Disease (2/3)

In the moonlit dune, Võrska zombies started emerging from within the sand, like buried corpses coming back from hell. At the center of their mass, a creature stood half a meter taller, with red glowing eyes and a visage of pure malice and hatred. With motion of his clawed hand he sent forth a wave of 30 zombies, determined to crush the Dungeon's resistance in one fell swoop. "Just as planned.." Sumiré whispered and ordered her group to retreat into the tunnel! The horde of Undead poured into the cave, losing only a few of its numbers to the sticky traps laid by Spinner. The tunnel acted as a natural bottleneck, keeping them from swarming the defenders. Spinner launched a milky white projectile at the incoming mass of Zombies, wrapping up the first two that emerged. Their advance was halted by a timely blast of sound from Shu-Bongo and Sŭnfur rushed in, grabbing a Võrska by the throat with his powerful jaws, shaking it furiously until a snap of bone was heard. Another zombie was taken out when an iron pellet shot through its eye socket and into its rotting brain. "Into the Main Cave!!" Sumiré shouted after her successful shot and the summons ran after her as she descended the tunnel.

The defenders rushed into the cave illuminated by its cerulean glowing lake and glowbugs. Shu-Bongo picked off a zombie that had managed to catch up with the group, by landing on it's head and clawing out its neck with its powerful winged claws. The Dungeon's minions might not have been high Ranked or Leveled but with Minõa's good design and "Caves of the Strong" feat, they were much stronger than what someone would expect from similar creatures. Their increased Physical stat gave them an edge against the weak Võrska. The critters had even gained a level or two this very night, with their successful defence thus far.

The Zombies ran around the lake, trying to flank the heroes on the other side. Four tentacles, comprised of what seemed like sky-blue water, sprouted from the lake's surface and wrapped themselves around the Undead. Three of the tentacles managed to successfully pull their restrained Võrska into the lake's depths, while the last one managed to bite its way through the slimy appendage. Blu attempted to grapple as many Zombies as she could while they rushed past her lake but only managed to grab two more of the speedy invaders, drowning them in her waters before dissolving them in her acidic body. Without her pack of Jellies, Blu couldn't rope up fast moving enemies such as these effectively. The defenders were forced back as to not get encircled. Sumiré kept firing shots while backing away but her rapid fire shooting only damaged the Undead, it couldn't bring them down. Sŭnfur was able to take down the few Võrska who got brave enough to rush his human charge and had received a multitude of bloody scars for his bravery. Spinner was the most exposed of the defenders, receiving many attacks from the much faster Võrska as she tried to keep up with her allies. Occasionally she would land a successful slash or snap with her sharp pincers, dismembering or even killing a Zombie but she wouldn't last long if she didn't retreat.

Seeing his vulnerable ally in trouble, Shu the giant bat dove into an attacking Zombie, plunging his talons into its eyes. One tried grabbing him from behind but the spindly bat creature wiggled around and bit into the Võrska's face. It flew above their heads and just as the horde was about to jump up and pile on top of the small defender, it let out an echoing blast of sound, stopping them in their tracks while causing Sound damage to those who were closest. Four of the most damaged Undead fell to the ground with bleeding eardrums after the Imp's powerful screech and the summon absorbed the awarded experience for its successful endeavour. Something clicked in place for the small Shu-Bongo, an awareness of his surroundings that seemed muted until just now. He felt his power surge and grow, so much so that his diminutive body couldn't accomodate it any longer. The Pale Imp started glowing a radiant white and it used this surge of strength to carry Spinner into the spider Cave, despite being smaller than her. With this reprieve, Sumiré managed to get her team inside the web covered room safely despite suffering minor injuries. All the summons threw themselves in front of their young female leader, receiving every clawed strike and every bite aimed for her. Unlike them, Sumiré did not possess any resistance against the Undead disease and they knew it. Even one scratch from the horrible monsters may lead to the girl becoming one of them. The Dungeon's minions could feel their master's fondness for the beautiful Acamarian even now when she was still away. They would not let this curse befall Sumiré while they still drew breath.

The Võrska chased the defenders inside the boss cave. The room seemed quite empty now that Fisher and most of his kin weren't around. With the defenders finally cornered, the zombies encircled them, howling menacingly and biting at their heels to keep them in place. "Come on.. come oooon.." murmured Sumiré, looking around the cave expectantly for their true enemy. "Keep them at bay but don't attack.. let them think we're defeated.." she whispered to her allies and the summons obeyed albeit reluctantly, considering the immediate threat in front of them. Their gamble paid off in the end. The Võrska did not attack, seeming satisfied by just keeping the defenders pinned down. When the battle came to a standstill, the diseased thing finally reared it's head. The Ghoul entered the cave, almost shyly this time, surveying the cave, probably looking out for anything larger than it. Once it was sure Fisher or any other strong summon weren't there, it smirked with malice and approached the trapped survivors.

"A valiant effort but pointless my sweet.." he exclaimed to Sumiré with his usual smugness returning slowly. "Your Master doomed you all with her defiance.. Now, I will have her in pieces, devour her strength and after that.. all of you.." he said pointing to the summons. "And look at that, oh dear Core.. You even left me a new plaything in your absence. Since I couldn't break you I might as well take this one.. Oh yes, she'll do nicely.." the vermin continued, eyeing Sumiré up and down like a deprived maniac while salivating. The mere sight of his advances made chills travel down the girl's spine. Meanwhile Shu-Bongo's white glow had almost engulfed it's entire body, causing him to collapse to the floor weakly. Spinner put a pincer on his back with concern but knew not how to help her ally. The Ghoul walked slowly towards the girl and her defenders, claws extended, fluids leaking down his loincloth. An iron pellet hit the undead at the back of its skull, causing it to stumble forwards, black blood oozing from its head.

The Ghoul snarled like a beast, turning its head to face whoever dared attack it. Fatná rushed in with a dash, her dagger flashing in her grip as it slashed menacingly through the air. The Undead barely had time to register the assault as the woman fell low and with both hands on the hilt, attempted to drive the small blade through the monster's face. She felt the tip of her weapon meet flesh and tear through it, with an unreal rending sound. She blinked once, taking in what had happened and after a moment, realized she had failed. Decades of experience, survival instincts and honed reflexes had made the Ghoul throw up its hand to intercept Fatná's dagger. The weapon had imbedded itself in his palm causing major damage to the extremity but ultimately saving the wretch's unlife!

Fatná's eyes went wide but failed to back away quickly as the Undead backhanded her face, sending the woman to the ground with a bruised eye. "Nasty whore, with your nasty tricks!" The Undead complained as it yanked the dagger from its palm, causing viscous black fluid to bleed from the open wound. Sumiré let out an incomprehensible roar, cursing the Ghoul and splitting its attention between her and the sound of rapid tapping of claw against stone. Fiona dashed towards the Ghoul from his blind side and rammed the vile creature with everything she had, sending him flying in the opposite direction with a deep gash from her blade-like horns. The Zombies started attacking indiscriminately whatever was in front of them. Fatná's two remaining Deep Fishers descended on them to protect Sumiré! They both managed to web up a single target in their surprise attack before engaging the rest. Sumiré ran out of shots and had to fall behind Sŭnfur and Fiona to remain safe. Fatná stood and rushed to join the fray by her daughter's side.