Ricard might be a powerful Chosen, but Hump wasn’t sure how even he would be able to break a barrier like this. Fuelled by the tree’s essence, it seemed an almost endless well of power, yet Ricard made it sound easy.

“How?” Hump asked.

“Time and power,” Ricard said. “All of you, with me. We’ll target the section over by the rear lobby doors.”

Ricard led the way, carving out a path through any of the undead that stood before them. They circled around the tree, moving away from the fight and toward the far right of the room. Hump kept his eyes open, but there was nothing for him to do. Working with such a powerful Chosen made it easy, even amongst so many undead. His spear was a blur, each attack faster than he could follow, faster even than Celaine’s mentor, Vamir had been. The winds howled around them, building, and it seemed to add to his speed; a constant flow of momentum that seemed unstoppable.

It took less than thirty seconds for them to reach the door. Ricard tapped the air with the butt of his spear, the metal shaft humming as it met the red barrier, essence bursting through it as it sensed the impact.

“This won’t take long but I need to focus,” Ricard said. “Hold them off.” He turned to Jess, the only member of his party in the room with Natalie locked outside the barrier. “Jess, only stop me if you’re overwhelmed.”

She nodded, resting her great sword over her shoulder and turning back toward the battlefield. “No need to worry. We’ve got this.”

Ricard pulled out an amulet from beneath his armour and gripped it in his left hand. It was a golden pendent engraved with the face of Seres, studded with dozens of small essence stones that shone with power. Usually, Hump saw such small stones as cheap, but he knew the power that the bloodlets on Celaine’s Bloodshadow dagger possessed, and he knew that Ricard likely had some of the best resources in the kingdom. These were no ordinary stones.

Ricard began to chant, and Hump felt a weight on his core, pressing against him. Ricard’s fist tightened around the amulet, white steam streaming out from between his fingers, filling the air like mist. Hump felt a gentle breeze, and then it was as if a tempest built around Ricard.

The wind howled, gathering to him. His mists stirred, forming twisting cyclones that wound their way around him and up his spear. He started to move, whirling his spear around him, drawing in the mist faster, making the wind rage. A contained storm. His soul manifestation.

“They’re coming,” Jessica said, drawing their attention away from Ricard and back to the fight. “The lot of you hold formation. I’ll intervene wherever there’s trouble.”

“Got it,” Marcela said. “Same as before.”

Celaine and Teff were already loosing arrows, each imbued with their power of their blessings. Power that would bring down the undead despite the rejuvenating powers of the tree.

Hump felt a shift to the power behind him. A deadly intent that made the hairs on his body stand on end. He glanced once more over his shoulder as a vortex of white mist curled along the metal shaft of Ricard’s spear, writhing, lightning crackled. Ricard stabbed at the barrier and power burst forth from the spear blade, a hurricane of force and lightning exploding against the wall of dungeon essence. A spiderweb of cracks formed. Veins of essence pulsed within the barrier, and the cracks glowed brightly, essence flooding in to repair the damage. Ricard didn’t stop there. His spear continued to move, the storm coming alive. Blast after blast of power unleashed.

Seeing his strength, Hump saw the man was true to his word. He would break through. The rest of them just had to buy him time.

Hump turned his back on Ricard and faced the incoming horde. There had to be a hundred of them. Enough that they could easily be swarmed. What they needed was to deal with them in one go.

“Len, can you create two barrier walls to funnel them in?” Hump asked. “If you can group them up, I can hit them all at once with a Fire Blast.”

“I can do that,” Len said.

“Good idea,” Marcela said. “Emilia, Celaine, Teff, watch the flanks with me. We’ll make sure none slip by. Nina, work with Hump. Make sure he doesn’t burn the place down.”

“Got it,” Nina said. “You go first, Hump. Hit them with fire and I’ll sweep what’s left away with Surging River. Hopefully the building will still be there after that.”

Hump smiled tightly. It wasn’t the building he was so worried about. All sorts of fabric lined the carpet and seating. In an enclosed space like the auditorium, if that caught light, the smoke alone might kill them. That shouldn’t happen here though. Hump had a clear line of sight, and the open space before the seating area was less likely to spread a fire.

He gathered his power, gritting his teeth as the pressure built in his staff. Fire essence danced within, full of excited energy that wanted nothing more than to burst free. Len’s barriers rose in two diagonal lines around the undead, funnelling. There was no mind behind the movement of the undead. They crammed in between the walls, pushing and scrambling to get ahead of each other, driven by instinct and hunger. Seeing them this close, Hump felt a moment of hesitation. Their skin was pale and gaunt, dungeon essence glowing beneath, yet at the same time they were so human.

Puppets of flesh, Hump told himself. They must be laid to rest.

Hump envisioned the formation in his mind. The Tier 2 spell was beyond his spellbook’s capabilities to cast, but he’d become well-versed in it now. Fire moved to his will as easily as any essence, and he was developing a taste for it. The energy it contained, the excitement that rubbed off on him, the destructive power that it could unleash.

He levelled his staff toward the encroaching mass. Ten paces. Five.

“Fire Blast.” The words came like a hissed breath. Orange light flashed in his focus, and then a cone of fire erupted, obscuring the world before him in dancing heat.

It was the smell that hit Hump first. The distinct smell of burning flesh and hair, clinging to the back of his nose. He resisted the urge to choke on it.

As the spell faded, his stomach twisted at the destruction he’d wrought. Charred bodies covered the floor before him, blackened by his flame. Their clothes in tatters, their faces melted so that black flesh and bone poked out beneath. Their hair gone. Jewellery had melted through the surface layers of flesh and was now embedded around necks, wrists, and fingers, a glimmer of gold and silver amongst black.

Some still moved amongst the mass of dead. They must have been partially shielded from the flame by the bodies crammed around them, and now crawled onward on partially destroyed hands and feet. Hump glimpsed a woman, half her face still intact, a red eye staring at him while the other was charred over on the burnt side of her face.

Puppets, not people.

Hump’s mind became clouded. He thought he was going to be sick.

To the side, Nina let loose a wave of water that swept away the fallen bodies and put out what sparks of flame remained. The sight of clear space was a relief, but Hump couldn’t get the sickening scene out of his mind. He knew it was stupid. These were not living beings anymore, yet that didn’t make it any easier. They had human faces. Clothes. He took a step back, stumbling, partially from the sudden essence use and partially from the shock.

Puppets, not people. He knew it to be true. His reaction made him feel like a fool, but not even logic prevented it. He’d never unleashed such power on a group of people before. He’d never had such a visceral taste of the devastation he was now capable of.

Anger built in him. Whatever power he had, it was nothing compared to the warlocks that had killed these people. He wondered what truly drove them. They claimed they were fighting back against the oppressive gods, but how did killing these innocents do that? What was their intention with this trap? They must have known it wouldn’t be enough to kill Sir Roderick and Ricard. Was it all just for slaughter?

They will die for this, Hump thought. He craved power. He wanted to reach out for the dungeon essence and wield it as his own, tearing through the barrier around them and hunting down those that did this. He knew it was the gorger’s influence, pushing him to do things that would make him lose himself. It wanted his hate and impulsiveness, but Hump wouldn’t give it to it. He let his mind go to the River and Waves, and let his feelings fade and mind clear.

It was Dylan’s Nature’s Spring that fully brought him back to his senses, its warmth stark against the fire and chaos of dungeon essence. Around him, the others were finishing off the twenty or so undead that had slipped past or come from other directions. Still a large number, but nothing challenging for Chosen.

Hump turned back as he heard a crack. Ricard had struck the barrier again, lightning exploding from the point of impact, gale force winds striking around it like blades. The cracks spread, and then there was another loud crack. The space before them shattered like glass and a gap opened up.

“All of you, Move!” Ricard shouted. “I’ll bring up the rear.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. Hump raced for the door, third out behind Celaine and Teff. Behind him, Ricard whirled his spear around in a great winding sweep, blasting back the final few undead and buying them all time to enter the rear lobby of the opera house.

They were out.

The barrier slowly closed behind them, essence pooling over the gap like a fluid. Judging by the speed, Hump guessed another minute or so until it healed fully.

Nearby, Natalie appeared through a portal. “I found the way down. We’ll get there faster on foot than if I transport everyone.”

“Lead the way,” Ricard said.

They raced through the empty halls.

“I’ve already warned Fenella of the situation inside,” Natalie said. “It’s not looking good, Ricard. I contacted Countess Daston and the whole city is in chaos. The city is under siege. Monsters have spawned.”

“Is she safe?” Marcela asked.

“She’s leading the defence of the Upper City,” Natalie said.

“We must deal with this problem first,” Ricard said. “If we don’t stop it here, we’ll certainly have a dungeon on our hands, and a powerful one at that.”

Natalie pushed through a small side door that opened into a narrow staircase. It was simple stonework inside here, likely an area for staff rather than guests. They crammed down the stairs, reaching the lower floor. Essence stones in the roof filled the passageways with dim light. It was crammed full of props and storage items, with doors leading to dressing rooms and lounging areas.

They ignored it all, rushing back toward the tree, following the straight corridors. It wasn’t long before there was a change. The corridors became darker, as if the essence of the stones had been drained. Soon… they entered another world. The tree’s domain. Roots coated the walls, cracking the stone and burying in deep, crumbling it to dirt. Red light pulsed within. Distantly, Hump heard the sound of fighting above.

They rounded a corner, and there it was. The base of the tree’s trunk. It was as large as the entire Tree of Damnation that they’d found at the other warlock site, taking up the entirety of a large waiting area beneath the auditorium. Giant, bulbous roots dug into the ground around it. Power pulsed within them, streaming up the trunk in giant waves. At its centre, a large dungeon core glowed red, protruding from beneath the bark.

“The dungeon essence must be coming from underground,” Hump whispered. “I don’t know how that could be possible. Are they bringing it in from somewhere?”

“Once we’ve resolved this situation we might be able to answer that,” Ricard said. “For now, focus. The room appears to be unguarded, but we should proceed as if this is a dungeon core room. Be ready for anything.”

He led the way inside, the rest of them remaining together and in tight formation. Hump gripped his staff tightly, a Shield spell ready on his lips.

“I don’t see anyone,” Celaine said. “There’s a door on the far side but it’s shut.”

Emilia let her sword fall to her side. “I don’t understand. Why would the warlocks set this up only to leave it undefended?”

“Perhaps they fear a fight with us head on,” Bud said.

“Or perhaps they have their eyes set on larger prey,” Ricard said.

“They’ve got Sir Roderick,” Natalie said. “It doesn’t get much larger… Oh no.”

“What?” Bud asked. “What’s so bad?”

Marcela glanced at him, a concerned look on her face. “If this is a distraction, it’s likely the target is my mother. In which case, we need to finish this off now.”

“What… is that?” Celaine asked, shock clear in her voice. She’d moved ahead of the rest of them and was staring at something on the other side of the trunk.

Hump swallowed. That wasn’t a tone he was used to from Celaine. He caught up to her and held his staff up. “Wizard’s Light.”

The spell illuminated the tree and Hump’s eyes widened. A middle-aged man lay amongst the roots. No. Rather, it was as if he’d been partially swallowed by them, the entirety of his lower body consumed up to his elbows. His mouth opened and closed, a sound like gasping breath escaping him. He tilted his head back and forth, eyes moving between them, wide and seeing. He was conscious, and he was entombed here.

“By the gods, that’s High Priest Agaron,” Natalie muttered.

A name Hump recognised well. He was the missing High Priest of Osidium.