Una and her lance were holed up atop a small hill, similar to the one Shaya and her lance had fought on in their initial battle. Dozens of zombies littered the hill around Una – humans and alligators – and another dozen swarmed their way up the hill towards the mages still fighting. Many were mangled, some were on fire, but the monsters were dogged in their mission. In the churning chaos of that battle, Shaya spotted dark shapes slithering about, lashing out when opportunities presented themselves.

Spotting Una and her lancemates at this distance was easy, since they were the only figures covered in glistening, fresh red blood.

Then something whistled through the air towards Una’s lance. Ren found the source first, pointing and calling out “archers!”

In the distance, three gangly people stood, taking pot shots with their bows. Their rate of fire was slow, but it added an element of pressure the students weren’t prepared for.

“The hunters,” Ralus whispered, “their spirits were placed back into their own bodies. The necromancer can use some of the skills they had in life.”

‘Zaal, it’s worse than the intel suggested,’ Shaya transmitted, ‘we’re seeing skilled undead and a horde of zombies and spawn here.’

“We don’t have much time,” Shaya said aloud, taking in the scene and setting her fears aside for the moment. “Ren, take out the enemy archers. Bri, get the biggest fire blast you have ready and hurl it at Una’s squad,” Shaya gestured for her to hold back her questions, despite her friend’s shock, “Ral, I need you to hit the swarm’s right flank – your magic is effective and your combat skills are...unnatural.”

Ral nodded.

“Samorn, advance close enough to support Una’s lance with your support magic. Oraeus, protect her.”

“I can do more,” Oraeus said after a moment of hesitation, “I have access to animancy magic, like Ralus.”

Shaya bit back her anger, “Thank you for sharing. But someone needs to defend Samorn, since she’ll be knee deep in muck and vulnerable to gators or Umbresnakes.”

“What about you?” Bri asked, worried.

“I’m going to rush up that hill and protect them, so all of you can keep unleashing hell on the monsters.”

Shaya popped the cork off the red vial at her belt and quaffed it.

Before anyone could argue with her, she picked up her axe and rushed towards the battle. “Phaedra! Ward me against death magic!”

Shaya’s stomach lurched as time seemed to slow around her, but her body moved at the same speed. Eyes taking in the swarm in front of her, she picked her path and ran as hard as she could, powering across the shallowest parts of the swamp she could spot to speed up her arrival.

The path she mapped up the hill included as many gators as she could manage. Learning from her previous mistake, she slammed a human zombie out of her way with her shield then hacked down at the first gator she came across – her axe biting deep into the back of its neck, severing its spine and halting its momentum. She pulled her axe free while punching another zombie in the throat with her weaponized shield, its sharpened edges tearing the head off.

Rampaging through the swarm, Shaya exhilarated in the power Oraeus’ alacrity potion gave her. The speed with which she could analyze a situation and move was incredible, especially against dim-witted zombies. She bowled over two more humans that were tugged off balance by unseen forces, then lost her axe in the skull of a gator when she determined it was the only way to put it down on her way up the hill.

Umbresnakes saw where she was going, one trying to lash out at her. It was fast, but something deflected it mid-flight with a small giggle, giving Shaya enough time to catch the snake in her fist and crush it with her raw strength. She’d thank Samorn for sending her invisible smallfolk with her later. The other Umbresnakes shied away from her after that, instead channeling Amethyst aether into spells to target her and the group she was heading towards.

Una spun towards her as she made it to the top of the hill, the chipped blade of her poleaxe sweeping in at her for a decapitating blow – from almost ten feet away. The wooden haft of the polearm had been extended magically, giving her greater reach, which she was using to keep the monsters away from her comrades. The rest of her lance was crouched a few feet behind her, their wounds taking them out of the fight, if not out of danger’s way.

Shaya ducked the decapitating sweep easily with the aid of her potion, then tackled Una to the ground next to her lance. As the short woman sputtered curses at her, Shaya turned back to her lance and boomed at the top of her lungs, “Bri - NOW!”

She whipped her large cloak out and over herself and Una’s lance, shouting at them: “Stay down and in the cloak!”

Una’s face was red with rage, but Shaya kept her pinned to the ground with her knee. Shaya was surprised how much of a struggle it was, concluding the small woman was channeling Jade magic to enhance her strength. The rest of her lance was pale with fear and blood loss, stunned into obedience despite their history of demeaning Shaya.

She slapped her free hand down next to Una’s head, completing her spell circuit and channeling Amber to ward the clustered group against the entropic gas she knew was coming.

“That’s not going to protect us against your comrade's fire!” Una shouted, eyes bloodshot from pushing past her magical limits, “You-”

“Shut up and just trust me for a second!” Shaya yelled back, glowering down at the woman.

She heard the first zombies reach her now that Una wasn’t decapitating them left and right, their moaning reaching a crescendo as they reached towards her. She heard grass sizzle and melt as gas pushed up against her ward.

There was a cacophonous blast behind her and a wave of immense heat washed over them, ripping the air from Shaya’s lungs and stinging her eyes as they dried out in an instant. Shaya was glad she braced herself against the possible blast, able to keep the cloak up and over the clump of people in front of her. She had underestimated Bri’s best, feeling guilty as the shockwave knocked about their organs and hoping none of Una’s injured suffered unduly for it.

“Una,” Shaya said, looking down at the woman, “I’m about to crash, you need to finish this. I can cover your lance and protect them with the cloak, but the rest is up to you.”

Bloodshot eyes glared up at her, but Una finally nodded, her brow and jaw bunched up in rage. “Get off,” she growled through clenched teeth.

Shaya relented as her borrowed time was up – all of the speed she gained over the past thirty seconds torn away from her, with interest.

Una pushed past her as she stood. Shaya waited for her to recover her polearm and walk away before she fought against the nausea caused by the time distortion and channeled Jade into the cloak, engaging its bristles now the danger of further fire blasts was over. Initially, she was worried a zombie would get caught on the bristles and pull part of the cloak off the people was trying to protect, spoiling the whole purpose of her insane maneuver.

The sound of battle played out around her, dying down as the seconds passed. Her head started to clear as the after effects of the alacrity wore off, and she noticed Una’s lancemates looking at her in a new light.

“Thank you,” one of the mages murmured, bloodshot eyes bleeding Amethyst from where he had spent too much energy. An arrow stuck from his right shoulder, its barbed head buried deep in his muscle, but he continued through gritted teeth, “we won’t...forget this.”

“Don’t mention it,” Shaya returned with a small smile, “I signed up to save lives, didn’t plan on discriminating on who those lives belonged to.”

They turned away from her, eyes squeezing shut in shame. “Then you’re better than some of us.”

‘We’ve found the Ur,’ Azreon transmitted, ‘there’s a large spiked, rocky hill in the center of a clearing, it looks like there are cave entrances in it. There is a lot of energy pouring from them, we’re moving in.’

“It’s over,” Una snapped from above her, “let my people go.”

Shaya withdrew the bristles of her cloak and let it go, only now realizing how sore her arms were from holding the cloak over them after fighting battles for more than an hour. She stood and looked about, unable to reconcile the carnage around her with the scene she had spotted upon first arriving.

The swarm was just...gone.

In the immediate vicinity, the scorched hill was just littered with piles of ash or clumps of what looked like melted wax. The stench of it made Shaya’s stomach roil, but she pushed the sensation away. The distant archers were dealt with, their bodies visible on the ground with arrows sticking out of them like pincushions, bows lying straight with their strings slashed. More zombies lay strewn about, inert from Ralus’ attacks – and perhaps Oraeus’.

Of course, the bastard lied about his abilities. Just when I thought – No, Shaya, he was at least honest now. Worry about it later.

Her lance was moving up the hill towards them, looking exhausted but at least uninjured. Shaya gave them a tired smile, which they returned in kind as they approached.

“Good work everyone,” she managed as they gathered atop the hill, “let’s see to their wounds – everyone else, keep an eye out for more monsters.”

Then her crow cawed again from the east.

From where Azreon should have cleared every threat out of the way to prevent this from happening.

Everyone looked that direction, haggard.

Gods damn him, Shaya thought as rage boiled up within her, the amount of pain he – and his stupid goons – cause is intolerable.

“Your boyfriend,” Shaya snapped at Una before she could stop it, “did a pretty shitty job clearing his flank.”