"On my mark," Xarion said as he positioned himself to force open the large stone door. Ravon and the contingent of fifteen skeleton soldiers stood at the ready behind him, each holding position with eerie stillness.
"Now!" Xarion shouted. The door creaked open, and the inhabitants of the barn surged outward in a chaotic rush. "I count fifteen!" he yelled, quickly slipping behind Ravon, who raised his bone shield and intercepted the initial wave. The shield absorbed most of the force, halting the stampede before it could overwhelm them. "Cover me!" Xarion ordered, then immediately dashed forward into the thick of the fray. As he closed in, he activated Bone Crusher, slamming his weapon into one of the foes and sending it hurtling back through the air.
"Onward, soldiers! Attack!" Ravon commanded with authority. The skeletal squad surged forward, meeting the Eyeless creatures head-on. They grappled tightly with their targets, their bony grips unyielding. The Eyeless retaliated with tooth and claw, but to little effect. Their usual means of inflicting harm were nearly useless against the hardened skeletal frames that offered no flesh to pierce.
In the center of the chaos, Xarion moved like a tempest, his strikes rapid and devastating. He transitioned fluidly from one enemy to the next, eliminating threats with practiced precision. Whenever he found himself under pressure, Ravon was close behind, ready to intercept and divert the assault. Though not as agile, Ravon's immense strength and stalwart defense rendered him a near-impenetrable wall. The Eyeless found themselves battered, their claws splintering and their teeth chipping against his unbreakable form.
From the depths of the barn, three more figures emerged. Xarion immediately recognized them and tensed.
[Race: Eyeless Shrieker
Level: 18]
[Race: Eyeless Shrieker
Level: 17]
[Race: Eyeless Shrieker
Level: 19]
Three Shriekers, each hovering just below the Acolyte threshold, had joined the battle. Hearing the cacophony outside, they immediately activated their most feared ability.
"Careful!" Xarion warned as each Shrieker violently regurgitated a grotesque third arm. Each limb sported a malformed hand and an additional gaping mouth. Once fully formed, the new limbs joined in a horrifying trio of shrieks.
"Skreeeeeeee!"
"Skraaaaaaaa!"
"Skruuuuuuuu!"
The unholy sounds reverberated within the barn, shaking its very foundation. Xarion instinctively covered his ears, though it did little to dull the pain. The shrieking continued relentlessly, disorienting and nauseating.
"Shut it!" Ravon bellowed, his deep voice cutting through the clamor. Without hesitation, he hurled his shield like a discus, slamming it into one of the Shriekers and knocking it backward. The sudden impact silenced the creature. Xarion noted with some surprise that neither Ravon nor the other skeletons seemed the least bit bothered by the noise.
Seeing the attack's ineffectiveness against the majority of their enemies, the other two Shriekers ceased their screeches and withdrew their grotesque limbs. They rushed forward, charging at the now-shieldless Ravon.
"Come then! Show me what you can do!" he roared, raising his weapon with eagerness.
Meanwhile, Xarion, now recovered from the sonic assault, sprinted toward the Shrieker Ravon had grounded. Its grotesque limb hung useless and broken. Without hesitation, Xarion tore it from the creature's body and finished it off with brutal efficiency. The corpse collapsed, lifeless. He retrieved the discarded shield and dashed toward the ongoing melee.
Elsewhere, the skeletons faced growing pressure. Despite their resilience, the Eyeless possessed greater agility and higher levels. Being under-leveled, the undead struggled to maintain formation. It was inevitable that one would fall.
A lone skeleton, engaged with two Eyeless simultaneously, missed its Bone Crusher attack and left itself vulnerable. One of the enemies delivered a sweeping strike to its skull, shattering it instantly. From the broken remains, a thick white fog began to rise.
The mist was heavy, like burning smoke, and spread with uncanny speed. It filled the area, clogging the nostrils of the Eyeless and agitating their sensitive nasal passages. Several creatures began coughing and wheezing under the haze, while the undead advanced undeterred.
Xarion observed this phenomenon with grim understanding as he approached the last two Shriekers. He recognized the fog as a product of Ashes to Ashes, the passive skill of the skeletons that activated upon death. Curiously, the smoke did not hinder his vision, being almost transparent from his perspective. Even the Shriekers, though slightly affected, although far less impaired than the lesser Eyeless.
Still, the tactical advantage was undeniable. The fog turned the battlefield in their favor. The remaining skeletons pressed forward with renewed effectiveness.
Finally, within range, Xarion rammed the bone shield into one of the Shriekers, sending it staggering backward. Without breaking stride, he tossed the shield back to Ravon. "You ought to take better care of this!" he called.
"Hahaha! Apologies!" Ravon bellowed with laughter, catching the shield and swinging his blade at the other Shrieker. The confrontation shifted to two evenly matched duels.
Now one-on-one and re-equipped, Ravon charged at his foe. The creature hissed and attempted to leap backward, only for another Shrieker to be thrown directly into its path. Xarion, the one who had hurled his own opponent, smirked as the two monsters collided, making them easy targets. He rushed forward alongside his comrade, and together they made quick work of the two Shriekers.
With those foes dispatched, the two turned their attention back to the chaotic battlefield and began assisting their forces. The remaining enemies were quickly dealt with, and after several more minutes of fighting, all that remained was a heap of mangled corpses, twenty-three in total. Xarion felt the familiar rush of strength as power surged through him. He checked his level.
[Level: 15]
He smiled at the sight of it, noting the uniform fifteens across every attribute. The increase in power was tangible. At this level, he believed that even without support, he could have claimed victory in that fight. Curious about his hero's progress, he opened Ravon's status screen.
[Level: 12]
It was slightly lower than his own, but considering Ravon had only been level five when they first entered this place, the improvement was impressive. The skeleton troops had also reached level ten, although two had perished during the battle, leaving only thirteen. Despite the losses, they had performed admirably. Given the strength of their opponents, casualties were to be expected.
Xarion felt no particular grief over their deaths. Had they been human soldiers, perhaps he would have felt a pang of sorrow or guilt, even knowing it had been a necessary sacrifice. But with the undead, all he felt was mild regret at the reduction in manpower. Was this apathy right? He pondered as Ravon approached.
"Good show, my king!" Ravon declared with his usual gusto. "Throwing that creature into another midair was masterfully done! Quite the fun maneuver!"
"Why didn't the Shriekers' attack affect you or the troops?" Xarion asked, setting aside his prior thoughts in favor of a more immediate curiosity.
"You mean the dreadful screeching? Terribly annoying, yes, but what could that do to harm me? I feel no pain. No undead does," Ravon replied with confidence.
"It worked on me," Xarion countered.
"That is rather curious… Perhaps my liege was experiencing some phantom pain? Or maybe it's because I lack ears!" he added with a laugh, brushing the topic aside. "It matters not. The day is ours, and that is what truly counts."
Ravon departed to gather the battle spoils, cores and essences. Xarion, however, remained deep in thought. Could the answer lie in his race?
Netherborn… It wasn't a term he recognized. Though he was a part of the Undead faction, perhaps his kind wasn't truly the same.
"Here you are, all collected. Shall we be off?" Ravon returned, snapping Xarion out of his thoughts.
"Yes, of course," Xarion replied, slightly startled. When had he become so lost in contemplation? This strange journey was testing him in more ways than one. With nothing else to say, the group moved on just as silently as they had arrived.
A few minutes later, a creature far larger than anything they had yet encountered crept silently through the dense stone foliage. It sniffed the air, stalking behind the unsuspecting group.
Several hours passed after the initial clash before the next major skirmish. This time, the party faced a group of Lesser Eyeless accompanied by a Shrieker. While traversing the peculiar stone forest, they had only encountered light resistance. This was only their second significant battle on the floor.
The encounter occurred when the group came upon a peculiar sight, a petrified fence, jagged and sharp, rising several meters high. It was far too durable to break, and too tall to scale, so the group followed it, seeking an entrance. Eventually, they found one: a stone gate being assailed by a cluster of Eyeless who scratched and howled at it, unable to pass.
After some swift planning, the group engaged. The battle was clean and efficient, a testament to their improving coordination. Xarion and Ravon had been using this floor as a training ground, sharpening their teamwork with the skeleton soldiers, and each other. Despite their success, another skeleton fell, reducing the squad to twelve. Still, the victory was decisive.
Xarion approached the gate, a thought forming in his mind. It resembled the crack from the previous floor. Reaching out, he touched it.
[Floor 2:
29/30
Clear the remaining enemies to successfully conquer the floor.]
"It seems there's a requirement beyond just reaching this place," Xarion muttered in irritation. "We'll need to double back and find the last straggler."
Ravon nodded, already turning back toward the underbrush.
Xarion turned to follow but suddenly froze.
"Wait!" he commanded sharply. The group halted.
"Do you sense something, my king?" Ravon asked, shield at the ready.
"Yes, and it's strong," Xarion replied, eyes narrowing as they focused on a particular patch of foliage.
Ravon followed his gaze. As he took a cautious step forward, something erupted from the brush. A blur of motion, swift and silent, darted on all fours with startling speed. Before anyone could react, it snatched one of the skeletons and disappeared into the rocky undergrowth.
Though Xarion had no time to strike, he had seen enough to use his ability and identify the foe, and the results put him on full guard.
[Race: Eyeless
Rank: Acolyte
Level: 22]