I would like to thank the guys on niftyorg, niftywriters, and my friend Wes for their help and encouragement.
Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. It never happened. This story does not contain sex of any kind.
There is a glossary as the end of this chapter to explain terms the reader might not be familiar with. This story is somewhat based on the Necromancer character from the game Diablo 2. Diablo 2 is a registered trademark of Blizzard Entertainment.
The Prodigy Necromancer Chapter 2
One day, Tanyc and Eigim were hanging out just outside the school's property working on Eigim's skills. Xsih sauntered up to them with a few of his friends in tow. Speaking directly to both of them, Xsih's snide manner was in no way disguised. "Now that the teachers aren't around to stop me, I'm going to show you who the most powerful necromancer really is."
With the other boys there to help Xsih, Tanyc saw no way to avoid the fight this time. Tanyc quickly raised three mages and threw down a knife to commence the raising of an iron golem to fight off Xsih and his minions.
Trying to help, Eigim raised what he could, two mages and a blood golem.
Xsih was unimpressed. "I can take on both of those puny minions." Xsih lifted his arms to raise five mages and, to the mutual surprise of Tanyc and Eigim, a fire golem. This activity seemed to weaken Xsih quite a bit, but his training and concentration enabled him to begin his recovery quickly.
The minions attacked each other in a vicious fight. Five mages against five made for a close fight, but the golems presented a very different story: Xsih's fire golem was beating down both the iron and blood golems. The blood golem's power of life stealing and -sharing is a two edged sword: it also works in reverse. As Xsih's blood golem took damage, that damage was also shared with his master and weakened him.
The life-stealing reapportionment caused Eigim to sweat profusely and feel pain throughout his body, a pain that was visible to everyone. He finally dropped to his knees quiet agony, blood running out his nose. Tanyc moved over to help him, quietly beseeching: "You're going to have to kill your blood golem before he seriously injures you."
Eigim replied, "If I do, then Xsih will defeat your iron golem, and you'll be at his mercy."
Tanyc faintly smiled in return. "Don't forget that I'm more powerful than he is; I guess it's time to show him. Kill off the blood golem, and I'll start." Eigim quickly obeyed, experiencing a quick, noticeable relief of his pain.
Tanyc then proceeded to raise a fire golem. As he did, the iron golem quickly crumbled into a small pile of crumbled, oxidized metal.
Tanyc's mental power was so much stronger than Xsih's that raising the fire golem hardly fazed him. He then raised two more mages and continued with three more to replace the three weakened in the fight so far.
Xsih's jaw slackened in disbelief that Tanyc could raise all those phantoms without any rest. Xsih glanced at his friends as they watched Tanyc's minions' batter Xsih's mages and fire golem. Xsih hissed to his followers, "Are you just going to stand there and let him beat me?" His friends rose the few mages that they could in addition to a handful of weak clay golems.
Tanyc looked over at Eigim with a slight smile. "Oh, Eigim, I think I might need a tiny bit of help here."
Eigim responded by raising a clay golem and two mages to help out against the other boys' minions.
The fight seemed to be moving in slow motion, as if hours and hours were passing. In reality, about 60 minutes went by. Although Tanyc's minions were dramatically stronger than the efforts of Xsih and his friends, the pure number of opponents began to take a toll on Tanyc and Eigim's subordinates.
As Tanyc and Eigim's phantoms died in battle, the two friends worked together to raise replacements to continue the fight. After five rounds of repeatedly raising new soldiers, Eigim found he could continue no longer and passed out.
Tanyc was in no better shape and felt very weak. He knew he couldn't raise another fire golem, but continued to raise mages to sustain the fighting.
Exhaustion forced Xsih's assistants to stop raising their minions after only two more rounds.
Tanyc's mages were dying quickly, valiantly trying but ultimately failing to combat Xsih's fire golem. Ultimately, Xsih's minions killed all of Tanyc's soldiers, even though Xsih was just barely able to stand, so drained was he of mana.
Xsih's remaining mages surrounded Tanyc and Eigim. Xsih crowed, "On your knees, boy. Now who's the smarter, stronger necromancer?"
Tanyc hung his head as he dropped to his knees in front of Xsih and mumbled, "Xsih, you're the stronger necromancer."
Xsih gloated, "You heard him, boys. That's what I've wanted to hear." Xsih commanded his minions to pick up both boys, carrying them across their shoulders like a fireman. They carried the defeated students back to the school, so all the students would see and know that Xsih defeated the prodigy.
Tanyc and Eigim lay limp too humiliated even to try to explain that really they had lost to all the boys not just the one. As they neared the dorms, Xsih commanded the mages put both boys down.
Tanyc turned, with tears running down his face, to face the gathering students. Unable to speak, he immediately retreated and ran sobbing to his room. Eigim already knew he was weaker than Xsih and so was not bothered so badly, but nevertheless hurried back to the dorm to comfort his friend.
Eigim arrived at the room to find Tanyc crying his eyes out. Approaching his roommate, he placed his hand on Tanyc's shoulder. Eigim comforted him, saying, "You shouldn't feel bad. Yes, he did beat you, but he couldn't have done it alone. And, to tell you the truth, I wasn't much help."
Tanyc replied despondently, "Yeah, but everybody acts like I'm supposed to be this 'super necromancer' and I can't even protect myself and my friend."
Eigim replies supportively, "That might be true, but you did better than you think. Think about it; you raised up an iron golem and half a dozen fire golems. Heck, I lost count, but I think you raised around 50 mages. That's pretty impressive. No way could Xsih raise that many."
Tanyc sounded a bit more upbeat. "I guess you're right if you look at it that way."
Over the next few days, Tanyc and Eigim continued their regular routines, going to classes and practicing necromantic skills, but everyone seemed to be treating them differently. As they walked around school, the other students pointed to them and laughed, with even the younger students pitching in.
Every time Xsih saw one of them in the schoolyard, he harassed them mercilessly about how he 'kicked their butts' and then humiliated the two of them. On several occasions, Xsih pushed the harassment to the point of bringing Tanyc to tears and driving him to run back to his room.
As the persecution continued, Tanyc became ever more withdrawn and depressed. Eigim couldn't even get Tanyc to look him square in the eye. After about a week of the constant hectoring, Eigim noticed that Tanyc was staying in the room almost all day except for classes. Eigim correctly surmised that Tanyc was avoiding the harassment and its concomitant embarrassment
Two weeks after Eigim and Tanyc's defeat at the hands of Xsih and his band, the two boys failed to appear one night for head count before going to bed. The faculty searched high and low for the two boys, to no avail. They commenced the search again the next morning but still found no sign.
Two days later, Eigim staggered into the schoolyard looking as if he has run a gauntlet. He was dirty, sweaty from head to toe, and had dried blood on his face. As he saw the kids running towards him, he knew he succeeded in his quest and could finally relax. He collapsed unconscious to the ground. One of the students went for help while the others tended to Eigim's wounds.
TBC
All comments are welcomed and encouraged. Send them to: dude_chevy@yahoo.com You can see more of my stories at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fantasy_Wrestling_Stories/
Chevy
Thanks to the community for help with editing.