“Not that I would say anything about you getting slower, old man, but whatever.” Aero jested. “I can see how this undead’s a problem. It’s not a mindless monster. From the looks of it, it’s still gauging our strength,” he concluded after seeing how passive the reaction was when Gavin’s assault ceased. A wild monster would’ve immediately retaliated.
Adam probed the surroundings, looking for a weapon he could use. He couldn’t just haphazardly go with a sword; It had too short a reach for him to fight well while thinking of the range attacks coming from the pair of holy knights. At the very edge of the encircling, a weapon glinted. Adam hurriedly rushed towards it, catching everyone off guard.
“He’s escaping?” Gavin thought at first, until he saw Adam reaching for a discarded weapon. To say, the encircling wasn’t watertight. Soldiers were wary of the undead amongst the enemy, but they were still more worried about the ongoing war behind their backs. To put it, none of them were taking the fight against one undead monster seriously. If anything, the Order of the Holy Knights could take care of the issue by themselves for all they care.
Adam slid smoothly out of the flank.
“Equip ‘Common Glaive’ as your primary weapon?”
A prompt appeared as soon as Adam took hold of the weapon.
‘Yes!’ Adam responded. Immediately, the polearm felt more comfortable in his hand. He had no time to check whether it was just some ambiguous feeling he had as the enemies were rushing over. Adam held the tail end of the pole, assisted with his right hand placed on the midrib. He then spun, blade facing outward towards the surge of opponents.
The blade clashed against armors and bodies alike. It formed an unstoppable arc of death. If an ordinary soldier did the same maneuver, the recoil from the collision alone would have been enough to make him or her flinch and stop. Adam, however, pushed himself and the weapon to its limits.
“Gained + 3 EXP”
“Gained + 2 EXP”
“Congratulations, you leveled up!”... “Level - 8”
Two of the twelve soldiers that came rushing died immediately. They were the more unfortunate ones, having to receive the initial brunt of the attack all the while not having any good armor to protect their vital parts. They were relatively weaker than the rest of the bunch, yielding little experience points.
Adam went on fighting against the remaining ten. Gripping the polearm’s neck—the part right under the metal blade—gave Adam great leverage against sneaking opponents, as he could use the tail-end of the pole itself as a blunt weapon. Fending off ten trained soldiers was amazing enough on its own, but to kill some as well was an unthinkable feat even for the most dangerous and fearsome of monsters.
Suddenly, a hissing noise resounded. Adam noticed the sound a little too late. A beam of divine magic found its way towards him. Boom! A loud explosion echoed. Adam couldn’t avoid the attack, especially not when it came from a direction he least expected — From high above the sky.
[Health - 0] Charges - 2. “A Life Charge will now be consumed…”
The overwhelming attack not only “killed” Adam; But also the soldiers around him. The squad leader looked at the holy knights in disbelief, “How—How could you?!” Contrary to Gavin’s solemn expression, Aero didn’t care much and just shrugged, “Don’t waste your breath on us. It’s your duty to take care of your squad, but it’s ours to kill the undead. Our interests differ, so beat it.”
“Life Charge successfully consumed...”
From the dusty mist rose an unscathed undead. Adam felt lighter than before; His bones, once riddled with pasty remains, were now spotlessly clean. The clouds of dust gradually settled. Gavin and Aero were confident an undead couldn’t resurrect under the influence of divinity. Both of them weren’t paying much attention to the aftermath.
It was a fatal mistake to do so...
Adam inverted the broken glaive—turning it into a disproportionate but deadly javelin—and hurled it towards the direction of the holy knights. Schlink! Aero Bullard, oblivious to what was happening, didn’t see the attack coming. He slowly looked down at his chest. There, a sharp blade pierced through his golden breastplate. Both Gavin and the squad leader had their mouths wide agape.
They turned their heads back in horror.
Chapter III
Opposing Kings
Scarlet City, capital of the Carmine Kingdom.
King Rubeus, after hearing the news, hurriedly gathered his best advisors for an urgent meeting. According to a recent report, an undead monster had suddenly intervened with the battle erupting in the Valley of Panarishe. The undying reportedly had been attacking the enemy soldiers on its own accord, eliminating an entire squad single-handedly. Some obscure details even mentioned a holy knight dying in the hands of said monster.
Albeit improper for a royalty to hold an assembly whilst wearing casual clothes, the current situation excused Rubeus of such formalities. It was understandable. “First, let me hear your thoughts on this incident?” Rubeus asked, his tone hinted a sense of urgency. He tucked the sides of his loose crimson robe and haphazardly sat on his ruby-encrusted throne.
“It is something unprecedented, Your Majesty,” one advisor answered. “I have asked a few scholars to look into this matter. Without enough research, the Valley of Panarishe remains a huge mystery to us. We have no records of its origins, so we do not know whether the sudden appearance of the undead is of common occurrence or not,” the advisor added. “It would seem the Cyrus Kingdom knows nothing either, seeing how they’re terribly handling the situation terribly.”
Rubeus nodded in agreement. In the first place, an undead killing a holy knight—a warrior proficient in the use of holy magic—was a ludicrous premise. “So it seems we can rely on this undead to turn the tides of battle? That would be interesting...” said Rubeus.
Immediately, another advisor, someone older than the rest, interjected, “Pardon my insolence, Your Majesty, but I don’t think that’s a wise decision. Even if said undead is fighting against the Cyrus Kingdom, we should never put our trust in a monster! They are still humanity’s common enemy. We’re even clueless where that undead originated, so we should still consider it a hostile presence.”
Rubeus cupped his chin, pondering on what to say. “It is an unreliable plan, but it might help us in the long run?” Rubeus reasoned, “But if we couldn’t trust the undead to fight for us, what do you suggest we do?” he queried. As a young and, admittedly, a still immature king, Rubeus often depended on the guidance of various advisors. Fortunately for him and the Carmine kingdom, most of his advisors had worked for his father, the late king Ral, and were loyal to the throne more than anyone else.
“Thank you for the opportunity, Your Majesty.” The old advisor was in a sudden glee. “I suggest we have everyone retreat to the war camps and wait things out. We can have Your Majesty’s plan work, but at the cost of compromising no one’s safety,” he suggested.
Inexperienced as he might be, Rubeus immediately picked up the intention of the old advisor. If the Carmine army temporarily retreats, then the Cyrus Kingdom would have to shift their attention towards the undead. Results could vary; From the undead possibly killing more soldiers, to the soldiers eventually eliminating the undead. Either way, the Carmine Kingdom would benefit from any results.
King Rubeus agreed to do as the advisor suggested.
The Carmine Kingdom would not lose in a war of attrition.
* * *
In the war encampment of the Cyrus Kingdom.
Lady Gillian Faith, head of the Order of the Holy Knights, restlessly paced back and forth waiting for news that wouldn't come until an hour later. The noise from her heavy armor became a resounding tune inside the tent. ‘All right, calm yourself down, Gillian. There’s no need for you to worry so much. You’ve already sent the elites to take care of it. Everything will be fine… It’ll be just fine!’ Gillian tried to comfort herself, but the news of an undead immune to divine magic kept her feeling une
asy.
Just then, hooves of galloping horses resounded from outside the encampment.
Gillian hurriedly went outside although she knew the entourage wasn’t the scouts she sent just half an hour ago. However, to her surprise, the people that arrived were bearing a familiar crest on their flags. It was the royal family’s insignia, “The—The king is here?!?” she exclaimed.
Not long after, strong winds started crashing against the encampment, blowing away the flimsy tents. Up in the sky, a black-winged serpent soared. It then landed in front of Gillian. She knew what the beast was and who it belonged to — It was king’s familiar. Everyone at the camp kowtowed. However, most bowed not of reverence, but of fear and dread.
King Umbra the Shadow Conqueror, the fearsome ruler of the Cyrus Kingdom, had triumphed against many within his short fifteen years of rule. Unlike other kings, Umbra took part in the battles himself and had never waited for others to do his bidding. A king who doesn’t mind staining his own hands for the gains of his kingdom—a true “kingly” conqueror. Infamous as he was, many respected him.
“Lady Gillian,” greeted Umbra as he floated down the back of his serpent familiar.
Gillian genuflected, “I am in your command, Your Majesty.”
One doesn’t need a sharp mind to know the purpose of the king’s timely visit. Suddenly, Gillian’s anxiety peaked. It was plausible that the king had heard of the news already, but didn’t want to open up the situation immediately.
The high officials among the entourage, including the noblemen who were already in the encampment prior to the king’s arrival, gathered to discuss the plan of action regarding the ongoing war, including the news of an undead intervening with the skirmish at the valley.
Gillian relayed the details of the report, including the death of Aero Bullard, an ace of the Order of the Holy Knights. Everyone besides the king had fearful expressions after hearing the news. “I took action as soon as I received the report, Your Majesty. I dispatched twenty more knights to deal with the undead.” Gillian said, “Another report will arrive around an hour from now. I assure you good news, Your Majesty!”
Umbra kept his calm demeanor and briefly replied, “I’ll look into this matter myself.”
Chapter IV
Long Pursuit
Crack!... Crack!... Adam snapped a few misaligned bones back in place as he twisted his skeletal body back and forth. The potent swing he just did stretched his joints beyond their limit, and thus the need for some slight “readjustments”. ‘Ah! That feels a lot better!’ If only Adam could let out a groan, he would’ve. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t.
“Gained + 20 EXP”
“Congratulations, you leveled up!”... “Level - 10”
“Threshold reached! Required experience points readjusted — Level 10 - (0/100)”
[Health - 300] Charges - 1
[Mana - 57]
‘Too bad I only have a single life charge left,’ Adam thought as he inspected his status sheet. He figured he had to fight against waves and waves of enemies from then on out. He knew he needed more than what he already had, which was little. Fortunately for him, a war was fiercely raging, and so he didn’t have to deal with more enemies than he could handle. If it wasn’t the case, three charges would be extremely lacking, even more so one.
Adam braced himself for a torrential barrage of attacks.
However, to his surprise, the enemies surrounding him took a different stance. They were acting more cautious towards him. “—How... How could you possibly survive?!” the squad leader exclaimed. He had a dumbfounded expression on his sweaty face. From the looks of it, it wasn’t just his face that was perspiring hard. His entire body was soaking wet. It was as if he saw a ghost in broad daylight.
Adam didn’t care much about the ramblings of the squad leader. Now that everyone was cautious of him, he could use it as an advantage to escape. Adam saw no point in fighting against puppet soldiers perpetually when he could go and save his loved one's right there and then, especially now that he had the means to do so.
He had no time to waste. Adam hurriedly picked up a sword that survived the explosion and weighed it in his hands, giving it a few good swings here and there. Although he was much more comfortable using a glaive, Adam had no choice at the moment. Just then, the same notification from a while back appeared in front of him.
“Equip ‘Common Iron Sword’ as your primary weapon?”
‘Do I have a choice?’ Adam thought whimsically. The system somehow considered his sarcastic answer as a “yes” and added the sword in his equipment. Adam felt the same comfort he had when he was using the glaive. The grip felt more... natural, ‘So it really wasn’t just my imagination?’ Adam swung the sword once more to test this theory.
It appeared to be the case. Additionally, the sword felt a lot sturdier than the glaive. ‘Well, wood is obviously lighter than iron...’ Adam commented. It was the best weapon to wield as of the moment, as Adam needed something to last longer. Having his weapon break in the middle of a fight would spell his ill-timed demise.
Adam was still wary of the two enemies who posed a significant threat to him: the holy knight, Gavin and the squad leader. ‘I need to avoid clashing against both of them at once,’ Adam cautiously planned his next move. ‘I am fast enough to avoid long range attacks and I only have to deal with one holy knight. Even if I get hit, it won’t be as fatal as before...’
Instead of charging straight at the enemy, Adam suddenly ran westward. As a mere militiaman who had little knowledge of geography, his sense of direction was naturally poor. However, with how narrow his choices were, Adam could only run towards the east and west. Both were his only viable options as running towards the south would only lead him to the Carmine Kingdom. The opposite would lead him to the Cyrus Kingdom, which in itself wasn’t all that bad considering it was the place he would have had to attack for him to save his family… but now wasn’t exactly the right time. Enemies were still on his tail.
“After him!” the squad leader commanded as he hurriedly mounted his horse.
Adam had to shake everyone off first. That, or eliminate them if they ever get in the way.
Just as Adam predicted, Gavin began attacking from afar.
Golden magic circles appeared high above the sky and started raining down beams of divine magic. Gavin had unsteady hands while casting the spell, worsening his already terrible aim. “Damn it!” the holy knight rebuked.
Either Adam was too quick for Gavin to hit, or that his frustration got the best of him. The latter seemed to be the case as tears started flowing down his cheeks. It was bad enough for Gavin to head back to battle immediately after suffering from a loss, but now he also had to endure unbearable humiliation. With his bad aim, it was near-impossible to land one clean shot. Gavin eventually exhausted his mana pool, achieving nothing.
Gavin lagged from the rest, done and defeated as he didn’t chase further. He could still fight hand-to-hand if he wanted to, but the defeat left him with no motivation to do so. Gavin fell on his knees with his hands still shaking terribly. “I’ll avenge you. I’ll... find a way...” he muttered solemnly, looking at his comrade’s lifeless body.
“Get him!” the squad leader screamed, the veins on his neck started bulging to where it was even visible from afar. The pesky undead was getting on his nerves. Around twenty Cyrus soldiers, each armed to the teeth, surrounded Adam. The number of enemies grew. It was unbelievable that the Cyrus Kingdom still had soldiers left to spare amidst the war.
Their raw manpower was inconceivable.
Adam fought and stood his ground bitterly, fighting against dozens of enemies at once. Adam tried defending himself against attacks coming from all sides while still keeping his focus on the direction he was escaping to. He preserved the iron sword’s durability long enough by only using it to kill and not to parry. By doing so, however, he inevitably started taking plenty of damage. Besides the sword, he had no other equipment on him; not
even a piece of armor to protect his exposed bones. ‘Damn it… there’s too many of them!’
Adam eventually carved a path westward after hacking his way through waves of soldiers. His health, however, wasn't looking any better than the corpses littered on the ground. He immediately discarded the worn out iron sword and picked up a less beaten one on the way, equipping it as soon as the new prompt appeared.
Adam then resumed running, never looking back.
He could still hear footsteps—even galloping horses—still chasing after him. The Valley of Panarishe lacked enough obstruction to shake off pursuers completely. ‘How’s there so much more left?’ Adam wondered. The number of soldiers after him, judging from the sound of countless footsteps he could hear, was still increasing as time went on.
Unbeknownst to Adam, the Carmine soldiers had started to retreat.
This development gave the Cyrus Kingdom leeway to focus their attention on chasing after him. The valley soon became silent and serene. The only commotion left was the entire army, or what remained of it, chasing after an undead running towards the west side of the valley. “Don’t let him cross the river!” the squad leader commanded.
‘A river?’ Adam heard the command as well.
An hour and a half had passed since he started escaping. The sun began to set on the horizon. If he could cross the river and buy time until night time comes, then he’d escaped successfully. ‘I couldn’t afford to get blocked again,’ Adam thought as he started picking up the pace. If he was still human, then Adam would have been long exhausted after hours of running without rest. His “endurance” was the only reason he could outrun everyone else. Even mounted soldiers, with their strong horses, got tired eventually.
If Adam could only cover up his tracks, things would have been much easier. Then again, he couldn’t do so in such an open space. He could only hope for a mountainous forest or something similar to be at the other side of the river. Another hour went by and the blue sky started to dim and darken. Adam could hear fewer people still on pursuit.
Undone- Resurrection of Murdock Page 2