The chamber stank of burnt ice and blood. Steam rose in choking sheets, curling around the fractured altar. The drowned shambled forward once more, their hollow eyes glinting faint blue under the beast's strings of Vyre. Every corpse that had fallen now stood, jerking like puppets, their broken jaws hanging loose.
The sound of them rising, bones grinding and flesh tearing, dug into Gray's ears like needles. He clenched his teeth and pressed his hand harder against his freezing wound, forcing air into his lungs. Aurelle's words echoed through him. Recover every drop you can.
"Move!" Aurelle's voice cut sharp through the air. His blade gleamed in the red glow spilling from the beast's eyes. "Adel, Renn, Korr—hold them!"
Adel leapt first, her daggers flashing in a blur as she sank them into the throat of a drowned that had only just regained its footing. It stumbled, head lolling, but the strings of Vyre pulled it upright again. "Damn it!" she hissed, tearing the blade free. "They will not stay down—"
"Then break them harder!" Renn shouted back, drawing his bow with trembling hands. His face was pale, his breath unsteady, but he drew an arrow anyway. An arrow whistled through the air, skewering one drowned's chest and pinning it momentarily to the wall.
Beside them, Korr lumbered forward, his metallic arm dragging heavily at his side. He swung it like a hammer, crushing a drowned's skull with a single blow. Shards of ice and fragments of bone scattered across the floor. He groaned, his arm twitching. The metal was creeping further up his neck now, locking muscle by muscle. Still, he didn't stop.
Behind them, Aurelle advanced with slow, measured steps, his pale hair matted to his bruised face. His eyes never left the beast. "Lira. Orrin."
Lira's flames sputtered at her fingertips, burning low and unstable, but she nodded fiercely. "I'll cover your left."
Orrin wiped blood from his mouth, his spear trembling faintly as he spun it once in his hands. His knuckles were white. "I'll take the right."
Aurelle raised his sword, steady as a pillar, and the three of them surged forward together.
The beast met them with a guttural roar, its fractured body shivering violently. Its claws tore gouges into the frozen ground as it lunged, faster than something that size should move. Lira thrust both hands forward and flames burst outward, streaks of orange and white carving through the mist. The fire struck the beast's chest, forcing it to stagger half a step.
Aurelle darted under its swing, his blade flashing upward in a perfect arc. Steel met ice with a shriek, carving a shallow groove across the beast's shoulder. The creature howled, blue light leaking from the wound.
On the right, Orrin thrust his spear deep into its side. The strike sank between plates of frozen skin, cutting into the cracks of glowing veins. For a heartbeat, Orrin held it there, teeth gritted. Then the beast jerked violently, flinging him backward like a ragdoll. He slammed into the ice wall, the breath leaving him in a harsh grunt.
"Orrin!" Lira shouted, her flames wavering as her focus slipped.
"I'm fine!" Orrin barked, though blood ran freely down his side where the wound had torn open further. He dragged himself up, spear clattering against the wall before he reclaimed it. His legs shook as he pushed forward again. "Keep at it!"
Lira bit her lip and hurled another wave of flame. Her vision blurred at the edges, her veins burning from overuse, but she forced it out. The fire spiraled into a lance and struck the beast square in the chest. The ice shattered open wider, revealing more of the metallic sphere lodged inside.
Gray, kneeling at the back, stared at that sphere. He drew a long breath, he felt useless. Whilst the others were fighting eith their life's on their line. He was sat here, taking deep breaths. Still, he couldn't do anything else except watch and pray.
The drowned around him closed in on Adel and Renn. Adel danced through them, her daggers carving glowing trails as she slit tendons and snapped joints. Yet every time she cut one down, another rose, the strings pulling it upright again.
"Behind!" Renn shouted, loosing a bolt past her shoulder. It struck true, taking a drowned through the eye. The creature collapsed, only for the strings to twitch and raise it once more.
"Do they not end?" Adel snarled, parrying a claw swipe.
"They end when we do," Renn muttered grimly.
Korr barreled into the fray beside them, his metallic arm sweeping wide. He crushed three drowned in one swing, their skulls exploding under the weight. His breathing was ragged, his movements stiff, but for every second he bought, another drowned fell.
Renn glanced at him, fear flashing across his eyes at how much of Korr's body was already more metal than flesh. He opened his mouth, but Korr cut him off with a growl. "Shoot. I will hold."
The other side of the chamber was just as chaotic.
Orrin pressed forward again, his body screaming with each step. He lunged, his spear carving another wound into the beast's arm. The creature swiped down with its claws, and Orrin barely twisted aside, the strike grazing his ribs. Pain flared white-hot.
He staggered, almost dropping his weapon. Lira's fire swept past him, forcing the beast back for a breath. Aurelle seized the opening, driving his blade deep into its thigh. Ice cracked and bled blue light.
For a heartbeat, the three of them held the monster still.
Then its chest pulsed.
The metallic sphere inside surged with power, sending a ripple through the beast's body. Threads of Vyre exploded outward, lashing through the air. One caught Orrin across the chest. His armor split like parchment, and he was hurled backward again, slamming into the frozen floor.
"Orrin!" Lira's scream cut raw through the chamber. She stumbled toward him, flames sputtering.
He coughed blood, clutching his side. "Stay… on it!" His voice cracked but carried a strange calm. His eyes, though bloodshot, shone with grim certainty. "I can still move."
Aurelle's blade intercepted another strike, his voice sharp. "Do not die yet Orrin, Orrin."
"I won't," Orrin muttered. He forced himself upright, spear trembling in his hands. The way he stood, leaning too heavily, made Gray's stomach knot.
Gray sucked in another breath, his chest heaving. Vyre churned into him, pooling deep inside. He gripped his katana tight. The frost on his arm had spread nearly to his elbow.
Just then the beast roared again, its claws carving a path through the altar itself. Fragments of ice and stone showered the battlefield. Its red eyes flared, locking onto Aurelle. It lunged, both arms raised.
Aurelle braced, sword raised to meet it.
Lira cried out and hurled a final torrent of flame, her voice cracking from strain. The fire struck the beast's arm, knocking it slightly off course. Aurelle seized the opening, his blade slashing across its chest. Ice shattered, blue light spilling like blood.
"Now!" Aurelle barked.
Orrin pushed himself forward, his legs dragging. He thrust his spear with all the strength left in him. The tip pierced the widened crack in the beast's chest and sank into the sphere itself.
The chamber shook. The beast screamed, its body convulsing violently. Red and blue light flared, veins shattering across its frame.
Orrin held on, his arms trembling, blood streaming freely from his wounds. He pressed the spear deeper, deeper, until his muscles threatened to tear. "Fall!" he roared, his voice breaking.
For a moment, it seemed the beast might collapse. Its arms flailed wildly, its body shivering apart at the seams.
Then the sphere pulsed again. A surge of Vyre shot outward, blasting Orrin back violently. His spear tore free, shattering in half as he crashed to the ground. He lay there, chest heaving, his eyes fixed on the ceiling above.
Lira's scream dragged him back. "Orrin!"
He forced a breath, blood bubbling at his lips. "Not… yet," he whispered hoarsely. He dragged himself onto one elbow, eyes still fixed on the beast. His body shook wildly as he tried to rise before falling down again.
This time he remained down.
He closed his eyes, his breath slowed down, nearly to a halt. And blood poured out onto the ice, staining it red.
'Orrin...' Gray's breath caught in his throat. To Gray he wasn't just a partner, but a friend. And seeing him in a state of near death brought a feeling to his chest which he couldn't explain.
Aurelle looked at Orrin before wiping blood on his face.
"Do not fall back! This is our chance!" His calm steadiness spread like a fragile flame across them all. Lira wiped blood from her mouth and raised her flames once more. Adel drove her daggers into another drowned, Renn loosed another bolt, Korr swung his metal arm like a wrecking ball.
The monstrosity infront of them staggered, its chest cracked wider but the sphere still pulsing strong. Red light flared from its eyes again, threads of Vyre spreading further across the battlefield. It also showed signs of weakness.
Gray swallowed hard, dread pooling in his chest. 'Not yet,' he thought, his grip tightening on his katana. 'But soon...'