“So, you’re Alaric then?” Kieran asked. He entered the clearing slowly, taking measured steps towards the elf.
Instantly, the elf held up a hand. “Keep your distance,” he warned.
Kieran halted, trying to study the figure’s expression from where he stood. The elf’s face wore a look of forced calm, but Kieran could see his hands wrapped around a staff in his lap with a white-knuckle grip. The mess of plants growing across the elf’s robes made it difficult to note much about the staff, other than that it seemed to be made of ancient, gnarled wood. Despite this, though, there were still leaves growing from it.
The elf lowered his hand. “Yes, I am Alaric. Why are you here? Has Vahr’Khul finally seen fit to deliver me my end?”
“No, on the contrary,” Kieran replied, maintaining his usual neutral expression. “They sent me to make sure you live through what’s coming.”
Alaric raised a curious eyebrow, but the grip on his weapon didn’t loosen. “Oh? And what is coming?”
“Ah, good, they haven’t arrived then.” Kieran relaxed slightly. “The Pale Watchers intend to attack this grove. Or, at least, Vahr’Khul seems to think so.”
“Truly? And the Promised End has seen fit to send his Contender to defend me?” Alaric’s words were laced with doubt. “Do you truly mean for me to believe this? Pah! If any part of the invasion's forces wanted to harm the grove, it would be the Gardener’s own. And why would Vahr’Khul of all gods care to stop it? Long have they feuded with La’Rata. What reasons would they have to defend her grove?”
“Truth be told, Alaric, Vahr’Khul doesn’t care for the grove,” Kieran stated plainly.
Alaric leaned back, scrutinizing Kieran.
“They want you to live,” Kieran continued. “Apparently, there aren’t many priests left these days.”
The two stared each other down. Though both maintained a blank expression, Kieran could tell it did not come so naturally to the elf. It put a visible strain on the priest to match Kieran’s customary guardedness.
But before either could speak again, Kieran noticed fog curling around his feet. It was seeping into the grove from behind him.
Turning around, he saw that the root tunnel he had passed through only moments ago was rapidly filling with fog. The mist was coming on so fast, it was spilling from the tunnel like water through a pipe.
“And I was hoping we could leave before they arrived.” Kieran backed slowly away from the tunnel as he drew Defiant Aphelion. “There, do you believe me now?”
“Only just,” Alaric replied. Kieran looked over his shoulder to see the elf standing to his feet. The various bits of plant life growing over him seemed to retreat into the ground, allowing him to stand unimpeded.
Good enough, Kieran thought.
He turned back towards the tunnel, weapon held to the side. Suddenly, he felt the cold gaze of the Oculus land on his back, and he cursed under his breath.
There could be no more concealment. He wasn’t willing to risk Alaric’s life just to hide his abilities from the Oculus.
Refocusing coolly, Kieran’s mind turned to the tome he had read on the Pale Watchers. He tried to guess what manner of undead he would face. He peered through the fog, watching for the outline of a spectral figure while also listening expectantly for the sound of footsteps. But when some noise finally came from the tunnel, he instead heard… scratching.
Rapid, insistent scratching. As if a dozen clawed legs were clambering across the roots.
Kieran swung his sword around in front of him, racking his brain. What Pale Watcher was coming down the tunnel? All at once, it struck him.
Bone amalgam. Kieran’s breathing remained even, though his heartbeat quickened for just a moment. Here’s hoping Alaric cooperates… this is going to be tough.
When the creature’s silhouette loomed in the fog, Kieran had little doubt his guess was correct. The thing had at least a dozen limbs, each emerging from its misshapen back, and several large, horned skulls emerging from its shoulders.
Any other man would’ve run away as the beast’s form finally came into full view. Its body was a mound of countless bones woven together to resemble a canine creature. The limbs protruding from its sides and back were approximations of various animal limbs, combined with hundreds of small limbs.
The thing was huge. Entire individual limbs served as digits on its scrap-worked hands. From its back emerged a tail of entwined spines, ending in a bouquet of various spikes. Its head seemed to be a massive deer skull, larger than any Kieran had ever seen and decorated with branching horns.
Kieran quickly recognized that it would take his full potential as a fighter to bring the beast down. Especially if Alaric chose to stand by rather than help him.
Looming through the layer of fog that now filled the entire grove, the pale blue glow within the bone amalgam’s eye sockets locked onto Kieran. The beast unleashed an otherworldly, bone-chilling scream.
Kieran simply smiled. His mind was clear as he waited for the beast to make the first move.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Finally… something that could prove a challenge.
He didn’t have to wait long as the beast lowered its numerous limbs, like a cat preparing to pounce. Kieran saw its tail swing from side to side for a few moments before the beast launched itself, several limbs poised to strike.
Recognizing the futility of a simple dodge, Kieran cast Form of Death and placed himself behind the undead beast. He could observe this attack and use it as a learning opportunity.
Unlike its general shape would suggest, the bone amalgam had no canine grace in its leap. Instead, it crashed awkwardly into the ground where Kieran had just been standing. Its limbs flailed in all directions as inertia carried it forward in a slide. It left a messy groove in the soil, kicking up dirt and plant matter, then fell still for a moment before scrambling up on its many limbs.
Kieran watched carefully. Following the logic of previous undead he had battled, doing enough damage to this thing’s frame would put it down. Removing the head would expedite the process, but an attempt to do so would be suicide while it still had all of its limbs.
The path forward seemed simple.
While the beast was still recovering from its lunge, he focused on Chilling Touch, conjuring a spectral hand at one of the bone amalgam’s frontmost limbs. The hand formed around the limb’s center and grasped at one of its myriad joints. Ice covered the bones as Kieran felt his energy draining rapidly.
The bone amalgam cast a ghostly glance at the frozen limb. It screamed again, then readjusted to face Kieran and ran towards him.
It’s avoiding the use of the frozen limb, he noted, breathing deeply to regulate his energy flow. That’s a good sign.
Without skipping a beat, the bone amalgam raised six limbs into the air as it reached Kieran and slammed them all down with terrifying force.
Kieran cast Form of Death again and put himself atop the beast, on the upper half of its back. He took a second to find his balance, then swung Defiant Aphelion at the section of frozen bone.
The sound of shattering ice had never rung so beautifully in his ears.
Shards of ice and bone splintered from the beast’s body as it reared up, shaking violently. Unable to hold his balance, Kieran jumped off of its back and rolled into a landing. Then he raised his sword and prepared to continue the fight.
The beast screamed as it circled around Kieran, flailing several limbs in his direction. Only one of those limbs actually reached him. Kieran raised his sword on pure instinct and parried the attack. The sheer strength behind the blow staggered him, but he successfully deflected the blow, if only just.
Before he had time to pivot, the bone amalgam ran past him and thrashed its tail at his side. Kieran noted the attack too late. He tried to dodge, but his sideways dash only reduced the impact slightly. The tail still caught him full on the side.
Kieran’s world became a blur of pain and movement. He wasn’t sure how far he was thrown, but when he landed with a sickening crack, he knew the scales had tipped in his foe’s favor. The pain in his chest told him clearly that something in his ribcage was broken. Defiant Aphelion was no longer in his hands.
Tunnel vision set in, narrowing his view down to the grim visage of the deer skull on his opponent’s shoulders. The thing’s limbs were raised in preparation for a strike. The bone amalgam intended to finish the fight.
Kieran’s face stayed blank as his mind clicked coolly through his options.
Now or never then…
He waited for the final possible moment, when his opponent’s limbs were whipping forward, then cast Shield Counter.
What looked like a miniature galaxy formed a barrier between Kieran and the bone amalgam. As four limbs crashed into it, the stars flared with defiant rage.
His body burned with the expenditure of energy. His breathing, already weak with pain, stuttered briefly to a halt. Yet Kieran could only gaze at the nebula in wonder.
So, this is what the stronger version of that spell looks like…
For a moment, his eyes were caught by the spell, searching for patterns in the network of conjured stars. Then his lungs contracted in a ragged breath, refocusing his mind to the task at hand..
He mentally grasped the spell’s thread and cut it. The barrier collapsed into a single point, forming into a singularity for a fraction of a second.
Then it exploded outwards.
Kieran was pushed back onto the ground, not hard enough to harm him but with enough force to knock the wind out of his lungs. Temporarily blinded as he was by the explosion, the beast’s screaming was his only hint that his gambit had worked.
Then, through the deafening pain and the bone amalgam’s screams, Kieran heard Alaric shouting.
“Brought low, and low you shall stay, beast!”
The sound of creaking wood echoed in his ears as Kieran’s eyesight gradually returned. The image of roots wrapping around the bone amalgam gradually clarified in his mind.
“I cannot maintain this long, Contender!” Alaric’s strained voice echoed through the grove. “Strike while you can!”
Slowly, and with a pained grunt, Kieran pushed himself to his feet. He drew Last Breath while he limped to the bone amalgam’s front, cursing at the fact that he didn’t have enough energy to cast Mend.
The thing’s six front limbs were blown clean off, giving Kieran plenty of space to approach. He cast Death’s Arm. Then he stood there, squinting through the pain caused both by his wounds and the creature’s constant screaming.
It took him a full ten seconds to find his target spot. But, finally, he plunged the icy blade into the beast’s neck, sliding Last Breath between vertebrae and twisting to dislodge them.
The giant deer skull slammed into the ground with a heavy thud. The body continued to thrash as Kieran backed away, then gradually fell still.
The Oculus’ gaze ceased. The mist began to dissipate. Blessed silence filled the space, broken only by Kieran’s heavy breathing. He could hear Alaric approaching, but his eyes were locked on the bone amalgam’s body, half expecting it to reform itself.
Instead, a few moments later, the bones which had been entwined to form the beast’s body began to unravel, clicking and clacking against each other as they fell to the ground.




Quest Complete
Reward: Recall (upgrade)




Kieran dismissed the screen and continued to watch the bone amalgam crumble away, monitoring the flow of energy within him. By the time Alaric reached him, Kieran felt strong enough to cast Mend. He instantly doubled over, overwhelmed by the cold and agony of draining his energy again, but let out a satisfied sigh when the pain of his injuries began to fade.
“I am… thankful that you came, Contender,” Alaric said as Kieran straightened up. “I do not think I would have survived this… thing.”
“And I’m thankful you chose to help,” Kieran replied, voice neutral as ever.
Alaric raised his chin slightly. “I still do not trust you, but I couldn’t let you just… die, like that. Regardless, thank you for defending me and my grove.”
“Sure thing.” Kieran dismissed Death’s Arm and sheathed his dagger. Defiant Aphelion lay only a few yards away. Recovering it, he returned it to its sheath and squared his shoulders. “Now, let’s discuss you coming to Eon’s Peak.”