The Deal

The calm seas rolled over lightly, and the sea salt sprayed against the galley without a shore in sight. The coast wasn't far as we moved back towards shore more, but everyone was on edge. The Demon lands had been clearing out the piracy menace for a short amount of time, but it had only been a month. The seas were still full of privateers or pirates, depending on who you asked. To us, they were pirates not flying any flag.

The ship moved steadily, and my skin turned to goosebumps as I already recognized what I faced. It happened the last time I was on the sea, and I wondered if whoever was in charge over there was more powerful than the last time I fought with them. The last time was with a Lich skeleton; that was a good fight. But one that was nowhere near as powerful as I had come to learn that B ranked forces could be. That meant that the Lich was a newly raised B ranker or didn't achieve it until their undeath.

I didn't know much about necromancy, and it was something that I should make up for soon. The boat paddled at a speed that would kill the bunny-kin sailors, so no one tried to. The sailors had their weapons out, and we were on edge as we watched the boat get closer. The paddles never stopped, and they moved quickly at a steady pace. Mira joined me on the deck with Asahi and Trisha, who could still fight. Florine, a moment later, joined us with a large smile on her face. She was looking relaxed as she gazed upon the galley that was heading toward us. Everyone who couldn't be in the cabin was hoping for the best.

Mira was relaxed and chuckled as she watched the boat near. "I do not detect an A ranker over there," Queen Mira said finally, "We are not in peril. The question is, though, Chelsea," She said, looking at me, "Do you wish for me to settle this, or would you like more experience?"

The question settled on me, and I knew the answer the moment she asked it. "There is a war coming, and I sorely am missing experience." I replied, "I have fought the undead before, and there is no way with the feeling I am getting that they are not the undead. I am just wondering who is in control of them. Someone powerful or weak?" I asked, knowing she couldn't answer fully.

"Someone who isn't as powerful as I am," Mira replied. "Go over and fight before they reach the ship with your rifts if you can. Undead are demoralizing and can carry illnesses that might affect those you care about." Mira told me.

I turned to Florine, "Florine, I think I might steal this battle from you. I must shed more blood or corpses for the coming war to further work on my battle technique if I want to live." I said, and Asahi and Trisha looked a little annoyed.

"We need battles too," They said in unison.

"And if they were your opponents, I believe Mira would have told us that." I replied, "But I am sure there will be some battles among tribe members at the gathering soon. I am sure you will find plenty of opponents there."

Both still looked annoyed, and I didn't blame them. The Paddles on the other galley moved mechanically in sync as they continued to close on us. I watched as it came closer, and I ignored everyone else. I began to stretch my muscles and prep myself to fight. I knew that I didn't need to fight this next fight. I could leave it all to Mira, and the other side would probably not even be able to reach us. But I needed to test my thoughts and practice what I had been using time for. I needed to learn if my choices were going down the right road or would end in defeat before they killed me. Mira could always save me here, but I couldn't act like I had an out.

I took a deep breath, and the boat was starting to get too close, and my instincts started to cry at me. I bounced on my toes, hoping a couple of times, and then I opened a rift above the boat before falling into the rift I had created under me. Not even a moment later, my instincts flared, and I fueled my body with mana, including my hair. Something down there was stronger than me. I couldn't now feel it as I dropped into a boat full of skeletons and zombies.

The zombies and skeletons were none the wiser as I opened a rift and plunged into another hole in the fabric of the void. I fell out of the hole feet first, with my feet slamming and destroying the skull of a moving skeleton. The crunch was audible, and every zombie turned to me simultaneously. The skeletons turned a second later. Green eyes glowed, and I felt the mana on each of them start to turn, and weapons moved as they attacked with cutlass made of iron or steel.

Rotting faces looked at me, and their steel moved, and I felt a thrilling move through me as wood hit my feet. My mind reached those old mats I used when I was a kid in my old world. The need to pit me against others in combat, and I felt myself smile as the mana roared inside me. The whirlpools spun faster, and my immense mana pool gathered the mana as I pictured the first true attack spell of the fight.

Wind.

Wind blasted around me with sonic speed, and Skeletons shattered in the front rows as the wind overcame the mana that was moving their bodies. The zombies closest to me blasted back into other skeletons, and zombies hit them over like pins, and bodies hit the water.

I just landed, though, and leaped forward, and a blast of thermite blew up in the zombie's face as I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second while I also used mana to dampen the light around my eyes. I didn't stop with one thermite explosion as I closed on more groups of zombies; I released more while dampening the light so the brightness wouldn't blind me. I held the image while simultaneously fueling my body as more steel came toward me. My fist would meet those blasting the weapons away or crushing their skulls in blasting rotting brain matter or bone meal across the deck.

Explosions rang only for a couple of seconds, and I cleared half the deck when I felt my spine tingle and heard a cute chuckle. "hehe," Started to ring around the deck, filling my ears. The soft feminine chuckle continued to ring when the door toward the rowers opened. My eyes widened when I saw the entry of the person that came up.

Their skin was pale blue, and their lips purple. Their face wasn't rotting like a zombie, but I could only equate that this person was also a lich of a different variety. Their eyes were entirely black with purple pupils that were oddly cute on that pale blue face. Then I realized with the slight increase on the chest that this might be a woman when the feminine voice chuckled again. "hehe," Her voice said strangely, echoing in my ears. "A bunny kin wizard? Or a warrior?" She said, her voice curious, "I feel that your mana is a general wizard, but your fighting style is that of a warrior."

The zombies and the skeletons stopped moving and departed to the sides, and the woman or thing chuckled as she stepped further on the deck. With the general lay down of arms, I found even the boat no longer continued to row forward. "Interesting," The thing chuckled. "I have a proposal for you, bunny-kin Wizard."

My spine tingled as I gazed upon the pale blue thing before me, but my curiosity was also sparked. "What is this proposal?" I asked.

"I propose a fight between us, bunny-kin. A fight not to the death but till the other admits defeat. For I do not wish to die otherwise, I would never make myself a lich." The thing said with a chuckle as if laughing at an inside joke. "The winner submits to the loser completely."

A chill went up my spine, and bright white teeth shone from the mouth of the pale blue Lich declared. "If you win, I will give you what binds me to life, and if I win, I wish to leave these seas and go back to land with the protection of someone powerful like the person on the boat in front of us has."

Shock rolled through me as this Lich could detect the A rank Queen Mira from this distance which was something even I struggled to do if I focused completely on it. "Oh?" I said, my brain racing.

"I know we must fight, but will you submit to this proposal? If not, I will toss my phylactery and fight you to the death in order to avenge myself and my troubles. What say you Bunny-kin?" the Lich asked, setting the table for the proposal.

I felt my mind race, but there was only one answer I could think of in the end. In either case, we fought; in either case, she would end up dead or coming to land. It was such an interesting proposal that I couldn't help but start to laugh. "You win or lose in either case. Either we fight to the death, and you die, and I survive with as many injuries as you can give me before my friend kills you. Or you come to landfall as you want with your proposal. The only thing that changes is who is submissive to whom." I declare.

"A Wizard who can spot the obvious!" The Lich said, chuckling. "At least your mental faculties stay intact when talking to a Lich. Not every one of our strengths can do so." The Lich declared.

I looked over the Lich again as we spoke, and my mind raced. The Lich was pale blue-skinned, which was something I had to admit I didn't know was possible for Liches. The black pupils with purple were seemingly cute on its face. It was chilling as black hair flowed down the Liches back, and ripped black cloth barely covered the bump that some would call a carpenters dream. That black cloth fell like a dress down the Liches waist, allowing two pale blue legs to show. This Lich didn't have a rotting part on its body which wasn't what I saw when I first encountered a Lich.

Still, why were there so many Liches on the waters these days?

The question I thought didn't matter at this moment, and I couldn't help but chuckle as I came to a decision to change the deal a little. "I will change the bet slightly," I said, "We will fight, but if I win, I want your devotion and your phylactery that binds your life. If you win, I will convince the powerful people behind me to protect you as long as you do not massacre in our lands and convert our dead."

The Lich showed surprise, and their expression was thoughtful. Those purple and black eyes closed, and her smile grew on purple lips. She broke out in a small smile. "Then we shall fight with that as our witness. Isn't that right?" The Lich said before looking up in the sky to her right, and I turned to look at what she was looking at.

Queen Mira floated in the sky overlooking us both, and her smile was bright. "Ah, Lich, you are a powerful one indeed. I will watch over this and assist the winner in claiming the prize under Chelsea's proposal, as you have agreed, Lich. But you may only be broken apart once and not regenerate endlessly, Lich." Mira spoke; her expression was serious.

"Very well," The Lich replied, their smile bright. "I say," The Lich began after a pause, "I believe you may also provide a signal to start our combat." The Lich finished looking at Mira.

Mira nodded, "I shall provide the signal then," Mira responded, looking to me, "One ring of the bell that I conjure, and combat begins."

My mind caught up to itself, and I let my mind concentrate. In this fight, I was the underdog. I had no idea of the abilities of the other, and she didn't understand mine but had seen more information of me than I had of her. I was on guard, and I was ready to fight.

I powered my body with my mana, and I smiled. I remembered all those matches in my past life and felt the thrill coming back from pitting myself against someone else.

I settled myself in to fight as I waited seemingly forever for the signal.