"Get behind me now!" I barked out to the party. The sudden order seemed to frighten Tia, who let out a yelp as he obeyed and quickly huddled behind the protection of my greatshield.
Amethyst followed suit, readying her sceptre for combat.
The decapitated gray goblin continued towards me, stepping into a puddle of its own black blood, almost tripping over what used to be its head.
"Disgusting little creature," Amethyst gagged as she aimed her weapon towards it, quickly casting a minor crystal dart without using an incantation. A glittering mass of mana materialized from the crystal sceptre and shot forth at staggering speed.
The spell hit its mark, ripping clean through the goblin's abdomen, stopping it dead in its tracks.
"I-is it dead?" Tia whimpered from behind me.
"Nothing could survive a direct hit from my spells!" The mage bragged with a gleaming smile, which seemed to reassure Tia just a little.
But no sooner than the words left her lips, her expression turned sour as she watched the odd creature rise once again, even now with a gaping hole through its torso.
My mind raced as I tried to figure out what was going on. The sickly gray goblins that refused to die, the unknown bloody sigils that lined the cave walls, and my undeniable gut feeling that something worse than just a goblin king waited for us in this dungeon, what could it all mean?
There was only one answer.
These goblins were undead.
And someone, or something, was here using forbidden necromancy magic.
Despite the urgency of this bleak situation, my mind instantly turned to Tia. This was supposed to be an easy quest, simple training for him as our new healer, but now he could be seriously in danger.
I must protect him no matter what.
"Everyone, be careful!" I yell out, "These aren't normal goblins, they are undead. Kyros, I need you to keep them busy. Amethyst, get ready to cover me."
I turned to Tia, being met with his crystal blue eyes staring up at me, his pupils dilated, and his porcelain skin drained of all colour. His body shuddered in fear, sending ripples down his thighs.
I struggled to think of something, anything, to say to calm him down, to assure him he would be safe, that I wouldn't let a dirty goblin lay a single finger upon him.
I bent down to meet his gaze, so close that I could feel his shallow exhales against my skin, and taste his strawberry sweet aroma as I inhaled.
I spoke softly to him, trying to sound as comforting as I possibly could.
"Tia, as long as you stand beside me, I will keep you safe. Whatever happens, I will protect you. I will fight for you... and I will die for you if I have to."
Tears welled up in Tia's eyes and then slowly fell to his cheeks, which had now regained the soft pink hue that I had already come to love. A beaming smile tore across his beautiful features as he grasped his magic staff in both hands with a true adventurer's resolve.
"No one here is dying on my watch! We're a party now, right, Draven? I will stand beside you through anything that comes our way."
His voice echoed in my ears endlessly, delicately like the song of an angel.
I wanted to hold him more than anything right now, but the pressing matter of undead goblins kept me from giving in to my desires.
"Right, Tia," I smiled in return, "Try to keep me alive then, I'm counting on you."
I struggled to turn my gaze away from the pretty boy, but managed to do so just in time to watch the shambling headless goblin step in front of me and rear its yellowed claws to attack.
At once, I charged forward, letting out a battle cry which rang off the dank cave walls, slamming the goblin with the full force of my shield, which sent it flying towards the rest of the pack, knocking them all down.
The undead moved slowly and awkwardly as they picked themselves up, before aiming their hateful gaze directly towards me. The cursed mass of gray flesh and claws now erupted in bloodlust.
Any sluggishness in their movements now disappeared, as all at once they charged at me with incredible speed.
"Kyros!" I roared out.
I heard the clinking of a glass vial hit the rock floor, and the shadows responded.
"Undead? Hmph," Kyros mocked, "There's nothing I can't kill."
The tip of his dagger appeared first from the cave's darkness, drenched in a deep violet liquid. He leapt towards the attacking goblins at a speed they couldn't react to, twirling through the air, slashing both daggers with terrifying precision.
Half of the undead goblins reaped his deadly attack, including the headless one, receiving deep gashes through their thick gray skin. The violet poison, which covered his blades, followed with an attack of its own.
Their wounds hissed as the poison mixed with their black blood, burning and melting their flesh from the inside. The goblins screeched and howled in anguish, piercing my ears, as they writhed in unholy wretchedness.
After a few moments, their screams ceased, and they once again fell.
This time, they remained there. Dead for the second and last time.
It seemed like there really wasn't anything Kyros couldn't kill; he was a true assassin. Now knowing the undead goblins really could be slain, I felt invigorated, ready to finish this battle and whatever came after it.
Still, 5 of the creatures remained, unfazed by the deaths of their packmates, they continued forward with savage intent. I prepared for a counterattack.
"Boreal grace, bless unto my arms the frigid cruelty of Your winter, Frozen Weapon!"
The words left my mouth in a fog, as the world froze around me. All at once, my mace erupted in ethereal crystals of ice, which threatened to freeze anything it touched. I could feel my hand grow numb from frostbite as I held it in front of me, ready to swing.
I stood still as the goblins charged me, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Not yet.
"D-Draavennn!!" Tia squealed behind me, just as the undead pounced.
I swung my frozen mace with every ounce of strength I could produce, feeling my chest and shoulder muscles contract, and then the brutal impact of my attack as it tore clean through the entire pack in a singular motion.
Disgusting heads and arms flew through the air, which were all frozen solid within magical ice in mere seconds. Only one goblin remained somewhat intact, but even still, it was defeated, trapped in impenetrable ice, just like the rest of them.
The battle was over.
But even now, when any other monster would be dead, the undead lived on, imbued with the cursed power of necromancy.
"Gross little things." Amethyst mocked, walking towards the frozen goblins which snarled at her from inside their icy prison.
"Hey, Kyros, so how did you actually kill them?" I asked, looking to put this encounter behind us.
The assassin suddenly appeared beside me, startling Tia, and holding a small vial of poison, the same deep violet colour from earlier.
"With this, it's a poison of eternal death."
"Good, finish them off with it then."
He scoffed in response and returned the vial to a pocket inside his cloak.
"Unless you see any platinum dragon bones lying around, I'm not wasting any more of this; it's worth more than you could imagine."
"Maybe try using it on yourself, then, jackass," Amethyst smirked.
Kyros whispered a response under his breath that I couldn't quite make out, glaring at the elf with disgust.
"Great, well, what are we supposed to do now? My ice will melt eventually."
I looked to my party for answers. The two idiots now locked in a standoff were clearly no help, neither was I, but then I saw Tia. He stood nervously with his hand raised just slightly. He looked adorable, even in this godforsaken cave.
"Maybe I can h-help…"
He reached for the book of holy scripture he kept strapped to his hip, flipping through the golden-edged pages, he eventually found the passage he was looking for. Holding the book in his left hand, he cautiously walked towards the icy sculpture of undead goblins.
The creatures began to growl and hiss at the priest. Fear kept him from moving any closer as his hands trembled, almost dropping the holy scripture he held.
Without thinking twice, I rushed over to Tia, putting my shield between him and the goblins. I gently wrapped my hand around his to steady the trembling and whispered into his ear, hoping my words would silence everything else.
"Don't be scared, they can't hurt you now. You're amazing, Tia. Just trust in your power, I believe in you."
His little hand steadied as I held it, savouring the warmth of his skin against mine. His perfect smile appeared once again as his gaze met mine.
"Please stay close to me, Draven. Y-you make me feel… safe."
I could feel my heartbeat quicken as he spoke, the sensation of burning blood rushing throughout my body; the ecstasy of knowing I was now someone important to Tia, the pretty boy who seemed to control my every desire.
"Tia…" I paused for a moment, frozen in his boreal eyes, "I will. Now and forever."
Time seemed to stand still; locked in each other's gaze, our hands stuck together, and the rhythm of our heartbeats in sync.
Entirely too soon, the screams of the undead goblins forced us back into the moment.
Tia now appeared resolved, ready to finish them off once and for all. He grasped the book he held tightly now in both hands, as I unwillingly had to let go of him.
I nodded a silent reassurance to him as he focused on the undead before him, preparing to cast a miracle.
"Oh dear merciful Gods, holy and righteous, may you grant upon my enemies the peace of eternal rest, Slay Undead."
His words flowed softly, calmly, like the most beautiful lullaby ever sung. Heavenly rays of golden light radiated from the priest, engulfing everything around him in blinding brilliance.
The ceaseless snarling and clawing of ice came to an end, as the undead were at last, granted rest.