The Young King (event)
The thread transports me to an unfamiliar courtyard. The atmosphere is silent, the air noxious with a rain of ash falling like snow. Illuminated by the light of the full moon, I spot a lone knight meditating under the shade of a gnarled, dead tree in the center of the yard. A second figure appears out of the billowing ash-clouds: a skeletal monstrosity clad in long, flowing robes and an ornate crown towering over their bared skull. Two enormous jewels are embedded in their eye sockets and their bones glow with an obscene light.
"We meet again, whelp. Where is your loyal retinue now?”
"I come alone, Lich.”
The skeleton points a bony finger towards the young man. "I am Arch Lich Milon Zackowic the God-Touched, and I will not be lied to by an insolent child! My body harnesses the light of the divine, did you think I would not notice the dozens of crossbows trained on me from the windows? The swarm of men hiding themselves, waiting to charge me at once? Tell me, little king, do you think I am a fool?”
The man slowly rises. "Come closer, and I'll tell you anything you want.”
"Oho!” the arch lich replies, cackling. "What you lack in wits, you make up in pride! Come then, let us finish this!” They seem to glide forward as they approach the knight. Instantly, a huge wave of arrows crests over the stalls as a mass of soldiers pour out of the buildings. The arch lich dodges the projectiles effortlessly, the iron-tipped arrows curving around him. He raises his arms to the sky as a horde of shambling wights materializes out of the ash.
Undeterred, a particularly fearsome warrior charges up and slices two wights in half with a single slash. Sensing this challenger, the lich turns to him and clenches his fist, stopping the soldier in his tracks. In a quick swipe of his skeletal hands, the lich sends the knight hurtling towards a wall. The other men approach, then fall screaming as their heads are crushed by their own helmets crumpling like paper. The young king swings, futilely. The arch lich twists and snaps the sword in his grasp. A flashbang lands between them, exploding and blasting the boy across the courtyard and against the tree.
What's left is devastating. His men are overwhelmed, the arch lich's robes have nary a scratch and his skull glowing more brightly than before. The skeleton's voice is mirthful and proud. "Watch as your world bends and twists to my will, boy. Now, die.” His jewels glow, a beam of flame bursting out of them, instantly setting the tree alight with the king barely jumping out of the way. Then, a roar. The fearsome knight has recovered, charging the arch lich and earning two burning holes in his chestplate.
With the arch lich distracted, the king snaps off a long branch off the burning tree and hurls it through the air like a javelin. It hits the arch lich square in the ribs, igniting his robes. He cackles and wails as he struggles to put it out. The king retrieves his broken sword, sprints, and beheads the screaming skeleton from behind. The vision fades as the light of the bones flickers and dies.
A lesson in perseverance.