I got up and walked over to the south tunnel. It really did appear to have the heaviest concentration of undead. I summoned my staff out of its ring, which made a couple of thieves gasp in surprise who were looking at me, and I pointed it at the tunnel entrance.

  A group of ghouls entered and fired heavy crossbows at us. Several people around me went down, and I had two bolts sticking out of the thin magical armor protection around me. It looked like they had stopped an inch from me and just hovered there.

  I released the first Inferno spell and willed it to fill up the entire ninety feet of the tunnel, ending just shy of our end of the entrance.

  The heat that was released was staggering. There was a reason this was a platinum-level spell. The focused nature of the tunnel seemed to concentrate its power, and the rocks began to first glow yellow, and then orange, and eventually red.

  I looked at the other two tunnels and chose the east for a repeat of the second Inferno spell with similarly impressive effects.

  The west tunnel had undead pouring out of it far faster than the individual spells and AOE spells of the wizards and elementalists could handle. The necromancer had packed the undead tightly. It cost him hundreds in the tunnels, but it worked well for him to the west.

  The west tunnel also emptied onto the wide open cave floor and gave me the greatest room to work the next spell.

  I cast a third platinum ring spell and summoned a Tornado. I centered it at the tunnel entrance and used its powerful winds to attack the undead. They were pulled apart like straw dolls, and undead parts began to rain down all over.

  Biff grunted as a skull bounced against his leg and then tried to take a bite out of him before the necromantic magics wore off. He kicked it over the edge and gave me a disappointed look. But I was focused on controlling this spell. It was far harder than I had imagined, and it took my full concentration. It tried to rip free of my control every second I held it.

  The others took care of the hundred or more stragglers that had made it through the tunnel and began to climb the stone walls below the platform or run around to move up the ramp. Still, we held on.

  I could sense my stamina seeping away as I held the Tornado in place, ripping apart the undead inside that were still pressing forward and unable to avoid the pressure of the spell.

  When my stamina was getting dangerously low, but the press of the undead continued, Steven came by and cast a spell on me that made me feel like I had just awakened and came out of a cold, brisk morning shower.

  “Invigorate spell. You should be good for another five minutes or so.” He informed me. “Biff called me over. We’re good. Keep it up.”

  And then he left me to concentrate on the tornado.

  It was hard. Very hard. I, too, was a long way from being ready to command and control such spells. But thanks to Steven and his energy spell, I could hold it for a while longer.

  By the time my stamina was running dangerously low for the second time, the body parts from the undead had slowed to a trickle. The necromancer had withdrawn his undead and was waiting us out. He knew what such effort required and that I would not be able to hold on forever.

  With a gasp, I released the spell and willed it to fizzle away and slumped to the ground. I was carried a few feet and found myself resting more comfortably in a chair. When I had come to my senses, I realized that I was in THE chair. The Gray Master’s Throne.

  Biff had carried me, and the Gray Master was not happy about it.

  When I had enough strength to move, I got out of the chair and apologized to the Gray Master.

  His eyes were no less fiery, but he nodded to me without saying anything.

  “I think it’ll be a while before I can use that spell again,” I admitted.

  Adriana was at my side. “I’m proud of you. That was amazing. It barely moved away from the tunnel entrance. Your concentration was spot on.”

  I lifted my hand to wave my thanks, but I was still winded.

  “Now what is our plan?” The Gray Master asked a bit more tightly-lipped than normal for him.

  “Well, I think I will avoid the Earthquake and Tidal Wave spells,” I said.

  “Yeah, probably a good idea.” Several around me agreed.

  “I have a summoner’s spell, Moving Void, that is the opposite of the Tornado. Instead of pushing things away, it sucks them in. But I suspect a similar level of concentration will be needed.

  I sighed and took a couple of deep breaths. “Okay, I am feeling a little better.” I said because Adriana and Biff had been hovering over me in concern, “How long was I resting? How much time do we have left on the Inferno spells?” I asked.

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  “I’d guess another fifteen minutes.” Adriana estimated. “You were a little out of it for a few minutes.”

  I looked over at where the wizards and elementalists started to lay into yet another solid rush of undead coming from the western tunnel now that the tornado had dropped.

  “How about we send in a few air elementals to jostle them around and follow it up with some earth elementals. I am also thinking that sitting here and letting the necromancer take pot shots at us is not our best option.” I said.

  Biff said, “I don’t like where you are going with this.”

  “I’d like to take a team after this guy. I’m tired of his punk cheap shots.” I remarked.

  Adriana said, “Are you sure you are back to normal? Remember, you bluffed him out of here to protect these people.”

  “If we move toward him, his attention will turn toward us. I think I have ruffled his feathers enough for the day that I can count on his full attention.” I said confidently.

  “But is that a good idea?” The Gray Master asked.

  I didn’t answer.

  “What if I took two clerics, two wizards, two elementalists, and a couple of bruisers? We would use Holy Light to keep the undead off us and blast them back. We go forward for five minutes, see where it gets us, and then back. We’d have time to get back into position before the Inferno spells died away.”

  “Unless he counterspells them,” Adriana added.

  “He’d need a seventh-level spell to do that, and he'd only be able to trip the one where he was at and only if he came close. I’m not sure he wants to do that because it would give away his location for sure. And if he sees me moving down the corridor, I think he’d hustle over to deal with me himself. He lost his mind when I challenged him as an alchemist in their tower. He has to be spitting mad that I forced him out of his plans as a necromancer.”

  “That’s a lot of guessing and justifying.” The Gray Master said. “But if you are going, I am going with you.”

  “I will be the bruiser,” Biff stated coldly.

  “We need to have a small number to be able to remain in the Holy Light spell effects,” I explained.

  “And I would make an even eighth.” The Gray Master replied. “Three-by-three would be tight, but since you won’t be swinging swords, it’ll work.”

  “And since you need a ninth, I’m going.” Bido said from where he had been standing off to the side with Simon.”

  “Actually, I will be the one to join you,” Simon said.

  I shook my head. “We are losing time. There will be two teams of four and me.”

  “Two teams of four, you and me,” Biff said.

  “Fine. I can cast multiple Holy Lights if needed. Biff, form them up. We need to go. Now.” I felt an urgent pull to move, and I trusted my instincts.

  I was not surprised that Adriana, Chompers, Steven, and Simon formed one group. The other was filled with their fellow guild recruits for this mission: Jesse, an elemental journeyman who favored fire, while Adriana was a generalist across all five. The other wizard journeyman was named Holly, Paulina was a cleric journeyman, and the Gray Master rounded them out. Biff was with me.

  “Okay, I’m up front for the first few minutes so the necromancer sees me. Then Biff and I will fall behind team one, and team two will be watching our backs. If needed because of injuries or casting points, teams one and two switch places as smoothly as we can. Gray Master, you call out directions whenever you feel it makes sense. We defer to your knowledge of your realm. Is that clear for everyone?”

  Seeing nods of approval, I yelled out, “Then let’s go!”

  We jogged down the ramp toward the east tunnel. The clerics had their Holy Light activated at maximum strength, and the people on the platform gathered in more closely, with the loss of a couple of the Holy Light protections. There were several rings among the group that would cast Holy Light in a pinch should it prove necessary. We didn’t make a lot of them because we had expected goblins, not undead. But thankfully, we had made several and we brought them with us today because we knew we’d need them down here.

  The team stayed in formation as we moved up to the tunnel entrance.

  “The floors are tidier than I ever recall seeing them.” The Gray Master said from the back of the line.

  “Keep the chatter down and heads on swivel,” I said and looked over at Biff, who had a wide grin. That is what he usually said, but I didn’t think he’d chastise the Gray Master in his own stronghold. I had no issue with it.

  “We will jog the first half, then proceed more slowly,” I said. “When we see undead, let them close and we will let the Holy Light do some of the fighting for us.”

  Steven added. “If we keep a steady march, any contact with the Holy Light will inflict its maximum damage. If they bar the way, we keep moving but will want to use some distance attacks as well if the way gets bogged down.”

  “You heard the cleric,” I said and began another short jog.

  We made it just past the halfway point when we saw the first undead making their way back into the tunnel. A ghoul led them, but the rest were the more expendable Walking Corpses.

  “The necromancer will be looking through the ghoul,” I said as I raised my staff and sent a lightning bolt into it, through it, and into a dozen more behind it.

  “That’ll get his attention,” Biff remarked.

  “That’s the idea.” I agreed. “Okay, Team One up front,” I said as Biff and I took a middle position.

  I activated my own Holy Light spell to lengthen our range since the clerics were doing their best to stay in the middle of their teams.

  “That gives us three Holy Light spells.” I announced and then asked, “Steven, do multiple spells do extra damage?”

  “No idea.” He replied, looking ahead at the Walking Corpses that were getting augmented by a mass of faster-moving skeletons. “But we may find out soon.”

  “Fire your spells at will,” I said. “But stay in the Holy Light.”

  Nobody responded. They knew what they were doing.

  “Gray Master, please keep an eye behind us in case the north passage suddenly gets active.”

  Biff grimaced. “I didn’t think about that.”

  “Me either,” I admitted. “Until just now.”

  “Let’s hope a fourth army of undead doesn’t come that way.” He added.

  I didn’t reply. There was nothing I could say. If we need to turn around and retreat, we will do so. Until that need arises, we would march on.

  The tunnel suddenly lit up as Chompers let loose a Scorching Light spell. It was our new favorite thanks to its discovered effects against undead during the Deathlight by hero Klondike.

  I didn’t know what level Chompers cast it at the undead, but it cleared the way for thirty feet. Wizards can use casting points in an unlimited fashion, regardless of typical spell casting restrictions. It was their special ability among mages, but it came with the cost of their Bracers of Obedience.

  We made good progress.

  “We will be coming to a large storage chamber up ahead.” The Gray Master called out. “It is a large and roughly square room, seventy feet to each side. A passage leaves the middle of the walls on each of the other three sides as we enter.”

  “Team One, you are up front. Decide whether we turn around and head back, march forward, or spread out left and right. Steven, call it out, loudly.”

  In essence, I just made him the team’s leader. Adriana, Simon, or Chompers could have made the call equally, given their similar experience with the undead. Adriana was well respected, Chompers had the most firepower, Simon was level-headed, but I knew that Steven would also keep all the teams and the people we left behind in his decision-making. It’s how he is wired. I think he was the best choice for quick decisions and quick actions under the circumstances. And he knew more about the undead than all the rest of us combined.

  Team One hadn’t even gotten to the archway leading into the room when Steven called out, “Team One left, Team Two right, Patron in the middle. Necro in the room!”