Franco saw the running minotaurs in their green sashes. The same color and make as Longhorn Faust's, the ones that took the demon’s deal but he didn't have time for them. He had friends to save. The second bomb had cleared even more space now. With at least twenty steps mostly cleared and several huge bones exposed for the first time. Individual bones larger than he was but he couldn't let himself think about them, he had no time. He walked down the steps that were now covered in a light layer of loose smaller bones, dust and other detritus but he activated his Sure Footed ring and went down the twenty or so steps as fast as he could.

  At the bottom of the cleared space he saw that there was space between the larger bones and pulled out his Light Orb wand. Casting one ahead of him as he pulled himself into the pile of bones as he started to crawl forward around the large bones. He really hoped he could find his way through this and when he destroyed the Soul Well he hoped whatever this huge thing was would not wake up.

  He heard yelling and fighting behind him but he crawled through the bones and started to sneeze from the ancient dust he stirred up. After casting a few more light orbs and ignoring the glimmering loot around him he crawled deeper and deeper for what felt like minutes until finally he crawled past a huge head of the bone monster that he thought must be a Bone Dragon.

  A fucking Bone Dragon he thought.

  As he crawled over its head he found the space ahead clear of bones and stood sneezing for what must have been the hundredth time before he could look around the open space. He had no need to cast another light orb again because in front of him was a large pair of stone doors at least thirty feet tall and twenty feet wide with a crystal as large as his head in the middle of the doors ten feet up. It cast the space into a strange hollow white light. The two doors in front of him split the far wall but there in their center was the glowing crystal. He stood there watching it for a few seconds. He could almost sense something from it. After a few seconds he shuddered before he got closer. There were still bones all over the place with items and gear. Some looked very valuable but he ignored all of it until a pile of bones right in front of the doors. There among the large midnight black bones was a golden crown with rubies and diamonds intertwined between two bands of metal that looked like ropes. It reminded him of the rope like crown that the Jade Goddess wore but with precise gems mixed in.

  He thought about it for a few seconds before taking out some full gloves and some rope. He took the crown from the pile of bones and tied it tight to his belt along his back hip. Digging around the pile of black bones and black robe he found a thin shaft of some kind of black stone that had thick rounded Jade ends with gold bands separating the black shaft of the staff from the ends. That he tied together with a longsword still sheathed in a silver sheath he found. Those he put by the way he came with some lead rope tied to them. Hopefully he would have time to grab them as he crawled away as fast as he could.

  With that taken care of he pulled his saber and backed up till his back was up against the pile of bones and as far away from the glowing crystal as he could be. Through his saber he free casted Soul Lance at the glowing Crystal aiming to put its entire point through it and with surprising ease it shattered. It instantly unleashed a shockwave of energy that sent him flying back into the head of the suspected Bone Dragon.

  He felt something pass through his soul before his back slammed into the head behind him. Knocking the wind out of him and causing him to cough from the dust he inhaled. His Soul did not try to rip free but he was stunned from the shock of the blast and from the release of so much Soul energy or was it mana, he wasn't sure what that was that had hit him. His back and mind were awash in pain.

  It took him at least thirty seconds to orientate himself and by then things were starting to rattle around him.

  “Time to get out of here” He mumbled to himself as he made sure he had everything important on him still and then grabbing the lead rope to the looted goods began to crawl back the way he had come. Of course the bones had all shifted because of the explosion so he had to find a new route out, while trying to keep the loot he grabbed from snagging on everything he passed while not touching his skin. Just his luck, he thought.

  ***

  Frazier shot a fire-aspected bolt into the minotaur behind Maph and set it alight. It bellowed in pain dropping the thrusting spear it was using to try and kill Maph with before it hit the ground rolling, trying to put out the Adder stone magical fire.

  “Good luck with that” Frazier mumbled as she quickly switched her gauntlet to the Lighting stone and infusing another bolt froze up a minotaur attacking a Kimber warrior near Maph. Allowing the adventurer to cut down the stunned minotaur.

  With Zif and Jax the [Hoplite] next to him as their point along with The Rout minotaurs pressing the Free Horde from one side they were holding off the minotaurs in front of them. It was the ones going for their down adventurers and Franco that made it hard.

  They had split up their small group to try and cover all the downed adventurers but they were quickly being surrounded.

  “Get to that arch,” Frazier shouted once Maph had killed his opponent. She was leading Maph and a few other adventurers trying to get to the arch from the south. Oaken had run after Faye when she had run off earlier.

  Maph rubbed his armor where he had allowed the minotaur to get what would usually be several killing blows on him in exchange for getting closer and thanks to his new armor Maph came away with bruised ribs and not lethal wounds.

  “Get moving, more are coming,” Frazier said.

  She watched as three minotaurs killed two adventurers lying prone on the ground. Both died in seconds as the minotaurs moved on to find more victims. They had to hurry.

  Another explosion suddenly went off in the distance and this time underground from the way it rocked the ground around her but then a wave of unseen force hit her and caused a spike of pain in her head before it passed.

  “What the hell was that” the Kimber adventurer trilled in pain.

  “The Soul Well. My teammate just destroyed it” Maph said as he raised his sword and pointed to the arch where a cloud of dust was rising from the ground.

  “Thank the Apparatus,” the Kimber said.

  “Move now,” Frazier yelled as she started to run.

  ***

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Oaken waved both his wands at a group of minotaurs just a dozen feet away from them. The four minotaurs eyed him, Faye and Kara as they stood over Summer, Mari and Daggon who had stood together and now lay together unconscious. They had killed another group of three that had attacked them just minutes ago but this group didn't want to die and Oaken was more than happy with a standoff with them.

  “Franco needs to hurry up” He said trying to break the silence as it was ratcheting up his nerves.

  “He’s been down there a few minutes, any second now” Faye said softly next to him. She stood directly over her down twin.

  “So you knew him before he got his head smashed in,” Oaken said.

  She gave him a thin smile before answering.

  “Friends for years”

  “I think I’m his best friend now and he's mine just so you know” Oaken said and then trilled at his response. He felt protective of Franco and didn't know what her game was with him.

  “Are you now? Interesting” Faye said with clear doubt in her voice and then looked at Kara who also gave him a patronizing smile.

  He trilled in annoyance. He was. He was sure he was.

  “Hey you cows can move backwards but not to the side and take one step forward and we will have a problem” Faye said to the minotaurs in front of them when one had stepped to the side.

  “What the lady said” Oaken directed some of his frustration at them. Keeping his wands pointed at them.

  “I fought Undead with him,”

  “So did I in the Dungeon of the Old World”

  “We cleared the Jade Temple and fought demons”

  “I know his family and danced many a dance with him”

  Oaken eyed her at this. Had they dated? He saw the smile on her face as she thought she had won. He just trilled.

  The minotaurs in front of them exchanged a few words among themselves in quiet whispers before they started to back away, eyes locked onto him and Faye with weapons held ready.

  And then another explosion went off underground nearby and a pulse of Soul Mana washed over them.

  “He did it” Faye said as she grabbed her head with one of her hands.

  Pain ran through Oaken but he didn't want to show it to this girl.

  “I never doubted he would. He is a Stone Eater” Oaken said.

  He then saw the mintouras that were backing away stop and after a few seconds gathering themselves they charged forward.

  “Ah shit” he said as he slapped the ground with his tail and let loose a Magic Bolt.

  ***

  The bones around him had gone from simply shifting to now outright moving. Not all of them but enough that the dust was only growing around him and it was harder to see. He sneezed again and when he opened his eyes he was crawling past his first light orb. He was there.

  He crawled clear of the bones coughing as he had one hand holding the trailing rope close to him. He opened his dust covered eyes with a wild smile on his face. He stood trying not to cough and feeling proud of himself until the bones started moving behind him and he pulled the rope with the staff and the sword clear of the bones he started up the stairs dragging them behind himself.

  He hit the surface running as he entered a world gone mad. To the east he saw Zif fighting with a group of adventurers and minotaurs vs another group of minotaurs. To his right he saw other adventurers fighting and as he turned he saw Oaken and Faye fighting two minotaurs.

  He turned to help them when movement to his left caught his eye and he saw that Cid was trying to stand up by the base of the arch. He ran over and helped him to his feet.

  He was trying to speak but it was just a mumble of nonsense.

  “Don't speak we have to move. There is fighting all around us.” Franco said as he half carried Cid toward his friends.

  The two minotaurs that had menaced Oaken and Faye were dead by the time he dragged Cid over to them along with a handful more minotaurs around them.

  “Oaken, what's going on?” Franco asked as he looked around trying to understand the battlefield.

  Oaken trilled in amusement and gave Faye a Kimber smirk before he answered him.

  “Both tribes of minotaurs from the Temple are here but we joined up with the The Rout. The blue ones to kill the demon led green ones.”

  “What about the Soul Well” Faye said as she knelt next to Summer who was not moving like Cid was.

  “I took care of it but I think it will take some time for them to come back but we have serious problems, like a giant Bone Dragon and some greater Undead body with this loot at the foot of the stairs kind of problems” he said as he tugged at the rope behind him.

  “What loot?” Oaken said as he looked over at Franco.

  “Bone Dragon?” Faye squeaked.

  “Yes a Bone Dragon, I think anyway”. He pulled over the tied staff and sword and left them there on the ground.

  Meri started to move and Franco went to help him but Oaken stopped him with an arm.

  “I got him. Wash up quick, you are filthy and we have to leave now before that Bone Dragon wakes up.” Oaken said.

  Franco washed out his mouth and then washed his hands and his face with a cloth that Faye handed him. She had him tossed it aside as it was black with dust and dirt instead of taking it back.

  In that short time Cid and Meri were both sitting up and taking sips from their water flasks.

  “We have to move now” Oaken said as he pointed out a large pile of bones across the way from them. Skeletons were starting to reform and that sickly green light was starting to grow brighter in their skulls.

  “Summer” Franco asked.

  “She will be alright in time but she is still coming to”

  “Incoming friendly” Kara cut in.

  Franco saw Frazier and Maph reach them with two other adventurers, a Kimber man and a young elf girl.

  “Good work,” Frazier said as she looked over him.

  “Thanks boss, what's the play?” he asked as he nodded to Maph who nodded back but stepped clear of the group to guard their backs

  “Can you two move” She asked Cid and Mari

  “Yes, but I got to find Daggon” Cid said, holding his head. One dirt covered ear was out of his Sea Dreamer helmet and it twitched in agitation.

  “He’s right here Cid but still out of it” Oaken said, helping to sit up the still unconscious sea elf.

  “Ah yeah, I’m good,” Mari said, standing up with Franco's help.

  “Can you carry her out?” Frazier looked at Kara nodding at Summer who Faye still held in her lap.

  “I can but I fear it's too late” Kara said as she pointed back to the arch and the stairs down to the second floor.

  Bones were flying out now and gathering as skeletons started to form by the hundreds.

  “Take her and run. Cid grab your teammate and get out of here as well. Everyone else with me” Frazier said as she put a new bolt magazine into her auto crossbow.

  Kara’s eyes flashed to Faye who just stood and drew her wands out and nodded at Kara. Who holstered her warhammer and picked up Summer.

  Franco drew his Jade saber and pulled his wand out and looked over his Team and friends.

  “Death and glory”

  “Store that nonsense Farnco. No one here is dying, we just need to buy time till the Golds wake up. Alright everyone” Frazier said and everyone agreed.

  Oaken trilled in the next moment. “I really wanted to fight a Bone Dragon,” he said in frustration.

  In front of the forming legion of Undead two giant bone monsters formed, with large teeth field heads. They walked on two thick legs but had two little front arms and a long thick bone tail and neck. They would stand well over thirty feet tall when formed.

  “Alight lets stop those first” Frazier said as she started to jog towards the arch.

  Maph took the lead from her with Mari his axe held high on his left and then Franco followed.

  “Death and Glory” Franco whispered to himself with a wild grin on his face.