*moan* "heeeYAAHH" I shouted out as I slashed through another undead abomination cutting it directly in half
*Clang* my axe met with the sword of an undead assassin trying to get a shot on me from behind, using my holy magic I blast a radius of it around me, burning most lesser undead to ashes around me.
"Ha, that's all you get, I face worse in my sleep" a shout out towards the figure in the center emanating large amounts of necrotic energy
"Then you should really see someone about that. Although there won't be much of you left after this" he mocked me from afar, he then picked up a sword from one of his dead minions I could see the amount of dark magic, he was channeling into the thing.
"Try this on for size" he shouted at me while using the sword to channel a beam of black energy surrounded with a green outline at me, I remain stationary.
"WHAT" he exclaimed after seeing that I was perfectly fine but also using my axe to chop the head off of one of his many minions.
"My armor blocks ALL dark magic attacks I made it specifically to kill undead." I taunted him, then gather the necessary light magic in order to disintegrate the rest of his minions so I can fight him one on one.
*VVvverworple* A ring of light formed around me, roughly 80 feet in diameter then creates a bubble and quickly shrinks down pulling massive amounts of dark magic toward me, I then use my magic to counteract the balance and distil it back into the air. This spell is of my own creation, pulling all dark magic towards myself using white magic, I then forcefully mix it with white magic and distill the magic back into the air (wouldn't be worth the effect if I just put the dark magic back) this results in a wired sound and all the undead without magical protection to fall apart.
"MY MINIONS, YOU MONSTER, I was one my soul away from exactly 865" he seems to be weaker without the ambient dark magic in the air.
"FACE ME, one on one, Dreadlord" I demand running towards it on the bones of its old minions, he quickly brings the sword he used to channel dark magic with to block my axe.
"Who are you?" He asked me warily as he noticed the effect my axe was.having on his sword"
"My name his Amartix light retired leader of the paladin order" I announce while ducking low and striking at his legs. he jumps backs his jaw literally fell off in the process.
"Y-yyyou but you're retired shouldn't you be doing something else, Like sleeping and rocking on a rocking chair by now? Even I heard of you when I was alive" he then screams out in pain as I used a small holy dagger I manifested out of magic that I then struck into his soul gem*1
"Focus on the fight and not chat," I state to him. He looks quite shocked but he seems to smile.
"heh, and you should watch your surroundings," I noticed I'm I the center of a pentagram and foci for literally thousands of magic crystals, I can feel that he is powering up a massive spell, Using his own soul as a jump starter.
"you fool, don't you know using void magic will forever curse your soul" I'm getting worried now I can even feel the power through my armor and there is a lot of it, it's starting to become blinding and I find myself unable to move as chains of purple energy have bound me In Place.
"heh, I was gonna die anyway might as well get you out of the picture" was his last statement before the green glow of his eyes died out and the power from the spell climaxed tearing a hole in the air and pulling me through
"Man, I can't believe I fell for that" I moaned out as I contemplated the fight from memory.
"no wonder it was easy, he was luring me into his trap now he teleported me to a completely new location," I said looking around only to find a massive expansive desert in all directions
"Well, time to teleport home," I mumble out gathering my magic only to notice there was none.
"what, where are they, they didn't come through, how is this possible" now for this to make sense you need to know my magic doesn't come from me but the freed souls of the victims of undead and the like, I had collected millions of souls that were willing to share their mana and light to free other trapped souls and destroy those that put them there.
"great, now what." *sigh* "guess I should start walking, hmmm actually" I feel for any malicious magic in the area
"That direction seems to contain a large concentration of undead, hmm" I use my ethereal sense to see if there are any lost souls in the area.
"he-hello?" I heard a voice from behind but when I turned around expecting to see a lost human soul, instead I found a vaguely humanoid pony like creature's soul
"can you see me" I state to her?
"you can see me, finally I have been lost for so long, can you help me get home to my family? Most travelers in the desert ignore me."
I sigh at this it seems she does not know she has passed away, I know how to deal with this
"yes I can take you to see your family, but you may not like what you see, in return I need your help, though."
"re really you can help me, I'll do anything just name it."
"I can not use magic without help and to help find your family I will need you to create a contract with me, it is simple and will allow me to access your power according to how much you want me to have access to." I shift a little on the hot sand my armor rattling reflecting the unrelenting sun.
"o-h t that seems a little personal, but I can't pass this up I have been searching for so long I can't afford to ignore your offer, how do I make this contract?" She hovers a little to the ground now her color shifting more golden as I touch her hand
"First we must hold hands, then you must repeat myself, do you understand, now how much mana will you allow me access to?" She seems to gain more confident in herself as she raises her chest and head up higher
"Okay, I can allow you access to seventy-five percent of my mana. My name is mossy stone"
"I warn you when we make this contract you will realize what has happened to yourself, do you still want to?" She simply nods in return although a brief loom of confusion was on her face before fading into determination.
"Alright then repeat after me, I mossy stone hereby Decree Amartix Light my Soul Carrier and allow access to my power until I deem the contract complete" we both state at the same time, mossy just behind. Once we uttered the final line her eyes lit open with a bright white Light before sadness spread across her face then I can see acceptance in her eyes when she opens her eyes her soul is now a solid gold color slightly opaque.
"I understand now what happened to me, and thank you for helping me" I start to move to the undead energy source I felt earlier
"may I ask how you died?" I continued to look ahead towards a green haze on the horizon, most likely a forest of some sort. Mossy sighs in melancholy before answering.
"I was taken by bandits for ransom and when my parents came to get me they raised the price, we were quite poor at the time and couldn't afford such prices, so they chucked me in the desert where I died of dehydration, they later took my parents lives and money, I was there watching like this. I can't believe i could forget something like that. I was unable to do anything but, at least we were a family, after awhile I saw green chains wrap around my mother and father and pulled them away, I was searching this desert for them for so long."
"It is a shame that there are people who would do such a thing." I respond moving my hand to cover my face with shade as I kept a defined pass through the desert
"yes, but enough of bad memory's please tell me about yourself now that I can think properly I can't say u have seen a pony like you before?" She seemed to be actually quite interested In me as I carefully avoided a patch of quicksand
"hmm well what would you like to know, oh but I'm not a pony I'm a human but don't worry we aren't all that common so it is unlikely you would have met us before your more likely to run into vampires or moglins." The haze in the distance was more noticeable now and I have confirmed it to be a forest but the distance is still quite far I'd assume we would run into a plane biome before that.
"well, I have never heard of this contract you made with me tell me about it and what you do." She phases right through a dead tree never breaking eye contact with me.
"well I myself invented that contract nobody actually knows about how I get my power, but I will tell you more about that later, for now, I shall enlighten you as to what I do." *ahem* I clear my thought before speaking
"I am a paladin, a knight that specifically targets undead and dark creatures we are quite versed in white magic and healing arts as well as well-trained in the arts of a warrior some like myself can combine white magic and physical skills in combat, I actually know what happened to your parents a nearby necromancer or lich as it were used their soul to reanimated a dead body they should be fine once I destroy the body and magic holding them," I explain to her
We kept each other company as we trekked through the desert and soon like I predicted planes of grass that soon turned into a forest the journey itself took three days to complete.
On the first day I told her about my old position as the head of the order and how it all worked she in turn told me about her life as well as helped me find some food and water. On the Second day she told me more about the plant life and creatures on the world, soon the conversation turned to their monarchy, In lore, we have a king and a queen, here though they have neither in their place they have two princesses that apparently raise the sun and moon, she proved this by making me aware that the sun has a habit of being five to even TEN minutes late, that was quite shocking. On the second day, I told her about my missions and what I had faced, the company we kept had us fairly distracted so that the journey was quite quick, Soon we came along large ruins deep within the forest.
"yeah this is the place, I can feel the dark energy here," I said while idly scratching my head kicking some stones down the stairs into the crypt.
"you think my parents are down there?" She inquires while giving me a strange look of concern
"Possibly this is one of the only nearby sources of dark magic that would be big enough for a spell such as that." I simply shake my head. "I would hope to find them this soon but from what I gathered about your story's you have been dead for about thirty or so year's."
"I hope they are they have been through so much, are you going to be okay fighting in your condition, you haven't had a proper meal since you got here and what's more you were already tired from a fight that, what did you say it was? Dreadlord?" She had a look of concern ob her feature's
"hehe I shall be fine I can go a long way with no food, but if it makes you happy once we are done here I shall make sure to get a good meal and some rest and hopefully see you off to the other side with your parents." I moved along into the crypt gripping my axe's and keeping my guard up I can feel the amount of dark energy I this place turns out that it was MUCH larger than I originally thought considering that these ruins hold most of it in.
I moved deeper into the ruins which turn into a maze of tunnels I use my magic to sense the largest source of dark magic to follow. Thinking quickly I moved my axe to the back of my head only to hear a *clank* of metal against metal i quickly parry while my enemy is busy reeling from the shock of an unprepared strike I use the limited amount of mana available to me and use a quick but effective holy light spell which in turn blinds and damages the bones of the skeletal pony I notice this one had a horn sticking out of its forehead while holding a rusted sword and armor.
"heya," I shout towards the undead monstrosity as I swing my axe onto its sword-bearing arm cutting it clean off. I then use a low power light spell using chains of light to bind him to the floor I the axe him to the face setting his soul free.
"what where am I?" Odd it seems that there was only one guard passing by the catacombs of this place.
"relax friend, I freed you from the dark magic's holding your soul to this place, I hate to ask, but I need your help to defeat the one who wronged you and my companion behind me" I motion to mossy who just gives a slight smile and a wave towards the brown unicorn soul. "Once done I promise I shall help you move on."
"I do not... Remember much but I know I have... Passed on. And I wish to move on but I... I can't let any other soul feel that..." He shivers as he obviously relives his time trapped in a skeletal body forced to do the caster's bidding "Violated. I shall help you on your quest tell me what must I do, I doubt I can be of much use to you hay if I remember correctly no pony really noticed or saw me."
"I feel your pain I may not have experience in that field but I can give you my empathy, all you must do is repeat what I say all you have to do is channel your mana into me-" I was cut off by him
"I shining bronze of the shield clan, shall help this creature for as long as I deem him worthy." He seems to know how the normal contract works all the soul must do is focus mana to me and I can use that, to others it seems that I have a massive magical aura that has many bright gold orbs floating around, people who naturally can't see souls will see them as floating orbs of light.
"Come we must not tarry," I say as I feel a spike of dark magic, I run towards the general direction it is coming from, I had to cut down other skeletal and ghoul-like guards three other souls stayed and followed the others also promising their aid. Soon I came across a room with a pony figure in the center the source of this necrotic energy, he must be gathering energy to summon a creature of darkness.
Suddenly I'm teleported to the center of the ritual circle.
"What?" He shouts, I can make out the figure seems like an adept lich with some kind of dark amulet boosting his power.
"This isn't-" I cut him off before he finishes with almost all the power I can muster focused into a ball of light the size of a marble shooting straight for his artifact. Destroying it instantly but releasing a massive amount of dark magic in the air, before he gets his bearing back I grab my projectile holy water grenade and throw it at him.
"Graaaaa my face." He shouts as the holy water burns his flesh... Well what's left of it
Before he recovers I jump up and decapitate his head using my blessed axe it completely destroy's his soul.
"Damn, you are efficient." Mossy comments, watching me take off my gloves.
"have to be, he could have been extremely dangerous at my current power level, I only won because of circumstance, honestly I was a fluke," I explain as I grab hold of his hand and put one in the air.
"what are you doing?" Mossy and shield inquire almost in sync
"getting rid of the dark magic in the air and his remains" I state.
"how can you do that?"
I sigh in response "I just take it out if the air and move it somewhere safer." I respond as I get up, the air is noticeably cleaner and the dark magic is much harder to sense now.
"oh." They both state in synchronization again.
"can you try to not do that, it's a bit creepy," I respond as I move to leave the room after taking the crystals there.
"ok"
"sure"
"thanks," I say as I near the exit of the room. "Don't worry mossy, we shall find your parents souls eventually, come let us leave this wretched place.
She simply nodded and continued to follow me, as I was nearing the exit I heard footsteps following us, only to turn around and find at least fifty undead minions.
"it seems that I missed a few." I comment idly as I jump over one of the zomponys and make a dash for the exit. "fighting in this closed space is a bad idea" I replied to the unspoken question from Shield. I was able to kill about three on my way out but I was getting surrounded now, at least I was outside, I begin to cleave down there numbers using combat white magic, lucky my axe is enchanted with only the holiest power the order could muster.
"Behind though" I heard a voice from.above warn me about a skeletal archer arrow, I simply blocked it with the flat side of my axe, I do not know how many there are left but I should try and conserve my magic, even if the souls I freed are helping me I do not know how long I may have to fight. So I resort to using Chain light a spell that uses holy or white magic to create chains of light that bind dark creatures in place.
"heyyyyaaahhh," I shout as I cleaved the head off of one only to notice I was no longer fighting alone.
"Die foul heaven." Shouted a midnight (blue what I could only assume was an) alicorn, I did a quick backstep to avoid a sword to the neck and retaliated with what I call the white hand, I simply channel massive amounts of holy and white magic energy to my hand and force it through what I touch, leaving a white handprint in its wake, this results in pushing almost all dark energy's out of the thing I touched.
Soon after a small while of nonstop combat I finally noticed another alicorn, one of pure white and regal posture, if how she handled a spear was any point, The fighting persisted for another ten minutes until Amaritx used about fifty percent of his remaining power in a tidal wave of holy energy that disintegrated the remaining undead.
"Gahh, woowhhh. Now that was a workout." Still, though I could feel how much power I was missing it is quite an uncomfortable feeling.
"Ahem" came a voice from behind. The two alicorns from before seemed to want something.
"yes, how may I help you?" I questioned them.
"I am Celestia and this is my sister Luna, we are merely curious about why you are here." they both seemed to show little exhaustion from the night leading me to believe that they were quite experienced. Then it hit me they are the princesses that Mossy was talking about.
"Ah your majesty's, I did not realise it was you, My name is Amartix Light I am a paladin so I go around and shall I say 'Dispose' of the dark, evil and undead as it were, Although, I find myself curious as to why you are here, do you not have a kingdom to run?" While I moved to sit down upon a small stump I took in the forms in more detail now that we won't in battle.
I could tell that they had a body most would, how they say 'Kill' for from what I could estimate Celestia was about seven foot three inches, while her sister luna was about six foot eight inches. Making them quite intimidating
"Yes while we do run a kingdom, I had my friend Princess Sparkle to look after the capital while we dealt with the dark mage that has taken refuge here, and by the amount of undead here it seems he must have been here for quite awhile," Celestia Informed me as she cleaned the blood off of her spear, she seemed unfazed by the task
"We only found out of his existence because we could feel the dark magic from our capital, thankfully we are much more sensitive to foreign magic to pick it up in even the smallest quantity, saving us having a panic," Luna stated as she started to move the dead Undead ponies with her magic, creating a small grave for them
"Necromancer's and the like seem to be popping up as of recent times, I would suggest going closer to the capital if you seek rest." Celestia finished as she made to go into the ruins.
"Oh, I already cleared out the necromancer and his minions in there, what we faced out here was the last of them," I mentioned to same the task of getting lost as I have. That statement in and of itself stopped them in their tracks. although luna looked quite amused
"You mean to say, that you, a 'Pal - a - Dinn' killed a rank nineteen dark mage, after you faced around half of his army and then once finished came out here and helped destroy the other half?" Luna inquired in a tone that told me that she was very skeptical.
"Yes, if you were to check the magical aura in the air, you should notice that the dark magic levels have dramatically reduced." This made them both close their eyes in order to focus on the aura of magic around them.
"It seems as though he is telling the truth sister," Celestia stated while moving toward me.
"Although we shall check just to be sure, I was hoping to see if you could be a mercenary for my kingdom, with your skills you are definitely somepony I would like in my guard, even if for a limited time." Celestia pulled out a small pouch of (what I assume is) gold from her bra, giggling it in front of me
"Sorry, princess but I am no mercenary, I do not have any interest in killing the living." I looked in her eyes as she pulled more gold from her bra, making sure to show cleavage of her admittedly large assets. Luna herself seemed to be annoyed about this and just huffed and moved to find a tree stump and started to clean the dried black blood of undead from her swords.
"We have no intentions of asking that from you, you see most of my guards while they have experience dealing with the living do not, however, know much about the dead and are not trained to handle such, necromancers have not been seen in Equestria for at least seven hundred years, besides if you were to be hired by us you would have more assets to find necromancer's and the like then you would on your own. If what I gathered about what a paladin is true you hunt only undead and the like" Celestia seems to have a quick mind and wit to her as well as a fierce intelligence.
Luckily for me the order teach us to not be affected by natural attraction, so her little trick did little to sway me, unlike how her assets swayed themselves, HOW DOES THAT ARMOR EVEN PROTECT YOU WOMAN. She, however, does have a point I would be able to find undead hordes and necromancers much easier with what they have in the capital and if I go as a mercenary it would not be questioned.
I sighed before I answered her offer "You do pose a good point, I accept. but I must ask, Do you always carry that much gold in your bra?"
She giggled before answering "You never know when you need gold, and besides I don't have anywhere else to put it. wait here for our return and we shall escort you to our capital, I am very curious about your magic, as well as your race I like to think that I know all intelligent races on Equis though I have never seen your kind before." She answered as she sauntered away flicking her tail in my face as she turned and left toward luna.
Luna seemed to be scolded her before Celestia said something to make her back down and nod reluctantly before going into the ruins. I myself asked the now freed souls if they wanted to help free other's from similar situations about a third of them decided to help me and agreed to channel their magic to me, I now have a total of around three hundred souls still not many in comparison to what I had before but very good for three days of gathering.
"Now I just have to wait. Hope they don't get lost" I mumble out as I try to get comfortable in order to meditate.
Chapter 2 - walk through the woods
I sat on that log for at least half an hour before they returned with quite stunned faces, naturally, I continued to inspect my axe, it was your run of the mill battleaxe made of iron crafted by the paladin order, this one I myself crafted and added my own personal touch. The interesting thing about my axe was the fact that normally it would look gold while giving off a heavy golden aura, now though it was the grey of iron with a faint aura of gold surrounding the edge, see the souls or spirit orbs as I call them tend to imbue themselves with my weapon or armor but now with just shy of three hundred souls in just my axe it was quite weak, usually there would be million's of spirit orbs imbued in my axe. Just as I started to clean some dried-up goul goo from the axe blade I heard a rather polite ahem.
"Sir light, I believe I owe thee an apology, I did not believe you when you said you killed the necromancer. I formally apologise, if thou art ready we have a carriage just shy of a half hour walk from here." Luna seems to grumble out most of the apology before speaking up at the end while her sister seems to sport a neutral demeanour but I could feel an underlying sense of the 'I told you so' happening behind the mask.
"bah apology denied," I responded getting up from the stump
"Bu-" Luna seems to be in a sort of shock before I cut her off.
"As you have nothing to apologise for I myself know how tricky necromancers and the like can be, it would be foolish to believe from word of mouth on a battlefield. Now aside from that little mishap, Celestia I would love it if you could inform me of what you want me to do, I have trained other people before so if you need someone to instruct in the use of white magic in a combat situation I am able to, but for each day of that I want one undead lair for myself, deal?" I listed off, thoroughly ignoring the pointed flare from Luna, while Celestia herself just seemed slightly amused, she motioned for us to start moving along the trail to what I presume to be the carriage they speak of.
"Verily, you may have one undead lair to yourself for every three hmmm favour's you do us, of course, this does not include what we pay you for your services as a mercenary, now before we get down to the business side of things, tell me about yourself, I have not seen a pony such as you before? I assume you to be from foreign origin's?" Celestia hummed out a little tune to herself as she made her way merrily through the forest path, while Luna seemed to stake intently at my axe.
"Can you hold onto my axe Luna, sure? Great thanks again." I almost lazily handed my axe to the stunned Luna as she spluttered and grumble to herself about how I had no manners "Well lets see here, well as you know I am a paladin but I was also raised by the paladin order, my mother figure believe it or not was named lady Celestia, quite the coincidence isn't it. What else ah well I absolutely love cheese, I could eat it on pretty much anything. That's about it well I also love hunting undead monstrosity's but yeah that's it really." I quipped to myself as I jumped over a small pothole on the pathway, while I waited for an answer.
"You did not answer my question Amartix, I ask what type of pony you are as I have not seen an individual such as you." Celestia continued down the wooden forest area with a mild pace and a relaxed gate.
"Oh did I, sorry I tend to rant and go off subject, I am a human and I hail from a small town near the Doomwood forest, although I was not born there I was raised there for eleven years before I moved in with lady Celestia current leader of the order," I respond as I a look ahead to see a small clearing coming into view along with a few guards
"That must be your ride?" I inquire
"Yes tis the royal carriage. What is this glow that surrounds thine axe Amartix?" Luna spoke with a calm demeanor, hints of suspicion within her body language.
"The spirits of the undead I free usually want revenge against the ones who forced them from their revenge, others want to help the trapped souls in an undead creature, and after awhile they leave, oh and one spirit every hundred or so stays behind and becomes loyal to me. If they gather together they glow with a golden light, if they are trapped against their will they emit a red hue and absorb light nearby." Amartix responded, off handedly paying more attention to the carriage and how they managed to take unicorns to pull it.
Suddenly Amaritx through a knife towards tree. The small projectile for through the wood with ease and bit something with flesh and bone behind it, the moan of an undead being cried out into the night as it fell over from the spirit blessed dagger.
"I assume that small light that goes into your weapon was a spirit orb as you call them?" Luna asked me calmly as she surveyed the area for other threats. Finding none she relaxed and told the guards to stand down and wait inside the carriage, before she motioned for us to leave.
"As much as I would like to continue talking, I fear that we will be interrupted to much to hold a decent conversation, let us continue this conversation on three way to the castle." Celestia suggested, Amartix while heartedly agreed and jumped into the carriage without hesitation.
"Quite right Celly, let us go, onwards to the castle!" Amartix shouted out with a fourth passion.
