A/N: Here's my first chapter since coming back from deployment. Enjoy, and make sure to review!
Ruins - Hallway
In the two months since Estelle's last foray into the Ruins, it had somehow become even creepier and more tomb-like. The oppressive, stygian atmosphere had grown heavier, so much so that she even had trouble breathing on occasion despite the lack of any additional physical hazards such dust or smoke. With only a torch as illumination, Estelle watched the shadows like a hawk for threats. None came, despite having been hours since they had entered the ruined castle. Aside from their footsteps and hushed warnings about traps, there was no sound. The constant vigilance and tension were wearing down the party of four, Estelle herself included. Even Sun Fortress was less creepy than this place, and that place was crawling with devils!
"Reynauld, is it usual for this place to be so barren?" Balian finally broke the silence, voicing a concern Estelle had as well. "I have neither seen nor heard any signs of the enemy. Indeed, aside from our own footsteps and breathing, I have not heard any signs of life at all. Not even insects."
Reynauld flinched and stopped in place before turning back to face Balian, halting the rest of the party as well. Although Estelle couldn't see his expression, his body language was enough to show how unnerved he was.
"Nay. The Ruins are usually infested with the undead," Reynauld replied. "We should have fought several of them by this time. Even if there are no skeletons, there would have been other foes."
"Curious…and troubling too," Almaric said. "Perhaps Estelle's miracle wiped out all the forces he had?"
"Were it so easy. The scum must have withdrawn his remaining forces to better defend his inner sanctum." Reynauld started walking again and motioned for the others to do the same. "We are deep in enemy territory. Expect heavy resistance at any moment."
The team continued to walk in silence for some time until they saw an intersection ahead where the current hallway joined a larger one in a T-shape. The path to the other hallway was strewn with several large piles of rubble. A glimpse forward by Estelle showed several red shapes around the corner slowly marching towards the intersection, the Detection quartz working exactly as intended.
"Guys, stop," Estelle whispered to the others. "Get behind that rubble pile closest to the intersection."
Reynauld nodded and duly obeyed Estelle's command despite being a couple of decades her senior. Seeing the amount of trust their leader put in the young woman, Balian and Almaric followed suit.
"All right, I sensed a few enemies around the corner," Estelle said as she snuck a peek over the top of the pile. "Let's get a drop on those bastards. It's payback time for what they tried to do to the Hamlet."
"Well said, Estelle," Reynauld nodded. "I trust thou shall keep a lookout?"
"You read my mind," Estelle said before holding a finger in front of her mouth to tell her companions to be quiet. Moments later, a rhythmic clattering and stomping sound was heard and slowly drew closer. With one hand tightly gripping her staff, Estelle stared through the rubble and the stone walls at the approaching red silhouettes. Soon, they were close enough for Estelle to make out the exact number and weapons: three bone spearmen and two bone arbalests.
If we get a drop on them from the back, they can't use their crossbows, Estelle grinned as she held up her hand with three outstretched fingers. Good.
Three.
The skeletons rounded the corner and marched straight through the middle of the T-intersection, ignoring the smaller rubble-strewn hallway.
Two.
Estelle and her companions crouched down and got ready to pounce as their oblivious foes marched straight forward.
One.
Estelle took one more look around, making sure there were no other enemies around. Then she turned towards her companions and drew a line across her throat with her thumb.
Go time.
The three Crusaders shuffled past Estelle around the rubble pile while Estelle herself vaulted over the top. They struck the unsuspecting enemy war party with fury and vengeance. The three Crusaders hacked into the two arbalests; their bayoneted crossbows useless in the face of the zealous onslaught. Estelle took advantage of the melee and jumped over the fight, landing right in front of the spearmen who were sluggishly turning towards the Crusaders. With a violent grunt, she swept her staff at their heads, pulverizing them with a single blow.
"Everybody okay?" Estelle asked, their shattered foes laying on the stone floor in pieces.
"All of us are fine. Let us proceed. The Librarian's map shows we need to turn left at this intersection," Reynauld replied. "Be wary. We may have just penetrated the enemy's outer defenses."
Estelle and the other companions nodded and kept moving, leaving the shattered skeletons behind. The victory, as small as it may be, put an extra spring in Estelle's step as she delightfully imagined introducing the necromancer to the business ends of her staff.
Throne Room
The earlier group of the Heir's obedient fools had done a great deal of damage to the Necromancer Lord's dark altars, leaving his magic greatly weakened except in the throne room itself. However, he still retained enough power to see through his minions. That was how he had been alerted to a second group of interlopers. The minions had been destroyed with ease, but not before the Necromancer Lord got a closer look at the strange twin-tailed girl. The last image he saw before the connection had been severed was her swinging a long staff with all her might, her furious grimace accentuated by her fury-filled red eyes glaring in the dark. Looking into those eyes made the Necromancer Lord feel something he hadn't felt in an eternity: excitement.
He possessed a member of the raiding party in the Warrens and saw that the skeletal troops there were fighting a losing battle against the horrid mass of half-dead swine flesh the Betrayer had inadvertently created decades ago. He sighed in annoyance, both at the Betrayer for creating a mass of uncontrollable flesh (unlike his own creations) and the fact he won't have his human corpses any time soon. The Betrayer continues to frustrate me even in death, it seems.
He mumbled curses under his breath as he proceeded back down to the morbid workshop. His second creation was barely halfway complete, and there was simply no way to complete it any time soon. The first raiding party was doomed, and he could ill afford a second one considering how close the enemy was. The Necromancer Lord grunted in frustration, plumbing the depths of his knowledge for a quicker solution. A skittering noise interrupted his thoughts. It was a spider, skulking back into the shadows.
I had hoped to not rely on them too much, but the situation has become quite dire. He froze in place, staring at the retreating spider. Yes. These will have to do.
A pair of bony claws peeked out from under his sleeves as he approached the spider, ready to commence his work.
Ruins - Hallway
As Estelle and her companions traversed the stygian halls, the skeleton attacks became more and more frequent. Yet they soldiered on, slashing and smashing their way past any resistance. The sluggish skeletons were no match for the four living warriors.
"These foes are nothing before our holy might!" Balian exclaimed after finishing off the last bone soldier to occupy a room they were in. The only remarkable thing there was a shattered black monolith of some sort, with the bottom still mounted on a bronze tripod. Estelle figured it must have been at least as tall as a human adult while intact.
"Be wary, brother. Our easy victories are built upon the backs of Lucian and his companions," Reynauld said as he gestured towards the shattered black stone. "Their desecration of the necromancer's dark altars, conduits for his dark power, hath greatly weakened our foes. Even then, we are dealing with their ringleader: a Necromancer Lord. Aside from Estelle, you all know what evil they are capable of."
"Indeed, I still remember the evil they wrought during the Crusades. But I have faith in the Light that we shall triumph," Balian said. "And from what you say, it appears Lucian has given us much to thank him for. I propose a celebratory feast when we return!"
"Do not be so hasty, young one," Almaric chided. "We still have not slain the enemy commander yet."
"Therein lies the crucial part: 'Yet'," Balian retorted. "It is only a matter of time before our foe lies slain at our feet."
Estelle remained silent during the Crusaders' conversation, thinking back to Weissmann and Joachim. One had engineered an atrocity which resulted in a war that had killed her mother on top of making her beloved Joshua's life a living hell. The other had run a cult which routinely tortured and experimented on children, with Renne being one of a handful of survivors, and used the results to make a drug to turn people into devils. Was the so-called Necromancer Lord, who desecrated the dead and used them as slaves and cannon fodder, that much viler than Weissmann and Joachim to the degree that he needed to be slaughtered on the spot? Estelle wasn't sure, but she did know one thing: Unlike Weissmann and Joachim, Estelle felt zero pity for the so-called Necromancer Lord. Not after the rotting old man tried to eat his own granddaughter alive and gave Estelle nightmares that would probably never go away. Her grip tightened as she thought back to the little girl she had saved. I'll make sure these people never have to suffer like that again.
Something ahead caught her attention. Through the darkness, she saw a door up ahead with red silhouettes behind them.
"Guys, we got more enemies up ahead," Estelle said, and a putrid stench soon reached her nose. "Ugh, and it smells really bad too. Seems like it's coming from behind that door."
"Hmm…I can smell it too now," Reynauld said as they approached. "Be on thy guard, everyone."
"This smell. It is far too familiar," Balian said. "I can never forget it so long as I live."
Estelle raised an eyebrow at Balian's remark, but after getting closer to the door, Estelle realised exactly what it was: rotting corpses. As Estelle gazed at the red humanoid silhouettes on the other side, images of the rotting horde pouring out of the graveyard resurfaced in her mind and washed away any previous enthusiasm she had for battle. She shook her head to dismiss those awful memories and refocus on the fight ahead. Damn it, I can't let it get to me! Come on, Estelle! Focus! We're not like those innocent people! We can fight back!
"Looks like we'll be fighting more walking corpses," Estelle said as they walked up to the door, staring at it. "Hold on, don't go in yet."
She took out her ARCUS and checked the power level. Fortunately, it was almost full thanks to the combination of the Ingenuity quartz and the Thor master quartz, which recycled some of the force behind her staff strikes and turned them into orbal energy. Satisfied, she cast a La Forte followed by a Chrono Drive. Balian and Almaric both yelped in surprise as Estelle's support Arts strengthened their bodies and increased their speed, but Reynauld stood silently, clearly used to Estelle's Arts.
"Don't worry. This'll help us fight better," Estelle explained. "Now, let's put some corpses down."
Estelle then kicked the door down and sidestepped, allowing the Crusaders to rush inside first before joining them herself. The smell of death and decay was the strongest at the source: the four cultist brawlers laying in wait behind the door. Judging by the dried, emaciated flesh clinging to their skeletons, they must have been dead for over two months. Upon seeing Estelle and her companions, the brawlers snarled and trudged forth like rotting, ravenous beasts, flashing the clawed gauntlets which had served as their weapons in life. However, the clumsy way in which the reanimated cultists wielded their clawed gauntlets were no match for the Crusaders' zealous swords and Estelle's staff. Moments later, victory was achieved, and the cultists lay dead at their feet.
"Brothers, what are thy thoughts about Estelle's Arts?" Reynauld asked.
"Nothing but awe and gratitude, Reynauld," Balian replied before turning to address Estelle. "I felt stronger than a bull and swifter than a fine steed. My deepest thanks for your role in our victory."
"Don't sweat it, Balian. I'm far from the best Arts user back at home, but I'll do whatever I can to help you guys out," Estelle's victorious grin turned into a frown when she and the others heard more shuffling and moaning come from the exit. "Get ready, we got more baddies coming our way."
Estelle's anticipation was quickly replaced by disgust as the enemy burst into the room. It was a group of brigands who couldn't have been dead for more than a week, including two cutthroats who duel-wielded knives and a hulking bloodletter who had an especially horrendous stench emanating from its bloated corpse. Their clothes were torn at various spots, exposing the fatal sword wounds that end their mortal lives. Writhing maggots shook free with each shuffling step they took, their white eyes fixed intently on Estelle and her companions. Their howls and growls echoed throughout the hallway, shaking Estelle to her very core. Yet she refused to back away and stood her ground, ARCUS in one hand and staff in another while Reynauld and the others advanced. The Crusaders charged at the corpses, with Reynauld taking on the bloodletter in the center while the other two engaged the cutthroats on the left and right.
Unlike the cultists, the (comparatively) freshly killed brigands were far nimbler with their weapons. Using some of the skills they once knew in life, the cutthroats locked their blades with Balian and Almaric. Living and undead clashed together in combat as they blocked and parried each other's blows, each trying to gain the upper hand. Estelle helped her companions by casting a Chrono Break on the undead group, slowing them down significantly. She surveyed the situation anxiously, ready to cast more Arts in case her companions needed more help.
The bloodletter clumsily pulled out its flintlock but Reynauld dashed forward and sliced off the gun arm before the it could take the shot. The bloodletter did not even flinch from the dismemberment as it pulled out its whip, only for Reynauld to cut the other arm off. Yet the hulking brigand kept coming at the Crusader, this time with its teeth.
"Return to thy grave, fiend!" Reynauld shouted as he stabbed straight up, through the undead bloodletter's chin and putting it down for good. The bloodletter's corpse hung limply, precariously propped up by its own two feet and Reynauld's sword. With a grunt, Reynauld pulled out his sword and kicked the corpse right in its gut to push it back. The body burst apart as the maggots which called it home swarmed outwards and splashed some of the foul ichor on Reynauld. Unlike Estelle, who yelped in surprise and disgust, Reynauld simply kicked the maggots aside. He then moved on to help a struggling Almaric by cutting off the reanimated brigand's head and crushing it under his boot. Meanwhile, Estelle had rushed to assist Balian by caving in the skull of the other cutthroat with her staff. Even then, Balian roared in rage as he continued to attack the downed corpse by cutting off its limbs before kicking them away.
"Anybody need healing?" Estelle asked as she looked over her allies for any signs of injury, slightly unnerved by the sudden display of brutality. She sighed in relief when her companions all said they did not require aid.
"Let us proceed before other foes arrive," Reynauld said. "We must slip through their defenses quickly."
"But what about your armor?" Estelle asked, almost gagging at the smell and the grisly sight of her fallen foes. "You got nasty dead body…stuff all over you!"
"Thank thee for thy concern, but all of us have had similar experiences in our past campaigns," Reynauld shrugged. "I am long accustomed to the scent and ichor of the dead. Come, let us tarry no further. The Necromancer Lord may already be aware of our location and sending forces to pursue us as we speak."
The party of four set off once more, and Estelle found herself thinking about the battle that had just transpired and Reynauld's reaction to being splashed. Estelle knew full well that she would have puked on the spot just like back at the Warrens, yet Reynauld soldiered on. Furthermore, the other two Crusaders were equally as nonchalant about fighting the rotting corpses as he was. As composed as they were, Estelle could tell they carried themselves with fury as they attacked the reanimated corpses. What did they see during their Crusade?
"Estelle?" Balian called out, shaking Estelle from her train out thought.
"What's up, Balian?" she replied as he and Almaric slowed down their pace to walk beside her.
"Reynauld told me a little about you. He said that not only have you never fought the undead prior to your arrival at the Hamlet, but that you did not even know what necromancy was," Balian said to her. "Truth be told, I am quite envious of your previous innocence."
"As am I," Almaric said curtly.
"Hope you guys don't mind me asking, but what exactly did you guys fight during your Crusade?" Estelle asked. "I thought it was just against an enemy army, but…"
"It is as you imagine, except a thousand times more horrific," Balian replied. "Reynauld is the oldest of us that survived, and he has witnessed many more atrocities than we have. For now, just know this: there are very good reasons why the art of raising the dead as puppets and slaves is an abomination unto The Light."
"Indeed, and we shall purge the land of its practitioners by faith and blade no matter the cost," Almaric said. "If nothing else, we do it to bring peace to the fallen themselves."
Estelle simply nodded. Something as evil as necromancy was simply nonexistent back in Zemuria, and it sickened Estelle to her core that such dark magic existed in this world. She had read some horror novels in the past but living them was something else entirely. She thought about the Crusaders with her and the Hamlet's people. What she had dealt with for only two months, they had dealt with for years if not even more. These people are strong, and so am I. If they can get used to it and keep on fighting and living, then so can I. I'm going to get through this, because I still need to find Joshua and go home!
As they proceeded deeper and deeper into the Ruins, Estelle and her companions encountered more enemies with alarmingly increasing frequency. Although they had some lucky breaks, such as reanimated brigand fusiliers that clumsily wielded their firearms as clubs, it was mostly an uphill battle. They were able to get the drop on the enemy every time thanks to Estelle's Detection quartz but fighting group after group of the undead in the dim ancient halls were starting to wear on everyone. The Crusaders seemed to mask their weariness with a newfound brutality. Their grunts were replaced by chanted curses in the Light's name, and simple killing blows were supplemented by almost ritualistic skull-crushing and limb-severing. Even Estelle herself started to have brief flashes of doubt about whether they would emerge victorious or even survive the whole ordeal. Yet her sense of shock and disgust began to fade with each battle, replaced by anger at the one responsible. That Necromancer Lord bastard is gonna pay for everything he did!
Suddenly, rattling chains and a series of howls coming from further down the dark corridor they were in made the party stop dead in their tracks and ready their weapons.
"What the hell was that?" Estelle asked. "That didn't sound like those rotting freaks at all!"
"Brace thy selves! Those were ghouls!" Reynauld said as he readied his sword, with the other three following suit.
Estelle was about to ask what ghouls were when she saw two hulking figures accompanied by four smaller ones coming towards them. Both larger creatures were humanoid in shape with pallid grey skin and bright yellow eyes that betrayed a ravenous hunger. Dried blood caked their claws and sharp teeth, and filth-encrusted hair clung tightly to their scalp. They wore tattered loincloths, necklaces made from long-dead skulls, as well as thick metal collars with two chains attached to each one. The chains themselves were in the hands of four bone rabble that served as the ghouls' minders, all straining to keep the ghouls in check.
The ghouls snapped and snarled as they trudged forward side-by-side, barely kept in check by their handlers. "The shriek pierced Estelle like a blade, igniting atavistic terror and an overwhelming urge to flee that she barely resisted.
"Overwhelming terror!" Balian cried out.
"The floor seems to pitch and buckle!" Almaric said as he shook his head, most likely to try to clear his thoughts.
"I must master my fear!" Reynauld said resolutely as he charged at the left ghoul. "Brothers, slay the other one! Estelle, support us!"
With hands shaking from a primal fear, Estelle pulled out her ARCUS. Just then, the left ghoul snatched a skull from its morbid necklace and threw it straight at Estelle's face. She failed to dodge in time and the skull struck her squarely on the left temple, dazing her.
"I…this…can't…" Estelle hoarsely gasped as she held a hand over her left temple and eye. She dizzily stumbled forward as she tried to blink away the blur in her vision. The world around slowly regained its sharpness, and she could see that her companions were locked in combat against the hulking monstrosities. To her horror, Estelle realized she had dropped her ARCUS after the skull hit her head. A quick survey revealed it had somehow clattered past the Crusaders and ended up right behind the two ghouls.
Even without her Orbment, Estelle was still a formidable physical powerhouse thanks to years of Bracer experience and training. She saw that Reynauld needed the most help, so she rushed towards his side.
"Out of my way!" Estelle shouted at the ghoul as she swung at its knee, shattering it with a sickening crunch. The ghoul howled in pain as it fell forward, frantically swinging its claws at Reynauld and Estelle, who blocked its strikes with ease. Estelle then caved in the ghoul's skull with her staff, and Reynauld finished the job by decapitating it. The two bone rabble handlers dropped the chains and pulled out their clubs before charging. They died within seconds.
They hadn't even caught their breath when Balian suddenly cried out in pain. Reynauld and Estelle exchanged glances, then Estelle nodded towards her fallen ARCUS. Reynauld seemed to understand what she meant and started hacking at the two remaining bone rabble. Estelle dashed and scooped up her ARCUS before whipping around. Reynauld had already finished off the bone rabble and was slashing at the other ghoul, distracting it so Almaric could drag Balian to safety, blood trailing behind him. Estelle quickly joined Reynauld and helped him fight off the second ghoul. The battle proved far easier because it was only using one arm; the other had all its fingers severed for some reason. Estelle dodged a swipe before shattering the ghoul's good arm, distracting it long enough for Reynauld to stab it straight in the heart. As the ghoul tried to weakly pull away, Estelle smashed its skull just like the other one, finally ending the battle. With the threats eradicated, Estelle and Reynauld focused on the next most urgent thing.
"Balian! Speak to me, brother!" Reynauld frantically called out as he and Estelle rushed to the other two Crusaders.
"Damn…damn bastard found chinks in my armor. Tried to rip out my guts with those talons, but I cut them off." Balian said as Almaric frantically removed pieces of armor, blood steadily leaking out of the various seams and joints. Estelle pitched in as well and soon exposed the source of the blood: a deep gash that was far worse than the wound she suffered at the hands of the Collector. His helmet had been removed, exposing his pale and sweaty face. Estelle instantly recognized it as a sign of shock.
"Thou hath aided us tremendously, brother. Estelle and I had an easy victory thanks to thy act." Reynauld dropped his bag and started pulling out bandages, but Balian weakly shook his head.
"I'm no fool, brother. I know I have lost too much blood, and the ghoul must have torn me up inside." Balian gestured towards the blood trail he had left behind. "I suppose this is my time to go into the Light, after so many years of toil and battle."
"No, you're not dying on us." Estelle spoke up as she flipped open her ARCUS's lid. A warm blue light washed over Balian seconds later, and his wounds quickly sealed up. Reynauld and Almaric gasped in amazement as they saw color and life returning to Balian's face at a miraculously rapid pace. Balian took a few deep breaths and sat up straighter as he felt his now-healed wound.
"Balian? How do you feel?" Almaric asked.
"This…this is a miracle. My side still stings, but the wound…it has fully healed! This is a miracle! Glory be unto the Light…and Estelle's Goddess!" Balian exclaimed as he tried to stand, but judging by how unsteady he was it was obvious he he still needed more time to recover his strength
"Reynauld, I understand you wish to see this task to its end, but we should consider bringing Balian back to the Hamlet," Almaric suggested. "We can return to slay the Necromancer Lord another day."
"Absolutely not!" The objection came not from Reynauld, but Balian instead. "Do not abort this holy quest for my sake! We must finish the work Lucian and his companions started. I may be weakened for a time, but all I require is some food and a night's rest."
"And let the Necromancer Lord's forces slaughter us as we sleep?" Reynauld objected. "Hath our past conflicts taught thee nothing? The enemy shall search and chase us tirelessly until either we win or we lay dead in this tomb."
"Uh, guys? I'm just as worried about these freaks hunting us down as the rest of you, but I have an idea," Estelle said, raising her hand. "I felt a breeze coming from the walls in a hallway we just passed through. What if there's a secret room that the maps haven't accounted for? I bet the Necromancer fella didn't know about it either."
"Very well, lead the way," Reynauld said. After repeating the pattern of destroying the fallen enemies' heads and limbs, they followed Estelle as she retraced her steps until she felt the breeze again. She looked at the source: a wide supporting column. Estelle felt the column and gave it a hard push, feeling it slide a little. She pushed the fake column aside with help from the Crusaders and found herself looking into a dark doorway. The team went inside, making sure to slide the fake column back into place.
The secret passage was not long, and they soon found themselves in a small storeroom of sorts that looked like it hadn't been touched in decades. The only other occupant was the desiccated corpse of a brigand who must have starved to death. Without hesitation, the Crusaders rushed forward and crushed its skull as well as cutting off its limbs before throwing the remains into the corridor they had just come from.
"What the hell did you guys do that for?" Estelle asked. "That guy was already dead! He can't hurt us anymore!"
"Human life may be fragile, but the human body is not! Even after the soul hath passed on, a sufficiently skilled necromancer can still revive the body for their nefarious purposes," Reynauld replied. "Destroying the head makes it far more difficult for a necromancer to resurrect body, assuming they do find a replacement head. As for limbs, it makes it harder for any risen corpse to move. Art thou satisfied by this answer?"
Suddenly all their earlier actions made sense, and Estelle could have kicked herself for not realising it earlier. "Yeah, thanks - that does clear up a few things," she said. "Come on, let's set up the campfire."
Instead of using the firewood they had brought, Estelle swapped in a few fire quartzes and used her ARCUS as an improvised stove. She took over cooking again, managing to make a decent-tasting stew from the salted meat, hardtack, and preserved vegetables they had brought with them. They chatted quietly after finishing their meal, their morale somewhat heightened by the meal and the reprieve from combat. Estelle decided it was a good time as any to ask about the ghouls she and her companions had just fought.
"Raving mad creatures who only hunger for human flesh. They are usually feral and can be found in every region surrounding the Hamlet," Reynauld said darkly. "Yet it appears the foul Necromancer Lord had tamed them as hounds. This is yet another reason why we must slay him as soon as possible, before he has time to rebuild his forces and launch another assault on the Hamlet."
"Sounds like you've had a lot of experience with necromancers and the undead. Was that what your Crusades were about?" Estelle asked quietly. "What happened, Reynauld?"
Reynauld looked down for a few moments, as if trying to compose his thoughts. Estelle could tell from his expression that his thoughts were heavy with past burden, something she was far too familiar with from her interactions with Joshua and Renne. He slowly lifted his head, mouth slightly agape for a moment, and spoke up once more.
"I have prayed and reflected upon it, and I believe it is time to tell thee of our worst battle. Some of my men had been routed and taken prisoner a month prior. Taking counsel from a bishop who accompanied us as a spiritual leader, I had instructed my remaining forces to be on watch for them while conducting their campaigns," Reynauld said. "One day, a scouting party sighted the prisoners at a lightly-guarded camp led by one of the enemy's foul necromancers. We rejoiced at the possibility of finally rescuing the men while eliminating a necromancer and formed a plan to attack at dawn."
Estelle raised an eyebrow, wondering where Reynauld was going with the story. She had an inkling, but she prayed to Aidios that she was wrong.
"When we arrived, our men were strangely all sitting wordlessly along the camp's perimeter, not even attempting to escape or overpower their outnumbered guards. Then, it happened. They rose up as one and began charging — no, shambling — at our forces." Reynauld started to sweat as he continued his tale. "The men…they had been dead for days! Estelle, I had to look my captured men in their cold, lifeless eyes as I cut them down!"
He had to kill his own men? And they were attacking their own allies? Estelle's eyes widened in shock and bile rose in her throat. It's just like my fight against those walking corpses, but at least I knew they were already dead. These guys went in hoping they were still alive.
Reynauld paused to take a few deep, shaking breaths as Balian and Almaric put their reassuring hands on his shoulders.
"Some of them... some hadn't even lived long enough to see their fifteenth winter. What should have been a joyous victory became a charnel house as my living men and I battled against our undead brethren." Tears welled up in Reynauld's eyes as he recounted his tale. "As for the camp guards and their necromancer ringleader, we burned all of them at the stake along with the corpses of my slain men."
Fifteen. That's not even old enough to become a Bracer. Those poor kids. Estelle wiped away a stray tear, thankful that she never had to deal anything remotely close to what Reynauld had to went through.
"Something broke inside us that day, especially the bishop and myself. The bishop — Guy was his name — became more and more unhinged and bloodthirsty. At first he simply took to the field alongside the men with a blessed war hammer, then his counsels and sermons were more about blood and vengeance than about righteousness and holiness," Reynauld said. "We stopped taking prisoners, putting them to the torch instead. When he advised me to murder trade caravans and burn to the ground villages that harbored no enemy forces, I decided to put an end to the madness. I had him drugged that night and left him in the care of a caravan bound to the nearest port. To this day, I do not know what befell Guy... only that he did reach the port safely.
"Thus my tale concludes. Not many of us who were present for that battle are still living today, but the three of us are among them," Reynauld said as he gestured towards Balian and Almaric. "Estelle, dost thou now understand the evils of necromancy? Why necromancers and their creations must be purged mercilessly?"
"Yeah, I do. I finally do," Estelle nodded, her heart filled with a grim determination. "If necromancy existed in Zemuria, the church would do everything they could to stamp it out. I'll help you guys do the same, and make sure the Hamlet will never have to put up with this evil again."
The group sat around the campfire and chatted some more, the topics being much more lighthearted. As the exhaustion set upon the group, they put out the campfire, and Almaric offered a quick prayer for blessing and protection. Aside from Estelle, who took first watch, the group drifted off to sleep.
I wonder what Joshua's going through. It can't be as bad as this, can it? Estelle thought as she sat in the darkness. All the places I've been to so far are freakishly creepy, but Joshua could have easily escaped or found me during a past run. If he still hasn't showed up at the Hamlet yet, then he must trapped in some place I haven't been to.
She flipped open her ARCUS cover, the photo of her and Joshua together lit up from the ARCUS' backlight. A sad smile crept over her eyes as she looked at it. I'll get out of this alive, then I'll get Mr Heir to send me one of those new places. Somewhere in this hell is my beloved Joshua, and I'm gonna find him no matter what.
Soon, it was Estelle's turn to sleep. She crept into her bedroll and drifted off, her last thoughts being what to tell Joshua when they finally reunited.
The next morning, the group set off once more, with Balian feeling refreshed and ready to fight once more. They smashed through any resistance on the final stretch of their warpath towards the throne room and arrived soon after. The team huddled together as they went through their battle plan one last time.
"I'm sensing a lot of uglies on the other side, including some big ones. No surprises there, since the enemy leader would save the best for himself. His most elite warrior are probably close to him too," Estelle said as she looked over the map. "I'm expecting a bone commander, a bone bearer or two, plus a whole bunch of those stupidly annoying freaks with shield and axes. What are they called again?"
"Bone defenders," Reynauld replied.
"Yeah, those guys. Anyway, the throne room is narrow, tall, and long. The Necromancer Lord is probably all the way at the other end. You guys are going to have to cut through several ranks of enemies," Estelle continued. "Meanwhile, I'll go up this balcony on the left side and provide Arts support from there. I'll also take out any resistance on the balconies themselves."
"The Necromancer Lord may have one remaining dark altar that is well-protected in order to maximize the use of his dark magic. Try to destroy it with thy Arts," Reynauld said. "Considering how desperate our foe may be, expect surprises as well. Remember, his magic is strong and matched only by his evil and creativity."
After going over a few more details, Estelle announced she had some last-minute preparation they needed. She pulled out her ARCUS, swapped in a few quartz she needed, and cast a few Arts to make she and her entire party as strong, fast, and durable as they can be. Thanks to her quartz setup, the casting was almost instantaneous. After she was done, Estelle adjusted her ARCUS one last time to make sure she had a decent balance between attack power and casting speed.
"Everybody feel good?" Estelle asked, and the Crusaders nodded.
"All right, let's go kick some ass!" Estelle quipped before walking up to the large ancient wooden doors. "Hey, freakshow! KNOCK KNOCK!"
Estelle roared as she swung her staff with all her might, shattering the heavy doors and sending pieces flying into the undead army on the other side. The Crusaders let out battle cries as they rushed past her to meet the enemy head on. Estelle herself then stepped inside and clambered up the ladder to the left-side balcony. Several bone courtiers splashed their noxious drinks on her the moment her head peeked above the opening. Fighting off the urge to gag and ignoring the slight burning sensation on her clothes and skin, Estelle whipped out her ARCUS.
"Take this!" An arc of lightning shot forth straight at the skeletons in front of her. The severe electric shock turned metal into slag and burned the courtiers' clothing to ash. The charred skeletons clattered to the ground in pieces, giving Estelle some much-needed time to assess the situation.
Okay, Reynauld and the others are making some good progress. They've cut through about four or five ranks already. That Necromancer Lord is at the other end, just like we expected. Got all his bone defender buddies and a commander with him too. Reynauld was spot on about the dark altar, but it being behind the enemy boss and all his guards makes it hard to get to. What's with those two rubble piles beside him anyway? I get the creeps just looking at them…
A chant in some long-dead language that was nauseating to listen to suddenly echoed throughout the room. The source of the chant, the Necromancer Lord, stood up and pointed a pallid talon at the three Crusaders. Suddenly, the shattered pieces of the slain skeletons were drawn to each other like magnets and began to pull themselves back together.
"Guys! Watch out behind you!" Estelle warned the Crusaders, who quickly assumed a back-to-back-back formation to better protect themselves. Yet the damage had been done, and the offensive was stopped dead in its tracks due to the enemy risen behind them.
"ARCUS, activate!" Estelle cast an Aerial at the Necromancer Lord, and a tornado began to form around the Necromancer Lord's throne. To her horror, the bone defenders and other skeletal troops at the rear climbed on top of each other to form a defensive pyramid around the Necromancer Lord. The tornado tore through the skeletal pyramid, pulling them loose and dashing them against each other, but the Necromancer Lord was left intact and the bone commander was no worse for wear either. With a wave of his hand and more unholy chanting, the decimated bodyguards began to reform themselves. However, that was the least of her worries. Instead, her eyes were glued to the two massive humanoid figures, each twice as big as an adult human at the very least, that were poking out from the rubble displaced by her Art.
The Necromancer Lord raised his arms above his head and chanted once more in his ancient, nauseating language, but Estelle did make out two words she could understand: "flesh golem". The two hulking forms slowly stood up amidst what sounded like thousands of voices moaning at once. Estelle took a closer look and wished from the bottom of her heart that she hadn't.
The thing on the left was made from countless human corpses welded together by the Necromancer Lord's dark magic, with the "head" made from several upper torsos. Its limbs were composed entirely of arms and legs, with pieces of forearms and calves forming crude approximations of fingers and toes. The torso was simply a mishmash of bodies and moaning faces. As much as the first flesh golem scared her, the second was even worse.
As a child, Estelle had loved catching bugs and that even extended to spiders. However, gazing at the second abomination made her want to kill or run away from every spider she saw for the rest of her life. Its lower half was entirely made from human parts, but the top part was made of spider parts haphazardly mixed with human flesh. Being made of several spider heads, the second flesh golem's "head" was miniscule compared to the rest of its body. Its fingers were simply spider legs fused together with fangs serving as fingertips. Several spider abdomens jutted out from its torso, twitching and waiting to spray their webs at any potential victims. The two flesh golems roared in unison. Fierce, towering, nightmare made manifest.
"Stooges of the Light! Cast your eyes upon me and despair! An army of the dead surrounds you; loyal guardians protect me from harm, and two of my mightiest creations will feast upon your flesh and that of the brat with you!" the Necromancer Lord taunted the Crusaders. "Struggle like the worms you are but know that my remaining forces will converge upon this place soon. There is no hope in this hell! None at all! Now, flesh golems, claim my victory!"
The two gigantic monstrosities trudged down the length of the throne room, each steps causing the ground to quake. The fully human golem waded through the skeletons horde to get to the Crusaders, with any that were crushed or pushed aside simply reforming in their wake like a sea of bones. Starting from the end closest to the throne, the spider-like flesh golem began to tear down the balcony Estelle was on, haphazardly throwing rubble which Estelle had to either dodge or swat aside.
"Crap!" Estelle tried to keep her balance and avoid getting hit while her ears were filled with bone chattering, monsters roaring, and the despairing prayers for strength and deliverance from the Crusaders below. Even Reynauld, the oldest and most experienced among them, prayed for salvation as he frantically slashed and stabbed at the enemies around him while the flesh golem stomped towards their position. Estelle herself desperately dodged and batted while the spider golem drew closer towards her, her breath catching in her throat. The enemy ahead of her was far more horrific than anything she had ever fought before, including the devils in the depths of Phantasma's Abyss. She desperately tried to prop herself up with her staff so she wouldn't fall to her knees.
What am I gonna do? Reynauld and the others are just going to get overwhelmed! That Necromancer Lord is just going to keep putting his guards together no matter how many times I cast my Arts, not to mention those two freaky flesh golem things! There's no way the Crusaders can take on one of them plus all the skeletons. Oh crap…oh crap…are we gonna die here? Aidios, save us…
"Estelle, breathe." A memory of her father's training session interrupted her thoughts. "When you feel overwhelmed and the battle seems unwinnable, the least you can do is breathe."
After ducking behind a nearby pillar, Estelle did exactly that. She took a deep whiff of the stale air, yet it still gave her a measure of relief. She tuned out the Crusaders' increasingly desperate cries and the shaking surroundings as she quickly formulated a plan, seizing a moment of clarity in the eye of the storm. I'm better than this. I know more than just Arts and simple staff smashes. We're working pretty quick here, so my Arts haven't worn off yet. Good.
After casting a healing Art on the Crusaders just to be safe, Estelle crouched down like a leopard while continuing to smash any rubble that was thrown towards her. She stared past the flesh golem ahead of her towards the Necromancer Lord, not with fear but with anger and purpose. The one that had used reanimated corpses and skeletons to cause all the death and misery in the Hamlet was in clear view. Even though the Necromancer Lord was surrounded by powerful and horrific guardians, Estelle was determined to make him pay.
The Crusaders below were fighting with all the might and righteous fury they had, and she could do nothing less. Bracing herself, Estelle channelled all her anger and spirit into her staff, just like Dad had taught her.
"All right, get ready!" Estelle shouted as she took off on a running start towards the end of the balcony, grunting to hype herself up even more. A fire-like aura began to envelop her, yet she did not burn. Estelle jumped from what remained of the balcony and used the spider golem as a springboard, aiming to land straight on that dark altar behind the Necromancer Lord's throne. Estelle twirled in mid-air before dropping towards her target, channeling the full force of her strength and rage in a brilliant confluence of skill and purpose.
"Phoenix! WAVE!"