Erwin looked at the approaching band of skeletons.
Their weapons were relatively well cared for, and their armor intact. They looked more like proper warriors than those he encountered before.
Vanguards of their group were already nearing his cave.
"They're after my marks, rather than me." Erwin took a risk and stood in his position to watch skeletons follow a rough outline of his path.
"It is doable then. If they can be fooled, I can separate them to increase my chances."
He looked at his body.
"Still, it will be a hard task. I've been eating and resting well, but my body still has more chronic damage."
Not that he believed he could easily overcome this challenge when he was at the peak of his physical prowess, but not having a meniscus tear would help.
"Then again, if it were going to rip, it would have when that giant trashed me."
Erwin changed positions once more, trying to make as little noise as possible.
"Those who have helmets spell trouble. If I spend too much time on one, they can easily pile on me."
Walking on his toes, Erwin glided between trees, his eyes locked on the skeletons as he tried to spot weaknesses and assess their strength.
"Six of them with helmets, a total of eleven."
He glanced at the helmetless skeletons. "Two armed with spears, one axe, two short swords."
He didn't consider their body armor; as long as they had no helmets, he could defeat them with relative ease.
He moved his attention to the skeletons with helmets. "Two spears, one polehammer, three short swords. Their bodies were covered in a layer of chainmail, and thick clothes strengthened with leather plates."
Erwin closed his eyes and tried to focus on the skeleton's soul. The parasite inside him had uses, as much as he hated to admit it.
"No thoughts, no emotions. Their souls are colorless and stagnant."
He had no hint of what the skeletons' goal was, beyond the fact that they were a threat to him.
Erwin raised the shovel, both his hands wrapped around the handle. "Attack when I still have the element of surprise." Waiting for a skeleton to approach, once the undead closed enough, he charged out of his position and slammed the shovel head into the closest skeleton's skull.
The shovel bounced back with a resonating sound, suppressing the skull's crack.
The attack left the undead staggered, giving Erwin precious seconds to draw the warhammer and land a follow-up strike.
Rusted or not, the iron hammer made quick work of the damaged skull, opening a large enough hole to end the skeleton on the spot.
As the bones hit the ground, the rest of the band turned to Erwin.
It took merely a moment for them to process what had just happened. The undead band quickly raised their weapons and charged at Erwin.
Though they did not talk or make any conventional noises, the clinking of their armor, the shattering of ice on the forest floor, and the rattling of their bones made enough noise.
"They have no hesitation; how great."
Erwin grabbed the shovel and dashed into the forest. "One by one, focus on reducing their numbers."
The skeletons followed him closely, acting with little synergy in their planning. Merely limited to not getting in each other's way as they rushed after Erwin.
It was a terrifying sight for Erwin to see them follow him. They cared not for their well-being, stumbling, falling, being hit by stray branches; all mattered none. Their bodies never tired, they kept chasing.
"I need to start taking some of them down, or at least damage them in a way." He closed his eyes once more.
The distance between him and the skeletons grew steadily.
So did the distance between the vanguard of the skeletons and the rest of their band. Their speeds were too inconsistent, and they didn't care about holding a formation.
"Just a little more," Erwin took a deep breath. "Then I should be able to attack once again."
Years of bad work conditions and cigarette addiction weren't helping him.
"A little more. Just squeeze a bit more." He repeated.
"There should be a river around here if I can use it to my advantage."
So Erwin ran. His steps crushed the snow and ice below, the sharp iron teeth of his boots barely keeping him from slipping.
Meanwhile, his hunters pursued relentlessly. Slower, but sturdier, never tiring, never stopping. Even when mud got stuck on their feet, even when icy ground made them stumble.
Not long after, Erwin smiled as the sound of the running water echoed in his head.
It only took passing a couple more trees and climbing a small hill. Finally, he saw the half-frozen river enter his sight.
Not stopping, he dashed for a wider part of it with lots of rocks sticking out.
Only a step away from entering the river, he looked behind. Nothing in sight yet.
Erwin approached the ice-covered surface and, with the back of his shovel, started hitting it, finding a path sturdy enough to carry his weight.
As he reached the center of the river, he closed his eyes for a moment. He felt the souls following from behind.
The hill had slowed them a little, but they were closing the distance, but…
"There are more."
He opened his eyes and looked at the other side of the river.
Behind the tree line, he felt more souls.
"Different. Brighter, stronger, carrying emotions. Could it be another type of undead?"
He questioned as he returned, crossing the river.
But before he could, screams stopped him in his tracks.
From the forest, a mob of four undead creatures appeared.
Not skeletons, something like a zombie.
"A draugr."
Erwin called the name of the creature.
In their talk with Ivara, she had warned him not to enter old graves if he ever found them because of their presence. Revenants, awakened with hatred. Forced to stay on the world for one reason or another.
Without delving further into the details, he raised his shovel once more.
His new enemies looked far more competent than the skeletons.
Their armor and equipment, though weathered, had no missing pieces.
Each draugr wore standardized armor and carried the same style of arming sword.
Now surrounded from all sides, Erwin looked around to see if he could find an exit.
"But there is none."
Now, the undead occupied both sides of the river.
Walking further into the river was also not an option.
Much of the river was still unfrozen or had a thin layer of ice.
With few options, he looked at both undead forces, weighing their strength in his mind and calculating his chances.
But during these calculations, he noticed something.
The undead weren't entering the river, not even looking at him.
Both sides were locked on each other, as if waiting for the other side to make a move.
"Are they more concerned about each other than me?"
There was only one chance to test it.
He first approached the skeletons; once close enough, he pulled the warhammer and threw it at them.
The weapon landed on the face of one, but did little damage.
Still, it angered them enough to make them slowly advance at him.
Seeing that, Erwin quickly grabbed his shovel and moved towards the draugrs.
The four undead took position, preparing themselves.
Erwin lunged forward. The ice cracked under his feet as he slammed the shovel towards the rightmost draugr.
The undead quickly took a step back and raised his sword to block the attack.
But before the shovel landed, Erwin pulled the weapon back, using the small moment to slip behind the draugr.
Using the initiative at hand, he used the shovel's handle as leverage to shove the undead away before fleeing.
The stumbling draugr landed on the piece of ice Erwin had cracked. As soon as its weight touched it, the surface crackled and shattered, opening a hole and pulling the undead down.
The rest of the draugrs, surprised, shifted their gaze between Erwin, the approaching skeletons, and their friend.
Ultimately, they decided to save their friend and prepare for a clash with the skeletons.
Using this opportunity, Erwin opened distance between himself and the now clashing undead groups.
"Somehow, I seem to have escaped."
He looked around, his eyes searching for a place to rest and gather his breath.
"Looks good enough." Erwin approached a boulder next to the river, away from the water, its top relatively flat, covered in only a thin layer of snow.
After sweeping the snow, Erwin sat on the boulder and turned to the fighting undead groups.
"Numbers against professionalism, what a cliché story," he mumbled under his breath and relaxed his shoulders. "But it should still be worth great intel."