Two dozen feet away was the quartermaster. He gripped a large two-handed sword and held it out in front of him. The hilt and blade was plain to look at, but the overall construction was impressive in size. Only now could I recognize the bulging forearms and toned body with his arms raised, otherwise he was just a bigger-than-average man in a robe. I’d taken it at face value before, but he was actually ripped.

  “Marcus you take the front, it seems we have some time.” I hoped the quartermaster wouldn’t be taken down so easily. He nodded and seemed to be keeping his wits about him as we approached.

  The group of demons ignored us and kept the quartermaster cornered, but as soon as they went in for their attack, the quartermaster spun his sword beautifully and deflected a few clawed hands, and even took one clean off, sending blood flying. The mass of demons were sent backwards, but not without having caused some damage to the quartermaster.

  The NPC’s chiseled shoulders and forearms were dripping with blood from just one exchange. I realized that while he was powerful, the demons were on another level. “We’re coming!” I yelled, which didn’t seem to inspire him in the slightest. My hope that some form of communication with the quartermaster was a possibility disappeared immediately. Still, at least my cry had led to the demons looking in our direction and splitting their forces.

  Of the eight or so demons, two stayed on the quartermaster and six rushed in our direction. “I can handle two.” Marcus said before marking his targets on the far left and rushing to meet them.

  “One for me.” Rebekah sent out several treants that waddled behind Marcus.

  “I’ll handle the rest,” I called out. Spikey #1 and Spikey #2 could stand toe to toe with a demon no issue, and my reincarnations and minor skeletons could deal with the third. Time was of the essence, not for us or the quartermaster, but the growing intensity of the sounds of battle coming from behind.

  The clash of metal was deafening, and the occasional growl from Alan told me he was holding nothing back. His HP bar ping-ponged in the party window, so I knew he was taking a beating.

  My summoned undead rushed forward like a swarm. Spikey #1 with his massive Zweihander struck down with all the might he could muster. He stood toe to toe with a lesser demon, and the strength they displayed was evenly matched, but only their strength.

  Sparks flew as he moved nimbly, and only in such a fight could I see the improvements levels and time had given him. He was more than swinging a sword; he was precise and calculated. He even initiated kicks and the occasional shoulder ram, which dealt surprisingly good damage. The bone spurs strewn across his torso seemed to have no difficulty penetrating the thick carapace of the demons.

  Unlike Spikey #1, Spikey #2 was unrestrained and wild. The butchers’ cleaver he wielded could be two-handed or one-handed intermittently, and the attacks were berserk in nature. If he lost one of his bones, the demon lost much more. He swung and kicked and clawed, I even saw him bite the demon’s neck and rip off a piece of flesh in exchange for two rib bones.

  I could feel the confidence in my summoned troops, which made me feel odd given they were dead creatures. I thought back to my passive and realized I, myself, was a little dead, too. If they were left alone, they would win their battles unaided. We didn’t have that time to waste, though.

  The rest of my undead swarmed the third and final demon. By now I had time to see that Decay had been renamed to Rot. It was different in that the affected area seemed to spread. It was like a plague across the skin, the spot of decay rotted and infected nearby flesh.

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  The demons, though, seemed somewhat resilient to it. The Decay was fine, but the spread of the Rot was gradual, and only after the demon had been thoroughly battered and dispatched did Rot start to spread quicker and quicker. Eventually, the fires of its life disappeared and the entire demon turned into a desiccated corpse.

  I guessed that life force, or VIT, or some sort of tank-related stat, increased the resistance to its rotting effect, else it would be overpowered. I liked that word… overpowered. My swarm of troops moved to the next, and within just five or six seconds two demons had fallen.

  My attention shifted to Marcus and Rebekah, both of whom were still fine. The quartermaster was hanging on, too, and had even dispatched one of the two demons assaulting him. His upper body dripped blood and his breathing was ragged. The sword dragged in the moist earth and I could tell he was holding on with everything he could muster.

  My undead next raced towards Spikey #1, but before they could assist he dispatched the demon himself. His foot kicked the thick torso of the demon and dislodged his large Zweihander before spinning with all his might and lopping the head clean off. It suddenly felt like I heard Spikey #2 say “Show off…” in my head.

  “I’m coming, you two.” I was stronger than I had appreciated. I’d been trying to play a more supportive role, but if I put my undead to work properly, I was a demon myself.

  My troops and I wiped clean the battle field in just thirty seconds, which left both Marcus and Rebekah flabbergasted.

  “Why didn’t you just do this earlier?” Marcus asked. I could feel a bit of challenge in his voice. The possibility that Ryan may have survived crossed my mind, too.

  “Sorry.” Was all I could say in response. “Let’s save him.” I pointed to the quartermaster.

  By the time we arrived, neither the quartermaster and the lesser demon could barely move, their thick bodies drenched in blood that didn’t stop leaking. Spikey #2, whom I could tell felt slighted by #1’s performance earlier, rushed ahead and cleaved the demon’s skull down the middle with a heavy overhead strike. The entire thing peeled like a banana and then collapsed.

  I ignored the welcome message and rushed to the quartermaster. Spikey #2 was silently gloating as I rushed past him, and despite him doing a good job, I felt that encouraging this behavior would only make him more mischievous. “Be more like your brother.” I said, feeling a bit devious.

  Spikey #2’s vacant gaze became a bit more vacant, and I had to nudge past him to get to the quartermaster.

  Once within melee range, could I see an HP bar appear above the quartermaster. He was at 17% health, and after a dozen seconds this went up to 18%. Still, I pulled a potion and poured it on the gaping shoulder wound to no avail. It seemed whatever the NPC was, was not a part of the system, or not something I could directly influence with my own abilities or items. I guessed Thomas wouldn’t be able to heal him, either. Not that Thomas had any time to spare judging from the chaos behind me.

  There was nothing left for us but the boss, and with the quartermaster now slowly recovering, there was no reason to stay here. “Let’s get back,” I said.

  “Not good.” Rebekah responded frantically. She didn’t explain further and instead rushed back without a moment’s notice. The constant droning of metal continued, and we had heard our fair share of screams, a few sounding like the dying throes of a wounded animal.

  Marcus gave me a glance and then we rushed back in silence. It wasn’t more than a few seconds walk, but the time felt like an eternity. Only after we turned the corner could we see why Rebekah had been so frantic.

  There on the floor, lifeless, was Bethany. Even in the faint light the hole that pierced her chest was clear to see, gaping and dark in the night. The place where her heart used to be was vacant, and no amount of green glowing light from Rebekah's hands made her unflinching body move.

  It wasn’t just her though. Mark was there laying against the abode. Sweat covered his forehead and a limp hand grasped his side. Blood had drenched his coat from a wound in his hip. I scrolled the party window as fast as possible to see he was around thirty percent HP. “How is he?” I rushed to Glenn who was tending his wounds.

  “He’ll survive.” Glenn’s face was stern.

  “That’s if we survive.” I said. Things were heating up. How many more of us would die at the hands of the demon boss?