The skeletons, and zombies charged into battle. The first wave was easily dealt with by the knights. King Edward the cannibal no longer had his signature crystal cutting hook. Matter of fact he did not have any weapons on hand to defend himself.

A frozen terror dropped on him from a ledge. A dead man had jumped from the temple above. The fall temporarily stunning the zombie. A heavy mutated individual bloating out of the cult leader uniform that had once fit over the skin loosely. Edward beat the corpse that barely moved. This creature was completely armored, and mutated with crystal scales from over exposure. The special zombie was rising, but it was very slow due to wearing so much armor. Edward backed away as knights blasted the creature. The bullets did nothing.

“Cleave off his head off Bronco” egged on the most rusted knight among them all: Scrappy.

“I gotcha,” said Bronco, readying his great sword.. “AAHHHRG” he screamed charging the dead.

“Clunk!” The sword remained lodged deep in the special zombie’s armor.

The knight went toppling over down some steps, and empty handed away from the group. The special zombie was distracted by another hail of bullets. It lumbered towards the king with the weapon stuck in its throat. The king jogged away from the danger to the door of the temple's wall. The knights had gathered here forming a defensive perimeter. Bronco had made it back in one piece.

“Right we will never kill that one, we got to tie it up somehow while we get this temple unlocked” said Scrappy.

“I've got cables with hooks in the van” said the owner of the vehicle parked in the temple's courtyard.

“Good idea, I'll go fetch em” said Bronco.

“And we will keep that thing distracted,” said the van owner reloading his blunderbuss.

Bronco ran for the van. A fresh wave of skeletons had swarmed. Edward ran after him dodging the special zombie at a far distance.

“Bang!”

The special armored zombie took a direct hit from the blunderbuss. It toppled over, but was slowly working to rise again.

Bronco slashed at the dead that had surrounded him from every angle. A never ending stream of them walking into the graveyard. Edward swung his stump breaking six skeletons apart with a single swing. He worked a path to Bronco. The pair arrived at the van at the same time. Zombies had climbed onto the roof threatening them. The other knights blasted them away from where they hid behind rocks. Bronco threw open the vans door, and climbed inside. Edward checked out his reflection in the side view mirror.

“Thanks for having my back,” said Bronco, getting out with a rope.

“Huh.. Oh yeah no problem” said the king slicking back his hair in admiration.

At the entrance to the temple the doors began to shake. The old wood gave way, falling down. A fresh swarm of corpses stampeded out. The van owner had turned his attention away to combat the new enemies. He took his eyes off the special armored zombie for too long. It had sunk behind him. Now It grabbed on, and bit.

“AAAAA!”

The things that came from the temple grounds all had various levels of crystal armor coating. The knights around were having their work cut out for them. One of the special zombies was knocked over revealing a weak spot in the back of his plated skull. It was exploited with a sword.

“Bang!”

The most heavily armored corpse among them was blasted at close range by a blunderbuss exploding the noggin. Another one was momentarily stunned from biting. The van driver had just enough time to reach his pocket before being grabbed onto by three of them.

“I’ve got a little surprise for you my friends, now clearway from the blast” he said, unscrewing the lid to a crystal grenade.

“Boom!” everything in the courtyard was stunned by the shock-wave of smallish explosion. An unnecessary knight was caught too close in the crossfire, making two of them blow to pieces.

“NOOO” said Bronco running behind, dropping the rope they had worked so hard to get.

Edward’s stump was also bitten on by a zombie. He threw around its weight smacking the thing into a hundred different skeletons. They all exploded into the same cloud of bone dust. He retreated inside the temple walls with the party. Inside a garden of ice. Only a trace of a shadow remained thanks to magma bonfires. A path had once been shoveled, but snow had fallen since.

“We need to get further inside the premises,” said the king.

“Yes sir” said the knights.

They ran up crystalized steps, passing by crystalized statues, and funky smelling burning incense.

“These cult members came here to worship the crystal, and got just what they sought after all” said Bronco .

”Just like we are mercenaries sent here to our death” said Scrappy.

Scrappy and Bronco worked together with a third knight to shut the door to the temple shut behind them. The paws of the dead had forced themselves into cracks blocking it from shutting.

"Manny get your sword out and start chopping" yelled Scrappy.

"Yes sir" said the fourth knight fumbling with his sword.

He almost fell over, then Edward smacked away an accidental incoming lunge. The sword flipped upwards. It was on a path of grave danger, now it was tumbling down. The king swatted the weapon with his crystalizing stump, and picked it up with his good hand mid air.

"Check my blade" said the king.

He was quickly grunting as he worked hard to chop away at the persistent meat with a dulled sword. One of the dead hands attacking had become fully severed. It fell to the floor rushing Manny who was looking in the other direction throwing rocks at a frozen trout stuck in the wall.

"Noo Manny watch out" yelled Scrappy .

He and the rest of them forced to hold the door. Manny turned just as he was grabbed around the neck by a severed hand. It began to choke him. Behind him the knights worked overtime putting all their weight until it slammed shut, and was bolted. They rushed to Manny who was hitting the severed hand with a rock. Bronco pulled off the hand, and threw it to the floor. All the knights with guns shot it, and blew the meat apart.

"The energy in this place is bad, I need a teleport out of here as soon as possible” said Bronco.

“I hope this is the last staircase” huffed Scrappy.

The knights headed away, while the king remained behind to look himself in the mirror.

The place was a parlor decked with mirrors for the king, a fancy bar, stools, and balls all made of crystals. As well as a pool table lined with fine worsted wool. Edward eyed over his beard stubble. The growing uni-brow hairs that was going to be a problem soon.

“I can smell it alright, bad stuff is in here indeed” said Snaggy popping a corked bottle.

Edward jumped, and spun around to the sound behind him.

“Wait a second Snaggy.. What are you doing here clown? And since when have you been into drinking shlock I thought you hated that stuff like nothing else?” said Edward at the bottom of the stairs sitting alone.

"Maybe I'm getting you a glass fool" said the jester standing still behind the bar.

A solitary shot glass had appeared out of thin air.

“For your information all you smell in here is the stale decay of a stuck up ancient religion dedicated to the crystals” said Edward.

“If you say so he he '' the fool giggled, his eyes beady glowing lumps of crystals, and his makeup had started melting,

"I'll be out of here soon, maybe you too fool.. Huh either way this is just a momentary pit-stop on my path to conquering everything out there including this awful place" said king Edward.

"Maybe you will, maybe not" said the clown showing his fangs.

A mouth that was three rows deep of crystal cutting teeth, and a tongue that was spiked with barbs. It functioned like burdock only much deadlier.