N. G. Blackwood
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Chapter 13 - Grand hall
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 17:22:10 +0000 UTC"Lord Yaren, please reconsider. We've already searched the whole castle. If we do not find it here, we cannot delay further, if—"
"Murin definitely left it inside the Whisper. And we will find it." The voice was firm and unyielding.
Then, a booming laugh echoed from the hall. "Relax, Orik! You worry too much."
Erik crept closer to the large double doors, careful not to step on any bones. They were left slightly ajar, just enough for him to peer inside the grand hall. Holding his breath, he listened carefully, making sure that his ears had not deceived him. It was the noble scion and his group of younger subordinates—now only two were left.
The entrance to the grand hall was on the western wall, while on the far eastern wall stood a stone throne. Between them, scattered skeletons lay among the remains of broken furniture and shattered decorations.
The vast room was framed by tattered banners, their original emblems long lost to time, hanging from the walls. The late afternoon light poured in from a gaping hole in the ceiling and through fractured stained-glass windows, casting broken colors across the ruins. The windows depicted warped, timeworn images of long-forgotten warriors braving untamed wilderness and towering mountains.
As for the trio, they were rummaging through the debris, examining every wall and corner of the room.
What are they looking for so desperately? Erik thought.
"Quiet, you red-haired baboon!"
"Why? The city is empty. There's nothing around."
"Did you forget what happened to the other two? We don't know if there aren't any Nilgrim hiding somewhere close."
"Bah! It's their fault for being so weak."
"The four of us had been handpicked by Lord Yaren. They were not weak. And you would do well to remember that even with all our training and preparation, a Whisper is always dangerous—no matter who you are."
There was some hushed grumbling afterwards, but none of them said anything else.
Before Erik figured out what to do next, he decided to play it as safe as he could and leaned down towards one of more preserved skeletons at his feet. Using his Ability, he willed the Draugr to life... well maybe not quite life, but something that could move at least. He wasn't sure how much help it would be. He had just barely scratched the surface of things he needed to try to find out what his Draugr could do, but it was better than nothing.
Also, since absorbing the Blood Crystal and the time that had passed since the fight with the Mischief, he was sure he could command more strength from the Undead at least.
In a heartbeat, small teal sparks ignited in the hollow skull, and the Draugr focused on Erik.
"Stay here," he whispered.
Just as he was thinking how to handle this situation, the one called Orik spoke again.
"Lord, could you tell us a bit more about the artifact? You've only told us to look for something that stands out. Maybe if we know more, we might be able to find it quicker."
The noble scion didn't say anything for a while and seemed that he would just ignore his subordinate. But surprisingly, he answered.
"Bjorn was secretly part of a powerful cult, and through that connection, he obtained something that few others can. What he gave to his son... was a fruit from one of the Elderines."
Both subordinates stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at the noble scion with wide eyes.
"Seriously?" The red-haired guard said, seemingly forgotten how he should address a noble.
Yaren just gave a subtle nod, prompting the brute to whistle.
"I am not completely certain what it would look like, but it should be something like a normal fruit, yet one that stands out."
The two subordinates seemed to know the value of such a thing, and from their looks, they now understood why the noble was so focused on looking for this fruit. However, Erik had only heard that the Elderines were mythical types of plants, and he didn't know exactly why it was so important.
“Lord! Come see this,” Orik called out from beside the stone throne at the far end of the hall.
The other two hurried over, and after a few heartbeats, the blond-haired archer pressed something behind the backrest. A few moments later, the stone throne started moving to the side. It revealed a short staircase going down into a small room.
Erik could barely make out the interior from his vantage point, but what he saw filled him with unease. Jars lined the walls, stuffed with dead insects and preserved organs, their shapes distorted in murky liquid. Skulls of the rat-like essence beasts were interspersed between them. Their hollow sockets seemed to watch them.
It appears like the governor was hiding a lot more than the librarian knew about, Erik thought.
Even the trio felt the same way, as they made sounds of disgust.
"Lord Yaren, allow us to check it out first to make sure it's safe," Orik said and stepped forward.
The one called Lark grunted but followed without saying anything. Nothing happened as they descended the stairs. However, the moment the archer stepped onto the floor of the hidden room, a pulse of translucent energy reverberated through the space, passing through the walls and continuing outward.
Everyone froze.
Erik hoped that they hadn't attracted the attention of something hideous.
Then, multiple screeching howls echoed out from across the city.
"Shit!" He cursed.
He looked down towards his minion but noticed that there were now teal sparks in all the other skulls.
And that's when it clicked for him. The thing that had been bothering him since he entered the city. It was the lack of corpses on the streets and in the houses, despite the fact that this city looked like it had been destroyed in a battle—there should have been human remains everywhere.
When he saw the skeletons in the arena, he should have realized it. Burial rites were performed to ensure the dead did not return as Undead. This meant that the lack of proper rites should have led to Draugr's appearance. He guessed that they were most likely in some form of hibernation, not to have noticed the humans so far.
But that had changed, and they were now waking up.
Erik started panicking. He was in the middle of the city, most likely surrounded by thousands of Undead and who knows how many Nilgrim.
Noises coming from the castle entrance could already be heard. With nowhere else to go, he dashed into the grand hall and slammed the doors shut behind him.
"HEY! What are you doing here?" The red-haired brute's voice thundered behind him.
Erik turned to see that the one called Lark had emerged from the hidden room, axes in hand. Before Erik could say anything, the maniac charged, his weapons glowing with a pale red light.
He barely had time to react and jump to the side. Both weapons slammed into the ground, emitting a loud sound and burying an inch into the stone floor.
This must be his Talent, Erik thought. He had forgotten that if he Awoke a Talent by entering the Whisper, the others would too.
The axe warrior pulled his weapons out and spun around, ready to attack again.
“Stop! There is no time for this,” the noble scion called. He then started issuing orders.
"Lark, barricade the doors. Orik, was there anything of value in the hidden room?"
The archer shook his head, prompting the noble to grimace.
"Then help me kill the Undead in the hall and then look for any other exits."
“You,” he said, turning to Erik, “make yourself useful and help Lark.”
It was an order rather than a request, which Erik did not appreciate but also did not dare oppose—for now. After all, it was best to team up with them in this situation.
The brute quickly acknowledged his lord, then glanced towards Erik.
"Peasant, if you do anything to get in our way, I will end you immediately," he whispered with cold eyes. He then rushed off to pile debris in front of the doors.
Erik gritted his teeth and followed.
The horrid screeching was much closer now. And a chorus of moans echoed from everywhere. The city of the dead was rising, crooning a song from the beyond. Eager to welcome the group into its fold.
Yaren and Orik dispatched the Draugr that were struggling to rise and frantically started looking for any exits. While Erik and Lark were just about to join them, having placed all that they could at the doors, they heard a monstrous roar coming from somewhere in the city—something horrible was coming.
The doors were holding against the Undead for now, but it wouldn't last.
"Maybe we should try the windows? If we move the throne under one, we should be able to push one of us high enough," Orik suggested.
Although all of their bodies were improved a bit by their recent Talent Awakenings. None of them were actually fully fledge Rune Bearers. They were just barely above average mortals. So they couldn't just run through the thick castle walls or jump through its high windows.
Not only that, but they had no time to discuss it further, as abominations slammed into the outer sides of the north- and south-facing walls, followed by more screeching. The walls held whatever was out there at bay, but the young Rune Bearers had nowhere to go now. They were surrounded.
To their horror, a Nilgrim—another of the Shackled King’s Mischief—crashed through one of the south-facing windows, sending shards and vines flying.
It landed in the middle of the hall, madness in its eyes, seeking to destroy anything it saw.
The group froze for a moment before Yaren charged forward. Positioned behind the monster, he seized the opening and caught it off guard, driving his spear deep into one of its back legs.
The creature howled and turned around, striking out with a sharp claw. But the noble was just fast enough to dodge.
Before the creature could pounce on him, an arrow lodged itself through its muzzle. It did not pierce anything vital, but it was a nasty wound.
The brute was soon upon the monster too and slashed both his weapons at its sides. Two fatal gaping wounds opened up, but the Nilgrim was not yet dead.
It screeched, striking out a claw and wounding him on the leg. He dodged a follow-up attack of the other claw but was too slow to react to its tail. It lashed out and struck him across the chest like a whip, with a sickening crack that sent the red-haired baboon flying.
The blond archer shot another arrow, only managing to graze the creature's spine.
The Nilgrim's eyes found Erik, and it charged at him.
He was holding his hatchet in one hand and a piece of a wooden chair in the other, which he threw at the monster.
It did no damage, but he managed to distract it for a few moments. Long enough for him to jump forward and slam his axe at its head. Or at least he tried. Instead, he slashed across its shoulder and down its leg. A deep wound, but not enough to kill it.
I am really not cut out to be a close combat warrior, Erik thought.
The Nilgrim roared, still strong enough to lunge at him. He pivoted his body to get out of the way and almost did, but the abomination's sharp claws raked against his left forearm. He left out a stifled scream and stumbled away.
Before he knew it, the creature was ready for another attack—until it was struck by another arrow. This one pierced its eye and buried itself deep in its brain.
With a weak growl, the thing finally died.
At last, the four of them could breathe.
Yet the moment was fleeting.
Something slammed into the doors of the grand hall. The impact nearly broke through their barricade. A furious roar followed.
The group hurried, pressing shoulder to shoulder against the eastern wall just in front of the throne. Erik and the brute weren’t faring well—especially the red-haired baboon, who struggled to stay on his feet.
Another bang. Whatever was outside slammed into the doors again.
This time, it broke through.
A Mischief charged into the grand hall. It was followed by a horde of Undead.
This is it. This is how I am going to die, Erik thought.
But the abominations didn't get far, as the north wall exploded in a shower of rocks. And this time a true monstrosity came barreling into the room—The Shackled King.
With its momentum, it rammed straight into the charging horde, and they all crashed together into the south wall. They became an entangled mass of bones and grotesque limbs.
"Now is our chance! Charge through the opening!" Erik despaired.
The other three threw him a quick glance with different emotions. Their expressions mostly said that they were indignant to be commanded by this nobody.
"Move!" the noble scion shouted.
However, before they proceeded forward, a few Draugr and five more Mischiefs came in through the opening in the wake of the large monstrosity.
Three of the Nilgrims ran straight into the entangled mass of the Shackled King and Undead, piling on the chaos. But the other two managed to halt their charge, stopping in the middle of the room. They turned around and focused their mad gazes on the group.
The four were just about to rush forward and try and push past them when a large shadow was cast upon the hall.
Everyone looked up.
What stared back at them was a black butterfly almost the size of the grand hall itself.
