*Slash*

*Collapse*

I watched as the headless corpse of one undead soldier collapsed to the ground.

Upon confirming it’s down for good, I searched for any further enemies.

“None left.”

I said in confirmation.

“Oh, you’re finished already? You work fast lad.”

Llednar said as he went toward me.

“Not as fast you are.”

I retorted.

I gaze behind him to see the opened door that was locked a few moments ago.

It’s been an hour or so after we went past the first locked door.

Llednar would unlock the doors.

I would defeat any foe that bars our way.

If they number too many, Llednar would lend a hand then get to work once the battle ends.

Nothing unusual appeared as we passed through though the vile miasma is getting stronger with each passing moment as we proceed.

Although, the undead I’m facing are getting slightly stronger as we go through.

Not at the point that I can’t defeat them of course.

They become slightly stronger and faster the deeper we go but it’s not something that would threaten us anytime soon.

I stand at the front as the vanguard.

Llednar’s body is that of a decayed old man while mine is that of a young man.

Furthermore, he’s only armed with a pair of daggers while wearing ragged clothing while I’m armed with leather armor, two swords, a shield, and a crossbow. I’m wielding the other sword as a spare weapon. Sometimes, a sword would break or rust. To prepare for that, travelers like myself would prepare a second or even a third weapon and even projectile weapons like bows or throwing knives.

I’ve often spoke to travelers and asked them to share their experience.

According to them, wielding various tools and weapons can drastically increase one’s chances of survival. Although they failed to save me in the end, they were tools that aided me and allowed me to preserve my own life several times before.

It’s the same for expeditionary forces.

It’s also useful to have a tool to sharpen weapons to prevent them from being blunted.

A blunted sword is no better than a club.

And in this place, filled with walking corpses, where the dead come to life, sharp weapons like swords shine.

Blunt weapons can be used for smashing skulls and the sort but cutting them off is far more efficient.

Ranged weapons like bows can help but they have little effect on the undead.

Although I’ve shot some down with arrows already, that was aiming at their necks.

By aiming one towards their spines, I can stop them from moving entirely.

Cutting down their spines or smashing their heads is the best option but cutting them down is the better choice since there’s the issue of pulling the sword.

If I smash them with a heavy weapon, I won’t be able to move as efficiently as I wish and be an easy prey.

Even if I now have a companion, it would still be foolhardy.

Regardless, I have no reason to fear death.

I’ll simply pass on earlier than I would have hoped.

The same goes for Llednar.

To begin with, units with heavy armor are suitable to be the vanguard when the enemy has archers and the like.

They’re able to withstand massive numbers of arrows that could easily kill a regular soldier with light armor. Only if they don’t aim at the gaps and chinks of their armor.

Those with high mobility are best suited for taking them on or using cannons.

Even so, heavy armored units usually have light units supporting them at the back to cover for their own weaknesses.

That is how armies do battle.

Each unit supports each other.

Covering for each other’s weaknesses and enabling them to unleash their greatest strength.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

In this regard, my company is severely lacking.

A thief and a traveler are quite lacking.

I hope to find others soon.

It will be difficult to continue on further with just us.

Furthermore, my partner doesn’t have much time to last until even he passes on.

Speaking of which…

“How much time do you have left until you pass on?”

“Hm? Not much time left… As I see it, only several hours left or so. How about you?”

“A bit longer. Just 12 hours most likely.”

“Fumu… That is a bit longer… Well, I’ll just help you out as much as I can until I pass on. I suppose I’ll see you again soon afterwards.”

“That’s true.”

“If that happens, would you mind telling me the result of our quest later on?”

“Just that? Very well.”

We both don’t have much longer than a day until we fade away.

It’s a promise I can definitely keep.

As we keep chatting, we reach the last locked door.

“Oh ho, is this the last door?”

I go check my map to be sure.

“Yes, it’s the last door.”

We gaze at it from a short distance.

“Let’s hurry. Although, we should take this opportunity to take a short rest to prepare. After this, the only thing left to do would be to slash a path towards the !”

I remarked.

As we approach, I felt something above us.

“Stop! There’s something coming from above!”

Llednar had sense sharper than even mine honed from the trials I’ve faced.

He’s already sensed something a second earlier than me and already drew his dagger and dashed backwards.

I draw my sword and shield and jumped back slightly as I readied my guard.

*Crash*

IT crushed the wooden floor with its weight and gazed at us in fury.

That smash damaged the floor severely but wasn’t enough to destroy it completely.

I saw a pale skinned giant of walking flesh look at us with its lifeless eyes and as it roared with rage.

“It’s… it’s an ogre!”

I shouted alarmed as it gazed at us in fury.

----------------------------------------

Good morning everyone. Sorry for the delay. You see, I've been busy with RL stuff. But that's not all. I'm having some difficulty writing some certain chapters in my story... Well, I'm getting by though. I would like to introduce the rising novel "Thera of Rose Manor". I've been reading it in keen interest as well as "New Game Plus" featuring Aria and Thoth the former demon lord. The author of the latter is back and is doing well. I'm looking forward to reading more. The author of "Thera of Rose Manor" is someone worth looking up to. That fellow came up with some interesting lines and the like. Witty phrases and interesting developments. Personally, I really like Thera's way of dealing justice. Especially in chapter 42. That was a really innovative method of punishment using luvmins... Hehehe... Even thinking about it makes me snicker here. While we're at it, let's hope my friend, LionsDeathDealer, gets better soon. I haven't heard from him for a while now... By the way, I've heard of something very interesting from a friend of mine. Apparently, it's possible to alter a programs parameters... Or bytes. Specifically, by altering a program a bit, by changing something like 0000 43 25 03 to just 0000 00 00 00, he can prevent the program from working properly at all. At least until he fixes it back. He can do the same for videos and other files. I find it as something very interesting. Apparently, by using a automatic method of crypting files, it can still be decoded easily enough. Therefore, doing it manually is best. That guy was self-learned and learned it by trial and error and honestly I find that impressive. Well enough about that. I'll update soon for the next chapter. Adieu.