Riley covered his ears while sneaking in the dark halls of the castle. Distant roars of cannons shook the fortress. And he was the cause of it. Albeit slightly hastened by his concubine.
There were still some things he would have to do before the gates crashed to ensure his victory. He was confident that his army would win the skirmish with or without this little secret card. Yet his shoulders could not lax as there was always a twist.
Idealy he would have killed the last three of the war council. But this was enough for now.
His knees scraped against the stone, his awakened physique however did not allow for any blood to be spilled. A small kick blew the metal great away from the vent he crawled in. He jumped down and was instantly met with a damp wave of air.
A pool of saliva had built on the floor. Skeletons of guards hung loosely from the walls and the bars of different cells. Their flesh ripped off the bone leaving only small bits sticking on.
Riley wanted to throw up. But he swallowed it back after seeing them. Hundreds of red eyes which pierced the veil of shadows casted by torches. They pierced him and hooked inside of his muscles, beckoning him closer. Just one step and he would be within their reach.
He summoned the lantern and cast dread to paralyze the beasts. Some did, others smiled wryly.
A chill ran along his spine. His feet already crept closer to the lever sitting near the entrance of the underground dungeon.
The creatures in this dungeon could not be that high ranked. Yet they were monsters nonetheless. And as such, they bared their fangs at anything with the flame. Through fear and through pride. And most of all, through hunger.
They leapt at the bars, tumbling over eachother and ripping their maws apart in anticipation to escape the cells. Riley shivered at the mere thought of what will happen. He wouldn't dare think of pulling the lever if not for his aspect. And even then, it didn't make him invincible. Just, not there.
His fingers wrapped around the handle, and it slashed down. A metallic click dragged all of the metal bars down and he veiled himself.
A moment of stillness filled the chamber.
Then everything exploded into motion. Hundreds of creatures pushed out, crashing against the wall before running up the stone steps toward the castle.
Some stayed behind and fought, most craved blood of humans.
Riley watched from the corner as the beasts tore each other apart. For once, there was not even a single thought of him trying to get a few last hits for memories. His dread core filled slowly just from looking and holding his breath.
After close to thirty minutes, the fighting had ceased and the chamber was still. No creatures remained standing, but the stench was abhorrent. Ripples broke the stillness of the sea of blood as more dripped from their corpses.
'Jesus, I would be dead if not for this veil.'
This time, the use far outweighed the price of being forgotten. No use of being remembered if you are dead.
Riley jumped back into another vent and crawled around the ducts.
Screams grew closer as he marched forward. The courtyard would not be far, and from there he could get to the his next point of interest.
He leapt from the shaft and sprinted to the walls closest to the mountain. Their peaks stretched into stardom, but he did not need to reach such heights. Only to jump onto the top of the castle.
Riley sighed with relief finally being able to feel solid ground beneath his feet. In his past life he had not been one to use his body. But in this nightmare alone he had already done what most Olympians could only dream of.
Creatures killed and corrupted anything they touched in the grand courtyard. The few soldiers stationed there struggled to fight back, even the archers were forced to intervene, slowing the defence against their human enemies. He flashed a bitter smile at the chaos created by his hands.
'This is just a nightmare. These people are not real.'
He truly wished to believe those words. So he sped down the stairwell because dwelling on the thought would make him doubt it more.
The halls were emptier than normal. Every shadow seemed more shallow from the sun breaching the stained windows. A tall figure stood near the end of the hallway. A great sword hanged by his side. And his gaze was fixed to Riley.
"Is that the War God General I see?"
His voice was hoarse and drunkenly. Riley felt like he could smell his breath from that distance.
"Perhaps. And you?"
The man laughed and stuck his sword into the stone below him. He took a swig from a whiskey flask strapped to his side.
"Gerald."
Riley was surprised there was no added title. Those in positions of power loved to announce their monickers. But he felt an ounce of respect for not hearing any haughtiness.
"Must we take arms?"
"If it were up to me? No. But, my king wills it so, and I have nobody if not a slave to his majesty."
Gerald plucked the sword from the ground and burst forward into motion. He struck before his flask even his the ground. And the air seemingly parted to allow his blade to swing faster.
Riley ducked, barely dodging the blade by a hair's breadth. He rolled to side to avoid Gerald's stomp which cracked stone.
His fist flew but missed leaving Riley wide open.
Gerald punched forward, cracking three teeth and breaking Riley's nose as he tumbled backward. Blood leaked from both his mouth and nostrils.
His scissors summoned with a sea of sparks and snapped into two blades. Insantantly they were met with another thunderous strike sending him reeling backward. Riley barely managed to catch himself from sliding back.
Gerald kicked him back again, forcing one of his blades to leave his grip.
"You put up more of a fight than I expected."
He crouched down with the great sword slinged across his shoudlers.
"We've been watching you for two months now. At first you were the picture of incompetence."
A cigarette puffed emerged from his coat pocket.
"But recently, that all changed."
He brought down the blade beside Riley's head.
"Change or not, you are now faced with the executioner."