A Bored Lich

The mages" robes were of various colors, each indicating their level of competence in magic. Their ages were diverse, ranging from twenties to fifty. They usually sat on the floor and discussed various theories of magic. Today, they were standing, and they said little. On the back of each of their robes was a clear circle, the symbol of those who had graduated the magic academy.

Screams of their fellow guards echoed from the stone stairway and the floors above them. Bits of dirt and dust flew down onto their hoods. Every now and again, a solid thud was followed by a slight shake of the ground. The mages kept their focus on each other, but every now and again, they couldn"t help but take a glance at the dark exit and take a slight step back.

The eldest of the group, with a blue robe and a white beard stretching until it hit his knees stood higher than the rest: "Listen fellow mages," the old man"s shrewd voice carried over the noise. He pulled out a transparent orb the size of his head. "Though this artifact, we can observe the floors above us. Our intruder rides on a giant Undead, meaning he is a mage of the darkness element."

"If the academy has taught us anything, it is that the non-elemental magics like his are the hardest to master. He shouldn"t have been able to learn any other type of magic, no matter how good his innate talent is for them. That means he cannot counter the elements we have innate talent in; fire, water, air, and earth. We should be more than enough to handle this rogue magician, even if he does have skill with a spear or an Undead that I have never seen in my many years of life."

The mages hadn"t listened to a single word. The view through the orb turned red as blood splattered on it. The intruder"s spear ripped through the guards on the fourth floor. Some mages flinched, an action that the leader grimaced at.

The leader sighed and a magic circle formed below them. A dim light radiated from it, covering the mages. They ripped their eyes from the orb and shook their heads. After, the magic circle, and subsequently the dim light, faded away.

"Thank you head mage," all mages said as they bowed.

"Mages must be focused, which is why you must remember to use this calming spell often," the leaders said. "A focused mind allows us to make magic circles that use mana more efficiently-"

A chunk of the ceiling cracked and feel down, heading right for the group. One mage, in a green robe raised their hands. A magic circle stretched in a semi-circle around them, which the chunk of ceiling bounced off of. ���Nice barrier spell," the leader said. "Although, instead of using one of the basic mana spells, maybe let our earth mages handle that. Basic mana spells are the least efficient use of mana after all."

A roar echoed, followed by more pieces of wood and black stone colliding against the barrier. Blood dripped through the new holes in the ceiling. The intruder"s image kept blurring as he moved around the room. He weaved through a flurry of blows, flew into the air, and rained down darkness spells on the fourth floor"s guards.

"He"s getting closer. We need a plan," the leader said, who couldn"t help but glance up like the rest. His hand stroked his beard religiously, and his foot tapped against the stone. "The darkness is only weak to holy magic, but we do not have any holy mages because those d.a.m.ned War Monks keep s.n.a.t.c.hing them up."

"Since we can"t counter him, we should just overwhelm him with our collective magical might. He is only a single man after all. He"s alone. Those Undead might be able to stop the guards, but they can"t do anything to us."

He gestured to the artifact in the corner of the room - a giant cylinder made of the same material that made up the door which separated them from the library. s.p.a.cial-type magic circles had been etched into it "Even if we somehow are put on the defensive, all we have to do is wait for the teleporter to charge. I have already sent word to the Resistance, and they are gathering forces as we speak."

One of the mages, who wore a green robe, s.h.i.+vered and lost his balance. The leader caught him before the man hit the ground. "Are you alright?" the leader asked. "Your face is so pale. My spell shouldn"t have worn off so fast."

"Please don"t mind it," the mage said as he got back to his feet. "I was thinking. What if the intruder has something other than darkness magic? The core elements are difficult, but other types of magic that other species use are easier to learn. Wouldn"t it be more likely the intruder will use them?"

"Don"t be ridiculous," the leader said. "Humans are only best suited towards learn the core elemental, holy, dark, s.p.a.cial, and general mana manipulation magics. You should have remembered this from day one of the academy. Anything else is for lower species like those heathens in the demon king"s army. We will just crush the intruder before his Undead can even hit us. No matter how many servants he has, he will stand no chance down here."

"But if humans try, they can learn faster than anything else," the green mage said, "even if they have the weakest amount of mana and strength in the world, they can memorize hundreds of spells. The reason humans are still on this world is because they gather together and learn, so how can it be the intruder has only learned one type of magic? In fact, how many elements have you guys learned?"

"Two or three, like the average mage." the leader said as he shook his head. "There is a lot more to life than spells. Didn"t you pay attention to the potion making, artifact handling, or history of magic cla.s.ses?" The ground shook again, this time so much that the mages lost their balance.

The leader stroked his beard as he righted himself: "Maximus Draken himself was fabled to be able to change the world with a single spell. In the academy, we learned exactly what he learned and discovered about magic. It is just our own faults for not being as talent as him that we are stuck down here." The leader couldn"t tear his gaze away from the ceiling. He had to yell over the shaking, as if protesting that anything could happen to them. "That was how great he was."

"We can do the same, right now. No matter how strong this guy might be, as long as we follow protocol, we can beat him. We will separate ourselves according to our mastered element. Each mage should activate personal barriers when the Undead giant comes into sight."

"head mage," the green-robed mage said. "Can I be at the back of the formation? If things go wrong, I can use my earth magic to make us fall to the floor below as an escape. It will be a third back-up plan and it only requires a little amount of mana."

"You have my approval," the leader said. The group spread out through the room with their sleeves rolled up. Magic circles formed in front of them, all pointed at the entrance to the stone doorway. "The second he comes thought that door, blast him with all your spells. He won"t be able to stand against us if we act together, not with our elemental masteries so refined as they are."

The ground shook as the giant Undead slammed its fists through the wall into the fifth floor. On its back was the intruder, his face hidden behind a skull mask. Two blue flames in its sockets, flaring when he saw the mages. Dozens of magic circles formed in front of the mages, one for each. It was so fast, so sudden, it was as if the spell activated as fast as light itself.

Leader"s world went white, and something wet hit his face. The mages screamed in pain as their barriers broke under the force of the giant Undead. When he regained his vision, half of his forces had been crushed into paste. The other half, however, had their spells ready, aimed directly at the intruder. Water, fire, earth, and air all flew across the room.