Chapter 165: 39 Gaw: Old Bones

Beneath the Cerulean Forest lies an age-old crypt, an underground chasm whence an old and powerful dungeon used to reside. Now, only the corpse of the dungeon and the remains of thousands of armies that warred before is all that's left. A dry and dusty graveyard, forgotten and ignored… until recently.

“We are close,” croaks a hoarse voice. “Just a little deeper and true power will be available to you.”

A middle-aged man lifts his hand and the undead under his control redouble their efforts. Shovels dig through dirt and bone, ever deeper, deeper even than the crypt.

“Are you absolutely sure the corpse is still here?” the [Necromancer] asks.

A monstrous form with armored skin and leathery, black wings nods slowly. “Yes, master. I saw it die here when I last tread these lands,” the demon answers.

The [Necromancer] gazes at the hulking form, unsure of the monster’s honesty.

Regardless, he glances at the towering forms of his [Death Knights], ready and willing to defend him, I doubt the demon could pose a threat.

He closes his eyes, but does not stop searching. The [Necromancer] looks out through the eyes of his undead stalking through the woods. The growing horde kills any living being, man or monster, it encounters. Once he has enough, he will march them straight through the damn kingdom that killed his wife.

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Ferris can honestly say that the trip so far has been both relaxing and interesting, a rarity in his line of work. Usually, the [Coachman] has interesting days when he is beset by bandits or monsters, which does not make for a relaxing time. A calm, relaxing day is simply a day during which he isn’t attacked.

But he finds this Bone fellow to be a lot of fun. The fellow tells interesting stories, cooks strange food, and you never know what odd thing he’ll pull out of his shadow next.

As they crest a hill, Ferris takes a moment to enjoy the fresh air. He inhales and smiles. They’ve finally reached their destination. The Village of Elmherst is a rather large village of two thousand souls. The village exports grain and vegetables to be sold to cities, alongside specialized woodworking, which is the town’s specialty. The rare and varied woods harvested from the Cerulean Forest supply a flourishing artisan craft whose works sell for a premium in cities across Orbis.

Ferris hums as he drives his coach into the village through a gap in a palisade that is under construction.

Two armed [Guards] wave at him to stop, and he does so. They look eager when they approach.

“Welcome, traveler!” the [Guard] greets Ferris while keeping an eye on the coach. “Are you the one bringing in the [Mercenaries]?”

Ferris nods. “That I am. Two teams,” he says while producing the Mercenary Guild Seal. He shows it to the [Guard] who only glances at it.

“Uh, great! Perfect. You’ll want to speak to our [Mayor].” He points at a tall building in the distance. ”He lives in the big building, middle of everything. Can’t miss it!”

Ferris nods. He chats with the [Guards] a bit more, inquiring about inns and stables before he is once again on his way. He arrives at the large house in the center of the village and brings the coach to a halt. Many an eye is upon him as he stands and gets off. He walks to the side and opens the door.

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Shina watches the door open, revealing Ferris smiling professionally. “We’re here. You need to speak with the [Mayor] first, though.”

“Perfect. We can ask him some questions of our own,” she says while standing up. “All right team, let’s head out.”

She is the first to exit the coach, followed by the rest of her team, and then the Merry Marrows.

She is… wary of them. Not in the sense that she fears for her life around them, but that she doesn’t know the extent of their abilities. The woman who says her name is Jess says she can use healing magic and summon angels, which, considering they might be fighting undead, will be a big boon.

But Bone is the one she keeps an eye out for. The man can use all elements of magic, albeit only in low tier spells. However, many of them are spells she’s never seen nor heard of. Now that she thinks about it, the [Gentleman] class is rumored to be very powerful, but even so, the breadth and novelty of Bone’s spells is stunning.

Just as Bone hands Jess out of the carriage, the doors to the mansion open, and a short, bald, plump human man exits. As he takes a step out, his wife runs up behind him and quickly hands him his hat. The man kisses her on the cheek and puts the hat on his head. He then walks down six steps.

“Welcome, [Mercenaries]! My name is Eric Abbernil. I am the [Mayor] of this lovely village. I’d like to thank y’all for coming out here.”

Shina quickly steps forward, bows, and introduces her team. Jess, with an elegant curtsy, does the likewise, and then they are invited inside the mansion. Both teams are seated in a parlor, snacks and drinks are quickly prepared.

Both Bone and Aiden take a liking to the snacks, scarfing them down. To Shina’s surprise, the [Mayor] does not take umbrage, but smiles and offers them more.

“Thank you [Mayor] Abbernail for your hospitality, but we really should get to work,” Shina raises the business at hand. “I was told you wished to speak with us?”

Eric’s expression darkens. He nods and leans back in his chair.

“Our situation has grown dire. A few weeks back, the [Woodsmen] would enter Bluewood-- that’s what most people round here call the Cerulean Forest-- and maybe, every so often, see an undead, some skeletons or zombies, wandering about. They’d stay in the woods, and we’d keep clear. Now, Bluewood is swarming with ‘em. [Woodsmen] can’t get out twenty yards before spotting one.”

“Were they aggressive?” Shina asks.

Erics frowns. “I suppose,” he answers hesitantly. “They don’t much like folks gettin’ close to em. So long as you keep your distance, they don’t act out.

“But if you do…” He leans back forwards. “Well, I can’t say how lucky we’ll continue to be.”

“Has anyone been hurt?” Jess asks.

He shakes his head. “Not so far. They can’t really sneak up on you. No, the [Woodsmen] hear them and clear out. Even when they did get too close, wasn’t hard to outrun them.”

Jess nudges Bone.

“Hmm? Whatzit?” He asks with cake in his mouth and mask slightly tilted upward.

“Can you tell me anything about the undead? What they look like? What kind they are?” Shina questions.

“I can do you one better, miss,” the [Mayor] says and stands up. “If you’d kindly wait a moment, there’s something I’d like to show you.”

He walks away from the group, and opens the door. He whispers something to someone, before closing the door and returning to his seat.

“Now, a few of the [Guards] got together and took down one of the monsters. It’s not in what you’d call ‘pristine condition,’ but, ah!” The door opens, and a servant walks in pushing a cart with a large tray. Upon the tray lies rusted iron armor and broken bones, enough for a full skeleton.

Shina leans over and looks at the armor. It is old, formerly enchanted armor, but the design is foreign.

“Do you know that insignia?” she asks, pointing to the chest plate.

The [Mayor] places the tray on the table. He shakes his head. “I’m afraid not. You’ll need to ask a [Scholar] or [Historian].”

Jess elbows Bone hard enough that he almost drops his biscuit.

“Dammit woman, these are really good cookies! What do you even want?” he asks and she points at the corpse pile.

“Hmmm. [Soldier], formerly level seventy. Bones are hella old, like two hundred years at least. Probably a level twenty-something raised undead. It would be higher if the bones were better preserved.”

All eyes look to Bone, who ignores them and continues eating his biscuit.

“Damn, how can you get so much information from bones and armor?” Thresh breaks the silence.

“Cause Bone is amazing,” Aiden answers with a crumb covered smile.

“Well said!” Bone replies and pats Aiden on the back. Aiden grins in response and the two of them bump fists.

Jess shakes her head while Shina stares, dumbstruck.

Eric clears his throat. “Well, it’ll be night soon. If y’all would be willing to oblige, you can make use of a few of our empty rooms.”

“We’ll go today,” Shina quickly says.

“That… does not seem like a wise course of action. Undead are more dangerous during the night,” the [Mayor] states.

“They are, but every second we wait, more undead rise up. If my predictions are right, we may very well be dealing with a town, if not a city killing horde.”

Shina looks at Jess and Bone. “Will you be joining us tonight?”

Jess looks to Bone, who gives a thumbs up.

Shina raises an eyebrow.

“Thumbs up means yes,” Aiden says helpfully.

She sighs and stands up.

“Thank you [Mayor], but we must leave as soon as possible. It seems time is not on our side.”

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The demon Garashist tilts its head upward, sensing the approach of an enemy. Garashist runs his tongue over his fangs as he looks back at his master, the [Necromancer] that summoned him for a pact. Now, Garashist must fulfill his side of the bargain or be banished back into hell.

Truly, Garashist has found the last month and a half surprising. His kind had been barred from being summoned, unable to make any contracts or pacts, not even able to enter the realm of Orbis. Oh, plenty of [Demon Cultists] and [Warlocks] had made their attempts, but all had failed. After fifty thousand years, Garashist had almost forgotten what it was like.

And then, only a short time ago, his body and soul were brought to this realm by a [Necromancer] seeking power. Garashist had formed a pact immediately, tying himself to the [Necromancer] until the bargain is fulfilled. Then, and only then, will he truly be free. Free to roam and wander, see the world in all its glory and burn it beneath him.

Unfortunately, something, no, someone has trespassed upon his master’s lands. Eight of them, six weaklings and two not so weak.

Garashist concentrates on the pact connecting him to his master and reaches through it. He looks through the eyes of his master’s undead and observes the two less weak beings. The masked male he cannot properly perceive, cloaked as the man is by a god’s power.

But the masked female Garashist knows. She is an [Abbess], a class well suited for fighting the undead and the demonic. She should be his target, but he cannot take her. Not yet. His power is restricted, sealed until the end of his contract. However, once the contract is complete…

Well, for now he must let his master do his work. Just a little longer, and the beast will be raised. Then, the octet will be slaughtered.

Who knows? Maybe this time, Garashist won’t kill the summoner once the bargain is finished.

His smile reveals pointed teeth as he connects himself to the undead under the master’s control. They are weak, frail things, but useful nonetheless.

He tugs on the strings of mana, pulling a thousand undead under his control. He orders them to march towards the eight fools, aiming to overrun them with numbers and hopefully stop them from coming too close.

“Demon, what is happening?” his master calls.

“Enemies, master. They come searching. I am using your minions to distract them so that they will not interrupt you.”

The master frowns and looks away from the dig-sight where a massive bone connected to an even larger skeleton is revealed.

After a moment, the Master returns to staring at his minions. “Good. But, if possible, avoid killing them. Scare them away if you are able. I don’t want Camelot angered. I doubt this power you promised could compete with a named being or an elite gold-ranked team.”

The demon tilts his head, bemused. He has only recently been summoned, but he does not remember this Camelot place. Still, a city that has a named on retainer is dangerous indeed. So, he heeds the master’s orders and will only kill most of them instead of all.