Chapter 35: Dusty Old Bones
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Chapter 35: Dusty Old Bones
Bee was fascinated by the wall carvings. It felt like she could keep staring at them for ages and still find things to be in awe at. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure how long she had been staring at them. Void hadn't interrupted her. It must have been only a few minutes, then. Still, she felt something. Some connection to these stories they were telling. After getting so wrapped up in the first one, she improved at inspecting them while walking by. Still, each was a masterpiece, and they grew progressively more detailed.
It depicted a story that any child knew well. One where humanity was scattered and broken, warring amongst themselves with primitive weapons and living in mud huts. One that began with their remnants being taunted and toyed with by demons.
However, as the story progressed, it began to diverge from what she knew. Instead of being struck down by the gods at the height of their power, the demons were challenged by humanity. Bee saw as the carvings depicted her ancient predecessors banding together and becoming hardened warriors. Under constant assault from their demonic oppressors, the people strengthened themselves and went to war. The battles progressed from minor, individual incidents to beautiful, intricately detailed carvings depicting rows upon rows of soldiers marching in step.
The demons were far fewer in number than the humans. In each battle, there was perhaps one demon depicted for every ten humans. However, the sides appeared to be equally matched. . She continued walking, holding her light up to a massive battle scene. On the left, it showed 13 legions of demons, each headed by one of the lieutenants. Beatrice's eyes picked out Nazareth'gak easily, his arms alight with flames and curved horns adorned with bodies. Above them floated what appeared to be an ordinary man wearing a sharp black suit. On the right were armies of humans armed with swords and spears. However, the figure above the humans stood out to her most. A counterpart to the well-dressed man on the demon side.
A hero rode on a griffin at the head of the human armies, leading them into battle. A faceless hero wearing a blindingly white mask. The man pointed a shining lance towards the demonic forces, challenging them as his mount screeched a challenge.
The background seemed to be a mix of many different settings - grassy plains, snowy mountains, barren wasteland, and other scenes that seemed to blend into each other. Subsequent murals focused on one set at a time, seemingly showing the results of many battles. Humanity always had the best numerical advantage yet almost always ended up running, if the end of the fight was shown at all. There were a few apparent victories, but the humans were left grossly depleted. The last battle mural depicted a large sun hanging between the armies. Still, it was partially eclipsed by an equally sizeable black disk.
A black disk.... No, it couldn't be....
Bee was jolted from her musings by the sound of metal chains on stone. They had found something. She had expected to encounter undead here - counted on it, actually. Even she could feel how thick the air was with death down here. But she still felt an odd mix of relief and nervousness now that it actually happened. Her first test. They were still on the very, very outskirts of the catacombs. So hopefully, anything undead would be weak around here, further away from the most concentrated areas of death.
As Bee tensed in preparation for a fight, something slowly shambled around the corner ahead. The glow from her light source just barely illuminated the figure. Its bones yellowed with age and flaking. As it approached Bee, she saw pinpricks of red recessed within dark eye sockets and a chipped, grinning jaw.
It was something she would have run from last week. However, now she saw this as an opportunity. It was a simple skeleton that didn't even have any weapons. This was precisely what she was hoping for when she came down to the catacombs: simple opponents that she could stand a chance against. From her research, it was typically recommended to be level 10 or higher to fight a skeleton. However, she was very close to that, so hopefully, it would be good enough. Plus, she had backup.
Despite the elbow damage, the skeleton still seemed to have control of one hand. In fact, it seemed to be popping bones back into place as it advanced further. Rolling off the pack, Bee was face to face with Void, who gave her a concerned beep.
She shook her head at it. Things might not look good, but she did not need help, not yet, at least. The skeleton came at her, still hungry for her life force. She looked down at the mallet in her hand, then at her pack. She had an idea for how to keep her distance from the skeleton while fighting it. She didn't like it, but it made sense. In fact, somehow, she had a feeling it would come to this.
Sighing, she got back to her feet, drawing the broom from her pack.
—--
Patricia was still on the wall, waiting when she heard the roars. Matthew had been discovered. She wrestled with herself; she knew the smart thing was to stay on the wall. Hell, her body and mind screamed at her to do it. But she wasn't sure if she could live with herself if she didn't go after him. She didn't have any more intel than Arnold, and he was already on his way back. She wasn't putting anyone else in danger by risking her life and going back for a friend. No one depended on her, and she wouldn't leave anyone behind. Well, no one she really cared about. Her life was her own to risk.
It might be suicide, but Matthew was worth the risk. He meant too much to her. Before she lost her nerve and gave into fear, she took hold of the rope and lowered herself. Even if she had managed to save Matthew somehow, he still wouldn't have approved of her decision. And that attitude was precisely why she had to go back.
She remembered which entrance Matthew had used to get in and made a beeline for it. The door was still unlocked. She crept quietly inside, eyes darting around for any threats. When she had made it in, she listened. The clamor seemed to be coming from her left. Following the noises, Patricia quickly made her way down the hallways.
When the sounds ceased, she had just passed the front entranceway leading into the grand hall. She cursed herself and hurried along faster. The quiet wasn't a good sign. That meant that whatever conflict she had heard was over - meaning one side was likely dead. She had a bad feeling. Patricia kicked herself for waiting so long. Now she might be too late. As she rushed stealthily through the halls, her ears picked up on a new set of sounds. This set was quieter, only now revealed in the comparative quiet of the castle. It was the sound of hooves on stone, rocks scraping against walls, and claws skittering over surfaces they couldn't bite into. They were coming around the corner fast.
She looked back at the long hallway behind her. She might be able to make it to the corner in time, but it would be a close call. Even then, she would have to run out the front door in view of everything to escape.
As the sounds quickly became louder, she realized she wasn't going to make it. Running was out of the question. And if it had brought down Matthew so quickly, she didn't think she could fight her way out alone. Then, realizing that she had failed her friend, she knew it was too late. It really had been a stupid decision to come here. Then, realizing what a stupid decision she had made coming in here, it was too late. All she could do was look for a place to hide.
Patricia darted to the side of the hall. There was a small service stairwell right next to her. She dropped into the alcove and noticed a closet hidden in the wall. Pulling the door open as stealthily as she could manage, she slipped inside and shut it behind her. The room was tiny and stuffed full of mops and brooms. There was barely enough room for her to crouch near the door. Huddling up in a ball, she held her breath as the noises neared her hiding spot. She prayed the demons wouldn't find her.
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Chapter 35: Dusty Old Bones
Bee was fascinated by the wall carvings. It felt like she could keep staring at them for ages and still find things to be in awe at. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure how long she had been staring at them. Void hadn't interrupted her. It must have been only a few minutes, then. Still, she felt something. Some connection to these stories they were telling. After getting so wrapped up in the first one, she improved at inspecting them while walking by. Still, each was a masterpiece, and they grew progressively more detailed.
It depicted a story that any child knew well. One where humanity was scattered and broken, warring amongst themselves with primitive weapons and living in mud huts. One that began with their remnants being taunted and toyed with by demons.
However, as the story progressed, it began to diverge from what she knew. Instead of being struck down by the gods at the height of their power, the demons were challenged by humanity. Bee saw as the carvings depicted her ancient predecessors banding together and becoming hardened warriors. Under constant assault from their demonic oppressors, the people strengthened themselves and went to war. The battles progressed from minor, individual incidents to beautiful, intricately detailed carvings depicting rows upon rows of soldiers marching in step.
The demons were far fewer in number than the humans. In each battle, there was perhaps one demon depicted for every ten humans. However, the sides appeared to be equally matched. . She continued walking, holding her light up to a massive battle scene. On the left, it showed 13 legions of demons, each headed by one of the lieutenants. Beatrice's eyes picked out Nazareth'gak easily, his arms alight with flames and curved horns adorned with bodies. Above them floated what appeared to be an ordinary man wearing a sharp black suit. On the right were armies of humans armed with swords and spears. However, the figure above the humans stood out to her most. A counterpart to the well-dressed man on the demon side.
A hero rode on a griffin at the head of the human armies, leading them into battle. A faceless hero wearing a blindingly white mask. The man pointed a shining lance towards the demonic forces, challenging them as his mount screeched a challenge.
The background seemed to be a mix of many different settings - grassy plains, snowy mountains, barren wasteland, and other scenes that seemed to blend into each other. Subsequent murals focused on one set at a time, seemingly showing the results of many battles. Humanity always had the best numerical advantage yet almost always ended up running, if the end of the fight was shown at all. There were a few apparent victories, but the humans were left grossly depleted. The last battle mural depicted a large sun hanging between the armies. Still, it was partially eclipsed by an equally sizeable black disk.
A black disk.... No, it couldn't be....
Bee was jolted from her musings by the sound of metal chains on stone. They had found something. She had expected to encounter undead here - counted on it, actually. Even she could feel how thick the air was with death down here. But she still felt an odd mix of relief and nervousness now that it actually happened. Her first test. They were still on the very, very outskirts of the catacombs. So hopefully, anything undead would be weak around here, further away from the most concentrated areas of death.
As Bee tensed in preparation for a fight, something slowly shambled around the corner ahead. The glow from her light source just barely illuminated the figure. Its bones yellowed with age and flaking. As it approached Bee, she saw pinpricks of red recessed within dark eye sockets and a chipped, grinning jaw.
It was something she would have run from last week. However, now she saw this as an opportunity. It was a simple skeleton that didn't even have any weapons. This was precisely what she was hoping for when she came down to the catacombs: simple opponents that she could stand a chance against. From her research, it was typically recommended to be level 10 or higher to fight a skeleton. However, she was very close to that, so hopefully, it would be good enough. Plus, she had backup.
Despite the elbow damage, the skeleton still seemed to have control of one hand. In fact, it seemed to be popping bones back into place as it advanced further. Rolling off the pack, Bee was face to face with Void, who gave her a concerned beep.
She shook her head at it. Things might not look good, but she did not need help, not yet, at least. The skeleton came at her, still hungry for her life force. She looked down at the mallet in her hand, then at her pack. She had an idea for how to keep her distance from the skeleton while fighting it. She didn't like it, but it made sense. In fact, somehow, she had a feeling it would come to this.
Sighing, she got back to her feet, drawing the broom from her pack.
—--
Patricia was still on the wall, waiting when she heard the roars. Matthew had been discovered. She wrestled with herself; she knew the smart thing was to stay on the wall. Hell, her body and mind screamed at her to do it. But she wasn't sure if she could live with herself if she didn't go after him. She didn't have any more intel than Arnold, and he was already on his way back. She wasn't putting anyone else in danger by risking her life and going back for a friend. No one depended on her, and she wouldn't leave anyone behind. Well, no one she really cared about. Her life was her own to risk.
It might be suicide, but Matthew was worth the risk. He meant too much to her. Before she lost her nerve and gave into fear, she took hold of the rope and lowered herself. Even if she had managed to save Matthew somehow, he still wouldn't have approved of her decision. And that attitude was precisely why she had to go back.
She remembered which entrance Matthew had used to get in and made a beeline for it. The door was still unlocked. She crept quietly inside, eyes darting around for any threats. When she had made it in, she listened. The clamor seemed to be coming from her left. Following the noises, Patricia quickly made her way down the hallways.
When the sounds ceased, she had just passed the front entranceway leading into the grand hall. She cursed herself and hurried along faster. The quiet wasn't a good sign. That meant that whatever conflict she had heard was over - meaning one side was likely dead. She had a bad feeling. Patricia kicked herself for waiting so long. Now she might be too late. As she rushed stealthily through the halls, her ears picked up on a new set of sounds. This set was quieter, only now revealed in the comparative quiet of the castle. It was the sound of hooves on stone, rocks scraping against walls, and claws skittering over surfaces they couldn't bite into. They were coming around the corner fast.
She looked back at the long hallway behind her. She might be able to make it to the corner in time, but it would be a close call. Even then, she would have to run out the front door in view of everything to escape.
As the sounds quickly became louder, she realized she wasn't going to make it. Running was out of the question. And if it had brought down Matthew so quickly, she didn't think she could fight her way out alone. Then, realizing that she had failed her friend, she knew it was too late. It really had been a stupid decision to come here. Then, realizing what a stupid decision she had made coming in here, it was too late. All she could do was look for a place to hide.
Patricia darted to the side of the hall. There was a small service stairwell right next to her. She dropped into the alcove and noticed a closet hidden in the wall. Pulling the door open as stealthily as she could manage, she slipped inside and shut it behind her. The room was tiny and stuffed full of mops and brooms. There was barely enough room for her to crouch near the door. Huddling up in a ball, she held her breath as the noises neared her hiding spot. She prayed the demons wouldn't find her.
Chapter 35: Dusty Old BonesBee was fascinated by the wall carvings. It felt like she could keep staring at them for ages and still find things to be in awe at. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure how long she had been staring at them. Void hadn't interrupted her. It must have been only a few minutes, then. Still, she felt something. Some connection to these stories they were telling. After getting so wrapped up in the first one, she improved at inspecting them while walking by. Still, each was a masterpiece, and they grew progressively more detailed.It depicted a story that any child knew well. One where humanity was scattered and broken, warring amongst themselves with primitive weapons and living in mud huts. One that began with their remnants being taunted and toyed with by demons.However, as the story progressed, it began to diverge from what she knew. Instead of being struck down by the gods at the height of their power, the demons were challenged by humanity. Bee saw as the carvings depicted her ancient predecessors banding together and becoming hardened warriors. Under constant assault from their demonic oppressors, the people strengthened themselves and went to war. The battles progressed from minor, individual incidents to beautiful, intricately detailed carvings depicting rows upon rows of soldiers marching in step.The demons were far fewer in number than the humans. In each battle, there was perhaps one demon depicted for every ten humans. However, the sides appeared to be equally matched. . She continued walking, holding her light up to a massive battle scene. On the left, it showed 13 legions of demons, each headed by one of the lieutenants. Beatrice's eyes picked out Nazareth'gak easily, his arms alight with flames and curved horns adorned with bodies. Above them floated what appeared to be an ordinary man wearing a sharp black suit. On the right were armies of humans armed with swords and spears. However, the figure above the humans stood out to her most. A counterpart to the well-dressed man on the demon side. A hero rode on a griffin at the head of the human armies, leading them into battle. A faceless hero wearing a blindingly white mask. The man pointed a shining lance towards the demonic forces, challenging them as his mount screeched a challenge.The background seemed to be a mix of many different settings - grassy plains, snowy mountains, barren wasteland, and other scenes that seemed to blend into each other. Subsequent murals focused on one set at a time, seemingly showing the results of many battles. Humanity always had the best numerical advantage yet almost always ended up running, if the end of the fight was shown at all. There were a few apparent victories, but the humans were left grossly depleted. The last battle mural depicted a large sun hanging between the armies. Still, it was partially eclipsed by an equally sizeable black disk.A black disk.... No, it couldn't be....Bee was jolted from her musings by the sound of metal chains on stone. They had found something. She had expected to encounter undead here - counted on it, actually. Even she could feel how thick the air was with death down here. But she still felt an odd mix of relief and nervousness now that it actually happened. Her first test. They were still on the very, very outskirts of the catacombs. So hopefully, anything undead would be weak around here, further away from the most concentrated areas of death.As Bee tensed in preparation for a fight, something slowly shambled around the corner ahead. The glow from her light source just barely illuminated the figure. Its bones yellowed with age and flaking. As it approached Bee, she saw pinpricks of red recessed within dark eye sockets and a chipped, grinning jaw.It was something she would have run from last week. However, now she saw this as an opportunity. It was a simple skeleton that didn't even have any weapons. This was precisely what she was hoping for when she came down to the catacombs: simple opponents that she could stand a chance against. From her research, it was typically recommended to be level 10 or higher to fight a skeleton. However, she was very close to that, so hopefully, it would be good enough. Plus, she had backup.Despite the elbow damage, the skeleton still seemed to have control of one hand. In fact, it seemed to be popping bones back into place as it advanced further. Rolling off the pack, Bee was face to face with Void, who gave her a concerned beep.She shook her head at it. Things might not look good, but she did not need help, not yet, at least. The skeleton came at her, still hungry for her life force. She looked down at the mallet in her hand, then at her pack. She had an idea for how to keep her distance from the skeleton while fighting it. She didn't like it, but it made sense. In fact, somehow, she had a feeling it would come to this. Sighing, she got back to her feet, drawing the broom from her pack. --Patricia was still on the wall, waiting when she heard the roars. Matthew had been discovered. She wrestled with herself; she knew the smart thing was to stay on the wall. Hell, her body and mind screamed at her to do it. But she wasn't sure if she could live with herself if she didn't go after him. She didn't have any more intel than Arnold, and he was already on his way back. She wasn't putting anyone else in danger by risking her life and going back for a friend. No one depended on her, and she wouldn't leave anyone behind. Well, no one she really cared about. Her life was her own to risk.It might be suicide, but Matthew was worth the risk. He meant too much to her. Before she lost her nerve and gave into fear, she took hold of the rope and lowered herself. Even if she had managed to save Matthew somehow, he still wouldn't have approved of her decision. And that attitude was precisely why she had to go back.She remembered which entrance Matthew had used to get in and made a beeline for it. The door was still unlocked. She crept quietly inside, eyes darting around for any threats. When she had made it in, she listened. The clamor seemed to be coming from her left. Following the noises, Patricia quickly made her way down the hallways.When the sounds ceased, she had just passed the front entranceway leading into the grand hall. She cursed herself and hurried along faster. The quiet wasn't a good sign. That meant that whatever conflict she had heard was over - meaning one side was likely dead. She had a bad feeling. Patricia kicked herself for waiting so long. Now she might be too late. As she rushed stealthily through the halls, her ears picked up on a new set of sounds. This set was quieter, only now revealed in the comparative quiet of the castle. It was the sound of hooves on stone, rocks scraping against walls, and claws skittering over surfaces they couldn't bite into. They were coming around the corner fast. She looked back at the long hallway behind her. She might be able to make it to the corner in time, but it would be a close call. Even then, she would have to run out the front door in view of everything to escape.As the sounds quickly became louder, she realized she wasn't going to make it. Running was out of the question. And if it had brought down Matthew so quickly, she didn't think she could fight her way out alone. Then, realizing that she had failed her friend, she knew it was too late. It really had been a stupid decision to come here. Then, realizing what a stupid decision she had made coming in here, it was too late. All she could do was look for a place to hide.Patricia darted to the side of the hall. There was a small service stairwell right next to her. She dropped into the alcove and noticed a closet hidden in the wall. Pulling the door open as stealthily as she could manage, she slipped inside and shut it behind her. The room was tiny and stuffed full of mops and brooms. There was barely enough room for her to crouch near the door. Huddling up in a ball, she held her breath as the noises neared her hiding spot. She prayed the demons wouldn't find her.
