Chapter 6

As the five of them worked their way through the dungeon, they were surprised that they no longer found any opposition. There just didn't seem to be anything that approached them or tried to attack them.

That bothered Dusty. They had just gone from having wave after wave of ghouls attacking for over an hour to an eerie quiet. The only thing that made it worse was the occasional dripping sound of water from somewhere in the distance as they made their way deeper into the dungeon.

"This is so freaking clichéd that I'm surprised that the only thing missing is the creepy background music. Of course, later it would be combined with some voice over saying "Now fighting the boss monster is the hapless party of five" or something like that," said Dusty with irritation.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" was all Seth said as he looked at Dusty crazily.

Suzan just ignored him as she was well used to his strange references to things that she had no idea what they were. She knew that he was just nervous in this situation.

"Never mind I'm just having a rant moment. We just need to figure out how to stop this. I'm just in a bad mood because of how this is turning out," said Dusty as they worked their way further into the dungeon.

Working further down, it became more and more obvious that something lived here, but there wasn't anything to see. Dusty was sure that they were simply amassing for an attack around them, but hidden in the shadows, but they had no other choice but to continue going forward. They needed to find out where the thing was that was creating the ghouls.

Eventually they found the bottom floor of the dungeon.

Finally reaching the large room, they each tried to look around in the dim light, hoping to make out what there was to see, then suddenly the room was lit in some kind of brilliance and they all squinted as they tried to make out what was going on.

Suddenly what Dusty feared happened.

It was quite obvious that they were surrounded based on all the sounds coming from behind them. Squinting through watering eyes Dusty looked back the way they had just come and he couldn't believe number of all the ghouls behind him.

"SON OF A BITCH! We got played!" said Dusty to the others.

"I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean, but if it means you fell in to my trap then that is what happened," said a gravelly voice.

Looking back to the center of the room from where the voice came from was what had to be the being behind what was creating them.

Before Dusty could say anything he heard Kat remark with incredible irritation and disgust, "Great, just what we needed, if ghouls weren't bad enough we get cornered by a Lich!"

"Wait ... WHAT?!" said Dusty with a confused and a dumbfounded look on his face.

"A Lich, an undead mage, you know someone who's well past the time they should still be alive, but used their magic on themselves to find a way to continue to stay alive but at great cost. Like that thing over there," said Kat as she pointed at the man.

"No ... I know what they are, I'm just confused as to why its here. I really am trapped in a gaming hell aren't I," said Dusty as he looked at the ceiling, rolling his eyes before he stared at the Lich.

While Kat and Dusty were talking Suzan, Seth and Tyrell were staring at the Lich and at the moment were very happy to have Dusty and Kat with them.

As they stared at it the Lich sat in a large chair, really a throne, which had a large stone in the center above its head. The Lich was dressed in an almost velvet looking black jacket, a white ruffled shirt, yellow pants that came down just past his knees, starch white stockings that coved his exposed shins, and expensive looking black felt shoes.

If it wasn't for the fact that he didn't have eyes but hollow sockets that had tiny lights coming from them, or the smattering of what could loosely be called hair on his very bald head or the fact that his face had a dark gray color to it ... he might have passed for being alive.

"Why are you here disturbing our kingdom? This is our domain and we will not forgive your trespass," said the Lich as his head slowly seemed to turn back and forth to take them all in.

"Excuse me, but you are the one who is killing people and turning them into these ghouls. These people have lives you are taking from them. They didn't ask to be like you," said Dusty as he took up a defensive stance.

They heard something that might have been a laugh from the direction of the Lich.

"Those pitiful things we picked up? They are ours to do with as we please. We are their sovereign Lord and master. We have sway over their lives by the very fact of who we are. Bah, they now serve a greater purpose anyway," said the Lich.

"Oh and what would that be?" asked Kat as she smiled at the Lich.

As she did, Dusty was sure that it looked almost like the Lich did a double take for a moment. But he was sure it was a trick of the light.

"Don't we know you?" asked the Lich questioningly as he looked directly at Kat

"If I had met a Lich like you don't you think I would remember? You aren't that common," said Kat with a sly smile as she looked at the Lich.

"No matter, you all will soon be serving us as well. There is no way for you to get out. We have allowed for you to believe you were winning so you would continue to venture further into our lair.

"You magic users will be part of our vanguard. We will have our lands back from these usurpers who had help long ago in stealing them from their rightful ruler. It's taken us a while to reach this point, but we will have back what is ours," said the Lich.

"What are you talking about, this kingdom has been established for well over 4,000 seasons," said Tyrell

"Correct little man, but before that it was ruled by us!" said the Lich with force.

Dusty noticed that the Lich continued to speak in the royal "we" and "us" tense. There was something he was missing but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Was this Lich actually a King before his fall?

"You are claiming to be Arthur von Schoenfelder? Are you insane?" asked Tyrell in disbelief.

"I AM Arthur von Schoenfelder! This "kingdom" was snatched from us by one who had no right to do so! He had no right! We will have what is rightfully ours BACK!" said the Lich as he almost screamed out his statement.

During the rant Dusty was still looking around and he noticed all the worktables; well, they were really wracks used to torture people. It was obvious that they held people down on it as they were turned into ghouls.

Thinking about it, even as a Lich Dusty thought he should not be as well preserved as he was, giving how out in the open he was. Not to mention that the gem in the chair above him seemed to light up in a pattern, almost as if it had a "double beat" like a beating heart. Could this being in front of them not be the actual body?

Suddenly Dusty felt something, and he quickly recognized the feeling of having his magic drained out of him again as he stood in the room. He quickly cut all magic usage. The room was bright enough anyway to see everything he needed too.

"Ok, let's say we believe you. Let's say that you really are who you say you are, how are you managing to stay so well preserved. I mean you should have rotted away long before now, how is it that you are still able to look like you do?" asked Dusty stepping in front of the others to try and shield them.

He was doing an old villains trick to get them to monologue long enough to let him figure out what was going on. He wanted the Lich to confirm something for him.

"Bah, I tire of this. Minions kill them," said the Lich simply.

Everyone heard the howls of the ghouls as the surged forward. Just as the ghouls behind them started to move forward Dusty simply said "Oh well, it always worked in the movies. Flame wall!" and pointed behind him.

The wall was so thick and high, combined with the fact that it had so much heat to it that it was not easily passed through.

A few ghouls found this out the hard way. The rest of them waited to see what would happen, though now the adventurers were all effectively trapped in the room with the Lich

"What did you do? How did you do that? What strange magic are you using? You shouldn't be able to use magic here. " asked the Lich.

"Really? And yet I. Just. Did. Makes you wonder what else I can do, doesn't?" asked Dusty with a smile.

While smiling at the Lich he turned back to face the group and it was then that he noticed that Kat's brow was furrowed and she seemed to be concentrating. He quickly saw that she was trying to use magic but it wasn't working.

"Kat you better stop. We're in a magic draining area that is leeching away any magic you try. Unless you want to be completely dry soon you better not try to cast anything," said Dusty as he turned and faced her.

The look she gave him was one of complete and utter shock as she stared at him. He was sure that he also saw a touch of desperation and fear in her face as well before it quickly disappeared. Dusty wasn't entirely sure why she would feel that way, the loss wasn't permanent she'd get it back eventually.

While they were trading looks Suzan looked around the room for a moment.

"Dusty did you learn everything you needed to know?" asked Suzan casually as she now also stepped out in front of the group.

"Well all that he's willing to tell us anyway," said Dusty over his shoulder without looking at her.

Switching her sword back and forth for a few seconds Suzan, while concentrating on the figure of the man in front of her, quickly exploded into a charge and raced for the Lich seated on the throne.

The Lich stood and raised his hands to cast something at her but Suzan never slowed or changed her movements.

"Magic lightening shield," was all that Dusty said as he pointed at Suzan.

Suddenly the smell of ozone and the sound of crackling could be heard in the room. Suzan soon took on a glowing that was hard to look at, but the Lich had no such problem tracking her.

He cast a magic missile spell at Suzan, but it didn't even slow her down. As she reached the halfway point in the room he switched to fireballs with one hand and then a lightning bolt of his own.

"You're wasting your time, as long as she's grounded to the floor there is no spell you will be able to cast that will succeed in harming her," said Dusty with a mocking voice.

Just as they heard the Lich scream out in frustration Suzan reached him.

Suzan had been crossing her arms as she ran, but she was just building up her strength for a single strike. She brought her right arm across the front of herself, from where the sword was just up by her left ear moments before, and cleanly slashed the Lich in half at the torso.

The Lich looked almost stunned that anyone could harm him.

"How..." was all the Lich said as he collapsed.

"You're first mistake was in thinking that you had only average people in here with you. We're all more than you can handle," said Dusty.

Suzan kicked the body with the boot for a moment before she backed away from it for a few feet before she then turned and walked back to her husband. Many an opponent played dead to lure someone into turning their back on them.

Seth looked appraisingly at her and what she had just done seconds before.

He had enough battlefield experience that he knew why she did it, and he was impressed with her power and speed. Seth realized that he would have been hard pressed to do the same even with the wind up of his double sided axe. What Suzan did with one arm would have taken him at least two strokes to demonstrate that kind of power.

Tyrell and Kat were also stunned.

They had no idea Suzan possessed that kind of strength or abilities. Kat had a flashback to her first attempt at Brianna's husband and how close she came to being killed by Brianna that night. Something said she would probably have the same amount of luck if she had tried it with Suzan's husband and she found out about it.

After she rejoined the group she realized that Dusty still had his firewall up. Suzan looked at him for a moment, but didn't voice her question.

But it was soon asked by Kat.

"Dusty shouldn't you lower your spell so we can leave?" asked Kat. Seth also wondered about why it was still up.

"No because he's not dead," said Dusty simply.

Tyrell, Seth, and Kat both looked at him strangely. Suzan just nodded at him and turned to face the chair once more, but this time holding her sword with both hands.

Laughter soon filled the room. This time it wasn't gravelly or harsh, it had a soft almost feminine quality to it. It was still male, but it wasn't as deep as a male's voice normally is.

"You are a smart one aren't you? How did you know?" asked the voice.

"Two things, first your spell is still active. I can feel it pulling at my power. Over the seasons I've learned a thing or two about how to combat magic draining rooms. After having been crippled twice in them I won't let that happen a third time. And second your chair, the pulsing light is the magic that is keeping you alive isn't. It's where you have your consciousness stored," said Dusty.

"Pretty good, how are you called?" asked the voice.

"I'm known as Dusty, why?" asked Dusty.

"Well Dusty, I have need of someone like you. You could help me take back my lands and I could give you everything you've ever dreamed up. We could rule the world" said von Schoenfelder.

"Wow, so I'm still being underestimated again. First off you only need my 'body' since my wife just destroyed yours. I'm sure you just need someone, anyone really, with some kind of magical abilities to be able to channel yours. You must think I'm a fool if you believe I would trust you," said Dusty.

"Oh well I tried to do this the easy way. You can't destroy this throne because all of that glorious magic that you and your companion have been trying to use, in turn which only helped fuel it. It's protected by not only a reflection spell, but a shield spell. No matter how much force is used against it the stored magic will protect it for countless centuries. An army couldn't break the shielding.

"Just so you know, over the seasons it has built up quite a store, in addition to what I've gotten from both the Battlemage who destroyed my castle and took my throne from me, and from you, who if I'm not mistaken is also a Battlemage. Since I'm already dead I have nothing but time on my side. Soon you'll slip up and I'll have you," said von Schoenfelder gloatingly.