Steeyann’s volley ripped through the air with deadly precision, tearing apart two almost-chickens that crumpled lifelessly to the floor. The ice daggers shredded the smaller spike creatures at the front, their remains scattering in a gruesome display of pink and purple. The fallen monsters were replaced by more of the same. Malcolm summoned a ball of lightning that crackled with electric fury, obliterating two bird-like things in a blinding flash and scorching another. More monsters stepped forward.

  Steeyann kept firing. Two more monsters hit the floor, but the arrows couldn’t keep up with the replacements that continued to flow in.

  “Time for melee.” Steeyann shouted.

  Valgrin lunged at the nearest, almost chicken. Malcolm’s sai spun into attack position, then he flew into a blur of activity. Steeyann’s sword flashed, and another almost chicken fell.

  Feathers and blood became Valgrin’s world. His arm seared with agony at every thrust. His left shoulder blazed with pain, courtesy of the vicious beak that had gouged into his flesh. In a momentary pause in the fight, he wondered how much longer they could keep going. The monstrous almost-chickens, hindered by the narrow confines of the hall, could only attack in pairs. It had become obvious that their tactics didn’t go beyond attack. Though Valgrin and his friends were gradually gaining the upper hand, the sheer number of these beasts seemed destined to drain their strength, dragging them all toward the brink of exhaustion.

  He slashed the beast that popped up in front of him, slicing into its neck. It fell within seconds of the blow, another wave of blood covering him.

  Valgrin screamed as he fell to the ground, his shin shattered. Something chewed on his leg. He looked down to see one of the spiked balls rotating into his useless shin. He lashed out with his katar. The thing fell apart with the contact.

  He cast healing on himself, just as he felt hands grabbing him and pulling him away. He tried to control the scream, but failed. The healing seemed to help, but his leg still throbbed. He felt Skwilly’s cold nose pressing against his face.

  “I’m okay, maybe not okay, but nothing that will kill me. Anything you can do to help?”

  Skwilly sat down on his haunches. “Thought about a flash, but not sure that will do much since most seem to be around the corner. I’ll be watching for more of those things that got to you. Might flash one of them.”

  Valgrin fought back the urge to chuckle, telling himself he needed to be serious. Jokes later. “Keep thinking, I can’t speak for the others, but I know I had little time left.”

  “I…um…might help. Need to get Steeyann and Malcolm out of the way, though.” Tahlur looked at the floor while he spoke.

  “Tell them what they need to do and then do whatever you have planned. Well, wait, what do you have planned?” Valgrin looked up to see Steeyann and Malcolm holding their own, but both looked wearier than he felt.

  “Lightening bolts. If I cast two at once, they can chain up to ten hits. Might be more in a smaller area.”

  Valgrin shouted, “Tahlur has a plan—be prepared to cover your ears and dive towards me, get low as you jump. He’ll give you instructions when ready.”

  Grunts of affirmation sounded from both men.

  “All your Tahlur, and thanks for pulling me back, by the way.”

  Tahlur blushed. “You’re welcome, and I should be ready.”

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  “Then shout out the instructions.”

  Tahlur stood up, took a deep breath, and shouted, “When I say now—jump backwards, duck, and cover your ears.” Tahlur waited until both signaled they were ready. “Now!”

  He unleashed two ferocious lightning bolts that tore through the air with blinding intensity. Valgrin clenched his eyes shut against the searing brightness, his hands pressing hard against his ears as if to shield them from the deafening onslaught. The explosive thunderclap reverberated through the walls, making the stone groan ominously. The initial clap of thunder was overwhelming, rendering Valgrin temporarily deaf. As he dared to peek, he found the light had mercifully dimmed, just enough to see. Steeyann and Malcolm lay sprawled on the ground, miraculously unharmed amidst the carnage. The hallway was eerily devoid of living monsters, replaced instead by charred corpses strewn across the floor. Nothing stirred, and no new threats emerged to challenge them. His gaze remained fixed on the entrance to the main hall, tense and waiting. A minute dragged by, heavy with anticipation, yet still no monsters appeared. A swift glance confirmed that his companions were now moving, though they too seemed to struggle with the ringing in their ears. Skwilly sat unperturbed, surveying the aftermath with an air of detachment, seemingly unaffected by the chaos that had just transpired.

  Valgrin concentrated and hoped his words made sense to Skwilly, “I can’t hear. Can you? Shake or nod.”

  Skwilly rolled his eyes and then nodded.

  “How?”

  Once again, Skwilly rolled his eyes, then used his snout to point at Valgrin’s ears.

  “Sorry, didn’t think before asking.” Valgrin shook his head. Will healing fix eardrums? Do I want to use my last heal of the day? Gotta find out where to get some potions. Don’t think we have enough healing in the group. He chanced it and cast another heal on himself. The warmth spread through his body, his ears started working again. His leg stopped hurting, but still wouldn’t function.

  Malcolm’s grunting drew his attention. Both Malcolm and Steeyann stood up. Steeyann took a drink out of a potion vial.

  Malcolm closed his eyes for a few seconds before reopened them. “Okay, my ears work now. Checking the main hall.”

  Steeyann nodded and followed, both declaring it empty once they got to the entrance. Steeyann stayed. Malcolm made his way back.

  “Is any of that blood on you your own, or is it all monster?” Malcolm asked Valgrin.

  “Some is mine. Can’t point it out though. One of those ball shaped things took out my shin and started gnawing on it.”

  “Need more healing?”

  “Potion or spell, not sure which would be needed to fix a broken leg.”

  Steeyann shouted down the hall. “I have a small healing wound potion.” He rummaged around in his bag for a second, “here catch.”

  Malcolm snatched the small metal flask out of the air, then tossed it to Valgrin, who grabbed it eagerly and drank it. An intense warmth surged through his veins like molten lava, igniting every nerve in his body. His leg erupted in excruciating pain, each lance sharper than the last, agony building to a crescendo. Sweat poured down his face as his insides twisted and churned. Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the torment ceased, leaving him gasping and wide-eyed, his leg miraculously healed.

  Valgrin exhaled loudly. “That took a little bit out of me. Much more intense than a healing spell.”

  “Broken bone, a little more substance to heal than just surface damage. The potion will take some of your magic to build the new bones, not sure the why of that—something to do with it’s been a part of you, so better chance to take.”

  “Take?” Malcolm asked. “The potion can fail?”

  “All healing can, usually doesn’t. If you try to heal a sword wound that had pierced a kidney—well, that is needing much more magic, so at your level it would fail. The worse the injury and the lower the potion or spell level, the better chance it has to fail.”

  “Interesting…wait,” Malcolm’s expression went blank for a moment. “Hey, I went up a level, get a whopping forty points to spend on stats. Picked up some health and magic pool points. Oh, get a new spell too. Heal wounds be a good one?”

  “What others are offered?” Valgrin asked.

  “Took heal wounds, actually called heal wounds and more. Seems we need healing abilities above what we have, and this one is a higher level than what I can already cast. With the enhancements on my sai, I think I came out ahead in offense for this run already. What you think about all my points in wisdom improves my casting ability—especially in the healing stuff.”

  “If you want to be the primary healer, sure. Reflexes or strength would help the fighting side of things.” Valgrin offered.

  “True, but we have a fighter and Mr Lightning, we seem to have a slight hole in healing ability. Guess I could bump up some others to advance fighting. Looks like we’ll keep doing that as well.”

  “You do you. It’s your stats. I agree with your group assessment.” Valgrin stood and took a step.

  “Seems I’m good, for now. Do we want to look around to take care of other threats, and maybe find some loot?”