Thundering hooves slow down to an abrupt halt. They paw at the ground, refusing to take another step forward.

"Whoa! Whoa! Easy girl," one of their masters says. He pets his horse's mane to calm her down, but she backs up to turn away from what's ahead of them. In the land of Span, a barren wasteland surrounded by a thick fog.

The man with red fletching arrows jumps off to hold her by the reins. He firmly plants his boots onto the border where life and death mingled. His brown eyes gaze into her eyes to give her strength.

"I know you're scared. I am too."

"I'm not, Drago," his battle companion growls with his helper behind him. The heavyset green orc with a black stripe over each eye crosses his arms in defiance, but it's all an act. He wants to stop his body from shaking against his silver armor. What doesn't help is a mutter of whispers besides him.

He bangs his hand against his armored knee. "Can't you say that more quietly?!"

The almost bald man with a long ponytail looks up from praying over his beaded necklace. "Sorry. It helps me."

A gentle hand on his orange toga has him turn his head. A warm smile from the woman with sapphire eyes gives him some peace.

"Let him be, Uruk! I know we signed up for this mission, but this new threat is different," the mage in an icy blue parka argues.

He scoffs. "Huh, I didn't know you and Anzan were that close."

"She saved my life and I saved hers. Why aren't we close?" the monk naively asks.

"He meant that we act like lovers," the mage clarifies.

"Oh. I cherish our friendship more than anything else, Hiela. I'm glad you're here with me," Anzan smiles.

"And I'm glad to be here with you." She gives him a peck on the cheek which he returns.

"So that confirmed it," Uruk chuckles.

"That's a custom from my culture," Hiela asserts with a stare.

He sighs slowly. "I apologize for assuming."

Drago takes out an apple from his knapsack to feed his horse. She takes a big bite out of the crisp honey apple. He lets her take another big bite before tossing it to the empty ground. The reported rumors are proven correct as the apple rots down to its core, turning to a midnight black.

Their horses rear up from the horror of that sight. But their riders keep them steady. Drago shushes her with a lullaby he learned from a friend. She lays her head on his shoulder out of appreciation.

"Let's eat up before we go in," the archer suggests. Their helpers assemble their equipment for them as they survey the land.

Two other things occupy the desolate wasteland. A lifeless tree and the decaying castle that sits in the middle of the land. 

After eating, Drago prays while touching the right side of his shoulder. An embroidered patch of a red lion. "Give me strength. I will shoot in your honor. Let's play cards again, William."

They cross over the border without their horses and helpers. They traverse in the fog while only seeing the outlines of the others. They're all used to it from their collective experience, but their hearts thud as one as they get closer.

Hiela and Drago stay in the back to provide support while Uruk and Anzan are in front. Uruk brings out his two-handed Warhammer ready to bash the brains out of the target. Hiela materializes some knives made of sleek ice with a whisper while Anzan's hands glow a wispy red.

A black insignia flares up when they reach the gate. Their noses are ambushed from the foul odor that permeates the air. Helia adjusts the covering over her nose as Drago does the same. Despite his battle experience, Uruk's stomach flip flops. His lunch almost comes up, but he swallows it. Anzan wears a panda mask that leaves his eyes uncovered.

After reading the bone-chilling second warning of the insignia, they enter the kingdom.  The door slams shut right behind them!

They almost jump out of their skins from the sudden surprise. A shrill alarm flies over them. Their eyes pick out a raven with unusual blue eyes that lands on a nearby rooftop. It stares at the unwanted intruders while flapping its wings. A shrill cry from it welcomes them to their eventual resting place.

"Wolke," Heila utters which summons a protective icy cloud around the group.

"Let's continue," Drago whispers while scanning the rooftops of the small kingdom. His eyes shoot wide open in alarm with a racing heart. He shoots an arrow, but it only hits air.

The others prepare themselves.

"She was just there. Keep your eyes-"

The Warhammer hitting the cobblestone street interrupts his sentence. Uruk quickly picks it up.

A blanket of dread falls on Hiela. The threat had just entered their form of protection. Anzan grips her trembling shoulder while keeping his eyes forward. That grip brings her back to refocus.

"Come out, Skeleton Queen!" the orc shouts with his might.

A tap on the shoulder makes him swing again. Heila throws out her ice knives as soon as she sees the flowing dress. Her slippers give off no sound from her staggered steps.

The Queen dances around them until appearing in front of them. The ends of her violet dress flows as her unkempt white hair covers her shadowed face.

Her arrogant crown shines from the care she put into it. Her adornment adds a few centimeters to her 152 cm frame (5'5 inches).

Her dark green hands and feet covered by white cartilage like gloves and socks. Her elegant violet dress embraces her wide hips like a cursed lover. The top of her cleavage reveals pride in her unnatural body.

The stitching across her throat warns them that getting close would be a fatal mistake. That they would join the grave of the person responsible.

She pushes her snow-colored hair back. Her oval jawline is marked with the literal bone that came out of her face. Blue lips that haven't seen the warmth of sunlight. Her dress hides the rest of her cartilage. Her eyelids open with magenta irises that bore into their souls.

Uruk runs at her with Anzan behind him. Drago fires off arrows tipped with silver for support.

The necromancer grabs an arrow to fling it at the other. The arrows clatter onto the ground in pieces. Uruk swings to his left with the silver Warhammer to her head, but she ducks down. She backs up as Hiela places an ice wall to separate them. Uruk slams his Warhammer against the wall, sending icicle spears at her.

The queen grabs a spear and deflects each one that comes her way.

Anzan throws out silver knives while maintaining his distance. She deflects with the icy spear until one pierces through her hand. Her steaming hand is forced to let go of her weapon.

Uruk takes advantage and swings down--

Squelch.

Drago, Anzan, and Hiela's stomachs flip flop several times. The Queen's steaming hand protrudes out of the orc's back with his heart in her hands. The orc's eyes dilate as she pushes him off. His Warhammer falls with a heavy thud along with his body. She waves a hand over his beating heart.

The trio shoot out their respective weapons, but all of them are blocked by the Warhammer.

Which is held by a standing Uruk with eyes of white.

The orc swings his hammer at Drago but strikes an ice wall instead. Anzan connects a palm strike to the Queen's abdomen which has her stagger back a few steps. He rushes in with a roundhouse kick. Anzan's eyes almost pop out of their sockets. She blocked with a respective kick.

Each strike he throws is only countered with frightening ease.

"Back up!" Heila warns.

He listens as a bear of solid ice charges at the Queen. It goes to bite down on her neck, but a palm strike to the head breaks it into chunks. Heila moves her hands......ends of the chunks shoot up to pierce through her. The ice mage's jaw almost drops to the floor as the target is no longer there.

Meanwhile, Drago ducks Uruk's heavy swings and blows. The arrows hit their mark as the possessed orc groans from the pain, but it doesn't stop him. Drago rolls away and comes face to face with the necromancer. Before he can do anything, she punctures through his chest.

A final breath leaves his lips as she performs the ritual.

Anzan tries to stop her with a dropkick, but his feet meet with the hammer head. His feet vibrate and sting from the impact as he jumps back. An arrow comes near his face, but it gets destroyed by Heila's dagger.

The Queen gets close to him whole dodging the projectiles. Anzan jumps back to swing his long ponytail with a fixed dagger at the end. The hair arches with precision to go through her head. He sees her ducking and does a finger motion.

Boom! The knife explodes.

He found she's still standing as her left arm steams instead of her face. Her body sways to and fro before materializing in front of him. He delivers a rapid tornado kick that dazes her. Helia holds off her possessed comrades so Anzan can deliver his ultimate barrage.

With every ounce of adrenaline in his veins, Anzan takes a deep inhale.

Temples, knees, obliques, abdomen, throat, and solar plexus. 

The barrage of elbows, kicks, punches, and knees sends her into the side of a house. Cracks form around the outline of her body while violet blood drips down her mouth. Her crown clatters to the cobblestone street.

The monk aims for her heart with his right hand like a spear--

Anzan loses his breath. Her right hand stops his hand two inches away from her breast. Her magenta irises almost resemble an exploding powder keg.

Snap. Snap. Crack.

The monk kneels to the ground with broken arms and legs. He stifles the pain from coming out of his lips.

Helia throws an ice spear to help him, but Drago takes the hit for his master. He falls to the side but gets back up. Helia claps her hands, and the archer is frozen from neck to toe. Uruk throws his Warhammer at her, but she freezes it in place with her breath. It falls down to the ground as she slides down to help Anzan.

The Skeleton Queen sees the monk is standing up through sheer will despite the broken limbs. She hits him with the same barrage he delivered to her. Before the final blow, Helia summons an ice wall to cut off her hand.

Slice.

Her sapphire eyes well up from the scene. A chunk of the ice wall slides off along with a piece of Anzan's head. The right side of his brain exposed to the cold air and the dark green fingers of the Queen.

The body shakes until he is motionless. The zombified monk stares at Helia while breaking Drago out of his prison with a chop.

Tears stream down her face. "ANZAAAN!" Her heart rate spikes as she's outnumbered and without any hope.

The necromancer motions with her left hand. In that motion, Uruk, Drago, and Anzan walk to the side and kneel down.

The ice mage is perplexed. The Queen had the advantage of numbers along with her skills. She just stares at her with those malevolent eyes.

Helia traces along her heart as her body glows. She plants her feet firmly into the street as the fury of a blizzard surrounds her and the monster. She then inhales the fury.

"Eisdrache!" she exhales with full lung capacity.

A wide beam of ice in the form of a great dragon envelops the target and several streets behind her. The windows of the houses shatter from the absolute zero temperature.

Snowflakes fall down around Helia as her eye color turns grey. Her final weapon using her life on the line. Her heart thuds slowly as she sinks to her knees. She takes one final look at Anzan and the others.

At least we stopped her, Anz-

A horrified exhale breaks through her blue lips. The Queen busts out with small amounts of ice on her body. The mage can no longer move her arms and legs. She closes her eyes to await the final blow.

Instead, she feels arms wrapping around her torso from behind.

"Even under my control, you will still be with your amigo. Is this what you desire?" the queen surprisingly whispers in her right ear.

No matter how she answers, she has lost.

"Please," the final word the mage utters before her heart freezes over. The queen quickly uses the ritual....

A zombified Helia stands up with help from her new master. The mage heals her master from the overall damage she sustained.

Through her master's commands, she throws an orb of ice that brings the temperature down to preserve the possessed warriors.

She picks up her crown and puts it back on its proper place. "Ven conmigo al castillo (Come with me to the castle). We have work to do."

The mage, monk, orc, and archer follow behind her. Zombie Anzan lays a hand on Zombie Helia's right shoulder. The mage turns to give him a small grin before they continue.

Bones are heard rattling as they walk to the castle. A round of applause for what their queen had done. She motions with her hand and the kingdom gate opens.

A flood of dread washes over the helpers as the desolate land expands. Flowers, grass, and trees wither away as a display of true power. They get on the horses to report the tremendous loss to their respective kingdoms.

----

The following months, the kingdoms send more of their best heroes to thwart the necromancer, but they never return.

The Skeleton Queen now controls a small undead army of their best warriors. The kingdoms decide to stop and rethink their plans. Sending the collective of their entire armies would be detrimental to everyone's safety and sending large groups of heroes would result in the same manner.

Her magic expands further into a cemetery of a town 20 miles away. Hands erupt from the graves as the dead come back to attack the living. The only thing the kingdoms can do is limit the number of undead servants through combat, relocating potential victims, and burning corpses and bones as a precaution.

Because of her, famines spread which inflates the prices of food. The kings and queens of Engla, Fran, Germ, and Iril hold a council to put a stop to the madness. Three of the countries decide to send their entire armies to overwhelm her, but the royals of Engla disagree.

"Before we do that, let's try one more thing. We do have a hero who's brave enough to face her. His name is Garth the Gallant," the king proudly declares.

The other leaders murmur. That particular knight has made a name for himself for slaying dragons and other monsters.

"Just him against the undead armee (army) she has?" the King of Fran asks with an inflection.

"We also talked with our strongest sorcerer, Phineas, for his opinion and we will go with his recommendation. A bard named William Bennett."

The king of Germ bangs his fist against the table. "But he's-"

"Who else would you recommend defeating the necromancer?!" the king of Engla shoots back.

The king of Germ slumps into his seat with silence.

"Merde, gods help us all if they lose," the king of Fran mutters.

"They won't. They always pulled through."

"We will get them on the same page and send them right away," the queen adds.

They adjourn the meeting and send out a royal courier to William Bennett. All their hope will be on his and Garth's shoulders. The Skeleton Queen must die before it's too late for everyone.