"I am definitely not alone anymore." Liam swung around to face his new companions who had arrived at the spot in the blink of an eye.
One of them was wielding daggers, one in each hand and was covered from top to bottom in black cloth. The man unmistakably was an assassin and he was capable of blurring himself and appeared like a mirage one place one second and the next place the next second.
His movements were very unique and mysterious. His entire body seemed to blur and reshape, as if tethered only loosely to reality. The assassin's voice was as muffled as his features, leaking out from behind layers of dark cloth.
"It's rude to hog the treasure," he said, tone light yet laced with threat.
"Funny," Liam retorted. "I'd be delighted to share…though from the look of things, your approach is more slash-and-grab than let's-talk-over-tea."
A faint shimmer rippled over the assassin's form. With a barely perceptible shift of weight, he vanished again, the air where he'd stood warping like a desert mirage. Instinctively, Liam tensed, scanning the immediate surroundings.
The shadowy figure reappeared behind him in a swirl of disturbed sand, daggers held in a relaxed grip that suggested lethal expertise.
"I've seen my share of illusions," Liam coldly smiled. "But yours…that's a neat trick. I would love to learn it." The assassin didn't reply, only angled his head to eye the half-opened metallic edifice. His hands on the other hand were already coming for Liam's throat.
Liam felt the hairs on his neck bristle with warning as the assassin's daggers slashed forward—so quick that it almost seemed the glint of steel materialized from thin air. Rather than recoiling, Liam dropped his weight and pivoted on one foot, just barely leaning out of the blade's path.
A gust of sand exploded between them, kicked up by the assassin's rapid movement. Slash. The man's second dagger cleaved a tight arc through the air, aiming for Liam's chest. However, before he could reach him, black chains sprang up from the ground, chains that reeked of death and decay.
They bound the assassin and held him in place. The man's eyes widened in shock. He tried blurring again but he couldn't make a single move against the nether chains. A startled hiss escaped the assassin as he strained against the entangling chains, their dark links rattling with every futile twitch.
Liam held the guy in place as the next one showed up, a figure robed in faded crimson silk stitched with cryptic sigils, holding a slender staff of twisted ebony gripped in one hand.
"Nothing like a good struggle over treasure, eh?" the newcomer purred, glancing from Liam to the snared assassin. The man's voice carried a note of twisted amusement. "It would appear I'm fashionably late to the show."
He bent slightly, observing the nether chains with a keen, unsettling interest. Black coils reeking of rot and grave-soil twitched in response, as if aware of his gaze. The assassin hissed again, fighting to blur away—but those death links held fast.
Liam indifferently glanced at the man. The guy prodded the nether chains with his staff, setting off another rattling vibration that caused the assassin to jerk in renewed panic. "An intriguing bind. You dabble in necromancy, don't you?"
Liam's eyes narrowed. "I can dabble in a lot of things when the mood strikes but something tells me you're not here to chat about magical theory."
"Straight to the point. Good. We'll get along famously." The robed man's grin widened. Then he tilted his chin toward the half-exposed metallic monolith in the distance. "I followed the golden pillar and got here. Let's just say…my curiosity got the better of me."
The robed stranger shifted, hooking a thumb under his hood to lift it back slightly. Deep-set eyes shimmered with a calculating gleam. "The structure is fascinating, isn't it? A sealed fortress, by the looks of it. Care to team up?"
The stranger swept a hand theatrically. "It'd be easier if we're not all at each other's throats. Not that your friend here seems the cooperative sort." He flicked a knowing glance at the assassin.
Before Liam could answer, the assassin snarled again, voice muffled. "I'll kill you both…once I'm out of these damned chains!"
Liam exhaled a quiet laugh, turning to the robed man. "You see the predicament. With this one so eager to slit throats, and who knows what else lurking in that fortress, I'm not exactly in a trusting mood."
"You needn't trust me. You just have to work with me for the time being. I am going to fight with you at the end no matter what. Going to need that treasure for myself. That's a given. Until then we can help each other out, don't you think? Besides…"
The stranger tapped the side of his staff against the sand, conjuring a tiny ripple of purple sparks. "I have something that could help with the tribulation lightning, the bane of this place. Allow me to demonstrate it."
The next second, blinding electric currents assaulted the assassin. They completely demolished Liam's nether domain and took over the area. It only lasted for a moment before revealing scorched earth and no sign of the assassin.
Liam nodded and did not say anything. He was not really pleased at the display as it had cost him a corpse but at least the soul was his for taking. He silently stood as he processed the soul into a minion.
He observed the stranger to see if had something to say but it looked like he couldn't sense the soul processing. After a few seconds, Liam decided to go along with the guy's plan. He lacked knowledge about this place and he might as well see if this guy knew anything.
"I am Jonah." Liam introduced himself.
"As for me, you can call me…Nolan," the guy said, sweeping out an arm in a half-bow. "Jonah and Nolan. It almost sounds like we could be longtime friends."