Chapter 32) Taking the high ground. Or. Uptown Ghouls.

The temple of the goddess of life wasn't the tallest building around, but it had a tower next to the front of the main hall that looked intact and since the undead stayed out, at least the mindless ones, it was possible to climb up the tower without having to dodge Lurkers and other walking dead.

It also had a pretty good view of the city.

Tesero was big. As was appropriate for what had been the capital of a good sized nation. It was separated into an upper and lower city with the lower one being larger and consisting of distinctive neighborhoods, while the upper city consisted of larger buildings and the shattered remains of what must have been a grand palace at one time.

Matt pointed it out. “Looks like someone put up a fight.”

Off to the west was a bay lined with smaller buildings and docks that opened up into a wide river or at least it did at one time.

Drew seemed a little in awe.

“They really put some work into that”

The wall that was the Barricade was made up of a mix of different colored stones with massive metal symbols of what must have been various gods somehow attached up against the inner wall of the Barricade which continued from where it circled around the city right into the mouth of the bay and all the way across cutting it off from the waters of the wide river we could kind of see out past it.

The younger man sighed. “Too bad they didn’t bother to put in a gate or something.”

While we could only see the base of the Barricade along the water line clearly but

it still wasn't clear if there were any doors built into the things, but it did seem like there was something else missing.

People.

I got out my chalk.

- See any people? -

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Matt shook his head. “Yeah, I noticed that too. And there isn’t any smoke anywhere out there. I’ve seen grills and fireplaces in the city so they must cook on open flames, and heat up water on them. So why doesn't anyone have a fire going out there?”

Drew slumped. “So much for calling for help when we get to the wall.”

I wrote – How long Liche been here? They give up guarding? -

The younger man pointed at the overgrown plant life. “That’s at least several years of growth, but it looks half dead so it may have taken longer for it to grow.”

I wasn’t sure if it worked like that, but sure, why not?

Matt pointed the tip of his spear toward the upper city. "Anything good is either in those houses, in stores up there for the rich people, or in the palace itself, but I don't think we should go that far since that is where I would expect the Liche to be at."

The other man nodded. “Yeah, a guy like that. He could even do something about the way we come back if we get killed in the starter zone.”

Matt blinked and gave Drew an upset look. “Why would you say that? Now I got that to worry about it.”

The younger man shrugged and stared steadily at the older man. “Sorry... I called dibs on upsetting ideas.”

I headed down the steps so I didn’t have to get involved.

Heading deeper into the city we ran into more skeletons and cleared them out while Matt and Drew steadily leveled up to third and then fourth, with Drew only getting that high a little before Matt as once he had hit third level the regular skeletons at Rank one only gave him one life point each.

And at fourth, they stopped giving anything at all.

Both of them were disappointed about that. But Drew seemed really upset. “Bullpoop. We should be getting something. Fractions are a thing.”

Matt got [ Shield Bash ] at third, and [ Sweeping Spin ] at fourth which let him everything around him, just not all that well.

Drew got [ Knock Back ] at forth which let him send whatever he hit flying back, but since he was able to down most of the skeleton with one hit he didn't bother to use it much.

The gate to the upper city had been decorated with statues and images of a three headed beast with the head of a lion, a hawk, and a goat but no wings. It had also taken a lot of damage before it fell.

As had the defenders, but they were still standing.

- Rank 3 Elite Guard -

My two trainees read the description I had gotten from Focus. Despite my best efforts, I hadn't been able to teach any of my trainees how to use the Bracket based ability. The two of them and even my Boss Allie had seemed limited to using the Panels.

Maybe it was because I didn't have a class? Even Allie had said she was level one hundred in a class while I just had the title of Guide.

Drew pointed at the three I had written down the Ranks of. “At least we’re going to get some experience from these guys. Either of you two have a plan?”

- I would like to try something -

Our path of destruction had gone a little differently today.

None of the skeletons had taken an interest in me, not unless I messed with them.

Walking ahead of Matt and Drew hadn’t drawn out any Lurkers or gotten any walking dead trailing along behind me. Instead, they only came running… well lurching, once the two of them came along.

That isn’t to say they didn’t react to me at all.

I could poke at them, stand in their way, even pull some of the rags a few of them still wore, and they would just ignore me or at best walk around me.

But if I hit them, kicked them, or tried to pull something out of the hands of the few carrying weapons or other items, they would go on the attack.

So I wasn't all that good as bait today, but I could scout.