True Monsters – Chapter 11 – What Should Be Buried

The weather was cold, the wind chilling. However the group of travellers were in high spirits. Eight men and women in total, all were armed and alert. There had been a curfew, limiting people's movements for several years. The reason for that curfew, was now mounted on a spike above the inn. The Dread thrall wolf was dead, they no longer felt besieged. There were plenty of volunteers, to go out and gather. They would need vast amounts of lumber, to build up their stock of fire wood. The winter was long and very cold in this part of the world.

There were local herbs mushrooms and lichens, which could be gathered and sold as alchemical ingredients. There were rivers ponds, which yielded a few fish suitable for smoking. The smoked trout would keep for a long time. It also formed a reasonably profitable trade good, when there was a surplus. The various natural animals of the region, provided a bounty of pelts, once tanned. Given the opportunity, the village would be able to quickly make up the funds expended, as reward money on the Dread Wolf's head.

The party of eight consisted of, four wood cutters with axes and saws. Protected by four of the town militia, armed with iron spears and thin wooden round shields. They had passed dozens of their friends, who were busy salvaging what crops they could. A couple of other groups could be seen in the distance. One heading to pick mushrooms, with a second hunting game birds with slings. The prospect of a bit of variety, to the menu made them glad. It also took the pressure off there dwindling supply of ragged livestock.

Normally such an expedition, would have one of the village guards leading it. The villagers were so egger to stretch their legs. That there were not enough of the better equipped guards to go round. Still they were not defenceless. The sheriff had trained anyone that could pick up a stick, how to swing it. Now that the great wolf pack was decimated. The villagers were confident, that with the numbers in there group. They could survive an encounter with any stragglers.

One of the militia a farmer by trade, had appointed himself the leader. He had a helmet, which his grandfather had passed down to him. It might have been a modified pot, but it made him confident. That was a big part of leadership. Also the rest of the group were happy, for him to be the first to step into any trouble. By the time a troll finished chewing through the pot, they would have run back to the village.

They were passing through the remains of the old town, before they went to harvest wood suitable for fence building. One of the wood cutters stopped, her breath caught in her chest. There had been a landslide and the old mine entrance seemed to be open. She felt her pulse rise and fought down panic. She went to the others gesturing them to be quiet, they turned wondering what it was. The man in his pot helmet was brave. He started to move towards the mine, to investigate.

The mine that had been sealed, because it was full of cursed monsters. The woodcutter grabbed him by his shirt. The man took a deep breath puffing up, about to shout in response. The woodcutter held her finger to his lips her eyes narrow and serious. He let out his breath quietly, his shoulders slumped he nodded and turned.

As they walked away, there was a clicking clacking noise. As if someone was banging two pieces of bone together. They group moved faster. There was the rustle of stone, as something emerged from the mine. The woodcutter took one look back over her shoulder. There was a white skull, peering out of the mine. Empty sockets scanned around, a skeletal hand emerged carrying a mining pick. The woodcutter turned and ran. She quickly overtook her companions, who started to press themselves to move even faster.

The group arrived at the village gate out of breath. The militia on the gate house regarded them with surprise. Each member of the group, put their hand on the holy symbol outside. Doing it as quickly as they could. They shouted up to have the gate open as quickly as possible. The group bolted inside the settlement, collapsing to the ground panting in relief. The woodcutter rapidly explained what she had seen, then bolted for the church.

One of the men at the gate signalled with a torch. The watchman in the church spire reacted. A few seconds later a loud ringing could be heard from the church, a warning bell. One of the militia ran to the mayor’s office to find the sheriff. The sheriff soon swallowed nervously, he didn’t like the situation one bit. He pulled a quiver of silver tipped bolts from his desk, a vial of holy water and grabbed his crossbow.

Alice, David, Vivian and Martin were enjoying some mushroom soup. With the soup they had a hard grainy local bread, the bread was surprisingly quite palatable. The sheriff burst into the inn, his usual calm stoic appearance was gone. He was very worried he held a loaded crossbow in his hands. The safety was on and it was pointed towards the floor, but the message was clear. Things were not going well, the party rose from the table as one there meal forgotten.

All eyes were on the sheriff. The inn was completely quiet, he took a deep gasping breath. “The mine is open, something has already come out. I need you to go there and stop it now.” Vivian had her bow out of its cover “what has come out of the mine”? The man looked haunted “walking white bones, the undead coming to kill us all”. Martin stood up holding his holy symbol “necromancy, I am ready”. David felt a chill down his spine, the look must have crossed his face. Alice nudged him with her staff. “Just think of them as walking sparing dummies that need to be knocked down”.

The group checked that they had everything. Including oil and torches. They moved with purpose. Out of the inn, through the village past a lot of worried people. Out of the gate they passed various gathering teams, that had cut there forays short. They headed around the fields to the boarder of the old ruined town. As they moved closer it was clear that a landslide, had exposed the entrance to the mine.

The landslide might have been natural, or it might have been caused by the Thrall wolf's digging. It would be hard to tell either way. The group had a problem in front of them, they had to deal with it.

Four skeletons were shuffling around the entrance of the mine, they held picks and shovels. David cautiously approached the first one. The bleached bones slowly raised the rusty pickaxe above them preparing to swing down. David struck down with his blade. The skeleton collapsed on the floor. Before he could comment on how easy that was it started to reassemble.

David panicked, “fuck” he released an adrenalin strike, onto the enchanted bones. The force of the blow shattered the skull collar bone and most of the ribcage. Obliterating his opponent into tiny bone chips. Alice spoke quickly, “destroy the skulls and you destroy the focus of the spell that animates them”. Martin didn’t bother to use any abilities like focus shots, but carefully aimed with both his pistols. A single blasted in to the bare skulls, was quite enough to end the threat that they posed. Vivian took aim at the last skeleton, her broad-head arrow punctured its skull and it simply dropped like a puppet with no strings.

David did look down at the remains of one of the skulls, there was some sort of sign scratched into the forehead. He guessed that it was the spell focus, which Alice had spoken of. David paused at the entrance to the mine, he hesitated afraid. He looked over to Alice. Previously he had seen signs of hesitation of reluctance, when she had been forced to confront wild beasts. Now she was not afraid she stood ready, even egger she understood this foe and was ready to face it.

David looked at Martin beside him, the man was zealous. Practically champing at the bit, to unleash his fury on the enemies of his god. David had never been that religious, even though he had seen some small blessings, he had doubts. Even though he had been raised in a church orphanage, the education had not sunk in. David gripped his sword and his shield he looked at Vivian, he had what he believed in to hand, it gave him comfort. He stepped forwards shield raised, a lit torch hanging from it.

As the party entered into the mine. A group of eight more skeletons were heading towards them. Martin could feel his holy symbol grow warm, at the taint of necromancy. The skeletons may have once been local farmers, as they wielded rusted forks and scythes. There ranks were quickly demolished, Martin had added a bandoleer across the front of his armour. It contained five copper tubes capped at both ends. He lit a fuse with his tinder box. He sent a small thermite grenade flying forwards. A certain happy look briefly crossed his face. The first four skeletons were obliterated, in a small cloud of brightly burning thermite.

The remaining skeletons didn’t last much longer. Alice slew two more with her fire bite spell. It was very effective against the undead. That was probably the reason, for her confidence. Vivian picked one off with a carefully placed bow shot. The final skeleton was shattered. David struck it before it could swing its dull scythe once.

They progressed further into the mine, the tunnel slowly sloped down. They came to a junction, tunnels lead left and right. The main tunnel progressed further down. For a second they hesitated, unsure of what to do. David considered there options “we could split up and check them all”. Vivian tapped him on the back of the head. “Let’s keep together ok. We try right then left then down”. They headed left David and Martin at the front. Pushing a stiff door open, it seemed to be a store room beyond.

Crates tools corroded and decaying shifted. Six piles of bones rose from the detritus. Four miners and two dogs stripped of their flesh. Martin’s pistols took out two of the foes. Vivian claimed a third, Alice sent two fire bite spells into the bone hounds. This just left David to finish off the remaining one. He used his shield, to block the clumsy pick axe swing. His sword swung onto the skeleton, ending it with a short crushing blow.

The group backed out of the store room. Martin reloaded his pistols. They checked the corridor up and down nothing seemed to be moving. They headed left a sturdier door awaited them. A single shoulder barge from Martin and David, stripped the ancient door from its frame. They carefully entered the room. A single skeleton was hunched over a rough table a great ledger upon it. This was the site office for the mine. The skeleton rose from the table. It had a rusty dagger in its hand. A single blow to the head and the skeleton collapsed.

They took their time, to look around the old mining office. Martin knew his way around paperwork, having worked in the crafts guild. The ledger had a record of materials removed from the mine, Ore rock etc. and expenses paid. David was temporarily excited, at the prospect of finding the cash box. The only thing that they found was a basic diary which seemed to be a record of the grievances of one minor or another. Both of the documents might be of some use so they were put in Vivian’s backpack.

Their side investigations concluded, they headed down the main tunnel. David started to make light of the situation. “We could have taken a few of those bread rolls from the inn and thrown them at the skeletons they would have been good ammunition”. His banter stopped, there was a purple glow in the distance. The party descended further, there were torches on the walls. Burning not with fire but with mana, some form of necromancy. Alice looked at them, “some small creature’s trapped spirit powers these”.

Martin tapped one of the torches, with his holy symbol. The flame guttered then went out, the translucent image of a small spectral chicken faded into nothing. Martin looked to Alice, “you are spot on, anything else that would be useful?” Alice thought for a second, “the spells powering the weaker undead, will have degraded over time. The stronger ones will be much better persevered. We should expect a far greater fight further down.” Martin nodded gripping his holy symbol. Alice looked thoughtful. “One further thing, all the skeletons we have seen, were from ordinary people. The remains of someone stronger, will be proportionally stronger.”

They had not gone twenty meters further. When they were met, with the first real resistance. There was the skeleton of a knight. He was clad in corroded, but solid iron plate. A strong purple haze surrounded him, he wielded a shield and axe. Behind him were 30 more skeletons regimented in ranks ten deep. A very thin purple haze surrounded them. They had simple wooden shields and spears. It was not possible to tell, where they had originated from. No mark or banner, had survived the march of time.

The group of skeletons, marched forwards. Martin hurled two of his grenades towards them. The thermite damaged the knight, the purple haze lessened around him. The grenade obliterated the front two ranks as well. Alice sent five spells slamming, into the rank and file troops. They disintegrated against the fire magic. Vivian let lose three adrenalin power shots. They hit the knight cracking his shield and armour. The knight was knocked down, the remaining skeletons marched around him.

David destroyed the first two skeletons, which got in range. He used an adrenalin power strike, which caught both of them together.

Martin used his pistols, to destroy two more skeleton soldiers. He gripped his last thermite grenade, getting it ready. He seemed to be saving his holy blessings, in case there was something far worse ahead. Alice steadily decimated the skeleton hoard, four more fire spells found there mark. Vivian let loose with a power shot. It took the skeleton knights head clean off. However it still managed to stand back up, though it limped forwards. David used an adrenalin strike to mangle one skeleton, it damaged the one behind it. However he got a cut in return, however minor it was it still hurt.

Martin lit the grenade. “Everyone back five paces”. The party rapidly, got out of range of the detonation. The front four skeleton troops, walked into it and were no more. Alice got two more of the rank and file, with her spells. The skeleton knight closed the distance, it was now next to David. The two of them traded several blows. Vivian didn’t want to risk hitting David, so took out the remaining two skeleton soldiers, using precise head shots cracking their skulls.

Martin was busy reloading his pistol with silver shot. David hit the skeleton knight, with an adrenalin block. The impact from his shield sent it flying. David used a power strike on its chest, to crack it apart. The spell focus must have been on its chest plate, not on its skull. Alice checked that it was destroyed, the armour started to crumble to dust. Probing the remains with her magic sense, it was definitely gone. Vivian patted David on the back, “you might make a decent mercenary after all”. She went to recover her spent arrows.

The group moved down further, there was a larger room hollowed out. Two large purple fires burnt similar to the other spells, but on a larger scale. The room seemed to have been a staging area. There were mine carts and crude tracks. Some sort of confrontation had taken place, a long time ago.

There were the remains of three people in patches of Armor, slumped in a corner. Around them were two dozen piles of bones, bits of iron and steel. It looked like they had been fighting the skeletons and had been overwhelmed. There was a cave in, blocking the rest of the mine from this room. There were ten more of the skeleton soldiers each wearing chainmail armour, with shield and sword. Unfortunately there was a much more potent undead in the chamber.

A necromancer had spent a lot of time, on this construct. There was a skeleton of a man, but one of substantial proportions, over seven foot tall. There was a strong purple aura surrounding it. There was conjured armour, black and purple in colour. The figure had four arms, a sword and a flail in its right hands. There was a tower shield and a spear in the left. The shield and weapons looked pristine having a black purple sheen to them. Four more spears were in a sheath on its back. Around the construct four ethereal floating skulls lazily orbited at about waist height.

The skeleton Duellist moved forwards, “to the living death”. The sound of its voice made them step back a pace. Martin aimed his pistol “wrath”. One of the skulls orbiting the duellist, intercepted the blessed attack. The skull disappeared in a puff of purple energy. Vivian sent an adrenalin shot towards the Skeleton Duellist. The silver arrow was intercepted, by another one of the skulls. The construct had two protective barriers left. Alice let lose a fire spell, the penultimate skull intercepted the spell.

The Duellist attacked, his sword struck David’s shield. The mace nearly took David’s head off. He was able to just parry it with his sword. Martin received a stab wound from the duellists spear. This impact sent him staggering back. Alice sent two fire spells into the duellist. The last skull ward evaporated and the Duellist actually took some damage. Vivian used a power shot to strike it in the head with her last silver arrows. The rest of the skeleton soldiers advanced.

Martin summoned his defensive blessings, “aura of faith” “armour of faith” “fortress of faith”. “I will keep it busy get rid of the rest of them”. The duellist moved towards Martin, David charged towards the oncoming skeletons. Alice let lose four greater fire bite spells. David used three adrenalin strikes, Vivian used three rapid power shots. The rest of the skeletal soldiers were destroyed. Martin hurled two silver daggers at the duellist, “wrath, Wrath”. The construct took damage but kept coming. The fortress blessing took three strikes then shattered. Martin took another spear thrust and a strike from the flail. The armour blessing reduced the damage he took, but it was bad.

Martin held out his holy symbol, “Smite”. The bolt of lightning blew off the duellist’s sword arm. He was not finished “circle of consecration”. The duellist started to take damage, just form proximity to Martins holy symbol. Vivian and Alice pelted it with spells and arrows. This cracked some of its armour plates. “I will not suffer the living”, the creatures voice lacked its earlier power. David hit the duellist from behind, with four power strikes breaking off more armour plating and bits of bone.

Alice targeted its sword arm. The arm fell apart, as four spells struck into it. The duellist spun round, stabbing at David with its spear. He blocked the spear strikes. However he took a knock from the shield to his face sending him sprawling. Martin shot his pistol “divine retribution”. The shot hit the duellist in the knee. The construct collapsed, but still tried to stab at David with the spear. Martin held his holy symbol to the duellists head. “Purify purify purify”, the construct collapsed into dust, the spell that animated it was no more.

Vivian looked around, “that was all there was in this mine?” Martin had a wide grin, “only this part of the mine”. David nodded, “there was a map in the foreman’s office, five levels of tunnels below this one”. Alice looked about “We are done for now, let’s get out of here”. They were hit with the level up, indicating that there was nothing else in the area to impede the progress. Martin gained two levels pushing him to level 21. Everyone else gained a level, Vivian and David were pushed up to 14 and Alice grew to level 13.

Martin reloaded his weapons and retrieved his knives. Alice healed up David and Martin. Vivian recovered her arrows. They went through the entire mine, gathering up the remains of the skeletons, that had been re-animated. They poured oil on them, Martin said a brief payer and lit the pile on fire, just to be certain. They removed the rest of the necromantic illuminations. They searched the place twice for anything else, finding nothing.

The three piles of clothing and armour, must have been hunters. As they had holy symbols with them. Martin loaded the hunter’s remains onto a cart, then he wheeled it back to town. The sheriff and the priest were at the gate house to the village. They were soon very relieved. The priest brother Bartholomew quickly performed the last rights on the hunters and there remains were cremated. There holy symbols would be sent back to an order of hunters, so that they could continue to be used.

Martin explained to the others. “I feel a grim senses of satisfaction, I have performed the duty of vendetta. One of our traditions, to recover a fellow hunters remains. To kill there killer. To make sure they get last rights. To make sure that there equipment is passed onto the next generation”. Alice nodded “traditions like that keep our orders going”. “the mages have a defensive ward to the tower, every mage trained there adds a little of their mana to reinforce it, so in a way as long as the tower stands every mage will be part of it”. David looked at Vivian, “In the free company we have the journal of honour. Everyone who performs a noteworthy deed is added to it. I am sure we will be after today”.

The gathered as many volunteers as they could, about forty people all told. They went back to the mine. They piled rocks and stones one on top of another, until the entrance was again sealed with a weight of stone. It was late into the evening when they were finished. The priest said various prayers and rights of blessing. Everyone was checked for any sign of necromantic taint, none was found. They returned to the inn where they attempted to drink it dry.