Shade pushed aside the door like an obedient summon.

If only the mob knew how untrue that was.

The crypt opened before Owin's eyes. It was a dark stone room that even the torches burning on the walls couldn't illuminate. Its appearance reminded Owin of the crypt beside the hobgoblin village where he had fought the lich. Or, more accurately, where Artivan had fought the lich once it took over Owin.

Evenly spaced columns of unadorned black stone framed doorways all around the room. A faint ethereal light shone within, making the skeletons who stood inside appear as ominous silhouettes.

They would be significantly more ominous if Shade was even half convincing as a skeleton mob.

Not only was he dressed in a bizarre fashion, his acting was also surprisingly bad. He shuffled in, groaning, then stopped to adjust his glove and scarf.

The necromancer stood in the center of the room with a true air of confidence. Perfect black robes, a gnarled staff, and eyes as dark as midnight. If Shade wasn't attempting to act, Owin suspected the skeleton would've commented on the elf's appearance.

But Owin needed to focus. Not think about what Shade would say or do.

After much deliberation earlier, Owin had hidden the Thunderstrike Maul against the wall, out of sight when the door was opened. A necromancer surely wouldn't use a big hammer.

Shade stopped his lumbering and stood. Unfortunately, the skeleton was having trouble standing still. Apparently being covered in spiders was the only time Shade could really remain stationary.

Other skeletons stood close behind the necromancer, actually remaining still. In comparison to Shade, Owin would assume the skeletons were actually dead. Or statues. Or something.

Shade scratched his face.

Owin sighed. Shade didn't get itchy. Why was he scratching?

The necromancer lowered their hood. Hair so blonde it was basically white cascaded down, hanging just above their shoulder.

"I'm a necromancer," Owin said.

"You're not a necromancer."

Shade turned, eye sockets widening.

"How did you know?" Owin asked, trying to casually reach for his belt.

The elf narrowed their eyes. "Is this some kind of joke?" They gestured to Owin. "I heard you talking."

Fortress Mob

Falenas Takaneta

Elven Necromancer

Level 68

"We've been discovered!" Shade shouted.

"What is that?" Falenas asked.

"I don't really know. Shade?"

The skeleton shrugged. "What am I expected to know? I am a legend amongst the goblins. You wouldn't even begin to guess."

Falenas's confused expression softened just a bit. "Are you?"

Shade composed himself, then tossed a piece of the purple scarf over his shoulder. "I am." He took a step toward the necromancer and offered his hand. "Deniz Saboator, world famous musician."

Falenas hesitated, but grabbed Shade's hand and bowed their head. "Falenas Takaneta, last of the Takaneta family."

Owin pressed his lips together. He wouldn't be the one to say anything.

"Oh, we killed your siblings," Shade said.

Unsurprisingly, Falenas hit him with a ball of black magic, which sent Shade sprawling out. In sync, every skeleton around the room picked up their weapons.

Every skeleton, but Shade, who was now lying on the floor.

"If you could read my thoughts, you would've known I was going to say that," Shade called.

"I did know you were going to say that." Owin backed into the room they arrived in. "That doesn't mean I can stop you."

He grabbed the hammer, and was immediately swapped, appearing close to Falenas. Owin noted that Withered Swap didn't only change their positions. It put them into the position of one another, meaning Shade was now standing while Owin was on his back directly in front of the mob.

"Your minion will be a useful extension of my army." The elf raised their hand. Black magic appeared, swirling into a tight ball. "You idiotic creature."

"Me or him?" Shade asked from the doorway.

Owin rolled to the side as Falenas unleashed the spell that scorched the dark stone floor. He had no idea what kind of magic it was, and he didn't really want to find out. His chitin armor was beyond battered after the fight with Lucie Masson. Bits of red plate still held on, but it wouldn't take much for the armor to crumble again. It seemed destroyed enough that no more crab legs or claws would emerge until it regenerated or fully collapsed and molted.

As soon as he landed on his feet, a skeleton's mace caught him in the face. Blood gushed from his broken nose as he fell onto his back.

Falenas cackled as black lightning shot from their body, fluttering the black robes. As the magic struck the skeletons, their bones cracked, leaking energy. It was some kind of boost that sent them barreling toward Owin.

"What kind of attacks do you have?" Owin shouted, spitting blood with each word. He pushed off the ground and brought the Thunderstrike Maul down. The hammer pulverized a skeleton. Black magic dissipated from the shattered bones as the mace that had broken Owin's nose clattered to the ground.

That was hardly enough to make a difference. There were ten more skeletons and Falenas to still handle. Without a shard, he would have been able to handle this fight. He was starting to see how some Shard Heroes stalled. Every time he got stronger, the mobs improved more. When he got his second shard and multiplied his attributes by two, the mobs would be three times stronger. Each new shard would make the mobs that much more terrifying.

But he wasn't a human.

And no matter the challenge, no matter the odds, he would get his seven shards and find a way to save Artivan and Shade. And any other Cursed he could find.

He wouldn't stall. He wouldn't quit.

"Fireball!" Shade shouted.

Falenas created a spell that spread black mist in the air, blocking a majority of the resulting explosion from Shade's spell.

Owin was too cut off from the necromancer to take advantage of the opening, so all he could do was break more skeletons. The Thunderstrike Maul worked wonders, pulverizing bone and scattering the skeletons all across the room. Even on the eighth floor with a shard empowering them, these skeletons reminded Owin of the ones he fought back in the hobgoblin crypt with Artivan. The Thunderstrike Maul scattering bones made him smile, even as he dodged powerful attacks from all sides.

He needed some type of area attack for times like this.

Then an idea finally hit him, right about when a chipped sword chopped through the tip of his ear. Owin gritted his teeth, stepped wide, and swung just like he used to do with the Thunderstrike Maul. A mix of his strength and its weight carried him in a wide circle. Light glowed from the solid head of the hammer as he smashed skeletons to bits.

In only a few seconds, the area around was covered in the broken bones, splattered with blood that continued to flow freely from his broken nose.

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Black magic launched in a stream for him, glowing faintly even in the dark crypt. Owin leaned to the side, accidentally exposing his other ear to the beam. Burning pain immediately flared.

Owin gasped and tried to compose himself. Falenas stood only a few steps away, feet crushing skeleton bones. The black eyes were endless pits as necromantic magic whorled. He had the wrong understanding of a necromancer. It wasn't like a lich, Nosolus, or any of the undead he had fought before. It was a wizard or magus with power Owin didn't understand.

Magic gathered and glowed between Falenas's hands.

Pain still flared in his ear, crawling down toward his head as the skin burnt from whatever spell had passed over his ear.

"Fool." The elf thrust their hands forward. In the middle of the motion, a metal fist appeared, smashing spiked knuckles into the elf's pale cheek. The black spell shot wide, carving through the dark stone columns just over Owin's head.

While under the stun created by Shade's gauntlet, the skeleton pressed his gloved hand against the elf's head. "Viscous Fire."

It wasn't even a verbal spell, but that didn't stop Shade from saying it confidently.

Liquid fire poured from Shade's palm and bathed Falenas. The flames stuck no matter how much the elf flailed and thrashed. Horrible, terrifying screams echoed through the crypt.

Black magic gathered over the necromancer, and even while burning, Falenas brought their hands together in a thunderous clap. Bones all throughout the crypt rattled and started to shift.

Owin had seen it before.

"A bone golem," Owin said.

Shade seemed too focused and smacked Falenas with another punch. This one didn't cause a stun, and instead the necromancer remained on their feet and blasted him away. Shade flipped back and turned to dust as he hit the ground.

The skeleton had done more than enough. Owin did his best to ignore the searing pain in both ears and the blood running over his lips. All that mattered was ending the fight before the bone golem could fully form.

Falenas turned back to Owin, but was far too late. He had twisted and launched the Thunderstrike Maul. The elf reached out to grab it, but clearly didn't know what to expect as the hammer glowed like the morning sun.

As soon as Falenas's fingers touched the hammer, it unleashed its energy, sending the elf sprawling. Somehow, the necromancer lived even as blood leaked from the frayed sinew hanging out of their mangled wrists.

Owin wondered if it was the explosion of energy from the Thunderstrike Maul or his strength in the throw that did so much damage. Or maybe a mix of both. He only had a brief thought before he landed atop Falenas with the Darkblade in hand. Electricity flowed through the stone knife as he drove it down, carving the necromancer's chest open.

Unlike Falenas's siblings, one slash of the heart was enough to kill the elf.

Behind him, the magic coalesced into the finished, monstrous bone golem.

"Okay," Owin said, watching the bone golem collect itself. He put the knife back in his belt and grabbed the Thunderstrike Maul.

All the skulls had gathered at the top of the monster, forming a mass of chittering jaws. Rib cages split and became wide, multifingered claws. It was at least twice the size of the last bone golem he had seen, but that one had been primarily skulls.

"Easy," he muttered as the golem roared.

It barreled forward, steps shaking the crypt's floor. It would take too much time to recharge the hammer, so Owin simply planned to use his strength and speed to overcome the huge creature.

The bone golem thrust an arm forward, which surprisingly extended as bones jutted out, looking like they were slithering over one another. And just like that, his simple plan was useless.

He batted the bone claws aside with the hammer, giving him enough room to dash and leap, avoiding the cascading wave of bone. There was a limited number of bones available, so how was the golem creating such massive attacks.

Owin hit the ground, skidded, and crashed into a column. Bones continued crashing into the stone floor, shattering and spreading out like discarded trash. Despite it all, the bone golem was the exact same size.

Instead of trying to get close and potentially drowning in the overwhelming rush of bone, Owin scrambled around the column and waited as the barrage continued. It took another few seconds before it stopped, giving him a moment to peek around.

A mass of black magic bounced slowly about inside the golem. It was barely visible, like a shadow in a dim room, but it was there like a mana battery. Despite being dead, Falenas's magic was still powering the creature, giving it abilities a normal golem wouldn't have.

It was the best theory he had. If he managed to destroy the mass of magic, it would kill the golem. Hopefully.

While he was looking, the bone golem thrust out both arms. Owin immediately pulled back into cover as bones erupted out and battered the stone column. He dropped the hammer on the ground and pulled out both wands. It took a moment to remember which was which. The moving black mass of magic was locked behind multiple layers that needed to be destroyed before any damage could be done to the core itself.

Owin reached around the corner, aimed the wand, and said, "Arcane Blast!" Purple energy swirled on the tip of the wand and flew right over the incoming wave of bones. Arcane magic crashed into the bones and cracked them before dissipating. It wasn't even close to enough.

Summon the Withered Shade

As soon as he appeared, a wave of bones crashed into Shade, sending him tumbling back into one of the crypt rooms.

"What did you bring me into?" Shade shouted once he managed to take cover.

Once they were both fully hidden from the mob, the barrage stopped.

"A bone golem powered by the necromancer's magic. It won't attack until it sees you."

The faint light of Shade's index appeared in the dark room. "I have an idea."

"Uh oh."

"Hey," Shade said. "Rude. I have good ideas every now and then. And right now is one of those times. See?" Smoke puffed out of the doorway. "See?" Shade's voice said directly in Owin's ear. The Thunderstrike Maul was lifted off the ground and shoved into Owin's hands. He put the wands away and firmly wrapped both hands around the hammer's shaft.

"You're invisible?" Owin asked.

"Don't tell everyone. Wow. Way to spoil the surprise." Faint footsteps padding away were the only sign Shade had left.

"I don't think bone golems have ears."

"Neither do I," Shade called.

Owin slowly peered around the column. The bone golem shifted like it was searching for something. Some of the skulls in the mass of its head turned back toward Owin. An arm jutted out shortly after, sending a new wave that pushed him into cover again. A few exaggerated grunts echoed in the crypt.

Withered Swap was disorienting every time, but Owin was starting to get used to it. At least, he was figuring out how to adapt. It always took a moment to get his surroundings, but at least this time he was partially expecting it.

He appeared directly on top of the mass of skulls that acted as the head of the bone golem.

"You got this!" Shade shouted from the safety of the column.

Upon looking, Owin actually noticed how battered the column was. One or two more barrages of bone would break through the stone. Not that it mattered all that much. The fight was done.

Owin brought the Thunderstrike Maul down with terrifying power. It completely pulverized every bone it touched until Owin found himself falling into a cage surrounded by chaotic black magic.

It was like the first time he had fought an ocular mob and ended up inside, except this time he had no intention of eating anything.

Black magic passed over his skin, burning it with ferocity. The pain was intense, but it wasn't anything new. He had experienced it all before. His metal hand shot out and caught the ball of magic. It wriggled and shook as energy pulsed into Owin's hand. Whatever Althowin had made was durable. More than his skin and bone. He held on, squeezed, and tore. It was like invisible threads connected the ball to the rest of the creature. He could feel every little movement that had been causing the ball to bounce around.

With a bit of effort, he tore the magic free, ripping the invisible threads. One shudder passed through the bones before the entire golem collapsed around him. He fell onto a pile of bone and stayed still until Shade walked over and pulled him up.

"You call me dramatic, but you always just lie around like you've just died." The skeleton brushed some bone dust from Owin's face. "If that's not dramatic, then I have eyes, a brain, and a liver to poison."

"What?"

"You ever eat liver?" Shade poked Owin in the side. "It's somewhere in that area."

"Are you saying you ate people?"

"No, you freak." Shade very gently slapped Owin's head. "Goose liver. Nobody likes geese, so you might as well eat them."

"I don't know what a geese is." Owin held up his metal hand, still clutching the magic. It had compressed into a black gem. "But look at this."

Shade leaned close and even poked the metal gem with his armor-clad finger. "It's not a void gem. So, what is it?"

Divine Magical Item

Necromantic Heart

The Necromantic Heart is the collected otherworldly energy of a necromancer. When faced with fatal scenarios, a necromancer may use every bit of their power to cast a spell which forms a Necromantic Heart. This item, if collected properly, can be used to revive the necromancer or related creature.

"What do you think it means by a 'related creature?' Because all of the necromancer's relatives were vampires and I certainly don't want to revive any of them," Shade said.

"I have no idea. If we don't find a use for it, we can ask Althowin when we get back." Owin put it in his bag. "Alchemists have to know what it's for."

"What if the alchemist is stupid?"

"Do you know any stupid alchemists?" Owin asked.

Shade opened his index and started moving through pages. "At some point, I'll end up as an alchemist when I'm summoned."

"Are you calling yourself stupid?" Owin passed the hammer to Shade and had the skeleton draw the Incandescent Blade. With Isotelus in purgatory for now, they would need to do another weapon swap.

"I'm just saying we haven't seen me try alchemy yet and there is a high chance I will embarrass not only myself, but anyone else who chooses to watch. Have you ever been embarrassed just from watching someone do something? It is a painful experience." Shade took a step closer. "Speaking of pain." He flicked Owin's ear, which did cause a massive flare of pain. "You seem to have damaged both ears in that fight."

"Yeah." Owin had decided not to take a health potion. Not yet, at least. The pain in his ears was bad, but it wasn't that much different than the sting of his skin after the necromantic heart's magic passed over him. Everything hurt a little bit, but he had more than half his health remaining. It could wait.

"Let's find a way out of here," Owin said.

"Out of the sorrow or out of the crypt?"

"The crypt, Shade." Owin looked back. The skeleton had the Thunderstrike Maul resting on his shoulder while he held one of the fallen bones, tapping it against everything they passed. "Isn't it weird to be holding that?"

"Well, it's not my own bone, if that's what you mean. I don't hold my bone in public, Owin. That's a private matter."

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