"Let`s finish this." Allison said. They stood with her in the courtyard, the eye of a hurricane of chaos.

　　They had barely stepped forward when the doors of the keep exploded outward, tearing free of their metal hinges. From the dark emerged a huge humanoid on cloven hooves, ten feet tall and clad in plate armor shaped to show off its colossal musculature. The beast had the head of a bull, horns capped in steel points and corded muscles as thick as a man`s forearms bulging outward. Two enormous double-bladed axes hung from clips on his belt. Jeremiah and his friends froze.

　　The creature gazed around the courtyard, lingering on zombies and fleeing bandits. He threw back his head and boomed a raucous laugh, deep and barking. "This is incredible!" he said, sweeping his arms wide. "Just the four of you did all this? What a disaster!"

　　"Is that him?" Allison asked.

　　"Gotta be," Bruno said, taking a step back.

　　"A minotaur," said Delilah with a touch of awe. Jeremiah had never seen a minotaur before, but they were as huge and frightening as the stories described them to be. And to top it all off, this one was wearing plate armor. The minotaur`s bovine mouth showed flat teeth in a strange but jovial smile.

　　"My name is Narooka of the Ironhorn Tribe, and I want to sincerely thank you for relieving what has been an incredibly boring few months. I mean it—I`ve been going stir crazy here! In thanks, I`m going to give you some special options I don`t normally offer. There are three roads to choose from and you`re the ones driving the cart, so just let me know where we`re headed."

　　"First, obviously we can scrap it out. I tear all four of you to pieces, heads on pikes, that old chestnut. Or! As thanks for wiping out some of the worthless eaters around here&" He flicked a stone the size of Jeremiah`s fist toward a bandit making a break for the exit. The bandit`s skull exploded. "I`ll let three of you turn around right now and walk out that door. You can pick who stays."

　　"What`s the third option?" asked Bruno.

　　"Now this one`s special!" One of Narooka`s cloven hooves pawed the ground in excitement. "Would you four be interested in work? You in the armor, I could use a second-in-command, someone to whip these thugs into shape. For you, Bruno, yes, I know who you are, I`d like you in charge of operations. Have you ever run a bandit camp like this? You`ll be great if even half the rumors are true. Now you little lady, I`m guessing you`re an alchemist?"

　　"Among other things. Legal counselor for instance."

　　"That`s good! We could really use both of those skill sets. Hells, the legal side might be even more useful." The minotaur turned his formidable gaze towards Jeremiah. "Now as for you, who I`m guessing is the mage responsible for all these undead, I can`t really tell you about the job I have for you. It`s not mine to give, you see, but my boss would kill me stone dead if I didn`t at least offer you something. Consider it an open invitation."

　　The minotaur stepped towards them, smiling, arms spread in a welcoming gesture. "What do you say? It`s late and you all look tired. Come on in, we`ll get you something to eat. I`ve got a butternut squash soup simmering. We`ve got extra rooms, especially now, so you`ll be comfy-cozy inside an hour. I only ask that you keep the undead going, these guys need some practice."

　　The party exchanged glances. "Are we saying no?" asked Jeremiah under his breath.

　　"What kind of question is that? Of course we`re saying no!" said Delilah

　　"He makes an attractive offer, is all," Bruno said.

　　"We`re saying no regardless of how attractive his offer is," said Allison. She lifted her visor to address the minotaur. "With all due respect, Narooka of the Ironhorn Tribe, we can only counter-offer you fair treatment and the lives of your men if you surrender to us immediately." Allison readied her flail and shield. "Now, unless you`re going to surprise me&?"

　　Narooka put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "No surprises here, I`m afraid. You and I are just gonna have to be boring ol` warriors. But hey, Necromancer, offer stands open to you. If at any point during this bloodbath you decide to take the deal, just let me know." He drew the two enormous axes and gave them a cavalier spin.

　　"He`ll charge. Head first," said Allison.

　　"How do you know?" asked Jeremiah, planning which direction he would run.

　　"Oh, he will. We killed a Matriarch, we can kill him. Focus." She took two long steps forward, stomped her foot on the ground, and swiped it backwards in a deliberate motion.

　　Narooka tilted his massive head, eyes narrowed. Allison repeated the motion. After a split second`s hesitation, Narooka mirrored the movement with one of his massive hooves. Delilah inched behind Allison and tapped Allison`s pauldron twice with the tip of her spear. Then she braced the butt of the spear into the earth and lowered her stance, tightening her grip and gritting her teeth.

　　Allison swiped her foot one more time, and Narooka let out a roar of challenge that reverberated over the sounds of battle in the courtyard. He lowered his head nearly to the ground. Then he pounded his axe-wielding fists into the dirt and charged towards Allison, churning up great dusty clouds. Allison roared in kind, tossed the flail aside to draw her sword, and charged the minotaur. Bruno and Jeremiah fled the impact zone.

　　She`s mad! thought Jeremiah. There was no way Allison`s armor could possibly stand up to such an impact, magic or not. But as the distance closed and Jeremiah fought the urge to look away from his friend`s impending death, she dropped into a feet first slide, lying as flat against the dirt as she could. The minotaur`s head passed over her, and she thrust her sword up into the great beast`s jaw.

　　The thrust lifted the Narooka`s head upward, his neck outstretched. His momentum carried him into Delilah`s waiting spear, braced with the earth itself, which slid like a lethal splinter into the gap between his throat and his armor. The spear pierced his torso, a guttural scream escaping the Narooka`s muzzle as his weight forced the spear deeper and deeper. The spear shaft bent and buckled, but the hardened wood held as the spearhead burrowed into its victim. The force of his charge carried Narooka off his feet as the spearhead erupted out his lower back and barely punctured his armor. Delilah was lifted along with the spear before the minotaur crashed to the ground in a flat heap.

　　Allison stood from her slide with a leaping, victorious whoop. Jeremiah, Delilah and Bruno ran to join her. Any bandits that had watched the spectacle abandoned all pretense of resistance and bolted for the door.

　　"Legendary!" Jeremiah said as Delilah and Allison wrapped each other up in a delirious embrace. "That was legendary!"

　　Then Bruno stopped. "Guys," he said. His tone made Jeremiah`s skin crawl. He turned to see what Bruno was looking at.

　　The minotaur`s huge bulk twitched, shifted, then clambered to its feet. Narooka turned to face them, Delilah`s longspear protruding from his throat. He grabbed the end of the spear and yanked upward with a pained bovine howl. He pulled the spear out of his body, one length at a time, then glared at them, eyes blazing. The fist-sized wound stitched together before their eyes, like the effects of a healing potion. The flow of blood from his punctured armor slowed to a drip.

　　"Jay, what the FUCK am I looking at?" asked Allison.

　　"Healing magic!" said Jeremiah, looking around wildly. "Where`s it coming from?" He had seen no spells, no potions.

　　"Minotaurs don`t regenerate. They don`t," said Delilah, sounding more curious than horrified.

　　Narooka stood upright, gripping the weapon that should have killed him, the weapon that he had removed from his own organs. "Never bail out of a challenge like that, very bad form. However, I`m willing to overlook it because that move was brilliant! This might be more fun than I thought."

　　Narooka hurled the spear like a javelin at Allison. Allison casually angled her shield and deflected the longspear into the ground beside her. "I`m going in close," she said. "Bruno, get that armor off. Delilah, keep him off balance. Jay, get us whatever backup you can spare." She slammed her visor down and stepped forward to face her opponent again.

　　Narooka and Allison hefted their weapons, eyeing the other with more wariness than before. Bruno and Jeremiah flanked out to surround the upcoming confrontation while Delilah raced to retrieve her spear. Jeremiah began mentally sifting through his bubbles, finding those undead weren`t involved in combat and calling them to the courtyard.

　　He almost missed Narooka`s glance and shift in weight. His brain cried out in alarm only an instant before the minotaur leapt toward him. Jeremiah tried to dodge, but tripped over his own feet and toppled. The axe blade cleaved the air where his neck had been, the rush of air billowing his robes.

　　Narooka raised the second axe overhead. Jeremiah`s adrenaline surged, and he rolled desperately to the side as the axe erupted the ground beside him. He tried to roll onto his feet, but he was stuck—the axe had pinned his sleeve.

　　Jeremiah yanked to free his arm, but it was held fast. The minotaur raised one great hoof to stomp his head in. "Offer`s closing fast!" laughed Narooka. But as his hoof dropped towards Jeremiah`s skull, Allison charged into his leg with all her might.

　　Narooka twisted and fell awkwardly to his knee, nearly crushing Jeremiah anyway. Allison was on the beast at once, swinging her blade at the minotaur`s corded neck. He deflected her blows on his horns.

　　Bruno rushed to the minotaur`s side and thrust a shortsword into a seam under his breastplate. He twisted the blade, forcing the armor plates apart. The minotaur tucked his head and rolled over his own horns with surprising agility, tossing both Bruno and Allison aside. On his feet again, he swung a hewing chop behind him and caught Allison on her interposed shield. He spun to press the attack against her, a steady drumbeat of blows.

　　Allison parried and countered each strike, landing superficial hits on Narooka`s exposed lower legs, which healed instantly. Narooka caught Allison with a kick, lifting her into the air, where his axe slammed into her chest. Sparks showered from her armor as she spun to the ground. She was on her feet in an instant, her breastplate sporting a narrow gash along its side.

　　"Magic armor? Incredible! I`ve never seen that before," Narooka said.

　　"Banger!" called Delilah. A clay ball arced toward the minotaur`s head. Jeremiah and Bruno covered their ears as the banger impacted the minotaur`s horn and exploded. There was no fire or shrapnel, but the bang was so loud it distorted the air around the point of impact. Narooka shouted in pain and lurched sideways, his bovine ears folding back. Allison took the opportunity to slash at the joints of his greaves, to little effect.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

　　Narooka was regaining his footing when a second Banger struck the other side of his head. This time Jeremiah also launched a ball of acid into the minotaur`s face, causing him to roar in anger and pain. The acid only burned away at the surface of the beast`s tough hide. The scorched flesh healed more slowly than the minotaur`s other wounds, but Allison`s proximity as she searched for an opening in Narooka`s defense made Jeremiah hesitate—an errant splash could maim her.

　　Narooka`s wounds closed as he adjusted his stance to Allison`s fighting style. He held one axe close to the head and the other low on the haft. The variation would allow him to attack her at arm`s reach and defend himself when she darted in close.

　　Bruno reappeared, leaping from the minotaur`s blind spot, and sliced into the armor covering the beast`s upper legs. His blade caught something important to the armor`s integrity, and a tasset slid down the minotaur`s leg with a crash, forcing him to step out of it like a shoe with loosened laces. "Gotcha!" said Narooka and his hoof caught Bruno in the chest. Bruno flew across the courtyard like a ragdoll and bounced off the ground, where he curled up, clutching his ribs and gasping in pain.

　　Jeremiah sensed his undead before he saw them. They emerged from doorways or dropped from low windows and began ambling toward the minotaur, many holding weapons but some just reaching with eager hands. Narooka eyed them without losing a step in his melee with Allison. He began backpedaling as he fought, his long strides easily outpacing the accumulating zombie hoard as well as forcing Allison to run just to keep up.

　　She put on a burst of speed in an attempt to circle Narooka and position him between herself and the undead. As she was mid-dash, though, Narooka sprang to cut her off, swinging his axe in a wide arc towards her feet. She leapt to avoid it, but too slowly, the blade caught her ankle and sent her to her knees.

　　He was on her in an instant, air whistling as a heavy axe arced towards her. Allison scrambled to raise her shield just in time, but the blow knocked her onto her back. Without missing a beat, Narooka seized her legs and whipped her over his head. He body slammed her into the packed earth with a deadened thud.

　　Jeremiah strained to spot some movement from Allison, any sign of her magic armor having protected her from the impact. Before he could comprehend her terrible stillness, though, Narooka had straightened up with a broad grin, brushing aside half the zombie hoard in a casual sweep with one axe. "That`s one!" he said.

　　Jeremiah scrambled to the edge of the battlefield to regroup with Delilah and Bruno, who was on his feet, though his face was drawn and pale. Delilah`s expression was grim, her lips a thin, determined line. "I need you two to keep him busy," she said. She hefted her spear and hooked several flasks to her belt for easy access.

　　"We`re going to need more help," said Bruno. He hissed with pain as he drew his bow.

　　Jeremiah summoned every undead under his command to the courtyard. "They`re coming, but they`ll need time."

　　The small hoard already here hacked and clawed at Narooka`s ankles, drawing minor wounds that closed as soon as they appeared. The minotaur paid them no mind. He pointed an axe at the trio. "I hope the rest of you together can give me as enjoyable a fight as she did!" He gave a snort of laughter and charged toward them.

　　Bruno hurled himself to the side and began loosing arrows at the beast as he bore down on them, seeking a vulnerable spot. Delilah circled the other direction and lobbed a flask. A cloud of white mist exploded around Narooka`s unarmored leg, drawing a snarl of pain and slowing his approach for a precious moment. Jeremiah launched an acid ball towards him, which he batted out of the air with an axe, sending acid splattering over his armor and the few undead still on his heels.

　　"Boring!" shouted Narooka. "Predictable! Please tell me you have more than that."

　　As if on cue, more zombies began shambling into the courtyard, lurching with what passed for haste for the undead. Only a few at first, but they kept coming, crawling over each other with monotone groans to reach their target.

　　The minotaur paused to consider the situation. "Shame, Necromancer. With us, you could have been formidable." Then he lowered his head and rushed Jeremiah.

　　Jeremiah turned and fled, managing a scant few steps before something slammed into him from behind and he was thrown into the air. His stomach swooped as land and sky melded into one, then the ground reasserted itself, rushing up to meet him with solid finality. The breath left Jeremiah`s lungs in a whoosh.

　　His limbs were numb. His head rang. Jeremiah considered never moving again. He could hear Narooka laughing. "That`s two!" the minotaur said.

　　What was two? Jeremiah sat up and realized something felt wrong. Loose. His hands went to his gut and came back slick with blood. He pulled the fabric of his robes away.

　　Fleshy worms spilled from his abdomen in all directions. His own intestines. His vision swam at the sight. The world dimmed in a final sunset before blackness. Jeremiah felt no pain. An odd peace settled over him as he reinforced his last command to every undead under his control.

　　Kill him.

　　His minions would fight unabated until he died, then most would collapse. A few may gain autonomy and continue on after his death, joining the ranks of undead roaming the world. Jeremiah wondered with dreamlike curiosity what determined whether an undead would persist. Flusoh probably knew, but he`d never thought to ask.

　　A motion in the center of the courtyard drew his fading attention. Right, there was a fight going on. Narooka was wading through a legion of zombies to reach Bruno, who was vanishing and reappearing within the hoard of undead to strike from unexpected angles. Color began to run out of the scene, and Jeremiah knew he was feeling death`s introduction. He let himself fall back and gazed at the pinpoints of light in the dessert sky as they blurred into velvety black.

　　A burst of color, and Jeremiah`s world exploded back into light and sound. His every sense was alive and working overtime. Overwhelming pain bloomed in his guts alongside a viscous, almost slimy heat. Jeremiah inhaled a tremulous breath and began to scream.

　　Delilah withdrew an empty vial from his lips and began applying alchemical agents to his back and abdomen. Jeremiah`s skin crawled across his wound, flesh knitting back together. His scream faded as the pain receded, leaving him breathless and disoriented.

　　"That was the last potion, now get up and help!" Delilah stared into his eyes, pleading as well as ordering.

　　"Wha—why me? Why not Allison?"

　　"If you die, we all die." Delilah disappeared from his side, leaving Jeremiah to blink and try to make sense of her words. The undead hoard attacking Narooka had swelled to nearly a hundred, and now they were not so easily brushed aside. Skeletons climbed his legs, tearing at his unarmored thigh. Zombies hacked at every inch they could reach, impeding his movement even as he kicked them aside. Meanwhile, Bruno peppered him with arrows, sneaking shots under armor plates and sending them spinning like flipped coins.

　　Far from seeming distressed, however, Narooka was laughing. He spun in a whirlwind of axe blades, cutting a swath through the hoard. Others shambled in to fill the ranks, but not enough. He cut down a dozen more in a rapid flurry. "I know you`re one of these, little man!" he crowed. "Can`t hide forever!"

　　We need more, Jeremiah realized. Many more.

　　He forced himself to move. Delilah had given him their last potion, had chosen him as their best chance to survive. He wouldn`t freeze again. He wouldn`t let his friends down.

　　Jeremiah staggered toward a door into the keep and threw it open. His night eyes were still working well enough for him to see where men had died, lumped together in corners or strewn across the floor. His zombies had done their work here. Jeremiah barely registered the carnage, merely reached toward those bodies intact enough to contain his will.

　　Rise. Fight.

　　He returned to the courtyard and continued onto the next door, where he was greeted by similarly grisly scene. A dozen men crushed into a corner, torn nearly to pieces. He performed his magic without pity, turning death to his purpose.

　　Rise.

　　Onto the next. He glanced back at the battle, saw Delilah by Allison`s side as Bruno and the zombies did their best to distract the minotaur. The freshly raised undead were doing their job, forcing Narooka to fight them to avoid being overwhelmed. Jeremiah tore his eyes from his friends to concentrate on the task at hand.

　　Jeremiah continued around the courtyard. From every door and window, the undead spilled out to reinforce their brethren. He had no idea how many he had raised, his mind`s organization was haphazard—he crammed bubbles wherever there was space. His focus was fraying from the strain, his willpower was beginning to fatigue, but the magic continued to flow and he didn`t dare allow himself to stop. He fought distractions—urges to check on Gus, to reorganize his undead, to watch the battle, to observe a bloodied man hiding in a corner and crying hysterically, but he gritted his teeth and kept raising.

　　Jeremiah found a room which contained no bodies, then another, and another. He realized he had completed a loop of the courtyard. He turned to see if it had been enough.

　　Allison was fighting again, but she was much slower. She weaved among the hoard, using the shifting mass as cover as she struck blow after blow. Jeremiah heard the musical sound of Bruno`s bow string nearby and spotted him shooting from the cover of the door. Narooka`s exposed flesh was a pincushion of arrows, which the minotaur had no time to remove. Delilah hurled flask after flask, which exploded in a variety of effects—sonic blasts, shrapnel showers, a blood-red mist that drew a roar of pain from Narooka when it shattered against his horns.

　　Jeremiah found a group of skeletons in his head, and ordered them to climb upwards. At once, the skeletons scrambled up the walls of the fortress and leaped onto Narooka`s arms and shoulders, digging their claws in as he spun to dislodge them. Allison darted in and carved into his exposed leg, hewing off a chunk of flesh. Narooka howled as he dropped to a knee and the zombies began to swarm, tearing and hacking at his body as his wounds regenerated.

　　"BRING HIM DOWN!" Allison screamed. She jumped, her steel boot ringing out against his breastplate, and slashed at his head with her sword. He turned his horns to deflect her, only to receive a flask of burning fluid to his face. Bruno seized the opening to spring towards the beast, daggers flashing in his hands before flying towards gaps in his armor. Blades sunk into flesh like needles, and Bruno kicked them deeper into Narooka`s body.

　　Climb.

　　The zombies began crawling up the minotaur`s body as Narooka stood, his leg healed. Allison stabbed without finesse at the places on his torso where armor had been stripped away. A barbed arrow trailing a rope leapt from Bruno`s bow and buried itself in Narooka`s corded neck. Bruno heaved against the rope, but was dragged several feet as Narooka whirled, hacking at the zombies crawling over his body.

　　Jeremiah ran to help, adding his own strength to the rope. At this, Narooka noticed the danger, but it was too late.

　　Pull.

　　Dozens of hands suddenly grasped and heaved against the rope. Narooka grunted with the effort to resist falling, leaning against the pull at his neck. Then, with a flick of her sword, Allison sliced across one of his ankles. The minotaur staggered as the joint gave way. Allison next thrust into his other knee, turning his stagger into a stumble and then a fall.

　　She scrambled onto Narooka`s chest before he could protect himself. As zombies tore indiscriminately with blades and teeth, Allison slashed the beast`s throat, releasing a geyser of blood that healed over in the next moment. She roared in frustration as she slashed again and again. "WHY! WON`T! YOU! DIE!"

　　Narooka gargled blood and snapped his jaws at her. He fought to free his arms from the hordes weighing them down. Slowly but surely, he was escaping.

　　"Come on! We need to take this thing apart!" said Bruno.

　　Jeremiah drew his dagger, letting bloodlust fill his heart. They descended upon Narooka like mad butchers, piercing and slicing at him as desperately as the undead. But his wounds sealed themselves even as they withdrew their blades. Jeremiah realized they were exhausting themselves with nothing to show for it.

　　"You can`t kill me!" came Narooka`s rasping voice. "I. Am. Immortal!"

　　Jeremiah dropped his knife and pressed his hands against the minotaur`s blood-soaked flesh. He summoned an outpouring of necromantic magic, brought forth by a powerful ancient word with a primal meaning: DIE.

　　Energy flowed from his palms into the beast. All at once, Jeremiah sensed within Narooka a vast ocean of healing magic, circulating throughout his body, reaching tendrils to instantly treat every wound. It felt foreign, as though it had been placed there, and immense. Even with the wounds Narooka was receiving every moment, the magic drained as slow as the sea through a pinhole. With great effort, Jeremiah focused his remaining will. In the face of his necromantic magic, the great sea of healing began to boil off.

　　"What are you-" Narooka`s head lolled as the agony of his wounds flared. "No! Get off!" He lashed out in desperation and bit Delilah`s leg. She screamed as the bone snapped. He swung his horns into Bruno, catching him in the chest with the blunt curves and crushing his injured ribs. He threw his head back towards Allison, forcing her to block the point of his horn with her shield and driving her from her post.

　　Jeremiah rushed to where Allison had stood. Already the gash at Narooka`s throat was closing. He pressed his palms into the hot, slimy wound.

　　DIE.

　　His spell rushed through the minotaur. The reservoir of healing dwindled steadily as Narooka`s wounds began to accumulate. The flesh at Narooka`s throat blackened and rotted while the beast bellowed. Jeremiah gave everything he had and more that he never knew was his to give. Darkness was encroaching on his vision, but he knew he only needed to keep it up a little longer&

　　Narooka spasmed in agony. He croaked, voice filled with fear. "Don`t&don`t make me into one of those&" He slowed, retched, contorted, and finally died under Jeremiah`s hands just as the darkness finally closed.