Chapter 23 – Nightmare in Linchester
Korgan dropped his stealth skill Wandering Orphan with a sigh of relief. His mana had bottomed out ages ago and his stamina had been draining constantly since then. His Class and attributes were of the martial kind and he didn’t use many skills that required mana. The skill had even leveled twice due to the increased stress of hiding him from not just one but two Bronze-ranked individuals.
Unseen and Forgotten level 23
Korgan thanked his harsh upbringing on the streets of Orzim for that particular skill. He had been surprised when the system awarded him that skill upon his ascension. The crew he worked for before ascending was known for their cunning and stealth and he was the best of the Urchins, the best pickpocket, and thug around back then. Korgan got lost in the memories for a moment before he caught himself and looked around.
He was standing in an alley overlooking the entrance to town, Liara and the others were being escorted toward the church. Korgan smiled again as he thought about his Skill.
Unseen and Forgotten – No one notices the lone child in the gutter, the guilt would eat them up. You are hidden from view by others and your presence is soon forgotten at least for a while. Any offensive action taken will break the skill.
Korgan knew his departure would go unnoticed for a long time; the skill made even people that knew him to forget about him for a while. Only Liara knew he had disappeared, she and the others of the party had grown accustomed to his skill by now.
Moving with purpose he made his way deeper inside the alley, ignoring the smell of bodily fluids and garbage he made his way to the other exit leading to a narrow street. Taking his time, he made sure he wasn’t followed by anyone using Stealth or any other interested party. Thirty minutes later he stood outside a large door, warm light shining from the two windows surrounding it.
Korgan stepped inside and lowered his cloak. The smell of food and ale hit him in the nose followed by the smell of unwashed bodies and smoke. As soon as the door opened a wave of noise assaulted his ears as well. The sound of laughter and song mixed with talking and shouting.
The dwarf made his way through the throng of mostly humans, a few elves and gnomes interspersed in the mix. He even saw a Halfling sitting atop a barrel placed on a chair. No one paid him any special attention even if he was the only Dwarf here and he soon reached the bar.
A lone stool at the edge of the bar stood conspicuously empty and he jumped up on it without hesitating. His large body and armor made it creak but as usual, it held.
“Hey, you...” A rough voice was about to give him a tongue-lashing before it cut itself off.
“Good evening, boy. How’s business?” Korgan said with a smile, parting his thick beard. On the other side of the wooden bar, a large human man stood. He seemed to be in his forties but he was actually closer to eighty, but he was still in great shape, towering over everyone inside with his 210 cm build and muscular body. Only his grey hair and wrinkled eyes showed his advanced age.
“As I live and breathe. Old arse-face himself! To what do I owe the pleasure of such an old windbag?” His rumbling dark voice was deep enough to rumble in Korgan's chest. But the man was smiling just as wide.
“The same, hunting monsters and getting paid well for it.” Korgan felt bad about his half-truth but he couldn’t tell Olaf everything, no matter how much he loved the young human.
“I need some information and nothing is going on in the town of Linchester that doesn’t get brought up at Olafs Hammer and Steed.” Korgan accepted the large mug of ale offered by the giant man.
Olaf looked at the short dwarf who raised him after his parents died, the old battle horse looked the same as always, with long braided hair in a dark brown color, his long beard hanging freely and his muscular physique stretching at his armor. The dwarf's gut seemed somewhat smaller than usual but it still jutted out the armor as Olaf remembered it.
“Let me guess, you’ve gotten yourself stuck in something risky again. Perhaps something to do with a heretic said to be coming for us all in our sleep?” Olaf didn’t smile but his tone was still soft.
“You know me, son. I wouldn’t risk doing anything too bad with my immortal soul.” Korgan said innocently. Here let me fill you in. Korgan gave a somewhat redacted and half-truth rendition of what had happened since last they met just a short week ago.
At the end of the dwarfs retelling. Olaf had put down the mugs he had been cleaning and had crossed his arms. The few spots closest to the pair had seen the man's posture and had quickly made themselves scared, no one was foolish enough to take up the empty seats and the two were left alone. Korgan looked around as he spoke watching for prying eyes and ears. All he saw was the regular crowd of peasants, tradesmen, and merchants. The rough frontier town was a good place for making money for the majority of the world who weren't ascended. The thought sent his eyes back to the old man in front of him, a man he thought of as his son in ways. His lines had gotten deeper around the eyes and he didn’t move with as much strength as before either.
“That’s one hell of a story Pops. It matches somewhat to the story going around here as well. There was a high-ranking Inquisitor in town recently and he was spewing much vehemence, enough to get the mayor riled up at least. From what I could tell if such a man appeared he would be in big trouble.” Olaf resumed his cleaning but his eyes were on the dwarf at all times.
“Yes, a man of such repute would be trouble for this town. Unless the stories were somewhat exaggerated.” The two knew each other well enough to understand the underlying meaning of their words. Bel was not as bad as the inquisitor had proclaimed, Korgan's words said and Olaf was explaining that the town was on edge and the mayor would be a bigger problem than they thought initially.
Korgan was about to say something else when he stopped. He instead raised his mug to his lips and just as they were about to meet a bell started up outside. Both Olaf and Korgans head snapped to the door and the room fell silent. A scream tore through the silence and then the door exploded inward.
-----
Bel felt revulsion at seeing the monster crushing the body into a paste, but the familiar battle lust started to wake in his chest. He hadn’t much time and so he quickly formed a skill within his pathways and with a stomp, he threw it out. A dozen green portals sprung to life spitting out a dozen armed and armored skeletons. His sloppy and rushed activation cost him half his mana in one go and he wobbled for a split second. The drain was massive for such a short cast and he hadn’t been using his mana as much lately. The efficacy had gone down and that showed.
Pool 35/71
Bel had a moment to wonder at the number before several things struck him at once. First, his pool was still 71 even though he wasn’t wearing his armor, either the buff was permanent or he was still linked to his armor somehow. Secondly, his regular skeletons cost three points instead of two probably because of his shoddy mana work Bel thought. The answer to why it cost 35 points for twelve skeletons was obvious as the last skeleton was jumping around on one leg. The minions followed his unspoken command and charged the closest Wendigo.
The third thing to hit him was a large shoulder of a creature twice his weight. It barreled into him hard enough to crack a few ribs. Bel groaned but grabbed the creature and set his feet as he was pushed back, unable to get a grip on the rug beneath them.
A smell of rotting meat and vomit assaulted his nostrils and he gagged even as he dug his face and arms into the creature trying to stop its momentum. He was strong, perhaps stronger than the creatures but he couldn’t stop physics yet. Gliding backward on the curling rug, he heaved his body sideways and the creature growled in surprise as it kept going. Bel put out a leg and tripped the thing as he tried his best imitation of a Judo toss.
The monsters were strong and ferocious but they seemed to be lacking intelligence. As the Wendigo got going it soon hit a pew with a crashing sound, crushing the wood into splinters. A weak growl escaped its mouth as the air was forced out of its lungs.
Bel didn’t hesitate he turned his back toward the creature and ran. He was still a few meters from his weapons and as he ran past his sword, he grabbed it and tried to stop. The rug wouldn’t let him of course and he cursed under his breath as he turned back toward the monster chasing him as he glided several more steps.
He was just in time to raise the blade as a clawed hand sliced toward his throat. Bel managed to divert the first attack but his lack of footing and control made him helpless to avoid the second clawed hand. Leaning backward was all he could do and two claws hit his left cheek, tearing through flesh like it was butter. Pain assaulted his mind but his trait and experience made it feel like his face was just slightly burning.
Setting his feet, he pushed the creature with the flat of his blade and as it lost its footing for a moment he lunged. The sword pierced the surprised creature's chest straight through and it looked at Bel dumbfoundedly. Bel smiled a bloody smile, half his face hanging loose and blood splattered everywhere.
“Fuck you, you fucking fuck.” Bel wasn’t very proud of that comment but he blamed the pain and situation. He activated Life Transference to heal his face and bring him back to full fighting order. He hadn’t used the skill since he tried it on the Devourer and somehow, he thought that it was only that strange creature that would affect him as it did. Now nausea and vile wrongness flowed into him and made him gag and puke up a black sludge that burned his already wounded cheek.
You have slain a Wendigo – Level 24
“Gah, what the fuck.” He exclaimed as he twisted his blade and tore it free of the dead monster. Stumbling back his thighs hit a pew forcing him to sit down to steady himself. Bel’s focus was turned inward and he didn’t notice the battle around him for a moment. A scream next to him brought him back to reality.
A second Wendigo went down with a slashed throat just next to him and he threw himself away. Francis stood over the corpse looking for the next threat. Next to him Bull and Sarah stood at the ready. Alexandra was moving over to the downed Bel quickly and her face turned from shock to revulsion and back again.
“What happened to you? No, stay still I need to check you for conditions.” Her hand flashed white for a moment and a warmth spread throughout Bel's body. It was the first time someone had used such a skill on him and it felt nice. A second later she frowned.
“You’re fine except for the facial wound. Your reading is strange though, it's like something is getting purged from your body but I can’t tell what it is. I’ve never sensed something like this.” Her hand flashed a warmer white and she daintily touched his cheek. The warmth changed to something even more pleasant as the pain receded and his cheek knitted itself together.
“Thanks, that freaking hurt. I tried to heal myself with Life Transference but there’s something wrong with the skill. It just absorbed some nasty black shit the same as with the Devourer.” Bel got to his feet and wiped his face with his arm. The clothing would clean itself later anyway.
He didn’t notice the surprised expression on Alexandra's face at first but her stunned silence brought his attention back to her.
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“What?” He asked.
“Did you say Life Transference, not Life Steal or Life Leech or something like that?” She asked, suddenly serious.
“No, Life Transference. I used it to fight the dungeon monsters for longer and heal my wounds. I can use it to heal my minions as well. Why? What’s wrong?” Bel asked as he picked up his shield and readied himself again. They didn’t have time to stand around talking but something about the Healer told him this was important.
“Listen to me Bel, never use that skill again. It’s not a healing skill, ok? It takes the essence of something and that essence can heal you, yes, but it also changes you. Turns you more into that type of creature. Only if your will is strong enough can you stand against its effect, and you are nowhere near that level.” Her words were tight and she spoke through clenched teeth.
“But I've been using it for months without turning into a monster?” He said with a frown that deepened as he once again felt a wave of bloodlust, his body was ready to back into the fight right now. That feeling and this conversation made him aware of just how unnatural that feeling was to him.
“It takes time, but I bet you don’t feel like yourself all the time. Something feels off and you haven’t really thought about it until now. Am I right?” She asked Bel who looked at her in surprise. She could see that he knew what she meant.
“Fine. We’ll discuss this later. Right now, we have bigger problems.” He turned and slashed at a Wendigo trying to sneak up on the small group of humans. The conversation had not taken more than 30 seconds but the scene inside the church had changed drastically.
It was like a horror movie. The pristine walls and floor were covered in blood and body parts. Half of the ornate, carefully crafted windows were broken and almost every piece of furniture was destroyed or ruined beyond repair.
Several priests turned out to be ascended and were currently fighting the monsters. Liara and Gillroy had formed a safe zone near the altar where several younger members of the clergy were huddling down. There were more corpses than living and Bel felt a tug in his heart. His skeletons had put up a good fight, probably saving several lives but only two remained, one of them the one-legged one who was trying to stand up after it had been knocked down behind a candelabra.
With a growl, he sidestepped a clawed swing and with a swing of his own he separated the monster's head from its shoulders.
You have slain a Wendigo – level 23
Bel knew his next action would not be welcomed by Conrad and the others, but they needed more bodies. The cheapest and most efficient way was all around them though. With a deep breath, Bel focused on his mana, it had barely regenerated by he still had a lot left. His skill blazed within his pathways and this time he took the time to form it properly, it surged through him and he released Summon Undead at full capacity. A storm of dark green mana erupted from him and it coursed through the room, crawling over everything and everyone. As it touched the corpses of the priests and initiates their eyes burned with the familiar green flames and their mouths opened, the same green flame spewing forth.
Unlike regular zombies, these did not twitch and moan. They weren't slow and hungry for brains either. Something in the mana and the fresh corpses turned the Skill up even more than Bel’s Hordes of the Necro-Lord did. They all pushed off at the same time.
17 zombies soared through the air twisting their bodies and landing smoothly on their feet. Their green flaming eyes and mouths looked around sightlessly. Bel thought a command and his minions responded. Silently they charged the monsters who themselves roared at the new threat. The zombies and Wendigos met and the monsters were no match.
Bel’s minion was a whole tier higher than the monsters; they also had several levels over their enemies. That would have been enough normally but Bel didn’t have the time to fight a prolonged battle, people's lives were at stake. Inside his chest, the guilt was gnawing at Bel. What he had done would come back against him he knew, so he activated a second skill.
Imbue Undead spread out from his hand and he thought he could see faint threads of mana stretching out and touching every minion, pulsing with that same dark mana. The zombie's power exploded and they tore the monsters to pieces within minutes. They ripped their arms off; they tore their throats out with steel-like teeth. The monster's roars turned to frightened yelps and soon they tried to flee, but none made it.
A minute after his first cast Bel stood in the middle of the ruined church, surrounded by monster corpses and the few survivors who all stared at him with disgust and awe. The zombie's work was done and they stood stock still, eyes toward their master.
Bel slowly exhaled, that went much better than he thought. He was still feeling guilty but that guilt was lessened by a wave of energy.
Summon Undead has leveled up x2
Imbue Undead has leveled up x1
You have slain a Wendigo x23
You have leveled up x1
His progress had stalled considerably since he left the dungeon, but it felt good to make progress again.
Bel could feel the wick burning on his summons and there was still time left before they would burn up from the extra energy of his Imbue skill. He sent a silent command to the zombies and as they turned as one to execute his command, he realized that no one could hear his command and it may look strange to the others.
“Go, kill any monster you find in the city, and save as many lives as possible.” He said in his best commanding voice. He could feel the cold intelligence of his minions, just below the surface of his control. The zombies ran out the doors in seconds a few jumped out the windows. He felt them spreading out outside. Almost immediately he felt them enter combat and the screams from outside told him they faced many more monsters.
Turning toward the crowd of silent survivors he straightened his back.
“Conrad, secure the church by any means necessary. I don’t know what skills you all have but hold this place no matter what. I’m going out there and I'm going to save as many people as possible. Liara, stay with him. The rest of you, with me.” He turned toward Francis and the others. They nodded toward him with strange expressions. That’s when he noticed that Korgan was nowhere in sight. He didn’t see a body so the dwarf must be somewhere else. He didn’t have the time to think about that now though.
He didn’t wait to see if they would listen, instead, he ran toward the broken pieces of the doors leading outside. Soon the sound of several feet following him reached his ears.
----
Alexandra was staring at the man again. She doubted he knew how his action looked from the outside. First, he displayed an immense mana pool and control above what anyone at tin or bronze rank should have. Then he ordered the head priest around like he was a simple servant, and it worked. His bearing and the way he spoke brokered no argument and Alexandra found herself wanting to do what he said. It didn’t help that she agreed with his action. No matter what she was taught and the dream that brought her here.
She had prepared herself for the chance of falling into corruption, to being swayed by lies and deceit. Ever since that dream from the Goddess that told her what was to come. She had prepared for months to abandon the order she had dedicated her life to serving, all because of a dream from the Lightbringer herself. She had no doubt in her mind who sent her the dream. Now she felt herself wavering.
It was hard seeing the Apostles' betrayal and the deaths of her brothers and sister. She believed it was for a good cause but that didn’t make it any easier. But the man, Bel. He was not what she expected. She thought he would be just another greedy heretic and liar. Now she was doubting everything.
She found herself following the man without question, at least out loud. Inside, her feelings were all over the place as she thought about the words of the goddess. For now, it seemed that both Bel and the orders from her Goddess were aligned. Keep Bel and as many people as possible from harm.
She would keep this man alive at all costs, no matter who got in the way. However, when she saw the sign the Goddess had promised, then and only then would she stab him with the dagger hidden in her boot.
----
Korgan was breathing heavily. He was standing as a Bulwark just inside the broken doors to the tavern. Chairs and tables were piled against the windows and door but the monster kept coming. Wendigos off all things, but there were other monsters as well. Lesser Leshens, walking tree roots prowled outside, picking off anyone trying to escape. Not that many people tried that anymore. Wendigos as the shock troops and behind them all, something taller and bigger. Korgan hadn’t gotten a good look at it yet. How had they made it inside the town without the scouts or guards seeing their approach? He thought for the twentieth time.
The initial slaughter had been the worst. Half a dozen patrons had been cut down in the first few seconds of battle. Korgan was the only ascended in the place and his axes had been busy since then. The others fought with anything they could get their hands on and the monsters had been pushed back.
Blood was slick under Korgans boots. A literal pool of the sticky substance spread out around him, mostly from the corpses of the monsters he’d slain but there were also many humans laying around him. His left hand was pressed to his side, blood flowing through his thick fingers even as he put pressure on the wound. A small stone of worry had wormed its way into his chest. This could be it; his last battle and he didn’t even make it to Bronze.
A chuckle escaped his mouth as he lunged forward and planted his axe in the head of a monster trying to push its way inside. It yelped in pain and fell backward.
Gravel only he could see, formed at his feet.
You have slain a Wendigo.
He stepped back again and someone pulled him backward. It was a testament to how tired he really was that he couldn’t resist. Korgan looked over his shoulder and saw Olaf in his bloody apron. The large man was pulling him back as two men in workers' clothing took his place with makeshift spears.
“What are you doing boy? I need to fight; they’ll break through any minute now.” He tried to pull free but even though the man might not be ascended his strength easily stopped the tired dwarf.
“Stop it, Korgan. You need to rest for a few minutes, eating something to get your strength back. They can hold the door for a few minutes without you.” Olaf's deep voice was gentle as he gave his adoptive father a wine sack and a bowl of stew.
The dwarf grumbled but he was too tired to argue. He sat down at the few tables left, the whimpering of the wounded and the sound of people at his back. He didn’t look at the makeshift triage area they’d made nor at the men and woman sitting in the corner of the large room. He didn’t want to see the terror in their eyes.
The food was delicious but Korgan barely noticed as he ate mechanically. The sounds of monsters reached his ear as they once again tried assaulting the barricade.
“What’s going on Korgan? Where did they come from?” Olaf sat down next to the eating warrior and changed the dressing on the wound on his side.
“I don’t know son. The guards are either incompetent or dead. A horde this size should have been seen or sensed long before they reached the walls. Unless they had help...” His voice had dropped to a low rumble by the end.
“We need to prepare for the possibility that help isn’t coming. In that case, I will hold down the monsters outside while you all slip out and make your way to the church. There are several great fighters there, it should still be standing.” He tried to sound as confident as possible but he had no idea what was going on outside. Liara should have contacted him by now.
“You won't last long alone, Dad. I’ll help you.” Olaf said, his face grim.
“You’ll do no such thing. I didn’t get you out of the gutter just for you to die in them. You’ll lead the survivors and that’s the end of that.” Korgan raised his voice, something he rarely did against those closest to him. Olaf flinched and looked away, he slowly nodded.
“Good, now we’re not there yet so sit down and rest. I’m going back to the doors. Perhaps I can thin out the horde before we need to leave.” The dwarf got to his feet, and he masked the wobbling of his legs by reaching for the wine again.
A scream startled everyone and the survivors whimpered and pulled closer together. Korgan spun toward the doors and reached them after only a few steps. The wound in his side had stopped bleeding but that small sprint had reopened it.
As he reached the barricade, he tried looking outside but the night was dark and full of terrors. He thought he caught sight of something glowing green. What he could tell was that something was fighting outside and the sound of tearing flesh was audible even through the screaming and whimpering inside. After a few minutes, silence fell outside. The green glow reappeared and made its way toward the tavern.
“Get ready, somethings coming.” He shouted to the others. They gripped their makeshift weapons, their faces white.
A horror appeared in the opening of the door. A man, a priest judging by the clothing, stuck his head inside. His eyes were flaming emeralds and his mouth burned with green flame. He looked over the room and then he left. Not a "he" everyone thought, an "it". No one dared to move. Korgan was about to strike out when he first saw the green glow. A sense of relief he never thought he would feel came over him when he recognized the thing.
“By the Caves. We’re saved.” The others looked at him in confusion. His words turned out to be true though. No more monsters assaulted their position and soon the sound of feet reached their ears. A young man entered the tavern. He looked around for a moment and when he spotted Korgan he sighed in relief.
“Thank the Light. Are you hurt Korgan?” Francis looked at Korgans bloody side.
“I’m fine, boy. What happened?” Korgan answered with a wince.
“We don’t know yet. Lord Bel is clearing the town as we speak, so far, it's going well but it might not last.” The boy didn’t realize it, but Korgan could hear the reverence in his voice. Korgan frowned at that but he couldn’t blame the boy, he felt almost as relieved himself that they had that strange Dirtling with them.
Korgan turned toward the survivors.
“You heard the man, to the church.”
He stepped outside and stumbled at the sight. The entire area was filled with torn-up monsters and body parts. By the Caves. What are we harboring in that young man, he thought as he started the walk toward safety.