Hunter's pulse raced as the Titano beast reared up, its skeletal form casting ominous shadows. He quickly evaluated their approach. Brute force alone wouldn't cut it against this bone-headed behemoth.

"Fall back, now!" The authority in Hunter's voice brooked no argument from Lyra or Mercos. The bone golem, now a titanic monstrosity, roared a sound that echoed through the chamber like the call of death itself.

Regrouping, Hunter steadied his breath, focusing on the new threat before them. It was a nightmarish fusion of a dire wolf and reptile, composed entirely of bone. Its spine elongated into a spiked tail, swaying ominously, while its cavernous mouth lined with dagger-like fangs snapped hungrily at the air. The beast's eyes, empty sockets in its skull, bored through them with malevolent intelligence born of its necromage puppet master.

Lyra's bewildered expression said it all. “That thing looks like a fortress on legs. Anyone got any bright ideas?”

Hunter forced a grin. "Remember what you said before, even the most impenetrable fortress has a weakness. We just have to find it. Mercos, and Monty, keep it busy. We'll all test its defenses, but Lyra and I, with Buckie's brilliant insight, are on the hunt for weak spots. Let's hope we find one before it turns us into wall decorations."

Mercos and Lyra exchanged a determined glance. Their auras flared, weapons at the ready, and they gave him a sharp nod. The beast's skeletal eyes glinted with malevolence as it prepared to strike.

Without a word, they fanned out, giving the beast five targets to track instead of one. Mercos charged forward first, his fists blazing as he swung his hammer, aiming for the joints where the bones met. The resounding clang of metal against bone echoed through the chamber as he unleashed a flurry of punishing blows.

Lyra, in her element, danced alongside Mercos, her flaming sword a blur of lethal grace. She circled the beast, seeking weak points in its bony structure. With each strike, she tested its resilience, her keen eyes scanning for any sign of vulnerability.

Activating Divine Durability, Hunter circled the beast, ducking low to avoid a whip tail strike. He checked the rump for any vulnerabilities. Darting in and out with the Wind Fall technique, his mithril blade met resistance at every strike.

The bone golem retaliated with brute force, swinging its spiked tail and snapping its fang-lined jaws in a frenzied attempt to repel their assault. Mercos used a two-handed swing of his hammer to bat away the spiked tail before it could take his head clean off. Lyra's evasive maneuvers kept her just out of reach of the gnashing teeth.

"If we could just get the damn thing off balance." Mercos grunted, aiming his strikes at the beast's massive limbs, while Lyra's precision strikes targeted the connections between the bone segments, searching for signs of brittleness.

But the Dark plasma roiling around its skeletal form protected it from their onslaught. Realization hit Hunter harder than a hammer blow from the mighty Mercos. His plan wasn't working. He had to try something different and fast; otherwise, they'd have nothing left in them to fight on, never mind make it to the next level.

The chamber reverberated with the clash of weapons and the beast's enraged roars. Mercos and Lyra, their faces set in grim determination, pressed on, their coordinated attacks wearing down the strong undead creature.

Hairline fractures appeared in the creature's skeletal structure, and Dark plasma oozed from the damaged areas. But it didn't slow the beast down. Undead feel no pain. They needed to do something drastic to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.

Brave Buckie darted in and out, searching for weaknesses. The little guy was too pint-sized to give big damage, but he had his sights set on the beast's thick skull.

That got Hunter thinking. Given the creature's reptilian vibes, maybe it had ear canals out in the open. Before he searched, Hunter dashed into the midst of Lyra and Mercos' probing attacks.

"Mercos, Lyra, keep it focused on you!" Hunter’s plan forming with each strike. "Distract it to one side. I need a clear shot at the other end."

Mercos gave a grim nod, and Lyra flashed a savage grin. That was all the answer he needed.

While Mercos and Lyra kept the beast's attention with their bone-crunching moves, Hunter summoned the Night Mare, his spectral steed with attitude. It materialized in a swirl of ghostly vapor, spreading its wings wide.

Hunter approached with caution, a golden blush apple already in his palm. She delicately ate it and gave a whinny as if looking for more.

Hunter flashed a sheepish grin. “Can you do me a favor first, Alice?”

She inclined her majestic head, and he whispered in her ear.

Mounting the Night Mare, Hunter ascended, circling to the opposite side of the beast's head. Using chi, Hunter sharpened his senses and scanned the monstrous skull of the beast. Its skeletal structure, an eerie mosaic of wolf and reptile, bristled with sharp spines and jagged bones. As he circled the creature, his eyes locked onto a particular spot where the skull's architecture hinted at the remnants of its dire wolf and reptilian anatomy.

There, amidst the labyrinth of bones, was a subtle indentation, a hollow space that betrayed the location of the ear canal. It was not like that of a typical wolf, nor entirely reptilian.

This ear canal was a grotesque fusion, larger than expected, framed by sharp, splintered bone ridges that seemed to mimic the protective scales of a reptile. The opening itself was dark, an abyssal pit within the bone golem's formidable skull. Around this orifice, the bone fused in peculiar patterns, creating a jagged crown that spoke of the creature's unnatural origins.

A shadow of movement alerted him to the danger as the beast's spiked tail whipped through the air. Alice whinnied and banked left, narrowly missing the cruel barbs aimed for Hunter's head.

A growl from Mercos signaled they had intensified their assault, bringing the beast's focus squarely back on them.

That gave Hunter the distraction he needed to reposition himself beside the beast's thick skull. Cycling chi, he unleashed the devastation of the Dust Storm Whip, targeting the ear canal. The wind howled as it spiraled into the hollow, carrying with it the hopes of the team.

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His aim was true.

The beast reeled, its massive form thrown off balance. With perfect timing, Monty swooped low and shat on the beast's eyes and across its purple glowing sigil. The creature stumbled, and with the ground shaking, it fell onto its side, scattering Lyra and Mercos, who barely escaped being crushed.

Seizing the opportunity, Hunter, Mercos, and Lyra launched their coordinated assault. Hunter directed another fierce gust of the Dust Storm Whip into the creature's ear canal, intensifying the disorientation.

Mercos, with a roar, brought down his dragon hammer on the beast's skull with devastating force. Lyra slashed at the creature's neck with her whip-like sword, flames licking the bones and forming fractures.

The creature bucked and thrashed, not ready to give up; its tail swung toward them in a deadly arc. Monty squawked, barely keeping out of reach with a quick maneuver, but his wing was clipped, and he fell to the ground.

Hunter gasped, tugging at the Night Mare’s mane. “Alice, there.” He patted her neck, urging her to turn toward the fallen beast companion.

Mercos gave a sharp nod. He and Lyra continued their devastating onslaught, chipping at bone and delivering flaming attacks to wear down the Dark plasma powering its form.

Hunter jumped off the Night Mare, gave her a gentle pat of thanks, and rushed to poor Monty's crumpled form, only to find Buckie standing guard, a defiant glint in his eye.

As he gently picked up Monty, he spun to find Lyra and Mercos repeating their coordinated strikes of fire and metal, converging in a lethal dance. Each attack weakened the bony beast further, and with one last effort, the beast's defenses shattered. The cavernous eye socket cracked under Mercos' hammer, and finally, the skull caved in as Lyra's fiery sword found its mark, rending the skull from its bony neck.

Exhausted but triumphant, they turned to look at each other as the bone golem disappeared in a purple, smoky haze, its trail slithering its way up along the final set of stairs. Mercos' grin vanished as soon as he laid eyes on Monty. His hammer dropped to his side, and he dashed to join Hunter.

The warm pooling of blood drew Hunter’s attention to his palm. The deep gash across Monty’s wing had nearly severed it clear off.

With a gentle exchange, Mercos grasped the bloodied gray parrot. “I know you think you’re a scaly dragon, but…” Monty gave a weak squawk eliciting Mercos’ face to soften, his eyes weakening at the corners.

“To all hells, Monty.” A thumb-sized transparent orb appeared in Mercos’ hand as he tilted Monty’s head upright. “Crack this open, and I’ll promise you’ll be back to your dragon-spirited self in no time.”

Monty blinked, his beak moving in slow motion as it snatched the orb, swishing around a liquid inside the gelatin sphere. With a quick snap, the orb burst, the scent of mint and lemon drifted toward Hunter as a liquid drop glided along Monty’s beak.

“Every last drop.” Mercos dabbed the escaping liquid with his finger, letting it slip over the inside edge of Monty’s beak. “You’ve been with me for twelve years, you aren’t going anywhere yet.”

Against the wall, Lyra cradled Buckie on her hip, smoothing his feathers and whispering to him sweet comforts.

Hunter couldn’t tell if the atmosphere of the room shifted with Monty’s injury, or if he sensed the parrot’s aura pulsating through his Third Star Refiner senses. Either way, the tension of a restless hope lingered as they watched Monty lay his head on Mercos’ palm.

“How long until the healing elixir takes effect?” Hunter glanced at Mercos.

Mercos shook his head, gliding his finger over the gash. The light heat he applied with his Fire chi cauterized the wound and stopped the bleeding as it had with his own neck wound.

Hunter retrieved the silver cloth, tearing a strip with his teeth he handed it to Mercos. “Bind it together with this.”

He grabbed it and wound it around the gash, tucking it close to Monty’s body. “This beast has been through more than me. If he weren’t feathered, you’d see all his battle scars.” Mercos nudged Monty under the beak and lifted him to perch atop his shoulder. “He’s not one to back out of a fight. He’ll be ready when we are.”

The look of concern that remained on Mercos’ face didn’t convince Hunter, but he moved on knowing they all needed a distraction from their injured team member.

“This is it. This is where we save Jo.” He glanced toward the stairwell. “When we go up there, we won’t have a chance to stop.”

Lyra kicked off the stone wall and approached. “There’s a necro mage up there; they’ll know we’re coming no matter how long we take down here.”

“Monty and I will scan the area for any more undead guards.” Monty squawked louder than before and Mercos patted his head, inspecting the silver cloth binding.

Hunter nodded. “Both of you have more than doubled our eyes and attack force. Monty, can you signal when you find Jo?”

Monty tilted his head and squawked twice more.

“Give me Aspa.” Lyra narrowed her eyes, donning a mischievous grin. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees I’m still alive.”

“Still alive?” Hunter raised a brow.

“We’ve had a few disagreements under our mentor’s training.”

“Deathworthy arguments?” He paused, thinking back to him and Pheres' long-standing fights that resulted in cliff diving survival. The most recent encounter changed his mind about the sandal sniffer. After all, Pheres covered the evidence of the dead henchmen outside Master Agathos’ estate.

Lyra set Buckie down. “I’m sure you remember Eunice’s arrival in the tavern the day we met. For a low level cultivator, she sure knows how to play with fire. There’s a reason Nastes and Aspa used her to double-cross Xuthos.”

Hunter rubbed his chin and pulled out the Thracian sword he’d looted from Reggie. The sword he held was exactly the same as the one he’d seen that skelly wielding. It couldn’t be a mere coincidence.

She snapped her fingers in front of him. “Stop playing with your bent little sword and use your brain. Have you not realized Eunice wanted you to see her slipping that note to Nastes?”

He blinked, taking in all of the information he’d learned in the past few days since the Trial of Worth. Vassilus had openly admired Pheres’ triumphs over Charis, the clear favorite to win, perhaps knowing very well that Pheres’ father worked with Eratos.

He glanced back at Lyra, stowing the Thracian sword. She seemed well connected from Elijah to Xuthos, and now Vassilus. He hoped to Gypas, he and Lyra were on the same side.

Lyra placed a hand on her hip. “Well, love?”

If it hadn't been for Lyra, Hunter would have never gotten Pheres to help him in the first place. His eyes widened as the link between events became clearer. He waved his hand, dismissing Lyra’s question. “What does it matter if I did or didn’t realize it until now? Have you or your mentor worked for Vassilus?”

Her eyes narrowed, the lilt in her voice replaced with a menacing tone. “He’s the reason my mentor’s dead.”

Despite his racing heart, Hunter kept his expression calm. “Then let’s not let some necro mage stop us from getting to Aspa.”

“Almost there, Monty.” Mercos peeked underneath the silver cloth, before unbinding the rest of it and handing it back to Hunter. He glanced at Lyra. “I wouldn’t put it past Vassilus to summon some necro mage to these parts.”

Buckie scampered to the side as Lyra’s knuckles whitened with a tight grip on the hilt of her sword. “Vassilus has his fingers spread wide, dipping into many avenues. He’ll do anything to ascend to immortality, even if it means killing a few innocents.”

“Sounds like my uncle.” Hunter dropped a few seeds on the ground for Buckie, who gobbled them up in one bite.

She adjusted her cape with a long exhale. “I doubt you Filo’s would ever sink to such low schemes.”

Mercos shook his head. “There’s more than one in this province who’d…”

A sudden loud thunk came from the stairwell, cutting him off.

Hunter’s muscles tensed and they readied their weapons.

Lyra stepped toward the stairwell, flaming sword taking lead. “We need up there before that necro mage summons any more undead upon us.”

Hunter raised a brow. “Where’s Alice?”