Fauna goggled at the incoming group of around fifteen zombies. They couldn’t find another word to describe the beings moving towards them. They had arrived just as the creatures got within range of Gaia’s aura. What she sensed was horrifying. The creatures were all humanoid and bipedal, but that’s about where the similarities ended. She could sense that each of them was gaunt and nearly skeletal. They had chunks of flesh missing from multiple parts of their bodies and only made guttural sounds.

  The weirdest part of them was that they all had elongated fingers that turned into claws. The most horrifying part of them, however, was that some of the defenders recognized them as the scouts that were killed or went missing on the sixth floor. These were the scouts that had been killed or controlled. This caused a disturbing thought which was, why were they on the surface?

  It was when this question sprang up in everyone’s minds that the creatures started sprinting forwards towards the wall. They had originally staggered slightly but otherwise walked with little effort. They also had some weapons sheathed or on their person but didn’t move to wield them. Gaia tried to analyze one before it reached the wall and was actually able to, but not before they started climbing the wall.

  Name – Gorefeast Revenant

  Level – 65

  She analyzed a few more and they all had different levels but were around the same. They were likely around the same level as when they were alive, but she couldn’t be sure. In the time it took her to analyze the few undead they had already scaled the wall using their claws. One had climbed straight up and was directly in front of the party. It lunged towards the closest person, which happened to be Griff, and tried to slash or bite him. He quickly countered it with his skill and Malachite rammed it with a telekinesis powered shell bash. The undead went flying off the wall and the rest of the group surveyed the situation.

  The wall was covered in either injured or dying defenders. The other undead had struck at any living thing within reach once they climbed the wall. The defenders were hesitant to attack the monsters since they were all people they had known. This allowed the undead to slash, bite, or kill the unprepared defenders. Some of the undead were even feasting on the defenders as they screamed in pain. Fauna, making an immediate decision, moved towards the area with the most undead. As they went Griff and Gaia tried to heal anyone they could, but many were either too far gone or already dead.

  Luckily, as they went her aura was slowly inflicting conditions on the undead, making the healing that they were able to cast, slightly more effective. As they moved Fergus was firing arrows while Stephanie moved forward with her shield out. She slashed with her multi-weapon in all of its various forms at the undead trying to get their attention away from the defenders that were still alive. This worked for a few of the monsters, but some were completely engrossed in their macabre meal.

  Griff focused on healing alongside Gaia while her bonds attacked the undead with Fergus and Stephanie. Gaia also shielded people as best she could with her shield ability, but it only worked for a single attack. Many were immediately attacked or killed before she could try and save them. Antonio fired his skills at the monsters and healed in between each shot. Liv was integrated into Gaia’s armor so she used her two appendages to block and attack any monsters that got close. She also fired poison shots and various webs out to bind the monsters up. Shadow was dashing around trying to block any attacks on the injured defenders while slashing or biting the enemies. Malachite was the most straightforward. He ran around firing water shots and using his shell bash or telekinesis to launch the monsters away while dealing some damage.

  One thing they all noticed after a bit was that the undead who had been feasting seemed stronger than before. It wasn’t overly noticeable, but they were a bit less gaunt and when they attacked, they hit harder. They were also slightly faster than before as well, making them a little more dangerous. Thankfully, they weren’t like zombies from the movies Gaia had seen when she was on earth, so the dead defenders weren’t becoming new ones.

  By this point, around six of the monsters had died leaving seven that had grown stronger from the carnage. They all turned to face Fauna, who had gathered back up after healing all the defenders they could. Then, the monsters did something disturbing. They all made inhuman growls and grunts. Only Fergus heard them speak in unison with a deep, guttural and drawn-out voice. It was like something inhuman was speaking through them.

  “I. Hate. To. Be. Ignored. If. You. Won’t. Send. Toys. To. Me. I. Will. Send. My. Puppets. To. You.” The voice stated choppily before cackling and going silent.

  “I. Have. None. To. Hunt. Send. Me. More. Playthings.” It commanded a moment later.

  After this, the undead went silent before attacking the party again with more fervor. Stephanie slashed at the group of monsters as they clawed and bit at them. Griff started punching and breaking the monster’s bones, but they weren’t effected by this and kept moving as if nothing had happened. Fergus was firing arrows and stabbing at the corpses as they got close. Gaia was staying in the center of the group as Liv’s two arms slashed and stabbed at the attackers. Shadow blocked what she could and ripped one of the undead arms off with a bite. Malachite broke another’s spine with a shell bash and Griff stomped on its skull killing it. Antonio fired his skills, but the undead were immune to the effects since they couldn’t feel pain.

  The fight ended a minute later with another two being slashed to death by Stephanie and Fergus. The last ones fell victim to Gaia’s Aura and the Calamity Stricken condition making one spontaneously explode, and another go flying from a geyser that appeared out of nowhere. Then they crumbled apart just like when she had tested the conditions effects. Now, all of the monsters were dead, but so were a large number of defenders that had ran to this wall after hearing the warning bell.

  The wall was a massacre. There were numerous bodies, both of the defenders and the undead, littering the length of it. Anywhere there wasn’t a body was either a dismembered limb or was blood soaked. It was a horrifying sight, and this was one time Gaia was happy she couldn’t see it. She could, however, smell it. The smell of iron was overwhelming let alone the smell of the decaying bodies from the undead. She could sense where a few people were that were still alive and moved to try and heal them only to discover they were either too far gone or just a scavenger.

  Gaia, after realizing there weren’t anymore survivors quickly got off the wall to escape the smell. She moved to the ground to find a few groups of people huddled there. When she got close to try and check them they moved away from her. She backed off after sensing this and just stayed where she was until someone came. Griff came down a moment after Gaia and checked the people in front of them. None were injured, but seemed afraid of their party. He could understand why, since they were covered in blood, and viscera.

  A few minutes later Captain arrived and saw their state. He shooed the people away after checking them and got the situation from Griff. He went up to look at the scene and even he ran back nearly losing his lunch. He thanked the party, who had all come down by the time he returned, and they started back to the inn to wash themselves. They saw the Guild Master on the way and explained what happened and how the wall looked at the moment. She dashed off after thanking them for repelling the attack and asked them to meet her after dinner to discuss it in more detail. They went back to the inn and washed up, which took a long time as they were caked in gore.

  By the time they finished cleaning themselves, it was dinner time. They didn’t have an appetite after the day they’d had so, they just moved towards the Guild Master’s house. When they arrived the Guild Master was waiting for them, and they walked straight in. She offered them some food or drinks, but they declined.

  “So, what happened? I wasn’t able to get there until after it was over since there were other attacks on the other walls as well.” Delilah asked.

  “We heard the ringing from the southern wall and ran there. Then we saw the undead monsters moving towards the wall. Soon after we arrived, they sprinted towards the wall and were upon us before we had enough time to prepare. Then, the fighting occurred and before we knew it, most of the defenders were dead.” Griff explained.

  “Why didn’t the defenders fight back?” The Guild master questioned.

  “We heard some mention recognizing the bodies as the missing or dead scouts.” Fergus replied.

  Delilah was silent for a few moments before speaking again. “They were the dead scouts?”

  “From what we understood, yes.” Stephanie added.

  The questioning went on for a while longer before coming to an end and Fergus wasn’t sure why no one spoke about what the monsters said. He finally decided to bring it up.

  “Did no one else hear the zombies speak?” He asked.

  “We did!” Gaia heard her bonds reply almost immediately to his question.

  “No. They did stop for a bit and let out odd growls and the like, but they didn’t say anything.” Griff stated.

  “Well, I heard them speak words.” Fergus replied.

  “Apparently, my bonds did too.” Gaia added.

  “What did they say?” Delilah asked hurriedly.

  “Well, they all spoke with the same voice. It was very choppy and honestly disturbing, but it essentially said it had nothing to hunt and if we don’t send it more people it’ll send more of the undead out. Only it called the people we send, toys or playthings, and the undead, puppets.” He explained.

  “That’s horrifying. Do you think it’s the Wendigo speaking through them?” Delilah asked.

  “That’s the only thing that would make sense, but why could I understand it when the others couldn’t?” He asked aloud.

  “That’s a great question. I don’t know if we’ll find an answer to that unless we go to the sixth floor and see it.” Griff replied.

  “My bonds could understand it too. I don’t know why, but could it be because they’re technically monsters?” She asked.

  “No idea. You could be onto something, but that doesn’t explain why Fergus could understand it. I think we’ll be adding Fergus to the exploration group, though. If he can understand it, that would make him quite useful in case we run into it.” Delilah explained.

  “I’m fine with that. At least this way it won’t just be Gaia in danger. I’ll be there too.” Fergus stated.

  “With you added into the group we have two full bronze rank parties, myself, two defenders, and you two. We should be able to protect you two while we search.” Delilah added.

  “Who all’s going?” Griff asked.

  “We have Legion going since we’ll need a good defender, and they have a healer along with two attackers. The other two defenders will be attached to you two. I’ll be another attacker to distract it.” Delilah explained while motioning to Gaia and Fergus.

  “Alright. When are you planning to gather everyone and delve into the sixth floor?” Stephanie asked.

  “After the attack today, I’m planning to go tonight. In around two hours so you guys can rest a bit more.” Delilah stated.

  “It’s a plan. We’ll be back in about two hours then.” Fergus said.

  The rest of the party followed Fergus’ lead, and they left the Guild Master’s house. They went towards the inn and rested in the main room on a couple couches. Griff and Stephanie were worried since they weren’t going on the mission. They knew the other two would probably be alright if the Guild Master and Legion were going but couldn’t help worrying about their friends. The fact Gaia’s bonds were going was a small relief, since they knew they would protect the pair as best they could. Worst-case scenario, they were sure the pair could escape on Malachite.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Stephanie was worried about her parents as well, but she knew they were strong, and she always worried about them. Ever since she was around twelve, they would go out on requests and leave her forging or tinkering. She always knew the requests were dangerous so there was always the chance they would get hurt or worse, but now she also worried about her friends. She knew her parents could handle themselves and trusted them to return with her friends, victorious.

  They waited the two hours until the members of the exploration group gathered at the Guild Master’s house. Griff and Stephanie joined them to see them off. They were the last ones there and, after meeting the two defenders that would guard the pair, they prepared to set off. Griff and Stephanie pulled the pair into a hug before Stephanie ran and did the same for her parents. Stephanie also took a moment to hand Fergus the Mask of Ignition, as she hoped it could help them. With their group fully made and the farewells finished, the group ventured into the ruins.

  They made quick time with the slowest pace being that of Malachite. He had Gaia and Fergus on his shell and was trying to keep up with the rest of the party. After seeing the turtle struggling to keep up, but not falling behind too much, the group slowed their pace so they could keep up. They quickly reached the fifth floor thanks to the central staircase and shortcut due to clearing the floor. Once they were there, they went over the plan.

  It wasn’t overly complicated since they expected it to change. The whole “no plan survives first contact with the enemy” thing being proven quite right most times. The plan was for Gaia and Fergus to stay on Malachite’s shell while they traversed the dense foliage of the sixth floor, otherwise known as the Wilds. While they stayed on Malachite, the two defenders would stick to them as closely as possible as they traveled. Gaia was to have her Aura out as far as possible to search for the magical signature of the life-giving item as they moved. Fergus was there to provide some ranged support, distract the Wendigo in case it spoke, and keep an eye out for anything that could be the guardians den.

  Legion was mainly there to distract and block the Wendigo while the attackers attacked it to keep its focus on them while Gaia and Fergus searched. Gaia planned on using her shield in case something happened as well. Gaia would keep her bonds on her, but Liv would be integrated into her armor. She had the idea that maybe Antonio’s curses could slow the Wendigo down, but wasn’t sure how effective it would be. Shadow would be tasked with guarding Fern just as a precaution. They doubted the Wendigo would be able to bypass Douglas without difficulty, but Gaia figured that Stephanie would appreciate the thought.

  Now that they had gone over the plan, the party moved down the tunnel to the sixth floor. It took around a half hour, but they reached the entrance to the sixth floor and took a steadying breath. Then, the group entered the sixth floor, the Wilds, and prepared for the Wendigo’s appearance. When they entered, they finally got a good look at the floor. Its name, the Wilds, was quite accurate. The ground had small brush, while there were trees towering beyond Gaia’s aura. It all appeared overgrown, but not to an extent that they couldn’t move. The plants were grown enough to slow movement and needed to be cut every so often, but not like the third floor had been.

  Gaia could also hear the sounds of insects and small animals running through the brush and trees. She even heard some birdsongs, making the environment seem like untamed wilderness. It would have honestly been a wonderful experience, if she didn’t know the Wendigo was on the floor somewhere and possibly lurking nearby. Fergus took a moment to put the Mask of Ignition on and searched their surroundings for any signs of the guardian.

  The mask’s ability to give infrared vision was extremely useful for this since the Wendigo would likely give off heat. He didn’t see anything aside from some small animals and the group moved into the jungle. They moved as quickly as Malachite could with Gaia on his back while keeping an eye on their surroundings. The deeper they got, the more they felt like something was watching them.

  Fergus had his head on a swivel looking for the Wendigo while Gaia focused on her aura, trying to sense for anything that could indicate the den. They had traveled quite a distance before Fergus spotted something that was much bigger than the other animals he’d seen. It was hidden a distance away from them, but he could see it thanks to the infrared vision. The main reason he noticed it was that instead of being bright like everything else, it was a deep blue, almost black. It was the only thing he’d seen like this on the floor. He called a halt and motioned in the direction of it.

  “I think I see it. It’s around a hundred feet that way. It’s hidden, but watching us.” He whispered.

  The other members of the group looked in that direction but couldn’t see anything. They trusted in his words though and kept moving while Fergus kept his sight on the anomaly. As they moved he saw it move alongside them and creep closer very slowly. It wasn’t until it was around thirty feet away that he realized it was staring directly at him.

  Gaia was still focusing on her aura and sensed the Wendigo once it got within range. It was a weird sensation since it was a void of mana while also not being one. It was just an outline of the creature within her aura, while feeling an extremely faint pinpoint of heat in the very center of it, like she normally sensed from monsters. It was like the difference between a campfire and an ember just before it goes out.

  The outline of the creature was disturbing. It was somewhat humanoid with extremely elongated limbs and a barrel-like chest. It was around nine feet from it’s head to its back end. The arms ended in elongated claws for each hand, and the legs were similar to a deers which ended in hooves. It was emaciated with its barrel like ribcage being the thickest part of its body. Along its spine were boney protrusions that extended a few inches out from it and from its waist down it was covered in thick matted fur. The weirdest part was its head, as instead of a human head it had a deer’s skull. The antlers were wide and ended in a multitude of sharp points. For Fergus, he saw that it had no eyes in the slots, instead there were three white flames dancing in each.

  It slowly stalked forward on all fours until it was only about ten feet from the group. Once there it stopped and just stared at Fergus before everyone heard the disturbing growls come from its skeletal maw. Fergus, however, could understand what it was trying to communicate.

  “Hello. Child. You. Are. Another. Hunter. You. Found. Me. Before. I. Attacked. Let. Us. Play. Together.” It stated haltingly.

  “What do you mean play?” Fergus asked.

  “I. Shall. Hunt. You. And. The. Other. Toys. As. Long. As. You. Spot. Me. Before. I. Get. Close. None. Shall. Die. But. If. I. Get. Close. I. Claim. A. New. Puppet.” It replied.

  “How would I win? Does the game continue forever or until we leave the floor?” He asked it.

  “If. You. Leave. Floor. Or. Kill. Me. Each. Success. For. You. Gives. Ten. Minutes. Of. No. Stalking.” It replied.

  “So, if I catch you before you get close enough to take someone, I win that round. If I win we get ten minutes of you leaving us alone before the next round starts. Also, if we leave the floor or you die the game is completely over. Do I have that correct?” Fergus asked to clarify.

  “Yes.”

  “When do we begin?” He asked.

  “I. Will. Give. Ten. Minutes. Before. First. Round. Since. I. Was. Caught.” The Wendigo stated before turning around and disappearing into the vegetation.

  “What was all that? Something about a game?” Douglas asked.

  “Yeah. It’s a game for me to discover it before it reaches the group. If I fail it’ll take someone, if I win it’ll leave us alone for ten minutes. We have ten minutes now before the next round.” Fergus explained.

  “Let’s get moving then.” Fern stated before Gaia spoke.

  “I sensed something from it. I didn’t notice it until the end, but I sensed an extremely faint thread of mana from it going off in that direction.” Gaia stated as she motioned towards the left of the group.

  With this new information, the group moved in that direction. They moved rather quickly only slowing when needing to cut any brush to pass through. Gaia was mainly focusing on her aura for any mana that felt similar to the thread she’d sensed from the Wendigo. As they moved the time passed quickly and the game began.

  Fergus was focused on trying to find the Wendigo, which was extremely important since it had stated it would pick them off one by one. He found it easily the first couple times, giving them another thirty minutes of uninterrupted and worry free exploration. Then it became harder for him to find. He found it another two times before it got close and claimed its first victim. It was one of the defenders that Delilah had assigned, specifically the one assigned to Fergus. Then Gaia started assisting Fergus allowing him to find the Wendigo quicker and easier.

  Every time the Wendigo got within her aura, Gaia focused on it to feel the direction the thread was going. Most of the time it pointed in the same direction. A few times it changed slightly making them change their course to continue heading in the right direction. As they moved, the Wendigo continued stalking them and it got close another time where it tried to snatch Douglas, but failed when Ava noticed it and swung her axe at it. The axe slammed into it sending it flying back into the forest. A moment later it came running out of the woods from the other direction and snatching the other defender.

  Luckily, Gaia was able to sense the thread from the Wendigo, and it felt stronger than ever before. It was also pointing off to their right when they’d been going this direction for a while without much change from the thread’s direction. They rushed to their right and found a deep hole. It was around twenty feet wide and they couldn’t see the bottom due to the shade from the foliage. Gaia couldn’t sense the bottom of it, but they could only guess it was the guardian’s den.

  The closer they got to the den the more the Wendigo attacked. It even ignored the “game” it had going with Fergus and attacked continuously. It was driven off by the Guild Master and Douglas every time though, thanks to Fergus constantly being on lookout. Once they reached the hole they figured was the den, the Wendigo attacked and didn’t back off.

  Although it had fled every time before, it never got injured or even reacted aside from running off. They guessed it was because it wanted sneak attacks where it could drag a person off. Now it stayed on them constantly attacking and sprinting back in whenever it was knocked back or sent flying. Gaia could sense the thread between the Wendigo and whatever kept it alive as more of a cord now. It was definitely close.

  After relaying this to the rest of the group, the Guild Master, Fergus and Gaia jumped in while Legion kept the guardian busy. They fell for around ten seconds before reaching the floor of the hole. When they landed, they heard both the cracking of bones and the squelching of landing on something damp. Gaia could already sense what was around them. The bodies of any other people and animals the Wendigo killed and didn’t create undead from. Thankfully, it was mostly animals since there hadn’t been many scouts sent in after the first group disappeared.

  They could hear the fighting happening above and figured they wouldn’t have too long before the Wendigo ignored Legion to chase after them. The quickly moved forwards towards a tunnel in the side and entered it. They didn’t have any light, but luckily Fergus’ mask helped him see better and Gaia didn’t need to worry about that. The Guild Master had little issue since her eyes adjusted quickly and her high rank gave her a small amount of vision even in the darkness.

  They moved for a bit before entering a larger cavern. It reached high above them, beyond Gaia’s aura range. It likely was still completely underground since there was no feeling of light coming from there. The cavern stretched out in front of them for a hundred feet at least and, from what the other two could see, there was an altar at the far end. Seeing this they moved towards it and Gaia followed. What they saw on the altar was odd, it was a perfectly healthy, if not slightly, emaciated human who seemed to be in a comatose state. He breathed somewhat heavily as if exerting himself but didn’t show any other signs of movement.

  Gaia could tell something was wrong with him though. The cord she sensed in the Wendigo connected directly to him. She didn’t know what it meant aside from the fact that he was likely the thing keeping the Wendigo alive. She relayed the information to Fergus and Delilah who were both slightly shocked, but otherwise understood what they needed to do. Delilah took out her sword while Fergus pulled out his arrow dagger. They both struck the man with them. Fergus stabbing at his heart and Delilah slashing at his neck. The weapons cut deep, but when they removed them the wounds healed almost instantly.

  This was when they heard a commotion from the tunnel leading towards them. They guessed it was the Wendigo and Legion, so they only had so long to do something before the Wendigo interrupted them. Delilah was wondering why the wounds had healed so quickly, but Fergus realized why and quickly used the Mask of Ignition’s ability and his arrow dagger was shrouded in flames.

  At this point the Wendigo had already entered the cavern with a roar escaping from its skeletal maw. Delilah moved in front of the duo and blocked its attack as Legion ran into the cavern a moment later. Fergus, seeing the Wendigo close and clawing at Delilah brought the flaming arrow dagger down. It pierced the man’s chest and quickly burned the wound. As it burned the wound, they saw an identical wound appear on the Wendigo. It also staggered back at the pain allowing Legion to catch up and assist in delaying the guardian.

  Fergus then pulled the weapon out before stabbing the man time and time again. Every time he cut or pierced the man with a flaming strike, the Wendigo had an identical wound appear and staggered back. It took around two minutes before the monster was dead. The last strike was a flaming blade to the heart, making the man start to char and burn completely. As he did, so too did the Wendigo. This was also when the Wendigo made the same growling as when it spoke.

  “You. Have. Won. Little. Hunter. I. Am. Dead.” The Wendigo said.

  After this, the Wendigo burned away completely and ash fell from where it had been. This was when the man started speaking.

  “You. Have. Freed. Me. From. My. Endless. Hunger. I. Had. Sought. To. Survive. Only. To. Become. A. Slave. To. My. Gluttony.” He stated before also being turned to ash. In his place were seven bracelets, all of which were identical. Gaia quickly analyzed one and wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  Bracelet of Protection – Protects the Wearer from a harmful effect. Uses 0/1.

  The item’s description was extremely vague and only showed that it could be used once. She didn’t know whether this meant it was something that would protect the wearer once and then break or if it could counteract something like a condition and then only work for that condition going forward. It was odd, but it was the reward for the floor indicating the floor was truly cleared. The group quickly gathered and Gaia gathered the items, she’d give them out once they were off the floor and guaranteed they were safe.

  With this, the group exited the cavern and Malachite carried everyone up in small groups using Telekinesis. They quickly made their way to the floor’s entrance and exited before finally relaxing. Gaia handed the bracelets out now that they were safe and relayed its vague description. The group then returned to camp, finding it to be mid morning. When everyone saw the group, they also let out a sigh of relief and opened the gate to let them inside.

  They told the people the floor had been cleared and that they were victorious. Cheers went up at this proclamation and the camp celebrated the successful clearing of the sixth floor. They also mourned the fallen scouts and defenders while celebrating their lives and retelling memories. This went on for the entire day. Gaia and Fergus were tackled into bear hugs by Griff and Stephanie when they returned. After ensuring her friends were alright, Stephanie sprinted towards her parents and did the same to them. Everyone celebrated and Fauna did the same before excusing themselves from the festivities.

  They were all tired but wanted check on each other and see how everyone was doing. Fergus and Gaia told the other two about what happened and were then meticulously searched for any injuries. There weren’t any, thankfully, and after this they all relaxed and were soon fast asleep.