Black blood dripped from Edwyn’s stump as he screamed and stomped about raising dust. Meera recalled her chakrams and attached them to her back. The green Crystal of Darthin was still held by Edwyn’s hand in a vice grip. His fingers had not slackened despite the arm not being attached to his body.

She had taken a step toward the Crystal when Edwyn roared, making the whole cavern shake. Meera tried to reach for her chakrams only to find she couldn’t.

The bastard’s used a Dreadful Wail.

Edwyn raged and screamed. “My arm! My precious arm. Now, you die, little thief.”

Meera tried to move her limbs. Anything that would move, but nothing did. Edwyn snapped his head to her in a rage.

“I will skin you alive and use it to stitch my arm back together.” He came closer, taking his time, knowing he had secured victory.

All the possibilities ran through her head on what she could do to save herself and her friends, who, too, were locked in place. From where she was, she could see them clearly on the second floor. Shade and Cinders couldn’t even shake and shiver like they were doing before. Onyx’s light was still going strong and pushing their darkness away.

Meera tried to frown but couldn’t, but this put an idea into her head. I wonder…

With her enhanced vision, she found a mirror on the far side of the second floor and used that as her jump target. In the next moment, she was standing facing a tunnel. She could still see behind her thanks to Mirror Eagle’s Perceptivity, but she had done it. She had moved despite being paralyzed.

“Huh?” Edwyn turned to her. “How can you do that?”

“Looks like you cannot stop me from using Mana-based skills with your Dreadful Wail.” That was what she wanted to say, but it came out more as garbled, sluggish gibberish.

“No matter, you die now.” He made his way to her.

Meera thanked Mirithia and the other gods of this land that he was stupid enough to do so. He raised his hand as she thought he was about to squish her with his fist, but he was coming to grab her. She was about to jump again, but she let him get closer.

He grabbed her tightly, threatening to break her bones. He lifted her off the ground and brought him closer to his face.

“Time to take a bite,” Edwyn said. “I haven’t eaten anything in years.”

He brought her closer to his mouth, and she unleashed a Mirror Blast with a big chunk of her Mana. A blinding flash of light and mirrors rocked the whole cavern.

Edwyn screamed and dropped her immediately. Even in this cave of light, she found a mirror to teleport to and avoided breaking her legs. On the other hand, the undead researcher was not doing so well. His face was a mosaic of jagged mirrors, and he was missing his left cheek, exposing his rotten teeth.

As the white spots in her vision vanished, the mad researcher growled as he stood, frothing black goo at the mouth, which leaked from his open cheek. He shrieked once more, but this was a normal angry scream rather than another Dreadful Wail, as Meera could finally move.

Edwyn thrust his remaining hand into the ground. “Rise…and fight for me…”

This cannot be good.

The ground shook a little—nothing to cause Meera to lose her balance, but enough to make her worry. The soil shifted, and bones and rotten dead bodies emerged from the ground.

“Yes…rise and finish her!” Edwyn commanded. “Rip her to shreds.”

It was not just human skeletons, but animals, half ripped into and rotten, burst out of the tunnels. The baby Druvis, whose power she had acquired. The Drakasaros, whose venomous crystal she still had in her belt. Even the bodies of her friends, Cinders, Shade, and Onyx, were also here, plus a bunch of animals and monsters she had never seen before.

“Oh, that’s f-f-freaky,” Shade commented, which somehow Meera caught amongst the snarling and hissing.

She used Identify on as many as she could.

[Cursed Undead – Level 62]

[Cursed Undead – Level 51]

[Cursed Undead – Level 78]

[Cursed Undead – Level 32]

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Their range varied a lot, but none were close to her level, but together, they were more than a match for Meera. She took off her two Level 2 chakrams, drew a deep breath, and then went to town on the undead. She threw both chakrams in opposite directions, and they did their work wonderfully. They ripped through the undead like a hot knife through butter. They brought down a whole line of the zombies before embedding themselves into the wall.

While the chakrams flew, Meera pulled off two more chakrams, one in each hand, activated Druvis Power, and started smashing them to bits. The only animal she kept away from was the Drakasaros or Drake, as she did not want to risk getting licked by it.

The others were not such a problem, especially the humans. But the one who was a problem was their leader. He stood and waited for her to tire herself out. He knew she could take out all of the undead, but she was wasting precious Mana and Stamina to do so.

Despite her efforts, the undead were gaining on her, crowding around her and not giving her room to breathe as they kept up their assault. She activated a Mirror Shield on her back and sides to protect herself, but they only lasted a few moments before the undead smashed through them.

These things were easier than the wraiths, but their sheer numbers were suffocating. Meera recalled her Level 2 chakrams. They ripped open another line as they reached her. She caught them, did a spin, making some room for her, and let them fly out.

They did their work, and Meera had some room to maneuver, or so she thought. Edwyn extended a hand, and black chains shot out from his hand and wrapped themselves around Meera. The noxious fumes coming off the chains were enough to make her gag.

Edwyn laughed. “I’d like to see you try to move.”

Meera tried to use Mirror Step but couldn’t. She tried pushing against them with Druvis Power, but the chains still held.

“No more of that speed of yours,” Edwyn taunted. “Now, you die and join them.”

Meera felt someone had punched her in the gut. The first thing she noticed was that all her strength was leaving her, making her incredibly tired. Then, one look at her Health nearly gave her a heart attack, or was it her heart failing? Her Health points were taking a dive.

Edwyn was literally sucking the life out of her.

Meera raged against the chains, but nothing. She might as well have been trying to move the weight of the earth. As her Health fell, a headache set behind her eyes—a sharp, piercing one.

Her only option remaining was her chakrams. There was nothing she had seen they could not cut. She raised her hands high, the only direction she could move them. The big chakrams came flying back. She caught them in both hands, twisted them around, and cut the chains.

It was like she could breathe again, but her headache remained. Her Health had been driven below a quarter of her maximum. Meera activated Vitalize to regain some of her health as she looked at the giant undead, who no doubt had grown stronger by stealing her life force.

She glared at him with all the hate she could muster. Time to hit you where it would hurt.

Meera vanished and appeared on the Crystal of Darthin. Mirror Step let her teleport to any reflective surface, and the crystal reflected some things, which meant it counted.

Meera slashed off his fingers and was about to pick up the crystal when Edwyn washed Meera with a sickly green light. She screamed as pain, unlike any other, raged through her body. It was like cutting her open with an electric knife, sending shocks through her body with each cut.

She teleported away to the second floor. She landed on a knee, huffing. Without meaning to, she had appeared beside her friends.

“Meera, are you okay?” Onyx asked, trotting over.

“I’m fine. That was…unbearable.” Meera looked at her friends, even though she didn’t need to, to see how they were doing. The darkness had dissipated from them, but they were still hazy, not entirely whole. “How are they doing?”

“Not good,” Onyx replied. “I’ve cleared the darkness, but it took chunks of them with it. It…they might not have…”

He didn’t need to finish. They didn’t have long. She was not looking too good either.

Stats

[Health: 195/840]

[Stamina: 452/900]

[Mana: 216/920]

Meera punched the ground. “He’s just too strong.”

“If you cannot beat him, it’s fine,” Onyx said. “You are still alive and can leave the cave. Go save yourself.” He looked back at the flickering ghosts. “We’ll understand. You gave it a good try. Thank you.”

Meera was so overcome with emotion that it took everything she had not to cry. Edwyn was pointing at her, and his undead army was coming for her. She didn’t have enough Mana or Health to take them on and their master.

But then I don’t need to take them all, and I do have two sources to draw from.

“No, Onyx, we will all leave this cursed cave, or none of us will.” Meera smiled at him.

She knew horses couldn’t smile, but maybe she was projecting her feelings on the ghostly horse, but she was sure Onyx just smiled.

She was about to Step away when Onyx said, “Meera, whatever you do. Do not use blood magic. That is what cursed them all, remember. If you use it, you will not be able to leave this cave.”

Meera was stumped that he had figured out her plan so quickly. She nodded to him. “Thanks for the warning.”

I will have to lure him in and make it quick, then.

Meera teleported to the other side of the cavern. The undead paused and reversed course back down towards her. As they did, Meera threw one of her big chakrams at Edwyn. He used Shadow Step to appear closer to her friends, which meant the Crystal was open. So, she moved for it. Only for Edwyn to appear on top of her.

She raised her hand and shot a massive Mirror Shard Barrage in his chest. She activated Druvis Power, gripped her other Level 2 chakram, and jumped with as much power as she could muster. It left a crater in the ground.

She roared as she sailed through the air, drove her chakram into his chest, and came out the other side covered in grime and black blood. But she was not done and couldn’t take chances with this monster.

Meera threw her chakram at the hole in the chest with her Druvis Power’ed arm. If they traveled fast before, now it was a rocket. It sliced clean through his lower chest. Meera appeared on the other side, gripped the chakram, and threw it back at the researcher, this time aimed at his gut. She teleported again. This time, she aimed it a little higher. The chakram went in through his shoulder and nearly severed his remaining arm.

She teleported again and tossed her chakram again through him. Then again and again and again, until her Mana was down to double digits and Edwyn looked like a fillet fish.

Finally, Edwyn crashed to his knees, and all the undead collapsed on the spot. Meera wasn’t far behind.