The entrance to the caverns beneath the massive tree was framed by one enormous root, raised by some unknown force. Beyond the thick wooden arch, a narrow path descended into a bed of stone and hardened earth. The scent of oil and death was almost overpowering as they stood at the edge, hands raised to their noses. Nephral let out a pitiful sound and pressed his head into Teyva’s neck to avoid the unpleasant odor. Teyva scratched his back and glanced over at Azrael.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any fancy wind magic to deal with that, would you?”

Azrael shook her head, reaching into her pack instead and pulling out a pair of heavy rags. She handed one to Teyva and tied hers around the back of her head, covering her mouth and nose. Teyva followed suit, it wasn’t a perfect fix but at least the scent was tolerable like this. She felt bad for Nephral though who didn’t have any way of wearing something similar. Teyva glanced down into her satchel, she’d spent the better part of twenty minutes slowly recovering her losses from the last fight.

“Hello darlings,” She cooed, “How are you doing in there? Does it smell bad?”

There was a pause followed by a confused sensation that worked its way through the back of her mind. The chittering that followed set Nephral’s tail flicking irritably.

“They do not possess the ability to smell or taste the air as you or I, how fortuitous for them,” the sphinx growled. Teyva let out a small laugh and patted his head before nodding to Azrael. The warden drew her weapon and strode inside ahead of her, her cold eyes peering into the dark. Teyva came up behind and cast [Eyes of the Halls] only to jerk to a stop. She was not entirely sure what she had been expecting but this was not it. She could feel a tingling behind her eyes that increased into a dull throb before fading. Around her colors twisted and faded, leaving only a muted grayscale. Ahead of her, the shadows began to recede until they coiled around a corner about twenty feet down the path. Small divots in the ground were highlighted in faint blue-white light at regular intervals.

She blinked a few times and adjusted to the strange sight. Azrael turned to check on her only to shake her head and turn back to the path.

“Wait!” Teyva called, reaching out to grab Azrael’s arm as she was about to step on one of the divots.

“What?” Azrael grunted, looking back at Teyva.

“Let me take the front, something’s up with the ground here.”

Azrael nodded and they swapped places. Teyva stepped into the front and began to carefully navigate around the strange spots on the ground. The two of them moved slowly, the floor becoming slick over time with the build-up of crude oil. Now and then the remains of local wildlife hung from the walls or ceiling, their bodies amid rapid decay. The two women glance at one another as they pass under the carcass of a wolf, Azrael shaking her head.

Their path wound down and into a splitting passage, one path went north and the other east. The eastward path seemed to go further down into the depths. After some debate, they agreed that they didn’t want any surprises coming up from behind so they chose to go north first. They made their way around the odd glowing spots on the ground, Teyva’s glowing head providing enough light for Azrael to see their immediate surroundings.

“So what were you going to say to Elat?” Teyva asked, stepping over yet another pile of bones.

“You’re asking this now?” Azrael blurted, shuffling in close behind her.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” Teyva said, squinting at the path ahead. She could see an opening getting closer to them. A room perhaps.

“I was going to ask him for a drink,” Azrael said.

“I’m sorry I interrupted you, I just-”

“I understand, it’s better not to tempt fate,” She paused; “Is that why you didn’t seek out Sari?”

Teyva cleared her throat and scratched the back of her neck with her long claws, “Something like that, I’m not exactly good with the whole flirting thing,” Teyva admitted, drawing closer to the opening and peering inside. She couldn’t see anything moving in there.

“I don’t understand, sex is just sex, no reason to fret about the process, she’ll either reject you or not,” Azrael said, hopping over a small root.

Teyva coughed and fell silent as something moved ahead of them. Azrael let out a sigh, “Don’t get embarrassed on me now, Teyva,” she said only to stop when she noticed Teyva crouching down. She looked ahead of them and joined Teyva in her low position. “What is it?”

“Dunno, bout to find out though,” She whispered, opening her satchel, “Go on darlings, let mommy know what you see.”

The sight of dozens of gold coins sprouting legs and climbing out of her bag like so many spiders should have been nightmarish. Rationally, Teyva knew that, but all she felt was this sense of warmth in her chest as her children went off to do their work. Maybe Azrael was right and she had formed a summoners bond with them. She looked up to watch them through her bleak greyscale vision as they rushed into the room and split up, climbing walls and opening their eyes to scan their surroundings.

The reaction was immediate, they chittered and hissed as something unholy let out a wild growl. The deep sound carried down the hall and reverberated in her chest. She glanced back at Azrael as her friend readied her weapon. They looked back to the opening and froze, a pair of eyes stared at them from within the darkness. Even with Teyva’s enhanced vision, she could only make out a vague silhouette of the beast until it stepped closer.

“Oh, shit,” Teyva breathed.

The bipedal creature was at least six or seven feet tall, its body covered in matted black fur and dripping with thick black ooze. Bones jutted out of its flesh at odd angles and its mangled body twisted occasionally, making its tread a lurching shamble more than any sensible form of movement. Its head was the skull of a wolf that had been cracked and reformed to give room for three enormous yellow-red eyes that stared with barely contained panic in all directions. It raised its arms to its chest, bearing claws made of bone and blackened flesh, and let out a garbled shriek. It rolled its head, its jaws snapping as frantic sounds tumbled out;

“Kreee atte akeke aaaaaah!” It shrieked. Teyva could only imagine what in the world it was trying to say or if it was trying to say anything at all. Did these things have minds? She took a shuddering breath. Were these things people? It sounded like an old myth from home.

“Is that a wendigo?” Teyva blurted.

“What the hell is a wendigo?” Azrael gasped.

“Nevermind!” Teyva called, drawing up her sword arm and left hand, readying a [Pale Bolt]. She used her journal.

[Wightling] - Hostile - Level 4

HP: 100% MP: 100% SP: 100%

“Details?” Azrael asked hurriedly.

“It’s a beast, get ready!” Teyva shouted, firing off her [Pale Bolt] and taking a few steps back. She willed her swarm into action, urging all of them to latch onto the beast at once. They had to take this thing down fast. She didn’t even want to imagine what the Wightling could do to her if it got ahold of her. Its lesser cousins took out a sixth of her health at level one with one bite. It was becoming clear that each level of growth was an order of magnitude different from the one beneath it.

The [Pale Bolt] connected, splashing frost that fizzled against the creature’s flesh. It did some damage but [Chilling Weakness] didn’t trigger. The angry hum of her swarm followed, dozens of dots leaping from all directions to latch onto the nightmare made manifest.

Azrael rushed in next, sword drawn, and raised her voice with her hand pointed out. “Rip, terrible wind, lash and fly!” She shouted, a ribbon of wind erupting from her palm and crashing into the beast's chest. Teyva checked its stats again as she was preparing another [Pale Bolt]

[Wightling] - Hostile - Level 4

HP: 86% MP: 100% SP: 100%

That’s it? She checked her combat log, something was wrong here. With thirty-five Mockeries on the damn thing, they should be doing way more damage than that.

Mockery bite is resisted by Wightling.

Mockery bite is resisted by Wightling.

Mockery Swarm bites Wightling for 28 acid damage.

Wightling’s [Abberant Form] reduces non-magical damage by 50%.

Damage reduced to 14.

Mockery Swarm bites Wightling for 39 acid damage.

Wightling’s [Aberrant Form] reduces non-magical damage by 50%

Damage reduced to 19.

Azrael’s [Wind Blade] hits Wightling for 37 damage.

Teyva’s [Pale Bolt] hits Wightling for 28 (24+20% from Titan Slayer) damage.

Teyva gaped at the information scrolling in front of her. Some of the Mockeries were doing no damage at all! Before she had even an instant to warn Azrael, the creature swung down at her friend with one of its enormous claws. It caught Azrael on the side, sending her careening into a muck-covered wall. Teyva released another [Pale Bolt] and sent it into the creature’s chest. It drew a grunt of annoyance from the massive thing but otherwise seemed to do nothing at all. Teyva changed direction, hurrying toward Azrael’s side.

As she ran she could feel the pain of her Mockeries as the creature ripped and tore at its own body trying to get at them. She only hoped that the damn thing did some damage to itself. She slid to a stop next to Azrael and tried to get a good look at their surroundings while she prepared another [Pale Bolt]. The room was an oblong shape with several small indentations around the perimeter. It appeared as if something had dug out cubbies here and there around a central point. There were bones scattered throughout the room though she couldn’t identify them.

She fired off another shot wildly, aiming for the Wightling’s shoulder before turning to look down at Azrael. Her friend was already coming to, rubbing her head as she shook out the cobwebs from the shock of the blow. She checked Azrael’s stats. She was at about seventy percent health. That thing hit like a truck!

Behind her, she heard a guttural shriek pierce the air and winced, turning to look at the creature. It flailed its arms wildly, trying to get at the Mockeries with even more ferocity. What had changed?

“Mother! The bones!” Neprhal shouted over the creature’s roars.

She looked to the bones on the ground and then back up at the monster, one of the bones sticking out of its shoulder was covered in a thick layer of frost. Teyva’s eyes widened and she checked the combat log one more time.

Teyva’s [Pale Bolt] hits Wightling for 67 (28+20% from Titan Slayer) x2 Critical hit!

Azrael was back on her feet; “Teyva! Focus!”

Teyva dismissed the combat log only to see the monster staring her down. It charged toward the two of them, bearing down on her as its focus. Azrael dove forward between her and the creature and raised her arms. A glow erupted from Azrael’s body that turned into a nearly transparent wall between her and the Wightling. It brought both massive arms down on Azrael, the shield taking most of the damage as Azrael dove forward to get out of the creature’s way. Teyva was already moving around the perimeter of the room, trying to avoid the monster’s wrath as she examined its body.

“The exposed bones are a weak point!” Teyva called, “Focus on them!”

The Wightling rounded on her and charged again shrieking in its insane language as if it heard her. Azrael dove into its path yet again and threw up her strange barrier. This time though the creature threw its arm out in Teyva’s direction. Teyva prepared a [Pale Bolt], well out of its range. Or so she thought. Its arm popped and jerked, then extended almost an extra arm’s length in her direction, its claws clasping around her chest and arms, squeezing with all its might. Teyva screamed, feeling herself rise off the ground as it whipped its arm back to hurl her against the wall.

The impact sent a shock of pain through her body, her head rattling, and stars breaking across her vision. She fell to a seated position, coughing and trying to focus on the world around her. Everything spun and her head was filled with clouds.

“Teyva!” Azrael shouted, “Teyva snap out of it!”

Teyva coughed, something wet dribbling down her chin, and looked up at the fight. She could feel the Mockeries screaming at her for support. She shook her head and pulled herself shakily to her feet, checking her health. That single blow had done half her health in damage. She held out her hand and cast another [Pale Bolt], trying to aim at one of the exposed bones while Azrael danced around the creature’s feet. The bolt struck home, sending another shudder and shriek through the nightmarish thing. It turned toward Teyva only to be struck in an exposed rib by Azrael’s sword. It shrieked again, taking a step back.

Teyva moved to the right while Azrael harried it, diving, striking, and spinning. It was like a dance. The woman moved so fast that Teyva could barely keep up as if Azrael’s speed had increased somehow.

Teyva didn’t have time to think about it and she wasn’t about to get within range of the damn thing. Instead, she conjured [Pale Bolt] after [Pale Bolt] hurling them at her target until her mana dipped out. As her MP hit 3 and the countdown began before Nephral’s recharge she checked its status.

[Wightling] - Hostile - Level 4

HP: 22% MP: 76% SP: 51%

“It’s almost done!” Teyva croaked, a pain shuddering up inside her chest as she tried to breathe. She gripped her chest while she watched her MP rise and the Wightling’s HP drop. Little by little Azrael shaved away at the horrors health until only a little remained. Teyva held up her hand as her MP hit twelve, firing off one more shot before slumping to the ground, exhausted. Another splash of frost erupted on the creature’s skull and it screamed in agony, throwing its head about as Azrael dove in and delivered the finishing blow.

The Wightling died, its body melting into nothing on the spot as the bones that supported it clattered to the ground. Teyva grinned as darkness began to consume her vision. Somewhere nearby she could hear Azrael’s voice, calling to her.