Once the twins are healed I move over to the skeletons and examine what loot has been left behind.

I gather the loot in a pile: bow and arrows, steel helm, mail chest armour and a two-handed sword.

I grip the ancient sword in my hands, the cloth wrapping faded with age preserved by the magic imbued in the metal. "It will do."

"It is an enchanted blade" says Gareth, looking over at me. "It is sharp, keeping its edge through most usage in battle. Handy to have and worth a fair share if you don’t use it."

"Good to know."

"The helm and armour have a basic fortify spell making them durable against magical and mundane attacks. How they managed to persevere the magic is beyond me, the magic is too weak to bother wasting ritual material on, yet the magic lingers. Curious. I will keep the helm for further study, perhaps get it fitted." He continues without prompting.

"Your knife, Master." Subia asks me once Gareth is done speaking.

I pass it over holding the knife's edge. She proceeds to cut off the straps holding the breastplate and backplate of the armour. She keeps one plate and gives the other to her sister.

"We all done?" I ask.

"Yes, Master"

"Ready to head when you are. Are we really pressing forward? We can come back?" asks Gareth.

"Twins?" I ask.

"We are ready to keep going, no scratches see." Replies Subia motioning over her and her sister's body.

Subia has a grin on her face, like for the first time she feels alive. She has caught the adventuring bug. Lovia on the other hand looks determined but uneasy.

"Survived worse, Master." She answers after glancing at her sister and seeing Subia’s confidence, her face flushing crimson and her eyes dilating.

She nods in affirmation. "We are fine, Saviour. We are behind you to the end." She adds noticing Gareth’s furrowing brows clouding his usual happy expression.

"As you say." He replies.

"This way." I say leading the group ahead. Gareth sticks back close to the twins letting me take the lead.

The twins follow behind. Silent to us and quietly having their own conversation. Gareth can perhaps hear but if he does remains quiet about it.

It is my fault Lovia is hurt. I kept us going forward. It is too dangerous, perhaps even for Gareth and me as well.

Subia stays close to her twin. Crossbow ready to fire. Subia carries the steel breastplate and Lovia the backplate as makeshift shields.

There are a few rooms and alcoves containing more tombs not along the main path and we encounter a few undead pairs as we comb every room actively checking for hidden walls without luck.

We do not face any significant challenges, my summons whittling down their numbers before Gareth and I engage in combat and deftly destroy them.

We do not find any valuable loot even in this part of the crypt.

We descend far enough out of the tight passages into an open cavern with the roof stretching out high above us into a wider space about the size of a town square. Along the walls damp with water were tombs crafted into stone lining parallel to each other and ahead a set of stairs going down to a floor.

At the end of the floor is a big tomb overlain with moss covering a delicately carved statue of a king lying down crown atop his head grasping his stone-carved axe in two hands atop the axe is the stone shield.

It is the tomb of the Mountain King and his chosen warriors.

Past the tomb I notice another smaller staircase heading further down below.

I take in a deep breath of the cool air. I note there is an opening above where clean air makes its way through turning fresh the stale air of the passages.

The stones are slicker with thin dampness that I hear water quietly dripping down from above accounting for why much of the space is wet. Though how water gets here is beyond my knowledge.

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"Steady on your feet." I call out and test how much I slide on the stone. "It ain’t too slick but be careful, don't want anyone slipping."

We make our way carefully down the steps, Lovia grabbing Subia as she starts to slip.

“Thanks."

I begin to make my way to the Mountain King’s tomb when a loud cacophony of undead wails erupts.

They appear as if coming to existence from nothing but the faint trails of gold energy that fade as the undead materialise around us in a circle.

They stand thirteen in total.

Two thoughts follow their appearance: first that we were in extreme danger and a sinking feeling in my stomach accompanies the thought. Secondly, they were brought here by some major power and the colour gold ring bells but I let the thought drift as I focus on the impending threat.

One in the centre ahead wears a crown, shield and axe most likely the Mountain King. Flanking him were two big warriors carrying great axes and two magi. At the sides to the right is an archer and an axe and shield warrior, to the left an archer. To our back are two spear and shield warriors and two with shields and axes and one with twin axes.

Taking a page from Jerrick’s book, I copy his mana whip.

I flick it and yank one of the axemen forward. I wrench the axe from its grip and swing it from two and hundred and forty degrees round into the other axeman smashing through its spine its bones scatter to the ground.

Gareth leaps and slams into the Mountain King. The King raises his shield absorbing the impact and stumbles back a few paces.

Meanwhile, a steel bolt smashes through the remaining axeman’s skull.

"Switch!" Gareth shouts.

I lock blades with the Mountain King.

Out of the corner of my eye, I note that the Twins defend against arrow fire as Gareth leaps towards the back group of undead.

The Mountain King bashes me back with a shield strike.

He follows up with an overhead strike. I block but leave my body open.

He slams again with his shield, knocking me over.

A steel bolt cracks against its armour providing a momentary distraction.

I blast the Mountain King in the skull with a quick mana bolt. It backs up; shield raised.

Meanwhile, Gareth dashes forward and with two strikes cuts two of the undead's heads clean off.

Subia fires another bolt. It blasts off the arm of the archer to the left.

She rushes to the wounded skeleton wielding her crossbow like a club bashes its head in.

I trade a few more blows with the Mountain King.

"Demon." he declares in an unearthly tones.

"Many of your kind have I killed during my time in the cycle of undying."

"Is that so?"

"Your efforts are futile. All shall become Undead!"

Subia hangs fire on her crossbow bolt and is in a standoff with the archer and shield undead pair as they creep closer.

To my surprise, Lovia charges past her sister and pushes at the shield warrior unsuccessful.

However, she manages to distract it long enough to give Subia room to fire her crossbow at the archer the bolt shattering its skull.

The skeleton warrior slams their axe down, and Lovia desperately grips it pushing back for dear life.

"Lovia!" I shout.

"Futile!"

I attempt to reach her but the King shoves me back and forces us to lock blades.

I turn to see how Gareth is faring and he is finishing off the third to last undead. My summon waits for one of the spear wielders in its mouth.

Subia with a scream of rage tackles the skeleton warrior.

My summon lunges for the Mountain King. In a fury of blows, he pummels me back and decapitates my summon but loses his axe in the process.

Gareth with a swift pivot round lets off a mana bolt but it deflects off an undead's shield. His sword is lit aflame by contained by Gareth's enchantment to the sword. The fires coil around the blade in a constantly flowing torrent.

The undead spear wielder charges forward shield protecting it from the flames.

Pointing his sword at it the flames leap forward like a snake and burn through the spear past the shield.

The flame licks and ignite the undead. It roars in fury but keeps charging colliding with Gareth and pinning him to the ground and his sword flies from his hand at the shock of the impact.

A crossbow bolt flies past but misses the undead.

The skeleton pins Gareth in a flaming hug but with Gareth's augmented strength he breaks free and it turns to dust.

Gareth picks up his sword and we encircle the Mountain King.

Gareth slashes for the head and I stab the ankle.

It blocks Gareth’s strike and I pierce through its ankle forcing it to one knee.

I pull back.

Gareth with another mighty cut splits its shield.

I thrust forward the tip of my blade cleaving through the back of its neck and through the skull straight as a spearpoint.

I rush over the Gareth to check on his injuries the last of the undead now defeated. Severe burns mar his face.

His body is protected by his armour the damage is further mitigated by his augmented durability and healing.

The magic keeps him alive and staves off the burns from becoming permanent.

I hear footsteps then look up to see a faint gold wisp swirl above the Twins and fade.

I notice Subia rushes on ahead and Lovia follows at her heels.

My eyes narrow my eyebrows knitted together and facial muscles tighten in anxiety. Taking a few deep breaths I try to focus on my present worries.

I check Gareth's and my wounds.

"I’m alright. I cast adept level augmented durability and healing just to stay alive. With all the novice level spells we have been casting over the past few days. I have about quarter mana left just over one adept spell." Says Gareth.

"Good. Can you stand?"

"Yes, just give me a moment." He replies and I help pull him up. The burns are healing but it is taking time.

"Are you tapped?" he asks.

"Close I have a few novice spells left."

"It could have been worse."

"We might have faced the whole crypt or worse. Undead reanimated by a competent necromancer. We fought a weakened enemy I suspect. No undead King should fall so easily in his burial place."

"Easy?"

"Relatively speaking, my friend." I say as I pry off the crown from the undead Mountain King and stuff it in one of my many deep pockets.

"Of course." He says chuckling.

We follow after only shortly behind the twins. Both of us are physically and mentally exhausted and very low on mana that we can cast.