Power Awakens

Four humanoids had entered the practice area with short swords in each hand. They were of average height and had human features except for the eyes. The eye sockets were empty and they had very pale pasty faces. Parts of them looked as though they had rotted away and their clothes were like rotted rags. The only thing that looked untainted was the black steel in their hands. The wrongness confirmed itself to Osakee as he realized what they were.

“Undead!” Shouted Osakee “Beware the steel, one nick and you will forfeit your life, they will suck out your life-force and they will become stronger!”

The four humanoids made a beeline directly for Jaac ignoring all others around them. The guards and Mathus were in the way and they attacked them without hesitation attempting to reach Jaac.

“Real blades, we need real blades now!” shouted Mathus as he backhanded one of the creatures with his sword. Of course, as these were Undead, the practice blades had no effect.

“Jaac behind me, Tem, Harvester now” shouted Osakee

Three of the guardsmen had managed to halt one of the creatures, whilst four of the senior students attacked another one. Mathus had engaged one but was rapidly losing ground. Only Osakee appeared to be making any progress, he had managed to completely disable one of the creatures arms by snapping the bones in several places, but it still kept coming.

Tem threw Harvester through the air towards Osakee, who just managed to avoid one of the black blades of the Undead as his hand clamped onto the hilt. With a ferocious backswing Osakee decapitated the creature. This appeared to have only a limited effect, as the decapitated creature continued as if receiving a minor injury. It’s working limbs seemed unaffected by the loss of the head. In quick succession Osakee cut all four limbs off the creature. Even with the limbs separated the arms still attempted to reach Jaac. The remaining body parts had started to rot away to a disgusting smell of long dead diseased flesh.

“The arms are invested with Necromancy,” shouted Osakee “Ignore the other body parts, attack the arms and keep them engaged until I can reach you. Jaac, Tem, go and get a long dagger and pin those arms to the floor, remember avoid the black blades” Osakee turned and ran towards the remaining Undead and quickly severed the arms from each of the remaining three. As predicted by Osakee, the arms continued to move towards their target, but the rest just rotted away.

Within minutes all of the arms were pinned to the floor.

“Go and get Nuthay”, Mathus commanded one of the first year students “tell him to hurry.” Mathis moved across to the dead body of Orin, one of the guardsmen who had jumped to the defence of the boys, and was sickened by what he saw. The blade of one of the attackers had caught Orin’s stomach and had seemed to pull the life force from his body, ripping outwards from his stomach. Orin already looked like he had been dead for a week. His cheeks were all sunken and pasty, his eyes all shrivelled and empty, and his hair had turned white.

Mathus looked up from the body as Nuthay entered the practice area.

“What has happened here Mathus, this is the worse stench I’ve ever had the displeasure to smell, what?” the words caught in Nuthay’s mouth as he saw the body of Orin. “Necromancy” muttered Nuthay with a sharp intake of breath. “Tell me everything.”

Mathus just replied with a nod of his head to the still live and thrashing arms and the still rotting carcasses. Nuthay wandered over to the first arm and with a small blast of Logain’s Fire he obliterated the arm. He repeated this with each one making sure that he had burnt up every little piece of the arms, including the clothing surrounding each one. With a grave expression on his face he turned to Mathus and said, “We need to talk with King Arem and quickly” as his eyes scanned the arena and located Jaac and Tem.

“I think the boys should come with us, it is their lives that are in danger.” replied Mathus “Tem, Jaac, come with me” ordered Mathus as he and Nuthay moved towards the castle, “The rest of you boys, clean up this mess, and then carry on with the practice, Jon, can you take over with the kata I was trying to show them”.