The lights overhead were at their brightest when Rus and Orin crept through an open window into a dilapidated house. Its interior was rubble strewn, and Orin took care to sidestep a pile of rotted wood. They had learned early on that the skeletons could hear, which caused them to have to abort several runs.
Rus raised a hand, and Orin saw a bead of sweat roll down the hunter’s face. They had wasted half a day attempting to get to the manor unseen, and this was as far as they had ever gotten. Orin had lost count of the number of times they had been spotted and forced to beat a hasty retreat back into the forest. They had also learned that being indoors was more dangerous than being outside. It was all too easy for the skeletons to surround them in a building, but they had found no other way to progress beyond this point.
Just outside the house’s caved in door, a skeleton stood with its back to them. Another stood in front of it. Its jaw moved up and down as though it was talking, though no sounds came out, and their hands waved about animatedly.
Orin felt his heart pound in his chest as they waited for the skeleton to finish their ‘conversation’. The warrior found this sensation utterly unpleasant, unlike the blood pumping excitement he felt in the thick of battle.
As though sensing the warrior’s frustration, Rus raised a hand and whispered. “Wait for my signal. I think I have the timing down this time.”
This time. The words made Orin’s blood boil. Rus had missed a skeleton’s patrol the last time they had attempted this route, and they had been spotted. They were quickly surrounded and only escaped back to the forest by the skins of their teeth.
The skeletons’ conversation soon ended and one walked away. Moments later, the other did the same. Orin got up and crept towards the door, but Rus held him back. The warrior shot him a furious look, but the hunter merely pointed out the door at a window of the house across the street. Through it, was a skeleton that was staring right at the door.
Orin’s blood froze. That skeleton hadn’t been there on the previous attempts. His instincts shouted a warning, and the warrior turned around to look through the window they had entered through and saw at least half a dozen skeletons seemingly going out their business outside. Up until now, the skeletons had followed a strict routine that began at the top of every hour. Now, it seemed the routine was changing.
“Perhaps we should give this up after all,” Rus remarked as he mopped the sweat from his brow.
“Nonsense,” Orin replied. The warrior found that walking away empty handed after they had spent so much effort into the endeavour completely unacceptable. “Whoever is controlling those things fears us getting into the manor. Why else would they change the rules when we’re only half way there?”
“To lull us into a false sense of security?” Rus suggested.
Orin shook his head. “No, that isn’t it.”
The hunter gave him a blank look. “Are you suggesting we storm the place?”
Orin shook his head. “No, at least not yet. Let’s carry on with what we were doing.”
“And if we’re spotted, which way do we run?” Rus asked.
Orin gave the scrawny man an amused look. “Are you asking that so you can run in the opposite direction, leaving me to fend them off on my own?”
“Yes,” Rus replied without missing a beat.
To the hunter’s surprise, Orin broke into a broad smile. “I grow weary of this skulking about. If we are spotted again, I have half a mind to find out what gives out first, my strength, or their ability to resurrect themselves.”
“If you die, that still leaves me trapped on this level,” Rus objected.
“And if I die, I’ll be dead,” Orin pointed out.
“You know, you’re growing more eloquent with each passing hour,” Rus said dryly. “You must have been a poet before you lost your memory.”
Before Orin could retort, the hunter padded to the door and slipped out. Orin had to scramble to catch up, and miraculously, together, the pair made it to the building across the street unseen. Cautiously, they padded down the back alley and took cover behind a large barrel as a skeleton walked past. This one hadn’t looked down the alley when Rus observed their movements from the top of a tree, but they were taking no chances.
Rus held up a hand signalling for Orin to wait. After what felt like an eternity, he raised his dagger and used its well polished blade to look down the alley. He had only raised it for a moment when he quickly drew it back and cursed.
“They’re coming.”
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“They?”
“This way!” Rus hissed before creeping through a nearby door.
Orin was hot on his heels and closed the door gently behind him. He looked around and frowned. Nothing about the room they were in made sense to him.
“It’s a tavern kitchen,” the hunter said. “Lie low and wait for them to march past.”
“No,” Orin said as he strode out of the kitchen.
Rus’ face contorted into one of incredulity. “No?”
“It’s too easy for us to be trapped in here,” Orin declared as he emerged from the kitchen.
Decrepit tables and chairs were strewn haphazardly around the large room. Light streamed in from a large window that offered a view of the manor and its grounds. Their destination was only across the street, but it looked like every skeleton in the village was congregating outside.
“Get down before they see you!” Rus hissed as he appeared behind the warrior. The hunter whirled around when he heard the back door open.
“No, that isn’t fair,” he gasped as the colour drained from his face.
Orin broke into a grim smile as he drew his weapon. “No, it isn’t. Let’s go out the back. There are fewer of them there. We’ll fight our way out from there.”
Rus blinked and came to his senses. “No, that’s a trap. Follow me.”
“What good will that do?” Orin demanded as Rus charged up the stairs.
“Trust me, I’m a hunter,” he called over his shoulder without slowing down. “I can smell a trap, and this is the only way out of it.”
Orin swallowed a curse and charged after the hunter. Behind him, he heard a skeleton hiss in alarm. He looked over his shoulder and saw the skeletons that had been gathering outside were now rushing for the tavern’s door.
“This way!” Rus cried as he arrived on the first floor and bolted down a corridor. Orin was two paces behind him and could already hear the clicking of bones against wood on the stairs behind him.
“We’re trapped up here!” Orin growled in frustration. If they were going to fight, he would rather it have been out in the street where it was more open, and he didn’t have to worry about foes resurrecting at his feet.
“Over here!” Rus said as he broke down a door leading to one of the guest’s rooms.
Inside, they found a pair of beds, a small wardrobe and a window facing the manor. Down in the street, they could see the skeletons crammed around the front door as they jostled one another to get in through the door. Then, it dawned on Orin as to what Rus’ plan was.
“Go on then, open the window!” he cried.
“Not yet!” Rus shot back. “There’s too many of them still on the street.”
“They’re almost here!” Orin warned.
“Then deal with them!” Rus cried.
The warrior whirled around and crushed the skull of the first skeleton as it entered. He had time to kick the remains of its body back out into the hall before the second arrived. It swung a dagger at him, and Orin allowed the rusty weapon to shatter against his cuirass before shoving the creature into the third skeleton and smashing through both their torsos with a mighty swing of his mace. He had spent half the day fighting them and learned that it was important to conserve his strength.
They collapsed to the ground in a heap, and three more skeletons swarmed into the room at once. Orin smashed the first but stepped on a femur as he attempted to reposition his feet to destroy the second. He grunted as the creature lunged for his face and managed to rip its head off and hurl it at the third.
“What are you doing?” a distant voice cried. “Get down here!”
Orin whirled around to see that Rus was already on the street below, and running towards the manor for dear life. The warrior cursed and destroyed a fourth skeleton before jumping out the window. As he landed on the dirt street, he heard a skeleton let out a cry of alarm. The skeletons that had been attempting to get in through the door turned around and began chasing after the duo. The warrior looked over his shoulder as he ran after Rus and saw skeletons falling out the first floor window he had jumped from, onto the skeletons below.
“You left me high and dry!” Orin exclaimed furiously when he caught up.
“I called you, but you weren’t listening,” the scrawny hunter protested as they climbed over the fence bordering the manor’s grounds. “I thought you would pull a wardrobe down or something to barricade us in the room.”
“Only a coward would do such a thing,” Orin cried.
“Haven’t you heard the expression live to fight another day?” Rus countered as they ran up the manor’s manicured gardens.
Orin looked over his shoulder and watched as the skeletons swarmed along the fence towards the gates further up the street. “They’re coming.”
“We’ll go up and out the back gate,” Rus said.
“We’re not going inside?” Orin asked incredulously.
“The rules have changed, remember?” Rus panted. “We can’t be sure they won’t follow us inside.”
“I don’t care,” Orin said stubbornly as he changed direction for the manor’s front door. “I’m finding out what’s in there. You can run away if you like.”
“You stubborn sod!” Rus cried in frustration. “If you’re going inside, at least be smart about it. Come this way!”
The hunter ran towards a low balcony and jumped to grab the ledge before athletically pulling himself up onto the balcony. Orin approached and was able to easily reach the ledge, but weighed down in armour, found himself unable to pull himself up. He grunted as a skeleton grabbed at his feet. The creature collapsed after he kicked its head off, but more were coming. Rus reached down and grabbed the warrior by the arm. They strained their muscles and working together, were able to get Orin up onto the balcony.
When they looked over the side, they saw at least a dozen skeletons looking up at them silently with their empty eye sockets.
“Well, that’s downright unsettling,” Rus muttered.
“It looks as though the others are returning to their daily business,” Orin observed.
“Need to keep the village safe. There could be more intruders out there,” Rus remarked. “How do we get out?”
“We can worry about that after we’ve finished our business inside,” Orin replied.
Rus winced as Orin kicked the balcony’s door in with a loud crash. “Hey, we’re supposed to be sneaking in.”
“Why?” Orin asked as he stepped through the ruined door into a large, opulent bedroom. “The master of this place already knows we are here.”
Rus followed the warrior inside and froze when he saw a suit of armour standing motionless at the doorway leading to the hall beyond. It stood slightly taller than Rus, and the hunter initially thought that it was empty.
However, Orin eyed it warily. He knew instinctively that something was inside, staring at them without moving, as though challenging them to make the first move. Then, he saw the longsword in its hands.
The warrior licked his lips and smiled. “Now that’s a weapon.”