What is this place? Urgh, the sll
Sneaking around wasnt my forte.
I was more the type of person who would cause trouble and then run away, rather than staying inconspicuous about things. If I did, if my actions didnt leave a mark behind, then how could I rub my shitty behavior in my parents faces? The daughter of two respectful politicians was a little bitchy delinquent. It sounded better when I read the actual article after my first arrest.
However, that was when getting into big trouble never really was a problem. My parents couldnt just disown since my brother had taken his life and our relatives despised my parents so much they didnt even want to speak with . As such, even if I was arrested, I would be out and my na was taken off any jail ti records. Bribery also worked when it ca to silencing any news articles that were written about my arrest, defaming the writers until they were fired.
Now, though? I was all alone. Yoshka wasnt around. Neither were my party mbers. The idiot that I was forgot to ask Hestia for so [Room] runes, so I couldnt call for help. If I were to get caught here? Most likely, I would get killed if I couldnt talk myself out of this.
Which begs the question, why was my first instinct to avenge the girl those two guards killed? The situation beca even funnier after I had cald down and my onnikais had inford the girl was just an onnikai possessing a body, similar to Segawas puppies. In other words, that small girl was dead already, she just had been turned into an undead puppet.
Unluckily for , I only heard that from my onnikais after I had already infiltrated this place. I wanted to bash those two guards with my mace, but before I could, more guards showed up and walked into the area behind the tal walls. Using my onnikais to distract the guards standing in front of the gate, I entered the place easily enough.
And that was when my mind cald down after getting exposed to the atrocious sll. No wonder those guards were wearing gas masks. Not only did they wear the sa armor those assassins had on when they attacked the Layavete cartels base, they also had a similar mask style.
Regardless, this was my situation now. My onnikais notified of a guard station where masks were stored. Since this place just reeked of rotting corpses and probably crap, I couldnt really focus on anything if I couldnt breathe properly. Not like escaping was a real option since the gates were closed now and the only way to open them was through physical ans.
Oh, this is so much better I spent a mont relishing the clean air after I put the mask on behind a tree, but my mood instantly soured when I returned to reality.
[What is this place?] I asked the onnikais.
I turned around the corner of the tree, where I saw piles of bodies being stacked upon. Corpses, from what [Identify] told . That terrible sll had to co from them. Looking at it closer, I noticed the body of that little girl from before on that mountain.
Weirdly enough, all the bodies had so black sli crawling out of the wounds they had on their bodies. For example, the girl from earlier had her legs cut and her head pierced by a sword. That ooze surrounded those spots like flies, acting like blood, in my opinion.
Gouuueee As I continued staring in that area, the peace of the night was abruptly disturbed by the groans of a man. One of the bodies began to move, struggling out of the corpses it was covered with.
Notagain.
Bodies fell off the pile of corpses like dominos, rolling around in their lifeless state until I flinched back at how so of them twitched around as if they were spasming. I felt an incredible urge to puke at this sight. I was used to the dead at this point, even dead humans, but this brought it to another level.
When I saw the one groaning body crawling around, I expected the twitching bodies to start moving also, only for the sound of tal clattering around to appear and weapons to suddenly stab into those bodies. It was those guards again.
Always the sa fucking shit. Every single day and night! one of them complained as he furiously stabbed the corpse over and over again.
Stop complaining! A female guard chastised him. Similar to the assassins from before, all these people were beastn. Weve been given another chance to live normally. This is all part of giving back to our saviors. Just wait until our Mistress and Master are finally done with the project.
A third guard nodded as he placed the corpses back onto the pile. Shes right, mate. Soon, all these onnikais will vanish. Well get our chance and then we can live normally with all the others. Dont forget, in this human-infested world, we beasts have to stick together. Unity! For the Resurrection!
Unity! For the Resurrection! The other two guards exclaid with a pound to their chest. It looked like a pose to .
So this confirms it. The Resurrection and this village must be working together, or sothing like this.
Hey, you guys are quite loud. As I was thinking through this situation, I noticed a group of guards coming over with torches in their hands. The western area is currently being covered by the Master. The bears these damn onnikais spawned using the dungeon are slowly getting whittled down.
What? Already? Did the Master suddenly create a new masterpiece? He couldnt have improved his body so soon after repairing it, right?
Repairing your body? What?
Ha! Well, he has eight hands, technically, so he probably did. Whatever. It doesnt matter. Co on, lets burn these bodies and hope they dont regenerate them for a week before the next accident. The chief managed to sneak in a bottle of fine Greenveil rice wine for us, so lets drink later. To nobody dying today!
Yeah!
In rrint, the guards threw their torches onto the pile of corpses, setting it on fire like a bonfire before walking away. A few screams were coming from it, but they were quickly snuffed up, replaced by the disappearing laughter of the guards.
Seriously, what is this place? Did they really say these bodies could regenerate? How?
[Asaka, we should move deeper.] My onnkais gave a suggestion to my horror.
[W-What?! Are you kidding ? You know I dont have much fighting power, especially against several people at once. I only have [Sacred Magic Lv. 1] and my mace. If I get caught, its all over.]
[We can protect you.]
[The only thing you can provide is a shield, thats about it. You dont have any offensive abilities, and I cant shoot my spells out when the barrier is up.] I shook my head in exasperation and began looking for a way out. There had to be another way since that onnikai girl managed to escape this place.
However, the onnikais squird around in the catalyst, sounding offended in their reply. [Asaka, we have offensive abilities. You just never tried experinting with us.]
[Yeah, and risk whatever you four are planning with that dog. And, besides, how do you expect to train with you when all the four of you have been doing for these past three months was annoy with Oh, find the successor. Ooooh, persuade the successor to et the Alpha. Tsk, fuck that. Im losing sleep cause of the four of you!]
Imagine having four annoying people you cant get rid of. Imagine these four being with you all the ti. And whenever you put them sowhere you couldnt hear them, they would complain about how I should bring them everywhere for my safety. It would infuriate anybody.
The less I had to deal with them, the better. Which ant I had little to no ti to actually know them better. While Tatsuya kept using his druid form despite knowing that a giant wolf might try sothing on our mind, I was more reserved since these onnikais were a gift to us. Who knew how much control Belzac had over them? Being suspicious and apprehensive was the obvious choice here.
As such, I rejected the onnikais idea and went in the direction of the guards. They wanted to go drink, right? This ant that they must want to go back to that village. If I could distract them with the onnikais, I could slip through their attention just like when I got inside.
While making sure I wasn't seen, I began following after the guards. Yorshkas training was still fresh in my mind after the whole Belzac forest visit, I was able to notice the footsteps ingrained in the ground. Theyre already too far away to hear properly anymore, but they still left a lot of footsteps behind to follow.
Hopefully Yorshka is done on her side. I really want to go ho alr
Imila!
The sound of sobodys voice piercing through the night jerked my body back into the shadows of a nearby tree.
No! Your body was almost recovered! Why did you have to run away like that!
A person in a black robe, the one who scread that, appeared from the forest and ran towards the fire. He looked around it in a panic, almost rushing, until he found what he was looking for. He pulled up his sleeves, revealing two gray arms with molds growing on him like rotting bread.
In the next mont, black sli oozed out from them, covering his limbs up to his shoulders. He thrust them into the flas, grabbed onto a burning body and pulled it out. It was the body of the girl from before.
Ark! Your body! It can still be repaired. Here. He took out a canteen and poured its contents onto the fire, dousing it. What was left of the small girl almost looked too blackened to appear human.
Jeez I know shes already dead but that just seems wrong.
While I was feeling disgusted at what happened, the man holding the burned body seed elated, letting out a relieved sigh. Goodness, yes, this can still be repaired. I can probably fix you up with so flesh for mana, but you need to stop being so reckless!
He then stood up with the girl in his arms, looking at the rest of the bodies. I will see all of you later on. Please, we cannot be too reckless all the ti!
A few black clouds, similar to the onnikais Tasianna talked to in Gleisvale escaped from the bonfire, following behind the robed man as he delved back into the forest. Curiosity got to . Who was that person and why did he only grab the girl? Was he another onnikai?
Against my own good judgent, I decided to follow behind him instead of the guards. I had the feeling that if I could watch whatever he was doing, I probably could find out what was going on here. However, if I got caught by that person, would I be able to get away?
Warm bath or curiosity? Hard choice Hold on, I dont have a reason to do any of this anymore. Who cares! Im not risking my life for information!
I decided to run away. No way was I
Grouuuh!
Khrraaaaaaiek! ELRIIICK!
I shrieked from the top of my lungs as sothing suddenly grabbed onto my leg and attempted to pull down. I wasnt able to detect that through [Enhanced Enemy Sense] nor [Danger Perception]!
Shit! I just called for that dick!
I clenched my teeth at how embarrassing it was to call out for sobody who wasnt even here anymore. But I didnt have much ti to dawdle on that thought as a strong tug caused to fall onto my knees. Snapping my head around, I unsheathed my mace, imbued holy power onto it with my [Saints Wrath] title and smacked whatever did this.
A shrill groan. Sothing just scread from below , and when I looked under my shoulder, I saw a broken arm sticking out of the ground. The mont I beca aware of what was happening, I jumped onto my feet only monts before another hand shot out.
[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 6] gained>
Shit!
Signals suddenly appeared around . There were more things hiding underneath the ground!
Elri Shit! Fuck! Not again!
I couldnt believe myself. Not once, but twice now? I knew I relied on him and the boys to protect from any close dangers, but I didnt think I was that reliant. It felt terrible how I was acting like a damsel-in-distress, but my offensive options were quite limited. I could use my mace well enough, but not against things swarming around .
I had to relax and calm my breathing. My heart was racing too much. Elrick was gone. The bastard left on the earliest carriage the sa day after he revealed himself as a vampire. He left at dawn, trying to avoid and everybody else. I wanted to tell him to stay, but all I could was see him off.
I was isolated from everybody right now. I had to think and solve this by myself now!
[Onnikais!] I took out the catalyst that was holding those four wolf spirits, materializing a purple barrier around .
Monts later, more hands sprouted from the earth, before pushing their bodies out from their hiding spots. Zombies! Actual, rotting humans were struggling to stand up, groaning and moaning like a bunch of sex-deprived office workers going to a love hotel after their monthly paycheck!
And, no, these undead werent like that girl from before. While the girl had considerable wounds which could scare people, she honestly looked more like a kid dressing up for Halloween. However, these things? I couldnt see any light in their eyes. They looked like puppets forcibly held up with strings.
And these things dashed towards , banging their pus-covered hands against the barrier. I was confident they couldnt break through, but I wasnt able to move or react with this thing up!
Hey! You four, do sothing! Speak with them! Theyre onnikais, too, right?! I pleaded to them with a pounding heart.
[They are not onnikai. They are the undead, bodies controlled through dark mana from a necromancer.]
What?! T-Then, what the fuck am I supposed to do The amulet! I opened my storage and pulled out the amulet that weird elven woman gave to in Gleisvale.
[Amulet of the Blessed Spirits] was the na of this item. The mont I put it on, I shouted at the zombies to s-stand back! And, thankfully, these things stopped hitting the arcane shield and moved back slowly.
I-It worked?!
I couldnt believe it. My idea was just a spur-of-the-mont thought. I wasnt expecting this thing to actually work, but when I first appraised it, I noticed it ntioned an ability to speak with the undead and onnikais. Tasianna even told the [Death Aura] skill it had would allow to command the undead, although she never had the chance to use it herself.
Fortunately, it worked. The fact the zombies werent attacking anymore was evidence this amulet actually worked. I couldnt help but thank KleaHatma for telling to keep it. Even if it was suspicious as hell, it certainly prevented from getting a heart attack.
I hate jump scares! Fucking horror series these days!
I didnt really know why zombies suddenly appeared out of nowhere, before the onnikais told the undead were treated as monsters. Even those resurrected and controlled by necromancers were classified as monsters, enabling them to evolve.
Identify.
So, humans are normally ranked E? Is that what Im understanding?
With the knowledge that zombies were actually real in this world, I was beginning to lose my sense of reality for this world. However, then again, I was in a party with a giant dragon my horoom teacher died and was reincarnated as a giant lightning wolf. The crazier things got, the more I questioned how I hadnt accepted all this craziness.
With that fact in my head, my heart began to race more, to the point I could hear it in my ears. Not like Any of this should make sense to , really. Still, I would be stuck in here forever if I didnt try to calm down. Reluctantly, I gulped, and inspected the creatures before .
First, all five of these zombies were humans and, from the look of their armor, they were not a bunch of random goons. They had weapons on their hips and none of them looked too worn out. Sa with the armor; aside from so damage to the leather and gambeson, they could still be used with no problems after so repairs. They honestly looked like rcenaries, but I would hazard a guess they didnt belong to the beastn guards. Definitely not.
I shook my head in exasperation. Jeez, did they co from sowhere? Did they attack
Who are you and how were you able to?!
Kyaaaaaak!
I shrieked. I shrieked once again, and pointed my enchanted mace in the direction of the voice only for my eyes to widen up widely.
It was the man from before.
Tsk! Who are you? He scowled at and pulled out so sorta talisman from his belt and held it up. Talk! Or I will make you talk after you die!
Grrrouuuu
I snapped my head around. The zombies were moving again and began attacking the barrier.
What? What is that thing? The man stared at the purple barrier in confusion, but sohow wasnt able to see the onnikais. Dammit! An unknown intruder!
Shit! I noticed the exposed hands of the arm forming that black sli again. I didnt know what he was trying to do, so this was the perfect ti to use one of the few things my parents actually managed to teach .
Speaking.
Wait! I didnt co here for hostilities! I just ca to look! I held up the amulet hanging from my neck, hoping its ability to speak with onnikais also worked on this one. Well, I hoped he was an onnikai.
Y-You?! That amulet, where did you get it?! I can sense the aura of Goddess Death on it!
Goddess Death?
The man started to beco unnerved, against my expectations. I thought he would settle down but showing him the amulet just made him more distrustful of .
Y-You must be an enemy! The living! You are a human! You stole that from a follower of Goddess Death! You are here to extract more of our mana! Intruder! Ravager! Barbarian!
Oi?! What is with all these accusations?!
The sli on his hands exploded forward, clashing against the barrier and pushing it back. The zombies were covered in that ooze, but instead of being taken out of this encounter, they simply beca even more feral. What the hell was going on here?!
[Hey! You four! Speak with him! Now!]
[We are trying but he isnt registering our voices! Hes ignoring us.]
[Then speak fucking louder! Dammit! There has to be sothing we can do?!]
Think! Think! A tool? An item? A spell?
But I had nothing in my arsenal. I wasnt prepared for this kinda encounter. The barrier wouldnt break unless the onnikais disappeared, but until sothing happened to stop him, I was trapped inside this ball. All I could do now was to lant how useless I was without the others.
[Stop! Emil!]
But suddenly, a girls voice resounded in my head and the black sli waves stopped entirely. The ooze moved, moving away from the barrier.
I saw the zombies falling on the ground, back to being lifeless, and a black cloud floating around their forr master. The robed figure had his head turned towards that cloud, listening to its words.
[That miss isnt an enemy! Shes a faemancer. She has onnikais with her and that amulet has to be hers! She has to be a fellow follower of Goddess Ilsaphone!]
What? The man turned back to . That woman? That human?
Recognizing the rope tossed at , I grabbed onto this opportunity and told my onnikais to break down the barrier and show themselves to the man. I clearly shouted Onnikais! Show yourselves! to make it believable that I was in control of them.
As he stared at the wolf spirits, I landed the finishing blow to persuade him. And, yes, that onnikai is correct. This amulet is mine, but Im not a faemancer. I can just speak with you through it.
The robbed man went silent, tilting his head around and around as if he was evaluating . Eventually, he took his hood off, revealing the mangled, insect-infested face of his. It was horrendous to look at and I could feel my heart skipping a beat as I wanted to scream out.
However, I didnt. I swallowed that shriek and remained steadfast. Negotiations were all about your poker face.
Co. We made too much noise. Youll be killed if the guards find you, human. And it looked like it paid off.
[Yes! Good choice, Emil! This must be the one Goddess Ilsaphone told us to wait for! This has to be her!]
Silence, Imila We will know soon enough.
He turned his back around, moving with the onnikai floating next to him. In the next mont, nurous black clouds revealed themselves hiding behind all the trees around . They had surrounded.
Grrrrrrrrroummmmm! I scread internally in my head.
I swallowed my saliva and began moving with them. To where? I didnt know.
Please, everybody! Find !
All I could hope was that the others would find with their party bracelets.
User Comments
0 comments from readers