Herald of death

"Necromancer!" a man yells before the light recedes. Thundering steps rush at Ethan. He casts a Shield, stopping the hand of the man from grabbing his coat.

"I recognize that voice," Ethan says in French. Russ growls from inside his shadow. They stand atop a circular ochre platform shrouded in a dust storm, illuminated by a dim, red sun. Four other people are there, their eyes on the confrontation. Ethan notices Ivy and Derek amongst them, their jaws hanging. "But once again, I am no necromancer, Lucien."

"Lies! I see that thing in your shadow, that monster that recks of death," Lucien retorts. His eyes flash bright cyan, fixated on Russ' presence. He looks healthier than before; his blond hair is longer, and his skin is smoother. He's wearing a vestless, cobalt, and navy-blue three-piece costume from an expensive brand. The accoutrement is far away from the t-shirt and jeans he was wearing last time. This modern style combines well with the leather belts holding a sword at his hip and a shield on his back.

Lucien d'Arcange removes his hand from Ethan's shield to draw his long sword. The sigils on its blade shine as they leave its sheath, reading, 'Radiant Dawn.' He swings, the attack slow in Ethan's eyes.

Ether coalesces at Lucien's feet in five spots. Vines burst from them, catching Lucien's legs, torso, and attacking arm. Ivy walks toward them, holding her gloved and decorated hand forward.

The two remaining men move forward but stop themselves, their gazes on Ethan. Dressed in all black costumes and white shirts, they look like bodyguards. Ethan notices their tie clips and cufflinks, shaped in the form of Seraphel's symbol.

'Kaliathra said the servants of gods would hunt me, but it seems only the most fervent of them get the memo,' Ethan thinks.

"What happened to you?" Derek asks, joining them.

"Just like they said, I was in purgatory. It's another trial," Ethan explains. He dispels his shield and steps away from Lucien. "I saw other people down there, but not Grant."

"We still see him on our status," Derek comments. His gaze shifts to Ivy, who doesn't seem shaken by either of their words. "Can he make it? Just like you did."

"Unlikely," Ethan answers. "But he won't die until he gives up. Strong monsters appear every night, but you come back to life the next day with a malus."

"If we clear the labyrinth, maybe he will be brought out," Ivy theorizes.

'With how the servants of the labyrinth reappear, I doubt it. Rest did say that it would vanish, but we have no idea of when,' Ethan thinks. He holds Lucien's seething gaze for a moment, pondering how to deal with him.

"Wait," Ivy begins. "How could you have spent a night there? We just left the castle like ten minutes ago."

"Time flows differently down there, but this feels too fast. A bard I met spent three nights in Purgatory; he entered the castle half a day before us," Ethan explains.

"When did you enter the labyrinth with walking anger issues?" Ivy says, nodding towards the men in black and then Lucien.

The oldest approaches. Several pieces of light armor show through his clothing by the shape they give it. He hides a gun in his belt and carries a short sword at the hip. He pulls out his phone and presses the side button, but nothing happens. With a tut, he stashes the spent device. "I'd say two days after the invitations."

"Then teleporting between trials is not instantaneous," Ethan guesses. "We won't know how much time passed until we leave this place."

"Speaking of trial," Ivy says. She takes out a crystal from her haversack and approaches Ethan. "We passed thanks to you. And given that you killed the lord, their loot is yours."

Ethan takes it with his thumb and index. It is small, with jagged faces, and filled with swirling smoke patterns of black and green. 'Identification.'

Deathvein crystal (B)

This crystal improves the resistance of the creature who consumes it to death Ether, allowing them to resist its corruption.

'Consume? Am I supposed to eat it?' Ethan ponders. He stashes the item in his Inventory. "Thank you."

The oldest of Lucien's guards stares at the vanishing crystal. He approaches and asks, "So your group killed the lord too. I hope you didn't lose anyone."

"We didn't do anything; he killed the monster on his own," Ivy says. "We only had to fight the last, wounded fury."

"Alone?" the man stammers. Fear appearing in his eyes, he steps away from Ethan.

Arriving in a burst of blinding light, a woman stumbles forward. She catches herself before being able to see. She wears light armor made of blue, scaled leather. The coat-like piece, thick around the chest, is fitted with satchels, vials, and daggers.

Ethan recognizes the material of her armor as identical to Anders'. He turns towards her while keeping his attention on Seraphel's minions. She glances left and right at the faces surrounding her.

"I came here with a party," she begins. "Have you seen anyone wearing armor like mine? Please."

"I've met a man named Anders," Ethan says, hoping revealing he is alive will make him one less enemy on this island. "He's still in purgatory. And, even if it will take him some time, he's on his way out."

Her breath catches, and her eyes widen. She steps forward, her hands trembling as they reach towards Ethan. "He's alive? I thought the judge had killed him."

"He is," Ethan confirms.

The woman's shoulders sag with relief, and a smile breaks across her face. She crosses the distance between them, her arms spread wide. Russ leaps from Ethan's shadow, placing himself between them to growl.

Everyone but Ethan recoils, scarred of the terrifying wolf. Derek's hand falls on the handle of his sword; the woman pulls a curved dagger from her belt. Lucien's men grab their pistols, poorly hiding them behind their coat.

"Leave it," Ethan commands. He speaks the order to establish that he's in control of the threat. Russ goes silent and sits down, glancing at everyone else. He licks his lips and looks up at Ethan. "Sorry, he doesn't like it when strangers approach me."

"Is that your dog?" Ivy stammers. Her spell weakens as her focus shifts, withering the vines holding Lucien. She takes a few steps forward, scanning Russ' new form. "What happened to him?"

"Long story," Ethan answers. He pats Russ on the head and orders, 'Shadow.'

The new woman sheathes her dagger in the inside of her belt, making it hard to see. Looking more intently, Ethan spots thin knives under her coat and on the inside of her forearms. The pommel of a straight dagger shows at the edge of her boot. She dusts off her coat and tightens the straps holding her satchels and vials. "I'm River, by the way," she says, spotting Ethan's scanning glances.

"I'm Ivy, this is Derek, and I think blondie's name is Lucien. As for the giant, he won't tell anyone." Her voice is sweeter than a moment ago, like when Ethan met her.

The dust storm dies down, revealing a circular array of similar ochre platforms. No sign of life appears on any of the other levitating disks, nor any sign of monsters.

The paladin's gaze goes unfocused, as if lost in thoughts. What an odd moment to let his guard down; doesn't he fear Ethan? He stands immobile amongst the withering vines for long seconds.

"What's happening to him?" Ivy asks, pointing at Lucien. His guards, oblivious to the situation until now, move to his side. They look worried, and the youngest of them moves his hand to clasp a pendant in the image of Seraphel's symbol.

"Something is coming," Lucien says as he returns to his senses. He breaks free of the vines and detaches the large, metallic kite shield to attach it to his left forearm. "Something powerful and dangerous."

"Did you have a vision?" Ethan asks. Curious if Lucien shares a talent with him, Ethan triggers Insight. The window that appears bears his name but paints him as a level one Paladin.

"It's a premonition, a warning given to me by the god of light," Lucien answers. "Do not tempt me necromancer; your only reprieved is that there is a bigger danger than you."

"Once again, I am not a necromancer. I thought I made that clear when I defeated you in a swordfight," Ethan retorts.

Inconspicuously, Lucien is the most protected of them. Under his shirt and pants, he hides chainmail made of Ether dense iron that doesn't emit a sound when rattled. He moves to approach Ethan, but his oldest guard stops him by the shoulder. Lucien mutters, "Seraphel calls for your head; you are an evil that needs to be vanquished."

"For the love of God, will you speak a language we understand?!" Ivy yells. She approaches Lucian and stabs her finger into his shirt. She's surprised by the chainmail's resistance. The absence of reaction from his guards amazes Ethan; are they new to the job? "I don't know what's your problem, but you won't harm anybody until we clear this boss fight, understood?!"

"Boss fight?" Lucien and his guards ask at the same time.

"Don't you recognize this? It's like a dungeon. We were waiting for the last member of the raid, and now that she is here, we must defeat the boss," she explains.

Lucien's oldest guard asks, "Did you do it before?"

"What? No," she begins. "Look at this! This is a deserted set of arenas with nothing else in sight. And according to blondie, from the little French I understand, something dangerous is coming. Don't you see this is just like in Final Fantasy fourteen, …WoW, …Dark Age of Camelot?" Her voice slows on the last words as she realizes only Derek knows any of these names.

"I think my son plays one of those," the oldest bodyguard says.

"I hate old people," she mutters, defeat clear in her posture. "…We have to kill a big monster to get teleported to the next place."

Ethan looks down from the edge, keeping his attention on the humans. He triggers predator's sight. Quieter than the people and the winds, he hears laments coming from below. Roars, like those of a thousand beasts, deafen him. They all look up to see something blocking the red sun.

It plummets toward them. Its form is long, serpentine, with an elongated, skeletal body reinforced by jagged bone plates and patches of decayed flesh. Long, fin-like wings spread out on either side, flaring as it approaches, its bones creaking and clacking with each contraction. Its jaws are massive and angular, with a bone blade for the chin and serrated, knife-like teeth. Inside its cavernous ribcage, a grotesque, exposed heart dangles. Decaying tissue surrounds it, pulsating with every beat.

As it dives, the creature's maw opens, revealing a deep darkness within, a void where light vanishes. A chain arcs around its neck, held to the side of its maw by titanic, rusted nails. Its roar reverberates through the air, shaking the floating platforms and echoing through the void below. It vibrates Ethan's bones.

The beast descends, diving in the center of the platforms before rising to the side of theirs. Its claws – long, serrated bones – dig into the ground. It roars once more, unleashing a pestilent wave upon them.