Lucian Basken stood among the
misty fields, his long black coat blowing with the cold winds. The
lanky hyena-like man stared into the mist, dozens of battles dancing
before his silver eyes while the souls of fallen warriors claimed for
mercy. A growl rose on his throat minutes later, the beginnings of a
headache already showing.

“You're not going to make
this easy, are you?" said Lucian to himself, baring his fangs at
the mist.

The hyena man drew a long
wooden pipe from one of his pockets and a tightly wound packet from
another. He grumbled under his breath as he held the pipe in his
gaunt muzzle while his glove-clad fingers made short work of the
packet. With slow, measured moves, Lucian poured the parcel's
contents into the end of his pipe, purple flames raising high seconds
later. The first puff of smoke that Lucian inhaled burned his mouth,
leaving the sickeningly sweet taste of the herbs in his tongue. The
second one made his eyes water, thin trails of thick gray smoke
raising before his eyes. With the third one, the world twisted around
him, the voices of the dead growing stronger and clearer.

A thin gloved hand dug into
the bag hanging by his waist and after a few moments of search,
withdrew a polished humanoid skull. Large tusks protruded from the
wide square mandible while empty eye sockets glanced longingly at the
hyena.

Lucian let the smoke leave his
lips, feeling the thrumming of magic under his skin. He took another
puff of his pipe, holding the skull up to his eyes. With fire dancing
in his veins, Lucian blew the smoke towards the skull, awakening the
purple fire in the empty sockets. They hyena man cackled when the
skull rose from his hand, the sound reaching beyond the mist and into
the world of the dead.

Fire spread all over the skull
that floated a few meters away from the hyena. The rumble of thunder
shook the hyena before a cold pressure made its home in his lungs.
Lucian took another puff from his pipe, steeling his resolve for the
next part of the spell. Shivers ran down his spine when the sound of
breaking glass brought him out of his mind. The purple fire from the
skull had expanded downwards, forming a ghostly spine. From it a
myriad of tubes shot forward, spreading the flame all around it until
the vague shape of a humanoid body could be seen. The wizard grunted,
the cold in his chest spreading as the spell drained his reserves.

A strong breeze hit the hyena
man, clearing up the mist in a circle between the hyena and the
skull. The flames shone bright one last time before they were snuffed
by the winds. In their stead stood a short orc, thick muscles showing
from under his heavy metal armor. Ocean blue skin proudly presented
dozens of scars under the pale light of the moon, the proof of his
warrior life. Pudgy cheeks highlighted the series of gold piercings
on his nose and his blood red eyes shone with confusion.

“Welcome back to the world
of the living Draven Logan Ara'den Ondor." Lucian said with a
cheery tone, his pipe resting on his fingers.

The orc's eyes opened wider,
his hands flying towards his chest, right to the hole in his armor.
His mouth formed an “o", not a single sound escaping his lips
while his eyes glowed
with vestiges of purple fire. A trembling dark blue
finger plunged into the hole, easily piercing deep into the orc's
chest.

“Am I...dead?" said the
orc with a deep voice, a faint echo following his every word.

“I'm afraid so, but it is
an inevitable end for us all."

“And the battle? Who won the
battle? What happened with the war?!" The orc shouted, his boulder
sized hands coursing through the air with nervous energy.

The hyena man stared at those
blood red eyes, a cool calm reflecting in his silver eyes. “Lost.
Your army was routed but the losses incurred by the other side were
much bigger than they expected. They surrendered a couple of months
later, after having lost all the terrain they had conquered."

“Then, we won?"

“Depends on how you look at
it. Your side lost many brave souls and your economy suffered for
many years. But your actions did stop the invasion and led to the
eventual ruin of that Empire."

“That Empire? What do you
mean by that hyena? There's only been one Empire in the history of
our lands!"

“That was true three hundred
years ago, old warrior. It is no longer so."

The orc deflated at those
words, his large hands falling by his side. Lucian took a few more
puffs of his pipe, giving the warrior room to think, to grieve.

“Then, all I did. All my
battles, even my death, was it all in vain?" shouted the orc, his
voice like thunder.

“No, I wouldn't go that
far. Your actions saved many lives. Your family still lives and it
was them who sent me here. For you."

That gave pause to Draven, his
eyes narrowing. “What do you want from me?"


“It's
not what I want from you. It's what you can get from me. Rest,
peace, transcendence. However you want to call it, I can help you
achieve it."

“And I'm to believe you're
doing this out of the goodness of your heart? That you won't curse
my soul?"

“No. Your family paid for my
services, handsomely. The skull I used should be proof enough, do you
think they would have handed it just to anyone."

The large orc closed his eyes,
his arms crossing over his chest. Silence reigned for a few seconds,
the warmth of the smoke seeping into Lucian's lungs.

“And what would I need to do
if I took you up on your offer?" the orc said with doubt clinging
to his voice.

A smile appeared on the
hyena's lips, his eyes glinting like gems. “Just answer a few
questions and keep an open mind. The rest is magic."