As his amber paw was healing Reven, a gangly body crashed onto Joe's back. Four sets of wicked claws, fingers, and feet, dug into the protective pelt. Thankfully, [Steadfast] kept him on his feet, and the wolf-headed hood saved him from the gnashing teeth that were trying to bite into his skull.

The waves of undead had become almost non-stop as the two teams reached the base of the ziggurat.

"Son of a bitch!" Joe snarled as he felt more taloned hands grabbing at his legs. Even flaring his sure-footing skill, he was having difficulty staying upright as more of the ghasts piled onto him. Beside him, he heard Tezeno cry out in alarm as well.

There was no time for half-measures. Joe had been circumspect with his most potent spell against the undead due to its gory nature, but he could feel the Dirge Wights trying to drag him out of the formation.

Joe clamped his mouth closed tight and cast [Dispel Noxa] through his grappled shins. Feral screams followed the feeling of gore splattering across his legs as the clawed hands burst apart. He sent a [Casting Claw] to the wight that had gotten through Tez's shielding and activated [Heavy Hand] in a way he rarely used the skill.

[Heavy Hand] - Uncommon - Strength: The skill allows you a chance to block attacks or push a target away from you. Increases your Physical and Magical Deflection and your Shove proficiency by 20% plus 2% for each skill rank you have with this skill for 1 second. This skill is not applicable against non-tangible or area attacks. Cost: Moderate Stamina. {Might}

Each paw could exert over a hundred pounds of pressure, and the shove boost from [Heavy Hand] increased that by two-thirds. Between shoving and [Dispel Noxa], he jostled the attackers off himself and his archon partner before causing them to erupt, spraying gore in a ten-foot radius around each enspelled ghast.

"That's gross, Joe!" Kenda shouted. "Keep it up!"

He did. Summoning a second hand, Joe grabbed and dragged wights up into the air, away from his teammates. Before dropping the undead. This saved him the [Dispel Noxa] mana cost, and the fall did almost as much damage.

Your skill [Casting Claw] has increased to rank 36.

The rare version of his [Signature Spell] was amazing. With [Helping Hand] and [Forceful Fist], Joe had to actively work the magical digit just like he would a hand tool; pliers, screwdriver, etc. He had spent many nights practicing with the earlier versions, getting used to functioning with three hands instead of just two. With [Casting Claw], he could effortlessly use four hands, even in the chaos of combat. The orange constructs responded to his wishes instinctively, as if they had been part of his body since birth.

When everyone was free from this latest onslaught of dead predators, the combined party took a moment to catch their breath. Naragash handed out potions from her paired-dimensional bag. Puqmup had the bag's twin back at the pagoda, and as soon as there was room, the gnome dropped in more resource potions to replace the ones everyone was gulping down.

"That was awful," Tezeno groaned, wiping the entrails off his shield. "I got a whole mouthful of zombie guts. Can't thank you enough, Joe. Blehck."

"While the visceral explosions may not be for the weak of heart, one cannot argue with their effectiveness, young healer. Well done," the necromancer praised as he replenished his cohort of skeletons from the fallen wights. "I am undoubtedly going to get a wand of that spell of yours. Popping my undead like festering boils would not be my go-to option in a real fight, but I can already see some hilarious uses for it at other times."

"Oh great," Reven groused. "Just what we need. More ways Broon can be a pain in the ass." The fire warrior was wiping his face and hands with a towel that never grew soiled. "And whose bright idea was it to leave Bomber-Girl behind? If we had Taylyn, we could have blown up the whole wave of them, not just Joe's one at a time."

"Myllo knows what we're facing," Naragash hissed, tapping a jeweled earring. "If we get cut off, Taylyn will open a hole for us. I care more about us having a backdoor than I am about making yer life easy, Rev."

Before the axeman could quip back, Greymuck exploded into a tirade of swearing. The banderling began kicking the feral corpse he had been examining.

"I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT!" he growled, punctuating each word with a solid kick. "We fought these fucks already ."

"Yeah!" Naragash retorted. "What's yer point?"

"No, you don't get it. It's not that we already fought Dirge Wights. We fought this specific bastard already. And that one," he stated, pointing to a body beside Mortalius. His gaze swept across the bodies Broon had not yet converted into skeletons. "And that one. I killed that guy back in the clearing with the fallen tree, and here he is again."

"Are you sure?" Earcellwen asked in an expectant voice.

"Sweet-cheeks, if there is one thing I know, it's who I killed," Graymuck stated. "Trust me, I put an arrow through that bastard's brain. Broon even raised it. So it ain't a regen thing."

"I agree with you, Gray," Wen affirmed. "There was a wight with a very distinctive muzzle in the stream fight, which I could have sworn I just saw again a minute ago. There have been other twins, but I thought it was just a coincidence."

Mortalius gestured to the group. Joe still had not heard the cleric speak and was beginning to wonder if he was mute. He had picked up many of the fomori's combat signs, but this gesture was unknown. Whatever it meant, his teammates were not happy to see it. Naragash and Broon scowled deeply. Graymuck reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"No," Reven barked. "The last time you used [Psychometry], you nearly melted your brain. We can't afford to have you turn into another screaming, drooling mess, Morty."

"I'm with Reven," Broon agreed. "As much as I'd like this mystery solved, you do tend to have truly horrendous reactions to that spell, Mort."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Um," Lexaroth interrupted. "Not to disagree with you guys, but I know [Mind Shield]. That would give him a pretty solid mental defense."

"Tez has an aura that gives minor resistance to psychic damage, too," Kendall supplied.

"No. Horrible idea. Truly terrible …," the banderling began before being cut off by the Hellion's icy commander.

"You know skill-shit better than anybody, Kenda," the towering cambion declared. "Make the call."

"[Psychometry] is reading the psychic imprint on objects or creatures," the guild lieutenant began, focusing her eyes on the middle distance. "The backlash is almost always psychic damage. Morty has a massive Spirit. [Mind Shield] would at least double his defense, and Tezeno could cut the damage further …" The skill-savant looked up to meet the tall woman's eyes. "It would have to be some epic-level horror to get past all that, Nara. The quest Wen and Joe have is only Rare. It could upgrade once we get inside, but my gut says it should be ok."

"Alright. Do it, Mort. But quick. I want to get into the pyramid before we get hit again." The tall woman made a series of sharp tactical gestures, causing the teams to form a perimeter around Tezeno, Lexaroth, Mortalius, and the corpse.

Mortalius knelt and laid his hand on the motionless body. His eyes rolled into his head as he looked up toward the sky, leaving only the bloodshot whites behind. A second later, blackness filled the orbs, and Morty's mouth began to soundlessly mutter unheard words. The fomori's large head lolled from side to side. Joe started to worry, but when he looked around, he saw the Hellions, and Kendell seemed to be at ease.

With a shudder, Morty ended the spell. He scrubbed a meaty hand over his broad face before giving a thumbs-up sign and then signed something to the warlock.

Lex and the cleric exchanged a glance. The warlock drew a breath and stated, "Morty is thinking it would be faster for me to translate his thoughts than to sign them out." The warlock cleared his throat and continued. "Muck and Ears are right. We are fighting the copies of the same creatures over and over again. They are coming from inside the ziggurat. There is something in there. It's a weird-looking loom inside a large blue hall. The thing is weaving out some endless tapestry. Whenever it finishes an image of a wight, the creature pulls itself out of the cloth. Morty got the impression it was weaving the same tapestry over and over, and that is why we have copies of the same creatures roaming around."

"And potentially an endless supply of enemies," the cambion snarled. "Ok, I'm going to message Myllo. We need both teams inside, looking for that loom. When we find it, we'll set a gate anchor and bring the magic team in to figure out how to shut it down."

"Or just Taylyn," Greymuck added.

"Right, Or Tay. Either way, locating it is step one. Lex, paint an illusion to show us the room," Naragash ordered.

The warlock held his hand palm up, conjuring an image of the room in miniature. It was hard to tell the size at first until Lex added a ghast for reference. The chamber had to be at least 30 feet wide and probably twice as long. It was dark blue on the floor and the lower halves of the walls. The upper walls were light blue. Either Lexaroth didn't know what the ceiling looked like, or he simply skipped displaying it. The loom took up a significant portion of the space. It was about twelve feet wide and tall, and about eight feet deep. The thread seemed to come out of midair, and the tapestry faded away into nothingness a dozen feet from the back of the apparatus.

"We ain't likely to mistake that thing," the ignin warrior huffed.

"Good," the cambion barked. "Now move. I want us inside in two minutes. Gray, go."

The twelve guilders swarmed up the vine-covered stairs until they reached the first plateau. There was an opening there that led into darkness. Joe and Lex scanned it for magic, curses, and wards while Hah'roo and Greymuck checked for mundane traps. When it was deemed safe, the party slipped into the ziggurat.

Just passing through the doorway sent a creepy shiver crawling across Joe's skin. He was not the only one. A bunch of the group showed signs of severe discomfort. Joe looked over everyone's statuses and noted that about half of the team had the [Dread] condition. Joe had major fear resistance from his [Undaunted] trait, so for him, the oppression effect was just a passing shudder.

"I'm tempted to rework the teams," Naragash stated. "Howling Voice is a bit green. On the other hand, you work well together. What'd you say, do you want more firepower or keep yer team as is?"

"I think our team has a subtlety the Hellions lack," Kendell asserted. "In a direct confrontation, your team is clearly stronger. Yet, slipping through these dark halls, our group will be able to avoid many conflicts you will have to fight through. With a potentially endless enemy, stealth may prove to be as valuable as brawn."

"Fair," Nara grunted. She reached up and pulled a jeweled earring from her pale blue lobe and placed it in Kendell's hand. "Alright, here. That will keep you in contact with Myllo. Puq will drop a replacement for me in the bag. Speaking of which, make sure you stock up. Your healer has you well covered with health and stamina," the demonic woman praised, "so grab all the mana pots in there before we split up."

The six of them stepped to the side to talk before leaving the Hellions. Surprisingly, it was Hah'roo who started the planning. "I think we should have our eyes up front," the galeling stated. "Yuk, will you range ahead?"

They all turned to look at the ragged young man, who in turn aimed his concealing cowl in Joe's direction.

As the odd boy's words filled his head, Joe enunciated them for the group. "Yuk says he can scout or be our switchboard. He can connect us telepathically, but he says it takes a lot of focus for him to maintain it, so he can only do one or the other. Not both."

"I say telepathic bond," Kenda suggested. "Hah'roo, your [Questing Breath] and Wen's Perception should be plenty for us to avoid ambushes. Tez, you and I have the worst stealth, so we bring up the back. Joe, keep your [Whisper Step] going. You and Yuk in the middle. "

The wind-dancer nodded. "If Wen is up front with me, she needs to be able to fall back quickly if we encounter the ghouls."

"I'll keep my paws up there with her," Joe offered. A very cold-looking Earcellwen gave Joe a thankful smile. Wearing his gambeson and the [Hide of the Hunter] along with his {Cold} resistance, Joe barely felt the chill, but he could see the breath of most of his teammates fogging the air. Given that many of these folks were long-time residents of a semi-tropical city, they must be feeling the frigid temperature far more than Joe was. He glanced at the Hellions and found Lexaroth almost glued to the side of the steaming ignin.

The thoughts of the others sounding in Joe's mind brought his attention back to the matters at hand. Yuk had connected everyone telepathically. In many ways, it was not unlike hearing his friends speak out loud. Yuk layered the thoughts in such a way that it was easy to distinguish who was who.

Interestingly, each person's thoughts had their own unique feel to them. Hah'roo's mental voice was just as billowy as it was when she was speaking aloud. Tezeno's thoughts felt heavy and solid. Kendell's were confident and warm. Wen's were both swift and serene at the same time. Yuk's telepathic voice still had some echoes, but nothing nearly as broken as his spoken words.

Joe was surprised to find the others thinking that his thoughts sounded like they had an animalistic feel to them. It was as if his mental voice was backed a by deep-chested rumbling.

"Ticks," Hah'roo sighed, looking at the parasite embedded into her pure white skin. "Really, Yuk?"

'Sorry,' the swarm boy apologized telepathically.

"No worries. This is a great asset, even if its nature is freaking me out a little, too," Kenda announced, patting the cloaked youth's shoulder. "I think we're ready."

The Hellions were prepared as well. Together, they moved further into the pyramid. The unlit corridor was twelve feet wide and equally as tall. In the dim light given off by Reven's smoldering axes and a faintly glowing golden ball hovering above Tezeno, they could see that the walls were adorned in a twisting pattern that looked like Celtic knotwork to Joe.

In a few minutes, the teams reached a T intersection. Naragash gestured her team to the left and met the eyes of Hah'roo and Kendell. She gave them each a stern nod before the group split in two.

With two rangers in the lead, Howling Voice turned right, creeping deeper and deeper into the dark fortress of the Erlking.

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