Plot Pieces

Trials of the Dark Warlock pt.3

As the sun died, the Dark Warlock came alive. His eyes darkened from green to pitch. His hair shone changing from black to a fiery red. His torn ears became whole again and his pale skin lightened further to the color of bone. He wasn't any weaker in his day form, but at night, it was easier to give in to his bloodlust.

Alveran glared at the low tiered lich in front of him with complete distain. 

"Now," He threatened, flexing his magic so that the lich quivered, "Say that again."

"You have gone soft." The creature spat in both disgust and fear. "And the great Lich Lord Yawfrain Virnece Gg'phlit Terror of the Forge shall be the one to purge the Light that has poisoned your soul."

Alveran merely scowled. 

They had taken her to a Lich Tower. 

Damn it.

He wouldn't have been so concerned had it been any other Dark Tower.  Even a white witch with two Names couldn't hope to cleanse a lich. After all, they were already dead.

Penelople Egan, he grinned at the memory of her requesting to share one of his Names.  

"It's only natural that I share a Name with you," She had deduced while studying the interlocking black scrolls that weaved from her ankle to the top of her thigh. Her power came upon stopping his heart, her second Name, from his night self, solidified it. 

"Egan is the most appropriate, but Alveran is the prettiest." She's announced. 

"Really?" He'd asked in mock curiosity. "Explain." 

"Alveran was your first Name. It was given to you by the wyverns, after you destroyed a tower of elves. Ironic since I thought you were an elf. My mistake."

He'd gritted his teeth at the misinformation. "And Egan?"

"You didn't kill anyone for that name." She deduced happily. "It was given to you by one of the last necromancers after you reanimated human soldiers and had them fight with the dark mages. Yes," she continued, "Egan seems most appropriate given my World Ranking. Can you believe it?" She giggled admiring the blue circlet on her wrist. "I have two Names and a World Ranking, in less than two weeks."

"You're more bearable when you're unconscious." He'd commented

"I can see the wold now." She'd beamed, ignoring his plight completely. "And you can come with me, especially now that the fairies have dubbed you my Protector."

He sighed, cursing the particular nuances of Names, and the thought of a fifth world ranking.

The Fairy Lord had also been an Empress, so killing her entire Tower prompted, not a Name, but a Ranking. It wasn't the first royal he killed inside a Tower, but it was the first to come back. 

Since Alveran had massacred the entire clan of fairies in less than an hour, he had hoped they would revoke any World Ranking that he'd been applicable for.

No such luck.

Unfortunately for him, Penelope, ever the chatterer, had shared the story of how she'd gained the ability to heal all of the fairies. She'd claimed that Al's sacrifice had given her the power to rescue the whole clan. For her honesty and bravery, the Empress had dubbed her The White Mage. Her blue circlet shone and encompassed her left wrist.

For him, a fifth diamond burned onto his back. 

Rather than tack on something appropriate like, Annihilator of the Faye, the damned Empress and her entire console granted "Al", Protector of the White Mage. Perhaps he should have told them his actual Name.