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25 - Healing

Valdys gripped her cloak in frustration but her grip was weak and it added only to how much she hated that she wasn't stronger. She had to watch powerlessly how Demetrus chased her and used his powers to abuse everyone and everything around him in his lust for power. Family, friends, town folk, the towns themselves and every living being, she witnessed the decay and destruction for countless years because she was kept alive. Even her spirit friends weren't safe from the recurring attacks by the undead servants of Demetrus in an attempt to take her to their master.

Ulric noticed the pained expression on her face as he sat with her in his embrace in a small arched cellar. 'Are you hurt?' he asked.

Valdys looked up at him. The worried look in his eyes and lowered ears brought her some comfort and she put her hand on his chest. She understood what he meant and gave a slight nod. The soft and warm sensation of his fur soothed her a little more but also made her regret to have let him and his girls help her and get caught in their current predicament. She sighed at all the knowledge she had but never having the power to use it, and made a feeble fist and put it to her chest. 'I wish for the strength to protect.' she said softly.

Ulric nodded as he understood. 'She's having a hard time feeling weak.' he said over the familiar link. 'Isn't there some sort of training to increase magic power?'

'I only know of some mages who were able to gain a little on specific magic through endurance training.' said Elzbieta. 'She won't be able to do that in her current state.'

Iphigenia chuckled and looked up. 'Wolfie, did you forget? You have the ability to boost her power.'

Ulric raised an ear. 'I do?' he asked, then realised it and blushed. 'Oh!'

'Yes.' said Iphigenia while Elzbieta and Kaui glanced at each other and blushed. 'There's really no other choice right now.'

Ulric looked at Valdys and cleared his throat. 'Yeah, true.' he muttered. 'I would've preferred circumstances to be better though. I don't want a repeat of the first time with Elz and make her feel bad because she was forced to do it with me.'

Elzbieta plucked at her gloves. 'It wasn't really bad.' she muttered.

Ulric smiled a little. 'Thank you, but don't make it seem better than it was for my sake.'

'I wasn't!' said Elzbieta and pouted. 'It did actually feel good when we did it.'

Iphigenia chuckled. 'Give her the choice. You won't have to feel bad if she's willing and you do your usual magic.'

Ulric sighed. 'All right then, I'll try to explain it to her.' he said and took a deep breath.

Through embarrassing gestures and drawings in the sand on the floor, he explained his essence of health ability and the way it worked, and the effects on the girls, but also that he couldn't guarantee it would work on her. Valdys imagined her face being bright red if she had blood to colour her cheeks, and glanced from the remarkable bloodwolf sitting in front of her with his head bowed and his ears drooped in guilt while plucking on the end of his bushy tail to the intimate pose drawing on the floor. On the one hand was what she heard was too strange to be true, while on the other hand she'd read about uncommon abilities people had possessed, although not as outrageous as his. Restoring health and even raising tallies through the carnal act with him was the only hope she had though. "The only other choice is trying to escape but most likely getting caught or killed before that." she thought and glanced once more at Ulric. The image of him embracing her filled her mind and her chest twisted in the urge of a heart pounding hard. "Would I regret it if it didn't work?" She sighed. It would be the end of her sooner or later, thus sharing a moment of awkward pleasure of the flesh was not a bad way to spend her remaining time. She smiled a little and giggled inside. "Besides, he's rather cute, all timid like that." She stared with wide eyes at the floor when she realised it was the first in a long time that she felt giddy. She held out her hand to him, confident the almost forgotten emotion was a good sign.

Ulric took her hand, nervous about living up to expectations, and moved up close in front of her. She smiled gently at him and pulled at the string of her cloak at her chest but her fingers lacked the strength to untie the tight knot. She glanced up at him and he carefully untied it, and pulled the string through the loopholes of the cloak going down to her lap. The front of her cloak spread and the sight of her bare pale flesh between them was a stark contrast with the black cloth, as well as a titillating sight.

Valdys was sure she'd feel her blood pump through her body if she was still human. The first time she bared her body for a man, who wasn't actually a man either. She hadn't expected to ever experience it since she was cursed but after all that time it had finally come. Whatever the outcome, she decided she wouldn't hold back and slipped the cloak from her shoulders. With some hesitation she glanced up at Ulric's reaction, afraid the sight of her dead body would turn him off in the end. His warm smile and gaze bathed her in relief.

'I take it she's pretty.' said Iphigenia after sensing Ulric's reaction.

He chuckled and admired Valdys's firm breasts with grey nipples that matched well with her eyes. 'Yes, she is. Her white flesh is quite a sight to behold.'

Iphigenia sighed. 'I'll bet it's every man's fantasy.'

'Oh, I'm sure every man has at least once imagined it.' Ulric said and smiled. 'Honestly, I find it very attractive as well. But that doesn't mean I find either of you girls any less attractive.'

Elzbieta huffed. 'Cheap words.'

He grinned. 'Oh, I'll show you how cheap those words are as soon as we're somewhere safe and very private.'

She blushed and Iphigenia licked her lips. 'That's another promise.'

'And glad to keep it.' Ulric said and laughed.

Iphigenia sensed her body heating up. 'Go make us all feel good, Wolfie, especially her now.'

He leaned forward and Valdys touched her forehead with his while speaking the incantation. 'Can you hear me?' she asked.

Ulric took her hands in his paws. 'I can.'

She smiled a little. 'I hope it'll work, but also that you won't be disappointed.'

He raised an eyebrow. 'Why would I be disappointed?'

She looked down. 'Because I'm an undead and cold.'

He chuckled and blushed. 'If I wasn't holding back down there, I'd be sitting here as embarrassed as I could be.'

She glanced up. 'Really?'

'Yeah.' he said and looked away. 'I don't really feel that way towards the others any longer, but when it's with a woman for the first time it still is.'

She giggled and nervousness faded slowly. 'This is not how I imagined it, but I think I'm glad to do it with you for the first time.'

He smiled softly and kissed her hands. 'I'll do my best to make it worthwhile.' he said and let go of her hands to remove her cloak, and laid her down on her back on top of it. 'I'm sorry there's no soft bed.'

She stroked his cheek. 'It's all right, I don't feel the cold and hardly feel the hardness of stone.'

He stroked her breast gently and touched her nipple with his fingertip.

'Mmm!' hummed Valdys.

He looked up at her. 'Something wrong?'

She looked at him with large eyes. 'I felt it! I haven't been sensitive there before.'

He rounded her nipple with his finger again and it hardened under his touch while she hummed in light pleasure. 'It might be the link that made you more sensitive.' he said and licked her other nipple with the tip of his tongue.'

The new tingling sensation spread through her skin and sank deep into her chest. 'Mmm, this feels so weird but good.' she said and Ulric licked around her breast while massaging the other. 'Your tongue and your paw are really soft.'

He smiled and licked her other breast and nipple. 'Your nipples feel good on my tongue.'

'Even if they're cold?' she whispered.

'I doubt it would make a difference whether your body was warm or not.' he said and bit lightly into her darkening bud.

A spark of fire shot through her chest and she gasped. 'This is a miracle.' she whispered and stroked his cheek. 'I want to know if I'm sensitive everywhere now.'

He stroked her side gently and she hummed and smiled. 'It'll be my pleasure to help you find out.' he said and traced her belly with his tongue as he moved further down.

His touch around her Venus hill and slow brush across her soft and silver grey pubic hair sent a spasm through her abdomen, and an itch awoke deep inside her. She hummed harder while his paws slid down along her thighs and his muzzle stroked just inside them. Gently he spread them and an unexpected chill touched her mound before his warm breath brushed her cold flesh. 'I sense it.' she whispered. 'I can feel your breath on me.' He smiled and brushed her mound with the tip of his muzzle. She twitched at the touch and the prickles of electricity rushing through her. 'More, please.' she breathed. 'Touch me more.'

The tip of his tongue caressing her flesh sent more prickles through her and she moaned softly while he caressed her thighs. 'Brace yourself.' he said. 'Your hard little nub looks delicious.'

She gasped at his firm kiss on her dark grey clit and bit her equally dark lips while heat spread from them through her hips. Every lick with his long tongue pushed a wave of unexpected warmth through her and she moaned deeper. 'I feel so hot now. It's impossible.'

'Believe it.' breathed Iphigenia while rubbing her thighs. 'This is just how good it feels with Wolfie.'

'You feel the same!?'

'Oh, yeah.' Iphigenia said and chuckled. 'We all share in the fun with Wolfie through the link.'

'Oh wow.' breathed Valdys. 'So when he does any of you I'll feel it as well?'

'There's no hiding from it for any of us.' breathed Iphigenia and grinned at Elzbieta and Kaui pressing their thighs together and moaning softly.

Valdys imagined the other three girls receiving the same pleasure at the touch of Ulric and her arousal heightened. 'This is really kinky.' she breathed, and moaned and shivvered at the licks along her plump mound.

Ulric's tongue explored her lips and she spread her legs further while he growled softly against her flesh. 'I have no idea how it is for undead, but you get wet just like the other girls and taste just as good.'

'I do?' she moaned while her hips twitched and her abdomen filled with more warmth. 'I never even broke a sweat before!' A shudder went through her when his tongue slipped deeper inside her. 'I feel you inside!' she moaned. 'Your tongue is so hot!'

Ulric massaged her inside with his long and agile tongue while she squirmed at the flashes of heat rushing through her body. 'So good..' she moaned. 'I feel so alive..' The warmth inside her reached her mind and chased out the cold grip of her cursed life with waves of hot desire. The disorientation it caused was nothing to her in her urge to be taken away on the pleasure rushing over her. 'More,. Please give me more..'

Ulric growled harder as he pressed his muzzle harder against her and his tongue rubbed along and in between her lips and her rock hard clit. Her hips rocked and her abdomen twitched while her senses were drowned in heat, and she moaned loud and long when her body exploded into a cloud of sparks.

After her mind drifted slowly back, she gave the bloodwolf sitting on his knees between her legs a satisfied smile. 'I never felt so alive, even before the curse.' she whispered. She sensed the satisfaction from the thee others. 'It goes even this far?'

'Oh yes.' breathed Iphigenia. 'I'm now sure the link echoes the sensations even more with each new member of Wolfie's pack. If one of us comes at his touch, we all do.

Valdys smiled at Ulric. 'Even if I don't become stronger, I won't regret this for the rest of my life.'

He smiled. 'I'm glad you feel that way.'

She noticed the gleaming red flesh poking from his lap and her body twitched in sudden hunger. She was sure blood rushed to her face while he helped her sit up. 'If you sit on my lap you can take your time.' he said.

She nodded without taking her eyes off of the flesh that would touch her depths very soon. '..yeah..' she whispered.

She pressed her behind into his strong paws as she straddled him and wrapped her arms around his neck. 'The only thing of value I have is now yours.' she whispered.

He kissed her softly in her neck. 'You have way more value than that.' he whispered. 'You proved that when you saved me despite your condition.'

She gazed deep into his eyes while the pounding of her heart resonated through her chest, and she kissed him. Their tongues curled around each other's and she moaned softly into his mouth along with his gentle growling while her hips pressed down and the sensation of scorching but painless heat filled her. She ground her mound hard against his hilt each time she slid up and back down and pressed her front against his. 'I want to feel your fur all over me.' she moaned and Ulric slid his paws firmly along her thighs, her behind, back, into her neck, and down again.

Iphigenia, Elzbieta, and Kaui moaned at the shared sensation and Valdys could no longer tell her mind apart from the other three as it sank deeper into the overwhelming desire flooding her. Her body didn't feel like a separate entity as it had always done, her entire being was made whole again in this merger with the fantastic bloodwolf.

She sensed Ulric tensing inside and the rush of heat flooding her depths as he growled deep into her mouth, and her body receiving his gift with intense satisfaction before her mind faded into a field of bright flowers blooming.

***

When Valdys woke up she feared the dream she had was just that. She still lived in the cold and dreary dead forest along with her only friends, the skeletal creatures and the spirits. The warmth and softness embracing her needed to be present for a while before she thought the incredible experience had been real. She opened her eyes to a cellar full of creature skeletons and spirits waiting silently around her.

26 - The Enchantress Strikes Back

'What happened?' asked Valdys, noting creatures and spirits filled the passage to the cellar as far as she could see.

'They were drawn here by your power.' said Ulric.

She looked up at him and realised she sat on his lap and lay against his chest while he leaned back against a slab resting against the wall. He shifted his legs and she blushed as she also realised it was his fur she felt around her naked body under her cloak. He had used it to cover her while she slept in his embrace. 'My power?' she asked while suppressing a giddy giggle and fluttering filled her stomach.

'Have a look at your tallies.' said Iphigenia over the familiar link.

Valdys concentrated on her status and her eyes went wide at numbers she could only hope to gain at the end of a normal life as a very talented mage. 'How?' she whispered.

'Wolfie power!' chuckled Iphigenia. 'If you had any doubt on whether what he said was true, there's your proof. There's a good chance they turn out even higher when we all have access to Wolfie next time.'

Valdys threw her arms around Ulric's neck and buried her face in it. 'Thank you.' she whispered and rubbed her cheeks against his fur. 'Thank you so much.'

He caressed her back. 'No, I want to thank you for the intimate pleasure.'

She giggled, pulled back, and kissed him. 'If it wasn't for all these guys here, I'd give you all you want right now.'

He chuckled. 'I'm tempted to ask them to leave and come back a day later.'

Her heart pounded at the thought of doing it with him for an entire day, then gasped. She put her hands to her chest. 'I feel my heart beating!' She slipped the cloak from her shoulders and looked down on her body. She felt her chest, her arms, her abdomen, and her thighs. 'I have a heartbeat but I'm still pale and cold!' She looked up at Ulric. 'No undead has a beating heart!'

'I don't know anything about undead, but perhaps your power gave you back some life?'

'More likely it's your power.' said Elzbieta. 'Remember that you restored my lost limbs.' She focused on Valdys. 'Darling said your lips and, ehm, other parts gained a darker colour as well.'

Ulric nodded. 'Yeah, but actual life is something else.'

Valdys noticed her dark grey nipples and shook her head. 'I've never heard of any dead returning to life or even partially.' she said and stroked his head. 'It must be your doing that gave me a sense of being alive because I do feel that way now. I don't think I could really come back alive completely but I'm fine with this. I can feel your warmth, feel your softness, and smell the arousing scent of your fur so my senses are back as well.'

Ulric smelled himself. 'Is it that bad?'

She giggled and pressed herself against him. 'Not nearly bad enough.'

He blushed and Elzbieta cleared her throat. 'I don't want to disrupt you two but we need to discuss our next move and the presence of our new undead friends here.'

Valdys stared into Ulric's eyes. 'You have spirits and creatures there as well?'

Elzbieta looked down a long hallway full of them. 'A few.'

***

A pair of floating armours moved through a wide passage when they detected the intruder standing with their back towards them. They sped up as they lifted their heavy swords for the attack and showed no sign of stopping when the intruder turned around. At just a few paces distance the intruder lifted their arms and the armours froze in mid-air, trembled violently, then crumpled like a ball of paper and fell to the floor.

'That's one way to crush beer cans.' said Ulric as he appeared from a side passage, followed by spirits and creatures.

Valdys pulled back her hood. 'Beer cans?'

He waved it off. 'Not important.' he said and kicked one of the malformed armours. 'A nice display of power.'

She grinned. 'I feel like I can take on any spirit based army.'

He chuckled. 'I'm glad you're on our side.'

She wrapped her arms around his waist and blushed. 'I'm glad you were inside me.'

He blushed and cleared his throat. 'Don't distract me when we have a fight ahead of us.' he said and pat her behind.

She giggled. 'I'm still floating on euphoria.'

He chuckled. 'Save it up for after. Then we can enjoy it without worries.'

'Of course.' she said and kissed him. 'I'm looking forward to it after Iphigenia told me a little more about your talent.'

'Wait, what did she tell you?'

She stuck out her tongue playfully and followed the passage. Iphigenia giggled. 'We just had some girl talk.'

Ulric shook his head and followed Valdys. 'I think I'm getting nervous about you two meeting.'

***

Ulric shattered the last knight statue's legs with a captured stone sword while Valdys forced two others to destroy each other. He smashed the torso in two along with the sword and looked around at the rubble spread around the hall. 'How much more will we have to fight?'

Valdys closed her eyes and focused on the presence of magic. 'We're at the border of Demetrus's influence.' she said. 'From here on out he will sense us and direct his forces towards us.'

Ulric nodded. 'Time for the big fight then. How are you girls doing?'

'We're ready to go.' said Iphigenia after a nod from Elzbieta and Kaui. The spirits and creatures gathered behind them stood ready. 'We have loaded up on grenades thanks to the supplies our little friends brought and Kaui's work.'

Ulric smiled. 'Good work, and thanks, Kaui.'

She smiled. 'Just doing what I can because this is now Iphi and Elz's fight.'

Ulric looked at Valdys. 'How are you doing?'

She checked her tallies. 'Iphi, can you guys give me a few minutes?'

Iphigenia giggled. 'Sure. Enjoy.'

'Thanks.' Valdys said and smiled at Ulric, who looked puzzled at her.

'Where are we going?' he asked when she took his paw and pulled him along into a deep recess.

'My numbers are still high but I'd like to make sure to have them as high as possible now, and Iphi explained how to get a quick boost.' she said and moved Ulric with is back into a corner.

'Ah.' he said. 'I get it now.'

She went down on her knees in front of him and cupped his balls gently while placing her lips on the opening of his sheath hidden in his fur. He twitched his hips the moment the tip of her tongue entered it and touched his tip. Blood rushed to his nether region fast while she kissed his sheath and her tongue licked his growing tip. 'This definitely does it.' he growled.

Valdys smiled while his hot tip grew into her mouth and his taste and scent filled her senses. She licked his ridge, then pulled back. 'It doesn't bother you that my mouth is cold, right?'

He chuckled. 'I think the answer's obvious. But no, it actually makes it a little different than what I've experienced so far but just as good.'

She smiled and massaged his furry balls gently, and slid her mouth over his tip again and enjoyed his taste. He growled softly again and stroked her neck while she danced her tongue around him and sucked gently. "Does this count as necrophilia?" he thought. "Technically she's dead but also not." She pressed her throat against his tip and swallowed him deep inside. "Who cares!" he thought as he growled at the tight sensation around him.

She hummed in pleasure and the vibrations added to the thrill rushing through his dick from tip to balls and back again. 'I thought the fight would dampen my spirit but this gets me going.' he growled. 'Fast.'

She smiled and pulled back far enough to run her tongue around his tip again. 'Don't hold back.' she said over the link.

'How could anyone?' he growled and sensed his whole abdomen tense.

She felt his balls retract and hummed in anticipation while sucking harder on his tip, then felt his shaft tense and hummed in hunger while he growled urgently and filled the back of her mouth with his hot seed. She rolled her tongue through the sticky stream while more shot in bursts into her with every throb of his dick.

Ulric breathed heavily and growled softly in satisfaction while the undead beauty at his feet eagerly lapped up every drop he produced and cleaned him up. She stood up after she was done and pressed herself against him while nuzzling his neck. 'I can feel my numbers increasing.'

He kissed her in her neck and stroked her back. 'I don't know about my numbers but I do feel energised again.'

Iphigenia cleared her throat. 'Next time though, warn us when you swallow him that deep.'

Valdys chuckled once. 'Oops, sorry. I forgot I don't really breath. I hope none of you choked.'

Iphigenia chuckled. 'We didn't, but you took us a little more by surprise than Wolfie.'

'You're all right, my loves?' Ulric asked.

'I'm good.' said Elzbieta while licking a lingering taste in her mouth.

'I'm fine, master.' said Kaui and blushed. 'If you like that better I will try my best at it.'

He smiled. 'Don't force yourself, cutie. I'm most satisfied by your willingness to be with me.' he said and took a deep breath, sensing he was back in relative decent shape. 'Let's see if we can get rid of a very bad element inside this dead place.'

Iphigenia looked at Elzbieta and Kaui. 'We're moving out.'

The three marched out of the small hall they had hidden in and followed the spirits that led them towards the edge of Demetrus's radius of perception, with the rest following in their footsteps.

It didn't take long for stone knights and wizards and floating armours to appear at the other end of a wide passage. 'Contact!' said Iphigenia.

Ulric Looked at Valdys, who gave a nod a moment later. 'Confirmed, I sense he directed all his attention towards them.' she said.

'We're on our way now.' said Ulric. 'Don't none of you dare to get so hurt that I'll tear this whole place down to get to you.'

Iphigenia chuckled. 'The same goes for you, Wolfie.' she said and moved quickly forward while the spirits and the creatures overtook her to storm the enemy first and cause a disruption.

The floating armours swiped and slashed at the spirits to no avail while the creatures clawed and gnashed at weak spots in the stone of the statues. Iphigenia used the spirit's cover and rushed to the armours, and slashed at their weak sides to tear them apart. Elzbieta in the meantime hacked away at the exposed weaknesses of the statues until a gash large enough for a grenade was cut. Kaui handed those to the creatures, who nimbly crawled up the stone and planted the grenades then evacuated the statue until the blast tore it apart.

Valdys and Ulric sneaked in quick tempo through the hallways and stairwells behind her squirrel and its rat friend, avoiding enemies still on patrol or groups heading away towards the battle with the other girls. Soon enough they found themselves in the same corridor heading towards the throne room.

The doors were open and a quick peek revealed only emptiness and the soft crackle of the fire stands burning, and the stone knights at their original place. 'Looks empty and I hear nothing.' said Ulric across the link to Valdys. 'Not even pages turning.'

'Do you want to test going in first in case the guards will attack?' she asked.

'Yes. If they are active now we need to change our plans.' he said and stepped carefully around the doorway and into the throne room, ready to fall back at the first stir from statue or tapestry.

Nothing did and he sneaked further at a little distance from the walls and the tapestries, his eyes flicking left and right. All was still quiet when he reached the doorway to the library at the side and he peeked inside. 'No one here either. He must be somewhere else coordinating his guards.'

Valdys moved carefully into the throne room and joined him at the library. 'Let's get that book.'

He nodded and they slipped into the library and moved quickly along the bookcases towards the book stand where Ulric spotted the ominous book linked to Demetrus for the first time. The book on the stand was a large black leather bound one. 'This is not the same one.' Ulric said. 'I don't sense that evil aura coming from it.'

Valdys looked around. 'Then where is it?'

The fire in one stand lit up high and a dark figure flickered inside it. 'Did you think I would be distracted by a little skirmish by some rabble?' said the hollow voice coming from it. 'I knew you'd try to get my book now that you found someone to sacrifice, Valdys, then take my place as necromancer and ruler of my domain.'

'That's a lie!' said Valdys through the link. 'I don't want to hurt anyone or any of this place!'

'I trust you, Valdys.' Ulric said. 'Let him think he's sowing discord.'

'The book's safe here with me, you won't get near it even if you had any power.' Demetrus said and from the hall came the scraping of heavy stones and the heavy iron scrape of the doors closing.

'We're going to be trapped!' said Ulric out loud. 'I'm out of here!' He bolted for the door while Demetrus laughed and vanished in the diminishing fire.

As he expected, all the statues and the corpses and knights of the tapestries came alive and lurched menacingly towards him. 'Stay there, he's not holding back!' he said through the link and went for the first corpse. He yanked the sword from the dead man's chest, splitting him in two, and swung at the nearest knight. Ducking and weaving, he used any weapon he could get his paws on and struck at the enemy while keeping on the move through the hall.

Near the throne he kicked a fire stand at a tapestry and the dry fabric went ablaze in a flash. Several corpses and knights screeched and wailed when they caught fire at the same time. 'The burning tapestry affects those that came from it!' said Ulric and ripped a burning piece from the tapestry with his armoured paw and ran along the wall while rubbing it against the other tapestries.

Soon the walls were covered in fire and smoke spread throughout the hall and Ulric rushed through burning enemies while punching cracks into the stone knights. 'They're here!' said Valdys through the link.

Rattling from the direction of the steel doors intensified and small cracks spread from the doorway. 'All right!' Ulric said and took his fight to the back of the hall.

The rattling became louder while the cracks grew and pieces of stone fell from the doorway. The steel doors groaned as they trembled, then swung slightly forward. More stone sprung from the growing cracks and when the rattling couldn't be more deafening, the sides of the doorway burst into pieces and the steel doors fell forward. A flood of spirits and skeletal creatures rushed over them and spilled into the hall.

Ulric ducked underneath a stone knight's slash and scurried towards the large wave coming towards him. He dove through the small troops while they attacked the enemy, then ran for the library.

'You're unhurt!?' Valdys asked as she hurried towards him.

'Just a hot paw from grabbing the burning rag.' he said and took her hand.

Together they hurried through the hall and out into the hallway under the cover of the spirits and creatures. Outside the squirrel and rat were waiting with a spirit. The squirrel chittered excitedly. 'You found Demetrus.' said Valdys. 'Great work!' The rat chittered and the group hurried after it through the hallway towards the next junction.

After running through a couple of hallways, they ended up at another set of large open doors leading into a large library filled with bookcases in long rows left and right, and book stands placed around a thick pillar in the centre with the necromancer's hand on his book. Demetrus turned around sharply. 'You escaped!?'

'Cover me!' said Ulric and charged straight for the necromancer.

Demetrus chanted in a rumbling language and a dark misty bubble grew around Ulric.

'I won't let you!' said Valdys and chanted her own incantation in soft words.

'So you gained some power!' said Demetrus. 'You will never surpass mine though!'

Ulric's fur stood up at the power of a glowing mist suppressing the dark mist while he kept his focus on Demetrus. He nearly reached him when Demetrus swiped with his arm and a heavy blow to his side threw Ulric into a bookcase. It collapsed on top of him with a cloud of dust from the heavy books but he burst from underneath the heap. 'Is that all!?' he growled at Demetrus. Demetrus changed the tone of his incantation and the dark mist grew thicker around Ulric again. Ulric wasted no moment and threw a book at his opponent.

The necromancer fended it off and sent it crashing to the floor while Ulric rushed around another bookcase and went for him again. 'Fool!' he said and slammed two cases together with Ulric in between.

The remains of the cases and the books fell apart and Ulric jumped out with a lighter bubble of mist surrounding him. 'Thanks!' he said through the link.

'I won't let him hurt you if I can!' said Valdys while chanting her protective incantations.

Another case full of pottery and glass jars with murky contents flew towards Ulric. Before it hit him he jumped up and climbed over it, and jumped away on top of the next row of bookcases.

'Irritating vermin!' shouted Demetrus and sent a row of books flying towards Ulric.

Ulric jumped away onto the next row of cases and ducked at the next volley of books throws at him, and ran further on top of the row. The mist around him shifted between darker and lighter, and sparks flew from the tips of his fur under the magic pressure while he evaded more contents of the shelves around him.

He jumped towards another row but as soon as he landed it collapsed and every bookcase and object in his vicinity crashed hard into him. 'Will you please just die already!' shouted Demetrus.

Ulric crawled out of the heap. 'Why don't you?' he growled. 'You're way past your sell by date.'

Demetrus stared at him for a moment. 'My what!?'

Ulric bolted towards him. 'You expired long ago!'

Demetrus chanted and threw Ulric aside again. 'Why are you so persistent!' he shouted, then sensed something else was going on. He spun around to see the book with his life bound to it get carried away on the backs of two small skeletons with a spirit in tow. 'Curse you!' He chanted louder and a tremor shook the library.

'NO!' shouted Valdys.

An explosion hit the creatures underneath the book and sent it flying.

Demetrus chanted another incantation but Ulric threw him forward as he crashed into his back. In a flash Demetrus recovered and threw Ulric back with a swipe of his arm. 'I'll tear you into little pieces!'

Ulric jumped up from the floor. 'Just try it!' he snarled and bolted for the necromancer again.

Demetrus threw him back again into another case and turned to retrieve his book, then froze when he saw the book lying on the floor in front of Valdys and the white glow in her palms. 'You'll die with me!' he shouted.

'Then I'll die!' she shouted and chanted the destruction spell urgently as she placed her hands on the book. 'Farewell, my friends.' she said over the link with a tear in her eye. 'Farewell, my saviour.'

27 - Cornered

'We're getting the upper hand!' said Elzbieta and slashed the side of a floating armour in two. It screeched in metallic agony and fell apart onto the floor. Another one stabbed at her but she deflected its sword with a quick turn of her gauntlet and smashed the armour's front with the side of her sword.

'Good!' said Iphigenia as she dodged a stone sword. 'I'm getting tired!'

'Hang in there!' said Kaui. 'Master and Valdys will defeat the necromancer and these things should die down!' An urgent squeaking from one of the skeletal critters caught her attention. It jumped frantically up and down. 'What!?' She ran after it to a wide side passage and her face went pale at the large armoured skeletons heading her way, four to five times her size. 'There's more coming from behind us! These are armed giant skeletons!'

'What!?' said Elzbieta. 'How many!?'

'Five or six!'

'That's too much for us!' said Iphigenia. 'We can't fight them on all sides!'

The creature with Kaui jumped on her shoulder and chittered. She turned to run back. 'We can retreat into another passage!'

'Lead the way!' said Iphigenia and cut away the last piece of stone for a crack large enough to plant a grenade. One of the creatures jammed it in there and retreated with Iphigenia.

At the sound of the blast and the tumble of the large stone knight, the girls and all the creatures and spirits pulled back in a hurry and followed Kaui through another tall passageway. At the junction at the end they turned around and waited for the enemy to arrive.

The first floating armours reached them soon and Iphigenia and Elzbieta cut into them while the spirits blinded them. The first knights showed up a little farther away but the giants brought their biggest worries when they came stomping behind the knights. 'How can we defeat those!?' said Iphigenia.

'We have to cut off their heads!' said Kaui. 'I read all skeletal creatures should die that way.' She looked into her bag. 'I think three grenades should do the trick.'

'All right.' said Iphigenia and gripped her sword tight. 'We'll stick to the same method as the knights.'

The passage wasn't big enough for two giants standing side by side and the girls were glad for it. The spirits and creatures were able to confuse the giant skeletons as well, and Elzbieta provided defence. The first giant swung his short morning star around, then down when he spotted Elzbieta below him. 'Above!' said Kaui.

Elzbieta jumped out of the way in time before she became part of the floor stones shattered underneath the weapon, and slashed at the giant's lower arm. The giant jerked back when she left a cut halfway through his bone but he quickly slammed the morning star down again, shattering more floor stones. Iphigenia took that opportunity to jump up on his arm with several creatures in tow and ran up to his shoulder. The giant grabbed at her with his other hand but she was too quick. She hacked at once between his neck vertebrae. 'Blast him!' she said as she jumped down his ribs while the giant swiped at the back of his neck. The creatures who carried grenades jammed them into the gap she had cut and ran down his bones for safety.

The explosion tore his neck apart and his head shot forward and fell down with a loud crack onto the floor. The body swayed for a few moments, then toppled backwards against the giant behind it.

'Yes!' said Iphigenia. 'We can take them down!'

'Don't celebrate just yet!' said Elzbieta. 'There's still plenty of them left!'

'If we can take one, we can take them all!' said Iphigenia and eyed the second giant as he threw the first skeleton aside and out of his way. 'Kaui, more grenades!'

The second giant didn't hammer down, but swung his morning star left and right. Elzbieta jumped forward between his legs to dodge a hit and spun around fast, slashing at the knees. He buckled and dropped down to his knees but kept swinging his weapon around. Iphigenia jumped over it when it hit the wall near her, ran around to his back, and jumped and climbed up to his neck.

'Behind you!' shouted Kaui.

Iphigenia looked back in time to see the third giant raise his weapon. 'You can't hit me!' she shouted and stuck out her tongue.

The giant swung down hard, Iphigenia jumped away at once, and the second giant's skull caved in under the blow with a loud crack. The dead giant fell forward while the third tried to pound down on Iphigenia again, and tripped over the second giant's legs. He went down with a bone shattering sound and Elzbieta reacted at once by hacking into his neck, severing his head in three powerful blows.

The fourth skeleton giant hesitated. 'It's scared!' said Kaui. 'Attack and use that!'

'Yes!' said Iphigenia and Elzbieta and stormed the giant with more creatures carrying grenades.

The fourth skeleton giant tried to trample everyone but took a blow to his ankle from Elzbieta. Iphigenia immediately jammed a grenade in the crack between the bones and the explosion broke the ankle to pieces. The giant stumbled and before he could swat at his enemies, grenades had been pushed a the back of his thick skull and the following blast severed it from his spine.

The last giant snatched nearby knights and armours and threw them at Iphigenia and Elzbieta. 'It's going crazy!' said Elzbieta as she deflected a crushed armour. 'We have to get away!'

'Let's move again!' said Iphigenia as she jumped to avoid a knight's torso. 'Find a new place to take them on!'

The rat that had stayed at Kaui's side ran to one side of the junction and chittered. 'This way!' said Kaui.

They ran through the passage and ended up in a large hall. 'There's an exit at the other end!' Kaui said and the girls ran further with the spirits and creatures behind them, until a grating sound ahead halted them in the middle of the hall.

'The exit!' said Elzbieta as a thick iron grate came down. 'We're trapped!'

They turned to see stone knights and floating armours coming down the passage in pursuit of them. 'We can still take those on!' said Iphigenia.

Elzbieta noticed the tired stance of Iphigenia and felt tiredness creeping up on her as well. 'We can't hold out much longer though.'

Iphigenia took a deep breath. 'If it's just those last guys we can do it.'

Muffled pounding against stone surrounded them and Kaui looked around with eyes wide in fear. 'Oh shit.' she muttered.

The first crack of stone came, then more, and within moments pieces of floor slabs shot up and a great number of skeletons in tattered rags crawled up from underneath the floor all around them.

'I think we need to tell Master.' said Kaui while her heart raced in fear.

'No!' said Iphigenia. 'He needs to focus on taking down that necromancer with Valdys. We just need to hold out long enough and when the necromancer's gone, so will these guys.'

'I agree.' said Elzbieta. 'He can't help us in any other way so we just have to trust in him and Valdys to succeed.'

Kaui looked at Iphigenia and Elzbieta, gripped the grenades in her hand, and nodded. 'Then we'll keep fighting.'

'Head for a corner to keep our backs safe!' said Iphigenia.

She and Elzbieta took point and cleared a path through the converging skeletons with the rest in tow until they reached a corner, and formed a tight line with the spirits and creatures. 'These skeletons are unarmed but tenacious!' panted Elzbieta as she slashed a couple reaching out to her.

Iphigenia kicked one away from her and deflected a blow from a floating armour mixed in with the skeletons. 'They get in the way of the armours and knights but that's not much of an advantage!'

Kaui handed out grenades to the creatures, who rushed in between the attackers and left them at safe distances. The blasts echoed through the hall and spewed bones around but the pressure of the numbers pushed the girls further back into the corner.

'We're out of grenades!' said Kaui, frantically searching her bag while an explosion rang and rained down more bones and pieces. 'That was the last one!'

***

'Valdys!' shouted Ulric.

A flash of bright red light blinded him, and violent tremors rushing through the floor threw him on all fours while every bookcase lost its contents and toppled over. He heard Demetrus's excruciating cry of agony and barely saw his vague shape shred to pieces and vanish.

The tremors died down and Ulric squinted while crawling over the littered floor toward the entrance where Valdys had been. His eyesight recovered enough to see the pure white scorch mark on the floor while red smoke drifted up and faded away. 'Valdys.' he whispered with pain in his chest.

Tinkling of glass sounded next to him and he gazed at the creature that crawled out of the rubble. 'You survived!?'

The squirrel skeleton shook its head, sat up to look at Ulric, then noticed its tail bones were immersed in the spirit image of its real tail. It squeaked and jumped up when it looked down and saw it possessed a spirit body with its own skeleton vaguely visible. It looked up at Ulric and chittered profusely.

Ulric laughed and held up his paws. 'I don't know. Maybe it's because of Valdys protecting you when Demetrus attacked you or it happened during the destruction of his book.

The squirrel chittered once.

Ulric's ears drooped. 'She's gone.' he said softly. 'Demetrus did say she would die with him.'

The squirrel slumped and drooped its ears as well.

Ulric looked up. 'Girls! Are you all right!?'

***

Iphigenia groaned while she pushed against the skeletons. 'I can't hold out much longer!'

Elzbieta pushed her sword with both hands against more skeletons. 'Kaui! Do you see any opening!?'

Kaui searched frantically for a weak spot in the crowd of skeletons and knights and armours around them from atop the stone pedestal in the corner and the rat on her shoulder chittered in her ear. 'The spirits and creatures are trying to create a breach but they can't reach the edge!'

'I always knew my end would come during a fight against overwhelming odds.' groaned Iphigenia. 'I just want you girls to know I'm glad I met you.'

'Don't give up yet!' groaned Elzbieta through her clenched teeth. 'You survived death once, you can survive it each time!'

Iphigenia chuckled once. 'I love your optimism.'

A chill ran through their spines when Valdys spoke to them. 'Farewell, my friends.'

A rumble rose in the distance and a moment later the hall trembled from the tremor hitting it. The rumble faded and the force pushing against Iphigenia and Elzbieta grew weaker. 'They're falling down!' said Kaui and hopped on the pedestal in joy.

The girls pushed the inanimate skeletons back and gazed at the floor filled with rag covered bones, stone bodies, and empty armours with swords lying next to them. 'They did it?' said Iphigenia. 'Wolfie and Valdys did it?'

'Girls!? Are you all right!?' Ulric asked.

'Wolfie!' said Iphigenia and her heart raced in happiness. 'We're all right! What about you!?'

Ulric sighed in relief. 'I'm fine.'

Iphigenia sensed his sadness. 'Valdys?'

'She, vanished when she destroyed the book.'

Iphigenia's chest tightened in the urge to hold him. 'I'm sorry.'

'I'm sorry, darling.' said Elzbieta.

'As am I, Master.' whispered Kaui.

Ulric looked at the squirrel. 'I'm just glad she could feel alive for a short while at the end. It could have ended for her the same way she had lived up until now.' He took a deep breath. 'Now we need to find a way to meet up again.'

The squirrel chittered and hopped towards the door.

'Our little squirrel friend knows a route to a hall with an altar and fountain.'

'Our guide knows the place.' said Kaui and stroked the rat's bony nose. 'It can take us there.'

***

Ulric had already arrived when the girls entered the round hall. 'Wolfie!' shouted Iphigenia and ran up as fast as she could, then jumped into his arms and kissed him passionately. Elzbieta and Kaui hurried closer and Iphigenia let go of him for them to kiss him with equal passion.

He smiled and nuzzled all of them. 'I'm so glad to have you by my side again.' he said and his stomach grumbled.

The girls laughed while he grinned in embarrassment. 'That's not the same kind of hunger that I feel for you though.'

Kaui sighed. 'I'm afraid we lost our packs during our fight.'

He caressed her cheek. 'Those can be replaced.' he said. 'Losing you would have been a disaster.'

She blushed and smiled up at him, then looked in surprise at the ghostly squirrel hopping onto his shoulder. It chittered cheerfully. 'The others are coming here with our packs? That's wonderful!'

Ulric chuckled and pat the squirrel's head. 'Where would we be without you and all your friends?'

The squirrel puffed up its chest and chittered once, and Ulric and the girls laughed. 'Yeah, obviously lost.' he said.

Soon enough groups of skeletal creatures and some spirits brought their packs and they quickly ate and drank their fill. Kaui stared at Ulric when a thought hit her. 'I just realised, how come we understand what our little friends say all of a sudden?'

Ulric gazed at her. 'Ah! Now that you mention it, I hadn't noticed because of the fighting.' he said and imagined his tally list in his mind. 'Maybe I received a new ability again.' He read the list and nodded. 'Parrot.'

Iphigenia chuckled. 'Parrot?'

'It's a bird species in my world that can learn to speak a few words in human language.' said Ulric. 'They're famous for it in stor-'

His eyes went wide when he read the rest of his tallies.

###