Jack backed up a few paces, his grip tightening on the spear, eyes focused on the tendrils and mouths that constantly shifted before him.

"Lyla, keep the fire going! Distract it!" Jack yelled, not taking his eyes off the Shoggoth.

"On it!" Lyla called back, sending another wave of yellow fire toward the creature, trying to exploit its known weakness. The flames landed on the Shoggoth’s form once again, eliciting a guttural hiss as the creature recoiled. But it was already adapting, forming thicker, armored tendrils to shield itself from the flame.

Jack’s grip tightened on his spear, his mind racing as the Shoggoth continued to lash out, its ever-shifting mass wreaking havoc on the legionnaires. His thoughts sharpened, focusing on the one move that might give them the upper hand—Phantom Soul Strike. He’d used it before with devastating effect, and this eldritch abomination was the perfect target.

He steadied his breathing, his grip on the spear firm but loose, letting his instincts take over. The moment the Shoggoth recoiled from a legionnaire’s blow, Jack lunged forward, channeling his energy into the strike. Ethereal energy swirled around his weapon, coiling up the spear’s shaft like living tendrils.

“Now!” he shouted to his party, his voice sharp and clear. Phantom Soul Strike activated.

With a surge of otherworldly force, Jack thrust his spear toward the Shoggoth, aiming for its central mass. The spear's tip shimmered as its ghostly extension pierced through the air, the weapon piercing the physical defenses of the creature. The spectral energy rippled through the Shoggoth’s form, striking not just its body, but its very essence.

The effect was immediate.

The Shoggoth’s grotesque mass convulsed violently as the Phantom Soul Strike tore into it. The attack bypassed its physical adaptability, striking deep into the creature’s core. Several of the Shoggoth’s eyes burst in quick succession, leaking foul ichor, and its tendrils flailed wildly as it struggled to regain control of its form.

A guttural roar filled the chamber, the Shoggoth screeching in pain and confusion as its structure destabilized momentarily. Jack could feel the spectral energy reverberating within the creature, disrupting its ability to regenerate and adapt.

"Hit it now!" Jack roared, stepping back as the Shoggoth’s form wavered, tendrils writhing uncontrollably.

He was about to charge forward when he felt something from his Companion. Looking over at the white-furred wolf he felt a sharp tug in his mind—Goldeyes was communicating with him. Jack paused, his spear still raised as he tuned into the mental link they shared. The wolf’s silver eyes gleamed with intensity, and Jack could sense the growing power within his Companion.

“I want to test the full range of my new abilities,” Goldeyes’ voice resonated through their bond, his tone steady but filled with anticipation.

Jack furrowed his brow, quickly processing the request. Goldeyes had already proven invaluable, but Jack could feel the restlessness in the wolf—the urge to push further, to tap into the new, untamed powers he had yet to fully explore. It was something Jack could relate to, he had felt the same feeling many times since coming to this world. They were in the thick of battle, but the Shoggoth was destabilized enough that this might be their best chance.

Jack nodded, tightening his grip on the spear. "Do it," he said aloud, his voice firm. He trusted Goldeyes, and he knew the wolf wouldn’t ask for permission unless he was ready. "We'll cover you."

He motioned for Cael and Monsoon to stay back to give Goldeyes room to truly test out his new powers. They obeyed without hesitation, their trust in Jack as a leader having solidified over the last few fights.

Goldeyes let out a low, rumbling growl, his body coiled with the energy of ancient spirits, and then he bolted toward the Shoggoth with unnatural speed.

The battlefield was a chaotic blur of undead legionnaires hacking and slashing at the writhing abomination, their blades cutting deep into its squirming, unholy mass, only for the creature to regenerate faster than they could deal real damage. But Goldeyes knew his moment was coming—this was his fight.

The Shoggoth, reeling from Jack’s Phantom Soul Strike, convulsed in agony, its tendrils wildly lashing out as it struggled to reform. The eldritch entity’s attention was scattered, its grotesque body destabilized as it fought against the spectral energy coursing through its essence.

Goldeyes seized the opportunity. He let out a low, haunting howl—a sound that cut through the chaos like a blade. Howl of Ages Past echoed through the chamber, the sound resonating in the very souls of all who heard it. A ripple of energy surged from Goldeyes, washing over Jack, Lyla, and the legionnaires. Strength and clarity filled their minds, while the Shoggoth shuddered, its very essence trembling with dread. Its tendrils hesitated, slowing for just a moment as if weighed down by an ancient fear.

Lyla stepped forward, her eyes glowing with fierce determination as the remnants of the Shoggoth writhed and twitched in their death throes. She had been holding back, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash the full extent of her power. And now, with Goldeyes' howl still reverberating through the chamber, she knew it was time.

As the last echoes of the spectral howl faded, Lyla raised her hands, the air around her crackling with energy. She focused on the battlefield, where the undead legionnaires continued their relentless assault on the Shoggoth's broken mass. Her fingers curled into claws, and she drew upon the dark magic she had gained as an Acolyte of Baba Yaga.

The ground beneath the Shoggoth’s remains trembled, and the air grew thick with a malevolent energy. Dark tendrils of dirty green light surged from the earth, snaking outward to form a wide, pulsating circle around the creature. The air within the circle shimmered with an eerie green light, the very essence of the natural world twisted and corrupted by Lyla's magic.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

As the Cursed Circle fully formed, its power began to take hold. The undead legionnaires within the circle stood taller, their rotting bodies regenerating as the corrupt energy seeped into them, restoring their strength.

But the Shoggoth wasn’t so lucky.

The moment the creature’s limbs touched the boundaries of the Cursed Circle, it began to shriek—a sound of pure agony and dread. The dark energy of the circle drained the creature's life force, feeding on its unnatural existence. Tendrils of dark energy wrapped around the Shoggoth’s mass, pulling at its very essence and unraveling what little remained of its twisted form. The more it struggled, the faster it decayed, its attempts at regeneration failing miserably as Lyla’s magic devoured it from the inside.

To the Shoggoth, it was as if the land itself had turned against it, rejecting its presence and erasing it from existence. The dark magic filled the air with a sense of suffocating dread, and even Jack, though strengthened by the circle, felt an icy chill run down his spine.

The mist around Goldeyes thickened, swirling and coalescing into the forms of ghostly wolves—his Spectral Pack. Their translucent bodies moved with predatory grace, their eyes burning with the same silver glow as their master. They moved as one, their formation perfect, as they charged toward the Shoggoth.

The undead legionnaires redoubled their efforts, hacking at the Shoggoth's mass as the spectral wolves leaped into battle. The Shoggoth’s tendrils lashed out, trying to strike the ghostly wolves, but its attacks passed through them harmlessly. The wolves responded in kind, their ethereal jaws biting into the creature’s essence rather than its flesh, tearing into the energy that held its form together. Wounds bled not with ichor, but with pale, shimmering light as the Shoggoth’s life force was drained.

The Shoggoth screeched again, tendrils whipping violently. One massive, armored limb slammed toward Goldeyes, but he merely phased out of existence with a graceful Ethereal Step, his body becoming a misty blur that passed right through the monstrous appendage. When he reappeared, his claws shimmered with spectral energy, now infused with the ancient power of his ancestors.

Goldeyes struck with precision. His claws slashed across the Shoggoth’s body, bypassing its physical defenses entirely. Each swipe drained the creature’s essence, weakening it further. The amorphous creature’s body was unraveling, its form struggling to hold together as the combined assault from Jack, Lyla’s fire, the undead legionnaires, and the relentless spectral wolves tore into it from all sides.

The battlefield was a symphony of chaos—Jack darting in and out with his spear, Lyla bombarding the creature with yellow flames, and the legionnaires cutting down any tendrils that ventured too close. But it was Goldeyes who commanded the fight now, his every move calculated, his spectral pack coordinating with him in perfect harmony.

The Shoggoth reared back, its body spasming as it tried to launch one last desperate attack. Its tendrils coiled together, forming a massive, grotesque fist that slammed down toward Goldeyes and the spectral wolves.

Goldeyes let out one final, ear-splitting howl—a rallying cry to his ancestor spirits. His ghostly packmates surged forward, biting into the Shoggoth’s mass, draining the last vestiges of its power. The creature desperately struck out with a tendril shaped like a hammer at the end. Goldeyes smoothly stepped through the incoming attack with another Ethereal Step, appearing atop the creature’s central mass.

With a single, decisive motion, Goldeyes’ claws, now glowing with the power of countless generations, plunged deep into the Shoggoth. The creature let out a final, horrific scream as the spectral energy ripped through its very soul, tearing it apart from the inside.

“Tekeli Li!” The monster mouths shrieked in a disturbingly childlike tone “Tekeli Li”.

The Shoggoth’s final shriek reverberated through the chamber, the cry echoing in Jack’s mind—"Tekeli Li!"—a sound so filled with dread that it sent a shiver down his spine. Jack watched in awe as Goldeyes stood atop the abomination’s writhing form, claws still embedded deep inside it, spectral energy swirling like a vortex.

The creature convulsed violently, its amorphous body unraveling under the relentless assault of Goldeyes’ power and the spectral wolves. Tendrils that once lashed out in fury now flopped helplessly, disintegrating into wisps of foul-smelling vapor. Its once-massive form was shrinking, collapsing inward as the very essence that held it together was torn apart by the mystical forces surrounding it.

Jack stepped back, still holding his spear, but his part in the battle was over. This was Goldeyes’ moment, and he wasn’t about to interfere. He glanced at Lyla, who stood beside him, her chest rising and falling as she maintained the Cursed Circle. Her eyes still glowed with that eerie green light, and he could feel the immense power radiating from her.

“Is it…?” Lyla asked, her voice breathless, the strain of maintaining such powerful magic evident.

Jack nodded, his eyes fixed on the Shoggoth. “It’s done.”

With one final, agonized screech, the Shoggoth’s body imploded, collapsing into a heap of twisted matter that rapidly disintegrated into nothing. The chamber fell silent, save for the distant crackling of Lyla’s flames and the faint rustling of the spectral wolves as they faded back into the mist.

Goldeyes leaped down from the crumbling remains of the creature, landing gracefully beside Jack. His silver eyes still shimmered with power, and Jack could feel the satisfaction radiating through their bond. The battle had been fierce, but Goldeyes had proven his strength—his full range of abilities had been tested, and they had emerged victorious.

“You did good buddy,” Jack said, reaching down to scratch behind Goldeyes’ ear. The wolf leaned into the touch, but his eyes never left the spot where the Shoggoth had fallen.

“That was… impressive,” Lyla added, walking up beside them. Her face was pale, and the glow in her eyes was fading, but there was a smile on her lips. “You’re quite the team.”

Jack smiled, looking between his two companions. “We’re stronger together.”

The battlefield around them was littered with the remains of the undead legionnaires, many of whom had fallen in the chaos of the battle. But there were still some standing, silent and unmoving, awaiting their next command. Jack couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt—they had fought well, even in death, and their sacrifice had bought them precious time to take down the Shoggoth.

“We should move,” Cael said, his voice low and steady, his gaze shifting to the far end of the chamber. “There may be more of these things deeper in the ruins.”

Jack nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Agreed. But we need to be careful—whatever that thing was, there could be worse waiting for us.”

As they prepared to leave the chamber, Jack glanced back one last time at the spot where the Shoggoth had fallen. The ancient words it had shrieked in its dying breath echoed in his mind once more—"Tekeli Li." He didn’t know what it meant, but the ominous tone of it sent a chill down his spine. This was no ordinary creature. It was something far older, something far more dangerous than anything they had faced before.

And whatever it was, Jack had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he heard those words.d Jack exhaled slowly, the words "Tekeli Li" still echoing in his mind like a distant whisper from a forgotten age. Whatever that Shoggoth had been, it wasn't just another creature—its ancient and malevolent presence had left a lasting mark on him.