The rushing undead skidded to a halt in their charge, feet skittering and clacking against the varnished wood floor. Steal followed their movement in the slightest flashes and glimmers of sight he could manage between the paladin's shields in front of him. Their blackened appendages lowered, flickering green flames in their hands sweltering as their heat intensified for the briefest of moments, before spilling forth in angry waves across the wooden floor, tongues of green fire licked upwards, the flame spreading with a frightening pace as it spread hungrily across the floor, clambering beneath the paladins' shields and kissing their feet.

Still, the fire pushed across the ground, spreading from the first rank of men to the second, then the third. Its flickering flame rose higher, yet the Paladin's only reacted when the roaring flame-kissed their tabards, their cloth quickly alight, the emblem of their god quickly swallowed by hungry flame. They shifted uncomfortably as the flame-kissed their helmets, their steadiness wavering under the heat, but they did not break ranks.

A melodious voice rose above the crackle of flame. "Break formation, engage the heathen and her abominations!"

They would not break ranks without orders to do so. Shields snapped forwards, weapons were raised, metal boots struck like hammers into the flaming wood as the Knights of Solaria surged forwards, the din of their charging feet and roar of flame felt muffled, distant compared to the ferocity and fervour in their cries of battle. Kor'Ak pressed forwards with them, a wall of iron and silver smashing into the horde of ashen undead.

Unable to weather the heat, Steal, with Adolfus clung tight to his back pressed to the wall of the room, quickly clambering around the ever-spreading flames. After he had managed some distance from the pool of fire, his eyes flitted quickly back to Kor'Ak, his shield crunching into the first blackened skull he encountered. Steal's eyes flashed quickly along the most eminent of their foes, the first rank of skeletons was made short work of in the Paladins' charge, though the undead had begun to spread, moving to encircle the men that they outnumbered threefold; their bones untouched and unharmed by the jade-tinted inferno.

His eyes snapped to a different being entirely as the vilest of chills settled in his skin. The white woman was looking out over the battle with a hint of boredom, yet the skull-topped staff in her grasp seemed alive with more green flame, though this looked darker than that which spilt across the floor. It grew darker still until the dancing flame slowed to a standstill, its tongues did not waver, it's light did not flicker, it merely stood atop the staff, glassy obsidian coloured fire that seemed frozen in time. The flame pulsed once then dispersed, droplets of a gooey, glassy substance erupted forth from it as the flame convulsed, then vanished. The substance plopped against the ground, pulsated once, then began racing across the floorboards towards the paladins. Like a pack of wolves moving to pounce on prey. One of the gooey droplets broke from the pack, then another.

A duo of pulsating black blobs rushed towards Steal, behind the goblin, there was nothing but flame, to his side, a wall. Running forwards would lead him into the clutches of the woman and her three guardians. Steal's feet carried him forwards to escape from the blob, but as he lost sight of the two rushing droplets, a sharp pain erupted in his shoulder, a similar cry coming from Adolfus as she fell from Steal's back.

HP/m Decreased By 1.

STR -10%

DEX -10%

AGI - 10%

FRT -10%

Quickly, the goblin snapped around, his body reacting slower then he had wanted, only to see a thin black line leading from Adolfus' abdomen to the floor. He arched back to look over his shoulder at the source of his pain, only to see the same, a glassy black tether stuck fast into his back. Steal's eyes narrowed on a glint of reflected torchlight, a thin, almost invisible trail of slime led from the woman's feet to the dark tether stuck into his skin. He saw a similar trail, leading from Adolfus' black tether to the pale woman's feet as well. Steal's eyes caught another similar site, a dozen similar trails and tethers were stuck fast into the paladins.

The blackened skeleton's displayed a sudden surge in energy, their movements quickened as the last of their forces encircled the paladins, who had formed their own circle, with The Speaker in their centre. With a ferocity in their flame-filled eyes, the skeleton's grabbed angrily at their opponent's shields, putting their free hands over the shields or between gaps in the paladins' formation, blasting further gouts of angry emerald flame into their circle, keeping the floor at their feet alight. Steal caught a glimpse of a black bony hand fasten onto a man's helm, the palm of the skeleton's hand clasped over his visor. The inside of the helmet flared alive with flame, the man's composure seeming to break as flame filled his flame and kissed his face, bringing him to the ground, writhing, screaming.

Ignoring the fallen man, Steal dropped his mace, using the now free hand to clasp at the black tether in his shoulder to wrench it free. To some surprise, the black substance came free from his skin with surprising ease, quickly reforming into a ball of glassy goo, yet it no longer moved, and instead lay inert. As Steal knelt down to pull the same tether from Adolfus' squirming form, he felt something different wash over him, a radiant warmth that seemed to overpower the chill and edge of battle.

Solaria's Blessing (Boon) Gained

Duration: 4 Minutes 59 Seconds

STR +30%

FRT +20%

WIS +25%

+1 HP/s

Steal felt his muscles flare with a comforting warmth that flooded through his body. The tether broke free in Steal's hands again as he helped the spider off of her back.

She offered Steal no verbal response as she skittered to her feet, just an agitated click of her fangs, her myriad eyes seeming remarkably focused on the pale female figure ahead of her. One of her legs tapped Steal's foot.

I want to kill her.

Not one to argue, Steal readied his weapon and felt a deeper warmth well in his stomach, flowing to his palm.

His hand outstretched, ready to fire, the heat rose to a crescendo, cut short just before it was to spill from his palm by the ever-soothing voice of the speaker.

"I will be protected no longer, Sergeant, do as you must, allow me to take your place."

The Dwarf's reply was simple as he pressed forwards, breaking through the encircling undead as his weapon roared to life with a divine golden light, sundering his skeletal foes with each blow, carving a path through flame and bone until he broke free from the horde, his wing-helmed leader taking his place in the defence.

With a speed that betrayed the man's short legs, and diminutive, yet stocky stature, Hard carried himself through the flames, though not untouched. A blackened bony hand took grip beneath the rim of his helm, green fire brightening in the creature's palm. Without pause, the dwarf wrenched the helm from his head, the grasping hand not scorching flesh, merely heating metal.

The faintest of emeraldine embers singed into the short crop of grey hair that sat atop the dwarves head as he finally broke clear of the pack. Eyes narrowed, focused on the woman ahead of him, paying seemingly little attention to the black-armoured figures that stepped forwards, shields raised and weapons clenched in jagged, gauntleted hands.

Melissa struck the ground again with her staff, black, smoky vines crawled forwards across the ground, snatching hungrily at the charging dwarf, smoky thorns solidifying, tendrils curling and writhing in search of flesh to pierce, trying to bring the dwarf down.

The shadowy vines snapped and tore as Hard kept pushing forwards, his dazzling mace disintegrating those in front of him in wide arcs. "Melissa! It ends now!".