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The Lovers' Boneyard Skirmish

On opposite sides of the world there was a couple, a boy and a girl. They loved each other dearly, but the only catch was, they were never allowed to see each other. But not all hope was lost, there was a way for them to meet, but that method was full of hardship, intense labor, and strife. They hated the way that they had to meet, but no other way was possible. They were given a chance by a powerful force that had been watching over them since the beginning. They were allowed to embrace, but only within The Boneyard Skirmish.


Prologue: Realization and Reanimation

It was nearing the end of the day, and as usual, Devon and Lindsey were on the phone telling each other about their day, what they plan to do the next day, funny things that had happened, and of course, expressing their love to each other. They felt their love was stronger than any other couple's could ever be. But they were looked down upon because of one major flaw: They had never met in person. They of course knew how the other looked because of pictures that they had sent back and forth, but... They longed to hold each other, kiss each other, lean on each others shoulder when they were sad... But they couldn't, their families were from two totally different areas and the distance was immense. Travel was nearly impossible, but they didn't want to let go of each other. They vowed that they would stay together even if it meant that it would be forever before they saw each other.

It was nearing two in the morning and the couple was nearing exhaustion. They said farewell for the night and told each other they loved one another before hanging up. Neither knew it, but they both hesitated for a second before hanging up. “I love you” They both repeated, not wanting to hang up even though they were both dead tired. They knew it wouldn't help, but they would often talk about how much they wanted to see the other and give scenarios about when they could meet. At times it seemed like there was hope, but they knew it would still be hard. They remained on the phone for another half hour before finally hanging up, wishing more than ever to see each other, if only for a second. “I promise that one day we will be together Lindsey...” She smiled and the night was over.
A few thousand miles away a figure in a long pure black cloak was walking through a graveyard. The figure stopped at various gravestones and placed a hand over the names of them. A black fog-like stream crawled over his hands and into the cloak. The figures eyes grew wide as he absorbed the energy, as if in realization. Immediately after he stood up from examining the gravestone, about a dozen skeletal figures began to walk toward him slowly, arms forward. The skeletons were a pale brownish color and covered from head to toe in bronze armor. “Ugh, your kind is so annoying...” The cloaked figure sighed as he raised a finger and the hinges of the armor snapped, causing the skeletons to collapse due to its own shift in weight. The cloaked figure walked over the remains, crushing the bones under his feet as he left the graveyard. As he closed the gates he looked back and saw the remains had vanished. He sucked his teeth and chuckled... “I don't have time for this...”

Back at his house, Devon was thinking about Lindsey and thought he would grab a bite to eat before he went to bed. He walked into the kitchen and fixed himself a peanut butter and banana sandwich and some grapes. Holding the plate in one hand and the bowl in the other he returned to his room. On his way back, he went to the sink in the bathroom to rinse them off, and tripped over the bathroom mat. After a loud smack on the linoleum, Devon looked up and saw that the grapes went everywhere, in the toilet, on the floor, and even a few went in the garbage can. “Dammit, I guess clumsiness isn't something you just grow out of... crap” Devon hated being clumsy and knew that it would cause problems later on in his life, but he still tried to manage the best he could. Frustrated with himself he cleaned up and ate only his sandwich, and quickly went to bed.

Meanwhile, Lindsey was about to go to sleep herself when she realized that she had forgotten she was making tea. She quickly ran to the kitchen and pulled out her mug and quickly felt that it had lost all it's heat. Frustrated with forgetting to take the mug out as soon as it finished again, she reheated the water and waited. She sat down at the table and put her head down while she waited. After the microwave loudly announced it was finished, she proceeded to make her tea. With a warm stomach, Lindsey finally went to bed.

As they both closed their eyes and fell asleep, they were both unaware that their room was being sealed off from the outside world. A thick black fog covered the rooms of the couple and both Lindsey and Devon as well. After the fog cleared the room was empty and the couple was relocated thousands of miles away. The smoke cleared and Devon and Lindsey were lying face down in the middle of a room, unconscious. Devon began to slowly come to and he noticed there was a girl on the opposite end of the room. He ran over to her and nudged her gently, “Hey, hey, are you ok?” She grimaced and slowly sat upright and looked at Devon with wide eyes. They sat looking at each other for a good minute and a half. “Lindsey?” “Devon? Oh my god, it is you!” A lot of questions ran through their heads, like why are they here in this dark room, how did they get here, but they didn't care. They were holding each other finally. After all this time, they were together, even though they didn't know why...

After about an hour of chatting, embracing, kissing, and familiarizing themselves with each other, they finally stood up and began to look around and try to find out where they are. It was in vain of course, the entire room was black and they couldn't see anything except each other. Before they reached a state of panic, a draft entered the room and along with the chill that crept up their spines, a black figure entered from who knows where. The figure walked up to them and removed his hood, revealing the face of a child with eyes that were colored entirely gold. The child kept his hands to his sides and didn't look to be more than ten years old. When he spoke, it invoked fear in the couple for some reason. His voice was that of an adult and even though his figure was tiny, he had a powerful stage presence that couldn't be ignored.

“First, I guess I'll start with 'Any questions?'” He addressed them as if they were previously briefed on some impossible task. Devon stepped in front of Lindsey, protecting her, and asked “Who are you?” The child smiled and the couple could see his teeth and his forked tongue that poked out between them. “I am the Arch Lich, the Death Master, the guardian of all earthly vessels once the souls have departed from them, and my name is Vorchist.” Devon let out his breath that he had been holding since the child walked into the room and coughed and choked, not realizing his anxiety and worry for what was happening. “Ah, I see... You aren't quite sure what to believe, you know i'm not normal yet you don't believe what I tell you...” The child spat as he saw Devon lose his composure. Lindsey held him tighter and rubbed his back, just as confused as he is but wanting to know more. “Why are we here?” She asked, feeling more and more uncomfortable by the second. Vorchist frowned before he gave his answer.

“I have brought you here for two reasons, the first should be fairly obvious...” they looked at each other in confusion and then back at him. “I've been watching you two, and I must say, I have never seen determination quite like yours. You two have been dating indirectly for over half a year, is that correct? I thought I would be doing you two a favor by bringing you together.” Vorchist sounded like he was defending himself, and Devon didn't want to sound ungrateful so he thanked him, but he also knew that life wasn't that simple, a complete stranger doesn't do good deeds if he doesn't think he's going to get something out of it. Devon's tone grew low as he addressed Vorchist. “Thank you, this is more than we could have hoped for. I have longed to hold her since we first started dating, but I have to ask, what is it you want?”

Vorchist smiled widely, showing every single one of his teeth. His tongue flicked over his teeth as if he had previously eaten the best meal of his life. “It's good to know that I've made the right choice, at least you aren't stupid or naïve. I've brought you here because simply put, my power has been sapped and I need help getting it back. I have no idea how it happened, but my power has been spread across various cemeteries across the world. I have asked many different people for help and they are guarding different cemeteries in different places, but I still need more help. If you help me, I'll be more than happy to let you two reunite whenever I need your help.”

Devon thought long and hard about the request, Vorchist did sound genuine, but at the same time, he had a sinister vibe to him that just didn't seem right. Lindsey on the other hand was somewhat conflicted. She was terrified of him, but at the same time wouldn't mind helping him if it meant she could be with Devon. The one thing they did know for sure is that if they didn't do as the Arch Lich asked, they wouldn't see each other. Devon and Lindsey held each other, kissed, and turned to Vorchist and asked “What do we have to do?” Vorchist smiled again and snapped his fingers.

Behind him four images appeared to float in the air, one in the shape of an ice cube, one the shape of a small bolt, another that looked like a circle, and the last one was a mass of fire. Vorchist pointed to each one. “Choose which ever one you like best, because once you've made your decision, you cannot change it.” The couple stepped forward to the images next to Vorchist and stood next to the one they wanted. Devon chose the lightning bolt, while Lindsey stepped toward the ice cube. Vorchist clapped happily and the images began to move toward them. The symbols came to a rest on their chests and dissolved until they disappeared. Vorchist looked at them both and chuckled in amusement at their expressions. “Get some rest you two, because starting tomorrow... you begin. Every night if you are successful, you will be transported here to rest before your next task. But until then, enjoy your time together and be thankful for this opportunity.” With that, he vanished slowly in a puff of black fog and behind us a large black bed appeared. Their first reaction was confusion and amazement, but after calming down a bit, they laid down on the bed, embraced, and talked about tomorrow.