We attacked the skeleton from all sides at once.
With my borrowed sword and shield - having returned the axe to its proper owner - I led the charge, shield in front.
The monster turned at me, raising its axe in a slow motion, preparing to strike.
His size and appearance concealed formidable speed and cunning intellect, which I wasn't expecting, as he used the shaft of his greataxe to stop my charge, hitting right in the shield and making me crash into my own shield, before turning on himself to deliver a powerful sweep behind him.
Gorin did not expect the blow, but tried to parry it nontheless with his shield; the sheer force of the impact flung him away, crashing on the ground, his shield reduced to splinters.
Sasha managed to dodge the devastating blow, and kept on pressing forwards, driving another shovel she found on the ground right into the skeleton's helm; the fragor of metal striking metal could be heard, but the monster barely flinched at the attack as the runes on its armor flared up, responding immediatly with a backhand strike that knocked Sasha back.
Sturm was still advancing as the greataxe arc high enough for him to dodge without too much trouble, and managed to get the creature on its right flank, unable to defend itself; his attack hit the right knee of his opponent, poorly protected by the armor.
The monster stepped forwards, punching Sturm out of the way to deliver a finishing blow to Sasha, who was still getting back on her feet.
I rushed in, thrusting the rusty sword in the gaps between armor plates, aiming at the groin from behind the creature.
Although my attack connected with nothing but bones, I could feel heavy resistance, as if I was striking through water, as the runes on the armor flared up once more.
Our attacks on the skeleton were starting to take effect, as the giant was slowing down.
It responded to my attack without turning, using the butt of the greataxe once more, in a vicious thrust, catching me off-guard again.
I fell backwards, my vision blurred by the impact on the ground.
As I regeined focus, I noticed Neenie, almost immobile, a blue stone in his outstretched hand.
Suddently, a blue sphere of energy formed in place of the stone, and flung itself towards the monster, hitting it in the right shoulder, before exploding in a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, I could see the monster had lost its arm, that now laid on the ground.
Lacking an arm, it could no longer wield its weapon, but it still pushed on forwards, fighting to the very last. Sturm kept attacking it on the right side, as it had no more way of countering or defending itself from that side.
While striking the monster in its chest, Sturm threw a small vial with his left had, which crashed right into the creature's helm, shattering.
The liquid within seemed to burn the undead, sizzling and boiling, as the creature finally stopped moving.
It stood completely still for a few seconds, before crumbling in a dusty cloud, its bones disintegrating.
'Down you go... Everyone in one piece?'
Sturm said, still panting
I checked my surroundings, and noticed that Neenie had passed out, in the spot where he casted his spell, still gripping she shards of what once was the blue stone; The priests were tending to the other wounded, and it seemed we were all alive
'Seems so'
'Seems like you saved the best for last, didn't you, priest?'
'That was just some holy water, most of the work was done by Neenie. Speaking of, where's the boy?'
He then scanned the room, and upon noticing that the guard was unconscious, he rushed to his side
'Thank the Gods, he's just passed out'
With the cave cleared, we could safely perform first aid, before getting the orb down. Its red glow was almost blinding close up.
'Sasha, any idea what this might be?'
'I've said already what little I know, our best bet is to bring this to a mage'
As we traveled back in the tunnels, I noticed that the orb was dimming its light, and it had all but gone out by the entrance
'What's the plan now, boy'
Sturm approached me
'Our priority will be making sure the city council realizes the situation'
'If what your friend says is true, we will be having more trouble with the undead, in the near future, I doubt they'll be happy'
'But we saved the city from a possible disaster! I'm sure they'll understand'
'I can only pray you're right. In any case, I expect you two to come by the temple, tomorrow'
'I intended to come and thank you personally'
'You thanking us? Nonsense, boy, it's us who should be thanking you. We grew lazy, our temple had no more need for us, and we avoided our duty. You reminded us that our real duty is to protect the temple and its followers from threats both seen and unseen'
'I think you're praising us a bit too much, we were merely passing by-'
'Nonsense! You decided to help, and were under no obligation to do so. Even risked your life after the city's own guards dismissed your cries for help as mad ravings'
Our group reached the entrance to the tunnels, and soon we were out in the open.
The cool light from the moon illuminated the whole graveyard, giving it a mystical air.
'I think this is where we part ways, but I do expect you two at the temple. Neenie too, if he decides to'
Sasha and Neenie and I went back to the barraks, to show our findings to the ones in charge, while the others returned to the temple.
Some priests were still gravely wounded, and had to lean on the others for support, but their spirits were high.
'Feeling alright there, Neenie? You're sure you can stand?'
'Worry not, Tarkus, I feel better than ever. Those tonics sure are powerful'
'Why did you collapse in the first place?'
His face flushed with embarassment
'You see... when a mage performs a spell way above his... possibilities... he uses too much of its own power and...'
'You used up a catalyst and managed to overdraw power! This is a good one!'
Sasha was laughing as if it was the funniest thing she heard in a while
'It was a desperate situation!'
'I'm sorry, it's just that... Those mistakes are usually made by children when learning the Arts, are you sure you're old enough to be a guard?'
'Very funny, do I need to remind you that you'd still be deep in trouble without my intervention?'
'Calm down you two. Sasha, he's right, you should be thanking him, not poking at his mistakes'
'Alright, alright, but I'll have you know that if you knew anything about magic, you'd find it funny too'
'Sure, sure'
'Thank you Tarkus'
'Don't mind her, she means well... I think. But we are in your debt, you saved us not once but twice, and overexerted yourself in the process'
'I... just did what I felt was right...'
'And I'm still impressed you're a mage, I didn't expect a guard to be trained in the Arts'
'Well, you see... Truth is, my family couldn't pay for the Academy after the first year... So I had to come back... But they did take me in as a guard, so I guess it wasn't all in vain. I still get to train, although I'm not making much progress'
The rest of the journey was largely uneventful, the city at night was almost completely empty, only the taverns were radiating light, and the laughter and shouting filetered from the doors and windows.
We arrived in the city center, the only part of the city that still had some movement, as some travelers were just arriving and rushing to find a place to sleep in.
At the barracks, two guards were keeping watch, guarding the entrance.
'Who goes- Neenie! What are you doing here, hasn't your shift ended two hours ago?'
'We need to see the boss, Wes'
'It's real late, he'll be asleep by now, you should try tomorrow'
'This can't wait'
He said, showing them the orb. I was completely sure it stopped glowing after we came out of the tunnels, but as the halfling unwrapped the cloak we used to conceal it, I could see the red light filtering through. It felt even brighter than before
'That seems... bad. I'm getting the boss, Ruth, keep watch, will ya?'
The first guard rushed off, as the other stared us in awkward silence
'So, what in the hells is that thing?'
He finally asked.
Neenie smiled before answering