The two of them moved up the stairs while keeping their eyes out. While the Spartan was confident in both of their abilities to take out any of those gremlin monsters that tried to ambush them, the problem was trying to avoid any kind of noise. Those little bastards seemed like they would make a lot of sound should they get into a fight, which would ultimately ruin all the stealth that was planned. Thus, the best way to go forward would be to avoid any quarrels.
At this moment, they were on the fourth floor of this giant structure, and there were only three more to clear. They hadn’t dealt with any of those gremlins so far, which was good, but he wasn’t going to be fooled. The moment they struck would be when they let their guard down. These were the types to ambush and would probably run when faced with a direct brawl.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to deal with the remaining defenders, as they were able to climb up all those levels and get to the rooftop entrance with ease. They wrenched the door open and went ahead out of that structure and onto the rooftop.
Back in the world full of fog with ambushes at every corner. However, the last time the Spartan had scanned around the area, he hadn’t seen any monsters that were standing on the roofs. As such, they were relatively safe up in this high level, though that didn’t necessarily mean they could relax at this time with those other monsters down on the ground as well as the alert status of all the mobs nearby.
He tapped the Crusader’s shoulder and proceeded to gesture for him to follow. The man looked at him for a brief second before nodding and getting ready to move. At that, he proceeded to dash forward towards one of the nearby rooftops.
He jumped and landed on the other side, but he didn’t allow himself the chance to rest. He moved towards the next building and kept hopping from one area to the next, the goal being to get as close to the building near the well before finally giving himself a break. His associate was able to keep up with his speed, and they were able to reach the building with relative ease.
They landed onto a white stone balcony that had several long benches that were topped with cushions and blankets that seemed to protect against the cold, albeit with skeletons that were draped underneath. Clearly, a sign of this place belonging to that of the higher standards, as well as being a place that would hopefully prove to be an even better safe house than the abandoned restaurant.
The two of them converged on the double wooden doors that acted as the entrance to the building proper. The Crusader looked back at the Spartan, before nodding to himself and peeking the door open before taking a look inside.
He was surprised. The room inside was extremely well lit and there were no signs of any fog within. The blue light lamps from the restaurant were being used inside as well, though some of them have been modified to be more similar to that of torches that were tall enough to rest on the ground. The complex that he found himself looking inside was definitely one that belonged to a nobleman, considering the rich luxury cloth rugs that were draped all inside. There were several little furniture pieces that he wasn’t able to identify, as their construction was rather unfamiliar to him.
Though, the one thing that got him to raise his eyebrow was the giant flag that hung on the wall. The red cloth had a large white wheel that had six spokes within that connected the outer ring with large wings that remained on either side. In the middle of the inner ring was a black palm that had an open eye that seemed to track his every move.
That flag unnerved him. Whether this was the emblem of the Usurper or the previous God, he knew not. What he knew was that there were no hostiles present within this area, and thus they were allowed to enter without much problem.
The Crusader seemed absolutely shocked by the contents of the room, mesmerized by the materialistic goods that remained within. For a split second, he worried his associate had gotten a bit of greed in his head when he started to wander around the gigantic room, at least until he was standing in front of the flag. He blinked for a single second, before scowling and cutting the cloth in half with his long sword.
The Spartan stared as his associate continued his reckless assault on the flag, ripping and tearing it to pieces with his sword. Only when the whole banner was nothing more than shreds did he calm down and put away his sword. At least, until he realized he had done all of that in plain view.
“That… That was–”
“Don’t raise your voice. Talk after we’ve gotten supplies.”
Once more, the Crusader looked down with embarrassment as the Spartan led the charge again. He started to sneak towards the main doors and peeked out to inspect the surrounding area. They were back within a hallway, though one that was still luxurious, and brightened up the area quite a bit.
He couldn’t help but grimace as he went out and started to walk around the area, checking all the rooms in this hallway. He wanted to say that it was safe to go around in the building, but he honestly could not recall if this place was truly secure or not. After all, his divinity suffered with the extended range, and he was not sure if there were any monsters within that threatened to ambush them here and now.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Thankfully there were no monsters on this level, but he couldn’t say for certain if there were any underneath. He was slightly worried considering the noise level that could be made, but if they were to act fast enough, they should be able to take care of any threats in their way. Besides, with the building acting as a cage for any noise, they should be fine to get into some loud battles here.
He sighed, before turning back to let his associate know that the way forward would be fine. He blinked. Then, he shook his head and squinted.
The Crusader had four glass bottles in his belt that certainly weren’t there before. More importantly, those bottles were corked shut and there were clear signs of liquid still contained within. Which meant he had stuck around and looted the room for any valuables while the Spartan had been busy making sure the place was secure.
His associate stared back with confusion, before following his eyesight and realizing what the cause was.
“Ah–no, you’ve got it all wrong!” He whispered frantically as he got closer, “I wouldn’t dare stray away from my God given duty as a Crusader to do something as crass as loot an innocent bystander’s home! I–”
“Did you get the good wine?”
He froze at that question. He seemed to be confused, before looking away.
“I couldn’t read anything written on the label.”
That made sense. This world was different from theirs, after all. They most likely used some kind of different language that would prevent them from reading and understanding the contents.
“Did you at least taste it?”
“Ah, well no.” The Crusader confessed, “I, well… I was more or less thinking we could use these as… storage for water later and…”
“Oh, come now! Hand over one of the bottles!” The Spartan grinned as he held his hand out, “The worst thing that could happen here is that the wine has gone too sour for enjoyment. Besides, it’s just a taste. If it’s good, then we can savor it to our heart’s content. If it’s bad, well, you already know.”
His associate seemed hesitant to give him a bottle, whether that be out of some misguided desire to do good or out of greed to keep all the good things to himself, he cared not. What he cared about was getting a good drink of alcohol.
So, he snatched the bottle before his associate could react. The Crusader squawked as the Spartan popped open the cork and took a good sniff of the contents.
The liquid itself was sweet and had a smell similar to that of rose and oranges. He could smell scents that reminded him vaguely of flowers and herbs mashed together, but he knew one thing was for sure.
This brew was still good to drink. With that knowledge in mind, he took a big gulp of the contents, making sure to only get the liquid and not put his lips on the glass itself.
The taste was not sour at all. In fact, this wine was exquisite, almost rich and amazing in flavor. He tasted the sweetness and tartness of this fruit, as well as the spiced kick that quenched his throat. The alcohol levels weren’t too strong as his head didn’t start to buzz after the initial gulp, which was a blessing for now, a shame for later. This was something he knew he could drink for hours on end and never be exhausted of the taste.
Though, he knew how to keep himself in moderation. As much as he hated to do so, he re-corked the bottle and handed it back to the Crusader.
“The flavor is still good. Don’t dump such a good wine out, save it for when we have a moment to celebrate. Understand?”
His associate looked at him with an aura of shock, before turning to the bottle that was in his hand. He seemed pensive as he looked back and forth between the two, before groaning and putting the bottle away.
“Fine. You win.” He said with a hint of pain, though that was clearly in amusement.
To that, the Spartan nodded, and the two moved down another level. Once more, they checked out the remaining rooms and found even more luxurious areas, but still no enemies.
Once more and no surprises. They kept on going and found that there was nothing to be worried about, each of these rooms were empty and still quite full of goodies. For a brief moment, he wondered if things were truly going to be that easy. Then they went down to the ground area, and he knew no, that was not going to be the case and the monsters within were merely trying to lull the two into a false sense of security.
What greeted them down in the lobby was a mess. The entire area had been trashed, with loads of wreckage scattered all around to form makeshift barricades on both sides. However, the monsters had all re-orientated these trash piles to face the staircase that the duo were on.
The enemies all had the same armaments and armor, something that made the Spartan raise his eyebrows at. They all had a black fur cape draped over their right shoulder that seemed to originate from their neck, with a lance of bone held tightly in their right hand. Their left arm was a combination of twisted metal and flesh, with a tall bone spike at the end. They all had a metal helmet that covered up their face with a mask of what seemed to be an upset man.
Then was the armor that covered their body. They had on a metal chest plate that covered up the left side of their body, with black leather skirts that hung down to their ankles. However, this was where they began to differentiate: some of these monsters did not have feet at all. Rather, what they had were flesh protrusions that seemed to have been fused with the floor itself, nailing them down to their current position without fail.
The moment the Crusader and the Spartan came down the stairs and spotted this horde, all eighteen enemies turned and stared at them. Within a few seconds, they all aimed their left arms at the duo with clear intent to kill. Then, they all spoke as one.
“Forces of the old God. Fall, just like him.”
Then they opened fire.