Chapter 57: Catacombs
Three ratmen crept through the dense forest that clung to the lower slopes of the mountain, their red eyes gleaming with suspicion as they surveyed their surroundings. Their four-fingered hands twitched with anticipation, the sharp nails ready to strike at the first sign of danger. One of them gripped a rusted knife tightly, while the others kept their claws bared, their black snouts raised in the air, sniffing for any unusual scents. The furs on their bodies were filthy and matted, an oily mess that carried a stench so vile, it would make any human gag.
They froze suddenly, their heads swiveling as they sniffed more urgently, sensing something nearby. Their sharp, animalistic instincts warned them of danger lurking close, though they couldn't yet pinpoint where.
“Thuck!”
A soft sound echoed from the ground nearby. Their reactions were instantaneous, turning with feral speed, their claws and knives raised defensively. But what they saw stopped them cold. A strange, glowing white orb lay on the forest floor, vibrating ominously.
FLASH!
The orb exploded in a blinding light, completely disorienting the ratmen, whose screeches of pain were cut off by the brilliance that seared into their sensitive eyes. Stumbling and snarling, they flailed, vulnerable and confused.
“Go!” Niko's voice cut through the chaos as two figures darted toward the ratmen.
Zheng, his arms transformed into the vicious claws of a wolf, was the first to strike. His claws slashed across the face of one ratman with brutal precision, tearing through fur, skin, and bone. The ratman’s face was mangled beyond recognition, its eyes gouged out and blood spraying from the deep, jagged wounds. It collapsed to the ground, clutching its ruined face, trying to scream, but the blood poured into its throat, reducing its cries to gurgling gasps as it choked to death.
Fumito followed close behind. Having thrown the flashbang that blinded the ratmen, he now wielded a massive longsword almost as tall as he was. His movements were sluggish under the weight of the weapon, but the raw power behind his swing made up for the lack of speed. He brought the blade down with a savage cleave, slashing through the chest of the second ratman. Blood sprayed in every direction as the ratman collapsed, twitching violently as its life drained away in gruesome bursts.
The last ratman, slowly regaining its vision, blinked in confusion as it processed the carnage around it. Before it could react, a javelin pierced through its left arm with a sickening crunch, sending it stumbling backward with a screech of agony. The creature’s eyes darted around wildly, and then it made the only choice it had left—flight.
Shrieking in pain and terror, the ratman turned and bolted down the mountain, its blood leaving a dark trail in the underbrush.
“They know how to flee?” Ivanic said from beside Niko, his voice tinged with surprise. “I thought they were mindless.”
Niko, his brow furrowed, focused on the retreating ratman. "They must have some level of intelligence," he muttered. "If they understand when to run, they aren't just dumb beasts."
His heart raced as he considered what this meant. If the ratmen were smart enough to retreat, it could signal something more dangerous at play. Something deeper, more cunning, lurked beneath the surface of this territory.
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"Follow it!" Niko ordered, urgency in his voice. They couldn’t let the ratman escape, not without knowing where it was headed.
Zheng and Fumito, still catching their breath after the fight, immediately took off after the fleeing ratman, gaining the EXP from the kills. Despite its injuries, the creature was surprisingly fast, but the blood trail made it easy to track.
After a few minutes of pursuit, they came upon something unexpected—a large hole carved into the side of the mountain, its entrance wide and foreboding. Niko and his group halted, staring at the dark mouth of the cave with a mixture of confusion and wariness. His territory was large with its own mysteries to be uncovered, so he shouldn't have been surprised by seeing this, however, he was, as the darkness within vibrated with an ominous aura.
“This…” Niko muttered, the sight stirring a distant memory. He recalled encountering a similar hole when they were fleeing from the Pigmen not too long ago. There seemed to be some of these spread throughout his territory, but not all of them are deep, or very accessible. But this was different. It felt… deeper. Older.
Could there be a second section of the castle? Niko wondered, his mind racing. How could I not know about this?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the ratman, its blood-soaked body vanishing into the darkness of the cave entrance. Niko took a cautious step forward, his heart pounding in his chest. Something about this place felt off, like an ancient secret waiting to be unearthed.
Just as Niko was about to cross the threshold, a sound rang out in his head—a familiar ding, the unmistakable chime of his interface alerting him. A screen appeared before his eyes, its message causing his pulse to quicken.
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[Alert!]
You have discovered [Catacombs of Grayrock Castle], an area long forgotten by the old lord of this territory. This dungeon hidden beneath Grayrock Castle has been left untouched for many years, and the prisoners once held here have long since escaped into the wilds.
For being the first to discover [Catacombs of Grayrock Castle]:
* Double EXP in the [Catacombs of Grayrock Castle].
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Niko blinked, momentarily stunned. A dungeon… here? Right beneath their feet? He had never heard of such a thing happening. This was the first time he had experienced something like this—an undiscovered area beneath his own territory. Although not the same type of dungeon as the castle he had conquered, these smaller instances could exist within dungeons and around bigger ones.
He stood still, his mind racing with the implications. A forgotten dungeon, untouched for years… and it belonged to his territory. If they explored it, they could gain invaluable resources, experience, and potentially new spirits or powerful artifacts.
But with the promise of such rewards came the inevitable danger. What lay waiting inside? Had the escaped prisoners left traps or monsters behind? Niko didn't know, but the allure of double EXP was hard to resist, especially with his level ten just within reach.
As his team gathered behind him, the darkness of the dungeon beckoned, an unknown challenge ahead. Niko’s heart pounded, excitement and trepidation mixing in equal measure.
He turned to Ivanic, Zheng, and Fumito, who had caught up and were standing at the entrance, waiting for his lead.
"Are we going in?" Ivanic asked, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a hint of concern.
Niko hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Yes. We need to see what’s down there. But stay on guard—this place is ancient, and there’s no telling what’s waiting for us.”
With a final glance at the dark entrance, Niko stepped forward, leading his team into the unknown depths of the Catacombs of Grayrock Castle.