Chapter 85: How it happened

Once walker had gotten to the part where they had been trapped in the catacombs Clara became very serious.

"Was that when you encountered the corpse spiders? I know they hunt above ground but often create nests below ground." She had picked up many bits of information due to working at the guild. This was one of those.

"Yes, we encountered a nest and even have the eggs left from it. We plan to sell them at the auction as a bundle with some zombie flesh and skeleton bones for tamers who want to raise them." Clara was impressed by the forward thinking but was also gold walker had not pulled out an egg to show off. If it had hatched in the office she would have instantly killed it.

Ibis and Clara jotted down a few more notes before walker continued. They were fairly interested in the skeletal spider and ibis himself took the remaining leg to personally deliver it to the basement. The guild had created many books based off of monster anatomy and this was an interesting evolution for corpse spiders. This could change some of the outdated information.

The pair seemed unhappy that the party was unable to map out the ruins but understood that they had unintentionally entered the catacombs below. Ibis also showed interest in the ceremonial armor and asked if it too was being sold in the auction. Walker had planned to do just that not knowing if it had any value other than historical. "Yes actually it is very popular with collectors. Barry happens to be one. He may not wear much armor every but is a fanatic for collecting. Just don't tell him I told you." Walker and the party weren't much surprised by this they had assumed Barry may be interested in something of the sort due to his high physical battle history.

Walker handed it over to ibis who told him he would deposit 500G for it in their party account. This surprised everyone that the guild master was willing to spend so much on something not even fit for combat. However not a single one of them protested. They needed not worry about auctioning it now.

Continuing on they spoke of finding the skeletal archer. This rare form of undead was a tough opponent for most but luckily had been encountered in a smaller space. If it had been in an open area it may have been a different result. Gil showed off the bow impressing ibis "this Very well is a weapon that could last you a lifetime. Even if you get a stronger bow it may be better to use it as materials to enhance this one. I strongly recommend having some elemental crystals used to temper it. Specifically for your affinity." It was sound advice. Using air/wind crystals would most certainly help Gil cut down the firing time of his elemental arrows. In a tight spot less than a second could mean life or death.

Once walker explained the undead leeches ibis and Clara chanted in their heads how happy they were that the Party escaped. The pair had seen some remains once upon a time that had been the results of such leeches. It was never a pretty sight or story to hear of an unfortunate adventurer that fell in one of the ancient ruins water ways. There had even been a poor soul that drank from one. Many monster encyclopedia of the undead variety warned not to go anywhere near them and to especially avoid rain in the undead heavy areas since the leeches could travel small distances to hunt.

Upon sharing the growth of midnight wings she stood tall and gave them a soft flap. In these few days she had gained a small amount of control over them. She was far from flying but now could fully extend them to cause a small breeze. That however did not stop her strutting around the office for a few minutes as walker explained her fathers and mother bloodline. The pair furiously scribbled notes knowing those in the research team would kill them if they didn't share this. In depth knowledge on dangerous dragons was always far and in between.

After being reminded of the talisman the party had found the two grew even more interested. A few other talismans had been found and were thought to be completely useless as no one had found the doors. Some had been sold as collectors pieces. The news that they actually corresponded to a door was big news. This being released would push many to go to the ancient ruins and Perdue treasure. However the next words were enough to break through their initial shock.

The news of an ancient undead liche existing within the central spire of the ancient ruins was ground breaking. Such a creature had the ability to slaughter whole armies. Walker quickly describe what his all around appraisal skill stated about it and even gave them the name it told them. The more he told them about immortal king the more they seemed to grow pale. After he told them about it fusing it's soul from every living soul in the city and becoming trapped did they finally gain some color to their faces.

The entire story of the previous hero caused ibis to sweat. Clara however was surprised. This was something she didn't know. Walker became perplexed at the reaction of ibis but knew he had to finish ever detail. Reviewing the conditions of their gifts and how immortal king had decided to test them Clara and ibis felt like their hearts would jump from their throats.

Describing their escape plan clad and ibis began to realize just how much this party had advanced mentally. Due to their resolve to get stronger they pushed their minds to develop faster than a normal party would. Years of experiences had been burned in to their minds. Not only their minds but it was evident in the short time since ibis brought them to the castle that these five had become significantly stronger. Their ingenuity would allow them to overcome stronger parties in level. Once walker had finished speaking and described their calm and thankfully basic trip back the pair finally relaxed.