The preparation took most of the night. Lucas divided his forces carefully—fifteen skeleton warriors would remain at the Dark Crypt under the command of his most experienced unit, a skeleton that had survived several encounters and seemed marginally more intelligent than its peers. The ghouls would patrol the perimeter, their enhanced senses providing early warning of any threats. The zombie laborers would continue their endless resource gathering, unconcerned with concepts like danger or fatigue.
That left Lucas with a strike force of ten skeleton warriors, himself, and Selena. Not an army by any measure, but mobile and expendable. If things went badly, the losses would be manageable rather than catastrophic.
He'd also sent messages through the system interface to his vassals, informing them of his temporary absence and reiterating the importance of their consolidation efforts. David Chen had responded almost immediately, assuring Lucas that the relocation was proceeding smoothly. The others had been slower to reply, but eventually all seven confirmed they understood their orders.
Now, as the crimson sun reached what passed for morning in this twisted world, Lucas stood at the gates of his Dark Crypt with his strike force assembled behind him. Selena materialized beside him, her armor gleaming dully in the blood-red light.
"The ruins I mentioned are called Ashenhall," she said, pulling up a translucent map that only she and Lucas could see. "Or at least, that's what they were called in my time. A fortress-city that worshipped death as a sacred art. When I was last awake, it was already ancient—abandoned for reasons no one quite understood." She traced a path on the map with one elegant finger. "It's approximately eight kilometers northeast. The journey should take us three hours at marching pace, longer if we encounter resistance."
Lucas studied the map. The route passed through increasingly hostile terrain—areas marked in dark red on the interface, indicating extreme danger levels. "What kind of defenses are we expecting?"
"Ancient ones," Selena replied. "Ashenhall was never conquered militarily. It simply... emptied one day. The people vanished, leaving their city intact. Over the centuries, other things moved into those empty halls. Undead, certainly. Abyssal creatures, possibly. And whatever automated defenses the original inhabitants left behind." She smiled slightly. "It will be extraordinarily dangerous. Also extraordinarily rewarding if we survive."
"Comforting," Lucas said dryly. He turned to his skeleton warriors, establishing a firm mental connection with each. "Standard marching formation. Stay alert. Engage only on my command." The skeletons arranged themselves in two columns of five, shields raised, weapons ready.
They departed through the eastern gate, leaving the relative safety of the Dark Crypt behind.
The wasteland grew progressively worse as they traveled. The twisted trees became more frequent and more grotesque, their branches forming shapes that almost resembled grasping hands or screaming faces. The fog thickened to near-opacity in places, forcing them to slow their pace. And the ground itself seemed to resist their passage, becoming marshy and treacherous, clutching at their feet with every step.
They encountered their first hostiles an hour into the journey—a pack of corrupted hounds similar to the one Lucas had fought before, but in greater numbers. Eight of them, their diseased fur matted with blood and worse things, their red eyes glowing with mindless hunger.
[Corrupted Hound - Level 7 x8]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
Lucas didn't hesitate. "Skeletons, shield wall formation. Hold them at spear length." He moved to support the center while Selena flowed around the right flank, her shadow blade already materializing.
The hounds charged in a wave of fur and fangs. They hit the skeleton shield wall with bone-jarring force, and two of Lucas's warriors went down immediately, overwhelmed by the sheer violence of the assault. But the others held, their shields locked together, their spears thrusting mechanically into exposed flesh.
Lucas engaged the hound that broke through the center, his Frost Blade leaving trails of ice in its wake. The creature was fast, but he was faster, years of combat experience guiding his movements. He sidestepped its lunge, brought the blade down on its spine, and felt the satisfying crunch of breaking vertebrae. The hound collapsed, paralyzed, and Lucas finished it with a thrust through its skull.
Selena danced through the remaining hounds like death incarnate. She moved with impossible grace, her shadow blade passing through flesh and bone as if they were smoke. Three hounds fell in as many seconds, their bodies collapsing in spreading pools of black ichor.
The fight was over in less than a minute. Two skeleton warriors destroyed, six hounds dead, the remaining two fleeing into the fog.
[Experience gained]
[Death Energy +45]
[Soul Fragments (Minor) x6 obtained]
Lucas surveyed the damage. Two losses from eight enemies wasn't a terrible exchange ratio, but it was concerning. If they encountered something stronger, the casualties would mount quickly.
"We continue," he said, pulling his remaining eight skeletons back into formation. "Stay alert."
They marched deeper into the wasteland.
Two hours later, Ashenhall finally came into view through a break in the fog.
It was magnificent and terrible in equal measure. The ruins rose from the gray earth like the bones of some impossibly large creature, black stone towers and shattered walls stretching toward the blood-red sky. What remained of the city was massive—easily three kilometers across, possibly more. Most of the structures had collapsed over the centuries, reduced to rubble and fragments, but several major buildings still stood intact, their architecture defying both time and gravity.
The most prominent structure was what appeared to be a cathedral or temple at the city's heart. It stood seven stories tall, its walls carved with those same writhing runes Lucas had seen in his own Dark Crypt. Massive stone pillars surrounded it in concentric circles, and atop its highest spire, a symbol blazed with cold light—a crowned skull wreathed in thorns, identical to the one above Lucas's gates.
"The Temple of the Death Court," Selena said softly, staring at the structure with something that might have been reverence or might have been fear. "I'd heard stories about this place, but I never actually saw it before my imprisonment. They say the Death Court was a council of the most powerful necromancers in history. They ruled this city for a thousand years, perfecting arts that would make gods envious." She glanced at Lucas. "If even a fraction of what they created still functions, this will be the most dangerous place you've ever entered."
Lucas studied the ruins carefully, noting the complete absence of movement. No patrols, no obvious defenses, nothing but stillness and silence. "It looks abandoned."
"So did the flesh amalgam's lair, I imagine, right before it nearly killed you." Selena's voice was dry. "Appearances in places like this are worse than meaningless—they're actively deceptive. The absence of obvious threats usually means the threats are sophisticated enough to remain hidden."
A valid point. Lucas adjusted his strategy. "We start at the perimeter. Search the outer buildings first, work our way toward the temple. No unnecessary risks."
"A wise approach," Selena approved. "Caution keeps you alive when ambition would see you dead."
They descended toward the city ruins, and with each step, the pressure of ancient magic grew stronger. Lucas could feel it now—a weight in the air, a sense of being watched by eyes that had long since turned to dust. This place remembered. And whatever it remembered, Lucas suspected it wasn't anything good.
The outer buildings yielded little of interest at first—collapsed structures filled with debris and the occasional nest of corrupted rats that scattered at their approach. But as they moved deeper, the ruins became more intact and more dangerous.
They found the first ward in what had once been a guard tower. Lucas's lead skeleton warrior triggered it by stepping across an invisible threshold, and suddenly the air erupted with razor-sharp shards of bone that tore through three of his warriors before he could order a retreat.
[3 Skeleton Warriors destroyed by ancient ward]
[Remaining forces: 5 Skeleton Warriors]
"Damn it," Lucas swore, watching his forces dwindle. "Selena, can you see these wards?"
She moved forward carefully, her eyes narrowing as she studied the air itself. "Yes, but barely. The magic is old and sophisticated. Give me a moment." She traced patterns in the air with her fingers, and gradually, translucent lines began to appear—a network of magical tripwires and trigger zones crisscrossing the path ahead.
"There," she said, pointing. "Step there, then there, then wait for me to disable the next ward." She began moving with careful precision, her shadow blade occasionally slashing through what Lucas couldn't even see. Each cut caused a brief flare of light as ancient magic unraveled.
They progressed slowly, meter by meter, disabling wards and avoiding others that Selena deemed too complex to safely dispel. It was exhausting, nerve-wracking work, and Lucas found himself hyper-aware of every step, every movement.
They'd cleared perhaps fifty meters of warded corridor when they found the chamber.
It was circular, maybe twenty meters across, with a domed ceiling covered in more carved runes. In the center stood a stone pedestal, and upon that pedestal rested a single object—a black crystal about the size of Lucas's fist, pulsing with inner darkness.
[Item Detected: Shard of Eternal Night]
[Rarity: Epic]
[Type: Territory Enhancement]
[Effect: Increases Death Energy generation by 50%. Grants territory the 'Nightfall' effect—all undead units receive +25% combat effectiveness during dark periods.]
[Warning: Item is trapped]
Lucas stared at the crystal. An epic-tier item. The kind of treasure that could fundamentally alter his territory's power level. But trapped, obviously, because nothing in this cursed place was ever simple.
"Can you see the trap?" he asked Selena.
She circled the pedestal slowly, examining it from multiple angles. "Yes. It's elegant, actually. The moment someone touches the crystal, the chamber seals and floods with necrotic energy. Not enough to kill us—well, not enough to kill me—but more than enough to destroy your remaining skeletons and leave you severely weakened."
"Can you disable it?"
"No," Selena said bluntly. "The trap is integrated into the pedestal's structure. Disabling it would take hours of careful work, assuming I could do it at all." She looked at him. "However, I could absorb most of the necrotic energy when the trap triggers. I'm fundamentally immune to death magic—it would actually strengthen me temporarily. Your skeletons would still be destroyed, and you'd still take some damage, but we'd survive and claim the prize."
Lucas considered the options. Lose his remaining skeleton warriors in exchange for an epic-tier item that would massively boost his territory's power. It was a harsh trade, but potentially worthwhile. Without those skeletons, they'd be vulnerable on the journey back. But with the Shard of Eternal Night, he could rebuild his forces stronger than before.
"Do it," he decided. "I'll brace for the impact. You absorb what you can."
Selena nodded and positioned herself between Lucas and the pedestal. "When I give the signal, take the crystal. Move fast—the chamber will seal within seconds."
Lucas stepped forward, his hand hovering above the black crystal. "Ready."
"Now!"
He grabbed the Shard of Eternal Night. The reaction was immediate and violent.
The chamber's entrance slammed shut with a sound like breaking thunder. The runes on the ceiling blazed to life, and from every carved line, necrotic energy began pouring into the room—a flood of dark power that felt like being submerged in frozen poison.
Selena moved faster than Lucas could track. She positioned herself directly in front of him and did something—extended her presence somehow, creating a barrier of her own dark power that intercepted the necrotic flood. The energy hit her and she gasped, her body going rigid, but she held position as the trap discharged its full fury.
The skeleton warriors weren't so fortunate. The necrotic energy that got past Selena's barrier tore through them like acid through paper. They collapsed one by one, their bones disintegrating into powder, their connection to Lucas severing with each death.
[5 Skeleton Warriors destroyed]
[Strike force eliminated]
The energy finally subsided after what felt like hours but was probably only thirty seconds. The chamber's entrance groaned and slowly began to open again.
Selena staggered, and for the first time since Lucas had met her, she looked genuinely affected by something. Her skin had taken on an even paler cast, almost translucent, and her eyes glowed with intensified crimson light. "That was... substantial," she said, her voice slightly breathless. "I absorbed more power than I expected. Much more."
[Selena Draculea has absorbed significant necrotic energy]
[Temporary power boost: Level increased to 8 for 24 hours]
[Some sealed abilities partially unlocked]
Lucas clutched the Shard of Eternal Night, feeling its cold weight in his hand. His entire body ached from the residual energy that had gotten past Selena's protection, but he was alive and he had the prize.
"We need to leave," he said. "Now. Without the skeletons, we're vulnerable."
Selena straightened, and despite her exhaustion, she smiled. "On the contrary, my dear Lucas. With this temporary power boost, I'm currently more dangerous than I've been in centuries. If anything attacks us on the way back, I'll paint the wasteland with its remains." She gestured toward the exit. "But yes, we should depart. This place holds many more treasures, but claiming them will require proper preparation."
They left the chamber, moving quickly through the warded corridors. Selena's enhanced state made navigating the traps easier—she could see them more clearly now, disable them faster. Within twenty minutes they'd exited the outer buildings and were heading back toward the Dark Crypt.
The return journey was tense but ultimately uneventful. They encountered a few corrupted wanderers that Selena dispatched with contemptuous ease, her shadow blade moving with such speed and precision that the creatures barely had time to register her presence before they died.
By the time the Dark Crypt came into view through the fog, Lucas's exhaustion had fully set in. The adrenaline crash combined with the lingering effects of necrotic exposure left him feeling drained and shaky.
But he had the Shard. He had survived. And he'd proven that the ruins could be raided successfully, even if the cost was steep.
"Rest," Selena advised as they passed through the gates. "You've pushed yourself hard. I'll maintain the defenses while you recover." She glanced at the black crystal he still clutched. "And when you wake, we'll integrate that into your territory and watch your power grow."
Lucas nodded, too tired to argue. He made his way to the inner keep, to the small chamber he'd claimed as personal quarters, and collapsed onto the simple cot the system had provided.
His last thought before sleep claimed him was simple: This is only the beginning.
The ruins held more treasures. More power. More possibilities.
And he would claim them all, no matter the cost.