Talia sensed Zeke’s return well before she saw him crest the horizon at a dead sprint, carrying Tucker over his shoulder. She’d never seen Zeke move so quickly, so it didn’t take her long to surmise that something was amiss. So, a few moments later, when she saw the flock of creatures in hot pursuit, she wasn’t terribly surprised. Not that the emotion would’ve meant much regardless; even when she was shocked to her very core, she hardly felt it. Indeed, even the most intense emotions occurred at arm’s length, as if they were felt by an entirely separate entity. As such, she barely had any outward reaction, even in dire circumstances.

In this instance, she glanced toward Abby, who’d been practicing her archery by shooting a target almost a quarter of a mile away. Even that didn’t stretch her abilities, which had improved right alongside her levels. For her part, Talia had experienced a similar step up in power, partially due to reaching level twenty, but almost as much because she’d still been settling into her new racial designation. Either way, she was stronger, faster, and deadlier than at any time in her life. Still, as she saw the tide of sprinting creatures, each with gem-like feathers and long, sharp beaks, she felt a shiver of fear crawl up her spine.

“What did he do now?” muttered Abby, shaking her head. She’d noticed the creatures as well. How could she not – upon reaching level twenty, they’d all had their spiritual senses overhauled, and what had once been a vague feeling of another being’s power had resolved itself into something far more detailed and accurate. And Talia’s senses screamed at her of the danger associated with that flock of flightless bird-like creatures.

“I can only imagine,” responded Talia. “Will the tower keep them out?”

“You’re asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? Even Zeke doesn’t understand how this thing works,” Abby said. “[Makeshift Camp] is still active, though. It’s not perfect, but it should dissuade them from hitting us. Combined with the tower, I mean.”

“Good,” was Talia’s reply. She trusted Abby’s judgment, and if the other woman said it was safe, then she would accept that until events proved otherwise.

Abby sighed. “But just in case it’s not, be ready,” she said. “You focus on doing as much as you can at first. Then, switch over to slowing as many of them down as possible. I’ll hit the edges.”

Pudge, who’d approached from the other side of the tower, chuffed, announcing his arrival. Abby scratched a spot just behind his ear, saying, “Your job is to help Zeke. Hit from the flanks. Make sure he doesn’t get surrounded.”

Pudge snorted in agreement, but Abby added, “Don’t do anything until it’s clear that the tower won’t keep them away, though. We don’t fight unless we have to.”

As far as Talia was concerned, it was a strange stance to take. After all, they’d spent weeks slaughtering the fire ants when they could’ve avoided conflict altogether. She understood the need for advancement as much as the next person, but she would’ve appreciated a little more consistency.

“Remember, we don’t have Tucker’s potions this time,” Abby reminded her. “Those ants were only easy because we could negate the bulk of their firepower. With these things…who knows what kinds of attacks they use…”

“Looks physical,” Talia said, having noticed their twitchy movements and overall speed – both telltale signs that a monster relied on physical power as opposed to some sort of attack skill.

“Do you recognize them?” Abby asked, cutting her eyes at the undead girl.

Talia shook her head. “No,” she said. “I did not study the creatures of the Red Wastes much, though. I did not think I would ever come here.”

“Fair enough,” Abby said. “Be ready.”

As the trio – Talia, Pudge, and Abby – waited, tense and ready for anything, Zeke drew closer, eventually stumbling to a halt in front of them. He dropped Tucker to the ground, much to the bigger man’s obvious annoyance, and bent down to catch his breath. Wearing his half-melted armor, Talia couldn’t help but wonder how much protection the suit or rust-red chitin would grant.

“Problems?” asked Abby, her bow unfolded from her glove and a summoned arrow already nocked.

“Something like that,” answered Zeke between deep breaths. He stood up, putting his hands behind his head. Then, he summarized his day. While foraging for alchemical ingredients, they had been ambushed by a giant sand crab, which they’d killed. However, the corpse had attracted the flock of raptors that had chased them back to the tower.

Talia glanced up to see that the monsters had slowed to a stop nearly a half-mile away. Doubtless, they had reached the boundary of the tower’s protective aura.

“Seems like they can’t get to us,” said Tucker, brushing dirt from his vest as he stood. It was as if he’d read Talia’s mind. “This tower is –”

Just then, a raptor that was slightly bigger than the rest stepped forward. Keeping its eyes fixed on Talia’s party, it let out a warbling screech. As if that bestial scream had broken the tower’s aura – which was impossible – the flock surged forward. At first, they took one slow, deliberate step after another, but their pace slowly increased until they reached an easy jog, which Talia had no doubt would soon become a sprint. The monsters would be on them in a minute or two at most.

“What? Did the aura fail?” asked Abby.

“No,” Zeke said, staring at the flock, his jaw slack. “I still feel it. It’s just…it was never a barrier. It just…it just discouraged monsters from coming into the area. I don’t know what changed.”

“Nothing,” Tucker stated, retrieving a glass globe from his spatial storage. Talia knew it was a limited skill, that he could only store alchemical concoctions, but it was still incredibly useful. “This is just the first time you’ve come up on anything that wants to eat you more than it wants to stay away from that tower. Get ready. We’re in for a fight.”

Abby asked, “Should we retreat? Head into the tower?”

Zeke shook his head. “The doors aren’t up to holding those things back,” he said. “We’re going to have to fight.” He glanced at Abby, saying, “But you should head inside. Get as high as you can and just go nuts. Same for you, Tucker. No reason for either of you to be in harm’s way.”

Abby nodded, then darted into the tower. To Talia, Zeke said, “I need you to use your speed, like we talked about. Slow them down. Use your skills. Just…just do your thing.”

Talia said, “I will.”

Tucker, who hadn’t immediately followed Abby, handed Zeke a few potions. “For healing,” he said. “Be safe.”

Zeke said, “Not much chance of that. But if they get past us, make them pay.”

Talia could infer what Zeke meant. Abby was the most important person in his life, and he wanted Tucker to protect her in the even that he fell to the raptors. Talia could only wish that someone – anyone – cared enough about her that she was their first priority in a crisis. Once, she’d expected that of her mother, but the events of the past few months had put the lie to that expectation.

Of course, she didn’t let those thoughts – or desires – outwardly affect her. Instead, she readied herself for the coming battle. As she mentally embraced her skills, bringing them to the brink of activation, she felt Zeke cast [Avatar of the Beast] and [Mark of Companionship] on her, sending her stats through the roof. It wasn’t reflected in her status, but she knew that everything had increased by at least thirty or forty points. Probably more. Zeke’s stats were monstrous, and giving Talia even a small portion of them put her on an entirely new power level. [Mark of Companionship] gave her access to [Leech Strike] as well, and even if it was a diluted version of the fully powered skill that gave Zeke the ability to shrug off all but the worst wounds, it was still enough to push her undead body to otherwise unattainable heights. With the ability to steal vitality, she could keep going for far longer than she should’ve been able to fight, and it could take the edge off any injuries she might sustain. After all, her body still ran on vitality, even if it was finite and non-replenishing, unlike what would be the case with the living.

To put it bluntly, as part of a team, she was far deadlier than she would’ve otherwise been. The same could be said for all of her companions, mostly because of Zeke’s influence. Not only did he enhance their stats and give them access to his skills, but from a tactical standpoint, he gave Abby and Tucker the opportunity to stand back and rain damage from afar, with little to no risk of reprisal. What monster would focus on them when an armored warrior was steadily beating them to death with a club? Only the smartest, and those never got the chance to do so; not if Talia had anything to say about it, at least.

That was usually her role. Get in, decimate the most powerful among their enemies, and get out. She had the agility to do it, too – especially with [Alacrity of Undeath] pushing her to truly insane speeds. With a combination of [Plague Strike] and [Circle of Death], she had plenty of firepower to go around as well.

Another screech, and Talia pushed her thoughts aside as she focused on the task at hand. Activating [Alacrity of Undeath], she darted to the side, flanking the monsters. Up close, their gem-covered feathers were mesmerizing as they flashed every color of the rainbow. She ignored them as she sprinted along the edges of the flock, which was far more expansive than she’d expected. As she did so, she heard a deep, basso thump that told her Zeke had already engaged the creatures. It was his new skill, [Unleash Momentum]; likely, he was using it on every third swing, building his power with the previous two. It wasn’t the most efficient way to use the skill, but with so many enemies before them, it would be good enough.

Meanwhile, as she skirted the flock, a few perceptive raptors noted her passing. When they did, they let out a screech before peeling away from the group to attack her. Talia never slowed. Instead, she used [Chill of Undeath], which coated her claws in blue liquid that would simultaneously freeze and paralyze her victims. It wouldn’t completely stop the raptors, but it would slow them down considerably.

Like that, she dashed into position at the back of the flock, where she searched for any alphas. It wasn’t easy – the raptors were all within a level or two of one another, and they all had the same designation. So, relying on inspection was a path to frustration. Instead, she scanned the flock for any raptors that were bigger or meaner looking than the others. As she did, a series of explosions decimated the right-most flank – doubtless the result of Tucker’s lobbed grenades – while lightning periodically flashed from the cloudless sky, digging craters in the desert and frying any raptors Abby marked with her arrows. From somewhere, Abby heard a roar, and her head swiveled toward Pudge, who towered over the monsters. Even as they ripped chunks from his flesh with their sharpened beaks, sending blood spraying everywhere, the bear brought his own claws to bear. Swiping and slashing, he sent the much smaller creatures flying, their bones broken and deep gashes marrying their gemstone feathers. If Talia had to pick which side got the better of that ongoing exchange – Pudge versus the raptors – she would’ve been hard pressed to choose; however, the dire bear had something the raptors did not. Red mist enveloped his claws, and with each swipe that connected, the steady stream of blood slowed, and the wounds mended themselves together. [Leech Strike] would prove the difference, she was sure.

Finally, she found a likely target. It was only a head taller than its fellows, but the raptor in question was a good deal heavier. Talia didn’t want to delay her attack too long, so it would have to do. So, she sprinted forward. Under the effects of [Alacrity of Undeath], it almost felt as if the raptors were submerged in water. Even as they snapped at and tried to eviscerate her with the huge claws on their feet, she barely slowed. Ducking and dodging, she wove her way through the flock of monsters, her own claws darting out to apply [Chill of Undeath] to as many opponents as she could. Her mana was finite, but the skill wasn’t terribly taxing, so she wasn’t too worried about running out.

That was one of her many advantages, now. Like her less sentient fellow undead, she could keep going almost indefinitely. All her skills were cheap, and her stamina almost inexhaustible. The only thing that would reliably stop her was if she took too many wounds and her body started falling apart. That’s where [Leech Strike] came into play. She didn’t leave it toggled on like Zeke or Pudge – it was far too expensive for that – but she could easily switch over, eschewing [Plague Strike] and [Chill of Undeath] for the survivability offered by the borrowed skill.

Talia reached the larger Raptor that was her target, and she immediately hit it with a [Chill of Undeath], which she followed up with a [Plague Strike]. Then, she went on the defensive, swaying around a leaping attack from one of the more perceptive raptors. Her hand darted out, and her claws raked across its gem-studded wings. They bit deep, dragging impressive furrows through the glittering surface. Talia followed that up with a swift front kick that threw the monster off balance before turning her attention to another raptor altogether. Jumping into the air, she jerked her body around; her foot connected in a spin kick to the creature’s elongated beak, shattering it into a bloody mess of hardened, green flesh and sharp teeth.

Landing, Talia continued to spin, ducking low to sweep the legs out from under the first raptor she’d attacked. Her attack sent it flipping over, and she moved on to another monster, her claws flashing. Then another. And another. She was a whirling dervish of claws, feet, and well-placed skills, and soon, she had the attention of the entire flock. They swarmed, packing in close to get a chance to savage her with their claws or rip her to pieces with their beaks. It was all Talia could do to avoid being torn to shreds, and she was pushed to her absolute limits.

Finally, it was time. With a slight smile that, for her, was akin to a wide grin, she activated [Circle of Death]. Immediately, a wave of black power, barely visible to the naked eye, spread out all around her. The raptors reeled with its passage, screeching in pain as they scrambled backwards. However, the damage was already done. Before Talia’s eyes, the closest raptors began to decay. Their gemstone feathers fell in great clumps, taking a good deal of flesh with them. Muscle and claws collapsed, taking the rest of the raptors’ bodies with them. One of the stronger monsters lashed out, leaping at Talia with an ear-splitting screech. It left its rotted legs behind, and she easily batted it from the sky.

All around her, the smell of decay rose from the dying monsters. In the past, Talia would have been disgusted. But now? She found the odor almost pleasant. And if she’d allowed herself to think about it, that fact would have terrified her more than anything else that had happened to her. As it was, though, the [Circle of Death], while effective, had only killed the monsters in a thirty-foot radius. They’d been packed tight, but the skill had barely made a dent in the creatures’ overall numbers.

But that was okay. Talia had only begun. She had a lot more where that had come from. So, after taking a long, deep, and wholly unnecessary breath, she dashed off, aiming to repeat the process.