One of the very first dungeons that Nemin and his Party raided was a necropolis, and it was one they were not ready for. The skeletons were simple runts that Jacob and Hedric could break, and the ones that followed were weakened quick as Louise shot arrow after arrow. Nemin could get a few magic missles in, but that was about it. He wanted to pull out reagents and cast something stronger, but the skirmishes against the skeletons would end quick.
"Why do we need the demon again?" Jacob asked as they entered the center structure. That was when he got his answer.
The huge cathedral in the center was full of the zombies, or... the pieces of zombies chattering heads were left on the ground, sewn to hands that would drag them to the fight. It was the most bizaare thing the cleric saw, and Hedric was taken by surprise that he'd have to aim his spear lower. Louise was utterly disgusted by the look of these things. It made her fur stand on end as she drew her bow.
"Oh, There must be a grafter in this place." Nemin said, and cast a barrage of magic missiles, "They're known for this kind of work. I think these kinds of monsters are called, Flesh Golems, or Fankenstiens..."
"I call it disgusting." Jacob said, and slammed a walking head flat with his hammer, "Why even make these things?"
"They're freaks." Louise said, backing away from some and pulling her cloak around her.
"Then we should find the one behind all this," Nemin said "Or we could become like-"
"I don't wanna think about it!" Louise screamed.

They shot, slashed, and smashed these stitched heads on hands like it was nothing, but there seemed to be nothing else up there or in the upper floors. So they started going downward. The underground passages of the cathedral acted as tomes at one point, but they were dug at by something big. The new passages allowed Nemin to even fly, but he kept back as Jacob demanded of him.
"Has anyone else noticed there's even less dead in here?" Nemin said, "You'd think there'd be more corpses down here the grafter brought back."
"I don't know, maybe it's using those parts for something else." Hedric said
"I don't wanna think about it." Louise groaned, "I just wanna kill this guy and get paid."
"I don't care at all, it's less work." Jacob said

But he spoke too soon, The ground could be felt shaking, and then he saw a pair of zombies. These were twice their size, and consisted of several corpses that were stitched and tied together. Their legs were several tied up, and they'd have six tied onto their arms.
Nemin looked at the two piles of walking flesh, "So that's how he's used them." Then he pulled out some reagents, "I got this."
"Not on your life!" Jacob shouted and got in front of Louise, and Hedric ran forth with his spear ready. The spear plunched into the closest flesh golem's head, but it had three more. The golem sent him flying back with just a kick, and he was on the ground.
"Cover me!" Jacob shouted and ran for him. Louise and Nemin both used their arrows and spells to stagger and keep the two back, and it was just enough for Jacob to pull him away. "He's alive, but barely. I'd need more time."
"We don't have that!" Louise shouted as she missed a shot to one of the monster's heads
"Make some!"
Then Nemin smiled and stepped forth, "My time to shine." Grinning as he held up his reagents. "None if my friends shall fall this day to you, and those who dare shall fall before they rise!" Lightning sparked around him, and his hair stood on end. He started speaking in a language unknown and raised his hands. The reagents in his hand started to hiss and sizzle, "Ternarium, duplus, fulmen, Iniectum!" He shot his left palm out, and the storm around him shot through the closest amalgam of flesh, then it shot to the one behind it, frying both till they were sizzling and grew. "Percutiens, Secundi!" Quickly, Nemin shot his other palm out while his other hand pulled back, and a second bolt shot through them. They were almost entirely black, and fell like the dead they once were.
"There we go." Nemin smiled back to his party, but he saw they were all looking back in with mouths open, "What is it?"
"You could do that this entire time?" Louise asked
"Yeah," Nemin nodded with a smile, "I've trained and studied most of my life, I know a ton of strong spells like that."
Jacob walked up, grabbed him by the scarf of his clothes and lifted him off the ground, "Why didn't you do that before!?"
"I wanted to, but you were in the way," Nemin said, "And you didn't want me to."
"Because we thought you were an amateur like us!" Jacob shouted, "All this time you've been holding back and letting us get hurt like this!"
"Shut up, Jacob!" Louise shouted, "He's why we're alive!" And she glared at the cleric.
Jacob looked back, and dropped Nemin, "You're up by us now, Don't you dare hold back." Then he walked over to Hedric and worked to heal his wounds.
"Okay, I won't let you down." Nemin smiled
Louise walked up to Nemin and patted his head, "I think he's starting to like you." She said, "Call for me if he tries anything worse." Then he nudged his shoulder a bit. "Using that kind of stuff will make this all a breeze."
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Art, characters, and story (C) ME