"Wait, shouldn't there be nothing in this area anymore?" Lazric replied with a note of anxiety.
Feran immediately drew both daggers from behind his back. His muscles tensed.
Getting closer, the silhouettes became clearer… A group of undead corpses and some skeletons with bows. Among them, several taller figures, draped in tattered brown-green cloaks. From beneath their hoods, their skulls stared blankly, adorned with moss and faded white flowers. The ancient bows in their hands looked as if they were made of dead tree branches, and their every movement was so calm… too calm for mindless creatures.
"What… what are those," Quartzis was fixated, watching one of them pull a black arrow from a quiver on its back. The arrowhead seemed to absorb the light around it.
SWOOSH!
An arrow shot out, hitting the ground just a few steps from Altair's feet, leaving a smoking burn mark.
"Are they… Zombies?, Skeletons?" Altair whispered, his eyes narrowing.
The creatures began to spread out, two of them continuously approaching with their bows aimed, while a horde of regular undead ran in front of them, as if being used as bait to break their formation.
Feran growled. "So they're targeting us…"
The roar of the wind carried a pungent stench as the horde of undead charged. Their bodies were frail, some still holding rusty swords, cracked hammers, and corroded axes. Behind them, four archer skeletons stood tall, their dead-branch bows aimed calmly, their empty eyes glowing with a faint, greenish light.
Altair moved to the front, swinging his greatsword powerfully.
Clang!
A zombie's rusty sword was deflected, the corpse's body was thrown to the ground but immediately got back up as if it felt nothing. Altair snorted, then hit another corpse's chest with his shoulder, holding back their charge while returning slash after slash.
"If this is all there is, I can last all day!" he shouted, even as sweat began to drip.
On the other side, Feran darted like a shadow. His two daggers flashed, stabbing between a zombie's ribs then quickly moving to sever the rotten neck tendons. One by one the corpses fell, but Feran didn't stop moving—agile, wild, and every strike was deep.
"If you're going to fall, fall properly!" he exclaimed, kicking a corpse's head that was about to bite him.
Quartzis, a little nervous, cast a crystal in his hand. The quartz stones trembled, merging to form a large hammer. He swung it at the nearest zombie—BRUAK!—one corpse was thrown back and its head shattered.
"Ha! It worked!" he said proudly. But the next swing missed, his hammer hitting the ground and breaking into crystal shards. Quartzis winced. "Eh… still need practice."
Behind them, Lazric raised his hands. A blue aura gathered, then a fireball shot out, hitting three zombies at once. The fire burned their rotten flesh, but the charred bodies still crawled closer.
"Why won't they stop?! They should be destroyed!" he yelled, then quickly cast, creating a shower of lightning sparks that struck the area in front of Altair, helping to hold back the wave of enemies.
Meanwhile, the archer skeletons began to act.
A single black arrow flew towards Lazric—
SWOOSH!—
nearly piercing his shoulder, if not for Feran slicing it in mid-air. Two other arrows plunged into the ground, leaving burn marks. They moved slowly, maintaining their distance, as if arranging a formation while letting the zombies advance first.
From a distance, one skeleton raised its bow, this time drawing two arrows at once…
The whistle of arrows grew more frequent. The four archer skeletons now stood firm, their black arrows igniting a cold, piercing aura. Meanwhile, the wave of undead continued to advance, even though their bodies were full of holes, broken, or even headless.
Altair stomped his foot on the ground, his sword flashing, absorbing the light around it.
"Enough!"
He swung the greatsword in a circle—
SLASH!—
a blast of energy cleaved the air, knocking down three corpses at once. Their rotten bodies were thrown back, smoking, before turning to ash. The attack made the zombies pause for a moment, giving his team a brief respite.
On the other side, Feran had disappeared from view. He moved so fast, he was just a black blur passing between the zombies.
"Look closely," he whispered.
The daggers in his hands danced, piercing vital points with precision. In an instant, five corpses fell without a chance to move again.
Feran reappeared behind one of the archer skeletons, then
CRAACK!—
its bone head was split in two, shattering into pieces. The attack was like a deadly combo, fast and giving the opponent no chance to breathe.
Quartzis, with a serious face for the first time, cast for longer than usual. The crystals on his body glowed brightly, merging into a giant hammer as tall as himself.
"Don't underestimate…!" he shouted.
He slammed the hammer into the ground—
BOOOM!—
a wave of crystals spread out, causing the surrounding zombies to shatter into pieces. The light emanating from the quartz even made the archer skeletons retreat slightly, cracks appearing on their bows. Although Quartzis's body was trembling, the attack clearly had a huge impact.
Lazric closed his eyes for a moment, then both hands lifted high. A dark cloud swirled above them, forked lightning dancing in the sky.
"This is your end…" his voice echoed.
A gigantic bolt of lightning descended, striking the ground—
ZRAAAK!—
incinerating dozens of zombies at once. Blue flames lit up on their bodies, and this time even the burned zombies couldn't get back up. The energy blast also hit one of the skeletons, its body turning to glittering ash.
Now, only two archer skeletons remained. They retreated slowly, their empty eyes still locked on the fighters. The black arrows in their hands trembled, darker than before—as if they were preparing a final shot.
---
The last two skeletons were still standing, the black arrows in their hands trembling violently. A cold aura spread through the air, creating a thin mist that covered the ground.
Feran had already taken his stance, ready to strike at any moment. Quartzis even snorted, "What's with that? They're trembling… maybe the arrows are too heavy, huh?"
SWOOSH!
Both skeletons released their final shots. The black arrows flew not towards their bodies, but instead plunged into the ground.
—THUNK!
One right by Altair's feet.
—THUNK!
Another not far from Lazric.
Silence for a moment. Quartzis folded his arms, chuckling.
"Pffft… is that all? They even missed."
Lazric grinned too. "Lousy archers. If it were me, even half-asleep—"
BOOOOM!
An ice explosion erupted from the ground, hitting both of them. A pale blue flash spread, the air freezing instantly. Altair tried to jump back but was too late—the ice spread up to his waist, pinning his legs to the ground. Lazric suffered the same fate, half his body locked in a block of ice.
"AAARGH! It's so cold! Get me out!" Lazric screamed, wriggling.
Altair's face was flat, but his jaw was clenched. "Quiet, Laz. If you move too much, the ice might crush your bones."
Meanwhile, the two skeletons just stared for a moment—their empty eyes seemingly mocking—before turning and fleeing into the forest mist.
Feran immediately leaped, ready to chase. "Damn! They're getting away—!"
But Quartzis quickly pulled his arm. "Don't! Look at Altair and Lazric first! They could die if we leave them."
Feran growled, his teeth clenched tight. "Tch… sneaky. So this was all just a lure." He looked down, staring at his two brothers who were half-trapped. "Dammit… they know how to split us up."
Quartzis knelt beside Lazric, his hands already trembling as he summoned small quartz shards to cut the layer of ice.
"Relax, I can break this… maybe…"
"Maybe? Don't use 'maybe'!" Lazric gritted his teeth, his teeth chattering.
Feran looked at Altair who was trying to control his breathing, white vapor coming out every time he spoke.
"They definitely have a goal. And I don't like this…"
---
Meanwhile, at night when Altair, Feran, Quartzis, and Lazric were still at the library.
The air in the valley was filled with the smell of blood, smoke, and burnt flesh. Yeti corpses were scattered in every direction, some shattered, some still steaming from the Riftbreaker's attack. A heavy sky hung overhead, as if the earth itself was saddened to witness the slaughter.
Sylvia dropped to the ground, her breathing ragged.
"Aaaah, it's finally over… I'm soooooo tiiiired."
Kael, as usual unable to resist the temptation to bother his twin sister, kicked her leg.
"Oops, my foot slipped."
"AAAAAAGHHH KAEL!" Sylvia looked very angry. "My god, I'm even too tired to stand up."
Kael just chuckled, then dropped his own body to the ground.
"Well, that's no fun. Fine, I'm actually tired too."
On the other side, Rex had just cut down a giant Yeti with his scythe. He put his weapon into his inventory—a purple light circled the scythe blade before it disappeared.
"Well, are you guys that tired?" he asked casually.
"SO MUCH," Sylvia replied in unison.
Rex rotated his arm bones, clucking.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… look at lord Fulguran. He looks relaxed, even though he was so tired before the raid. And you guys? Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
"Aaagh, don't compare us to lord Fulguran, Rex!" Kael protested.
"Yeah, yeah," Rex chuckled.
Suddenly_
GROAAAAH!
The three of them turned. Nocturnus stood in the middle of a pile of Yeti carcasses, both hands raised, a dark aura swirling around him. From the recently fallen bodies, a new army of undead began to form.
"My god, the mana core is huge… no wonder it's rebelling like this," he muttered, restraining the wild energy from the Yeti's mana core.
Rex immediately exclaimed, his face shining.
"Ugh, Nocturnus! Are all these corpses for you? I want some of their bones for my collection too."
Nocturnus only gave a cold glance.
"Well, if you want them, ask lord Fulguran. Besides, these will be useful as extra power for us."
Fulguran, who had been watching from a distance all this time, finally spoke.
"Well, I don't mind if you want to share."
Rex clapped his hands, his face full of triumph.
"Haha, green light! Ahem, Nocturnus."
"Yeah, but—"
Nocturnus's voice was suddenly cut off. From another direction, Riftbreaker came with heavy steps, his mouth full of chewing.
"Master Fulguran! Look at this Yeti I burned. The meat is quite tasty." He held up a large piece of meat in his hand, still attached to the bone, exactly like a giant chicken leg. "Want to try, Master Fulguran?" he asked, chewing greedily.
Before Fulguran could answer, Umbranox arrived, dragging several Yeti corpses by their legs. His gaze immediately pierced Riftbreaker.
"Jeez… are you seriously giving lord Fulguran meat like that?"
Fulguran took a breath, ready to speak.
But another voice cut him off.
"Yes, exactly! You're giving burnt Yeti meat that you charred with your breath to lord Fulguran. Tsk, tsk, tsk." Veyron suddenly appeared, adding to the mockery.
Fulguran was starting to get annoyed.
And before he could open his mouth again—
"What's the discussion about?" Spectralis emerged from behind the mist with an amused tone. "Oh, by the way, everyone… there are many burnt, well-done Yeti corpses. You can't turn those into an undead army, can you, Nocturnus?"
"Uh—" Nocturnus was about to answer.
Suddenly—
"AAAAAGHHH LET ME SPEAK FIRST, YOU IDIOOOTS!" Fulguran exploded, his shout shaking the ground.
Everyone fell silent. They looked at each other. And without another word, they sat neatly facing Fulguran, like naughty students being reprimanded by their teacher.
Fulguran let out a long sigh, his voice lowering.
"Huh… to be honest, I'm very hungry. And seeing that Yeti meat… it seems well-done from Riftbreaker's fire. I thought… there's no harm in having a feast and resting tonight."
Rex immediately nodded enthusiastically.
"That's a great idea, Master. Especially since you also seemed to have gone overboard with your rampage earlier. The mana wave you released made most of the Yetis go quiet, scared, or even faint. You must be hungry and tired."
"Yes, that's right," Fulguran chimed in, this time more calmly. He looked at the Yeti carcasses. "Especially the cooked Yetis… you can take their bones, Rex."
"Yippee! Hahaha! You're not losing out, are you, Nocturnus?" Rex glanced at his necromancer friend.
"Not really… besides, what's the point of a ready-to-eat undead army like that." Nocturnus shrugged.
"And well… this is what you call a mutual symbiosis. Mutually beneficial," Kael said with a mischievous smile.
Those words made Sylvia daydream. In her head, she imagined a flower and a bee… Nocturnus as the flower providing nectar (the Yeti corpses), while Rex was the cheerful bee taking the bones.
"…What are you thinking, Sylvia? Your expression is strange," Umbranox asked suspiciously.
"Nothing… it's nothing." Sylvia quickly shook her head.
Fulguran looked at all of them again.
"And… tomorrow morning we will immediately entertain our guests that we neglected earlier. Spectralis, what about our surprise?"
"Haha, ready, Master. Everything is according to plan." Spectralis nodded firmly.
"Huh? What guests? What surprise?" Riftbreaker looked up, confused.
"You idiot!" Nocturnus slapped his head from behind. "Don't ruin the mood. Besides, do you ever pay attention?"
The night ended with everyone staring intensely at Riftbreaker… except for Fulguran, who was calm, busy chewing the well-done Yeti meat in his hand.