Whispers of a Dead Empire

We stuck around on the lakefront for a short time before we gathered our gear. In that time, we gathered a bit more information on the mana that existed here, along with its interactions with the environment. As far as we were concerned, we had uncovered a new type of mana, which alone was a significant turning point in our travels.

Once everyone was ready to go, we traveled on the road, keeping a low profile. Already a few patrols had passed by when we were at the lake, and none of us would take a chance to get into a fight. With how wrong our information was on this undead, stealth would be our best bet for now.

The fog had already started to condense a bit, but not enough to impede us as we traveled. How it seemed to move reminded me of a tide. There were peaks where the fog was so thick that I could hardly see my hand in front of my face, while other times, it was almost nonexistent. What really bothered me about it all was the light here. The longer that I stayed out in the open, the more it gnawed at me. The coloring was off, just enough for me to perceive it, but not enough to put my finger on what it was. But by the gods, was it annoying.

I hugged the road and kept my eyes open for any threats in front of us until, at long last, a large wooden door stood before us, framed in by a sizeable battle-worn stone wall that looked like it was on the cusp of crumbling into ash. A few undead soldiers patrolled on the walls, and two stood at attention on either side of the gate. As I checked them out, the design philosophies behind the uniform struck me. It acted as a sort of camouflage and seemed to blend in with the fog. The design of the clothing was ingenious. We would have to be a little more careful moving forward from now on.

As we pressed further on, we came across a little foxhole a small ways off the road and settled in there, so we could scope out the structure and be safe from prying eyes or a patrol that could come up behind us.

"What do you guys think?" I asked as I kept my eyes on the road leading in and part of the massive gate door.

"It looks like a stronghold. The walls are low, so they can be scaled. However, they aren't low enough to vault, at least at our level. They have tight formations that are patrolling the area. Judging by the fact that they are undead, there are no guard shifts, so we can't rely on that if we want to infiltrate the area. The more that I look at how they move, the more I realize they are competent, so we can't make a diversion." Gunther's eyes danced across the walls of the outpost as he looked over the undead soldiers.

"I can cloak us when nighttime comes around. The undead shouldn't be able to see unless they have detection-based magic." Alinore told us softly as the sound of metal squealing on its hinges filled the air as the door swung open. We pressed ourselves as low as possible as we watched an even larger detachment than before emerge.

At its forefront was a giant skeleton clad in thick padding that had the same color scheme as the rest of the undead soldiers. Its fist was contained by two gloves with a band of metal around the knuckles. Above its head was its name written in flowing violet script.

Lieutenant Aaron Flint The Undying Fist

I froze as I pressed myself as low as I could. There was no telling how far its detection radius was. Hell, bosses never roamed past its designated area. Gunther and Carter scooted forward while Alinore pressed herself behind us.

"That is a fucking monk class skeleton. Who the fuck wants to fight something like that." Carter hissed quietly as he looked over the skeleton as it marched down the road. Its retinue of soldiers looked to be lower ranked, outside of a unit called a centurion, and a high ranked warrant officer.

I grimaced as I watched it walk away. We just weren't equipped to fight something like that. The closest things we had that could damage it would be Alinore and Gunther. Maybe Carter, depending on what arrows he used, but that was about it. I clenched my fist and felt worthless. No matter how much I fought the gnawing doubt that stuck around in my mind, I couldn't keep denying how I felt. This domain made me feel useless. We were constantly fielded with threats that we couldn't deal with.

While they were only zombies, the zombies had no reliable way to kill them since they lacked a necromancer overlord. We couldn't afford a drawn-out fight with one since the patrols rotated, lest we get ambushed. Not to mention the ghosts and the spirits that were here. We would need a dedicated magic caster that could harm one, paired with a superb swordsman that could go toe to toe with one while the mage did its work. The skeletons lacked a core, so the only way we could disable one would be through brute force, which we lacked the equipment for outside of Gunther.

They also roamed in packs, shoring up their weakness, which meant that trying to fight a squad of them would be painful. While we could do it, it would be risky. The more that I saw of how they operated, the more the horror built in my chest. They were smart, and whoever led them knew what they were doing.

But as much as the Skeletal monk bothered me, it also offered us an opportunity. With the boss gone, we could infiltrate the stronghold. I glanced at my HUD and saw that it was around eighteen-hundred hours in the domain, which means that the sun was setting soon, which would put Alinore at her strongest. Now we would just have to wait for that moment to come.

It was twenty-one hundred hours, and the sun had set. The boss hadn't yet returned, so we still had a chance. Alinore cast Light obscureness, which refracted the portion of the surrounding air, hiding us from all but those who could pierce the veil of magic. The second that the spell was finished casting, we moved across the road as silently as possible, avoiding some of the undead that had wandered up to the wall. The two guards stepped forward brandishing spears and stabbed the zombies through the face, instantly dropping them. That was good to know. If we targeted the head, then we could take out the zombies.

We moved across the length of the wall until we came across a portion that was blown inward and had a small collection of ten undead that stood guard there. Two of them were warrant officers, with the first was a Zombie that wielded a bow, and the other was a spirit with a sword and a shield. They both stood there unmoving, staring at the wall, waiting for anything to pass through. The other undead behind it were at the ready, standing as if they were statues. I was envious. If I had guards like this, then I would never have to worry about getting attacked. It must be great being inexhaustible. But I quickly shoved away my jealously. Now wasn't the time to lament about stuff like that.

As we all crowded around the breached, I checked out the area, ensuring that we were still clear. I took the lead and was the first to pass through the opening. That way, if anything were to happen, I could distract the undead and let my team escape. I carefully navigated through the stone-ridden area and crept past everything, and once I was in the stronghold, I relaxed slightly. Now all I had to do was wait for the rest.

A few seconds later, the other three crept in behind me. Careful to avoid any of the loose stones and anything else that could reveal us. My heart quickly pounded as I glanced around at the faces of all the other undead, ready to jump into action at any second. Once everybody was in, I released a pent-up breath, but I was careful enough to do it as quietly as possible.

I moved silently, leading my team through the stronghold as we tried to gauge what was in here. The first thing that caught my interest was the stone remains of a fountain in the middle. One that looked like someone redid it recently, yet there was no water flowing through it. A few buildings dotted on the perimeter, yet the largest was two stories in size and overlooked the stronghold. A stone's throw away from an area covered in ash and the remnants of wooden structure, and a few undead stood close by looking at it. Though what was going on in their minds, I couldn't even begin to guess.

Sadly though, we didn't have time to explore the area since the spell would fade soon. I set my sights on the biggest building in the area since that is typically where the most important things were. The only issue that I could see was getting inside without the undead knowing. Especially since standing next to the door were two undead centurions. I quickly looked over the building and saw a window on the first floor that we could sneak through if we were careful, and once we were in, it would be smoother sailing from here on out. If we didn't get caught, that is.