Rana’s joints hardened as she braced for the impact that never came. The sound of thunder crashing through walls and tunnels collapsing traveled away from where she stood. The violent quake that should’ve charged towards her subsided into a muted mummer in the distance.

She dared not move, however, despite the horns of danger passed her by. Had the Rot Mother lose its patience and went on a rampage? Did she need to find another path forward?

Her questions were answered when Rana sensed a familiar swirl far in the distance exploding into a chill. It was the call for mana followed by the unleashing of a Spell. There were other adventurers exploring the mines and they’ve just become the newest prey for the Rot Mother. This could also explain the mines shifting when she was resting in the safe room.

The right choice was waiting for the two parties to finish their fight. Both parties would treat Rana as the enemy. If she waited for the conclusion, the defeated perished and the victor would be wounded. If the humans won, they would be too injured to pursue her. If the monster won, she needed to only worry about one enemy that wanted her dead. If the situation permitted, she might even be presented a chance to take down her foe.

However, could she really abandon her duty as a marked one?

Rana knew that in the past the answer was a definite no. Her vows were sacred and not even death swayed her. She believed in the One Deity’s will and the Church’s promise. However, that was before she knew of death. What purpose was her faith when it brought no salvation?

It was a question she hesitated to answer. Her every being did not want to abandon her humanity, but her undead body mocked her belief. It was a testament to her reality, and her reality rejected her deity.

Still, Rana had to go. She did not have to answer whether or not she should aid the adventurers. She, however, needed to know of the outcome.

Rana hurried forward. Most of the traps had already been sprung in the corridor when she ran away from the Shambler, and the ones remained hidden were no longer concealed due to the quaking of the mines. She followed the sound of fighting, the roar of mana and the explosion of flesh and stone. The echoes within the mines traveled far and it only sounded for a fight that was once there. However, the further she went into the mines, the walled corridors were replaced with earth and stone, areas without traps, allowing her to pick up the pace.

The echoes began to shake the tunnel and loosen dirt and, before long, she could see sparks of blue and white in the distance. She placed her hand onto the walls and approached slowly towards an opening. She peered down and saw a battle of life and death taking place.

Rana was near an edge leading down towards an open and large hall of boulders. The adventurers must’ve chosen this place as their last stand. Escaping from the Rot Mother was nearly impossible when it was already upon its prey. Humans needed to navigate narrow twists and turns. The Rot Mother, however, could burrow through walls and collapsed tunnels. The only reason Rana managed to escape was that she caught onto the monster’s scheme early.

The Rot Mother screeched its unholy cry and pummelled its jaw into the group of adventurers. There was a reason why it was ferocious and unrelenting. When the whirlwind of flesh attacked, it ground and splattered, shredding its own body. Still, it is not deterred. The monster was furious when it allowed Rana to escape. Now, these foolish humans before it would suffer its wrath.

The group of three adventurers scattered as the monster created a hole on where they were standing. The mage hid behind a boulder, another wielded an axe in each of his hands and dodged to the side, and the last one slammed his greatsword into the ground and defend his body from the splattering flesh. The flesh that made the Rot Mother was cursed, tainted by the torment of an existence of unending decay and destruction. It corroded equipment and if a human’s flesh were to make contact with the dead flesh, their skin would be infected by the rot and burn off. Mana imbued with the light element scorched the corrupting bits, but it was a battle of attrition, to see whether the skin or flesh incinerated first.

The adventurers were experienced, they knew of the Rot Mother’s anatomic attributes, but Rana soon realized they had no idea how to fight the monster when the captain, the one with a great sword, ordered them to scatter, to confuse the monster and not let it pinpoint their exact location.

In theory it was sound, but it was a foolish order. The Rot Mother did not sense, it had eyes burrowed within the earth and they were most sensitive to motion. When the Rot Mother crashed through the ground, the quake blinded all the Rot Eaters, they had no idea where the adventurers were. The correct order was to have the speediest member run and lure the monster away from the mage. The runner could then get ready to dodge the attack from below. The Rot Mother’s charge was fierce but straightforward . The mage then needed to channel as much mana as possible as they would be the main damage dealer against the Rot Mother. Spells dealt a significant amount of damage to the dying flesh.

However, the Rot Mother now knew where everyone was. The earth quaked and it headed towards the mage. His allies screamed a name but it cannot be heard when the ground exploded and a twister of death tore off the mage’s arm and shoulder. Blood sprayed into the air and the body fell. It was a critical damage, and even if he was still alive the bits of curses would finish him off.

The adventurers lost one-third of their team but more than half of their strength. Without the mage, they needed to brave the tornado of corruption with their own flesh, and their mana would definitely not be able to provide enough Skill activations to kill the monster. Were there any Ability combos or latent Talents that could help turn the tide?

The answer was no.

The axe-wielder panicked. He gathered mana into his axes and unleashed Void Spin, a Skill in which allows a smaller weapon to cut in a ring continuously while being held in space. It was a high-tiered Skill. This party was even better levelled than the patrol she met a few days ago. However, in the face of true terror, their actual capability was revealed. They were no fighters and they had no business entering these mines.

The greatsword wielder shouted to stop his ally, but he was too late. The Skill charged at the Rot Mother and the axes stopped in its flesh. The blades spun and slashed rapidly, shearing off flesh after flesh. It was a suitable Skill against the monster, but it was also unleashed without preparing for the consequences. The Rot Mother was angered, its aggro now switched to the now weaponless adventurer. It swerved around the boulders and swallowed the man whole. Rana heard his screams only for a split second before they were drowned out as the monster dragged the voice into the ground.

The last man stood and his chances of victory were nil. When the Rot Mother faced off against a single opponent, there was only one attack it would unleash when in the ground. Rana held onto the walls and calmed herself into stillness.

The ground quaked and the ceiling rumbled. The entire room was caught in a storm of tremors and then exploded as tendrils speared out from all sides and punctured walls, boulders, and breastplates. The last adventure was stabbed through multiple parts and when the tendrils left his body, like a puppet with strings he fell to the ground.

The Rot Mother reappeared from a hole she made. It prepared to devour its victims but a lone figure stood in her way. It was not Rana. The mage, with only half his torso left, stood before the monster that killed all his allies. Mana began to fluctuate chaotically within his body. He was about to overload his core.

Rana knew what was going to happen next.

The Rot Mother charged at the lone figure. The lone figured raced into its maw. Rana ducked behind cover. Then an explosion of white light blinded the room.

Rana felt her chest tighten. She managed to escape the explosion, but a room filled with the residue of light mana was not somewhere a zombie wanted to be. She watched in the distance as the body of the Rot Mother split into two. The mage overloaded his core and self-destructed within the monster. The smaller half quickly burrowed and slithered away. The Rot Mother was a congregation of flesh. When the body split so did its recognition of the self. Now, each part seeks to consume the other, to be whole once again. The smaller one had no chance of winning the fight therefore it ran.

The Rot Mothers would not bother with anything but her twin. The mines were safe of her prowling, for now.

Rana felt like she failed. She allowed her fellow humans to die. Even if they did not see her as such, she still felt she was on their side of the great war. The least she could do was give them a proper burial. The axe-wielder was consumed, but the body of the mage and warrior still remained. Mana overload explosion killed the body but did not destroy it.

The light mana residue won’t damage her health but Rana waited until it was bearable before sliding down a slope and into the aftermath of the battle. She walked up to the mage, who in a desperate and futile attempt, indirectly gave Rana a chance. His face was ashen and his skin broke under her touch.

She knelt at his side and closed her eyes. Rana began a prayer.

Hostility flared and Rana instinctively rolled to the side. She turned around and saw a bleeding body with visible holes showing what was within and behind the figure.

“Get away from him, you monster!”