The Immoral might have been coming from an extensive, delightful vacation. He didn't spot even the slightest sign of damage to his body or attire.
Skullius, Red Rage and Kenno's reaction to his appearance amused him. Donning a slick smile, he didn't hesitate to mock them for their bewilderment.
"Oblivious couple of fellows," he said before pointing behind him with a thumb. "They haven't realised I'm back here already. You need a better set of Apostles, Skullius." But then his eyes scrolled down to Nunax's corpse. "Ah, I suppose you're already on that."
His desire for an Apostle that exceeded common bounds was going to have to wait just a little longer with Fulgardt back here.
Without hesitation, he turned, looked at SoSei Dread Factor Roulette and manipulated it so that it faced him too.
Kenno and Red Rage didn't miss their master's urgency.
The latter grabbed his cape and swept it past Nunax's corpse. A moment later, the departed Deity of Seventy-Seven Moons was gone.
Kenno, on the other hand, grabbed SoSei's wrist just as Skullius looked at it, and backed away from the Hybrid Warmoth.
SoSei and Skullius locked gazes for only a moment and…
A torrent of Undeath energy exploded out of Skullius and rose upward in a dreadful column to pierce the skies. It burned like flame and death, its hue, like blood, dyeing all of Edagon in its uncomfortable ambience.
Fulgardt narrowed his eyes.
This… he didn't understand. A moment later, it dawned him, though.
The torrent of Undeath abruptly died around Skullius, and continued its raging from SoSei instead. The energy was ten times weaker in this vessel, but no less intimidating. It lit up Camilla's likeness and began melting it like smores to the fire. The young girl's face began to fall off piece by piece, but remained pallid. A grin only creeped over it when the girl's eyes flared red.
Kenno watched, tense as pulled wire. He had long released SoSei's wrist after the Undeath energy started pouring from the artefact instead of his master.
SoSei's fingers twitched as a sigh came from its blackening lips.
"Ah, genius indeed, Skullius," a cold, rough and cruel voice came after.
SoSei raised its head, hair burning, and looked at Skullius with its ugly face.
"Genius and deplorable at the same time. How could you deface your sister , all so you can get away from me?"
Skullius scoffed. He didn't respond immediately. He had to make sure he was completely free right now. Thankfully, he was. Doom Factor 2 had activated, but its effects were poured onto SoSei instead. Somanda was inhabiting the artefact instead of the Hybrid!
"If there's anyone who has defaced my sister, it's you, sockethole," Skullius hissed.
"Ah, of course it is. But can you blame me? My best miner decides to take an extended vacation off-world, feeding his fantasies, and collecting powerful little trophies. I had to resort to nasty means to get him back," said Somanda with a cackle. "I hoped to see you soon after that little entertaining episode earlier, but… not in this fashion."
"I'm back to being a mere miner now, huh? What happened to me being a precious specimen you wanted under you?"
Somanda merely grinned devilishly at the question. Some sick joke must have run through his head.
Fulgardt had been looking between Skullius and his ex-master amusedly. He gave a queer glance to the latter.
"It's odd seeing you in person," he said.
"Likewise. You look leagues more delectable outside mere memories, Immoral." Somanda laughed horribly.
Fulgardt looked at the High Lich with disdain and then eyed Skullius.
"And this was your big plan, was it? Risky, don't you think?"
Skullius smirked in response. He so desperately wanted to wipe the nonchalance off of Fulgardt. He wasn't above doing so with a lie.
"I figured, why fight multiple battles when you can bundle up your demons in one basket and trounce them well?" he said. "I'll take you both on at the same time."
Somanda's eyes, or rather sockets (the eyeballs had melted) gushed with frightening red flames and his cackle grew more intolerable.
Fulgardt, on the other hand, lost his nonchalance. His eyes took on a bitter cold tint.
"Again with that unfounded arrogance," he said.
"I always wondered where it came from." Somanda supported the Immoral's sentiment. "In truth, I don't believe it. I don't believe that you believe you can beat both of us at once. I know you, my little set of bones. Even now, you're attached to things. Do you think you can disregard everything when fighting enemies of our sort? You made a promise to save this world, didn't you?"
As Skullius' smirk lessened by a peg, Somanda looked up.
"Ah, yes. I thought I sensed it. The Richness I once coveted from this world is gone. The Rules are failing spectacularly by the second." He looked at the distant battle between Deities. "None of them can afford to waste energy supporting Aigas, can they?" He turned to Skullius.
"I could… send a few colleagues who are in the neighbourhood over, you know?"
Skullius and Kenno shuddered.
It pleased Somanda to see the Hybrid falter. His joy didn't last for long, though. He looked at his hand, packed with molten skin, charred flesh, and green bones.
…And then Somanda's presence died down. The Undead energy erupting from him fizzled and vanished entirely.
Fulgardt raised a brow, as did Kenno and Red Rage.
They had not expected this.
Only Skullius was relieved and hopeful. He breathed a little sigh of relief.
'It works,' he thought. 'Now for the true test…'
Quite plainly, SoSei began healing. Camilla's appearance was restored in half a second.
Fulgardt furrowed his brows at this. He turned to Skullius after studying SoSei.
It might have been his intuition that fed him the suspicion of some greater scheme going on.
"What are planning this time?" he said, and made to reach for Skullius.
…But the Hybrid Warmoth was steps ahead. He had turned to SoSei again and taken in Camilla's face.
Doom Factor 2 erupted once more and a column of Undeath energy fired from Skullius' body before promptly being transferred elsewhere.
"Oh… you are a deplorable little wretch, Skullius," Somanda's voice rang again… but from Fulgardt's lips. Read full story at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝗇𝗲𝘵