And so, after several hours of rest and having our supplies restored by the logistic group we quickly fixed our armors, changed weapons and shields to non-damaged ones, and soon we were ready to move deeper into the dungeon. This time around we were but a “one group”, without there being a need for a separate body-harvesting team. Captain Godric said that a team of scavengers only makes sense when you know the caves' layout and you can guarantee the safety of the backline. During the battle with the dragon seven knights had lost their lives. I know, for I volunteered to help “pack” their bodies into black shrouds. Later, they were meant to be transported to one of the city chapels, where their friends and families would be able to say their farewells before being buried under the cathedral, in catacombs of the meritorious even though they were born and raised as commoners - once you joined the Lions, you were given, at the minimum, the lowest of noble titles after all.

And so, I did pay my respects while collecting the bodies of the fallen, tucked them into a spacious bag, and prepared them for their last journey home. Though, as I did this, I allowed myself to collect something else, something that they would no longer need.

[962/2500] -> [2330/2500]

Feasting on their essence made me feel dirty. They were no longer just “soldiers that died in some battle”. They weren’t nameless corpses on the table presented to me by Captain Friedrich. I knew all their faces - I had seen them on numerous occasions in the House’s barracks. One of them even corrected my stance during training a couple of times…

I tried to convince myself that they were already dead - that their essence would be wasted, that by feasting on it, I was carrying on their legacy and their mission. That by making them a part of me, it would be as if it was their blade still delivering justice upon bandits and beasts… After all, even the captains had sent me here to become stronger, for in about twenty-five days I would duel for the sake of House’s honor!

But, in the end, I couldn’t get rid of the conviction that what I did was dirty, unholy, and tantamount to the desecration of a corpse.

Yet, the deed was done. Feeling disgusted, I dived deeper down the labyrinth of corridors below.

We walked down the hole in the ground, over slippery, naturally made, stairs of rocks and minerals here and there covered in moss. The light-giving crystals were even more numerous here, perfectly illuminating the insides of the lower floor. The second thing I noticed was that the flora growing here was - as if denying logic - denser. On the first floor, you could only see a few partly withered plants, some vines, and the occasional thorny flower. Here, the entire floor was covered in knee-tall grass, stalagmites were completely hidden under thick ivy, the flowers occasionally growing here and there were blooming, and somewhere deeper in the tunnels, I could hear the humming of an insect’s wings. Now, I am not much of a scholar but THAT was far from normal.

After “closing my eyes” and seeing with my other senses, I could tell that the life flowing through all these plants seemed bizarre and unnatural, it resembled the seed which I tried (and succeeded) growing with magic that first time back in the village. It was filled with mana, raised by some sort of spell, but unlike “nature magic” this one seemed grim and impure.

Still, these were only plants. Focusing on them too much was fool-hardy, for, in the end, it was not plants that we were killing, but monsters creeping somewhere here, ready to attack.

In a formation, we continued our march onward, and it didn’t take long to encounter another group of monsters. Again reptiles, but this time much bigger, and covered in ever greater amounts of plants. Until now, the monster groups that we encountered seemed to be rather not diverse in a particular type of monster. When we fought with Ratptoxes, we fought only with them, when we were attacked by an ambusher, he would be the only one creeping in the shadows. But now, when we faced a gigantic turtle, with its entire shell covered in moss, it was accompanied by two bipedal lizards, which on the first look seemed like Ratptoxes’s bigger cousins and three smaller creatures, standing on rock shelves at a safe distance. Their slim bodies were partly covered in spikes and around their long neck they had collars made of skin raised, most likely to make them seem bigger - to intimidate enemies.

Unsheathing my sword I marched onward, wanting to help with the battle, but I was quickly called back.

“First lines got this Alabaster, don’t interfere, look to the sides of the chamber for possible ambushers.'' A more experienced soldier grabbed my shoulder, stopping me half-step.

I really, really didn’t like the idea of just idly watching the fight, but, having still fresh memories of Captain Godric’s “punishment”, hissing under my breath, I took a step back and did as I was told.

In the meantime, the first line made of shield bearers holding spears and tower shields advanced on the enemy holding a perfect line without a single opening. The turtle beast let out a deep roar which echoed across the tunnels before getting up and starting its charge at the enemy who dared to provoke it. Although, due to its heavy body, its first few steps were extremely slow and clumsy.

But, the wardrobe-sized lizards didn’t wait for orders nor an invitation, instead, they quickly ran to the sides trying to flank the advancing line of soldiers. Yet, after running several meters, they were stopped by groups of skirmishers, one such group was led by a certain, small, glaive user.

“Sowwy for ze incunzvitment…” Agnes said in a child-like manner “... but we zill kirr you right here and now, is this okie-dokie with you?” “...Not this again…” one of her team members groaned. “Agnes, they don’t even understand you!” “God damn it, why couldn’t we be led by someone more charismatic, like Clara?” “WHY ARE YOU SUDDENLY BRINGING UP THAT THIEVING VIXEN?!” Agnes turned in place as the lizard pounced at her, she moved her left feet back and right to the side, twisting her body, letting the attacker run past her, missing its attack. “GOD DAMN IT AGNES! THAT WAS DANGEROUS, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?” “Oooh!? But why are you suddenly worried about me? Why aren’t you worried about Clara? Ha? I bet that she needs your concerns far more than I do!” she yelled, puffing her cheeks and tilting her head, feigning offense… once again narrowly avoiding another attack by the beast who, this time, tried to bite her head off. She wasn’t even looking in its direction, it looked as if all her dodges were pure coincidence. “FOR HEAVEN’S MERCY! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU AGNES!?” “Nothing. Everything’s fine.” puffing her cheeks she turned to the side, the monster which was about to scratch her with its long claws didn’t react quickly enough to her moves, tripped, and fell. “AGNES!” “YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS!” she started walking towards her soldier. As she was stepping over the monster’s body, lying on the ground, it tried to raise its head and bite her on the leg, but, again, was “accidentally” kicked, by a reinforced boot to the face. “THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKES!” “Oh, I am a joke to you now?!” “That’s not what I…” “IF YOU CARED, YOU WOULDN’T NEED TO ASK!” “Just tell me what in the hells name you expect from us!”

The monster jumped up and started running at the, now exposed, girl’s back. At the very last moment, Agnes dug one of her weapon’s edges into the ground, making the other sharp end of her glaive stick out from the ground like a makeshift palisade. The creature didn’t manage to change its trajectory fast enough and ended impaling itself in it.

“You wouldn’t understand a maiden's heart.” she sniffed in a totally real rhythm, blood squirting from the lizard also seemed to be following it.

And that was the most bizarre “duel” which I had ever witnessed in my not-so-long career.

In the meantime, other groups of duelists also managed to defeat their enemy by utilizing perfect synergy and maneuvers as well as their vast knowledge of tactics and sheer experience, slowly bleeding the creature out, not giving it even a single chance of landing even one clean attack.

The smaller creatures which climbed the rock shelves appeared to be ranger monsters, shooting needles off their backs or spitting acid, but their range was greatly limited, and our archers masterfully took them down one by one.

Only the great turtle remained, now storming at the first line of the shield bearers. The knights, knowing that the charging monster was clumsy and wouldn’t manage to turn its trajectory in time, at the last moment jumped to the sides and started to stab the creature's limbs. Monster slowed down, turned in place, and tried to push a few of the knights towards the cave’s corner, cutting off their ability to maneuver and dodge its attack. Still, experience and teamwork appeared to be superior to the sheer size and brute strength. Slowly, with tempests of strikes and jabs, the monster’s mobility was gradually reduced. And when some of the attacks started aiming at the creature's neck, he hid himself within its shell.

The knights did try to reach the “soft” tissues with their spears, but, whenever they got closer to one of the head or limbs openings in the shell, the monster would right away try reaching out towards them, trying to crush their bones.

“Don’t risk it! Mages! Cook this bastard!” yelled Godrick, and responding to his words, several pyromancers approached the shell far from any of its openings, laid their hands on its surface, and started quietly singing chants of magic.

After a minute or so, the shell started visibly getting hotter, moss covering the outsides of the turtle's body started losing its color, becoming first brown, then grey, as water kept on evaporating from it. Few more minutes, and from within the shell cries of pain could be heard.

Eventually, the turtle couldn’t bear the heat within its ‘home’ and tried saving itself by letting its limbs and head out, trying to run away from magic which had turned its shell into a cage of death. But, as soon as it let them all out, the knights once again started jabbing, forcing the monster to once again seek protection behind its natural armor.

The beast was dying, painfully and slowly, several times it attempted to run away, only to meet sharp ends of spears forcing it back over and over again.

It cries turned into roars and screams of agony as it knew that its situation was hopeless, and so it decided for one last desperate act of battle.

Its legs and head once again left the protection offered by the shell as it started to raise itself on its limbs, readying for an attack. Paying no attention to the crippling wounds delivered by soldiers, it started running onward, right into the middle of our formation.

It didn’t run far enough though, as one lucky spear jab pierced its neck.

It collapsed, dying slowly of blood loss, no longer having the strength to run or fight. One of the knights carrying a heavy two-handed axe, in an act of mercy, approached it while raising his weapon above his head, and killed it one go.

“That wasn’t wise…” his officer rebuked him “... You know that some monsters fake being wounded just to deliver one last attack.” “Aye. I was ready to jump away any moment… And I agree that it wasn’t wise. But, it was the right thing to do. Monster or not, it was born by the same earth that gave birth to us. Mother Gaia does not approve pointless cruelty…” saying that, he grabbed a pendant with symbols of The Three, hanging from his neck. “...As long as it doesn’t get you killed.” “Okay lads, mediocre job! I would say well-done, but I can’t spoil you, can I? Now, the hell are you grinning at!? Archers, collect ammunition you wasted, get back into formation, and get ready to move out! There are more rooms on this god-forsaken floor!”

And so everyone started once again checking on their gear and picking up arrows, I also used that opportunity to gather the essence from all the monsters we had slain.

You have gathered [Slazar] essence [72] [2330/2500] → [2402/2500] You have gathered [Slazar] essence [76] [2402/2500] → [2478/2500] You have gathered [Na'rago] essence [33] [2478/2500] → [Level up] → [11/3000] You have gathered [Na'rago] essence [32] [11/3000] → [43/3000] You have gathered [Na'rago] essence [30] [43/3000] → [73/3000] You have gathered [Na'rago] essence [31] [73/3000] → [104/3000] You have gathered [Cryptodira Magnum] essence [121] [104/3000] → [225/3000] Name: Asteruse Race: Skeleton Soldier [Lower Undead] [Self-aware Variant] Level: 10 [225/3000] [LVL MAX] Attributes: STR: 51 (+3)

VIT: 52 (+2)

END: ∞

RFX: 45 (+3)

DEX: 48 (+2)

INT: 28 (+1)

WIS: 22 (+1)

SPI: 4

And, in no time at all, we were ready to continue our expedition down the dungeon.