Drew lifted Sapphire into her harness while Nurgle rushed ahead to the mage. He killed the summons he could reach before they got a chance to fight back.

Arms were chopped clean off and heads were caved in from smashes with the flat of his blade. It was a testament to Nurgles strength and draw to combat despite the horrors he faced alone.

Not one to leave his friend hanging, Drew rushed forwards killing the stray zombie that the cyclops had missed.

The mage held his hand to the staff tip and pulled what looked to be a screaming ghost from the tip. He morphed the anguished soul into a strange ball that quickly grew crystal spikes along its surface.

A layer of frost coated the area around it as the mage pointed the staff forward along with the crystalline ball. They orbited on the staff's tip before flying out towards the closest enemy it could see.

Nurgle watched the ice ball approach without a care in the world.

“Watch out! Dodge to the side!” Drew shouted out warnings for his little friend in hopes of saving him from the incoming disaster.

With the skill of a seasoned ax thrower, Nurgle launched one of his cleavers straight at the ball of ice, sending shards in all directions but forward.

Drew watched the miracle and assigned magic sniping duty to Sapphire.

The elephant shot at the tall humanoid only for the shot to dissipate against a large blue shield reminiscent of the parasite's defense.

Before she could charge up a larger blast to attempt to crack the shield, smaller ice orbs traveled out ahead of the mage in an attempt to intercept Drew and Nurgle.

She destroyed them, but was denied a second to charge any more powerful blasts in fear of magic slipping through her watch.

The summoning circles closest to the mage had completed summoning hordes of undead.

The bunches of zombies marched to the combatants ahead.

Drew caught up with Nurgle and began fighting their way through the large crowd. The zombies appeared weaker than the rotten shamblers they fought in the dungeon, but they more than made up for it in numbers. For every zombie they slaughtered 4 more took its place.

The only saving grace they had was the mage had ceased throwing spells, allowing Sapphire the chance to charge up shots.

Despite the extra firepower, they were getting pushed back farther every second. The flood of bodies did their job in keeping the melee fighters at bay and out of range of their summoner.

“Master, I believe we should flank the side of the mage. All of the shamblers have funneled ahead of us, leaving the sides completely open and exposed.” She spoke quickly through the shots before picking up her slack.

“We’d be surrounded if we broke the fight off now!” Drew huffed with deep breaths as the fighting took its toll. They had to have ended hundreds of the zombies since the fight began only to be cornered more and more by the second.

“It can not be much worse than it is right now. We are dead either way if they push us any harder.”

Drew weigh his options before committing to her idea. The sides were more open than he had expected, possibly allowing them to slip through and bring the battle straight to the mage. The alternative was to pray for a miracle in the slug fest they were currently partaking in.

A zombie grabbed his arm in his lapsed concentration and took a chunk out of the thick leather, exposing his skin to the air. He bashed it back and made his decision.

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“Fuck it!” Drew picked up Nurgle where he had been chopping legs like a logger and rushed to the side of the horde. The stumbling monsters failed to react in time to completely cut them off from the fight.

The path was clear beyond a few stragglers reaching for them as they passed. The mage came into view as they passed the horde up and left them in the dust. It stood behind the desk channeling the spell in deep concentration.

No new zombie crawled out of the holes despite its apparent channeling

“It might have a limit to the amount of summons it can bring forward. This is our chance.” Sapphire began charging up her blast while watching out for any stray magic.

Drew charged ahead until the mage randomly lashed out with a bright light, blinding all of them. When he finally regained some semblance of eyesight he turned around to see a blurry mass as the zombies closed in behind. He ignored the approaching mass and looked back to the summoner.

His goal was in nearly within sight.

Once his eyes completely cleared a snow white wall blocked his vision forward as a massive slab ice lifted itself from the ground. The mage had blinded them then created an ice wall to keep them away.

Nurgle tugged at his arm to get his attention. He motioned over the wall with his cleavers and chopping motions. The message was unclear to him, but the cyclops insisted on whatever it was.

“Master, he might want to be thrown over the wall.” Sapphire glanced back at the approaching crowd and urged him into action.

Had Nurgle gotten over his fears in a matter of days? Drew doubted it, but he saw the confidence in his eye. He wanted to do something rather than just fight and die.

Drew pointed from Nurgle to over the wall to confirm the thought.

The Cyclops rapidly shook his head up and down confirming his fear.

Drew looked back at the horde that was only a dozen feet away and made his decision.

“Fuck it. Mess him up!” He sat his weapon down and tossed his friend over the wall with all of his might. The barbaric creature flew gracefully through the air, clearing the wall in a beautiful arc.

He watched Nurgle disappear from sight and turned around to address the nearing group of monsters. Drew picked up his arms and flew into combat.

The blood of the monsters soaked the floor where they met. The corpses acted as barriers for the approaching mass, but only ended up boxing the pair in more and more as time went on.

The limbs scratched at the leather armor when he got within range only to slide off ineffectually.

The fight got messier and messier with each clash. The horde had shrunk by a third when Drew noticed the circles close up, allowing no more zombies through.

It was a good sign that Nurgle’s battle on the other side was going well. With enough luck the blighter might succeed in killing the mage before they finished the horde, assuming they would not die in the process.

The tides of the battle might have slowly begun to turn in their favor.

The pair allowed no monster within biting range and denied any gained ground.

The fights were efficient as could be, but they took a toll on their stamina nonetheless. The horde made no advancements, but the pair grew more and more tired.

Crashes from behind the wall stole Drew’s attention away at a critical moment. A zombie grabbed a hold of each weapon in his hands. The sword sliced the fingers clean off, but the ax pulled him off balance, causing Sapphire to fall out of her harness..

He stumbled forward into the writhing mass of bodies and was pulled deeper into the horde. Grasping claws and gnawing teeth assaulted him.

Drew tucked his arms and legs into the fetal position, exposing only armored areas to the hungry monsters.

He forced his eyes shut waiting for the pain to start eating away at him.

The harness that kept Sapphire secured was torn off first thanks to his poor craftsmanship. Next, the monsters yanked on his arms enough to expose them to bites from the monsters. He flailed his sword around at their knees in hopes to ward the fearless monsters off.

Blood and viscera flew all around him as he hacked into rancid meat and infected bone.

Slowly, he forwent all of his offense once they completely surrounded him.

The first chunk of flesh left his body as a mouth bit straight through the leather. Then the next chunk was taken from his side where another found purchase with its teeth.

More and more bites left his precious flesh as he struggled not to be torn apart by the angry mob.

He reached for his fanny pack to grab a potion to prolong his fight, but received more bites in the attempt.

The black stale blood of the monsters mixed together with his own vibrant red. He watched his life drain from his wounds and pool below him.

“Arrgh!” A particularly painful bite elicited a loud response from him. He felt death nearing closer each second he was stuck in the ball of death.

A bright gold light shined through his tightly shut eyelids. The pain of the bites had left his senses. The grasping hands and gnashing maws were gone, no longer assaulting his senses.