บท 27: Cantankerous Catacombs
6 chappies on P@treon or just Buy Me A Coffe (Links in description)
***
Godrick cut one down with his gilded Greatspear while pulverizing the other's ribcage with a kick. The golden lines on his weapon burned through bone as one skeleton turned to ash, while the other began to burn in ghost flame, the bones bunching back together as if time itself reversed locally.
[Skeleton killed. +30 EXP]
"Look upon the work of the Death Prince, dragging back wayward souls into unlife, guided by Ghostflame," he said, gesturing at the skeleton, which got back on its feet. "But even Ghostflame cannot fight back against Order."
Taking the cue, Earnan raised the large flail over his head, feeding his Focus into the weapon.
[Ash of War: Shared Order]
A Golden Order mural lit up under the flail, and every weapon of Godrick's force gleamed with similar golden lines to his spear, though dimmer. Yet, they did their job just the same. Forthus thrust out his spear and watched with morbid fascination as the skeleton burned to ash with a silent scream.
He stared at his spear with his mouth open until Madadh elbowed him in the back.
Earnan cleared his throat, ignoring the two, before briefing the teams on their mission in the catacombs.
All three groups would descend into the gaol below and activate the levers. Gilika, Earnan, and the Demi-Human Chiefs were to take care of the giant crabs, while the others were to cull the skeletons. Meanwhile, Godrick would confront the Black Knife Assassin, possibly hidden within the Catacomb.
They didn't question how their Lord knew such detailed information about the Catacombs. They didn't question much now, not after the miracles he seemed to be pulling time and time again. The fact that their Lord could wield the red-gold lightning of the Ancient Dragons was reason enough for him to go unquestioned.
***
The reason Godrick had such a good memory of this particular Catacomb was that he both loved and hated it. He hated it because it nearly gave him an aneurysm with the sheer number of seemingly unkillable archer skeletons he had to pass through. He loved it because it made him feel something.
Either way, he had a bone to pick with it—literally and figuratively.
He led his forces down the grey stairs lined with cobwebs, Greattree roots, and Ghostflame candles, into a large room whose floor was covered in a spiderweb of roots and root resin. A large metal door with a grand engraving of the Erdtree, guarded by two statues of hooded women, loomed before them.
"That is what the lever shall open," Godrick pointed at the intimidating metal structure with his chin before continuing their descent.
Five more skeletons attempted to ambush them, but Shared Order made even a Demi-Human Whelp deadly to Those Who Live In Death.
"There lies the Axe of Rosus," Godrick pointed at a room sealed by an imp statue, feeling akin to a tour guide.
[Observe]
[Rosus' Axe: Usher of Death, Rosus, who shows the path to the catacombs throughout the Lands Between, is depicted on this ritual axe. The dead easily lose their way and have always been in sore need of a guiding hand. Weapon Skill: Rosus' Summons]
It lay in the centre of the room, surrounded by loose bones that were most definitely skeletons lying in wait for an ambush. They were terrible ambushers, somersaulting into their golden blades.
Their expedition continued, passing through a few more winding paths filled with skeletons, until the Catacombs opened up into a large room with equally giant meat cleavers occasionally slamming into the ground, rising back up, and ramming down again.
"Incoming!" Earnan yelled, but Godrick had already batted aside the three arrows aimed at his throat.
He glanced at the large skeletons wielding Greatbows with a mild grudge. They all had stats in the 10s and were wreathed in Ghostflame, which was the result of the wizened, grey husks wielding long torches burning with said flame.
[Observe]
(Character Sheet
Wizened Necromancer
Age: Six hundred and thirty years, three months old
HP: 50
FP: 320
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 4
Endurance: 3
Vigor: 5
Mind: 32
Intelligence: 16
Faith: 6
Skills:
[Ghostflame Guide (Active): Trapped in the Catacomb, you burned the bones of your comrades for light, bringing forth Ghostflame. Now, you guide souls to unlife, hoping that one day, you shall guide your fallen friends back to you.])
Godrick's spear flashed, his muscles exploding with power, and the Necromancer's head was blown clean off, the Greatspear lodging into the grey wall behind it.
[Wizened Necromancer Killed. +90 EXP]
Almost instantly, the Ghostflame surrounding the skeletons fizzled out, but the arrows did not. They switched their target to his troops, but Earnan and Gilika weathered their assault with their swords.
Godrick dispatched the rest of the skeletons by using his Greatspear as a javelin, repeatedly summoning and flinging it at them, incinerating their bones. But the giant cleavers remained, repeatedly smashing into the ground while the sounds of levers and gears creaking echoed in the background.
"We shall part ways here," Godrick turned to his troops, who saluted him, even the Demi-Human Whelps.
"May the Grace of Gold be with you, my Lord," Earnan bowed.
"I hope it is," Godrick gave him a small smile, knowing well that the Greater Will had practically abandoned the Lands Between long ago.
Summoning his Greatspear back into his hands, he caught a meat cleaver on its ascent, which pulled him up to the high ceiling with a fairly large opening—enough to fit his huge body through.
He leapt into it, grabbing the sides while carefully balancing both his Greatspear and Sentry Torch in his other hand. He slipped in and didn't look back.
***
"Patience," Earnan repeated as he guided the last batch of Demi-Humans and soldiers past the cleavers and down the ladder. The ground squelched as they dropped into muck and dirt. It stank to the high heavens.
His heart did a little jump for joy when he saw the golden lines of his Lord's blessing contrasting against his dark skin. It let him break past his human limits, and for that alone, he would give his life to Godrick.
No longer did he train just to maintain his strength, but to grow. The past month and a half had made him thoroughly superhuman, able to physically overpower a Mighty Demi-Human Variant at night, much to their surprise and shock. With his skills with the blade, he could reasonably take on a Demi-Human Chief during the day.
Sure, he had reached yet another ceiling, but Godrick's power grew at an unprecedented pace, and he knew, deep inside, that their Lord would not leave them behind.
"I can see the levers," Gilika whispered next to him, as the twenty-seven or so soldiers and Demi-Humans behind them readied their weapons.
"Me too," Earnan acknowledged as he drew his longsword, feeling at home with its pommel in his callused hands. Before them were numerous small crabs feeding on the moss and filth in this place. In the distance were metal bars with an open door, behind which were two levers—one before a familiar hooded statue and the other off to the side.
"Ready?" He looked behind him, and the Chiefs nodded and snarled, still finding it hard to switch to ordinary human speech.
They crawled forward, slowly and on high alert. It was four steps in when it happened. The mud beneath their feet roiled, twisted, and out burst a crab, entwined with barnacles and infused with sediment old enough to crystallize—its size exaggerated enough to induce disbelieving laughter.
It attempted to snap up a Chief, but the Demi-Human was slippery enough to kick off the crushing claw that closed with a thunderous boom and land on its back.
"To Glory and Eternal Dominion!" Earnan yelled, and so did his troops. A crab shall be no match for the army of Godrick the Golden.
***
Godrick was met with a small hallway that scraped the top of his head if he stood up straight. It was decorated similarly to the rest of the Catacomb. He quickly realized that fighting skeletons in such small spaces was not fun—nearly as infuriating as the ones in the game.
He loved it.
[Skeleton *5 Killed. +150 EXP]
[Wizened Necromancer Killed. +90 EXP]
After burned bones and husks, the hallway widened and ended with a grey stone wall, but Godrick knew that it didn't.
[Observe]
[Illusory Wall: ???]
A simple thrust of a spear passed right through the wall, but a curved dagger awash with reddish-black flames shot back out, heading for his head with speed beyond him.
Time seemed to slow down as he watched the dagger inch toward his head. It was inevitable. His Dexterity was pitifully low compared to whatever wielded this blade, while his Intelligence was high enough to perceive it in slow motion.
He could not block it, nor dodge it. His strongest move would kill both him and his enemy, which would've been acceptable if not for the lack of a good fight. He wanted more. A dagger through the head was too mundane for him.
So, he did the next best thing.
He generated lightning within his body, focusing it as much as he could, and just as the dagger came too close, he let it loose with an ear-splitting, body-charring bang. The blast of red-gold lightning tore through the narrow corridor, slamming into the last dregs of the illusory wall and the figure behind it.
(HP: 300/300 → 208/300)
***
Powerstones? I Wanted Powerstones Once. They Locked Me In A Catacomb. A Stone Catacomb. A Stone Catacomb. With Unwritten Chapters. And New Chapters Make Me Want Powerstones.
Powerstones? I Wanted Powerstones Once. They Locked Me In A Catacomb. A Stone Catacomb. A Stone Catacomb. With Unwritten Chapters. And New Chapters Make Me Want Powersto....
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