After clearing out the bedrooms, they opened up the door at the end of the corridor. Hilda was the first to walk in, keeping her small shield raised as she walked in, closely followed by Thea. The light from Thea's torch lit up the massive stone hall they walked into. The hall was large with three big long wooden dining room table. It must have been some sort of dining hall for the soldiers. There were still plates and rotting food all over the tables. Some of the plates were shattered, the stone walls had dark red stains on them, as did the cold hard floor.
"Something bad happened here..." Robin said as he looked around the room.
"Really? I couldn't tell." Janus sarcastically replied whilst looking around. In total, there were four doors in this room. There was the door behind them that they walked through a few moments ago. Then there was a door to the left, another to the right, and another in front of them. "So many choices, which door should we go through first?"
Robin didn't answer him, he simply glared for a moment before walking away. As he walked, something caught his eye. On the table directly in the middle of the room, there was a book. On the floor underneath it, there was glass along with a large black stain. Was someone writing in this room when they were attacked? There was only one way to find out. The gallade picked up the book, quickly finding out it seemed to be someone's diary.
'Glace, third week, fifth day.
The barracks grow colder. I think Leo isn't going to make it. He must have caught something while guarding the wall. His coughs keep everyone awake, his skin is pale, I think about two more days is all he has. This cold may kill us all... This is the harshest winter we have had in living memory. Even the merchant's gold won't save them, not unless they can buy enough firewood to hold out. Our safest bet is to stay here in the barracks, it is warmer down here than it is on the surface. The miner's guild that helped build the lower levels to Pike Point are adding lower levels. Perhaps when those levels are constructed, we will all feel a little warmer.
Glace, third week, sixth day.
Leo is dead. We would burn the body, but we can't spare the firewood for a pyre. We have to bury him... The miner's guild are working away, I can hear their pickaxes hitting the stone right now. The sound keeps everyone awake, but it feels good knowing that they are trying their best. Most of them are dwarves, I saw an onix with them too, as well as one of those big mining rats. I forgot what they're called, but would hate to be on their bad side. Some of the guards are helping them shift the rock out of the way. I pray that the lower levels are constructed sooner rather than later. I hear we're running low on food. The horses will be the first to go... Good thing we are well stocked on ale, I don't even want to think about what we would have to drink otherwise...
Glace, third week, seventh day.
Someone stole my blankets. Someone has to have seen someone take them. This is not funny, we are dying to the cold here. I heard some of the guards talking about my horse... Are we that low on food already? Too tired and angry to write today...
Glace, fourth week, first day.
I saw a raven today, shortly before it was plucked of all its feathers and gutted. Apparently a message was on it, it looks like we're not getting any aid from Fordin... The path is too treacherous for anyone to deliver blankets or fire wood. This place is killing me. I think I heard someone coughing.
Glace, fourth week, second day.
Someone is stealing our blankets. My horse is dead and being served to us tonight. I don't think I am hungry...
Glace, fourth week, sec... third day.
I don't know how much more of this I can take. I hear people talking about me behind my back. I don't know what to think of it. I don't know what to think of anything anymore. What's taking the miner's guild so long to build that passage?! I cannot even hear their pickaxes anymore. What are they doing... I just coughed...
Glace, fourth week, fourth day.
They're trying to kill me... I feel it. Why my blankets?! Why my horse?! Why are they all talking about me! I sat down to eat today, I needed to eat... I got a small share... They think I am as good as dead... I know it. One less mouth to feed... I think I should hide this diary, they might try burning it for warmth... Fuck them, let them wither...
Fourth week, fifth day.
I coughed so hard to day, I could taste blood. My nostrils are blocked, snot is going down my throat, I want to throw it up. I am going down to see the miners today... I need to see what they're doing... I need to know they weren't just wasting our fucking time... I need to get away from these men anyway, I cannot be around them any longer... I sleep with a dagger nearby these days... I don't trust them. I know what they all want, I won't let them win...
Sixth day.
I couldn't find them... they're gone... They're all gone. I found a passage... but my torch was burning low... What's going on?
Seventh day.
They're not what they seem.'
The diary ended with a bloodstained page with bloody human finger prints all over it. Robin looked back to Thea, who also appeared to be reading it. "This man was clearly disturbed, crazy." The gallade said to himself.
Thea looked back to Robin. "Even crazy men speak the truth occasionally. He believed what he wrote in those pages, maybe he had a good reason to be suspicious of the people around him."
"People break under stress all the time, don't think too much of it." Robin simply responded before walking away.
Thea looked back down to the diary, reading a few more lines again before closing it, and taking it with her. She thought perhaps she may find more clues as to what happened here if she read some of the earlier entries.
Janus picked up a goblet, looking over it before placing it back down on the table. "Just junk." He thought aloud whilst walking around the room. There wasn't much left here besides food so mouldy, it was growing fungus. Suddenly, the door at the centre of the room flung open, startling Janus for a moment. He watched as three living corpses walked out, wearing chainmail. Their armor looked badly damaged, their faces partially rotting and ripped off. Their eyes were as black as coals, and each held a long sword in their right hand. Without a second thought, Janus let an arrow fly straight towards one of their exposed heads. The arrow not only hit, but it pierced the skull, causing one of them to drop like a rag doll. "Dead!" Janus exclaimed as he pulled another arrow out of his quiver.
One of the remaining undead shambled towards Hilda, holding his arm above his head before taking a swing, which Hilda deftly avoided. The sword almost struck the ground, missing its mark. Although the corpse missed his, Hilda did not. She struck fast and hard, swinging her sword horizontally, severing the corpse's right hand from his wrist. Hilda heard the undead swordsman's sword clacking against the ground, the hand still wrapped around the handle. Black blood spurted from the stump, splattering onto the ground below. The dwarf was not done yet though, the corpse was still standing.
"Fuck you!" Hilda screamed as she rammed the tip of her blade right into the back of the undead soldier's right knee, forcing the undead human to fall onto all fours. Strangely enough, the creature didn't scream or yell, it only took the punishment Hilda was giving. The dwarf pulled the blade out of the back of its leg only time bring the sharp blade onto the back of its neck. The sick sound of rotting flesh being cleaved through followed by the crack of the spinal cord being broken rang out, followed closely by a thud.
Thea stayed back, holding the torch as she watched Robin plunge the spike of his halberd straight into an undead soldier's chest. The gallade let out a loud yell as his blade pierced and broke the chainmail, and sunk into the undead's chest, almost pinning the living corpse to the wall behind it. Before he even got a chance to pull his weapon free of the corpse, Hilda, Thea, and Robin all watched as an arrow slammed into the side of the corpse's head, killing it instantly. "Was anyone hurt?" Thea quickly asked.
"They didn't get a chance to hurt us." Janus smugly replied as he walked towards the corpse he just put down with an arrow. He hoped that the arrow didn't break, he couldn't afford to lose too many.
Robin pulled his halberd out of the corpse, leaving Janus to recover his arrow. "These corpses are not what I am worried about. We would do well to remain alert in case we meet whatever made these corpses." The gallade didn't mind them being happy about this small victory, but he didn't want Janus thinking he was invincible only to get himself killed.
"You're not a very happy man, are you Robin? We're still alive, be thankful for that. You lot are so grim." Janus replied as he pulled the arrow right out of the corpse's head.
Hilda sheathed her sword as she rolled her eyes. "Stop pretending you want to see us happy. You're like a parasite, feeding off misery!"
"Parasite? Big word for a sellsword." Janus smirked as he looked right at her, enjoying that familiar look of hatred in her eyes.
The dwarf wanted him to just shut up. Every word he spoke just enraged her. "If you don't want a big punch in the fucking gob, I would shut the fuck up if I were you..."
"If only you could follow your own advice." The blaziken quickly retorted before hearing the sound of another door opening up.
Thea pushed on through the door to the left, just wanting them to stop arguing before they kill each other. She had no wish to see any harm come to them, not even if Janus had offended her and Hilda's ways disgusted her. Forced to follow the light bearer, the other three followed the Alakazam. The door led into a huge room full of racks, designed to hold weapons. In the middle of the room, there was a simple stone slab, three and a half feet in height and six feet wide. It must have been the quatermaster's desk judging from all the large wooden chests and racks located behind desk.
"You're a very boring man, Robin." Janus blurted out. "I mean at least Hilda is angry, firey even. And Thea is all righteous! Faithful! But you, you don't bring much excitement to the group, do you?"
Robin didn't look happy to hear these words, but he had more important things to get mad about. His words didn't hurt him, not much anyway. "I am happy to disappoint you, Janus..."
"Ugh, even your response was boring."
"I am just a man trying to feed his family, not a jester, Janus." Robin didn't care if Janus thought he was unremarkable. In fact, that is exactly what he wanted. Not many people try to rob or kill an unremarkable man, and no one cares about their secrets.
While the two men were talking, Hilda and Thea both decided to go behind the desk, and search the chests. As Hilda opened up a chest, she looked back to Thea. She was about to say something to the monk, but she just closed her mouth again and got on with the entire reason she was here. She was determined to find something of great value. She was tired of taking orders, and scavenging like a vulture picking at a carcass. She wanted a better life than that, and she didn't care if the monk disapproved of what she has to do to get to where she wants to be.
Author's note: We know a little more about the last occupants of this place, and we get a fight! Thank you to Zarfy and BigBoss again for editing this! And thank you all for reading this!