The first skeleton to step from the trees shambled into the starlight, leather buckler and sword rattling against its bleached bones. Darian heard Carver release his arrow and then the skeleton exploded, flame leaping from its shattered body.
“I have two more uses,” Carver said, knocking another arrow. “I’ll try not to hit you.”
Reassuring. Observing the burning pile of bones reminded Darian he had a hefty 50% weakness to fire. He fought the urge to back away as the undead shambled closer, flames leaping out. But once the horde wandered into range, Darian fired off as many uses of [Flare] as he could. His aim was a bit better than last time, but that mattered little. The skeletons were in a tight row and hard to miss. But their shields were up, and more than one of Darian’s spells bounced harmlessly off a buckler.
“A Spellblade,” Carver said, his arrow taking one of the creatures down. “A good ally to have.”
Darian kept casting [Flare], the horde advancing in lockstep through the blasts. “Not quite a Spellblade yet, but I’m working on it.” Do classes and such work for normal people like they do for me?
Darian hadn’t thought much about the system at play here and how it might interact with the regular inhabitants of this world. But asking about it would have to wait, as a large shape appeared behind the two rows of skeletons, towering and covered in thick armor.
“A Bone Knight,” Carver spat. “He’s going to empower the others. You got any way to take him down quickly? A fireball maybe?”
“All I have left is a few flares on that front. But I’ve got an ice spell and shock spell at the ready.”
“Unless they’re Tier 3 or higher, they won’t do the job fast enough.” Carver sucked in a breath, his stance widening. “Get ready for a tough fight.”
The Bone Knight raised its arms, revealing a massive axe in one hand and a greatshield in the other. From the open face of its helmet, two swirling red orbs stared at them. With its arms still outstretched, it bellowed. The harsh, grating sound scraped at Darian’s ears, the trees and bushes rustling around him. The skeletons suddenly became enveloped in a thin, purple fog. They moved faster, covering the distance between them swiftly.
“Hold them off!” Carver cried, an arrow exploding into the center of the approaching monsters. But they charged through the flames, swords held high.
Darian knocked the first blow wide and came back with a thudding slash. His sword cracked against the skeleton’s ribs, but the blow was dampened by both the creature’s buff and its resistance to bladed weapons. Reaching for it, Darian grabbed the monster by its forearm and used [Shocking Grasp]. The electricity from his hand spread through the skeleton’s body and it burst apart.
Another sword came from Darian’s left. He blocked it but another blade caught him along the leg and he stumbled back, a strip of flesh torn from his thigh.
“Duck!” Darian did as Carver commanded, his leg screaming at him as he lowered.
There was a blue flash and a thick gust of wind. It nearly tore Darian off his feet, but he regained his balance and leaned up just in time to block an attack aimed for his head. The strike forced Darian down and blood seeped from the wound in his leg. Whatever the Bone Knight had done made their strikes much harder and faster. Even using both arms, it was all Darian could do to keep the skeleton’s sword from cleaving into him.
An arrow bounced off the monster’s forehead, the downward pressure lessening just enough for Darian to burst up and then finish the creature off with a [Determined Strike]. But then two of the creatures appeared behind their fallen brother, their swords stabbing at Darian in unison. He backed away, but the tip of each blade jabbed into his stomach. He cried out, the pain resistance his new body provided faltering under the attack.
I might die here. Darian stumbled, eyes scanning the trees for an avenue of escape. But I’m not alone, I can’t just run. Carver was still loosing arrow after arrow behind Darian, his breath hissing through clenched teeth. I can’t outrun the skeletons easily with their new speed, but if I left Carver behind…Darian shook his head and brought his sword up, angry at himself for even thinking about abandoning Carver. But things aren’t looking good. There were two skeletons directly in front of him with several more trailing behind. Carver’s arrows had taken down a few and broken up their formation, but they still plodded forward. Worse, the Bone Knight was starting to advance, though it was much slower than its smaller companions.
Darian brought his left hand up to cast [Flare], but he was already out of uses. Instead, he waited for one of the skeletons to attack, knocked the blow away, and grabbed its arm. Using [Shocking Grasp] he was able to kill it instantly. Seems like they still have low HP, but they resist my sword. I’ll have to rely on this spell for now. The other skeleton came at him with a wide swing, but Darian was able to block it. After fighting them in the cabin and again now, Darian realized all their attacks came from the same simple angles. Even if they were faster and hit harder, their attacks were still predictable.
Feeling confident, Darian smashed the skeleton’s buckler with [Determined Strike], then finished it with [Shocking Grasp] while it was off balance. He hacked at the next two that approached trying to keep light on his feet.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“He’s coming!” Carver shot some kind of whistling arrow at the approaching Bone Knight. It blocked the attack with its massive shield, but then its whole body was enveloped in a glowing amber light.
“He’s slowed,” Carver said, sliding down the hill to Darian’s side. “But I’m out of arrows.” He brought his arms up, a curved dagger in each hand. “Let’s finish off the little ones.”
Darian nodded and brought his sword down in a savage chop. It cracked into the skeleton’s collar bone, splitting it down the middle. But his sword was stuck, and the creature swiped sideways with its sword. It would have caught Darian in the ribs had Carver not stepped in close and blocked the attack. But even though it was both his arms against the skeleton’s one, the archer was still knocked back. He had given Darian the time he needed though, and he freed his sword with a boot to the skeleton’s chest. A quick slash and a cast of [Shard] finished it.
That still left four more in total, and while Carver set himself against one, the remaining three rushed Darian. He did his best to put one in front of the other, but the extra speed the Bone Knight’s buff gave them made outmaneuvering difficult. They slashed and stabbed, each strike simple but the volume made them difficult to block and parry. More than once Darian’s skin met the scrape of iron, and before long his whole body was covered in weeping wounds. And just like with the Blood Bugs, his loss of blood was rendering him unbelievably weak.
I can’t let it end here. Carver was struggling against his opponent, each of the skeleton’s strikes driving him further and further back. And Carver didn’t seem to have the benefits of fatigue immunity like Darian did. Sweat pooled on his brow and he was moving slower and slower. If they didn’t do something soon, they would be finished.
Then, from the bushes opposite Darian, a dark furred creature sped across the ground. It leapt up, snarling, its fangs barred. It crashed into the skeleton Carver was fighting, knocking it prone right before it would have skewered the archer. In the pale starlight, Darian recognized the beast.
It’s that wolf from the pond earlier, the one with all the scars. It raised its head and howled, the sound pained. But something about it flowed into Darian’s body, and he was overtaken by a tingling energy.
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Buff Applied: Pack Leader's Howl
* +8 Temporary Strength
* +8 Temporary Dexterity
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The new power coursed through Darian’s veins, and he could feel his muscles and tendons increase in strength. With a [Determined Strike] he took one skeleton’s head clean off. The next tried to raise its buckler, but with his small increase in speed Darian was fast enough to crunch into its skull, his sword leaving a cracked line across the monster’s face. He finished it off with a spell, turning his attention on the last remaining skeleton. But before he could act the wolf was on it, jaws clamping around its head. With a jerk and a crunch, the skeleton’s head was torn free of its body. Now all that remained was the Bone Knight.
The amber light around it faded and its speed increased. For whatever reason it seemed focused on Darian, its red eyes narrowing as it approached.
“Capture,” it rasped. “Valmier awaits.”
“Keep it busy while I collect my arrows,” Carver said, putting away his daggers.
Darian approached the Bone Knight slowly, circling it as the massive creature watched him. The wolf plodded nearby, circling from the opposite direction. He wasn’t sure why it suddenly jumped to their aid, but he wasn’t going to question it now.
“Capture,” the Bone Knight raised its axe.
“Yeah, I heard you the first time.” Must be a friend of that dual wielding asshole from the cabin. Darian blasted the Bone Knight with [Shard], probing its defenses. But despite its size, it used the greatshield it wielded deftly. It blocked the spell, then sprang forward in a sudden burst of movement.
Darian’s sword clanged against the thick blade of the axe, the vibrations from the blow spreading all the way into his toes. If he wasn’t being buffed, Darian figured he would be cut in two from the blow. But then the next strike came even harder, the sudden increase in strength was just like when Darian used [Determined Strike]. It flung him backwards and he rolled, chest burning.
Looking down, he saw his sword had snapped in two and a great gash spread from his left shoulder to his right. The pain was nearly unbearable, and Darian reflexively checked his health.
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HP: 15/100
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He crawled back, his broken sword held up in a pitiful attempt to save himself.
“Capture.” The Bone Knight marched toward Darian, each of its heavy iron steps kicking up dirt and crushing the bones of the fallen. When it reached for him, the wolf clamped onto the monster’s leg. An arrow bounced off his helmet the next second, and Darian was being pulled back.
“This is my last one,” Carver slipped something into Darian’s hand. “Make good use of it.”
Without thinking about it, Darian uncorked the small vial and drank the crimson fluid.
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Minor Healing Potion: +15 HP
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As the warm liquid settled in Darian’s stomach, he felt the pain stinging him lessen and some of his strength return. He threw his broken sword down and pulled his iron dagger from his inventory.
“Should we run?” Darian asked.
Carver grit his teeth, a haunted look in his eyes. “Cowards run.”
“But they survive.” The Bone Knight kicked and the wolf rolled away with a whimper. “If we try and fight that thing, we’re going to die.”
Carver stared at the towering monster, hands white against his bow. But then he turned and whistled, the wolf running to his side. “We flee.”
“I know a place we can rest,” Darian motioned for Carver to follow. “It’s not too far.”
“We’ll have to be swift to lose the Bone Knight, but lead the way.” He placed a hand on the wolf’s head, patting its dark fur. “Follow us, Zan.”
The wolf looked like it nodded in response, but that couldn’t be right.
“Alright follow me,” Darian set off for his cave, his new companions close behind him.