The Wielder of Death Magic

*Mana Control: Spatial Control,* hands pressed; using himself as the catalyst, lifeforce was drawn from the surrounding. The tower shook, apparatuses moved from left to right. *Death Element: Unleash Aura,* supplementing the vicinity, specks of white dust manifested to be drawn into the chest of the puppet. With a snap, the Box of Alche hovered into existence – lid opened, a blueish liquid poured on the top as if a waterfall. Landed on the puppet’s head, it trickled with a sluggish manner. Baffled, Avon could but stare in awe as the red-lines on the ground lit all around. Fire burst forth, ‘-calm down,’ he thought, ‘-turning the vessel into a suitable host is tedious,’ heavily use of Alchemy followed. Enveloped in blue, his hands moved in manners of a conductor; the wave of life embedded itself as if veins on a human body. One by one, the building blocks of life formed tediously. Sucked, the weather around the capital turned for the worse as someone manipulated with the very laws of nature. Unbothered, he continued with surgical precision. The blueish body, devoid of features was soon craved by threads of

blood and mana. Inch by inch, converting the gooey substance into organs of a human. Minutes turned to hours, Avon grew enchanted by the precision and face displayed across Staxius.

‘The end at last,’ he thought, ‘-I can see it,’ from once blue and disfigured to an exact copy of how Avon appeared, “-come,” he said with a mystical aura. Entranced, the spirit followed for he knew better.

*All who live will die, and all who die will be reborn. The soul is a conduit of which I control.*

With a clap, Avon’s spirit was pulled without remorse into the new vessel. Light of an unknown hue raged forth; it blinded the entire area for miles on to see. *Transmute and be one with the world,* hands pressed again, the burst of light imploded without sound nor damage. “Master,” voiced Avon who resided into the puppet, “-you tried,” with a smile, the body fell harshly onto the wooden floor.

“I should have known something like that would have happened,” grabbing the Relic scroll, [Item: Healing Scroll] unrolled over the cold chest, “-you’re not going to die, that’s for sure,” nails sharpened, he dug inside the still unstable body – mana transferred directly paired with the power of the scroll, *thump,* it echoed, *thump,* removing the

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hand, Staxius crawled to a few feet away. Powerful, each beat shook the body.

Fatigued, the clock showed 18:00. Heavy drainage of mana had Staxius jumping in and out of sleep. Nearly emptied, giving Avon a human body was the hardest out of the bunch. An artificial spirit without a soul could never have been turned into something human. The reality was painfully true, even Avon himself realized the truth. Auic’s smile kept him going for long, a sense of hope, and that all would come to fruition one day. ‘Don’t underestimate me,’ breathed Staxius who peered at an empty box. ‘Souls, human or not, have no difference to the afterlife.’

“I’m awake,” said Avon, “-I can feel the warmth coursing through my body,” sat upright, the eyes opened gently to a whole new feeling, “-what did you do?”

“Something godly,” he laughed, “-I transferred over your conscience and linked it with souls of animals. Tis was how I bypassed the issue of you being artificial. I did spend a whole lot of mana – if a god can’t do that much, then what’s the point of being called one?”

“Right,” he stood to only stumble down again.

“Take it easy,” shuffled up Staxius in turn, “-do you think it easy to be adjusted into a new body that has weight. Thou were a spirit few hours prior; you’ll have to relearn everything. Should be a simple matter of practice. I’m sure Auic will be pleased by her present,” giving a helping hand, “-welcome to the land of the living, Avon.”

“T-thank you,” teared up, he reached for a tighter embrace, “-I’ve longed for this, I wanted to feel what it’s like to be cared. A spirit may interact with the world, though the world doesn’t interact with the spirit. Try as hard as I might, cold and glum was my life. Now,” sniffles were frequent, “-I can feel what it’s like to be touched.”

“Get thine mind out of the gutter,” laughed Staxius, “-you’ll have plenty o’ time to enjoy what a man yearns for. Auic shall satisfy those needs fondly, she’s very well built.”

“Please don’t make it any more embarrassing,” blushed, the face gazed the floor quietly.

“Let’s get you back home,” walking rather than teleporting; step through a portal, they reached the mansion of which basked in an orangish glow. To the west, the sun headed to sleep laid on the yard facing the sunset; through the foliage of the surrounding trees, Avon and Staxius watched the idyllic scene.

“Master,” called Avon, “-from today forth, I guess I won’t be able to help if ever combat is involved,” hard as he may, only an amber of fire could be conjured. “My magical element has lessened, tis only fire and the lowest class to boot.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” he smiled, “-go on and live thine life with Auic. The happier days are to come. I won’t ever forget the day we met; the day I forcefully pulled you out of Void. It has been quite a fun journey,” stood with the back facing the sun, “-let’s hope our paths cross again in the future.”

“Yes, master,” stumbled, he managed to stand on a shaky balance. “I’ll never forget all was done for an artificial spirit such as I. To have a chance at experiencing life, I thought I’d die after my mana could not be filled again.”

“AVON,” behind, the gate opened.

“Did you call her?” before speaking, Auic dashed down the yard to jump on her beloved. “-AVON, AVON, AVON,” over and over again, she kept on saying his name, “-you’re warm,” she nuzzled his hair and face. In excitement, she forgot to thank the one responsible.

“Where did he go?” she asked.

“Back to Arda,” he smiled, “-Master is still not fond of goodbyes,” dusk settled; a promise fulfilled, the couple would soon set off on an adventure of their own. On the 6th of December, the news hit. Avon and Auic would leave behind their past as members of Kniq to elope to the mainland. Supported by Undrar, money was provided by Kniq.

“So, it’s true then,” dawn came, the guild opened with a crash, “-Avon and Auic have left the continent,” spoken through the phone with the other members. Staxius walked into the central guild with a blissful smile. “If it’s not the first platinum adventurer,” voiced Diane in a smug tone.

“Long time no see,” he said with the place being emptied.

“What brings you here?” asked Melisa who cleaned the counter.

“I’ve come to have Kniq be shut-down,” nonchalant, tis was the decision that came from the others, “-our secretary has decided to follow her path with one of my companions. As is, she was the only one capable of handling the guild; not anymore.”

“I see,” stern, “-if that is what you wish,” reached below for a paper, “-here’s the contract of disbanding a guild. Take a good read, once signed and stamped, Kniq will never be opened again. All their gains and property will be transferred to the central guild; this includes the headquarters at Rosenvan.”

“Hold on a moment,” interjected Melisa, “-why not think this through?”

“I appreciate thy concern,” he sighed, “-the object of creating Kniq was to fulfill my goal of opening a guild in Arda. Pandora and everything else served its purpose,’ taking the papers, a heavy stamp followed by signature; the day a guild that had already made a name as being the best; disbanded. Compromised of: Xenos, Viola, Achilles, Avon, Auic, Emma, Emmy, and Deadeyes, they would go down as the strongest team to ever be formed.

Undrar returned to staying with Julius. Achilles and Deadeyes climbed the tower unknown to what happened to Kniq. Their status card had the emblem of the wings that faded into a blackspot. Emma and Emmy officially retired as adventurers. Auic was the glue holding what remained of the guild together – gone, the pillars crumbled onto one another.

“The memories were nice,” done with the paperwork, “-give this advice to any new up and coming guild, strength lies in unity,” throwing the signature wave, he walked down the stairs of a very familiar place.

“Wasn’t that Xenos?” whispered adventurers heading for the guild.

[Announcement: Kniq has disbanded] flashed across the screens, the news came as a shock. Even the top-guilds were baffled, to have such a talented group of individuals just break. It was a loss to the Guild’s fighting strength, no longer could they rely on a team that was assured to win any fight.

Meanwhile, inside a huge somber cave, Achilles expedition team reached floor thirty. A giant humanoid body of lava guarded the gate to the next level. They had made strides toward the top, moved faster than any other team – this climbing party had cleared floor after floor. A good reputation was given for the two members of Kniq. They had been fighting for months.

“Let’s go,” screamed the leader of the expedition as they charged forth. It was a day supposed to be the usual clearing of another floor. Dozens of men grappled themselves around the body of the boss. Turned to the worse, some were squashed with a single swipe. Miscommunication by the surveyance team.

Down below, Achilles had readied her stance, *Argonaut: Second Wind,* a wave of energy, one to be her strongest attack, hit against its shell. *BANG, BANG,* bullets whistled past her head and into those of lava-slugs. Deadeyes held their back – level Thirty; the highest a team had climbed. Lives were lost on the way up here, still, without fear, they pressed forth until everything crumbled.

“What kind of hell are we in?” asked Achilles alone on the field.

“No idea and I don’t want to stay to find out,” unfortunately, those words were the last muttered by Deadeyes and his team. An ambush of Fire-minotaur had the sniper team killed in an instant. Pushed with comrades dying all over, Achilles received a punch that had her body break through the many layers of the tower downwards. As if it were fate, on the day Kniq disbanded, the moment the contract was signed, Achilles’ expedition crew got wiped.

“Are you ok?” asked novices who took her outside for treatment. Covered in dust, the area around the tower had grown into a town. Fenced off, a few kilometers away, the start of a noisy market could be heard. “She doesn’t seem that worse for ware,” said one of the dungeon leaders, “-take her to the medic bay.” Kniq, the legacy of a group of adventurers bound by a single instinct – survival; would end. The wings that once lit the battlefield with bliss; were unfeathered.

“The room feels on edge,” stood inside Kniq’s headquarters – the landscape felt fatigued. ‘It’s best to close the linking portals,’ *click,* a shiver rushed down his spine. Stared towards the general area of Plaustan, “-sorry friends, all good stories have to come to an end. It was a good journey, thanks for the laugh.” Flash images of the time the Remingtons burst forth into the office came too, or the time Aceline came for a visit that turned into a melodramatic scene. *Unlink,* with a snap, the portals vanished. *Ding,* the elevator opened for the last time, “-let’s meet again,” he thought as the semi-transparent faces of Kniq who waved back with the sky as the landscape was blocked by the shutting elevator.