Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 60: Encircled

Crunch! Stark smashed the alchemical device under his steel boot that looked eerily like a Beholder. A pool of dark green juice oozed out; it seemed this alchemy item also incorporated biological materials.

“Since luck and terrain favor us not, then we’ll crush them fairly with raw strength. A mere hundred lowly Undead, even mixed with a few Necromancers, can’t stand against us.”

A ferocious look crossed Stark’s face. Longer and his companion’s peril had angered him. It was only after Qin Lun’s reminder that the big man realized only six original Fortress Team members remained. Continue down this path and, like the kid said, even if Fortress retained its Silver rank, it wouldn’t be the same team anymore.

The Apostles didn’t react to Stark’s words. Their team truly had little difficulty handling one or two high-rank Necromancers. Stark could tie one down. Though Kelly wasn’t a tank, she could hold another independently. The rest, including the Elf skilled in archery, could burn down a Necromancer in minutes.

Back at Ironstar Fortress, they’d taken down an Earth Salamander rivaling a Legendary Creature that exact way. If even a Legendary Creature could fall, what did one or two high-rank Necromancers matter?

Truthfully, after Apostles reach high rank, they break out of the old team role mold. Apostles like Kelly, at high rank, have fully matured skill systems. Apart from lacking healing capabilities, they could temporarily fill almost any team role.

As for Legendary Professions… Although the Toril World might be touted as crawling with Legendary beings and Demigods being common, one mustn’t forget they were in just a small valley in Amn’s remote mountains. Had a Legendary been present, Bonnie’s team of Amnian cavalry would never have escaped.

“Come, let’s head inside.” Kelly patted the dust off her knees, her expression calm. Her golden ponytail swayed. The clatter of her wooden sandals echoed sharply in the silent valley. The not-so-tall Female Martial Artist shielded everyone behind her silhouette, solid as a city wall.

“Philip, keep an eye out for those alchemical familiars Angelo shot down earlier. They seemed to evade our Perception.” Robin moved closer to Philip, speaking softly.

The following path was uneventful. After the first wave failed, the enemies within the valley seemed to stir no more, letting the Apostles advance unhindered.

Along the way, they encountered scattered low-level Undead, mostly skeletons or Zombies. But these Undead seemed leaderless, attacking living things only on instinct and in small numbers, easily dispatched by Kelly and Stark at the front.

Gululu! A skull, detached from its shattered skeleton, rolled near. Qin Lun glanced at it, then his eyes lit up. He picked up the skull for a closer look.

“What’s wrong?” Iristin craned her neck curiously.

“Look, its eyes!” Qin Lun pointed to the skull’s eye sockets. They weren’t empty. Inside each flickered a wispy, smoke-like crimson flame. Though the skeleton had collapsed, this flame seemed unaffected, burning faintly.

“That’s the Soulfire of the Undead, their core and weak spot. Though called the ‘undead’, once the Soulfire burns out, they truly die.” Milleras’s voice came from behind.

“Ah! Milleras! You’ve become such a ghost, moving without a sound!” Iristin jumped at his sudden voice, reproaching him crossly.

Milleras rubbed his nose awkwardly, offering no defense. Iristin was actually quite strong. Excluding the Apostles’ Law Bodies, she probably ranked only after Kelly within the team, nearing high-rank level.

However, the Elven Druid lacked courage. Since entering the Valley of the Undead, the usually lively Elf had stayed tensely huddled close to Qin Lun. Though she stubbornly claimed it was to protect him, anyone could see she was somewhat scared. Not of skeleton bones, but of the valley’s deathly quietness.

“So… is it dead now?” Qin Lun handed the skull with its dimly flickering eyes to Milleras.

“Alive! But…” Milleras drew a Fine Iron Long Arrow from his quiver. He thrust the arrowhead into the skull’s empty socket, twisted it around the Soulfire, and watched the flame vanish. “Dead now!”

“Such a cute little skeleton! You’re so cruel!” Iristin pouted, expressing displeasure.

Milleras was rendered speechless. Watching Iristin walk away, Qin Lun patted his shoulder sympathetically, whispering a warning, “Remember who tricked her before? Don’t ever deceive female Elves next time. Any female creature holds grudges!”

Milleras nodded thoughtfully, then abruptly snapped out of it. ‘Deceive a female Elf’? That phrasing sounded way too suggestive!

…

“Something feels off!” Bonnie began to frown as the group went deeper.

“Maybe the enemy realized they can’t win and retreated deeper into the mountains with the Undead?” Robin looked puzzledly at the armored Knight. It felt odd, walking this far without a second attack.

“Impossible. The earlier ambush proves the enemy is still in the valley. And the valley’s shape is on file with the Amnian Guard. Only one entrance and exit—it’s a bottleneck valley. High cliffs, nearly vertical, circle the deepest part. They can’t hide from us.” Bonnie sounded uneasy. “Perhaps we should retreat, seal the entrance, and wait for my companions to return with reinforcements.”

“A bottleneck valley? So is there a large clearing inside?” Robin’s eyebrow arched, an idea forming. “Knight Bonnie, do you think it possible the enemy gathered the low-level Undead, planning a straight fight in the clearing?”

“Possible, but even though the inner valley is more open, it’s full of rocks, rough and uneven. Without clearing the ground beforehand, they couldn’t fight as a massed group.” Bonnie sounded certain.

Robin sighed in relief. The armored Knight had mentioned being encircled by a hundred Undead inside, but they’d never gone all the way in. That number couldn’t represent the Necromancer’s full force.

Based on the scale of the valley they’d entered, the unseen Necromancer(s) likely commanded 200 to 300 low-level Undead. From Bonnie’s encounter though, the Necromancers could only coordinate at most a hundred Undead effectively; the rest acted purely on instinct.

Had the Necromancer held back against Bonnie’s team? Robin thought it unlikely.

Undead appearing outside the Cloud Peaks was no small matter. The Necromancers who caused this knew it; they’d want to cover their tracks early. If they could command more Undead, Bonnie wouldn’t have escaped. Therefore, the ambush they faced was likely the Necromancers’ limit.

Though Robin felt confident in her reasoning, unease still pricked at the beautiful Leader. She couldn’t pinpoint the source—just an intuition forged by years as an Apostle.

“Leader Robin, we should perhaps heed Knight Bonnie’s advice. Fall back to the entrance to await reinforcements; his men only need a day.” Stark’s countenance was serious, his voice heavy.

Actually, even the seasoned Apostles were growing restless now. After a tacit exchange with Qin Lun and others, Stark changed his initial stance, agreeing to the more cautious plan.

Of course, it wasn’t about the meager mission reward. Ten thousand Shattered Crystals seemed small, but multiplied by over a dozen Apostles, and combined with the World Exploration Degree, it potentially meant one or two pieces of Dark Gold Equipment.

“Agreed. We pull back.” Robin decided instantly, accepting the majority opinion.

Bonnie’s main worry was the valley Undead escaping, not forcing the mercenaries to wipe them all out immediately. Sealing the entrance, trapping them until reinforcements arrived, would satisfy his request.

Thud… Thud… Thud… Just as the group turned back, several spherical objects tumbled down from the valley walls high above, catching everyone’s attention.

“My cavalry posted at the entrance!” Bonnie pushed ahead cautiously. He glanced at the objects—human heads, hair matted, faces bloodied and ghastly—and his eyes filled with raw fury. He recognized his comrades instantly.

As the heads rolled, silhouettes emerged all around—crowding the ridgelines above and blocking both ends of the valley passages.

“Skeletons, Zombies, Ghosts… and Abominations! Damn it! They stayed hidden climbing the walls, trying to encircle us!” Stark and the others gasped in alarm.

“That number… at least a thousand Undead!” Robin’s face paled, teeth clenched. “Damn! This is going to get messy!”

The Undead closed in steadily. Though mostly low-level, their sheer mass signaled a qualitative shift. Dead silence still reigned, yet the rustling, shuffling approach felt like a mountain pressing down. A shadow of dread settled over all.

The Undead stopped advancing a certain distance away, waiting, it seemed, for an order.

Then, the packed ranks parted like a dark tide. Three towering Knights emerged. They wielded long hafted Horse-Cutting Sabers. Their black armor etched with countless silvery sigils. Cold, emotionless voids glowed from behind their visored helmets, fixed upon the group.

Hiss! The Nightmares beneath each Knight reared. Hooves clenched above the ground, wreathed in searing hellfire reflecting brightly in everyone’s retinas.

“Death Knights!” A collective gasp of chilling realization swept through the team.