Dustin and Paulo fought off countless living carcasses as they combed the Innutukian capital for Tanuk's cursed presence. Up and down the streets they searched, clambering atop rooftops and exploring all the spots Paulo recalled him taking comfort in when they visited the city in days gone by. Nowhere did they find him, and as the minutes dragged on, Dustin's heart grew anxious for the companions he'd left behind in the graveyard.

Finally, they resolved to search the palace, which proved a test of their skills individually and together. Clearing the locked gates, breaching the palace's undead defendants, and working through its labyrinthian innards all served as a thorough trial. Neither man's resolve faltered, however; both harbored their own deep-seated need to bring justice on Tanuk's head.

So at last, they came to the throne room doors. Snatching a pair of war hammers from guards they'd recently dismantled, they set to work breaking inside. Blow after blow cracked the doors, then began to cave the wood in, and then finally smashed a hole through. They enlarged the hole with a few more hits before crouching through and entering the forbidden depths of the Innutukian palace.

For all the gruesome sights he had seen that day, Dustin still managed to be shocked at the spectacle that was the throne room. Heaps of what appeared to be slain common folk slumped over each other on either side of the carpet leading up to the throne. And unlike the skeletal warriors standing at attention between the piles, these bodies were truly, irrevocably dead.

Immediately in front of the throne, Dustin recognized two bodies in particular. Sir Simien Wade lay splayed out on the floor with his chest ripped asunder and tattered organs clearly in view. And beside the murdered knight of Monterayne lay Emperor Barukentaken himself. No wonder he'd never peeked out to negotiate with the siege force for as long as they'd maintained the effort.

Dustin's gaze finally rose to the throne itself, where Tanuk had seated himself comfortably amongst the carnage. A crooked grin split his narrow face, devilish eyes darting between Dustin and Paulo as he leaned against one of the armrests. The emperor's crown sat askew upon his scalp, as if he'd been too busy massacring the city's populace to get it fitted.

"Their deaths were not without meaning, so worry not." Tanuk intoned, "Ibis required quite a sacrifice before he would grant me skill to sound his horn. Quite worth it in the end though, wouldn't you say?"

"If it was a moment of pleasure you desired before meeting your maker, then I suppose I can understand." Dustin said.

"Oh, a lesser man would shudder in his boots at such words. But I am no lesser man."

"You'll be only a body in the pile when we're through with you!" Paulo blurted out, "You and I have unfinished business."

"I was foolish not to render you finished business when last we met. How sloppy of me."

"Wouldn't be your first mistake."

Tanuk let out a hearty laugh as he rose to his feet. The burgundy cloak rustled with his movements, its flapping serving as the only sound in the deathly quiet of the throne room.

"Do you not see the error of your ways, my boy?" Tanuk asked, "You doubt me for a second, and you turn to a Rickland instead? This man beside you was born from the seed of deceit, from the very bowels of—"

"The seed of deceit? That's you! All my life, I thought myself a child with no mother, and all because you made it so. I looked to you as my savior, but all you wanted from me was a weapon to use against Monterayne."

Dustin cleared his throat. "It would appear your allegiance even to the emperor himself was only a matter of convenience. Lord Tanuk, you must be the loneliest man ever to live, for you seem unable to maintain any relationship that isn't solely one created for your benefit."

"A life on the streets will do that to a man." Tanuk said, "Love, honor, devotion...none of them matter on a famished stomach."

Paulo growled, hand twitching over the hilt of his sword. "My father tried to teach you a better way. You never learned his greatest lesson."

"And you never learned mine."

"Which was...?"

"Never expose your back to the enemy."

While Paulo frowned and asked for clarification, Dustin jumped into action. He spun about, and sure enough, Tanuk's dagger flew through the air behind them, propelled by magic and heading for Paulo's spine. He tugged his sword from its scabbard just in time to knock the incoming blade aside.

"It occurs to me..." Dustin began, "...your ceaseless treachery will be your downfall, Lord Tanuk. By uniting enemies, you've only doomed yourself to fail when they turn on you."

"I seem to do just fine on my own."

The dagger leapt back off the floor, moved by Tanuk's sorcery. While Dustin deflected it again, a clang of swords sounded out behind him. He twirled to see Paulo and Tanuk had crossed blades. Each man pushed against the other with bared teeth, arms quivering from the strain. Spotting an opening in Tanuk, Dustin darted out to take advantage.

But magic made for an unpredictable ally at Tanuk's disposal. His burgundy cloak peeled off his body and wrapped itself around Dustin's sword hand. After redirecting his momentum so he stumbled into one of the stone pillars, the cloak unfurled. It spread itself out before him as if inviting a stab.

Dustin took the bait. A committed thrust lost him his sword, for the cloak wrapped tightly around the blade and flew off to deposit the weapon on the opposite side of the throne room. Next, the dagger returned, spinning through the air at dizzying speeds. Dustin rolled underneath and came up not far from Paulo and Tanuk's skirmish.

With a flying kick, Dustin caused Tanuk's leg to buckle. Paulo's sword raced for an opening, but the cloak took him away. When Tanuk hopped back to his feet and faced Dustin, who still had no weapon at his disposal, he grinned.

Growing desperate, Dustin ripped his scabbard off his belt and used it to catch Tanuk's blade. He let go with one hand so the weapon could slide off, and then he jabbed his foe squarely in the sternum. Tanuk stumbled away, plunged into a fit of coughing. Before Dustin could follow up with a second attack, the cloak swept him aside.

Tumbling to the ground right beside the heap of bodies, Dustin could only watch as Tanuk descended on Paulo in the fullness of his fury. Blows without number barraged Paulo's defenses, and he clearly faltered several times. He kept up with his former teacher's assault, but barely.

Dustin raced through the shadows, retrieved his sword, and erupted from the darkness to stab into Tanuk's ribs. He twirled aside in the nick of time, however, and Dustin almost stabbed Paulo instead. Forced to cross swords with his new comrade to save his life, Paulo frowned.

Putting the near miss behind them, they attacked Tanuk together. Even with the cloak and dagger at his disposal, they attacked him with such ferocity he couldn't concentrate on the swordplay at hand while also performing his magic tricks. Several times, the dagger quivered in its place on the ground, only to drop back down when the two youths attacked him in concert once more.

Dustin came in with a high slash from the left, while Paulo attacked low, to the right. With Tanuk pinned against a pillar, he had no choice but to take one of the hits and only deflect the other. He caught Dustin's sword in his crossguard, and Paulo enjoyed the catharsis of his blade eating deep into the flesh of Tanuk's belly.

Of course, his victory was short-lived, as before he could follow up, the dagger took flight in earnest and slashed once more into the bundle of bandages on his thigh. That wound would never heal, Dustin thought ruefully as he watched the wailing swordsman drop to his knees. He resolved to fight Tanuk so skillfully he would give Paulo time to recover.

Dustin's onslaught engaged Tanuk's mind thoroughly, as he blurred his blade. Attacks came from every angle, from every position. Where he feinted low, he struck high, and when a slash appeared to be leftward-bound, it would pivot to the right. Somehow, Tanuk managed to adapt quickly enough, but the bombardment still stole all his focus.

Sure enough, Paulo limped back into the fray. Adding a third combatant to the roster only made things more hectic, and Tanuk's concentration visibly frayed. He growled and hopped backward, onto the throne.

With a flailing of his arms, he summoned the cloak and dagger to himself. The cloak swept Dustin cleanly off his feet, causing him to hit his head on the hard floor. Dazed, he watched as the dagger pinned Paulo's hand to the ground. Paulo squirmed in agony while Tanuk leapt high, sword poised to strike a beheading blow.