Meanwhile, on the edge of vast forest there it was...
If someone walked in by mistake, they would thought that it was a big town. But, there isn’t anyone stupid enough to walk in there, is there. Right in the bandit camp.
With high wooden walls, big watchtowers and on top of steep rocky hill it was an impregnable fortress. Inside, there were many rough wooden houses out of which more then half looked like cages.
Hahaha...
Hahahahaha...
Clang...
It was extremely lively in there. Outside where many barrels of ale, big table with all you can eat food. Half of the bandits where drunk while other half was already on the floor. There was also one fight that broke out over last piece of chicken legs.
‘Give it, hiccup, b... back, hiccup, its mine... chicken...’
Right now, feast is taking place. Everyone is having fun, at least in their unique way. On the camp’s outskirts, in small cage like wooden shed on the edge of the woods. Two bandits are enjoying themselves. One bandit looked like he was in his 40s, around 5’8, with long messy beard and looked like he could eat a sheep whole. Other one was in his 30s, 6’2, with many scars on his face and only three teeth.
Inside the shed there were six girls having only grey dirty rags on them. They all had many scars on their bodies and are wearing cold lifeless eyes on their faces. Two of them where visible pregnant, sitting in the corner on cold hard floor. Third didn’t had one leg, fourth didn't had any arms while fifth and sixth with no major dismemberment. Meaning that only few of their fingers were missing and currently they were toyed by two bandits.
Thup-thup...
Thup-thup...
Their hands were tied behind their back, wearing iron collar with chains on them while being tossed on the broken wooden fence like a bag of rotten potatoes.
Thup-thup...
Thup-thup...
Bandits were mercilessly fucking them.
Taller one wanted to finish this up quickly and go back to the feast, but shorter one took his time. It was most likely he couldn’t go faster because of his fat. With one hand he holds his belly so that he could go deeper, while with other he was holding the chain and at same time a big juicy drumstick.
Bite...
Thup-thup...
Thup-thup...
Gulp...
Girls didn’t feel anything. That was maybe because both of their dicks combined couldn’t reach 3 inches, or because they were used to it.
‘Hey Fussy, when will leader give us new toys these, gulp, are boring. They can’t even scream anymore.’
At that moment short one, with all his might starts to hit girl with a drumstick. Pieces of meat where flying everywhere.
Smack...
Smack...
‘CRY WHORE, LET ME HEAR YOUR SCREAM’
Smack...
Smack...
Smack...
He only stopped when her ass became all bloody and out of juicy drumstick only bone were left. Girl didn’t let out a sound, but only one single tear.
‘Fwy faste fuckingly good ficken? (Why waste a fuckingly good chicken?)'
‘Ah shit, I can’t finish up like this.’
Shorter one takes a step back revealing maybe an inch of a dick. He puts his pants back on and goes for the door.
‘Fait, Feddy fere are fu foing? (Wait, Teddy were are you going)'
‘Where else, to grab some chicken. You can’t fuck on empty stomach, ha ha ha.’
‘Fu fu fu, fise fase. I 'fam fight fend fu, fust to fop one. (Ha ha ha, wise advice. I ‘am right behind you, just to pop one.)'
Teddy with all his might slams the door open like he was going on epic journey for chicken, when...
Crash...
Thud...
He just hit someone with the door. Behind it was, now unconscious, with paled face, wound on his shoulder and broken nose. On cold ground was lying down a goblin like human with a name Zert.
‘Hey Fussy you need to see this.’
‘Fat is fit feddy? (What is it Teddy?)'
‘I caught a big motherfucking rat.’
Fussy in the middle of lifting his pants back up looks outside.
‘fisn’t fis fat fooking foglin Fert? (Isn’t this rat, looking goblin Zert)'
‘Are you sure about that? Zert is uglier then this.’
At that moment something caught Fussy’s eye. It was high in the sky and looked like it was trying to reach the Heavens. It was...
‘Feddy, fho fost fis fick? (Teddy, who lost his dick?)'
‘Beats me, lets grab some chicken.’
‘Fhat fbout the fat? (What about the rat?)'
‘He, take him with us. I never tried rat meat before, ha ha ha!’
While two idio... I mean bandits are trying to eat poor Zert, at the same time, two to three miles away in fortress city of D’har. Someone had an idea of who lost his dick.
‘DEMON !! Are you sure about this!?’
Deep inside the fortress at the place that looked like throne room, old scholar is standing in front of throne looking chair while holding very thick book. On the chair was sitting the overseer of this city. He was in his 30s with noble figure, short but thick beard and one big scar on top of his blind left eye. He was shocked beyond belief at scholars words.
‘My lord, I don’t dare say it for sure. But based on this almost two centuries old records it can be said that when black pillar emerges trying to reach the sky, there was always a demon that accompanies it. It is a bad omen, sign for catastrophe that is yet to come.’
‘In the name of Goddess, why did this had to happen during my rule.’
‘I have to also inform lord about my concern.’
‘Speak’
‘The size.’
‘What!?’
‘It was recorded that Demon pillar’s biggest size was around ten trees, but this one is at least triple that. There are only two explanations for it.’
‘Two?’
‘First one is that demon won’t come out, but it will something with equal or higher strength.’
Slam...
Crack...
Lord in anger hits one arm of the wooden chair cracking it in the process.
‘Isn’t that the same, whatever comes out of that thing can’t be friendly.’
‘And second is that a demon will come out...’
Lord’s eyes gets filled with hopelessness as he listens to the scholar saying
‘... but with a triple strength of ordinary one.’
It was complete devastation on lord’s face. He knew that they were doomed, but simply didn’t won’t to believe it while gritting his teeth because of how weak he felt.
Without a word scholar bowed and walked to the door. Right before leaving he sais
‘My lord it would be best to spend last few days with your wife and son.’
He closes the door.
In fit of rage Lord gets up, which makes a chair to fall and starts to shout
‘GUARDS’
Two man in iron armour rushes in the room and knell down in front of him.
‘You called our liege’
‘You called our liege’
‘PASS ON MY ORDER !! Every single soldier is recalled back and everyone has two days to make a battle preparation. My three generals are to report to me as soon as they can. Someone is to send a letter to nearby cities asking them for reinforcement. All trainees are to begin to evacuate the city. Oh, and prepare my armour and the horse. I will personally lead the army.’
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
‘But liege, you...’
‘Who asked for your opinion. If we can’t succeed here, we are all dead meat. As a fortress lord I issue this order, everyone prepare for war. In two days we are marching in the Accursed forest of Verenta.
‘As you wish Fortress lord Serid!
That entire night no one in fortress city of D’har didn’t sleep as they prepared for their upcoming death date, without knowing what hides deep underground where light didn’t shined even once.
Many miles away right next to small town of Marim, there were around few centuries old ruins. It looked like they were built with some type of black stone and where filled with many rune engravings. They had only two floors underground and were known to gather only undead minions. Meaning they were know to be good for rookie adventures to practice.
Clang...
Crack...
Sounds of battle echoes through the floors.
On second floor one adventurer party is cleaning through weak boned undead like it was child’s play. But, one member is having difficulties. He was very younger then the rest of them, maybe around 15 years old. Boy was struggling against two skeletons at the same time without noticing third one going for his back.
Crack...
Crack...
Crash...
What happened...
Boy glances behind him witnessing a pile of broken bones under the massive shield. Behind the shield was an old man, bold and very buff old man.
‘Lev, how many times did I tell you to watch your back?’
‘Ah ah, sorry Samuel, but can you give me a hand with...’
Lev didn’t even finish speaking when a knife comes flying towards him. It simultaneously hits two skeletons right in the head, shattering its skulls.
‘My cute little Lev, you need to practice a lot if you wish to catch up to us.’
In direction where knife came from, dressed in black with long black hair stands beautiful woman. She looked around 20, but how she moved and dressed implicates that she was older then that.
At the sound of that Lev's face turned red. Someone would say because of embarrassment, but others...
‘(CUTE, she said I was cute, he he)'
He was heart struck.
‘Hey Meris, leave poor boy alone. It doesn’t look good when two D ranks gang up on one F rank.’
‘Why are you bringing me into this Zerum. Even so, you are much worse than us.’
‘Old man is right, as a C rank how can you abuse little Lev to do your work and maintenance on your gear?’
Their gazes are set on corner of the room, on big pile of broken bones and a man on top of it. He was in his 40s with short beard and wavy, shoulder length brown hair.
‘What are you talking about, he loves it.’
‘Don’t worry guys, I really don’t mind.’
Pat...
Pat...
Suddenly and without a warning, Meris starts patting Lev's head.
‘You are such a good boy, Lev.’
‘Please DON’T call me that, I ‘am a MAN now!’ sais it with frustrated voice
‘Are you sure about that? Based on what your mother told, your coming of age is still few hours away.’
‘You speak with my mother more than me.’
‘And you should be ashamed of it.’
‘No, you are just weird as her for liking to gossip so much.’
Clap... Clap...
‘Okay, we are already long into the night. Lets pack up and start to go back.’
‘Wait Zerum, we didn’t explore entire ruins.’
‘What are you talking Lev? This is the end of it.’
‘Then what about that big door at the end?’
Entire party at that exact moment noticed a 20 foot long door, embedded into the wall.
‘W... Was that here entire time? Lev, when did you noticed it?’
‘Wait, no one saw it? It was there at the start.’
‘Zerum, that door is giving me bad feeling. Lets go back to the guild to report.’
‘When did you became chicken old man. Who knows what treasures are inside. We may as well be first ones to discover it.’
‘Enough bickering you two. This is most likely boss room. Ruins are old enough to evolve into a dungeon.’
‘You are probably right, so what do we do now?’
‘I say, lets challenge it. This could as well be good practice for Lev. And what are we afraid of. We are good as long as C rank boss doesn’t come out.’
‘We will do as you say, so...’
‘What are we waiting for, this is so exciting. It was ages after our last dungeon.’
Creak...
Zerum slowly opens the door. Layers of dust slowly fall on them. Behind the door it was large dark room with only few torches to keep it lit and pitch black smooth wall in the back.
In the middle of the room, Boss was standing. He glared at them with his red eyes while holding long, rusty sword with blade like a saw. He looked like other skeletons, only difference was that he was darker then them.
‘See Sammy, it is only undead warrior. What’s so scary about that?’
‘Okay Meris, leave a poor man alone. You know how cautious he can be. Now listen up, even if it is a small fry we are here to give little Lev some combat experience. Meaning, form the formation. Old Samuel in front, Meris and I are going for the flank. Lev stay behind Samuel and observe for now. Let’s go and make sure you don’t kill him too fast.’
‘Understood!’
‘Understood!’
‘Understood!’
Party starts to charge towards the skeleton. He didn’t even acknowledged their presence.
360 feet...
280 feet...
220 feet...
‘MERIS, SAMUEL NOW’
Meris breaks off and starts to run left of the party. Around 150 feet on skeleton’s right she stops and starts to chant.
Bang... Bang...
Meanwhile Samuel is basically sprinting towards him while banging on his shield to make noise.
‘COME HERE YOU DOG SHIT, HAVE SOME OF THIS’
Zerum and Lev are closely behind him.
Skeleton finally took some notice to them. While ignoring Samuel’s taunt he starts to walk slowly, dragging his sword on the floor like big piece of junk. He walks straight towards Meris.
‘(What... he isn’t buying it. That direction... No...) Zerum, I am breaking off.’
‘Wait... Why...’
‘It is a hunch. Even without me you can stop it, if it’s normal one.’
‘Normal, what do...’
Zerum didn’t even finish the sentence when Samuel broke off and charged towards Meris.
‘Where did old Samuel go?’
‘I don’t know, but his hunches did saved us a couple of times.’
110 feet...
70 feet...
25 feet...
‘Lev, protect my rear. I ‘am going in.’
‘Sure?’
Screak... Screak...
As skeleton drags his sword it makes awful sound while leaving a trail on cold hard stone floor. Zerum propels himself of the ground, quickly shortening the distance between them.
10 feet...
8 feet...
3 feet...
Slash... Slash...
With sword in each hand he strikes at the skeleton with all his might.
‘(That... That didn’t feel right...)'
Zerum turned around to see skeleton not on place that he strike, but a few feet forward.
‘I... I missed!?’
He looks at shocked Lev who was left around 20 feet away from him.
Gulp...
‘You... You didn’t miss. At the moment of impact he disappeared and appeared few feet away!’
‘What!?’
Without wanting to believe it he jumps high in the air. Sword in his left hand starts to glow and one magic rune appears on the blade.
Slash...
He strikes behind him, releasing a wave of wind magic propelling him towards the skeleton.
Crash...
He crashed right in the stone ground leaving big crack in it. And skeleton...
Screak... Screak...
‘Fuck, how can this be!? Samuel was right, something isn’t right here.’
Few feet away he still stands while dragging his sword, slowly.
‘Is it a teleportation ability!?’
‘Ah, look at the floor, ah, it isn’t teleportation, ah.’ sais tired Lev who was sprinting to catch up.
On the floor from where he started to where he is now, a line is carved in it by dragging a sword. Without stopping.
‘EVERYONE, CLEAR OUT’
Meris shouts as she finishes incantation without knowing what happened right now. There is approximately 3 foot long red magic circle beneath her feet.
‘Casting 3th circle elemental magic – Fire hazard’
Maris’s hands became fiery red as a big wave of fire starts to gush out from it.
‘Hey, let me go!’
Zerum literally took Lev under his arm and started to run.
‘Sorry kid, you are too slow.
‘I TOLD YOU DON’T CALL ME KID’
Crackle... Crackle...
Wvvooosssshhhh...
Fire was ferocious burning everything on its path, engulfing skeleton whole. Fire was big weakness to undead, but...
Screak... Screak...
Who would have thought that when entire area was burning by intense flame, a line where he stepped was completely untouched by it. Uh, skeleton isn't there. Where is he? Was he burned to ash, or...
Clang...
Wvvvooooosshhhh...
Instantly right next to tired looking Meris skeleton appeared, with his sword high in the air coming raining down on her. But, in the last moment like he was expecting this to happen. Samuel stands in front of skeleton, taking full force of his sword head on. Force was so great that made him drop on one knee while leaving big crack on his shield.
‘(Shit, this thing is playing with us) ZERUM, we need to run. He is at least C rank or even higher!!’
‘S... Samuel, you...’
‘MER, run now. If he doesn’t get serious I can take couple of hits. You need to...’
‘¢¥$∆€£@#’
‘What...’
Bang...
Crack... Crack...
Crash...
Strange screaking sound comes out of his dry mouth as he strikes at Samuel with his other hand, shattering the shield in the process.
Wvvvooooosshhhh...
Wvvvvvoooooooooossshhhhh...
Crash...
Thud...
He send him flying right past Meris and into a wall next to big door. Wall cracked on impact and massive warrior fell on the ground without glory, like another one of the defeated.
‘SAMUEL’
It sounded like a big roar as Zerum lets out a barrage of wind blades at skeleton. His precision was superb, every single blade hits and leaves a tiny scratch on his old grey bones.
Four scratches...
Nine scratches...
Eight scratches...
‘MERIS, quickly check on old man and get out of here. Also...’
At that moment Zerum threw sword from his left hand high in the air while grabbing Lev by the shirt and lifting him up.
‘... don’t forget this twerp!’
‘W... Wait... What... are you doing... Stop...’
Zerum threw Lev like a old stinky shoe, half way to the door.
Thud...
‘Aa aa, that hurts!’
Lev lands on his ass after flying and spinning a few times. With a lot of bruises he gets up and looks at Zerum. He caught his falling sword and resumed with barrage. Skeleton was coming closer and closer with only a few scratches that keeps on regenerating infinitely.
‘What are you looking at, RUN’
Lev knowing that he would only be a distraction for him, turned towards door and starts to run. At the door Meris is helping old Samuel to get up. He was beaten up pretty badly. His armour was bended with shards of his shield penetrating it. From cracks of his armour a blood was gushing out in big amount.
Now completely ignoring Zerum like he was not even worth a look, skeleton turns around and stretches out hand towards the door.
‘@£#&$@’
Once again screeching sound can be heard from it while still open door began to close. Meris already on other side, puts Samuel on the ground and starts to yell
‘RUN FASTER LEV’
He is trying to run faster, but with shaky knees and almost pissed scared look on his face he simply couldn’t until...
Aaaaaaaaaa...
Behind him he could hear a familiar cry and in front he could see Meris’s watery eyes as her thick makeup go down with it.
‘Z... Ze... Zeru... ZERUM’
Lev stops and with hesitation looks behind, looks at Zerum, looks at skeleton and looks at bloody hand high in the air. Zerum trying to stop him from closing the door, attacked him from behind but...
He didn’t move, he didn’t lower his arm, he didn’t acknowledged his existence as he without looking just waved with a sword while taking Zerum’s right arm with it.
At a sight of that Lev’s legs stopped to shake and his face turned from scared to shocked, from shocked to sad and from sad to rage as he starts charging back at the skeleton. Last sight before door closed was of hopeless Meris saying nothing while watching Lev’s back screaming and charging to his grave.
Skeleton lowers his hand and turns towards now one handed Zerum who was trying to stop the mass bleeding.
‘YOU MONSTER, LEAVE ZER ALONE’
‘You IDIOT! Didn’t I tell you to run away!? This isn’t C rank, its at least B rank. We don’t have a chance against...’
Lev not listening anything Zerum was saying charged with his beat up short sword. Skeleton glanced at him while air around him changed. He was done playing. In a moment he appeared right in front of Lev, gripping his sword tightly in the air while giving off a massive pressure on a poor boy. From Lev’s perspective he looked like a death itself that came to claim his soul.
‘NO... NO PLEASE DON’T... STOP... KILL ME, SPARE HIM...’
As Zerum pleaded for Lev’s life, skeleton didn’t even looked at him when he strikes down with much greater force then when he striked at Samuel. Poor boy looks like he would collapse at any moment, when...
‘|#£@&@|’
It looked like someone spoke directly into skeleton’s head as a blade of the sword that wasn’t visible to naked eye suddenly stops one and a half inches away from Lev’s face.
Wvvvoooooooossshhhhh...
Cut...
Force from the blade was still sharp and momentum gets it past Lev, while in the process making a big but shallow cut across his entire face.
Clang...
Thud...
Poor Lev out of fear dropped his sword and falls on his ass, while at the same time... Ahem, pissed himself.
Cling...
‘LEV’
Zerum throws an empty potion glass bottle and holds full one with red liquid inside while trying to get to Lev.
‘#£#@&+£’
‘|&£@#+&|’
It looked like skeleton was talking to someone as Zerum pulls Lev little away from it. With his teeth he removes wooden cap and tries to feed it to him.
‘Here Lev, drink it. You will feel better.’
Lev was in such a shock that he didn’t even noticed him. Only thing he did was shake in fear with his lifeless eyes.
‘Lev... you...’
Skeleton once again had his focus on them and Zerum noticed it too.
‘@£#&£’
He starts to walk closer while screeching.
‘#@£af£’
With each step...
‘Ahg& fg@#fj’
... his screeching becomes more and more refined.
‘Sgfd gyr ggkh’
Until he was about one step away from them. Skeleton opens his dry mouth and from it comes greased, menacing voice. He only said one sentence, but it was enough to send cold and sharp shivers down the entire Zerum’s being.
‘My lord wishes to see you!’