Stranded on The Southern Continent

The clamor grew louder. A chorus of horrific voices–strained and terrible.

I smelt a strange scent in the air. The smell of death-specifically the living dead. Lots of ‘em. And they weren’t anything but fresh. Poor bastards sounded pretty upset about it actually.

Teetri ran to Cleyre. She didn’t look away from the inactive magical circle that took us to this cursed city.

“Take us back!” Teetri bashed her pale fists on Cleyre’s back. Her fists reddened with each strike against the thick dragonborn hide. Hardly worth calling it an attack–more of an annoyance.

I wrapped an arm around Teetri, pulling her into my cloak. She sobbed louder. My eyes never left the darkened doorway. Tanglewood and I were ready .

“Cleyre! What’s happening!? Take us back!” I shouted.

There was no point in staying quiet–judging by the sound–we had less than a minute.

Cleyre rose from her extended examination. For her, the battle seemed like a frustrating interruption. A waste of time.

She readied her staff, casting Mage Armor on herself.

“I can figure it out. But we need more time.”

Oh. We were mega fucked. In ‘Cleyre speak’ that meant: I have no damn idea, shut up. My mate and I shared a knowing look. He was fluent in her language too. In a small town like Sapwood, we all learned each other's quirks.

Windthrow stood behind me, quickly notching an arrow.

He tapped my shoulder.

“Put the human in the back, and give us some of your bard magic. Hurry!”

I guided Teetri away from the doorway. She clung to my cloak with both hands.

“No! Don’t leave me alone. I don’t want to be alone again!” she cried.

“I won’t leave. You’re my friend, remember?” I patted her head and pulled her hood up. “Close your eyes. I’ll tell you when it's over.”

Now, time for a quick tune before the horde reaches us.

I pulled out my trusty cherry guitar. What did we need? Energy and stamina. The equivalent of battle stimulants. Oh gods, please make this a good tune. Are lives might depend on it…

Starting with a heavy strum, a flood of green sparks burst forth. I followed up with some delicate fingerpicking. One fuck-up and I’d ruin the spell…not to mention the song! I hoped it sounded decent. The approaching undead screams were drowning it out. What a terrible audience!

Green sparks swirled around myself and my three targets. A bright aura surrounded, then seeped into us. A burst of energy and aggression. I felt eager for the fight ahead! A life or death struggle alongside my mate(and Cleyre)! My body wanted nothing more–a reminder of why my body wanted him before my heart did. I trusted this man with my life.

How many couples got to test their bond like this?!

My mind raced. A dizzying array of–near–delusional thoughts. Cleyre and Windthrow both wore joyful smiles too. Or maybe they were more manic than joyful. Whatever. My bard magic was more potent than usual!

“Vylet, up front! Cleyre, no big spells. Remember we’re high up in a ruined building!” Windthrow shouted. “Keep 'em from flooding inside Vy!”

“Yes, sir!”

I stood on the tips of my talons and kissed his cheek.

The screams were overwhelming now. The building trembled. I ran forward. Crouched into a low battle stance, swaying side to side. Ready for anything. Tanglewood felt restless too! Eager!

Shadows flooded the dark hall. It was time to grind up the horde!

Thump. Thump. Thump!

They jumped up and sprinted towards our doorway.

The first one crossed the threshold. What little flesh still clung to these creatures was charred and grey. Blackened and burnt bones poked through its dead leathery skin. Bizarre and sharp orange crystals grew from its elbows and knees–smaller crystals clustered in each of the creature’s eyesockets.

It was like a crystalline parasite had taken it over.

The lamentable creature reached out towards us, trying to slice me with thin blade-like crystals growing from its arm.

Eeeaaarrrrk. It shrieked.

I hunched down and drove Tanglewood up through its chin and skull. It felt like piercing a bag full of rocks. Weird as hell. But there wasn’t time to think. I flung it off my spear, preparing for the next one that dared to challenge me.

Moments later a second–this one a woman wearing the remnants of a dress—pushed into our room. I plunged my spear into its eye.

Painful reverberation erupted from my wrists, I hit something hard! Its crystal claws were inches from my flesh.

Twang.

An arrow passed into its other eye and out the back of its skull.

“Careful Vy, more incoming!” Windthrow shouted over the undead screams.

My mate had my back! Nothing’s getting past me like this~! I threw it off my spear. Baring my teeth–lost in the ecstasy of battle.

“Next! More, more, more!”

Three more of the scorched zombies clawed around the corner. Aiming to tear me to pieces no doubt! Think again rot fuckers!

I hopped two steps back, dropping to all fours.

“One!” My Frost Ray collided with the first one, slowing it down.

“Two. Three!” My horns seared with cold energy. I loosed two more Frost Rays.

A barrage of arrows smashed into their heads. Slowed and injured, but they still charged.

I opened my jaws wide, readying my Arcane Breath. Deep within myself the energy gathered…and was projected outwards! Arcane energy curled and flooded around the zombies like water. They melted into glowing purple heaps. It erupted into the hall, engulfing more of the things.

I held it, until blackness crawled in at the edge of my vision.

How many was that? 4? 6? Maybe 10? A new record for my arcane breath!

Even after all that, the horrible shrieking only stopped for a moment. The zombies kicked through the dust of their allies–desperate to flood into the room.

Two bulky ones, wearing rusty plate mail. Blackened helms full of orange crystals. Even if I got through, I’d find only crystal.

“Cleyre!” I shouted.

“Already on it, beautiful,” she replied.

Thin sky blue bolts twisted through the air. Straight through their armor. Two muffled explosions–both collapsed. Their corpses blocked half the height of the doorway!

With their deaths, our battle settled into a predictable rhythm.

Zombies try to crawl over the corpse barrier. I spear them in the face. Either Cleyre or Windthrow finish them off, if my initial strike didn’t do the job. A perfect barrier for us.

Without the ability to overwhelm through sheer numbers, they weren’t much of a threat. After a comical amount of stabbing, the flow of undead stopped.

“We…finally won!” I shouted. “Hell yeah team!”

I pumped my clawed fist in the air, holding my beloved Tanglewood high.

“Vylet, we could be celebrating early.” Windthrow sighed, placing an arrow back in its holster. “But, it does appear the threat is past.”

“Yeah it's past!” I jumped onto Windthrow and clung to him tightly with my legs.

He pulled me into a kiss. I felt his hand stroking up the base of my tail. before he settled into a firm grip on my ass. Must be feeling frisky from the battle. We had that in common…

“Can’t you two wait until we’re home,” Cleyre muttered.

She was using her staff to rifle through the disintegrated undead–victims of my Arcane Breath. Orange crystals were scattered amongst the remains.

I reluctantly pulled away from my kiss.

“Don’t forget. This is your fault, we could be home by–”

My–totally valid–grievance was interrupted by another undead pressing against the barrier. It was tall and lanky. A cluster of the odd mineral grew from its throat–probably explaining its lack of screeching. This one had a fire colored glow emanating from its empty sockets.

“And here I thought we were done!” I snapped. “I got it.”

Windthrow gave my ass one last squeeze before letting me down. As I had done dozens of times in the last couple hours, I slammed Tanglewood into the undead’s skull.

“That’ll teach you to interrupt. It’s bad manners, ya know?”

The thing was still. But the glow didn’t fade. It got brighter! Rays of light spilled from between every gap in the undead’s broken flesh. Heat too! Like a furnace!

“Uhh, what’s happening?”

“Run!” Cleyre shouted.

I turned away.

BOOM.

The blazing heat and light burst out from the undead. I saw Windthrow running towards me, Cleyre ducking, and Teetri still cowering in the corner of the room.

Then the sound of rubble. Beneath us the floor opened up and collapsed.