"Hey, blondie, stop now!" Milo shouted as he saw the woman about to fall. "Stop the carriage!"
The driver turned just in time, gripping the controls tightly and channeling all his energy to stop the carriage. The vehicle came to a sudden halt with a loud creak, as if the wood were about to snap.
Because of the momentum, Milo was thrown forward. He let out a choked cry as his head slammed against the front wall of the carriage. He was left dazed, his vision blurry for a few seconds.
The woman was already beyond reach of the carriage when it came to a halt. She began to tumble backward with arms extended, reaching—and failing—to catch hold of something. Her eyes wildly swept the space about her, searching for some way of avoiding crashing to the ground.
But just before she hit the floor, something—or someone—caught her. An invisible force stopped her fall, leaving her suspended just a few centimeters above the ground.
A figure emerged from the darkness of the tunnel. A man stood there with black, straight shoulder-length hair that cascaded around him, perfectly styled even in the midst of chaos. He wore gorgeous dark clothes with golden accents in the form of music notes and stars. A scarlet short cape was thrown over his shoulders, secured by a lyre-shaped brooch. He wore a calm and confident look, his immaculate teeth shining in a broad smile. His violet-hued eyes twinkled with pride.
The man moved his hands through the air, tracing shapes with a soft violet glow. He was using magic to manipulate gravity and keep the woman from falling.
There was a peculiar gadget strapped to his back—it was shaped like a guitar, but with an axe blade inserted into its wooden frame. The neck had been decorated with glinting ornaments, and the rim of the blade shone as if it would cut anything in two.
"Easy now, miss," he said in a suave, melodic voice, settling her onto the ground. "I won't let anything happen to you.
He bowed deeply, his hand gesturing outward as if he were on stage.
The woman frowned, still not quite understanding what had happened, and regarded the man warily.
In the distance, a horde of the dead was approaching. Dozens of them, going in all directions at once—crawling, running, climbing over the walls, even flying.
"Let me go!" the woman cried out, tearing free from Galigan as soon as she felt his hands on her shoulders.
"Don't worry, you must be tired," Galigan said as he continued holding her. "I'll take care of these things with my famous Ballad of the Undead Slayer, a song I wrote back during the—" He didn't get to finish.
She shoved him hard, sending him off balance and shoving him out of his theatrical stance.
Not hesitating, she turned and leaped into the air.
One of the flying creatures had broken off from the others and was heading straight for them.
The kick was so powerful that the creature's head twisted almost completely around. It didn't even have time to scream before crashing to the ground, motionless.
The woman landed smoothly and turned to Galigan, her expression cold and unreadable.
The woman tutted in exasperation and strode toward the carriage without a word. She hadn't time for nonsense.
Galigan followed her, trying to catch up.
"Wait! Aren't you going to apologize? You could at least thank me for saving you!"
Shay, still clenching his injured leg, looked at the stranger suspiciously.
"And who is this man?" he asked.
The woman was about to say something but Galigan moved in with an exaggerated bow.
"Galigan Smith, at your service!" he announced with enthusiasm. "Top-tier bard, legendary adventurer, rescuer of maidens and sworn enemy of the undead."
Shay looked at him, not quite knowing whether to laugh or strangle him.
"Shut up, for goodness' sake!" the woman snapped as she sprang onto the carriage.
"Is that any way to treat the man who just kept you from getting a nasty scrape?" Galigan muttered, clearly offended.
"I didn't ask you to save me," she said across her shoulder without even looking back.
Galigan let out a low, melodramatic sigh, as if his very soul was leaving his lips.
Milo poked his head out from behind the carriage, still rubbing his forehead.
"Well, Galigan, if you did rescue our friend, then I thank you. Hop in, quickly." He smiled faintly. "The more of us the merrier. Welcome aboard, Mister Bard."
"HOLD ON!" shouted the blond youth from the driver's seat. "THE HORDE'S CLOSING IN!"
Without waiting for a reply, he activated the controls, and the carriage shot forward. Everyone inside staggered, struggling to grab onto something.
The effects of Bhael's Lotus were starting to take a stronger hold on their minds.
"We need to do something to lose them," Shay said, eyeing the horde that was drawing closer by the second.
"Um… I might have an idea," Milo said, grabbing the bow and the quiver with its last remaining arrow.
"Hey, shorty, you're not thinking of causing another explosion, are you? You saw what happened last time," the woman said, crossing her arms.
"I'm not a dwarf, I'm a halfling," Milo snapped, annoyed. "And that happened because I didn't know how it worked yet."
"Don't look at me. I'm not helping that ungrateful woman again," Galigan added grandly, tuning his instrument.
The tunnel walls were narrowing fast. The previous hit had slowed the carriage, and one of the wheels seemed damaged.
"We have to act now. We've lost all the ground we gained," the driver shouted.
"Slow down," Milo said firmly.
Everyone turned to look at him, stunned.
"What? Are you crazy?" the driver exclaimed.
"You want them to catch us?" Shay asked.
The woman just stared at him like he'd suggested jumping off a cliff for fun.
The only one who didn't seem surprised was Galigan, who watched Milo with curious interest.
"If you use that arrow, you're going to trigger another collapse," Shay warned, pointing at the bow.
"That's exactly the plan," Milo replied with a grin.
The others exchanged worried glances. Galigan, however, looked more intrigued than alarmed.
"You," Milo said, pointing at Galigan. "Get ready to use your magic when I give the signal."
"And you," he looked at the driver. "When I yell, floor it."
No one argued. The confidence in Milo's voice made them trust him.
He took a deep breath, moved to the back of the carriage, and drew the bow.
"Now, Galigan!" he shouted, releasing the arrow.
The arrow flew with force and struck the exact spot he had aimed for.
A flash lit up the tunnel, followed by an explosion that shook everything. The walls trembled, and the ceiling began to collapse.
Galigan reacted instantly. He raised his hands, and a violet light surrounded the falling rocks, stopping them just before they crushed the carriage. His arms trembled, sweat beading on his forehead. He gritted his teeth. The magic was draining him, but he held on.
"Now, driver!" Milo yelled again.
The driver didn't hesitate. He channeled all his energy, and the carriage shot forward, racing beneath the magical shield.
As soon as they passed through, Galigan let go of the spell with a gasp. The rocks came crashing down, sealing the tunnel and crushing the first wave of undead behind them.
"It worked!" Milo cheered, raising his fist with a smile.
"Looks like your brain does work after all," the woman said to him.
"That was insane… but we pulled it off," the driver added.
The carriage continued through the tunnel at a steadier pace now, relieved to have left the horde behind. The hum of the magical engine echoed through the stone walls, and the vehicle's lights lit the way forward.
"I think I see something up ahead," Shay said, squinting.
In the distance, a faint light became visible. As they drew closer, the point grew larger.
The air was changing too—it felt cooler.
The light expanded into an opening, and at last, they could make out the outlines of trees and sky.