Palimpsesting...
Palimpsesting...
Chapter 1.58 H
The expedition in the ruins is ambushed by a terrifying horde of undead, including Ghouls, Wights, and a massive Crypt Lord. The adventurers suffer heavy casualties as Olesm attempts to organize a defense, while Toren inexplicably attacks Ceria during the chaos.
The adventurer expedition exploring the ruins is suddenly overwhelmed by a massive, deadly ambush from an undead horde. The situation rapidly deteriorates as powerful new undead variants emerge from the darkness, catching the teams completely off guard.
The chapter concludes with the surviving adventurers fighting desperately for their lives against the seemingly unstoppable Crypt Lord and its encroaching undead army.
Elise from the Flawless Flights is eaten alive by an undead monster, and Hunt is paralyzed by a Wight's magical claws.
The aristocratic captain of the Silver Spears who seeks out Ryoka Griffin.
aka Yvlon, Captain of the Silver Spears +4
A polite, blue-scaled Drake who is the highest-leveled [Tactician] in Liscor. He is roped into playing a high-stakes chess game against Erin by his uncle, Lism.
aka The Olesm, the Drake +6
A newly discovered ancient dungeon near Liscor.
aka ancient dungeon, the Ruins +13
Olesm uses his Tactician skills, such as Rapid Retreat and Attack Formation, to organize a desperate defense against the horde.
A terrifying, massive Crypt Lord emerges to command the lesser undead, posing a catastrophic threat to the remaining adventurers.
During the chaos of the battle, Toren inexplicably attacks Ceria with a broken sword, but she incapacitates him by blasting his head off.
A complex Tier 2 spell used to cast widespread light.
aka [Illumination]
A Silver-rank adventuring team captained by Yvlon Byres.
aka the Silver Spears
A Silver-rank adventurer team captained by Cervial Dermondy.
aka the Flawless Flights
A low-tier defensive barrier spell.
aka [Ward of Safety]
A Human whose past racist remarks are remembered by Erin.
aka Archer Captain, the archer-captain +3
The Human vice-captain of the Horns of Hammerad.
aka the vice-captain, vice-captain of the Horns of Hammerad +10
One of the [Mages] in the Horns of Hammerad.
aka the wispy-haired [Mage], the [Mage] Sostrom +5
A Silver-rank [Mage] captain who decides against exploring the Ruins of Albez.
aka Captain Menes, the mage captain +2
The skeletal remains of a person that Erin discovered in an upstairs bedroom of the inn.
aka the skeleton, a pile of bones +18
A scarred warrior member of the Horns of Hammerad.
aka the armored warrior
A devastating offensive combat skill.
aka [Hammer Blow]
A spell that fires sharp, frozen projectiles.
aka [Ice Spike]
A spell used to create a glowing crystal for illumination.
aka [Light], Light
A common offensive magical spell that creates projectiles of fire.
aka [Fireballs], Fireball +1
A basic magical barrier spell.
aka [Lesser Barrier]
A low-tier defensive spell utilizing light magic.
aka [Sanctuary of Light]
An audio-enhancing utility spell.
aka [Loudness]
A sound-dampening utility spell.
aka [Muffle]
An instantaneous fire spell.
aka [Flashfire]
Highly lethal, advanced zombies that possess supernatural physical attributes.
aka Ghouls
A type of undead creature armed with magically paralyzing claws.
An undead creature Erin considers a real threat, unlike mundane corpses.
aka Zombies, zombies +3
Undead creatures referenced as prior threats near the inn.
aka skeleton, undead skeletons +2
A massive, bull-like sapient species.
aka Minotaurs, the Minotaur
A sapient reptilian species dominant in regions south of Liscor, generally unfriendly to Humans.
aka lizards, giant lizards +3
A species of which Erin Solstice is a member.
aka Humans, smooth skin +4
A sapient species possessing Elven traits.
aka Half-Elf, half-Elves
A general class for any individual who practices magic.
aka [Mage], [Mages] +3
A class that grants its user Skills related to strategy, giving them a significant advantage in games like chess.
aka [Tactician], [Tacticians] +1
A System skill that drastically increases the movement speed of the user and their allies to escape danger.
aka [Rapid Retreat]
A powerful [Tactician] skill that supercharges the combat capabilities of allied forces.
aka [Attack Formation]
A sweeping offensive melee skill.
aka [Whirlwind Cleave]
A ranged combat skill that maximizes damage at exceptionally close distances.
aka [Point-Blank Shot]
“Gerial. We can’t regroup like this. I need to cast [Illumination], but I’ll need defending.”
“Pathetic spirits of the dead! I am Calruz, leader of the Horns of Hammerad! By the House of Minos, I challenge you. If there is any honor left yet in your defiled corpses—face me and meet your end!”
“I will lure them out. If one of you possesses a [Loudness] spell or something similar, I will provoke them into attacking.”
“I can! But I need an opening! And the dead are behind us as well!”
“I know that spell. But are the rest of you agreed…?”
“I will take care of it if you get me close.”
“I fired it right at the damn monster, but it just took Elise and ate her. Damn it. Damn them.”
“A Wight got him from behind. It raked him with those damn paralyzing claws, and he froze up. He’s okay—but the magic isn’t going away for a while.”
“We could search for trapped rooms, but we’ll burn through magic fast that way. It’s risky.”
“They’ve already hidden themselves again. If we keep going, we’ll just run into another ambush. Granted, we know it’s coming, but I’d rather not do that again.”
“An extended battle like that is risky. We’d be looking over our shoulders the entire time, and we’d never know we got them all.”
“I do not need a Skill. Be ready. When they attack, we will crush them.”
“I can only do that once a day at my level. But yes—it can change a battle. The rest of my skills are mostly defensive or information-oriented, so this is all I can do.”
“They were being led by Crypt Lords, that’s how. Those bastards can command the other dead.”
“Dead gods, this is a mess. Where are the others?”
“They tore us apart out there! That was an ambush! A damn ambush from the undead! Has anyone heard of such a thing?”
“The dead do not like sound any more than you do. It is an intrusion. I have challenged their honor. And so—we begin!”
“I’m going to cast a big one. Everyone get back!”
“Crypt Lords. I’ve never fought their kind. Those giant things at the back—they can think?”
“Hold, damn you! Fall back in order! Warriors, hold, and mages retreat to the chamber!”
“Form on me! Horns of Hammerad, to me!”
“The spell is about to run out! Mages, buy us some time.”
“Screw me with a Wyvern’s tooth, what the hell was that?”
“Good job on that [Illumination] spell, Ceria. Without it, we would have been cooked.”
“[Rapid Retreat]. It’s, ah, a [Tactician] skill, although many [Thieves] and similar classes know it too. I heard Calruz shouting to get back over here, and I thought the rest of you would be right behind me.”
“We can worry about that after the threat is gone. Those spells won’t last forever. And we need a fast decision. Do we press on, now we know how many undead are out there, including Crypt Lords? Or do we retreat?”
“You! I saw you running away! I should run you through myself, you coward!”
“Are you mad, Calruz? Why in the hells do you want to do that? They nearly tore us apart in that ambush, and you want to take on the rest all at once?”
“Ceria. It is good you are well. The lighting spell was well-timed, as was the fireball.”
“There’s no way in hell I’m retreating, not without a huge pile of gold to put on my people’s tombstones.”
“Do you have [Taunt] as a Skill? I don’t know if that would even work on the dead…”
“How did they sneak up on us like that? We let our guards down, thinking the undead couldn’t.”
“Give me a minute. Can you clear the area first?”
“We need to cut them off! Can you cast a spell?”
“Gods. No wonder Charlez and his team didn’t make it out. We very nearly didn’t either.”
“Do we have any way of detecting them? A spell?”
“Those Crypt Lords are deadly. We need to take them out first. Do that and the rest of the undead lose a lot of their threat.”
“You. [Tactician]. Do you have any skills that would turn the tide of battle?”
“That one is more injured than the rest. Bring it down first.”
“Not every Skill or spell must be shouted.”
“Done. I’ll cast a [Muffle] spell so we don’t get the worst of whatever you’re about to do.”
“There’s our opening! If you can buy us time—”
“They were our best. Nothing should have been able to take out all of them without making a sound. Not even a horde of the undead. All of them had escape skills. So how—”
“It was a terrible ambush. My [Dangersense] only went off at the last moment. If we’d paid more attention to the scouts—”
“We could set traps and fortify this location. If we need to retreat—”
“Yes, and the [Mages] certainly saved us. But there’s a problem. Where’s that damned lizard?”
“That Drake didn’t run. He saved us. And you as well. When the undead were running at us, he got a group of us mages and used a Skill to let us escape the ambush. That let us get back here and open a path for the rest of you.”
“You speak of seeking them out in their homes, but that is foolish. We are adventurers. We are stronger than they are. If we remove the element of surprise and cowardly attacks from behind, we stand a better chance of wiping them out at once than fighting with our backs to the walls every five minutes.”
“I’m right with you, but how—?”
“Yeah. I’m glad everyone’s here. How many people didn’t make it?”
“A Crypt Lord is a threat capable of wiping out a Silver-rank team if they’re not careful. Recommended level to combat them is…around 22. Possibly 26 if you factor in their special abilities. They’re mostly dangerous because they can command the dead around them to do things like lie in wait or use pincer attacks.”
“No. We don’t do that. That was an ambush, not a fair fight. We’re going to go after those monsters and shoot them to bits.”
“You take that side, I’ll take this.”
“Now, warriors, follow me! Charge!”
“Calruz is right. In a straight battle without an ambush, we’d hold the advantage. If we could turn it into that, I’d place all my bets on our side winning handily. But how do you propose we do that, Calruz? Those monsters aren’t exactly smart, but they’re clever enough not to commit to an all-out attack. You saw how they retreated once we put the barriers up.”
“No. Wait. We will recover a while longer. And then we will go and destroy those who would take our own.”
“Yes. A…a few. One good one. Should I use it now…?”
“Where are they coming from?”
“How many people are injured? Who’s missing?”
“Well. Good job. My apologies. Thank you for doing that. If you hadn’t—”
“It looks like it’s my turn.”
“How’d you know that would work?”
“How many Crypt Lords are down?”
“I—I didn’t hear you say anything.”
“We should face them all at once.”
“Not just one! Four of them!”
“Now? Now we get the treasure.”
“Now—everyone, to the rear!”
“I said—never mind. Here!”
“We’re alive. Now what?”
“I don’t know.”
“Here. He’s here, Ceria.”
“Strike me blind, Calruz!”
“We need more space!”
“There! Get to Menes!”
“[Wall of Flames].”
“[Ward of Safety].”
“[Sanctuary of Light].”
“How dangerous are they?”
“Any idea on how?”
“What was that? A Skill?”
“Gerial! Back me up!”
“That was a disaster.”
“I have a plan.”
“Hold it, Gregor!”
“Hunt? Where’s Hunt?”
“There! Secret passages!”
“Please, allow me to explain—”
“We’re surrounded! Retreat!”
“Hold your ground!”
“Never mind!”
“Do it.”
“On it.”
“[Lesser Barrier].”
“[Attack Formation].”
“Pah.”
“Now, Menes!”
“Back, back!”
“Two—no, three!”
“[Illumination]!”
“[Ice Spike]!”
“Duck!”
“Ceria!”
“Sostrom!”
“Look!”
“[Fireball]!”
“Retreat?”
“W-who? Me?”
“[Point-Blank Shot]!”
“[Flashfire]!”
“Sostrom!”
“Move!”
“[Whirlwind Cleave]!”
“Mages!”
“With me?”
“Done!”
“Crypt Lord!”
“Of course!”
“Sostrom—”
“No!”
“What?”
“What?”
“What—”