Rend Hope by Josh Webb, Clayscence

dully.  The red-haired youth saw the gem and his face paled, He immediately stopped his charge.
                  The gem was a bloodstone, a magical object that was able to absorb a person's soul.  This particular gem was about the size of Ebrim's palm, it glowed a dull red color as it rested in his hand.  Once a person's soul was sealed in a bloodstone their body entered a type of coma and remained in it until the soul was restored.  However, if the bloodstone is somehow destroyed while a soul resides within it, then the soul would be lost, with no chance of getting it back.
                  "Maybe you will, but not today." Ebrim responded to Benjamin's verbal threat.  "I've enjoyed our little skirmish Benjamin, but now it's time I got back to my work." The necromancer announced, gripping the red gem tightly.  "Unless, of course, you wish to continue?  I really have no problem with that.  Just let me crush this pesky bloodstone real quick..." He trailed off as he added pressure to his left hand.
                  "Don't." Benjamin quickly said, hating himself for how weak his voice sounded.  The bloodstone in Ebrim's hand was holding his sister's soul.  If it was destroyed, her soul would be lost and she'd be stuck in her coma, between life and death, forever.  Benjamin could not bear that thought.  More than ever he wanted to kill Ebrim, but as long as he held that bloodstone, he had to do whatever the older man said.  So far he had done a lot of things, things that haunted his dreams and plagued him with guilt.  The red-haired youth's hands balled into fists, one day Ebrim would get sloppy and when he did, Benjamin would make him suffer.
                  "I'll stop, just leave it alone." The young geomancer added, referring to the bloodstone.  The damned necromancer would pay for everything he had done to him and his family, but for now, Benjamin had to do what the bastard said and bide his time.  Ebrim grinned evilly and placed the bloodstone back in its pouch.
                  "Good boy." The dark-haired man praised, talking to Benjamin like he was talking to an obedient dog.  The red-haired magi seethed, but didn't verbally retort.  Instead he magically removed the massive stone gauntlet on his right hand, causing it to vanish into thin air.  "Now that you are here Benjamin, I got some gifts I would like you to deliver."  Ebrim made his way back down to the basement, motioning for Benjamin to follow.  The youth reluctantly complied.
                  "Gifts?  That's bullshit, don't sugarcoat this.  What am I delivering and where?" Benjamin asked tersely as they walked back down the stairs.  Ebrim laughed loudly.
                  "Apologies Benjamin, I didn't mean to upset you.  I really do believe that these are gifts.  Sure, the people I'm giving them to won't see it that way, at least not at first." The necromancer explained.  Benjamin could see the madness in the older man's eyes, it was unnerving.  "But they will in time see that what I am doing is giving them the greatest gift of all.  A gift of eternal life, free of pain and hunger."  Ebrim stepped aside so Benjamin could get a good look at the central part of the western wall.  He quickly wished that he could rip the memory of what stood before him out of his brain and burn it.
                  He was too busy with his assault to really notice what Ebrim was working on in the basement.  Now he had to fight to keep the contents of his stomach down as he saw piles of flesh flow like liquid, forming into the beginnings of what looked like humanoid forms.  The stench of necromancy was thick through the air as well as the more physical stench of the dead.  Occasionally he'd hear a loud snap as Ebrim's spell forced the mound of flesh to begin forming bones and cartilage.  Benjamin turned toward the dark-haired man.
                  "You