Shadow Slave

'How… how the hell is this thing even moving?'

Defying all logic, the skeleton lunged at Effie with a speed that even Sunny himself wasn't capable of. With no muscle tissue connecting the bones together, the strange creature was still able to stand upright, run… and attack with vicious strength.

A moment before the undead monster closed the distance between them, Effie screamed:

"Stay together!"

Then, she turned her torso and slammed her shield against the lunging monstrosity. With a thunderous crack, the skeleton was thrown back. Its skull and ribcage shattered, showering the tunnel with sharp bone splinters. Like a broken marionette, it fell to the ground in a shapeless pile.

Sunny stared at the mess of broken bones with in confusion.

'Wait… that's it?'

The huntress yelled, tearing him away from these thoughts:

"Don't stop, move!"

The cohort rushed forward, following Effie into the depths of the catacombs. When Sunny was approaching the remains of the reanimated skeleton, he noticed something that made a cold chill run down his spine.

The bones were still moving, slowly assembling themselves back into the shape that resembled a human. Just as he stepped past the creature, one skeletal hand suddenly thrust in his direction, trying to claw at his leg. If not for Sunny's quick reaction, it might have succeeded in injuring him.

the Midnight Shard, he crushed the clawing hand and threw it away. Falling on the stones a few meters back, the

rebuilt by some terrifying, invisible force. Drawn by its unseen pull, the bones were putting themselves back together one after another. Those too damaged to be of use were simply replaced by one of the bones scattered on the floor of the tunnel. Soon, the skeleton would

thought entered

realized why Effie had told them to keep moving instead of trying to kill the Nightmare Creatures

because these creatures were…

...Or rather, undying.

right. If so, things were going to turn

moment that his ears caught a distant rustle coming from the darkness ahead of them. For a moment, he felt fear grip his heart, thinking that the dark sea had somehow found its way into

was dozens… no, hundreds of skeletal feet scraping against the cold stones of the

even thousands of

populating the catacombs were coming to rip the six

gripped the

and

***

soon, the undead creatures were upon them. First in ones and pairs, then in small groups, the bloodthirsty skeletons assaulted them in a constant stream. Appearing from the darkness of the catacombs, they lunged at the cohort in a whirlwind of bony claws and teeth, each bearing the same

The huntress exerted her inhuman strength, bulldozing through the skeletons like an incarnation of ancient fury. Her round shield acted as a wrecking ball, shattering the undead monsters left and

the elegant fluidity of water… but also with the crushing force of a devastating flood. She was holding the longsword by the blade, using its crossguard and pommel as an improvised mace. With white flames dancing in

resistance. The proud Legacy fought with graceful precision, always managing to immobilize

of monsters seem almost easy. However, Sunny knew that it was anything but. Each skeleton was stronger and faster than

true menace of these