After leaving the inn, they found Galan'il standing next to the two other scouts and after a rushed explanation were ready to depart.
"Oh, one last thing," John added when his eyes fell on the Challenge board. "There is a spot for an easy challenge completion inside the castle, so if you want some free ash, I suggest one or two of you grab the very hard difficulty of the one called Overcoming the Legion."
They glanced at Melis'ar and after his nod, Duraq'er and Galan'il ran to pick them up.
"Good, I'll try opening up the path, your Knight-Protectors will fend off the strugglers, and Melis'ar and Dilah'ec will follow behind us. Now let's get moving."
Utilizing his weapons and abilities, John carved a line through most of the zombies wandering around the streets. The only times they had to slow down were when they ran into packs of Rothounds, but even then, they butchered the entire packs in a couple of seconds.
Luckily, all five of them were in E-grade and as such, able to keep up the pace. They spent only seven minutes rushing south until they reached the familiar cobblestone stairway leading up the steep hill.
"Hmm, either we got here first, or more likely, Ulian'al's group headed to the main entrance," John deliberated. "Just a little further and you can take a short rest. We are almost there," he added, looking at Dilah'ec, who was leaning on her Knight-Protector and gasping for breath.
Running the stairs up in record time, the whole group collectively sighed in relief. The royal garden before them was still populated by the roaming packs of Rothounds just like John remembered.
"Follow me and make sure you don't get caught," he pointed at the left wall with chipped paint. "We will climb over it here, leaving the packs to guard our backs."
Going first, John sneaked through the patrolling monsters and easily reached the top of the wall during the blind spot. Deciding to remain there in case something went wrong, he gestured for the next one to go. Dilah'ec went second and scaled the wall like a cat, gently lowering herself to the other side without any sound.
Next went her Knight-Protector, then the prince, and lastly Duraq'er. Everything went without a hitch and a moment later they were ready to face the Rothound Alpha, blocking the path inside.
Letting the Knight-Protectors pull its attention, John watched as the pair effortlessly outmaneuvered and cut it apart.
It was a show of peerless expertise, watching Duraq'er fight with a heavy curved blade in one hand and a small round shield in the other and for Galan'il to perfectly compliment him with his wooden glaive.
"Not bad, eh?" Ribbed Dilah'ec to which John chuckled.
"A good reminder of what actual skill looks like," John agreed. "Watching those guys fight shows how favorable a hand of cards I got dealt when this mess began."
Before they passed into the outer courtyard, Duraq'er pushed the corpse into the moat.
"I see," Melis'ar smiled and gestured to the Knight-Protectors to activate their challenge cards.
Before them was a courtyard filled with half a dozen rows of skeletons and behind them six knights wearing rusted plate armor and dull two-handed swords.
John, Melis'ar, and Dilah'ec began attacking the left, leaving the right side to the pair with the active challenge.
John had no trouble taking front against the common skeletons but was surprised by the only offensive ability the prince used. Seeing a golden swirl cut into the skeleton on his right and break its skull apart he glanced over his shoulder and noticed two other foot-long golden feathers twirling in the air and dipping into the ranks arrayed before them.
It wasn't a devastating ability capable of wiping out dozens in a blink, but the finesse with which Melis'ar controlled all three feathers simultaneously showed how dangerous he could be despite his scholarly appearance.
They were impressive, however, they couldn't be compared to his stiletto. One was a half-sentient blade capable of following simple instructions, the other was only a form of specialized telekinesis.
Dilah'ec used illusions to sow confusion and then thin beams of green light to dissolve the skeleton's heads.
Thus, by working together they were able to destroy all of them, with the sole exception of the Skeleton commander, who only observed their progress.
"Be careful with that thing," John pointed at the last undead, "It can throw javelins powerful enough to bruise your shield arm."
Nodding, Duraq'er charged forward, reflecting the first projectile right back with some kind of repulsion ability and before the commander recovered from the unexpected blow, the Knight-Protector entered into melee range.
Using the curve of his blade to hook its rusty sword, he delivered a backhand blow with his shield, forcing it backward and dropping its main weapon. After Galan'il joined in, the skeleton was unable to mount any resistance, and fifteen seconds later a well-placed sweep of an ability-enhanced glaive tore through its neck-guard and sent the helmet with its skull tumbling down.
"Wait," John shouted after noticing Duraq'er heading to the open gate. "When we pass through, the encounter begins."
"What can we expect inside?" Asked Melis'ar.
"Hmm, the opening phase is against a Juvenile Rotfiend, one of the dumbest undead I've ever seen. Just use a pile of bones for cover or bait it to charge into the walls. Meanwhile, I will handle all the burning skeletons that crawl out of the big pile. If I remember correctly, there should be five waves and we should not finish the juvenile before the last wave."
"That's it?" Duraq'er asked incredulously.
"Well, kind of yea. After that, the Sector Overlord should attempt to revive the Rotfiend, fuck up, and then try to drown us with a massive wave of skeletons. Last time it died soon after," John finished with a thoughtful expression.
Did I forget anything?
"Oh, one last thing. There will be a stronger skeleton in the fifth wave spitting very nasty flames. Don't let it torch you."
"I don't like this," Duraq'er shook his head. "This is not my first incursion, and killing the Sector Overlord with fully sealed cards is never that simple. I suggest caution until he better explains the risks."
"Didn't you say we are pressed for time?" John asked back. "If you follow my plan and don't get clipped by the Rotfiend, everything will go as I said. Come," he pointed and slowly walked through the gate.
Unsurprisingly, Dilah'ec followed right after, shortly joined by Galan'il, and just as the first words of the boss echoed out, the prince and his aide stepped through as well.
"Ahh, new challengers… I hope you are ready to face me." It spoke in a whispy-soft voice. "Because there is no escape from here, only death."
The gate behind them slammed down and the walls surrounding the inner courtyard lit up in eerie green flames.
"Avoid touching the netherflame at all cost! It will burn your vitality and leave behind only a dried husk." Commanded Melis'ar after finishing a cursory inspection of the square arena they were all stuck in.
"Also, don't bother attacking the boss. It is protected by an impenetrable shield." Added John before letting his javelin fly and his minions engage.
The juvenile Rotfiend unleashed a deafening roar, spread his clawed arms wide, and charged.
"Wow, it sure is dumb," Chuckled Dilah'ec after the stupid monster got baited into the wall for the fourth time in a row.
Meanwhile, John took care of every Lost Soul that crawled out of the now-burning pile of bones, leaving the big beast to the rest of the group.
At first, he was a little apprehensive about the prince because he wasn't a fully-trained combatant, but Duraq'er was taking his role seriously and always kept an eye on him, making sure Melis'ar wouldn't get killed by an unfortunate mistake.
"Let's focus on the left foreleg," guided Galan'il. "One or two well-placed blows there and it's crippled."
John let another lightning bolt strike the creature's head but otherwise kept his attention on the burning pile. By now the fourth wave was about to come, and as of yet all six of Lost Souls were destroyed and he got hit by each of the odd translucent balls they produced.
What was intriguing was the shocked reaction from Melis'ar. The prince stared with wide eyes and almost got clipped by a claw before pulling himself together and refocusing on the monster before him.
Something to ask him about after the fight.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
The fourth wave came and went without a hitch and just as he expected, the fifth brought up the blue-tagged monster.
[Netherbound soul]
Taking a glance to the right, the rest of his group successfully crippled the Rotfiend and was only waiting for the signal to finish it off.
Just a moment guys, he smiled and let his stiletto rip in between its neck vertebrae.
The pale-green light flickered off the cobblestones which were polished to mirror-like sheen by the uncountable visitors over the hundreds of years.
"Oh no you don't," he mumbled, throwing himself backward and narrowly evading the stream of fire that previously maimed half of his body.
The flames spluttered and died a few seconds later after the burning skeleton took a javelin into the middle of its ribcage and then the fight was once again stalled out by feints and low sweeps of his spear.
The creature attempted the same attack once more, failed, and fell apart soon after.
"Finish the juvenile off!" John shouted and a moment later, the angry voice of the Overlord announced the next phase.
"Useless beast, you shall serve me for eternity!"
It gestured with its staff, but nothing happened. The flames inside the pile of bones were fully extinguished.
"No! What have you done?!" It rasped, its eyes turning crimson.
"Uhh, guys? Something's off." John muttered and quickly sent his stiletto to test the robed skeleton's defenses.
What did we do wrong? He wondered as he carefully observed their enemy's movements. His dagger sunk into its unprotected back the moment it slammed its staff down and unleashed an ethereal shockwave into the courtyard, encumbering everyone with a sudden increase in pressure.
"You think you can steal from me?"
"Uhh…"
"KNEEL!"
The command ripped through the courtyard and hit John like a flood. His knees shook, but his unbreakable mind held firm, an immovable rock in the middle of a rushing stream.
From the thuds behind him, not everyone was as fortunate, but John had no time to spare a glance to see the state of his team.
"You still resist? So be it…"
An alarming feeling of wrongness made him discard his spear, pull out his shield, and crouch down just in time for the devastating ability.
"DIE!"
A foot-wide beam of sickly green light slammed into his shield like a stream of high-pressure water, making his polished boots slide back on the slick cobblestones. Unfortunately, the attack also had some intangible component, because John felt a wave of weakness spread through his body and black spots were quickly creeping into his vision.
Thump-thump… thump-thump.
His vision turned entirely dark and his body felt weary and tired, yet his stubborn unwillingness to give up and let go kept him resisting the oncoming attack.
Thump-thump… thump-thump.
The sound of his heart, beating in his chest, was the anchor his confused mind latched onto and held tightly, refusing to be snuffed out.
I will endure, as I've always had.
----------------------------------------
Seeing John blasted with that concentrated beam of pure nether made Dilah'ec shudder. At first, she thought he might hold out, but as she heard the word Die she knew it was over.
Despite not being the target of the attack, the proximity sapped a portion of her vitality and made her feel like she was momentarily back at F-grade.
"We should run!" Yelled Duraq'er, pointing at the entrance with a half-destroyed gate. "This is beyond anything we are equipped to deal with. Does anyone know what made the thing go insane and blast that native with an attack comparable to a peak C-grade monster?"
"We stay and finish it off," rejected Melis'ar. "I fear that I know what happened, but it doesn't matter now. To use that attack, the Overlord burned through the majority of the power keeping it animated, so all we need are a couple of good blows."
"What about him?" She asked, looking at the motionless body with its pale dry skin and sunken cheeks.
"I am afraid there is nothing we can do for him. It's a miracle he is even still alive," Melis'ar shook his head and fanned his golden feathers around him.
Aren't the golden lines the sign of an impending…
Before Dilah'ec finished her thought, the Sector Overlord flashed bright golden and its upper half—skull included—fell apart.
[Congratulations! You are among the fourth group of the invading forces in this world to overcome the Sector Overlord.
Rewards: Fate is increased by 4, Rare unsealing shard.
Note: Continue your stellar accomplishments and make Tarasil'ab proud]
Grinning from ear to ear, she basked in the glorious feeling of her excellence. What she and her father expected to take weeks, she did in less than two hours.
Her Fate was finally in D-grade and she couldn't forget the Rare unsealing shard—the surprise from this encounter. That shard would remove a Rare seal, returning a single card to Epic rarity. It was all thanks to… Looking at his dried-up husk made her wince.
"We have a problem," Galan'il spoke in a hushed tone, running to them from the gate's direction.
"Yes, we know," Duraq'er replied in annoyance. "The native just obtained the ash and all the cards, including the promotion for our shelter."
"No, you don't understand. Ulian'al's group is currently fighting with the Rothounds in the garden!"
"We need to go, now!"
"But how do we get out of here?"
"We climb over the wall and scale down the steep hill," Decided Duraq'er with an agreement from the prince.
"And what about him? We can't leave him here for His Highness Ulian'al to find," asked Galan'il.
"Let's carry him with us," Dilah'ec suggested. "We owe him at least that much. If he dies, there is nothing we could have done, but if he pulls through, perhaps we can earn some goodwill from him in return. Can you take him?" She asked her Knight-Protector and after his nod began climbing the six-meter wall on the north side of the courtyard.
Galan'il rolled the mantle around the unresponsive body, slung it over his shoulder, and using a rope Duraq'er left hanging from the top, carefully climbed up.
"Hurry up," whispered Melis'ar from the other side. "They will be here any minute now."
Luckily, they made it over and down without anyone noticing and only heard distressed shouts during their descent.
"I can't believe it actually worked out," Dilah'ec laughed. "To think we could get fourth place in the world rankings… It's unbelievable."
"Don't forget about Ulian'al, he is not stupid and will most likely launch an immediate assault on our shelter," Melisar dampened her enthusiasm.
"True, but do you think he would expect us to have Epic cards unsealed?" She chuckled evilly. "Could you safely bind him if you unseal your Bindscribe's Oathforge?"
"Yes, that I could."
"Good, I might hate that little shit, but I would really like to avoid having to kill him if possible."
"I… I appreciate it," Melisar sighed and sadness flickered across his youthful face. "I don't want to break His Majesty's heart. He has to act the callous and infallible ruler, but he cares about each of us, deeply. The same goes for Ruwir'er. If we are forced into conflict, let's attempt to capture his Knight-Protector alive as well."
"Thank you, your Highness," Durak'eq bowed. "It would be a sad blow to our order, losing such a brilliant Knight-Protector as Ruwir'er."
Using the previously cleared streets, the five of them swiftly returned to their shelter and after making the sign of success enjoyed the cheers of their brethren.
"How is John holding up?" Dilah'ec asked after they made their way into the Desperate fools inn and rented an extra room. His two elemental minions remained outside the inn, but the flying stiletto kept hovering a couple of meters above him like a soulless protector.
Laying him gently on the soft matrice, they unwrapped him and recoiled back in shock. His previously pale complexion was now tinged with a sickly green shade and his veins were much more prominent and entirely black, reminding them of Revenants, horrifying half-sentient undead monsters of B-grade and above.
He remained wholly unresponsive and they might have believed him dead if not for the steady beat coming from the middle of his chest.
"I've never seen anything like this," Marveled Melisar. "He must have very powerful self-healing and protective cards."
To check him for any hidden injuries, they carefully removed his clothes and were shown another shocking revelation.
"Impossible…" Stammered Duraq'er, revealing the extremely rare moment of confusion. "That tattoo… How could he carry the mark of an elevated bond?"
"It does not matter," Melisar admonished him. "What does matter is if we should try to heal him or let him overcome the afliction on his own. Do you have any advice for me?"
The seasoned Knight-Protector frowned, caught in indecision.
"It is hard to say, your Highness. If we add healing energy into the mix, it would cause a violent reaction. It will help him if he survives it, but the risk is significant. Unfortunately, leaving his body wracked with nether poses a similar if not worse risk of its own. I apologize for not being more helpful."
"Let Fate decide our next course of action!" Dilah'ec spoke in a monotone voice, pulled out an old coin from her spatial pouch, and tossed it high up in the air.
The rusted coin remained in constant motion as it began its descent and only stopped after impacting the soft skin of her palm.
"Heads. Call for Loras'ki and have him use the Grand Rejuvenation."
The healer was already close by, brought there by Galan'il, and after the prince's instruction used his strongest healing ability on the motionless body lying on the bed.
A bright-white mist sunk into John's chest and immediately began clashing with the nether coursing through him.
At first, they watched with bated breaths as his body began trembling which over a couple of minutes changed into a full-blown trashing.
His skin began looking like a canvas on which a child painted random squiggles with a white brush, and between one moment and the next he suddenly opened his eyes wide and lashed out at the closest Aerilian before him.
The first blow was a straight punch aimed at the center of Duraq'er's chest, but the more insidious blow was the one that followed immediately after, the lightning-fast jab of the stiletto heading for the back of the Knight-Protector's neck.
It all happened so fast and unexpectedly that Dilah'ec had barely any time to react. The only thing that saved the veteran warrior was a combination of decades of experience and masterfully honed reflexes.
Feeling the imminent danger, Duraq'er instinctively leaned to the left and lifted his right shoulder, sheathing the agile weapon into his flesh and quickly grasping its slick handle to anchor it inside, preventing it from wrecking more havoc in the small room they were all in.
"John! Calm down!" She yelled, trying to grab his attention and bring him out of his blind panic. "Listen to me, you are safe! Everything is alright."
"Ugh… What is going on?" He groaned, his voice hoarse and his dry lips cracking under the sudden movement. "Argh… Why do I feel like shit?"