Jack directed his remaining undead allies, along with the wolves, to hold their ground near the rift. With the chaos of the battle raging on, the last thing he wanted was for enemies to arrive through the portal while they were distracted. Once he was satisfied that his back was secure, he turned his attention to the spectacle unfolding before him.
The cavern quaked under the force of the clash. The Herald—a grotesque, pulsating mass of shifting limbs, eyes, and sinew—towered above its opposition. Opposite it stood the Sovereign, a two-headed skeletal giant wreathed in auras of flickering purple light. Its hollow eyes burned with an eerie intensity as it raised one of its bony arms and unleashed a jagged beam of violet energy toward the Herald.
The Herald twisted violently in response, its amorphous body writhing in impossible ways to avoid the brunt of the attack. A single tentacle, however, was caught in the beam. The limb froze in place as a petrifying effect spread rapidly from the point of impact, turning the once-flexible appendage into brittle stone. Jack’s heart lifted briefly. Was this the break they needed?
The hope was short-lived. Without hesitation, the Herald grew a scythe-like limb that severed the tentacle from its main body. The fossilized fragment shattered into dozens of jagged pieces as it hit the cavern floor, the creature’s pulsating mass utterly unbothered by the loss. In seconds, new tentacles sprouted from its form, larger and more reinforced, their tips swelling into club-like growths bristling with jagged protrusions.
These monstrous limbs lashed out at the Sovereign, smashing against the glowing purple barrier that shielded the skeletal giant. The shield flared with each impact, casting eerie shadows across the cavern walls. The Herald struck with relentless fury, but the barrier held firm. Jack squinted and saw one of the fossilized skeletons near the Sovereign’s base crumble into dust.
“It’s transferring damage to its minions,” Jack realized, his grip tightening on his spear. “That shield’s only as strong as its supply of skeletons.” He counted quickly. Fourteen remained.
The Sovereign retaliated, its twin skulls opening wide as streams of purple fire erupted forth. The flames washed over the Herald, igniting parts of its amorphous mass with necrotic energy. For a moment, the creature thrashed wildly, its shrieks splitting the air. Sections of its flesh withered and crumbled away, and several of its eyes burst into steaming ichor. Jack allowed himself a small measure of relief, but once again, the Herald adapted. The withered flesh sloughed off, revealing new skin beneath, veined with glowing black streaks that absorbed the purple flames harmlessly. The new defense spread quickly, enveloping the entirety of its massive body.
“It’s adapting too fast,” Jack muttered, frustration mounting as he darted forward. He had to close the distance before the Sovereign’s skeletal army was entirely depleted.
The Herald, however, seemed aware of his approach. With a nauseating squelch, the creature’s back split open, revealing rows upon rows of grotesque, bloodshot eyes. They swiveled independently, tracking Jack even as the front of the creature continued its assault on the Sovereign.
“Of course it grows eyes on its back,” Jack grumbled, raising his spear.
The Herald didn’t stop there. Its newest eyes emitted an eerie shimmer, the creature’s flesh rippling as if in response to Jack’s every movement. He zigzagged to throw it off, and while the eyes seemed to hesitate briefly, they continued to lock onto him with uncanny precision.
Jack thrust his palm forward, summoning Flame Gout. A torrent of searing fire erupted, engulfing the creature’s newly formed eyes. For an instant, the Herald convulsed, a hideous screech escaping its form as the flames consumed several of the eyes. Ichor burst from the ruptured orbs, sizzling on contact with the fire.
But before Jack could press the advantage, the Herald shifted once again. The damaged sections of its back hardened, forming thick, interlocking scales that deflected the fire. Simultaneously, new eyes emerged along its flanks, ensuring the creature maintained its panoramic awareness. The rippling crimson scales glimmered ominously in the firelight, completely impervious to Jack’s attack.
“Fireproof and armored,” Jack muttered under his breath. “This is going great.”
Nearby, the Sovereign struck again. Its skeletal hands clapped together, and a shockwave of dark energy pulsed outward. The Herald’s tentacles faltered as the wave washed over it, momentarily disrupting its movements. Seizing the opportunity, the Sovereign raised one bony arm, summoning jagged spears of bone that erupted from the ground beneath the Herald. The spears pierced the creature’s underbelly, eliciting another horrific screech. Black ichor poured from the wounds, pooling on the cavern floor.
Yet, as always, the Herald adapted. Its body pulsed, absorbing the spikes as they retracted back into the ground. Where the wounds had been, thick plates of chitin formed, their glossy surfaces reflecting the Sovereign’s faint purple glow. Jack cursed under his breath.
Cael darted to Jack’s side, twin daggers flashing in the dim light. “Let’s see how it handles good old-fashioned stabbing,” he said, his voice tight with determination. Before Jack could stop him, Cael lunged, his blades slicing into the Herald’s flank. The weapons bit deep, shearing through its scaled armor and eliciting another spray of ichor.
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For a moment, it seemed like progress. Then the Herald’s flesh shifted yet again. The scales around the wounds dissolved, replaced by writhing, fibrous tendrils that latched onto Cael’s daggers, holding them fast.
“What the—?” Cael yanked at his weapons, but the tendrils tightened, dragging him closer to the creature’s gaping maw.
“Cael!” Jack shouted.
Lyra’s voice cut through the chaos as she unleashed a burst of Witchfire. Apparently, there was more to that attack than mere fire because the blinding yellow energy streaked across the battlefield, striking the tendrils and severing them in an instant. Cael stumbled backward, his daggers dropping to the ground.
The Herald wasn’t finished though. Its flesh darkened, absorbing the light of Lyra’s burst of Witchfire. The glowing burns faded, and the surface of its body turned matte black. The next stream of Witchfire that Lyla sent its way splashed away harmlessly off its body.
“This thing’s evolving faster than we can hurt it!” Lyra shouted, panic edging her voice.
“We need to overwhelm it before it can adapt again,” Jack growled, his grip tightening on his spear. His eyes darted toward the Sovereign, whose skeletal army had dwindled to just nine minions. The towering figure of the Sovereign remained eerily composed, its twin skulls locked in a symphony of incantations. The cavern trembled as the air around it grew dense with magic. From its bony hands, an orb of crackling black and violet energy began to form, swirling like a miniature storm. The energy radiated an oppressive heat, making the air shimmer as it grew larger, its pulsing rhythm matching the hollow cadence of the Sovereign’s chants.
The orb swelled until it was nearly the size of the Sovereign itself, a pulsating sphere that seemed to devour the surrounding light. With a sudden, almost lazy motion, the Sovereign hurled the orb toward the Herald. The projectile tore through the air, leaving a faint trail of violet sparks in its wake before slamming into the Herald’s amorphous body with a sound like a thunderclap.
The resulting explosion was deafening, a wave of destructive force rippling outward. Jack threw up an arm to shield his face as chunks of stone were dislodged from the cavern walls. The Herald’s body convulsed violently, its twisted form writhing as large sections of its flesh disintegrated under the impact. Entire tentacles were blasted clean off, disintegrating into black ichor that splattered across the ground. For the first time, the creature seemed genuinely weakened, its movements sluggish and erratic.
Jack’s heart surged with hope. “This is our chance! Everyone, focus your attacks now!” he bellowed, his voice cutting through the din of battle.
Without hesitation, he charged forward, spear in hand. As he closed the distance, he activated Phantom Soul Strike, causing it to glow faintly with a ghostly light. Jack leapt onto one of the Herald’s massive tentacles, using it as a bridge to reach its core. The surface beneath his boots was sickeningly slick and pulsing, but he pressed on, driving his spear deep into the creature’s scaled hide with every ounce of his strength.
The Herald bucked and twisted, trying to throw Jack off, but he held firm, gripping his spear with white-knuckled determination. He drove the weapon deeper, feeling the resistance of the creature’s dense, ever-adapting flesh. Black ichor sprayed from the wound, sizzling as it hit the ground below. Jack didn’t pause to celebrate his progress—he knew the creature wouldn’t stay vulnerable for long.
To his left, Lyra stepped into action. With a fluid motion, she summoned a spell, her hands weaving intricate patterns of green light. From the cavern floor, thorned vines erupted, thick and gnarled like the roots of an ancient tree. The vines coiled around the Herald’s limbs, tightening with incredible force. The creature thrashed violently, its grotesque form rippling as it fought against the restraints, but Lyra’s magic held firm—for now.
Cael darted forward, his movements a blur. Having retrieved his daggers, he aimed for the Herald’s newly sprouted eyes. His strikes were precise, each slash blinding one grotesque orb after another. Black ichor sprayed as the eyes burst, their ruptured remains sizzling against the Herald’s flesh. Cael’s face twisted in grim satisfaction as he continued his assault, leaping and spinning to avoid the lashing tentacles that sought to swat him like a fly.
The Sovereign, unfazed by the chaos, raised its skeletal arms once more. This time, it conjured a cascade of ethereal chains that shimmered with an unearthly light. The chains shot forward, wrapping around the Herald’s massive form and binding it in place. The glowing restraints tightened, their light intensifying as they constricted the creature’s movements. The Herald’s thrashing slowed, its chaotic mass trembling as the chains forced it into submission.
Jack glanced back, his heart pounding. For a moment, it seemed as though victory was within their grasp. The Herald’s struggles grew weaker, its grotesque body sagging under the combined assault. The cavern was filled with the sounds of cracking vines, glowing chains, and the Sovereign’s hollow chants.
But the moment of triumph was short-lived.
The Herald let out a sound unlike anything Jack had ever heard—a deep, resonating roar that seemed to vibrate the very marrow of his bones. The air grew thick with an oppressive, chaotic energy, and Jack’s gut twisted in foreboding. The Herald’s body surged, its form rippling with a grotesque vitality.
The chains binding it began to crack, fissures of black light spreading along their length. With a sickening lurch, the Herald tore free, shattering the Sovereign’s chains in a burst of energy that sent shockwaves through the cavern. Lyra’s vines were next, snapping like brittle twigs as the creature’s limbs thrashed with renewed ferocity. The Sovereign staggered slightly, its twin skulls emitting guttural growls as it prepared to conjure yet another attack.
But the Herald was faster this time. It formed spines that glowed with an ominous red energy, each one thrumming with lethal power. With terrifying speed, it launched a volley of spines directly at the Sovereign. The first struck its ribcage, punching through the skeletal structure with a sickening crack as it detonated on impact. Another pierced and destroyed one of its skulls, silencing the incantations that emanated from it. The Sovereign reeled, its remaining skull hissing as it attempted to summon a counterattack.
The Herald was relentless. It surged forward, tentacles lashing out to ensnare the Sovereign’s skeletal frame. The Sovereign struggled, its bony hands glowing as it managed to summon one final spell—a brilliant lance of violet light that pierced through the Herald’s torso, creating a gaping wound. But the creature didn’t falter. With a final, grotesque roar, it crushed the Sovereign’s remaining skull in its tentacles, shattering it into a cascade of bone shards.