An enormous battleax rested on the giant's shoulder. He wore a metal battle-skirt, shoulder guards and a horned helmet. In his chest was a large see through hole. In this hole was a small black crystal that was strapped to chains fused to the giant's chest.

"Another corrupted giant!"

Dave's [Anti-Bully] started glowing, Drahma was coming. But the king waved his hand and the light from the jewel died instantly.

"Drahma is not strong enough to defeat this one," the king spoke calmly. He waved his hand again and the sand rose up in a mound and fell away revealing a knight shackled and wrapped in chains. Dave remembered the knight. Dog had divined the presence of the undead near the dragon's Lair and awakened him, that had almost turned into a disaster. He was more powerful than Dave by far, and did not submit willingly even when the king appeared to assert his rule over the newly risen dead.

"Kalel, the time has come to redeem yourself, who do you serve henceforth?!"

"I serve His Royal Majesty the King of the Dead now and forever!" the knight replied with complete sincerity and conviction.

The king nodded and ordered, "Slay the giant, king's knight."

The white armored knight saluted as his shackles unlocked and the chains fell off, setting him free. Then the knight darted off toward the rampaging giant.

"Why do you wish to kill the giant sir? Can't you convert him like you did with Kalel?"

The king shook his head and said, "Kalel was sane, a misguided but uncorrupted undead. It took little effort to break his will and force him to serve Us. But the giant's mind and soul have been corrupted, he only knows destruction and madness now. We would spare Our loyal servant, Drahma, the sight of yet another of his kin tortured and corrupted in this manner.

"When the giant has been put down, you may join the battle, Childe."

Dave took a deep breath, soon it would be time to join the fight. He would get a lot of EXP from the battle, enough to level up several times. So, he waited patiently.

Kalel moved like a racing ghost through the undead, he dodged incoming attacks as he whipped around knots of fighting soldiers, he even leapt entirely over one large group, flipping several times in midair. He moved smoothly, always in perfect balance and control, no missteps or wasted motion.

The giant saw the undead in white coming and swung the battle axe at him in a bisecting chop. Kalel seemed to disappear for a moment and the battleax sank deep into the sand. Kalel reappeared balanced on the axe haft and ran light as a feather along the giant's arm up to his shoulder. The giant smacked at the tiny pest with his free hand but Kalel was never where the hand landed. Finally the knight danced across the giant's collar bone and thrust his sword into the giant's eye swept the blade across. Blood and other fluids fountained outward. The giant screamed in pain.

Kalel somersaulted backward off the giant and landed lightly on the ground. Without pausing he shot forward past the giant spun like a top, his blade released multiple arcs of sword-light that sliced through both of the giant's Achilles tendons.

The giant, unable to control his legs, fell backward crashing down like a timbered redwood tree.

As Kalel raced back in to finish the giant he dodged an incoming attack from a random undead and sliced its head off in riposte. Wall-running up the giant's chest he made a beeline for the for the black jewel in embedded the creature's chest. Pausing for a bare instant to adjust his stance the knight struck down at the pulsing gem.

The attack caused a burst of black lightning to shoot out. The giant screamed in excruciating pain one last time and finally died a true death.

Dave was in complete awe of the knight's battle prowess. From the time the white knight left the king's side to the giant's death less than a minute had passed.

"We're not worthy," he whispered, resisting an urge to kowtow.

"Not bad," the king said casually, still eyeing the battle. He turned to Dave, "Go now Childe, it is time. Fight. Win! "

Dave gulped. After that show of skill and power he knew he couldn't hold a candle to Kalel, the legendary Hero of the People.

Dave led his troops through the gates of the Black Bone Palace located in the southern desert of the world of Conquest. The Legion's Death Knights were brutally massacring their way through the gates protecting the palace. The Order's minions kept up a fighting retreat, backing their way deeper into the palace one step at a time.

Outside the Bone palace, the Undead king carefully watched over his undead as they penetrated deeper and deeper into the Order's defenses.

The wendigos were winning the fight against the stone snakes and when they were done they would join the main battle inside the castle walls. They would be a telling factor in tipping the balance of the battle completely in the kings' favor.

The king spoke softly and space next to him shuddered. A gigantic skeleton materialized and saluted, "Your Majesty, how can I serve?"

"Do you remember the draugr that released you from the Storm Labyrinth?" the king asked.

"Yes, I will never forget," the skeleton said.

"Go and watch over him from the shadows, aide him only if he is in mortal danger."

"By your command, my liege," the skeleton bowed and disappeared.

The king watched the battle unfolding with complete calm. His people were the undead, they would always rise again. The only real concern he had was for his daughter's wellbeing.

Abyssal Knight Dagla was escorted by several Doom Knight protectors as he continued to cast high tier spells, targeting the enemy casters and archers in the towers.

Apparently Dagla's spell had destroyed not just the main outer gates, but also the inner gate that led to the palace interior. Between the two gates was the palace courtyard, where innumerable undead were gathered to defend the inner gate against the invading legion. Beyond the enemy undead was the open inner gate, the entrance to the palace proper.

Kalel burst through the outer gate, massacring the enemies as they retreated. He halted as he neared the undead in defensive formation and saw a level 500 caster walk through the inner gate. Setting himself, Kalel charged toward the caster, intent on killing him.

The caster conjured and a wave of black energy at the Legion undead.

Curse of weakness!

-20% to damage, movement speed, attacking speed, and armor.

60 seconds

Dagla snorted disdainfully and flew up into the air, his robes billowing out around him. The grand lich raised his skull-topped staff high and started chanting:

"Hark the bitter choir

For Life's burden to retire

Light and vigor into darkness fall

Will, strength, and courage pall

Reaper's hymn, fate for all!"

The Order's curse was overridden instantly by a wave of dark energy that swept over the palace like a tide, coursing through the ranks of undead, empowering the allies of the legion and weakening their enemies.

***

As an ally and a member of the Legion of the Undead you have been blessed by Dagla's Song of Death.

You temporarily gain:

200% base HP regeneration.

+10% physical and magical damage.

-5% to damage received.

+20% to movement speed (when moving toward enemies).

+10% Increased damage against enemies afflicted with Song of Death.

+10% chance to resurrect immediately and spontaneously if killed.

Non-allies and enemies will be afflicted with:

+5% to damage received.

-10% to movement speed.

-20% to HP regeneration.

Duration: 180 seconds

***

Kalel inhaled deeply, drawing in the power of the dark blessing bestowed by Dagla. As if he had taken a powerful tonic, his eyes blazed with fury and he launched himself at the enemy caster with renewed fury and energy.

Dave cast [Spectral Skull] blowing away three hostile undead and shouted, "Follow Kalel!"

He guided Stinger through the enemy ranks and his undead followed behind. Dog ignited his whip and cracked the weighted vertebra at enemy undead breaking skulls and bones. Spark chanted incomprehensible words and a flurry of fireballs shot from his hand, incinerating any enemies they hit.

Dave activated [Aura] and took the point position on Stinger, leading his troops. The scorpion-man barrelled through low-level undead, crushing them into smears of rotting flesh. Dave hands blurred making Ninja seals and he cast [Dragon Ball], blowing up a cluster of undead enemies.

Bud turned into a wisp of black smoke and appeared behind an enemy undead. The shadow ghoul struck down with sharp fangs, tearing away half of the undead's neck, thick, black ichor spurted from the wound.

The unholy paladins flanked a group of enemies and cast their healing spells at the hostile undead, damaging them and weakening them even more. The unholy priestess followed up with a cast of a mass heal over the weakened undead, disintegrating them into specs of dust.

Dave jumped away from Stinger and used [Dragon Kick], he flew like a bullet into a level 200 undead. The flame dragon materialized and followed Dave, engulfing the undead and damaging many others around it.

Dave ran toward another group of undead and activated [Approaching Dragon], he teleported multiple times striking enemies repeatedly. Damage values appeared above the enemies he'd attacked. He was in the middle of the group of enemies when [Approaching Dragon] ended, so he spun into [Infernal Tornado] and blasted the rest of their hit points away, leaving only a cloud of glowing cinders behind.

A level 400 mace-wielding warrior noticed Dave's rampage and moved through the battle to confront the draugr. Just in time, Dave saw a mace coming toward his head and activated [Vertical Slash], dodging away from the attack.

He yelled a command, "Dunlords! FIRE!"

All the dunlords fired their ballistae at the same time, instantly turning the level 400 undead warrior into a pincushion.

Kalel had already broken through the Order's ranks and reached the inner gate. Finding no enemies that took more than a single sword stroke to kill, he entered the palace in search of enemies more worthy of his battle prowess.

"Damn, that guy's so OP!" Dave was wondering if he should follow behind Kalel or wait and grind some more EXP out in the courtyard.

While he was deciding an undead with a mammoth head rammed into him with its curling tusks, sending him sprawling to the ground away from his units.

[-155,114]

"Motherfucker!" Dave cursed. Standing, he brushed at the sand and ash in his beard and on his clothes.

Mammoth-head whirled the chain of his morning-star flail and launched the spiked end, humming, at Dave.

Just as Dave was about to use [Bastion] a Death Knight appeared in front of him and blocked the cannonball sized spiked-ball with a tower shield.

The Death Knight stood two heads above Dave. There were familiar patches of dusty gray ash on the Death Knight's armor.

"I told you, always keep your guard up!" the Knight smirked.

"Matalan!"

"The battle is still going, don't get distracted, don't ever drop your guard. All right, let's take this guy out."

Matalan charged and rammed into the mammoth-man undead, staggering him. Dave rushed in behind Matalan, jumped over his shoulder and punched down with his gauntlets at the undead, but didn't do any damage. Dave landed behind the undead as Matalan slashed the mammoth-guy's stomach open, black ichor poured out in a torrent.

Dave used [Rising Dragon], his fist shooting up and smashing into the undead's mammoth-jaw. A gout of fire coalesced into a flaming dragon. Enraged, the mammoth-man swung his flail in a circle at the draugr. Dave leaned away in a matrix style back-bend to dodge the arc of the weapon. He felt the wind from the spiked ball as it skimmed past him and he popped back upright to counterattack.

Matalan flipped his flamberge to an overhand grip, holding it like a dagger he stabbed down into the mammoth's chest and through the heart. Matalan twisted the flamberge viciously then ripped it out. The undead fell, wrecked internally and drowning in its own blood.

"Not bad! I will charge the front, stay with me and keep your head clear Kis'shtingbrah."

Just as Matalan finished his words, Dave heard a familiar voice call his name urgently.

"Kis'Shtiengbrah, stop!" An agitated Samael stood nearby, holding the unconscious princess Eleanor.

"Get out of the palace NOW!" Samael shouted and disappeared.

Matalan frowned but turned and rushed away, retreating from the battle.

Just as Dave was wondering what was happening, he saw Kalel running out of the palace gate with breathtaking speed. The knight ignored the enemy undead and just continued running across the courtyard and out the main gates.

From outside the walls a horn blew frantically.

The Legion's undead immediately began retreating. The retreat was organized and smooth, not a single undead panicked. The weakest members exited out through the main gates first. The Doom Knights held the front, blocking the hostile undead from attacking the retreating Legion or hindering them.