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There were many ways between the planes, when you were Vax, and you were dead, and you were the champion of the Queen of Ravens. The simplest was often just to dart between the cracks, to dive from the bright open sky to the darkness of her realm.
This time, though, when he tried, he didn't immediately emerge in darkness. Rather, it was still light. He stumbled as his foot fell rather than contact ground, but his reflexes saved from him falling flat on his face and instead he tucked into a roll before re-orienting himself, hands out to steady himself on a very smooth, very flat surface. He looked down at it - it was blue and refractory, almost like a gem, but it was way too big to be a normal gem.
Then he looked up, and the entire world spun around him dizzily. It was like oil was pouring from the sky in heavy strands that shimmered with rainbows of light. There were shapes that looked like animals or creatures of some kind, made of the same oil slick.
He stood, hand going to Whisper at his belt, looking aroudn for familiarity.
Instead, his eyes and senses honed in immediately on an undead creature - a thick swirl of malevolence and darkness.
A lich.
It was floating a few spare inches above the grass, a human and an elf not feet away - its servants? Was it the commander of this strange army?
But its back was turned to him, and if it had noticed, it wasn't reacting - so it hadn't noticed.
Bright daylight or not, Vax crouched, holding Whisper backward, the curved blade against his forearm, another dagger held normally in his right hand.
Liches used to be wizards. They were weak, physically speaking. But he was the Raven Queen's champion, and this was not the first thing he'd ever shanked and killed before it could react.
One, then two steps closer, and then he surged, raising his daggers to stab - four times in six seconds, driving the blades to the hilt each time, going for vital organs even though liches didn't have them.
This time, though, when he tried, he didn't immediately emerge in darkness. Rather, it was still light. He stumbled as his foot fell rather than contact ground, but his reflexes saved from him falling flat on his face and instead he tucked into a roll before re-orienting himself, hands out to steady himself on a very smooth, very flat surface. He looked down at it - it was blue and refractory, almost like a gem, but it was way too big to be a normal gem.
Then he looked up, and the entire world spun around him dizzily. It was like oil was pouring from the sky in heavy strands that shimmered with rainbows of light. There were shapes that looked like animals or creatures of some kind, made of the same oil slick.
He stood, hand going to Whisper at his belt, looking aroudn for familiarity.
Instead, his eyes and senses honed in immediately on an undead creature - a thick swirl of malevolence and darkness.
A lich.
It was floating a few spare inches above the grass, a human and an elf not feet away - its servants? Was it the commander of this strange army?
But its back was turned to him, and if it had noticed, it wasn't reacting - so it hadn't noticed.
Bright daylight or not, Vax crouched, holding Whisper backward, the curved blade against his forearm, another dagger held normally in his right hand.
Liches used to be wizards. They were weak, physically speaking. But he was the Raven Queen's champion, and this was not the first thing he'd ever shanked and killed before it could react.
One, then two steps closer, and then he surged, raising his daggers to stab - four times in six seconds, driving the blades to the hilt each time, going for vital organs even though liches didn't have them.
