The closest skeleton turned to face Jade as she closed the gap between them, raising a rusty sword and chittering angrily. The monster was all bones, to the point where she could see straight through it. It moved in short jerks, like a puppet controlled by invisible strings. Glowing red orbs shone from within empty eye sockets, flickering like dying flames. A flutter of fear twisted Jade's stomach as she beheld its ghastly visage, but she was not so easily shaken anymore. Daggers at the ready, she focused on her foe with 'Vital Sight'.
Red highlights appeared in her vision, overlaying the skeleton's form with indicators of its weak points. The largest of them was the spinal column just below the neck, and Jade aimed her first strike to target that area. She ducked under a heavy slash from the monster's chipped sword, slipping behind it and slashing her blade right into its back. The dagger bit deep into the bone, but it wasn't quite enough to slay it. Jade cursed, following up with two more quick strikes before it could recover and shattering its spine, sending the skeleton's form clattering to the ground in a loose pile of bones.
Luis arrived a moment later, crashing through another pair of the monsters and cutting his way to where the elven man protected his wounded companion. He took up a defensive position as Siora rushed to the woman's side, digging a vial out of her satchel and dropping to her knees.
Weeks of practice and hard gained experience proved their worth as Jade and Luis engaged the remaining enemies together, barely exchanging a word. They focused on preventing the monsters from harassing Siora, giving her time to aid the fallen elf. Jade took on another pair of skeletons, assisted by arcane blasts from Aylin and a jet of fire from Naomi. She dodged around their clumsy sword strikes, countering with a quick jab or cut every chance she got before dancing out of range. The skeletons weren't especially durable, but her daggers were poorly suited to cutting through bone. Jade quickly discovered that her attacks had to be aimed at the spine to do any real damage, as the monsters hardly seemed to notice slices to their arms or even chests.
Aylin blasted one of them apart with a well-placed stone spike that erupted from the ground beneath its feet, freeing up Jade to focus her attention on the remaining creature. It lurched towards her, chattering and swinging its curved blade in an overhand strike. Instead of dodging, Jade crossed her daggers and caught the blow, deflecting it to the side. With a twist of her wrists, she sent the monster's weapon clattering to the ground between them. The skeleton hissed, grasping at her with its claw-like hands, but Jade was faster. She spun to the side, slicing her blades through its arms and severing both of its hands in a single, fluid motion.
The monster barely even reacted to the loss, shifting straight to trying to bludgeon Jade with its handless arms. Surprised, she took a heavy blow to her chest before slamming both of her daggers into its spine, shattering the creature. The ward around her armor absorbed most of the damage, although that single attack was enough to deplete most of its protective magic. A semi-translucent barrier flickered around her, crackling like a glitchy television screen. Nearby, Luis had just finished dispatching the last of his opponents, simply smashing the skeletons apart with the flat of his greatsword. It was surprisingly effective.
"More are coming." Aylin said, pointing deeper into the forest. Sure enough, Jade could make out at least a dozen more figures approaching through the trees. Most looked identical to the handful of skeletons they had just defeated, shambling creatures of bone. To Jade's newly awakened magical senses, they were warped distortions of mana, dark and devoid of life. She could taste no emotion from them whatsoever, and she instinctively knew her succubus powers would be useless against such creatures. That didn't stop her demonic hunger from stirring at the carnage, however, and she found herself grinning a dangerous smile.
"Luis, with me." She said, the thrill of battle pulsing through her veins. "Naomi, Siora, make sure they're okay."
"I'll take the lead." Luis shouldered his massive sword, stepping in front of Jade.
"We'll fix them up. I'll give you a boost." Naomi said, beginning to strum an energetic melody on her guitar. Beside her, Siora was carefully administering potions to the bleeding elf woman. She groaned, eyelids fluttering. A pair of arrows stuck out of her back.
None of these had bows… Jade realized, taking another look at the fallen enemies. That probably meant some of the next group would be able to attack them from afar. It was hard to think logically through the haze of her demon-born lust for bloodshed, but she managed to reign in those instincts long enough to analyze the situation. Once she unleashed her demon form, that wouldn't be so easy.
"What can I do?" The elven man asked in a shaky voice. He was still holding the axe, although it looked more like a tool than a real weapon. Now that she was closer, Jade could see numerous cuts and bloodstains on his clothes as well.
"We'll take it from here, just help keep them away from us." Naomi told him, speaking loudly as her music increased in volume. He nodded, obviously relieved.
"They have a mage." Aylin said, eyes narrowed. "I'll take care of that one while you handle the others."
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Can you beat it?" Jade asked, feeling her body come alive with the energy of Naomi's 'Fleetfoot' melody. She bounced on the balls of her feet, ready to go.
"No bonehead is going to outcast me." Aylin sounded mildly offended at the question. "Don't you worry."
"Where did they come from?" Siora asked anxiously. "This isn't normal."
"Win first, questions later." Jade said. The second wave of enemies was drawing closer.
"That should be our motto." Luis grinned.
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Siora knelt beside Namys, hurriedly sorting through her collection of potion vials. She didn't know the woman well, but the chestnut-haired elf had lived her whole life in Lysara alongside Siora. Under normal circumstances the alchemist would've been thrilled to see her, it meant that she was finally home. It was clear that all was not well, however, and her joy was tempered with uncertain trepidation.
Where did these undead come from? She thought, glancing at the ongoing battle. Beside her, Naomi let loose a column of fire that practically vaporized one of the monsters as it lunged at Jade from behind. There shouldn't be…
She shook her head sharply, refocusing on Namys. Siora couldn't afford to let her mind wander, she had to help. Two arrows were firmly lodged in her back, having punched straight through the woman's dress. They'd have to be removed before she could be safely healed.
"Knife." Siora said tersely, holding out her hand to the other man. She didn't know his name.
Without taking his eyes off the surrounding battlefield, the injured man drew a small knife from his belt and dropped it into her waiting hand. Siora worked quickly, cutting open the dress so she could get a better look at the situation. What she found wasn't encouraging. Angry black lines were spreading from the twin wounds, like branching lightning. Was it poison? Some sort of magical effect? All Siora knew was that she had made the right choice of Labyrinth boon when she'd finally levelled up to six a few days ago.
She murmured the incantation to 'Nature's Purity', drawing power from the surrounding forest to purge the sickness from Namys's body. The dark lines receded, and the elf took in a shuddering breath.
"Almost there." Siora reassured her, trying to project an aura of calm amidst the surrounding chaos. The sounds of battle were drawing closer, but she trusted her friends to keep her safe. Namys had already lost too much blood, and she couldn't afford to wait. With her wounds cleansed, it was a simple matter to remove the arrows and administer a healing potion. Namys groaned in pain as Siora worked, but the color was already returning to her face. Her eyes fluttered open.
"Siora…?" She breathed weakly. "You were missing…"
"I'm back." she said brightly. "And I've brought help."
"They took Zentha." Namys continued through labored breaths. "Tried to take us… too… Have to find her… And the others…"
"Who took Zentha? And where?"
"Look out!" The other man said, pointing. "That's their leader!"
Siora looked up in time to see a distant figure loose an arrow in her direction. The elf instinctively threw herself atop Namys, shielding the injured woman, but it hadn't been aimed at her. Naomi gasped as the large arrow slammed into her side, catching her by surprise. The warning had come just in time for her to twist away from the shot, which had been aimed at her heart. The barrier surrounding her armor crackled and failed, bursting into shards of arcane energy as the arrow buried itself an inch into her flesh.
"Ahh!"
Naomi's otherworldly instrument made an off-key 'twang' as her fingers faltered. She fell to one knee, teeth gritted against the pain. The movement enhancing spell wavered, but the bard recovered just in time to save it. She regained her feet, a line of blood trickling from the shaft protruding from her side. Naomi ignored it, continuing to pound out her song.
"Jade!"
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Yet another skeleton fell by Jade's hand, scattering into a pile of bones at her feet. She blinked sweat from her eyes, quickly wiping them clean with her forearm.
How many of these things are there?!
She turned at Naomi's shout, spotting the new threat. Rage stirred in her heart as she glimpsed the arrow piercing Naomi's body, and she squeezed the hilts of her daggers tight. The newcomer was standing farther back in the forest and held a bow that must've been at least six feet in height. The creature-It looked more like a withered corpse than a skeleton- notched another arrow, pointing it directly at Naomi.
It's targeting her on purpose! It knows she's strengthening us.
Whatever this was, it was more dangerous than the mindless skeletons they continued to cut down.
"Luis, shield!"
Luis shouted an incantation, not even taking his eyes off the trio of monsters he fought nearby. His 'Shield Burst' formed around Jade like a translucent bubble. She took off at a run, nimbly weaving between another pair of skeletons just as the archer fired again.
WHOOSH.
Jade pumped energy into her legs, warping forward in a blur of motion. She appeared directly between the archer and Naomi, just in time to intercept the arrow on Luis's barrier.
CRACK.
The projectile ricocheted off the shield, striking with surprising force and splintering into a dozen shards that went flying in every direction. Jade was pushed back a step by the impact, and she dug in her heels.
"I don't think so." Jade glared at the tall undead. It gazed back at her, face impassive. "If you want her, you need to get through me first."
A quick thought was all it took to shift into her true form. Jade felt the surge of strength and power that accompanied the transformation, and her latent bloodlust intensified. That was fine by her. This thing had hurt her friend. For that, it had to die.
Jade dashed closer, intent on closing the gap before the monster could ready another arrow. As she drew near, she took a moment to examine her foe.
* Wight
* Level: 14
* Creature Type: Undead (Elite)
* Origin: Labyrinth-born
She knew from Aylin that 'elites' occupied a middle ground between normal monsters and bosses. The mage was busy battling the undead caster nearby, their clashing spells illuminating the forest with flashes of light. With Luis and Naomi busy taking care of the last of the mass of normal skeletons, taking on this foe fell to her.
Jade felt a grin creep across her face. The prospect of a challenging fight was exciting.
It wasn't until later that she reflected on when exactly she'd started to view life and death battles as 'fun'.