REVILED

Everyone stared in horror at Baron as he stood in the center of the bar. Meridith’s sat next to Reviled’s box, but her gaze loudly proclaimed her hatred. Oria sat at the bar cursing under her breath as she consumed several shots of hard liquor. Danien was the only one among them who looked confused.

“So,” Reviled said, “Saint Urielle is joining Solomon’s apprentice in this hunt.” The words created a heavy atmosphere.

“Yes.” Baron took a deep breath. “They came to me requesting a map of the sewers. I… also gave them the copy of your schematics that Melgareth gave us.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Meridith growled. Her fingers clenched tightly together. “We’re you trying to set up another ambush.”

“No, I… believed that giving them the schematics would put me in their good graces.” Baron clasped his hands behind his back and licked his lips. “Would it not be beneficial for me to have an excellent relationship with them.”

Meridith sneered, but Reviled held her back. “You are correct,” it said, “Still, you should have told us sooner.”

Baron swallowed and bowed deeply. “F-forgive me, master.”

Reviled sat there clacking its claw against the wood. Each strike made Baron shake.

“You are forgiven. Now let us move on.” Baron sighed in relief and took a seat at one of the tables. “It seems the Virtues haven’t been ignoring us.” Reviled sighed as it crossed its arms. “Saint Urielle is bad enough, but to be accompanied by five paladins is… disheartening.”

“Now that they have detailed maps of the sewers, there’s a good chance that Halligan’s party will find Antwuan,” Meridith said, “And if that happens, then we’ll have to deal with the entire guard.”

“Why don’t we keep her moving?” Mina rubbed her chin. “That way they’re less likely to find her.”

Meridith looked at the ground. “Antwuan has built her nest and is laying her brood,” Reviled said, “She’s not moving anytime soon.” Silence filled the room.

“What do we do boss?” Oria cursed.

Reviled looked around at the worried faces. Its gaze lingered on Danien. Unfortunately, it was still too early to rely on their new knightly order for muscle. They were still nothing more than thugs pretending to be proper soldiers. It moved its gaze to Skivret, but the same issue arose there too. The wererats had the numbers, but they lacked the proper equipment and skill to fight off properly trained paladins, especially if they’re supported by a saint.

“We are unsure.” Reviled growled deeply. “They must be staying in the Jericho Cathedral, but our familiars are unable to enter the grounds. That’s why we had Meridith infiltrate it last time.” Meridith nodded with a sad smile. “Do you know the rank of each paladin?” It turned to Baron.

“I’m sorry master, but they didn’t tell me.”

“We should be able to take care of them,” Skivret said.

“Do you remember how easily we tore through your brother’s camp?” Reviled glared at the rat. Skivret nodded. “Chances are, they’ll be able to as well. We need someone who can fill in for Kogna,” Reviled said, “Leave, we must consult with Mother.”

Everyone looked at Reviled in worry, but they quickly left the basement. Meridith lingered at the foot of the stairs and gave Reviled one last look before heading up herself. Reviled waited for the sound of the basement door closing before it summoned the Tome into its hands. Reviled slowly opened the book.

“You appear to be in quite the dilemma.” Elithis chuckled as the portal appeared.

“Yes, we are in need of assistance.” Reviled bowed its head and spoke in a low rumble. “Is there any advice you may impart on us?”

Elithis gently caressed Reviled’s head. “I’m sorry child, but they are hidden from sight.” She gave it a warm smile. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t aid you.” She lifted Reviled’s head so that it stared into her eyes. “I shall gift you one of my greatest apostles. Take me to the boneyard.”

Reviled gently closed the book and rose from the box. “Meridith, we’re leaving for the boneyard.” It tucked the book under its arm. “And prepare for a new arrival.”

As you wish, master.

Reviled stepped into the sewers and followed the winding tunnels. It dove into the void of its core and probed Melgareth’s soul for clues. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much help. Elithis had accrued countless followers throughout the numerous millennia. Most were nameless peons with a handful of exceptional followers appearing by the sides of her avatars. Reviled left its musing as it stepped up to the pit. Sewer rats gnawed on the broken bones sitting on the bottom of the empty reservoirs. So many dead lay there just begging to be brought back to life.

“If we were an avatar, we could have made proper use of them.” Reviled sighed as it opened the Tome of Elithis.

“Patience my child,” Elithis said, “Everything I do is for your benefit.”

She snapped her fingers, and the necrotic mana poured out of the portal and into the pit. Reviled watched as the crimson mana latched onto the bones and lifted them out of the pit. Slowly, the bones reformed into a human skeleton. Elithis snapped again. Flesh started to form over the skeleton along with the organs until the naked body of a human man floated before them.

“For the final touch.” Elithis chuckled with another snap.

The necrotic mana drove itself into the flesh and through the nostrils. The flesh turned unnaturally pale and the ears deformed until they were slightly pointed at the end. Bone snapped as the skull restructured itself, giving the face sharp edges. A few teeth slipped out of the mouth, and the muscles grew until they bulged underneath the skin, giving the body a well-toned athletic build.

“You mutated it.” Reviled stared in awe at the transformation.

“That’s correct. All that’s left is to give it a soul, and I know the right person for the job.”

She held out her left hand and a glowing sickly green orb floated above her palm. Elithis snapped her fingers, and the soul forcefully flew into the body. The body shuttered and the eyes flew open, the pupils nearly filled the entire eye. The body fell to the ground, and the person coughed as they took several deep breaths.

Elithis snickered as she watched the person look up at them. “Welcome back to the living,” she said.

“My Goddess.” The man barked. “It… is an honor to serve you once again.” He placed his head against the stone. “How may I serve you?”

“My son is in need of your services.” Elithis smiled as chains bound the man’s hands and feet to Reviled. “You are to aid him with everything that you have.”

The man stared up at Reviled with a toothy smile. “My Goddess.” He shuttered. “Your avatar-to-be is truly exquisite. A being truly worthy of you.”

“What is your name?” Reviled glared down at the bald man.

“Forgive me,” he said, “Allow me to properly introduce myself. In my past life I was known as The Arch magus of Gir Ga’Reesh, The Bone Lord, The Grand Lich Eirgnon.”

“The right hand of Dyir’bahl, the Mother of the Elithan Ants.” Reviled stared in awe.

Eirgnon rose to his feet. “The very same. Although, it appears I’m not a lich anymore.” He ran his tongue across his lips. “I am a sanguinite, a… diluvian?”

Elithis clapped her hands which caused him to smile. “A diluvian noble to be precise.”

“I see.” Eirgnon rubbed his pointed chin. “You haven’t revived me for infiltration, otherwise I would have been an aefridite. Therefore… you need numbers as well as power, am I correct?”

“My beloved Eirgnon,” Elithis said sweetly, “The Virtues have sent a saint along with five paladins to destroy my beloved son. That shall not come to pass, understand.” The threat lingered in the air.

Eirgnon bowed deeply. “Absolutely.” The tome slammed shut, and the portal closed along with it. “Shall we take our leave, my lord.”

Eirgnon sneered as he tugged at the rough clothes draped over his body. The poor-quality clothing scratched at his skin, and at that moment, he wished to be back in his skeletal form. He fixated on the uncomfortable clothing to keep his attention off the heavenly scent coming from the three women.

“My dear.” Eirgnon forced a smile towards the red-headed woman. “Don’t you have any clothes more… comforting to wear?”

“Unfortunately, no,” she said, “Notice of your arrival came at such a short notice that we didn’t have time to properly prepare.”

Eirgnon huffed but kept the polite smile. “I completely understand.”

The red head turned to Reviled. “Master, who is this?”

“This is Eirgnon, a devoted follower of Elithis.”

“I was also the right hand of the Ant Queen, and the Arch Magus of her entire domain.” Eirgnon smiled proudly.

“A pleasure.” The red head curtsied. “I am Meridith, the right hand of master Reviled. This is Mina.” She gestured to the short, voluptuous young woman sitting close to Reviled. “She is my attendant as well as master Reviled’s personal minstrel. Lastly, we have Oria.” Meridith smirked at the slim, blonde beauty hanging by the bar. “She oversees our more illegal operations. There are more but we’ll have to introduce you at another time.”

Eirgnon nodded as he licked his lips. “It is an honor to make your acquaintances,” he said, “You have such lovely servants my lord, but are they all women?”

“We have a knight currently in the employ of the city’s lord, the former crime lord’s son who’s managing our finances, and a young man who we recently recruited to lead an order of knights we’re forming.” Reviled sighed. “That being said, a majority of the servants directly under us are female.”

“Is that a problem, Bloodsucker?” Oria growled as she finished her drink.

Eirgnon chuckled, his eyes shining with adoration. “Not at all, my dear.” He smiled sagely. “After all, a lord is respected for the men behind him but is envied for the women on his arm.” He turned to Reviled. “However, the lack of men could eventually become a problem.”

“It already has,”

“I see.”

The door leading upstairs opened, and a beautiful, golden-haired woman stepped inside. Her sweet scent struck Eirgnon hard, and saliva seeped out from the corners of his mouth. Each of the women had their own scent that sparked his hunger, but this woman was the most delectable. Her bosom teased him with each step, and her wide hips demanded his touch. The motherly aura she exuded immediately brought the taste of milk and honey to his lips, and her lovely neck was ready for his teeth. Eirgnon sped towards her. His left hand cradled her chin while his right cupped her generous breast.

“Such… beauty.” He ran his tongue along her neck. The woman shivered in his grasp. “I’ll just have a tas- “

Eirgnon gasped as he was slammed against the wall, and gasped as a sharp pain pierced his right eye. When he finally collected himself, he found himself pinned against the wall with Reviled’s claws around his neck. Its lower face was open revealing three mandibles, and a long chainlike tongue extended outwards. It dawned on him that it was Reviled’s tongue that had pierced his eye.

“Ada belongs to us!” Reviled growled as it tightened its grip. The woman in question cowered behind the metal monster. “You will not touch any of our followers, understand.”

“F-forgive me… my lord.” Eirgnon gasped for breath. “I’ve long… forgotten how powerful the desires of the flesh could be. It won’t happen again.”

Reviled retracted its tongue, and Eirgnon groaned in pain as his eyeball came free from its socket. The organ came free when it hit the tube in Reviled’s mouth, and it burst open when it hit the floor.

“Do not let it happen again.” Reviled released his grip.

Eirgnon fell to the floor and groaned as pain seared in his right eye socket. Slowly, it began to fade, and his vision returned. Eirgnon gently probed at the new eye, pleased that it regrew so quickly. When he stood, he noticed that all four women were huddled around their master.

“Again, I apologize my lord.” Eirgnon cautiously approached. “As a lich, I had no need to satisfy such base desires, as you are aware.” He smiled when Reviled nodded. “If you’ll excuse me, I shall go deal with this hunger.” He quickly headed towards the steel door.

“Thank you for saving me master.” Eirgnon peeked over his shoulder. He envied his new master when Ada pressed herself against it.

Eirgnon tossed aside the rat corpse as he wandered the sewers. The creatures tasted as filthy as they looked, but their blood did sate his hunger. However, a being of his stature needed something more filling. Which meant he needed humans. There was also the added benefit that he could use his venom to create fellow diluvians directly under his control. Lady Elithis was relying on him, and he did not want to earn her ire.

He passed by a water grate and hissed when the sunlight touched his skin. It left a red mark on his arm that quickly healed itself. Curiosity got the better of him, and he stuck his hand back into the light. He felt his hand burn under the light, but no damage appeared on his pale skin. The light left his skin sensitive to the touch, but no real damage was left to his hand.

“At least I’ll be able to go outside if I need to.” Eirgnon mused. “But only if I can’t find anyone in this damned place.” A soft shriek came to his ears, and he smiled hungrily. “Has Lady Elithis blessed me?”

Eirgnon quietly ran down the tunnel, then slowed when an orange light appeared in the distance. With his enhanced vision, he could make out three people walking towards him. The one carrying the torch wore a light sleeveless jacket and simple pants, but his metal gauntlets reflected the firelight. Even from this distance Eirgnon could see that he wasn’t carrying any other weapons. The second individual was dressed in a similar fashion, but he wore a long-sleeved tunic underneath his coat, and he wore a thin bladed sword at his side. A cape hung off his shoulders which gave Eirgnon the impression of nobility. The last individual was clearly a spell caster. The long, rumpled robes hung off their thin frame as he carried his spell book. Although, something about the mage drew Eirgnon’s eye. The mage’s movements looked weird for a man, and it was strange for the mage to be wearing such a deep hood. Eirgnon’s ears perked at their conversation.

“That tunnel was a dead end.” The Swordsman growled. “Where are these damned wererat camps!”

“Patience my friend,” The Brawler said, “These sewers are vast. It could take us all day and we may not find anything.”

“But I want that gold!” The Swordsman replied. “Do you know how rare it is for the Church to open their coffers. They hardly ever hire mercenaries and adventurers, especially for easy jobs like this one.”

“Still, your shouting isn’t helping.” The Mage sighed. “We’ll find them eventually, so shut your mouth.”

Eirgnon smile grew in the darkness. “I’d be a fool to turn away this gift.” He approached the group.

“Who’s there?” The Swordsman snapped as Eirgnon approached. When he stepped into the light, the three of them gasped in shock.

“What’s a sanguinite doing down here?” The Mage gasped. “There’s only supposed to be wererats.”

“Should we retreat.” The Brawler sneered.

“That’d be wise.” Eirgnon chuckled as the three of them fell prey to their indecision. “Unfortunately, it’s too late. Pyre Wall.” A wall of green flames ignited behind them, blocking their retreat.

“I-I’ll try to put it out!” The Mage’s voice sounded strangely feminine. “Dispel!” The flames remained in place.

“Keep trying, we’ll keep it distracted!” The Swordsman drew his thin weapon and charged.

The Swordsman performed a series of thrusts which Eirgnon effortlessly dodged. Eirgnon was amazed, he had never seen a sword meant only for thrusting, and the Swordsman’s movements were well placed and controlled. In the right hands, it would be a deadly weapon. However, he had no desire to wield a weapon other than magic.

Eirgnon dodged another pointless strike to his face, but a golden light appeared at the side of his vision. He barely got his hand up to block the attack, but even then, a burning sensation spread across his palm. The Brawler brought his other fist across and struck Eirgnon in the chest. Eirgnon growled at the sight of divine mana covering the Brawler’s fists.

“Have you dealt with the spell yet?” The Brawler wiped away the sweat from his face.

“I’m still trying.” The Mage cried which brought a chuckle to Eirgnon.

The Swordsman’s blade flashed forward. “Quit laughing at us!”

The blade whistled through the air, but it was immediately silenced between Eirgnon’s two fingers. Eirgnon’s laughter grew as the Swordsman stared at him in horror. The Brawler sped forward with an uppercut, but his attack was rendered useless when the sanguinite grabbed his arm. The two fighters yelped when Eirgnon threw them across the tunnel. They landed on the stone walkway with their limbs tangled together.

“Crush.” Eirgnon pointed towards them. The fighters gasped in pain as an unseen force pressed them against the ground.

“I-I don’t know that spell.” The Mage watched the others struggle.

Eirgnon slowly approached, and the Mage pulled back until he was pressed against the wall. A smile came to Eirgnon’s lips. Underneath the putrid stench coming from the sewage, there was a tangy, sweet smell.

Eirgnon slipped a hand into the folds of the Mage’s robes. “No, stop!” She cried when his fingers gripped the soft flesh of her bosom.

“Well now, a witch masquerading as a warlock.” Eirgnon’s smile grew as he continued to grope her. “Lady Elithis has greatly favored us today.” He pulled down her hood to reveal her cute girlish face with freckles dotting her nose. Her hair was cut short so that it left her neck exposed. “Let’s enjoy ourselves shall we.” Eirgnon sank his teeth into her flesh.

The Mage screamed as he sucked at the blood pouring from her neck. The sweet, metallic taste coated his tongue as her tears dropped onto his cheek. The Mage’s sobbing soon turned to moaning. She yelped with a mixture of pain and pleasure when he jabbed his tongue into her wounds. He felt great pleasure when the venom secreted from the base of his tongue, ran along its length, and mixed in with her blood.

“Sounds like you’re enjoying it now.” Eirgnon kissed her bloody neck.

“Please… no more,”

Eirgnon picked the Mage up and pressed her against the wall. “We’re just getting started.” He sank his teeth back into her neck.

The Mage’s cries echoed through the tunnels. Her warm blood stained her brown robes along with Eirgnon’s pale lips. He tore at her clothes, allowing his hands to enjoy her warm flesh. Eirgnon lost himself as he indulged the carnal desires he had once thrown away, and he was even more grateful to have been resurrected in this new body.

The Mage’s moaning intensified. She stopped pushing him away and started gripping his shoulders tightly. Her legs locked around his waist as she pulled him closer. When Eirgnon pulled away, she gasped in discontent. A carnal smile adorned her lips that Eirgnon returned.

The Mage’s eyes, which were once a deep green, were now a glassy grey with overly stimulated pupils. Her dirty brown hair looked black against her pale skin, and her smile widened to reveal her elongated canine teeth.

“H-H-Hungry…” The Mage pleaded in an infantile voice.

Eirgnon chuckled and took her over to her former comrades. The two fighters were knocked unconscious by the force of his spell. He set the Mage down and she crawled desperately to the Swordsman. She violently grabbed his clothes and bent his neck.

Eirgnon held her head with his hands covering her eyes. “Gently now, Magia.” She slowly brought her face to the Swordsman neck and gingerly bit the flesh. “Good girl.” Eirgnon cooed as he stroke her head. He growled in disappointment at all the blood she let fall to the floor. Magia pulled back and licked the blood off her lips. “Let me have a taste.”

Eirgnon pulled her into a kiss and drive his tongue into his mouth. His tongue lapped at any blood remaining. Whereas Magia’s blood was sweet, the Swordsman’s blood was savory, but it was still just as delicious. Eirgnon pulled away and looked upon Magia’s beaming face. She was now fully imprinted on him.

The Swordsman groaned and shakily rose to his hands and knees. “Hungry,” he moaned. His gaze turned to the Brawler next to him. He reached out, but Eirgnon grabbed his wrist.

“No, we need to keep this one for feeding.” Eirgnon flicked his finger. “Severe.” A blade of mana sliced through the Brawler’s forearm, separating it from his body. “You can feed on that.” Eirgnon picked up the Brawler and watched the Swordsman tear into the arm. “Come you two, we need to find a place to nest for the night.” The two new diluvians scampered after the noble as they hungrily stared at their former friend.