruel face of the ghoul with his remorseless grin. The mage was unable to see it, but the picture came to his minds eye nonetheless. He smashed the head into the ground, the rear of the skull cracking and lying flat against the uneven stones. The sorcerer stood up, smashing the skull under the heel of his leather boot.

“Is it something I’m going to care about? Or are you excited because your fucking little gobbling ghoul is on another rampage?” Vigo sighed, his fingers flexing and tightening on the bone sword like weapon in hand. He desperately wanted to wield his new weapon against the unsuspecting, find out the strengths, weaknesses, and powers that he had been granted.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor inspected the bodies of the goblins. The were in various forms of being eaten. Mutilated corpses were at his feet and the ghoul couldn't help but smile beneath the shell of darkness that surrounded him. Feeling the weight of the walls surrounding him in every direction; the ghoul pondered what to do next.

Screams resonated from further down the hallway as another battle was being waged with the undead. Lorenor sheathed his sword in the scabbard he'd stolen because there was no immediate threat. A loud moan suddenly erupted from nearby. The ghoul turned towards the sound and noticed that an infection was spreading across the bodies of the goblins. When the infection spread quickly Lorenor took several steps away from the body. He never noticed before what his bite did to victims. The first of the creatures was the creature that he'd bitten himself.

That creature was stronger than the rest. It seemed to Lorenor that the infection spead strongly as each new victim was bit. Seemingly taking a few moments to pass from carrier to host, infection was horrible fate for someone to be forced to undergo. Lorenor was thrilled as he realized the power he had at his disposal. Passing his DNA from himself to another organism caused the mutations to occur. Lorenor felt the Endless unravel itself from his epidermis. Examining the sound of the moan; the ghoul pondered giving the goblin a permanent death. However; a thought occurred to the ghoul. "Stand back Vigo." Lorenor stepped to the side and observed with interest the next reactions.

With that, he noticed what was happening. A black virus spread across the surface of skin on the goblins. Three of them were infected with the black sheen. Standing slowly now, the moans of pain became more audible. The ghoul watched, fascinated as the goblins started to rise once again from death. There were three this time. Out of a group of approximately twenty goblins. Lorenor watchced as the goblin horde began to march down the hallway in search of prey. Lorenor turned to Vigo's position.

"Let's go. I think we've been given a blessing from N'Jal. We need to figure out where the rest of these bastard goblins are."

[Dirge]

The scene of carnage spread about the room, a bloodied frenzy that consumed the shattered halls. Vigo would have smiled, but the lust for use that the bone sword in hand called for was unabated. Instead he stepped through it all. His thick leather boots stepped through and over pools of sticky black blood, crushing exposed arm bones as he moved. The crunch underfoot did not even make his face cringe. “Why should I stand back? The gods be damned, I found what I needed, I want more… and if this is something I can have, I want it.”

The halfling watched with interest as the goblins stood slowly, laboriously, and moved like the undead. Their skin was flush with blackened pigmentation, which spread through the green tint. It wrapped around their arms, their necks, anything bare was quickly turned to a dark black, except for the exposed bones. They appeared as miniatures of the ghoul, though half chewed and more mindless by far.

“N’jal,” he huffed as he watched the ugly bastards scratch their way down the call. Their bony fingers, some completely exposed, tapped against the stone. Make shift armor twisted and moved uncomfortably, exposing openings that should have been covered, but they made no move to close them. There was nothing but the lust for blood on their minds, the smell of live prey before them. “Curses to your fucking goddess, if she wants to bless us then why doesn’t she just give us whatever damned thing you are looking for?”

Vigo followed the ghoul through the corridors, the slope descending at a slight angle as the path continued. He could hear the combat, the carnage of the smaller clones of Lorenor tearing into enemy ranks. The clash of swords, but not against another steel weapon, clattered against the stone floors. Roars of anger lashed out, filling the chamber, ringing from every crevice and crack. The dirge mage wished for nothing more than to rush forward, cleave the head of an unsuspecting victim, and destroy the bastards of the ghoul or their opponents.

“Shit,” he muttered as he turned into a new tunnel…

[Mutant_Lorenor]

And before them was the new scene of carnage. Intense battle between the zombie horde was waged as the living goblins attacked their own ken. Lorenor saw this as an opportunity. He turned towards his companion; keeping up pace with him and sheathing his sword just in case. "What the fuck!? Are you seeing what I'm seeing Vigo?" In a matter of moments the elite goblin horde was being torn to shreds by Lorenor's bastard children. The ghoul frowned as he attempted to understand the severity of the situation at hand.

He'd never seen such carnage before and was taken aback by the sudden realization of the power at his command. Lorenor looked at his own hands seeing that they were stained with black blood. Starting to attempt to clean himself of the black blood; the ghoul soon realized that the attempt was futile indeed. He turned towards Vigo in confusion. Then; four goblins broke from the main combat group. They filled the hallway of the temple and fighting was audible in adjacent chamber. By now; the zombie population had increased twenty fold. It was impossible to tell who was friend and who was foe.

The goblins turned towards Vigo and Lorenor's position. In a fell moment of confusion; the goblins attacked the duo. Two were heading towards Lorenor and two were heading towards Vigo. The ghoul took a step to the side; drawing his newly acquired weapon. The attacking goblins both possessed swords of the same make as the one that Lorenor wielded. Intercepting the attacks wildly and desperately; the ghoul blocked one slash, then quickly shifted his weight so that he could block another slash.

Using his senses to their fullest possible capacity; Lorenor was able to move quickly and adjust to the incoming sword attacks. A quick calculation there; a subtle movement here. The ghoul was quickly learning how to effectively parry against the goblin horde. It served as an important educational mechanism fighting in live combat. Lorenor didn't have any particular strategy to take the goblins out; instead he was attempting to quickly remove their heads. That proved to be the most effective strategy so far. Sever the heads; the rest of the body dies.

Lorenor blocked incoming attacks with his buckler shield. Of poor quality; the thing was only able to deflect several more attacks before ultimately smashing against the weight of an incoming blow. Lorenor felt a bruise develop where the shield had shattered against his arm. Continuing the battle; the ghoul was backed up against a wall. Hissing loudly; he continued to desperately swing against his foe. Both of the goblins pressed their advantage and Lorenor felt something cold and disheartening begin to slowly seep its way into his heart.

It was the realization that he might die! The ghoul felt genuine fear attempt to rip through his subconscious mind. His body was reacting on instinct to the threat and his predatory instincts were rapidly taking over. All he needed was an opening to exploit! The ghoul knew he couldn't get past the goblins on his own. And then the endless wrapped itself around his skin one more. The sweet feeling of the sticky organic substance felt pleasurable as it tightened its way around his flesh. It was a like a lover wrapping her arms tightly about his person.

Only this was one partner that would never leave the ghoul alone. Lorenor felt the darkness wrap itself around him tightly. This solicited a momentary pause from the goblins; giving the ghoul a precious eternity to exploit their momentary hesitation. It seemed as though they weren't able to see the ghoul at all! Lorenor pondered this as his world became living dark once more. He moved swiftly to the side and was able to catch one of the goblins completely off guard.

A head was lobbed off the neck as it danced in the air turning from end to end and landing with a sickening crunch on the ground. Lorenor continued his movement and prepared to attack the second goblin from behind...

[Dirge]

Of course nothing would be easy and simply abate over time. Carnage’s hand was held by chaos, and the two worked so well together they never seemed to let go. Time lent its support by seemingly slowing down, leaving the two tomb raiders to deal with the ghoulish and crazed goblins. Vigo turned to his companion and opened his thin lips to berate that ugly fucker, but instead his peripheral vision caught the site of a couple pairs of the undead goblins turning and moving towards him. Muted curses slipped through his lips instead in a tone barely audible.

The blade of the one that focused on him swung ferociously at his stomach, the second blade sweeping towards his feet. Through his monotone haze he could see that their entire bodies were coated in a deep black coloration, the virus of Lorenor spurring their movements despite their lives having been forfeit already. The sorcerer wished he could curse at the ghoul, scream until he was out of breath, but the pair was not going to give him enough time to say a word.

Vigo leapt over the swipe at his feet, barely. The other sword caught the outstretched spinal blade in his hands, clashing with a dull ‘thunk’. He landed and pushed away from the pair before the return stroke to his legs could follow through, and pulled his blade upwards to put the second off balance. Using the sword would have been hard enough with only one opponent, swordsmanship a skill he was hardly versed in. But fate and the asshole Lorenor had not opted to give his newfound weapon an easy target; much less a one on one fight.

The sorcerer spun on his heels and swept the blade low. He could feel his body bend forward at its center, stretch towards the two for a better reach. It felt strange, made the uneasy feeling of wielding his spine even more awkward. But the bloodlust was going to be fulfilled, and the new weapon given a chance to show what its worth was. The tri-sided vertebrae that formed the blade were sharp, the points appearing like a hundred small daggers. The closest goblin to the spine caught it with the flat of his sword, but Vigo moved to place the rest of the end against its back and pulled with his might to open up a grievous wound.

The minor victory did not last long. While it screamed and spun to attempt to alleviate most of the pain that flooded the wound, the second attacked and closed quickly. Its speed was amazing, far faster in both initiative and reactions than any goblin the dirge mage had ever seen before. It hopped into the air, and brought down its worn short sword towards Vigo’s chest. The man placed his spine between him and the assault, and was given a small reprieve from the combat as the sword hooked into the bones. He moved his back away in a snake like movement, without moving his legs, and realized the nasty little goblins were striking much harder than they normally would have.

The bladed vertebrae were digging into his hand; a bright crimson flow of blood was slipping from the open wound on his palm. The blood moved down the bladed bone, slowly, as if the movement of the spinal column was not affecting it in the least. The red was the only color he could see, and the bloods vivid shade was shocking and exciting to the sorcerer. The base of the spinal column was changing; the bone itself was shifting to the macabre scarlet coloration. What it meant, Vigo was unsure, but it was interesting and something that he would need to look into further when less pressed for time… much less his life.

Lorenor was doing well, shifting through shadows, carving out gashes into the little creatures. Vigo, however, was not a swordsman and the new spell and ability was something still very foreign to him. Instead of accomplishing an amazing feat by parrying away two bladed attackers, he was being pushed against the wall and toyed with by the ghoulish creatures. Without help, he would quickly find himself run through.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Quickly dispatching the second goblin; Lorenor's reaction time seemed increased the more he stayed within the embrace of the endless. Lorenor ran the goblin through from behind; sending his sword right through the spinal column of the tiny swordsman. The thing shrieked loudly. Lorenor twisted the blade making sure that his foe felt it; his enemy felt it. Quickly removing the sword from the body of his opponent; the ghoul finished the job off. He wiped the blade clean of black blood as best he could. Looking at the fallen goblin warriors; the ghoul had access to another pair of swords and some other items of interest.

He took a second sword; arming himself with a sword in either hand. The endless opted to remain attached to his flesh. Thanking his partner silently; the ghoul was ever grateful for this blessing from N'Jal. The rest of their journey through the temple would be much easier considering that the goblin army was no longer focused on getting them. Lorenor finished arming himself with the equipment of the fallen. Seeing that the goblins were also armed with the equivalent of throwing daggers; the ghoul had ample time to take six throwing daggers into his possession. They were made of iron and their quality was poor. They would probably only help for one attack a piece which is all that the ghoul needed.

In his current state of being one with the dark; Lorenor moved quickly and reacted with instinctive desire. His companion guided him and whispered into his head the secrets of N'Jal. Lorenor focused on the environment around him and turned towards Vigo's general direction. The twisted sorcerer was having a hard time adapting to his newly acquired power; at least that's the way he appeared to Lorenor. Two of the goblins that were infected with Lorenor's virus were engaging him in direct combat.

Lorenor pondered abandoning the asshole sorcerer right then and there. Vigo merely held the ghoul back and offered nothing but insults and unconstructive criticism. The choice to ditch Vigo passed for a second; but to the ghoul, it was an eternity. He considered the choice and weighed it heavily in his heart for a moment as he attempted to decide what to do next. Then; the endless intervened. Sanguine thoughts flowed through his twisted has he thought about what the endless were saying. Vigo was a gift from N'Jal and thusly; the ghoul could not forsake him. It was then that the ghoul realized he had very little love for the magus. Despite that; Lorenor needed the magus in order to survive the rest of this trip.

Begrudgingly; Lorenor agreed with the assessment of the endless. Vigo was a necessary evil. Lorenor was meant to keep the asshole alive. He was already moving even as the ghoulish bastard began to finalize his desire to rescue Vigo from combat. The ghoul already knew what kind of reaction his interference would probably solicit from the magus; but that was a matter he would deal with later. Fighting filled his thoughts as the sounds of conflict touched against his sensory array. He could feel the war erupting around him more than he heard it. The sounds of the dead, dying, and those who were infected was a myriad of chaos.

Lorenor enjoyed the fact that he had cause the goblins such misery and suffering. The ghoul was somehow related to the vampires and the vampires were constantly at war with the demon ken. Lorenor knew that the vampires of Haidia needed the ghoul for something; but that was an adventure for another night. Just as Vigo was backed into a wall; Lorenor took on the role of a savior. Lunging quickly at the back side of the infected goblins; Lorenor clipped one of them without much effort. The tiny warrior turned his attention towards the attacking ghoul; but something happened. Both of them turned their attention towards Lorenor and stopped their attack upon the magus.

The ghoul pondered this turn of events as he removed the sword from the body of the infected. Lorenor spotted recognition in the zombie's eyes which was a fact that bothered the ghoul greatly. Wayward thoughts entered his mind as he suddenly realized that the zombies were somehow able to telepathically communicate with him! The endless explained the situation.

Lorenor listened to the primordial commands and instructions given to him by his eternal companion. The voices of the zombies were difficult to understand; but Lorenor could hear the basic gist of it. Understanding words and thoughts like hunger and sorrow; the ghoul nodded towards his bastard children. They needed to have their hunger satiated! The ghoul turned around and commanded that they follow him. Much to his surprise; they obeyed his first few commands. An idea dawned on him. Lorenor stood there for a moment and focused on all of the zombies in the general area that were with him. Focusing on a thought to pull them to his person; the ghoul concentrated as hard as he could.

This was the first time he was dabbling with the newfound necromancy. But the ghoul was delighted with the progress he was making. With the endless as his guide; Lorenor felt as though for the first time, he had a chance at making it out of the temple alive! With Vigo in toe! The sounds of combat died down as survivors made their way towards the room where Lorenor was located in. Those that heard Lorenor's dominating thoughts; responded by sending primitive thoughts back. The ghoul kept his eye on Vigo and pondered warning the guy about what was coming. Grinning beneath the mask of the endless; the ghoul decided against warning him.

After all; the son of a bitch had been exceedingly unpleasant during the entire trip so far. And then it happened. Lorenor felt a multitude of presences coming towards the chamber they were just in. Scraping weapons against the floor; scratching claws, the sounds of reanimated dead flesh. He also heard the sound of moans and howls coming from his fellows. Lorenor waited as a multitude of zombies made their way towards the general direction of the ghoul. Lorenor was the quiet little center of the world now and it made the ghoul feel like this had all been worth it. A single goblin which represented the leadership body of the partially eaten horde; approached Lorenor. It seemed that this goblin was able to talk with free speech.

"M-master." It whispered in a raspy voice. "We await thy command." And Lorenor had understood what had happened. Albeit if vaguely. There were generations of infected in the group by now; and some had deadlier strands of the virus in their bloodstream. Lorenor had quickly intervened to save Vigo's ass. Turning towards the Dirge Mage the ghoul grinned as the endless receded beneath his flesh. "We have ourselves an army Vigo. Let's wreak some havoc." Lorenor said casually. "We still haven't found any of this temple's treasure vaults and there is a book I'm trying to find. Anything else we find of interest to you is your payment for this trip. I'd give you gold; but I doubt you're seeking gold anyway. In any event you twisted bastard you; let's get this show on the road."

Lorenor said and took his dual shortswords in his hand. Regardless of Vigo's response; the ghoul made his way out of the chamber and back into the hallway. As he walked forward and into the masses of gathered zombies; the ghoul realized something interest. Thoughts and images were passing across the back of his mind as he came in contact with each of the zombies near him. These thoughts were memories! Images that were fresh in the zombies' minds touched the ghoul's own thoughts.

These thoughts thusly became Lorenor's thoughts. Lorenor saw images of a clan elder and a room several yards away from their position. The goblins were looking for something. N'Jal guided the goblins as well! Lorenor felt anger at that thought but knew that N'Jal had many servants. Lorenor dominated his army by thought and started to walk into the hallway to continue the rest of the trip into the depths of the temple. There shouldn't be many obstacles left except the temple traps and whatever wayward goblin squads remained. Lorenor had a clear goal in mind in the Goblin Chieftain that awaited their command. Lorenor had to say something. He turned towards Vigo as the ghoul horde began to move once more.

"Vigo; there's a leader lurking somewhere in the temple. He's trying to beat us to the treasure in the vaults. We gotta stop them from achieving their goals. This is personal now. You ready to keep going man?"

[Dirge]

Vigo danced, his back against the wall, the blades closing with every swipe. The sword had withheld almost all blows that had been aimed towards him. Crude steel clattered with the unknown strength of the vertebrae, parrying and thrusting. The sorcerer could feel with his free hand, could touch the wall behind him. It’s shattered and crumbling surface mocked his plight, foreshadowing his own untimely demise. But he would not go out easily, or without a last surge.

He struggled, but pulled his bone blade up, catching one of the short swords with the hooked bone. The blade was thrown upwards, carrying with it the arm of the off guard ghoul. The goblins ugly head opened, revealing a maw of sharp teeth seemingly filed to points. Vigo grinded his teeth and pushed off the wall, letting his weight and momentum force back the black skinned goblin. The base of the spinal column struck its face. Its head snapped backwards and a light pop caught the half-elven ears of the dirge mage. He smiled and spun away, letting it crash to the floor. His attention was needed to divert or kill the other while he had an even field to fight on.

Instead of bringing the weapon down upon the ghastly creature, he held it high and restrained his rage towards the thing. Lorenor had joined the combat, striking from behind. The one Vigo had smashed in the face had risen and turned, as the other did, towards their larger doppelganger. “A picture of some fucking disgusting little family…” The sorcerer thought as he looked at the backs of the patchwork armored goblins and the front of Lorenor. The two were not attacking though, their faces were transfixed, and for half a second the sorcerer thought about tearing through their exposed necks.

They talked though, speaking in an archaic common tongue. The halfling had never heard the way they formed their sentences and a select word in the realm of commonality outside of Haidia and the misadventure he had stepped into. Lorenor let his face look to Vigo’s, and the jade eyes of the sorcerer looked into the amethyst glow. His face was passive, his words spoken in an even tone, but he was exuberant beneath that rotting flesh and broken face… Vigo knew.

“A leader?” Vigo said with a curt laugh. “You seem to be leading your own little army of ugly ghoulish maggots, splitting images might I add… what could this other possibly have left to lead?”

The ugly bastards began moving in their own awkward fashion towards the depths of the cave like tunnels. Their claws scratched at the surface of the stone, their armor shifted and tapped against itself, and those with weapons drawn seemingly forgot about them at times and let them drag against the dingy floor. If it had not been for his seemingly insatiable greed, and the single minded drive for power the young and handsomely graceful halfling would have never willingly been found in so droll a situation.

“But if you have some insane desire to read, I can find you a good book back in Radasanth. Perhaps something along the lines of basic hygiene?” The halfling chided and followed after the ghoulish goblins, letting their sick strides and the cacophony of their clumsy march be his guide. He continued to keep up his relentless mocking tone as his cocksure stride leant him perhaps the only normal stride of those assembled. “Let’s go then, find this fuckin’ leader and get your book. I would certainly not be against a reward… perhaps your silly N’jal could help us out with that too while she’s blessing our current progress.”