Trezlan always knew he'd have to kill Aelanes. It was one of those things he set aside in his mind "Oh and kill Aelanes", a check box hanging out there. He knew he had to kill him before the red war, after the red war he definitely knew he'd have to do it. But like any other long term maintenance issue, you keep ignoring it hoping something or someone else gets there before you do. Trezlan understood that Aelanes had the same condition that Morley did and that he somehow avoided. He just assumed it was their asshole nature that kept them dying over and over again while he lived mostly unscathed, but that seemed like a polite fiction with reality probably being something else entirely.
Aelanes's lair was unnaturally clean. He had taken residence at the top of a building he personally owned and every hallway was devoid of color, just a stark white metal. No windows, no paintings, no humanity whatsoever. Trezlan could sense that something was wrong, there was so much magical power in the building, but nothing that he could directly see. It was like he could sense the trap, but not see it yet.
"I'm so glad you came." It was a huge open room with a skylight, just as white and empty as the rest. Aelanes was standing in the middle, surrounded by elaborate blood runes. Trezlan sucked in his breath a little bit, Aelanes had effectively turned himself into a huge necromantic bomb.
"Well your invitation was so hard to ignore, though I do have to say you've looked better." Aelanes's entire face was covered in boils, it was similar to the malady that affected Morley, but not the same type, it seemed each man suffered a unique horror which made Trezlan wonder where his necromancy showed its damage.
"Do you like my runes? I looked them all up, I believe you've used some of them even." The runes were more brute than anything else, Trezlan had used the type of magic several times, but never overlapped like Aelanes had done.
"I have to wonder how much damage that will cause when you set it off."
"Enough to kill the whole planet, that is unless you want to help me Trezlan, do you want a whole planet on your conscience?"
"Well I've already got a whole galaxy, what's one more planet?"
"YOU SHOULD DIE! YOU SHOULD SUFFER!!!!!" Aelanes flexed his power, the runes started shining bright, he was close to blowing everything up, Trezlan had to think on his feet or he'd be not making that evening shuttle off planet.
"I get that you're upset Aelanes, no one told you the dangers of necromancy and here you are hundreds of years later feeling that tearing away at you, but no one also told you something really important about necromancy..." Trezlan acted quickly and drew the pistol, and fired once, the bullet hit Aelanes in the middle of his torso, not a kill shot by any means.
"You doddering old fool, what does shooting me have to do with necromancy."
"Oh that we get our power from a higher power who's not too fond of us normally." Aelanes was going to say something when his face was suddenly sucked in on itself. His entire body followed shortly there after. Hanlon clapped behind Trezlan.
"Bravo, I loved that bit at the end."
"That's another one you owe me Hanlon."
"I'll put it on your bill of things you owe me Lorentino, neat trick putting one of my runes on your bullet."
"You did tell me your ordinarily can't find them, so I figured much like the Fire God highlighting where one is would get you to come calling."
"Naturally, you look good, though I guess you'd rather I leave."
"I'd hope you can untangle all of those runes or the rest of this planet will go along with poor stupid Aelanes." With a wave of his hands the blood runes were gone, Hanlon always had a lack of thing for theatrics.
"It's good to see you Trezlan, if only for a little bit, son's looking good as well."
"Stay away from the boy Hanlon."
"Oh Trezlan, if he's anything like you he'll be knocking on my door soon enough." Hanlon disappeared and Trezlan was moderately annoyed, ever since he learned of what Hanlon really was, the man only got more obnoxious not less.
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