Chapter 3: Encounter

After a few more days of practising combat and teaching my men proper formations and specific orders, we made our way out of the forest.

We didn't meet any living thing on the way out. Now we are almost out of the forest. I kept my skill on to get us out safely.

The place around here seems to be devoid of life — no living things, and no undead too, aside from us.

Can't be too careful, though.

While I was thinking about that, I suddenly felt weird.

Something inside me tells me to dodge. I just dodged to the right on a whim. A spear landed on the place I was before a few moments ago; I don't see the attacker anywhere. Damn those stealth skills. He can hide even from .

A rogue! I saw a glimpse of him while he was moving around. This guy is slippery. I tried to throw some stones on the branches that I expected him to move to, but no one was there. He was throwing knives here and there, but I blocked them with my wooden shield. He also used throwing spears.

This guy has a lot of weapons. When I looked around properly, this area has a lot of skeletons. Some soldiers and some belonged to hunters. That must be where he got his weapons.

Three of my guys tried to attack him at the same time, but he gracefully dodged all of the attacks and even made counter attacks in the process, severely damaging the three. I ordered my brethren to form a small shield wall covering them even from above.

I can't have them get destroyed here. I also need to make a stand here and show them that I can lead them out of this hell called human territory.

I need to take him down myself.

Wind and scattering leaves. Hint, I need a clue! I opened my eyes or eye sockets as wide as it can to spot even the slightest change in the environment.

When I let my guard down for a bit, I immediately got hit in the right leg, making me kneel because it broke my right leg bones.

Rogue: "Weak, weak, weak. Your status says you have a unique skill to your class."

This guy must have an analysis skill. What unique skill? The ? Even though skills can be earned from training and experience, it must be rare for monsters like me to do that. Human knowledge must deem monsters not able to train or learn skills other than what they already have.

He closed in the distance and kept on hitting me in the legs as I was dodging his attacks on my upper body, but these attacks were just feints. His real aim is to disable me.

As my knee joints break, I fell. I can only look up to the rogue now and see him gloating.

Rogue: "Your unique skill must've been a fluke. Time to die bony guy."

What? I saw a spear coming from his behind.

Rogue: "Hah! Slow, even for a surprise att- Ughh!?"

I waited for him to dodge the spear throw and hit him in the place he landed after the dodge. He got caught in his left shoulder.

After the attack connected, he already was making a counter-attack.

I raised my right shield in response, but a dagger, in his other hand, was already aiming for my neck.

. I moved quicker than him and rolled away. His dagger planted on the ground and this time, I was able to grab a throwing dagger on the ground and thrust it into his legs.

Rogue: "I-Impossible!"

He shouted out and made weird noises as I put more pressure on the wound on his legs. Now his speed is much slower than before

Rogue: "Aghhh! You bastard! Die!"

Even though he is injured now, he felt that the advantage was still his and moved towards me.

With brute strength, he made me stand up forcefully and beheaded me. My body falls to the ground.

Staggering from the pain in his legs, he raised the skull high.

Rogue: "Hahaha! Now, fear me! I have killed your lead-."

My headless body reached out for his injured leg and tightened its grip.

"OHAHHHHGGGG!"

While he screamed in pain, I stabbed him with another dagger that was on the ground. It was from the knives that he threw while running around. I stabbed him again and again.

DIE!!!

I was so emotional inside, but I did not show because I was undead. So, it looked like a cold-blooded murder.

After a lot of stabs in the leg, he fell, but I did not stop stabbing him until he stopped breathing.

"M-monster"

There is no room for morals here. It's a battle of survival, and in the end, we're both killers be it undead or the living.

I took his bones and installed them on my skeletal body. The bones have some skills in them and well developed. It must be because the guy was a class bearer. I don't know why I know this and can take advantage of it, but I must take what I can to get stronger.

It must be a unique skill. However, I don't know what it's called.

For humans to have a class is rare. Recently they discovered a way to make even ordinary villagers become warriors, thus the increase of their army and the start of our demise.

The skills were and for the arm and as for the leg, . These things will come in handy, so I also picked up his daggers and throwing spears. I tried it on the trees. I threw ten knives, and 8 of them hit.

I tried the throwing spears, even though somewhat slow all of them hit their targets, five out 5.

We're are going to need all the help we can get. Getting a few more skills is always welcome. I've got to thank this guy in the afterlife if it's the same for all.

Bon was the one who threw the spear that turned the fight around, but he refuses to respond. I tapped him on the shoulder and bowed a little to show that I am grateful.

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(Human Captain POV)

Even though I said, I would let them go. I followed them. It turns out that they might cause trouble after all.

Their leader who I thought was just a weak skeleton soldier was able to defeat a Rogue by using his head. He's not a dangerous physically right now but later if he gets an evolution.

Captain: "This could be bad."

Scout: "Sir?"

A few soldiers were with me. I wasn't going to take the skeleton group on my own, but I could track them and take them down later when I regroup with my forces.

Captain: "Is it possible for a skeleton soldier to beat a Rogue?"

Scout: "No, sir. A rogue should be able to take down a skeleton soldier in one hit."

Captain: "Yeah..."

Is he some special type of skeleton? Since this was getting more dangerous than I thought it was, I need to proceed with caution.

"S-sir!"

Someone suddenly came from behind.

"Wah!"

"Sshhh." the captain covered his mouth with a hand.

I thought they would notice us but the skeleton guys continue to make their way out of the forest.

"What is it, Soldier?" Sweat was visible on the captain's face.

It was someone from the main force.

Scout 2: "Captain... Our men. They got into a battle with some Dread Knights and was defeated."

Captain: "Did they all die?"

Scout 2: "No, Sir. Fortunately, most of us were able to retreat because of Vice-Captain..."

Captain: "I see."

I need to visit his family later. He... He's been my friend for a few years. We both entered the army at the same time.

Captain: "How... How were they able to beat an army of 2000 knights?"

The captain thought hard on this, but he couldn't come up with another conclusion other than the Skeleton Duke's involvement.

This "Skeleton Duke" is the most powerful general of the Skeleton King. He was in charge of leading the offensive against the Human Alliance.

His army is made up of more elites than the Skeleton King's royal guard. The only reason he was not in the final battle of the Skeleton King was that he was purposedly kept busy by the most stalwart Paladins in the army.

Even though we weren't paladins or holy knights, we are still proud to be men that defend this kingdom. Our strength was not that far from a holy knight.

Scout 2: "It's... It was the Duke..."

Captain: "So... it was..."

The Skeleton Duke's Army, huh. They had no chance.

Captain: "Report this to the General and Lord Ganz if possible. Tell them I'm still hunting some monsters, and I need a small group of reinforcements."

Scout 2: "Yes, Sir! Right away!"

(Sigh).... All these deaths. The captain closed his eyes and thought of the times he drank with the Vice-Captain and shared their stories.