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[Lazybones]

EDIT: Ah, you posted while I was readying this post, Tamlyn!

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Chapter 49


“Back, foul things!” Devrem commanded, lifting his silver sigil with one hand, while holding tightly to his staff with the other. “Back to the grave where you belong!”

The priest’s holy symbol flashed silver, but the dark energies of the Shadowfell proved stronger, for the zombies continued their advance unabated. But the attacks of his companions proved more effective. Jaron’s arrow slammed square into the center of the first zombie’s skull, shattering it in a mess of rotten flesh and shards of bone. The zombie slumped over to the side, expiring slowly as its limbs quivered weakly. The next few zombies stepped over their companion, only to fall back under combined attacks from Elevaren and Beetle. The warlock’s eldritch blast and the rogue’s thrown knife each claimed their target, the magic that held the rotting creatures together sundered by the attacks. The zombies flopped to the ground, falling apart as the necromantic energies seeped away from their broken bodies.

The others kept coming, heedless of the destruction of their fellows. Mara stepped forward to face them, her swords hissing as they were drawn from their sheaths. She clove the skull of the first even as it reached out for her, knocking it into the one beside it. That one fell a moment later, as she sliced her second sword upward through its ribs, crashing through its spine and sending into to the ground in pieces.

Thus far the battle had been entirely one-sided, but that changed as the last few zombies entered the fray. These two were more whole than their rotting brethren, their bodies still smelling of dying flesh, the remains of torn muscles and partially intact organs visible through the open wounds that covered their bodies. They came at Mara in a sudden rush, before the fighter could recover and reset her stance. The first grabbed her right arm, dragging her off-balance and keeping her from bringing her longsword into play. The second went for a more direct slam that caught her in the chest with enough force to drive both her and the zombie holding her back a step.

Had she been alone, Mara would have been in dire straits, but her companions were quick to come to her aid. Devrem surged forward, thrusting his staff ahead and unleashing a lance of faith at point-blank range into the zombie holding Mara’s arm. The silvery flashes burned like tongues of fire as they slashed into the zombie’s dead flesh. The zombie, scalded, released Mara and lunged at Devrem, the priest’s extended staff barely keeping the foul creature at bay. Jaron placed an arrow directly into the zombie’s throat, but the wound that would have suffocated a living foe barely distracted this one from its target. The halfling considered his sword for a moment, but ultimately decided that the close confines of the tunnel would only put him in the way of his comrades. After glancing back to verify that Beetle still had their prisoner well in hand, he reached for another arrow from his quiver.

With her weapons now fully restored to her, Mara in turn laid into the zombie that had punched her. Her swords struck true, but the creature’s pale flesh was tougher than that of the rotters they had dispatched earlier, and the edges of her blades tore only shallow gashes, as though she’d been cutting old leather. The zombie persisted in its attack, lunging at her face. A bright flare of fae energy shot past it, narrowly missing, but again the undead monster was not distracted in the way that a living foe might have been, and it did not even flinch as it thrust through the trailing edges of the eldritch blast and bashed Mara hard across the side of her head. Her helmet kept the blow from crunching bone, but it was clear that the hit had been telling. She staggered back and jostled the zombie that was jousting with Devrem, and the lot of them nearly went down in a confused tangle.

Thus far the zombies had inflicted considerable damage, but the odds were still against them, and they began to tell. Devrem unleashed another surge of radiant energy, sheltering himself and Mara within the protective glow of divine power even as the zombie he’d targeted before wilted further against the might of the Raven Queen. The zombie, uninterested in negotiation or flight, sought only to destroy its tormentor, but as it lunged a last time at the cleric Jaron fired an arrow into its left knee, ruining the joint and driving it awkwardly to the floor. The zombie tried to get up, but Devrem thrust the metal head of his staff hard against the back of its neck, and delivered a final surge of power that undid its tenuous link to existence.

Mara likewise refused to give ground despite her wounds, meeting the other zombie in another exchange of attacks. She fought more cautiously now, deflecting its clumsy but powerful blows with conservative sweeps of her swords, relying on the power of her allies to inflict damage on the creature. The tactic proved sound as first Elevaren and then Beetle delivered precise strikes with hurled magic and steel respectively, tearing away at the body of the creature. The zombie, sagging noticeably, rallied for a final attack on Mara, but the fighter was ready for it. Even as it lunged she danced back out of its reach, pivoting and sweeping her longer blade around in an arc that separated its head from its shoulders.

The companions stood there for a moment in the tunnel with the wreckage of the zombies scattered around them, catching their breath from the brief but violent battle. Devrem called upon his divine powers to heal Mara’s injuries, and the pair shared a look. “This is only the first round,” the priest said. Mara merely nodded, as she slid her swords back into their scabbards.

“That scream was loud,” Jaron said. “They have to know we’re coming.”

“A frontal assault is going to be costly,” Mara pointed out.

Devrem nodded. He looked at each of them in turn, before his gaze finally settled on Splug, who seemed to shrink under the priest’s scrutiny.