The cave, once their refuge, turned treacherous as creatures tore their way through its stone walls. "We're screwed. There, I said it," Daniel's voice echoed, hollow with dread.
"Can you shut your trap for one damn minute, Danny?" Jake bit back, his attention fully invested in dispatching his undead minions to thwart the creatures infiltrating the cave.
"Frontlines are collapsing! We need more undead here!" James' voice cracked, exhaustion painting him in shades of defeat.
"There's no bloody more to send! Our hands are full with this sideshow back here!" Jake hollered in response. "Danny, pull your shit together. Have you got any mana left?" he demanded, his tone sharp with desperation.
"No," Daniel mumbled, his gaze sinking to the cave floor, an embodiment of resignation.
"James now would be a perfect time for that AoE spell!" Jake cried out.
"It won't bloody work in here. I'll lure as many as I can outside, then let it rip. Good luck, lads. Maybe I'll see you on the other side," James' voice wavered with determination as he dashed outside, drawing a cluster of enraged creatures in his wake.
Jake found himself marveling at James' propensity for sacrifice, 'Just like our past life...' he thought. "We're halfway through this horde, Danny. Just...please keep trying," Jake implored.
Daniel's eyes, wild and feverish, shot daggers at Jake. "Okay!" He clambered atop a tamed bear creature, bolting towards the cave's exit, the remainder of his minions trailing behind him.
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Jake roared, his frustration resounding through the cave. "Minions! Circle around me! Protect me at all costs!" He ordered, striving to navigate his way out of the cave.
Before he could reach the mouth of the cave, a violent explosion rocked the ground beneath him, sending a shockwave through the horde, toppling them over. Jake teetered, barely managing to stay upright. He raced outside, his eyes met with a sight of rampant devastation. The forest blazed, a wild inferno lapping at the sky.
The remaining creatures seemed to scatter, retreating from the burning scene. "James! Where the hell are you?" Jake bellowed into the smoke-laden air.
After a torturous silence, James emerged from behind a smoldering tree, "I didn't do this... I didn't even cast my spell yet," he confessed, puzzlement furrowing his brow.
"What the hell? Who then? Don't tell me Danny had some crazy ace up his sleeve he didn't share with us..." Jake grumbled, baffled by the unexpected turn of events.
From the shifting underbrush emerged a familiar figure. "I did," she asserted, striding towards them with an air of calm defiance.
"You...I remember you! You're the girl from the orphanage I first saw when I entered this world, right?" Jake queried, taken aback.
A smile danced on her lips, "Technically, I'm not the same girl. When I claimed this body, she was lying on a grimy floor, battered and bruised."
Jake's eyes widened in realization, "No... Don't tell me you're from our party too? Others died there as well?" He coughed, the smoke infiltrating his lungs making it hard to breathe.
"We'll discuss that later. Right now, we need to get out of here. Let's mount your undead bear creatures," she said, visibly wincing from the searing heat and choking smoke.
"I only have two left," Jake rasped, summoning his remaining undead mounts.
"That's the plan. Let's skedaddle," urgency was apparent in Sarah's voice. In a fluid motion, she mounted the undead bear behind Jake. Together, they kicked their grisly steeds into a gallop, charging away from the flaming forest towards the refuge of the open fields. James, trailing just behind, was hot on their heels.
"What about Danny?" Jake hollered, concern evident in his voice.
"Forget him for now. I saw him bolt off on his own beast, with his menagerie trailing behind. He's safe. Not many creatures gave chase," James reassured as they finally reached the open fields and dismounted.
"By the way, I'm Sarah," she announced, wiping sweat from her forehead with a grimy hand.
"I'm Jake, and this is James," Jake began, only to be abruptly cut off by James, "The guy who was also at that party. Got taken out by those lunatic gangsters," James hastened to offer his own account.
Jake's mind whirred, 'He doesn't want her to know about his role in that disaster. Already in this world, he's twice tried to lay down his life to protect us. Alright, I'll let it slide,' thought Jake, giving James a nod of understanding, which was met with a relieved sigh.
Sarah started talking about her journey, "Tracking you guys wasn't easy. There was this guy in a house. You should've seen his face when he found me ransacking his place. He screamed, 'I killed you!', I lobbed a random elixir I found in his drawer at him," she recounted.
"And then?" Jake asked, intrigued.
"He shrieked like he was on fire and I took off. He chased me through some crop fields, but I lost him easily," she smirked with a twinkle of pride in her eyes.
James was baffled, "But how did you find us? How'd you cause that explosion? You haven't even leveled up once according to the status screen! You don't even have skills!"
"Alright, calm down. I saw hordes of hostile creatures storming the fields toward the forest, so I figured someone might need help. As for the explosion, I found some bottles with 'do not mix' warnings. So I mixed them and threw a rock at them from a safe distance," Sarah explained.
James was incredulous, "You're joking... That's unbelievable. And your brave as hell, running headfirst into danger like that, is just... Wow," he shook his head in disbelief. In response, Sarah just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, brushing off his words like dust off her coat.
Jake interjected, "It's getting dark, we can continue this conversation later. We need to find shelter. Let's head to the town, Danny might be there. Also, we need to consider which skills to take, that battle gave us a lot of experience," Jake suggested.
James sighed in relief, "Finally. Let's go. Oh, and Jake? Might want to keep the undead out of sight once we're near town," he advised.
Jake nodded in agreement, he hopped onto his undead bear, extending a hand to Sarah, "You're coming with us, right?"
Sarah hesitated before finally accepting, "I trust you guys. I don't want to die again." She gripped Jake's hand and climbed up behind him.
"Neither do I," Jake murmured as they started towards the town under the darkening sky.