Ch 32

  They walked down what felt like a mile of spiraling stairs, lit only by an eerie glow that grew dimmer with every step, which did wonders for putting everyone on edge. As the seven descended in silence, even Greg appeared to understand that now was not the time for idle chatter. It was so quiet that Matt found himself regretting the fact he couldn’t relax and enjoy the moment; he longed for those peaceful evenings spent on his porch with Bob, soaking in the serenity of nature before bedtime. In that moment, he couldn’t help but feel as if the whole world was conspiring to frustrate him.

  His brooding thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he reached the end of the stairs and discovered a chamber that resembled a catacomb. Unlike traditional catacombs, however, no sections were carved into the walls to serve as burial sites. Instead, there were mounds flanking either side of a narrow pathway—a path just wide enough for a single person to walk through. In fact, there were two such pathways, leading to a long tunnel where, in the faint light, two rows of mounds stretched as far as Matt’s eyes could see.

  As the others followed him into the chamber, Matt was already working through a tactical plan to approach what felt like a trap. He was certain that the undead would spring forth from the mounds and attack, though the only question left was when. The last thing he wanted was to be halfway through the tunnel only to have enemies emerge simultaneously from every mound, surrounding them completely and leaving them hopelessly outnumbered—a scenario that would likely result in a gruesome demise. For that very reason, he issued his first order.

  "Greg, cast your spell so that it strikes the closest pair of mounds in the middle," he commanded.

  "Are we sure that's a good idea?" Greg protested. "I mean, we don’t even know how this dungeon works yet. For all we know, that action could awaken every undead creature in here—"

  "Better now than when we’re surrounded in the middle," Matt interrupted. "And especially since two members of our group are still at level one. That said, if that happens, I want all of you to retreat up the stairs while I hold the front."

  "Not going to happen," Zara retorted firmly. "Just because you’re the leader doesn't mean I’m going to follow you straight into what looks like a death trap. If you fall, the rest of us will likely end up following."

  "Not if I manage to take down enough of them first," Matt countered.

  "Alright, but I'm not going to let you fight alone," Zara insisted. "The two of us can hold our ground while Yumiko takes a position one step up on the stairs, ready to shoot her bow."

  "I don't have an endless supply of arrows," Yumiko interjected. "Still, if you’re just looking for me to provide cover when it seems like you’re in trouble, that could work."

  "Fine, let’s settle on that," Matt agreed, realizing that further argument was futile. "Alright, everyone except Zara, Greg, and Yumiko, please retreat to the stairs while we test this plan. Greg, once you and Yumiko are at the stairs, stand right behind her. Yumiko, when you’re on the stairs, be sure to hold your bow so that its bottom is above our necks."

  After a few nods, everyone took their positions, and Greg cast his spell. This caused a layer of dirt to fly off the mounds and into the air, further lowering their visibility. However, nothing else of note happened. Feeling as if something was still amiss, Matt held up his hand, signaling for the others to be quiet as he cautiously moved forward toward the mound that had been struck. With no better course of action, he thrust his foot into it, and as it shot right through, it exposed a heap of bones lying within. Yet, nothing else happened, and Matt wanted to shout in frustration.

  Deciding that the best course of action was to wait for the dust to settle before calling the others over, Matt began to work through the possibilities as he saw them. The first and most likely scenario in his mind was that, no matter what they did, the dead would only animate when a preset condition was met. If that were the case, then the bones before him were insignificant in the grand scheme of things. After all, they were just inanimate objects until they rose. However, the possibility that destroying the mounds could result in none of them rising was also a distinct possibility. Despite this, Matt’s gut instinct told him that wasn’t the case as he motioned for the others to come forward.

  Once the last of them had cleared the stairs, the final step suddenly shot up faster than they could react. Before they even had time to process this, the mound nearest Matt exploded as a skeletal hand shot out and grabbed his leg. Without even thinking, Matt kicked the arm that extended out of the mound with his free leg. It felt like he was kicking a steel pole, causing him to cry out in pain. Nonetheless, the bones did go flying away, except for the hand that still gripped onto Matt’s leg as he retreated awkwardly toward the others. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he might have broken something as he did his best to keep weight off his toes.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Meanwhile, one skeletal figure after another began to rise from mounds of earth—a one-armed skeleton emerging from the very mound he had been leaning against. Even the pile of bones, which he had scattered by kicking a mound, reassembled before Matt’s eyes as he felt a painful grip tighten around his leg. Glancing down, he brought the side of his knife down onto the knuckles of the skeletal hand and was relieved when the hand crumpled away, just as he reached Zara, who stood ready with her sword drawn. At that exact moment, the skeletons began to march forward, and Matt realized he needed to alert the others about the dangers of striking the skeletons with the sharp edges of their weapons.

  “Don’t hit them with the sharp parts of your weapons—or even your body. It felt like I kicked a steel pole, and I suspect our blades won’t hold up under that kind of force.”

  “Seriously?” retorted Zara. “What kind of setup is this?”

  “One that requires you to use the proper weapons,” responded Greg. “They’re undead, so they’re immune to nonlethal damage like punches and kicks. Slashing and piercing are too weak; only blunt force seems effective.”

  “Alright, everyone, pull out the goblin clubs and prepare to defend yourselves,” declared Matt as he stowed his knife and unslung the crude club hanging from his waist. “Greg, throw me yours and take tactical command of this fight while I handle the frontline.”

  Before Greg could object, Matt added, “My strength is more than three times yours, so just hand over the club.”

  Moments later, with the two clubs in his hands and the nearest skeleton just out of reach, Matt swung at its head. The sickening crunch and the skeleton crumbling to the floor were all the validation he needed before issuing his next orders.

  “Stay alive and follow me with caution—I don’t want any of these defeated ones rising again after we pass them.”

  Without waiting for a reply, Matt charged forward, ignoring the searing pain in his toes as he attacked with wild abandon. With each step, at least one more skeleton came within reach of his club, and he wasted no time swinging at them. However, the sheer number of skeletons was overwhelming, and their grasping, claw-like hands lashed out against his arms. Each scrape seemed insignificant on its own, but soon enough, within less than a minute, Matt was covered in his own blood as exhaustion threatened to overtake him.

  In the background, he could hear Greg shouting orders, directing the others as they handled the few skeletons that managed to slip past Matt. Unfortunately, only about one in every four was intercepted, thanks to the second path remaining unoccupied—making it difficult for Matt to stop the creatures that emerged from the farthest mounds along his route. Ideally, there would have been a second person handling that flank, ensuring that none of the skeletons reached those following behind. However, only Zara could even consider such a role at the moment, and in Matt’s mind, that would leave the second group perilously exposed.

  Whether or not reality aligned with Matt’s perception, in that moment he saw himself standing alone against an onslaught of foes as he shielded the lives of others. He never considered his actions heroic; it was simply something that had to be done because he was the only one with the ability to succeed where the others would fail. This unwavering resolve allowed him to ignore the increasing pain in his body—a pain that built with each passing second. In the midst of the chaos, he even began to imagine that he would ultimately triumph and stand victorious, his regenerative abilities piecing him back together.

  Then, disaster struck: he lost one of his clubs as his blood made the handle slick, causing it to slip from his grasp when he struck another skeleton. While the skeleton he hit tumbled to the ground like the others, Matt found himself momentarily off balance and stunned. That brief lapse was enough for three skeletons to close the gap, clinging to him with murderous intent. All three focused on biting him, but in a desperate bid to survive, he managed to force his clubless arm into the mouths of two of them while bringing his remaining club down on the third before it could sink its teeth into him. Despite his valiant effort, more skeletons approached, and Matt could nearly see his death as an arrow shot past his head.

  When the arrow collided with a skeleton’s forehead, its tip shattered, yet the head still fell to the ground with a final thud. Moments later, a staff came crashing down onto the skulls of the two skeletons biting his arms. At that moment, Matt caught sight of a terrified Emily, her face set in grim determination as she gritted her teeth and let out a mighty shout. Then he felt something tugging him back. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a frantic Zara rushing to his aid, while Elanor and Rose guarded the rear of the formation. Longing to reassure them that he was fine, he opened his mouth, only to be cut short by Greg’s commanding words:

  “You’ve done enough. We’ve got the rest of this; just focus on surviving.”

  Matt wanted to argue, but his voice was unresponsive, and his body felt increasingly heavy as he struggled to stay on his feet. The next thing he knew, Emily was at his side, carefully wrapping a bandage just below his shoulder on the bitten arm, while Zara had moved to the front, holding back one of the encroaching skeletons. The sudden, tight grip of the bandage on his arm was the last sensation he recalled before his vision started to darken, and he allowed himself one final, desperate glance around the chaotic scene.