It was high noon on the day before Vivica would begin her attack. Jeremiah stood outside the gates of Dramir, struggling to drag a wheeled chest across open ground. He had sent an official message, requesting to meet with Vivica in the no-man`s land between the walls of Dramir and the siege line. Now she watched with her arms crossed as he struggled to roll the chest over the uneven ground.

　　Behind her, the barbarian army looked on with interest.

　　The chest caught on a root, forcing Jeremiah to push it backwards a few inches before pulling it again. The chest was impossibly heavy, even after the lightness enchantment had been placed on it. He was drenched in sweat. Even as he struggled, a quick mental check showed everything to be progressing as planned. The timing would need to be perfect, and that meant he had to get the chest moving again. Feeling Vivica`s keen eyes on him made him question everything he thought he knew. He doubted his entire plan, wondered if he`d misjudged something about her. A part of him wished she would surprise him and the day could end without bloodshed. But it was a wish with no real hope behind it, so he kept pulling.

　　"That`s close enough," she called. He was still about fifteen feet away, but glad for the opportunity to rest. The chest was as long as he was tall, but also broad and deep, solid steel and wrapped in reinforcing iron bands. "Let me guess, you`ve decided to join me and that`s your wardrobe?" She flashed a half smile.

　　"No, I haven`t. I`ve come to resolve this conflict. To make things right."

　　"That implies you understand what`s wrong."

　　"Yes. I read about the murders. And about after. Gods, Vivica, I`m so sorry. It was a gross miscarriage of justice and decency. I have the king`s apology as well. He felt immense shame for his city upon hearing what happened."

　　"Doesn`t change anything, but nice to hear nonetheless." Vivica gestured to the chest, "And that is?"

　　"An amends," said Jeremiah, fighting to keep his tone even. He threw open the heavy lid.

　　The contents of the chest were blinding in the midday sun. Vivica instinctively shielded her eyes. Jeremiah reached inside and lifted out a heavy gleaming brick.

　　"Solid platinum," he said. "There are a ton of these in here. Each is worth tens of thousands of gold. They`re meant for trading between banks and royalty." He returned it to the chest with a metallic thud and held a gleaming red gem aloft. "This is the Heart of the Crown, largest cut ruby in the world. I`ve got a grain sack full of diamonds in here too. We`ve got the Mace of Argong the Unrelenting, an artifact that can cause earthquakes. The Glass Dagger, supposedly so sharp it can cut steel as easy as paper. The Black Envelope, which contains a secret so profound it can only be read once. This here is a&a vial of star-something, I can`t remember."

　　Vivica cut him off as he reached for the next priceless artifact. "Thorn, you must be joking. Why do you think any of this would interest me?"

　　"This chest is Dramir`s power. It`s being offered to you to show how serious the kingdom is about making this right. This is the wealth of nobles, merchant lords, the secret chambers of the palace itself. We pilfered Dramir`s banks dry, save for minor coinage that didn`t make the cut. At this moment, there is more money outside the walls than within them."

　　"Wow. All that effort for a bribe."

　　"Not a bribe, a means to fix things. With this chest, you could be the most powerful noble in the kingdom. In all the kingdoms. There`s a royal pardon for you and everyone in your army, writs of ownership for several keeps and castles, land deeds. You can influence policy, stick up for the little guy. They`re giving you the power to change Dramir however you want."

　　Vivica stepped towards him, glowering. "I told you, I don`t want power. Did you really think I`d give up everything I`ve achieved for the chance to become a player in their little game? To become exactly what I`ve set out to destroy?"

　　"Then redistribute the wealth as you see fit," Jeremiah said. "Vivica, please just consider that there`s another path!"

　　"And how convenient that those who benefited from the system for generations would escape punishment yet again," said Vivica. "How fitting that their wealth would once more buy their exemption from justice. I thought you better than this, Thorn. I thought perhaps you would understand."

　　"But I do understand!" Jeremiah said. "You`re angry, and I`m angry too. I hate what they did to you. I hate what they did to me. There`s a few people with a death grip on the system, but they`re not worth the total destruction of the city."

　　"Yes, they are! " Vivica said, doing something angry and frustrated. "They built this monstrosity from the ground up. It exists to serve them." She smiled piteously at him, but her body was still tense with anger, "It`s okay if you don`t want to join me Thorn, that`s okay. I don`t think you`re cut out for what`s about to happen. All I need you to do is stand aside, I`ll take of everything."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

　　Jeremiah shook his head. "I can`t do that. There`s a sickness behind those walls, I know that. But don`t throw out the good with the bad. The city can-"

　　"The city is beyond saving! I sent you to the Archives so you could see for yourself how deep the rot goes. The only cure is to cut it out, and that`s what I intend to do."

　　"Vivica, please!" Desperation tinged his voice. If only he could figure out the right thing to say, he could stop the violence about to occur. "You`ve seen the worst this city has to offer, and you`re right to despise it. Just...just please believe that it can be better! We can change it, together!"

　　"I`m going to change it. And everything and everyone that stands between me and Dramir is just as guilty."

　　Her eyes flashed as she advanced on him, her anger carrying her more than half the distance between them. Jeremiah heard a distant twang, and then an arrow plunged into Vivica`s right eye. Her head whipped backwards as the arrow punched out the back of her skull.

　　Far behind Jeremiah, Bruno threw aside a grass covered cloak. Magic bow in hand, he fled toward Dramir as fast as his legs could carry him. Vivica`s army cried out and loosed their own arrows, but few shots even neared their mark.

　　Vivica`s good eye glared at Jeremiah. She raised a fist and stilled the army behind her. Snapping the end of arrow shaft in where it penetrated her eye, she drew the rest of the arrow through the hole in her skull. Just like the knife, it left no evidence of injury.

　　"An assassination attempt. Your backup plan, maybe your plan all along, was to shoot me with an arrow." She unsheathed the magic blade at her back.

　　The hatred and betrayal on her face broke Jeremiah`s heart, as he was sure he was breaking hers. But she had left him no choice. "Not just any arrow," he said. "It was tipped with a particularly powerful poison. Poison from a particularly powerful toad. Poison that, right now, is probably freezing you solid."

　　"Not a chance." She started towards him again, blade in hand. A mere five feet away now.

　　"Except maybe it is," Jeremiah begged. "Vivica, please listen. Maybe it is working. Maybe if you just stop now and hold still, you`ll find that you can`t continue. I can bring you back to the palace. You won`t betray your men. I know Dramir`s not perfect, but what is? Maybe you can just be paralyzed and come with me." Almost there. Please Vivica, don`t make me do this.

　　He hesitated a moment too long. Vivica closed the last of the distance between them in an instant and thrust her blade deep into Jeremiah`s stomach. There was no pain, but Jeremiah lurched forward, clutching her armor. The lid of the chest fell shut with finality, its treasures locked within. He became aware of a quivering sensation in his stomach, an intense spreading heat. Some small part of his rapidly diminishing mind knew his guts were cooking in the magic heat of the sword.

　　Come.

　　"You blind, stupid man," she hissed. "They finally broke you. You`re not just an enslaved weapon in their arsenal, you`re a willing servant to their hypocrisy and tyranny." She lifted his drooping chin. Jeremiah gagged up blood, splattering her face.

　　Closer. Faster.

　　He mouthed the words but no sound came out, only flecks of blood. Black spots danced in front of him, obscuring her demonic glare. He willed her to understand anyway. He needed her to understand.

　　"I trusted you," she said. "I believed in you. Nothing ever made me doubt myself, before you. Thank you, Jeremiah Thorn, for finally showing me what you really are, what you have been this entire time." Jeremiah`s grip tightened as pain started to follow the fire inside him.

　　Then Vivica`s eyes widened. She whispered, "But&that`s not what happened, is it? You`re not really their lap dog, are you?" She looked to the chest of treasures, sighed, and closed her eyes. She pressed her forehead to Jeremiah`s.

　　He couldn`t speak. He was barely there.

　　"Is it too late?"

　　The ground at their feet quivered, buckled. Jeremiah nodded a fraction of an inch.

　　They felt the earth sag beneath them.

　　"We could have done great things together&" They were falling. The ground dropped away beneath them, revealing a deep tunnel filled with grasping, clawing undead. Hunks of dirt fell into the bony vortex of limbs beneath them.

　　Pull.

　　They seized Vivica`s legs and pulled her downward. She was ripped away from him and Jeremiah fell to the ground, clinging to the edge of earth that remained. Then he reached for her. He didn`t know why. She grasped his hand. Time stood still as she stared at him, grudging admiration in her eyes.

　　More decayed hands seized her now, pulling hard. She gripped Jeremiah`s arm. She`s trying to take me with her, Jeremiah thought. So be it. I deserve at least that much.

　　But Vivica was pulling herself higher, kicking viciously at the creatures grabbing at her. In one final burst of effort she surged upwards, above the lip of the pit. She released Jeremiah and grabbed the handle of the wheeled chest that balanced on the pit`s edge. The fragile earth gave way, and the huge chest fell, narrowly missing Jeremiah where he clung to the edge with the little strength he had left. The chest followed Vivica down into the depths of reaching, writhing undead, where both disappeared from view.

　　Bury.

　　The deepest undead dug deeper, and the undead above began pulling earth down around them. Then a spear of golden light arced upwards from the mass of bodies and earth. It splashed against Jeremiah, and his stomach instantly began to twist and knot, his flesh knitting itself back together. The pain in his guts receded as he entombed his enemy.

　　Dig.

　　The mass of undead continued downward. The earth beneath Jeremiah stopped shifting. He rested face down in the dirt and willed his undead to keep digging, to never stop dragging her deeper and deeper into the earth. Then footsteps, hundreds of them. He looked up, expecting to see Vivica`s army bearing down, prepared to kill him and dig for their commander. But they were scrambling backwards, reforming a defensive line.

　　The first of the cavalry leapt over Jeremiah`s head. A massive, armored steed bearing a massive, armored rider. Fifty more horsemen streamed past Jeremiah towards the barbarian line, forming a charging wall of muscle and steel, their lances coated with viscous purple poison.

　　The cavalry smashed into the barbarians army. Lances ripped into a giant, who howled and collapsed as his legs were split by poisoned steel. He swatted at the horsemen in rage until a single rider thrust a lance through the roof of giant`s mouth and into his brain. The giant spasmed and fell still. Jeremiah recognized the rider`s magic armor.

　　The armored cavalry broke through the line. Allison wheeled her horse around to lead the charge through them again. With a heavy heart, Jeremiah witnessed Dramir`s triumphant victory and the death of Vivica`s dream.