The journey eastward had been steady and fairly easy, wild monsters seeming to avoid us. I guessed that was what happened when you traveled with powerful monsters.
Much like the north, the trees in the east shifted from a mix of many types to mostly pines and oaks the farther we traveled.
However, as we approached the ruins, the trees thinned, and the ground changed into swampy terrain.
And the monsters began appearing once again.
No more wild-animal-type monsters—only massive hordes of undead.
Skeletons, zombies, ghouls—even ghosts—appeared to stop us from reaching the ruins… but they were all much lower level than my troop.
It was tiring, but we managed easily enough, cutting through the chaff like it was nothing and keeping our ability usage to a minimum.
As the last of the undead fell before us, I looked ahead, toward the ruins. We had finally reached them.
It was like visiting ancient Europe, walking through old ruins of cities and forts.
There were pillars made of a strange stone I couldn’t identify, and run-down homes covered in moss, their floors now filled with grass.
And I could feel it—this overwhelming sense of power permeating the air.
It was almost suffocating, and for a moment I regretted not asking Analth to come along.
But I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and looked at my monsters.
“Right,” I began quietly, before clearing my throat and trying again. “Right. I’m sure you can all sense it like I can—there’s something strong in those ruins. Let’s take this slowly, and stick close to one another. We don’t want any surprises catching one of us alone.”
The others nodded, and together we began to march toward the ruins.
More undead waited for us, different this time.
There were skeletons and ghouls, sure, but they were geared.
Two skeletons held crossbows and wore leather armor, a ghoul held an axe loosely in one hand, while a zombie came charging—as fast as a zombie could—with a two-handed sword.
“Mona, Elyndra, take out the archers,” I ordered calmly, looking at the zombie. “Andre, you focus on the ghoul. Halvard, offer support with your magic, I’ll handle the—”
Before I could finish speaking, a magic circle appeared beneath us, and I cried out in shock and pain as purple hands reached up from the ground and grabbed my legs.
“Dark magic!” Halvard grunted, wrenching a leg free from one set of hands, only to be seized by another.
I looked around, wincing. None of the visible undead had cast that spell so where—there!
“Hiding in one of the homes, there’s a skeleton with a staff!” I called. “Halvard, take him out!”
The hobgoblin nodded just as the zombie reached me, swinging its massive sword down with unnatural strength.
I couldn’t move, so I had to block with my shield, the force of the blow driving me to my knees.
I cursed, struggling to stand, barely managing to parry the next strike.
“Fucking—” I hissed, slashing out and carving a line across the zombie’s chest.
Too bad, as an undead, it didn’t really feel pain—it retaliated by slamming the pommel of its weapon into my face.
There was a crunch, and my vision blackened for a moment, a ringing filling my ears. Blood poured from my nose, and I let out a small groan of pain.
Then, the hands vanished, and I could move freely again.
I grinned, ignoring the coppery taste in my mouth as I danced around the zombie’s next attack before lashing out with my blade and removing its head from its shoulders.
It fell without a sound. I looked around, surveying the rest of the battle.
The house the casting skeleton had been in was reduced to ash, Halvard having blasted it with shadow-flames.
The ghoul was lying dead at Andre’s feet, and the skeleton archers were just piles of bones, Elyndra and Mona smiling at one another.
“Good work, everyone, but don’t let your guard down,” I said, earning nods from my fellows.
The ruins were massive. We’d spent the better part of an hour searching through them, killing undead wherever we found them.
We’d come across a few chests in abandoned houses—mostly full of rotted clothing or dust.
But one building had something actually worthwhile inside:
[Wolfhide Leather Armor of Fire Resistance]
[Grants the wearer +5 AGI, +10 DEF, and Resistance (Moderate) to Fire damage]
It wasn’t anything crazy, but definitely worth keeping. Could always use more magical items.
As we moved toward the center of the ruins, I noticed something.
The undead were getting stronger.
Like right now.
“Lord Herald!” Elyndra’s cry was my only warning before a heavy impact slammed into my side, hurling me through the wall of a ruined building.
Wood crashed down around me, dust filling the air.
I groaned, struggling to rise as the sounds of battle erupted around me.
We’d been nearing the largest structure—a tower stretching high into the sky—when they appeared.
Five figures to match my party of five:
- A skeletal knight riding an undead horse, flames for eyes.
- A zombie warrior garbed in rusted chain, wielding a chain and sickle with deadly proficiency.
- A ghoul that darted through the shadows with twin daggers, striking where you least expected.
- A giant bat swooping overhead, diving at whoever wasn’t looking.
- And another zombie, this one standing at the back and casting spells that made the others stronger.
I’d have loved to add them to my army, but they weren’t in the mood for talking.
I forced myself upright, glaring at the bat circling above as it shrieked loud enough to make most people cover their ears.
I rushed toward Andre—locked in a desperate fight with the ghoul—lashing out at the dexterous creature.
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It hissed and slipped away into the shadows.
“Sneaky bugger,” I muttered, ducking aside as the knight charged.
It stopped mid-gallop, turning sharply as its cursed blade clashed with Stormcleaver.
“You will not win this fight, mortal,” the knight rasped, its voice cold enough to make bone ache.
“Yeah, not the first time I’ve heard that,” I shot back, ramming my shield arm into its chest.
It barely budged. I paid for the attempt with a slash across my arm.
Andre struck then—his rapier piercing the undead horse’s flank.
The beast screamed, rearing and throwing the knight to the ground.
It stood immediately—unnervingly fast—then cracked Andre across the chest with the flat of its blade, sending him flying.
I swore, ducking another swing, blocking the next.
My arm went numb from the impact, but I held—barely.
To my right, Halvard traded spells with the dark priest—flames, frost, and shadow flying in a chaotic storm.
A shriek split the air.
The bat dove for me, but Elyndra intercepted it, her spear a streak of violet light. The creature recoiled as she forced it skyward.
The ghoul appeared behind me—again—but Andre managed to stab it through the shoulder, even as he stumbled out of a ruined bakery.
The knight lunged for me, trying to impale me.
I sidestepped and brought my blade down hard on its sword arm.
If skeletons could gasp, this one did.
Its blade clattered to the ground from suddenly numb fingers.
I didn’t give it time to recover—activating the lightning in my sword.
A bolt crashed into it, the metal armor acting as a conductor.
A moment later, the knight collapsed into a heap of bones.
With its death, the undead horse vanished, leaving only the bat, the caster, the chain-wielding zombie, and the ghoul.
“Fuck!” I gasped as a spike of agony tore through my side.
The zombie’s sickle was lodged in my hip, and I was yanked to the ground as it tried to drag me in.
“Lord Herald!” Andre shouted, but he was still fighting the ghoul.
My face scraped across stone, burning, and I growled—catching myself before it could drag me farther.
I grabbed the chain and pulled—my strength overpowering the undead thing.
It lurched toward me, off-balance.
I ripped the sickle out of my hip with a grunt and charged.
The Chainbound Reaper didn’t stand a chance.
Slash. Jab. Dodge. Pierce. Slash. Slash.
It fell, head severed, body carved apart.
I staggered, moving to help Andre—only to find the demi-dragon had already finished off the ghoul.
Elyndra speared the bat out of the sky in a burst of flame-tipped motion, and Halvard erased the dark priest with a final ball of shadow-flames.
Silence, except for our breathing.
[The Herald has slain Skeleton Knight (Lv. 13)! — +201 Soul Essence]
[The Herald has slain Zombie Chainbound Reaper (Lv. 11)! — +163 Soul Essence]
[Andre has slain Ghoul Assassin (Lv. 12)! — +181 Soul Essence]
[Elyndra has slain Shadowveiled Giant Bat (Lv. 12)! — +145 Soul Essence]
[Halvard has slain Zombie Dark Priest (Lv. 14)! — +223 Soul Essence]
I blinked at the numbers. All of them had been higher level—and clearly Standard-class.
The knight being Standard shocked me most. Skeletons were usually Minion-tier fodder.
Maybe riding the horse had allowed it to evolve alongside it.
As we checked the bodies, none of their loot remained usable—rusting away before my eyes.
I looked down at my wounds, watching them slowly knit shut.
The others were mostly fine—scratches, cuts, bruises.
Again, pride swelled in my chest.
“Right… let’s keep scrounging around,” I said, gesturing toward where the knight had come from.
“Lord Herald, allow me to take point,” Elyndra said immediately, stepping ahead.
I smiled and nodded. She’d clearly been shaken when I went flying earlier.
We marched forward—and a strange discomfort tightened in my chest.
My heart sped up—too fast.
For the first time since meeting Analth…
I felt afraid.
“Lord Herald…” Halvard whispered. “There’s… powerful magic ahead.”
I looked at him, then up at the tower.
“From there, you think?” I asked quietly.
He nodded.
“Whatever commands those undead… will be found there.”
Flames erupted around him as his eyes blazed, magic coating him like armor.
I looked back up at the tower and steeled myself. Whatever we found would be strong.
One final test awaited us at the tower’s entrance.
Two monsters I’d never seen before stood guard—massive undead hounds, each the size of a horse.
Their fur was the color of ash, their bodies still, yet radiating menace even in sleep.
“Think we can take them?” I whispered.
Mona nodded instantly. Halvard followed.
Elyndra and Andre, though, exchanged uneasy looks.
“They’re stronger than anything we’ve faced, Lord Herald,” Elyndra warned softly.
I frowned at the hulking beasts. If she could tell that from one glance, it meant something. She and Andre were two of my strongest.
“Alright,” I said. “We take them, but cautiously.”
I pointed at Andre. “You and Elyndra distract one. Mona, Halvard, and I take the other.”
They nodded—though Elyndra still looked worried.
“Hey, we’ll be fine,” I assured her, hand on her shoulder. “Just keep it busy. Once ours goes down, we help you.”
She held my eyes for several seconds… then nodded.
“Stay safe, Herald. Lady Analth would be furious if you died.”
I smirked. “Don’t worry. I’m not planning on dying today—or anytime soon.”
We advanced.
The hounds heard us before we were close.
The left one rose first with a deep snarl, black ichor dripping from its fangs.
The right stirred seconds later, both rising to full towering height.
I opened with Stormcleaver, lightning leaping between both creatures and drawing howls of pain—
—but barely scorching their fur.
“Tough little buggers,” I muttered.
Elyndra and Andre hit their target, Andre’s blade glowing as he landed three rapid strikes before the creature even reacted.
He dodged the counterattack by inches—because the thing moved fast. Too fast.
One swipe of its claws ripped chunks out of the stone floor.
“Fuck,” I hissed.
Mona and I reached ours.
It shifted left as Mona swung, her sword carving a trench through stone.
Wide open.
Stormcleaver tore across its flank. The hound snarled, rounding on me and lunging.
I rolled aside, feeling the air from its jaws snapping shut behind me.
Flames roared behind me—Halvard’s work.
A pillar of fire engulfed the hound.
It howled again.
This time, the sound slammed into my chest like a physical blow. My heart stuttered; my breath hitched.
My ears rang.
A skill…
Images—teeth, fur, snapping jaws—flooded my mind.
Then suddenly, the fear vanished, dumped out of me like ice water had been poured into my veins.
The hound blinked—confused—then lunged again.
I ducked back and slashed, glancing at the others.
Halvard was on his knees, shaking.
Elyndra and Andre were sweating, strained but stable.
Mona looked entirely unaffected—undead perks, apparently.
I forced myself upright.
“It’s alright, Halvard! Just a skill!” I yelled. “Pull yourself together—we need you!”
He flinched, shook hard, then stood and started casting again.
The fight dragged on—grueling, relentless. Every slip-up cost me blood. A claw tore armor from my chest. A bite sent pain shooting up my leg.
But the beast slowed.
Black blood poured freely, pooling beneath it.
A howl from the left—the other hound trying to intervene—but Elyndra and Andre held it at bay.
“One more push, Mona,” I panted.
She nodded.
We surged forward.
Mona ripped open its flank.
I rolled beneath its jaws and rose in a vicious upward swing—
The head flew free. The body collapsed.
I exhaled hard, staring at the corpse—then at the surviving hound.
It stared at its fallen brother… and howled.
There was sorrow in it.
I wished I could feel bad.
But survival came first.
The remaining hound didn’t last long.
Five-on-one, wounded—it never stood a chance.
As it fell, I collapsed to the ground, gasping, sweat dripping from my chin.
Notifications blinked before my eyes.
[The Herald has slain Zombified War Hound (Lv. 17)! — +353 Soul Essence]
[Elyndra has slain Zombified War Hound (Lv. 15)! — +294 Soul Essence]
I blinked at the numbers. Elite-tier, maybe. Definitely not standard.
As we caught our breath, the tower doors creaked open.
A foul wind washed over us—rot, decay, old blood.
Then a voice crawled into my mind, cold and ancient:
“Who daresss enter my domain?”
[Current Day: 9]
[Soul Essence: 1825]
[Kingdom Core: Level 3]
[Domain Size: 5 Sectors]
[Active Quest: Explore the Ruins (95%) — 2 Days Remaining]