As they released their bowstrings, the moment the arrows were nailed into human flesh, and when the cries of the dying rang out, Ails seemed to hear the pleasing chime of a cash register.
The business here is done. Time to head to the Prairie Elf Tea Restaurant in Mark City and enjoy a meal of Positive Energy Meat Soup cooked with Holy Water as the base, along with Holy Pumpkin Porridge and Salvation Sausage made with potions for treating lethal wounds, all of which are Ails’s favorites, even if indulging in these delicacies requires transformation spells and a lot of Gold Coins.
But who makes Ails an Undead, to whom Gold Coins are merely numerous collectibles in his storage.
They are as delicious as pufferfish, and every Lich should go there once to experience the bliss of Holy Water exploding in their mouths, to listen to the low murmurs of maxims beside their ears, and to contemplate the instant their Soul Fire is ignited by the potions.
Ails felt an increasing impatience to finish the task at hand.
These foolish humans seemed to have no idea that such a large force would be awaiting them. The advantage on the field made Ails feel somewhat elated. It ordered the Archers to line up, and under the cover of Skeleton Shieldbearers and Ghouls, move forward, as the damned wall created by those equally foolish Paladins would soon fall, and it would be the knell of doom for these humans.
That’s right, the Skeleton Cannon crew is good, remember to take them along after this battle is over.
As Ails was thinking this, it suddenly ’heard’ something.
It was a familiar heartbeat, loud and pleasing.
Then it saw a metal box with wheels emerge from the alley and crash into one side of the formation.
In that instant, Ails felt as if everything before his eyes slowed down.
It saw a girl who looked like a Werewolf but slightly different hurling something at the Skeleton Cannon crew Ails had just set his sights on.
It saw a young man in the front row gritting his teeth, controlling a disc in his hands, hitting Ails’s property one after another.
It saw a little girl with devilishly cute rounded ears, holding a metal tube, spewing flames at the lords of the crown that now belonged to it.
It saw a girl who seemed to have Elf blood, a huge Fireball being released from her hand.
It saw another little girl, rabbit-like, with an even bigger Fireball whistling through the air towards the second row of Skeleton Archers.
Finally, it saw a square-eared youngster standing, with a longbow in his hand that completely exceeded his height, as a pure white energy arrow glittered with the most innocent light. Then he let go.
Ails turned his head, watching as the arrow sank into the forehead of the giant ghoul, whose head seemed to evaporate into thin air in an instant.
The metal box crashed through a line of Archers and disappeared into the streets and alleys.
Then Ails watched as the Skeleton Cannon crew was engulfed in an explosion, and soon he could no longer sense their existence.
Ails fell silent for a moment, the injured Lich turned and slipped into the Holy Hall.
The portal, losing control of its master, began to collapse. Ails took control, and it stopped collapsing, though part of its base was lost, and perhaps only a small portion of the troops could pass through.
Ails cut off communication with the Skeleton troops outside the door, gathered his lords of the crown, and then walked through the portal alone.
As a high-ranking Lich, knowing when to leave and when to stay is the most basic survival instinct. Those without this talent could not possibly become a high-ranking Lich.
"Dammit! You can’t leave! You’re still bound by a soul contract!"
The giant Ghoul hadn’t died yet, but it had lost its vision; now, like a standard headless Undead, it couldn’t find its path.
Ails smiled and then slipped through the portal.
Nothing happened... ah, right, the portal lost its energy supply and finally completely collapsed.
Back in his own castle, Ails snapped his fingers. His Banshee servant emerged from his shadow, and the table, chairs, and servants wielding fans of Negative Energy appeared all ready in the castle under the night sky.
Ails sat in the chair, accepting the Negative Energy tea brewed by the maid.
Before drinking the tea, Ails asked himself— "Right, what was my name again?"
"Ah... well, it certainly wasn’t Ails."