The stench of a badly decomposed corpse surged in like something solid, instantly filling the entire room.
The smell was so overpowering it nearly suffocated them. By comparison, even the mustiness of the rotting floorboards seemed fresh and pleasant.
The undead monster froze in the doorway, motionless, its claws outstretched. It remained poised to pounce, yellow-black teeth jutting outward, green pus dripping from its mouth down its chin and hissing as it corroded the floor.
Though the zombie's joints were swollen and deformed, and much of his rotting flesh had sloughed off to expose blackened bones beneath, Renato still recognized him from his remaining tattered clothes and build.
It was none other than Matt, the innkeeper who had been speaking to him just moments ago, trying to get Renato to come downstairs for a meal.
Damn it, had they been attacked by a necromancer?
Deep blue psionic light flared in the female Dragonborn's golden slit pupils. As her slender fingers curled inward, the zombie immobilized by her spell began to twitch. His bones cracked, as though a pair of invisible hands were squeezing his skull from both sides.
Then, with a muffled burst, the zombie's head was crushed by invisible telekinetic force. Rotten brain matter and bone fragments sprayed in every direction, striking the walls with wet splats.
The headless corpse swayed twice before toppling backward onto the wooden corridor floor, throwing up a cloud of dust.
Ignoring the splattered rotten brains and bone fragments, Renato tensed every muscle. He held his sword in one hand while his left quietly formed a gesture, ready to use Misty Step at any moment to launch a surprise attack on the unknown spellcaster assaulting the inn.
Renato's gaze swept quickly over the doorway and the windows on either side, his ears straining for