Chapter 4 Part 2: A Fool In Live Is A Fool In Undeath

“You were so pathetic she pitied you with one dance, and you thought you were in love. There is nothing but a black hole between your legs like the ones you have for eyes now, and the Shethane saw your nature before you spat your pathetic betroval at her feet,” Xavos smiled behind his golden visor as the three headed hounds left the Crowned Prince, and came for the Arch Paladin instead.

The beasts were high hellhounds taking on the appearance of black dogs the size of small horses. Each mouth had a set of jaws on their multiple tongues that snatched and slobbered like possessed tentacles of sea creatures. They twitched, and their mouths snapped as their partially translucent bodies passed in and out of the second heaven, the spirit realm. For they were neither of the world of physical or the spirit now. Their bodies could not abide fully in the inbetween or the world of the living.

Making even one of these abominations would have meant the death of a holy man upon hallowed ground. Xavos was all too familiar with the ritual, and the thought of death required to make so many servants made his blood boil. There were no shortage of marytrs at the end of the world for a scum vampire to harvest for more power during the last war with the dead.

The beasts charged without warning, and as one mind only to be annihilated by the Arch Paladin’s students who took pains to not stand between the two combatants. They knew their teacher. After the great war his moods were clear to them like a pure mountain lake without a ripple in sight. Micath of course never left his master’s side as his duty demanded, but all could see their Paladin was baiting an enemy into a trap.

Half the cave apes around the vampire dwarf seemed to have guessed the game as well. Xavos saw them from the corner of his eye panicking, gesturing and muttering amongst themselves. The grey skinned of the inner deep were mean little creatures, but they weren’t stupid. None dared say a word to their current master who had hired or driven them to this endeavor. The first to speak would most likely join the enslaved thralls and scamps of Ure before they finished their warning.

The sods weren’t given time to find their courage to prevent their employer from gallivanting alone to his death. The crown prince took the initiative to tear into the small horde of gremlins. The cave apes were no match for his skill especially while wielding the holy relics, and Viborth’s Honor Guard and what militia the sea dwarves had mustered upon the ark followed after their prince which was exactly as the Arch Paladin had devised.

The sea dwarves were always very protective of their people, but were prone to acts of excessive revenge. The crown prince however had shown a steadiness in the wars no matter the atrocities committed against him and his people. Thus the young dwarf maintained his rank even with stiff competition from both brothers and rival family houses. Especially as more and more of the more hot headed commanders and princes died again and again to the traps of the enemy.

Xavos was glad Prince Viborth chose wisely this day despite viewing his beloved sister’s would be tormentor in front of him. More than one dwarf would have rushed into battle with his hated foe leaving his militia to fend for themselves until his bloodlust subsided. The goblins would easily have overrun the thin lines of pikemen and great swordsmen. Far more likely the little vermin would rush around the defenders as the great feasting hall in the belly of the ship they battled in had much room to maneuver. The cave apes weren’t known for their love of stand up fights. They ever wished to find the good defenseless people in the back to tear into. A fight wasn’t their preference no matter how vicious they were. They were raiders not hobgoblins of the line or mountain golems pressed into service of a sorcerer.

Xavos was but one Paladin after all, and he needed his acolytes for his struggle with the undead Duke so he could not send them to reinforce the dwarf lines. Antain would still take time to reach them, eradicating any straggler goblins feasting on or torturing prisoners on the way. The Arch Paladin opponent required his full attention no matter how pathetic a creature he was. The power Ure wielded was not a laughing matter, and even Xavos might find himself slowly overran just like the Crown Prince had nearly fallen. The vampire was like spoiled a toddler holding burning oil over the heads of invaders on a siege. Not much skill or wisdom was needed to cause irreparable damage if not handled properly.

“You are as much a tormentor as they are Xavos! You’re paladins are all dead and you will soon join them!” so saying the Vampire summoned forth a great halberd with a snarling living metal wolf head around the axe head section of the weapon. Yet the vampire didn’t charge himself, but summoned a torrent of flying scamps and twisted thunderbirds to consume his hated foe. The great birds of prey had blood draining talons that could render even stout blessed armor, but the Paladin again did nothing saving his strength. His acolytes cleansed the mob further infuriating the Duke. Xavos swiped black ashes from his shoulder plate with a dismissive hand, the act almost making the vampire snarl like his hounds.

“You are even more pathetic now that you gained power. You are still that rat of a boy that no girl would touch with a pike let alone her hand, and no father in his right mind would let near his daughter no matter your riches,” Xavos saw a scarlet light in the center of the blank voids in the eyes of his opponent, and knew he would soon have his desired results.

With a cry of uncontrollable rage the overconfident Duke lost to his rage, and charged forward with his halberd aimed for the Paladin’s neck. It was a powerful, but clumsy strike. This vampire had clearly fought only inferiors for so long he no longer knew or cared to use form or tact in his battles. Xavos couldn’t have asked for a better fool to crush into the dirt.

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