He wasn’t sure why he was surprised, but the merry band of murderers he’d attached himself to had elected to, well, murder their way free of the Elven mage’s trap.

Less surprising was the fact it seemed to be working for them. They were vastly outnumbered, but idiots with sticks couldn’t hold up to tried and true killers. Perhaps that was why Skrakch and his cohorts were so prone to violence, Meekknuckle had mused to himself.

The aforementioned Ratling had quickly scaled the mausoleum and dropped out of sight so Meekknuckle did the sensible thing and hid out of the way, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

Still, he’d done his part and asked Ornn politely to go out and crush some skulls. The Golem had taken quickly to the idea and had already brutally smashed a few thugs into a paste when they had surrounded him, taking turns to bait out the admittedly slow swings that Ornn periodically threw out.

Thankfully, it’d take the goons hours before any of the blows was able to pierce his rock-hard exterior, so Meekknuckle’s friend wasn’t in any danger. The real issues on the battlefield were apparent, however, and none of them involved Ornn.

Skrakch, fool that he was, had already collapsed, strewn out in the midst of the street. Winifred was currently embattled with some creature that was practically covered in necromantic energy, though it did appear that she was beginning to gain an edge on her foe. But worse of all was the fact Zach was in the middle of taunting his mage opponent instead of just finishing the elf off.

Wisps of Mana were entering Sykes body, as the Elf greedily sucked in the latent energy of the world. He’d already long past absorbed more energy than was healthy, and was practically glowing with strength, though sadly only those trained in proper spellcraft would notice.

And while Zacharias was capable of an impressive range of tricks, he was no mage. No, the simpleton was poking at Sykes with his daggers, ignorant to the high-tier magic being made cast before his eyes.

Sykes’ spell work was advanced, each rune layering on top of each other precisely in a way that Meek had never seen before. But it was clear that Zacharias would not be the only target, no the incoming spell would spill outwards and consume them all if not properly mitigated.

Bursting out from behind cover, Meekknuckle quickly sprinted closer to Zach. As detestable as the Halfling was, Meekknuckle assumed saving his life would only raise his chance at living through this deadly encounter.

Reaching deep into his Core of Mana, Meekknuckle wove a spell of shimmering light, placing it around each of his companions. Each layer of the spell was more complex than the last until finally, he had to call forth his God to finish the spell.

“Maglubiyet, God of Goblins! Hear my prayer! Protect the useless ones from themselves! Protective Barrier!” The Goblin shouted, lifting his medallion as he ran as fast as his two stubby legs would carry him.

As the barriers sprung into existence, Meekknuckle was treated to two of his addlebrained companions attacking their own newly erected barriers. Winifred had long since lost her senses and ineffectively attempted to strike her foe, and Zach seemed to believe it was a defense conjured by Sykes.

Still, the barrier held strong as the Mana within Sykes reached its peak, quickly evaporating as the Elf staggered to his feet. Ice crystals began forming around him as he let out a blood-curdling scream before exploding in a ball of ice and hail. It was as if a hailstorm had suddenly appeared from thin air, and its cruel winds were cutting deep into any exposed flesh.

Sent rocking back as the barriers attempted to block the blow, Meekknuckle struggled to maintain control of his own spell work. Pitted in a style of wills, ice versus divine, the Goblin had to admit he was currently lacking. Watching the barrier begin to break, he could feel tiny slashers of frost lashing against his flesh, his skin peeling off him in bloody ribbons.

Staggering as his Core of Mana was swiftly depleted from the onslaught, the last thing Meekknuckle saw before his vision went black was a familiar wall of stone, kneeling over top of him, blocking out the worst of the storm.

—————————————-

Pulse after pulse of frigid winds broke against his back, but it barely registered in his mind, focused as he was. Stubbornly holding his friend tight in his grasp, Ornament simply waited out the worst of the storm.

As the storming magic finally abetted, Ornament took to its feet, cradling an unconscious Meekknuckle tight against his chest. Turning to the source of the snowstorm, the Golem slowly took in the sight of the Elven mage standing tall in the center of the courtyard, Sykes entire body encased in a reflective suit of ice armor.

Most of the courtyard was covered in jagged blasts of ice, the cobblestone shattered and broken. The human thugs Sykes had brought with him were frozen in place like statues, eyes open wide as they were swallowed by the cold, even the Elf’s bodyguard wasn’t spared, the dead Human frozen in place.

Those protected by Meekknuckle fared better thankfully, small isolated pockets of warmth, protected from the storm and spared the brunt of the frost's touch. Still, the force behind Sykes' spell had rendered Winifred and Zach unconscious, leaving only Ornament and Sykes as the last two combatants on the battlefield.

Taking slow, heavy steps toward the mage, Ornament could feel the ice below him crinkling with every step, Sykes’ magic shattering under his weight. His stone body was chipped all over as the breaking ice took some of his “flesh” with it. Still, there was only one goal in the Golem’s mind, and he refused to hesitate as he headed towards the source of his friend’s pain.

It was only after a few such steps, that Sykes was quick to look at the sole source of noise in the courtyard, watching with interest as the golem advanced slowly towards him.

“Oh, the Golem still moves. Most impressive, much more sturdy than I thought. Whoever sculpted you did a good job. Still, your master is unconscious, how are you moving?” Sykes pondered, not overly concerned by the approaching titan.

“Wait, where is your controlling Mark? I can’t sense anything like that on you. Curious that you can move independently, but it’s an unexpected boon for me. I was worried I would need to carry these pieces of trash myself.” Sykes smiled, conjuring a wisp of mana in his palm.

The Elven mage let Ornament close the gap between them, before softly blowing the Mana towards the stone-wrought golem. And as the Mana washed over him, Ornament’s simple mind was overcome with a feeling of exhaustion, his every movement a hundred times more difficult, before he came to stand still in front of Sykes.

“Perfect, grab the bodies Golem, we need to get out of here before the racket brings more Ghouls to the area. Quickly now!” Sykes commanded, watching as the Golem slowly obeyed.

“Interesting, you’ve certainly slowed down from before. It’s almost as if you’re resisting. I’ll need to do some research on you, an autonomous Golem is quite the magical marvel.”

“Maybe this Dungeon business was worth all this trouble after all!” Sykes grinned, his teeth stained red with his own blood.