You can’t blame me for thinking a single reanimated skeleton warrior would be a simple thing to defeat, even with Sob still stuck in his magic barrier collar. With all the monsters we’d defeated before this point and with all the advancements we’d made in our classes it should have been easy. There were so many of us. Come on, it was one skeleton man.

Turns out, he was nothing more than a reminder of what Miranda could do. A reminder we should have taken to heart.

They came in droves. From the smallest desert-dwelling lizard to enormous creatures that I could only describe as blue murder chickens. It wasn’t so much the additional monsters that were the problem though; we had all been on high alert after all and even without Gertrude Nora could tear the monster's limb from limb. No, it was the fact the dead things refused to, well… die again.

Miranda stood in the doorway, her face pale aside from the two bright red spots coloring her cheeks. Her black flame dress swirled around her as if caught in a breeze only there was none. She held her scepter high over her head, directing her born-again army with blasts of pink magic. Every time we inched toward her, a new line of monsters shuffled in between us acting more like a wall while the ones behind led the attack.

That one skeleton guard she’d left outside the door had seemed so indifferent while we’d been breaking our chains and now, even with his legs and arms chopped off he still wiggled and wormed his way toward us, trying to deal damage as his mistress commanded.

“Miranda, stop!” I bellowed before I Blinked to avoid a slashing sword. “It doesn’t have to be this way!”

I saw her mouth move but her response was lost to me amongst the roar of the battle.

“Brace!” Theo bellowed.

We all did as he said, getting low and holding on as he slammed his hand into the ground with ungodly strength. The hard red dirt vaulted under our feet as a wave of force knocked down row after row of the dead. They didn’t stay down.

My brain was mush. Overwhelmed and beaten down. Weaponless and without the strength or skills to save myself or my friends. Gabby flapped into the air, her white wings glaringly bright against the darkness of night. She had no weapon but her eyes glowed purple and she slashed with her hands like a vicious cat. Wherever she struck, a monster fell. Theo and Nora used their huge amount of Fatigue and strength to beat the hordes, back-to-back in battle. Stella, unhindered by the lack of weapons barrelled through the monsters, her body glowing with her own power. Frank dive-bombed the same way Gabby did, striking out with beak and claw. Even Sob, who should have been as useless as I was, smashed any who dared come near him with his hooves. Horrible crunching sounds filled the air every time he kicked out.

I rubbed at my head, using my speed and Blink skill to avoid as many attacks as I could. I tried to snatch up a fallen sword from one of the skeletons but whatever magic Miranda had infused the beasts with burned my hands.

Kendrick, like Cassie, had disappeared into the shadows of the night. I couldn’t tell if he fought somewhere out of sight or if he had hunkered down somewhere to wait it out.

The Lady has one weakness, Kendrick’s words from long ago echoed inside my head, her weakness is you.

If only that were the truth.

A blade I couldn’t sidestep slashed my upper arm, coating the limb in a flood of hot blood that ran down in rivulets to drip from my fingers. My howl was lost amongst the noise of war as I stumbled back. There were too many. They were everywhere. They were already dead.

Think of something you moron, think.

I Blinked again, but this time I didn’t move. Instead, I gazed over the heads of the horde to where Miranda stood in the doorway to the shed. Her eyes burned with an unholy fury, yet deepening lines appeared on her face. Even from here with each blast of magical light I could see how her face shone with a coating of sweat.

She was weakening. Perhaps even close to exhausting her Magicka pool. Not close enough though. She’d have our corpses join her horde before we managed to pin her down.

My speed slowed as the Blink skill exhausted yet again. The cooldown was short but still a hindrance to protecting myself or anyone else.

Think! I screamed to myself as I dove under a thrusting beak. I hit the ground, puffs of red dirt billowing up around me. The monsters were descending on me, I could feel it. I curled into a ball and closed my eyes, accepting the pain that came with the change. It seared through me in a wave, burning my insides and dragging a shout from my lips. My notification bell lit up as words danced in front of me but there was no time to look at them.

A foot the size of a house slammed into the ground beside me, I let out a horrified squeak and dashed away from the monstrous bird with its huge bony crest. Tiny now, it was easy to weave through the horde, and yet the shed seemed so far away. I could run fast, faster than I could in my human form, and yet I needed more speed. The bird was still on my tail, striking out in a desperate attempt to eat me for dinner. I yelped and Blinked. The skill resisted for a moment but whether by the potency of the skill or the force of my overwhelming fear, it activated.

More dancing words and still no time to look at them.

I ran as fast as my tiny mouse legs would let me, putting some much-needed distance between me and the hungry bird. Sounds and scents assailed me from every direction, making it difficult to focus on reaching my destination.

Just a little further. A little more.

Finally, the step of the shed came into view and I leaped, just barely making it atop the ledge. Miranda’s booted feet were beside me now. The smell coming off her was intense; one that spoke of fear of being eaten and something else I couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t anger or sadness but something in between.

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Nora’s warcry screamed out above the noise and even in my mouse form I felt the rejuvenating effects of it. It rippled over my skin, making my fur quiver and my whiskers bounce.

I thought the noise might frighten the girl beside me but instead, she laughed and screamed out, “Fool!”

The light of magic surrounding the tip of Miranda’s scepter grew bigger and I realised Nora’s mistake. Miranda was bonded with us whether we wanted her to be or not. Nora’s warcry was a companion skill, one that affected all of us. Gabby screamed as she was yanked from the air and swarmed by skeletons. Stella barked so loud I heard it clear as day as she tried to charge toward the fallen girl.

It was now or never.

I released my hold on the shift, forcing the pain of it as far from me as I could. There was no time for burning agony. No time for mistakes. Now the true me again, I Blinked, watching in painstaking slowness as Miranda’s head turned toward me, her eyes creeping wider as the realization struck her.

With the ease of something as simple as my greater height, I snatched the scepter from her hand. The moment I did her magic flared and exploded, letting out a wave of power that tossed me through the air. I hit the ground all over again, this time flat on my back. The air rushed from my lungs, leaving me a struggling gasping mess that would have put a fish out of water to shame.

All around me, the horde fell, row after row until we were surrounded by a mass of skeletons and other dead things. Dead for real this time. If I could have, I would have breathed a sigh of relief. I waited there on the ground for something more to happen but it never did. The world returned to the peaceful quiet a true outback night should be. The air was warm and still, only slightly tainted by the stench of death. Overhead, the stars danced. Twinkling and shifting as I stared up at them. I wasn’t sure they were supposed to do that but it was a glorious sight to see.

Then my world went dark and I panicked, worried my health had dropped too low and I’d passed out again. My fear was alleviated when the darkness resulted in my face being slobbered all over. The smell was almost as stomach-turning as the dead things.

“Easy… Stella,” I managed to say around my desperate wheezing.

I flinched at the sound of flapping wings by my head but no amount of flinching could protect my ears from the siren-like blast, “Shut the hell up!”

“Best rise and shine, sweetheart,” the absentee Kendrick said somewhere above my head. “You’re missing the party.”

His hand grabbed mine and suddenly I was on my feet. A little wobbly of course but at least I was upright. Chimes rang relentlessly inside my head. I shook them away, still gasping for a full breath as I took in the scene.

Gabby, Nora, and Theo all stood around the doorway to the shed. Miranda knelt between them, her head bowed in defeat. The rope that had bound us was now wrapped tight around the girl. Something inside me grew angry at the sight of it and yet I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Having your mind so torn about something as important as trapping Melumek’s Lady was an uncomfortable feeling. She’d forsaken us. I should have no doubt.

With a steadying hand on Stella’s bulk, I made my way toward them. Frank flapped from his place on the ground to perch on my shoulder, his weight a comfort after the disaster that was us defeating the necromancer.

The weight of Miranda’s scepter still clasped in my hand drew my eyes downward. The golden shaft was all that remained, the explosion of uncontrolled magic had severed the skull that once sat atop it. I used my Identify skill on it and read the words with far more difficulty than I should have.

Damaged Jeweled Scepter of Resurrection

Description: A scepter embued with the powers of a dark witch. Restricted to players of the mage class. This item is damaged beyond repair, perhaps you can melt it down and sell the gold.

Attack Power: 0

Effect: None.

Relief. It was all I felt. Maybe I should have cared more about something Miranda had cared so much about, even before I’d set her free from the cave so long ago.

“No time for musing about the past, sweetheart. We don’t know when our little friend Orion will be back.”

“I don’t feel so good,” I said.

Cassie’s tangled mass of curls appeared in the darkness. I should have been frustrated. Kendrick and the witch had disappeared during the battle. Instead, I was just glad she’d lived through it. The witch walked right up to me, so close I could smell the flowery scent of the soap she favored. She thrust a bottle into my hand.

“Drink it,” she said, before turning away from me.

I did. It was bitter as hell and lumpy to boot but it worked. The chiming and fuzziness clouding my brain disappeared and a glance to the corner of my field of view showed me a nearly full health bar. The witch was a damn miracle worker. Even the wound on my arm was closed over now though it did itch something fierce.

Nora looked at me when I finally arrived, her eyes sweeping the length of me before settling on my handsome face. “What do we do now?”

“Get the hell out of here,” I said.

Cassie pushed past us all, stomping into the shed where she lit a flame in the palm of her hand to light the cramped space. “Don’t forget to take your gear back.”

Spurred into action I used a skill I hadn’t for a long time; Pickpocket. I took back everything that was ours and some more besides but left the Upgraded Robe of Transformation. I was curious how the girl had managed to upgrade the robe but now was not the time to investigate.

“Come,” Cassie said from the far end of the shed. “It’s time to send you all home.”

I frowned, stepping around the kneeling necromancer to approach the witch. She stood there, gently leaning a large mirror against the shed wall. I was too tired and just plain done after everything that had happened to bother asking how she’d gotten it. The glass shimmered, reflecting the witch's light that now floated above her head.

Frank dove off my shoulder, disappearing into the glass like it was a sheet of water. Cassie only chuckled and gestured for the rest of us to follow. One by one we filtered through the magical doorway. Theo threw Miranda over his shoulder before he followed Gabby through. Even Sob, despite his bulk managed to make the crossing. Kendrick glanced my way before he took that step, leaving me alone with the witch.

My frown deepened as I looked at her. “You’re not coming with us, are you?”

Cassie smiled but it was weak, not even reaching her eyes. “No. You’ll not find me again, Joe. It’s time to move my swamp. It’s up to you now. I have faith that you will succeed. Maybe I’ll see you in the Between.”

She moved faster than I could, her soft lips pressing hard against mine. I froze, shocked by her sudden move. I’d just barely gotten my senses together to kiss her back before she pulled away. With more strength than any mage should have she shoved me into the sparkling portal. The sound of shattering glass met my ears before I was whisked away and dumped back out on a hard wooden floor.

“About bloody time!” Nigel howled, leaping from his place atop a crate to yank at my hair.

“Bugger off!” I cried.