Chapter 256 - Temple of the Damned (Patreon)

It took me a long time to write this chapter. I've been feeling a bit off my game this week, and the words just weren't coming! I'm trying to get into gear but I think I'm suffering from burn out a bit. Not the first time, it comes and goes, but it's seriously infuriating. I'm considering doing some writing sessions in a live stream to try and block in my writing time a little better. It's something Pirateaba does for wandering inn and I kind of liked the idea. Is that something anyone would tune in for? It would probably just be a silent stream of me writing lol, but the main goal is I'm trying to start releasing chapters faster.

As the shouts of the dragon blooded filled the hills, Hump heard another voice.

“Why is everyone shout…” Walt trailed off, the spirit stuck in Hump’s pouch yet his senses perceiving the world around him. “Are those skeletons? Holy shit, Hump! Look out, those bones are walking!”

“Not a good time, Walt,” Hump said.

“You brought him with you?” Celaine hissed.

Hump shrugged. “I thought his spirit sense might come in helpful.”

“Is everything alright?” Leif asked, glancing back at the two of them.

“All good,” Celaine said.

“Then be ready,” Leif said. “When our moment comes, we make a rush for the temple. Irik, is your team prepared?”

“We’re right behind you,” the lead shaman said. “Just find us a path.”

“Shields!” Ordaine’s voice boomed over the shouts of the hunters around her.

A line of a dozen warriors formed at her side; shields locked together. Behind them, archers continued to lay arrows into the skeleton warriors, bringing many down quickly. Hump watched from the sidelines, hand gripped tightly around his staff, ready to rush the moment the order came. He noticed the skeletons seemed sluggish, hardly responding to what was going on around them, when suddenly the temple flared with purple essence. That same power he’d felt from Lich Queen Irila, though it was still lacking something.

The sound of feet on stone echoed from within the temple as a battalion of undead flooded out in orderly ranks, standing four skeletons abreast. They parted at the doors, splitting each way to form lines of swords and shields, five skeletons deep. There had to be a hundred of them, if not more. Amongst them, Hump spotted the skeleton lord they’d been told to expect. It was more than a head taller than those around it and clad in golden armour, with a long, curved blade held at its side. The purple flame of death shone in its eyes, and Hump sensed an aura of power around it.

Behind them, larger, muscular ghouls of flesh and bones stood, hunched forward, weighed down by long arms. They had an exoskeleton of bone armour. And above them, the phantom spirits drifted in the wind, bodies faint against the overcast sky. Their spirit forms were shrouded in hooded cloaks while fire burned in their eyes.

The skeleton lord raised its sword and ordered its force forward. Arrows filled the air before him as the hunters tried to bring it down, but a wall of essence flashed before it, as the temple’s corrupted wards shielded it from harm. The skeletons marched, while the ghouls flanked to either side. They moved like animals, bounding across the ground on all fours.

It’s not noticed the dragons, Hump realised. They just had to keep the attention on them. Close ranks like these could easily be destroyed by fire, if they hadn’t been warned. The hunters’ plan made more sense now.

The undead unleashed their counterattack. The phantom spirits floating overhead shone with light as they threw streams of purple fire into the ranks of the hunters. The world erupted with heat as it swept forward like a jet of burning oil. Celaine drew back an arrow at Hump’s side as he readied his essence, aiming Focused Blasts at anything in range. Celaine wielded Way of the Shadow Archer in a way Hump hadn’t seen before, forming six arrows of shadow formed out of nothingness. They move in time with the arrow on her string. She loosed, her arrow streaking darkness as it pierced a spirit, her shadow arrows finding targets of their own.

“Nice shots!” Hump said. “When did you learn that?”

She smiled at him. “You’re not the only one that’s been practicing.”

The hunters launched another volley of arrows, their runeforged ammunition bringing down more of the phantom spirits. Hump and Celaine adding their own attacks to it. It didn’t take long for them to reduce the phantom spirits to half their number, forcing the creatures to retreat back behind the temple shield.

At the same time, a handful of Ordaine’s shieldmen took another step forward. A mixture of barriers and reflective blessings filled the air before them with essence. Purple fire broke against the defences in a great wave, then suddenly the shields were dropped.

Ordaine shouted, slamming her own shield forward as a larger shield manifested before her, a giant construct of essence that towered higher than the temple. There was a rush as the purple fire was sent back, washing over the forming skeletons and other creatures. Howls of pain filled the air, yet the undead only picked up their speed, rushing through the fire as a single unit, shields locked together in a wall. Swords and spears glinting from within.

They erupted from the fire like a white tide, charging down the hill at Owalyn’s Hunters, their bones clacking, purple essence shining brightly, empowering them. Spirits and ghouls unleashed their horrific screams too, while skeletons rattled their weapons. Behind them, the purple miasma of the temple grew thicker, tapping into the seemingly endless supply of essence from the spring, sending out streams of corruption that tethered to the undead, fuelling them, and rebuilding them as they fell.

It was reflected in the movement of the skeletons. They moved with a dexterity Hump never expected from simple undead, though what had he expected? These were the minions of a lich that threatened a goddess.

Drakalyn’s hunters hurled spears that pierced ghouls and felled skeleton warriors. Their crumbling remains were left impaled and writhing on the ground. More screams filled the air. Hump spotted a ghoul as it tried to pull a spear from its stomach that left it pinned to a column. Blood spurted from the wound as it yanked the weapon free with a screech of pain. It struggled to stand yet managed to launch the spear back.

Hump levelled his staff toward it. “Focused Blast.”

Essence erupted from his staff—a quick jab of power concentrated into a narrow beam. It struck the creature in the side of its head. Its skull exploded in a spray of blood, flesh, and brain matter. Even as it fell still, tendrils of death essence rose like worms from its wounds in an attempt to knit its ruined flesh back together. One of the hunters was upon it before it had a chance, hacking at its chest with a runeforged axe to kill it for good. Yet more rose from their injuries, reanimated by the power streaming from the temple.

The noise of battle was overwhelming. Hump spotted Ordaine at the front where she ploughed her way through the ranks of skeletons with her shield and hammer. Ghouls engaged her, but more hunters were at her side, their blessings sending back the undead with relative ease. Everywhere Owalyn’s hunters went, the undead fell back in disarray.

“With me,” Leif ordered, leading Hump and the others forward. They moved along the right flank of Ordaine’s vanguard. “Remember, our goal is to get inside, not to fight. Leave that for the rest of them.”

“We got it, boss,” Nyven said.

The rest of them gave their affirmations.

Hump glanced at Celaine, who grinned at him, then they were following Leif forward. Hump kept a Shield spell ready on his lips, his essence gathered in case they needed it. They reached the edge of the line of dead trees, leaving only a short distance to the temple. Above, on the other side of the battle, five more wolf dragons swept low in the sky and quickly closed the distance. So far, everything had gone exactly to plan, and any second now…

The dragons roared, so close, Hump could hear the shouts of the keepers upon their backs. The skeleton lord turned, noticing them for the first time. It let loose a primal roar that was rife with essence, directing archers and phantom spirits to fire upon them. But it was too late.

The wolf dragons opened their mouths, red flickering deep in their throats, then fire bathed turned the hill into a raging inferno. Hump shielded his face against the heat and brightness. Shadows writhed within, screaming desperately, the high pitched, terrible screams of essence fuelled undead. Smoke thickened, even as the streams of fire ceased.

Then the dragons were upon them. Yunillia led the charge. Her dragon, Itris, flattened her wings against her back and fell like a piercing arrow. She landed amidst the skeletons and ghouls, lashing out with tail and teeth. Around them, the other dragons tore apart the skeleton line, devastating what remained of their ranks. Itris broke through, bounding toward the skeleton lord. She slammed hard against the temple shield. Yunillia stabbed out with her spear. Lighting flashed along its length with a great crack of thunder. The temple shield fractured, a split tearing through it in three directions. As she drew back her spear again, the skeleton lord raised his sword toward her and shouted.

Like an avalanche, the ground rumbled from deep within the earth. Hump steadied himself on his staff as he searched for the source, only to find it directly below Yunillia. She and Itris retreated as the weathered pavestones burst open and a shape dragged its way from the ground. The monstrosity had six arms sprouting from around a snaking body. The giant worm creature towered twice as tall as a dragon, even with part of its body concealed by the ground.

The strangest part was its too-human face—a small button nose, and a mouth that spread from ear to ear. Both of its eyes were sewn shut, but it had a third eye that looked like a heartstone on its forehead. Bone and steel scales covered its body. Its mouth opened unnaturally wide, revealing long fangs, dripping with vibrant, green liquid.

Yunillia gave it no chance. Her spear pierced the temple barrier with a blinding flash of light, shattering it and skewering the creature through the mouth. It reared back, screeching as its entire body was ravaged by lightning. Itris barrelled past it, reared back her head, and breathed fire over the skeleton lord. As the fire cleared, the skeleton lord remained, a wall of bones before it. Yet even as it tried to strike back, Yunillia shattered the wall with her spear and struck the skeleton lord, sending it flying back.

“Now’s our moment,” Leif said. “Quin, call in Jarni. We’re moving.”

Leif strode forward confidently, rushing for the temple doors. They were nearing the temple now. A unit of skeletons broke off from the main group, perhaps twenty of them, marching in the direction of Hump and the others.

The ground thudded as Brutus and Jarni charged up the hill on either side of Hump, racing on ahead. Brutus barrelled into the line of skeletons completely without fear, tearing them apart to open a gap for the rest of them to rush through.

“Celaine, watch the sky!” Leif said, pointing at a handful of phantom spirits turning their way.

Celaine was already on it, barraging the creatures with shadow arrows before they had a chance to attack.

Ghouls blocked their path, however, standing in the temple doors, poised before a line of skeletons like hounds.

“Break apart in the centre,” Hump said. “Give me a clear line of fire.”

Quin and Leif stepped aside. Two ghouls closed in on the left, Leif stepping forward to meet them. Hump aid them no mind.

He levelled his staff toward the skeletons. “Blast.”

A wave of blue exploded forward, sending them flying backward, clearing room for the other hunters and shamans to push forward.

Leif led the rest of them forward. He cut down anything in their path as they fought to the temple doors.  Hump raced after them but kept his position at the rear as the others smashed their way toward the temple, while Celaine provided ranged support to bring down any spirits drawn their way.

In moments, they had crossed the distance to the stone temple, passing between the other dragons and their keepers. Up close, it reminded Hump of a large church. Large, broken windows gave a view of the inner sanctum, where the essence of death only grew thicker. The noise of the battle was deafening, yet Hump’s eyes were fixed ahead, bringing up the rear as they entered the temple. Only Brutus and Jarni remained behind to prevent the undead from pursuing them inside.

Hump shuffled in next to Celaine, sticking close behind the others. Leif and Quin fought side by side, Nyven and Halvar close behind them. Together, they bashed aside the ghoul guards that remained, their Chosen strength far beyond what these creatures could resist. Hump kept his staff ready, prepared to provide support, but it wasn’t needed. They breached the doors to the inner sanctum.

What greeted them was a large, rectangular chamber much like the one in the Temple of Moss, though more than twice the size. At the front, surrounding the basin of essence water, stood three figures, clad in dark, hooded robes. Each held a book open in their hands, where a stream of purple essence tethered them to the basin. The aura that surrounded them was one of death, rising in the air in a thick, purple miasma.

The figures glanced their way, then whispered a chant, their words inhumanly fast and resonating with the temple. Out of the shadows of the temple, undead appeared, eyes blazing with purple fire. They swarmed them, collapsing on them from above, charging them from the sides, and loosing arrows in their direction from a viewing platform behind them and above the entryway.

“Fire Shield.” Hump barked, not waiting for instruction.

He formed a dome of essence around them, shrouding the world beyond in a flickering, orange haze. Purple fire broke against it, hot even through his shield. He braced against his staff as the weight of crowding skeletons bore down on him, throwing themselves at him even as they burned. He pressed back against them, feeling stronger on his feet than ever, pouring more essence into his Shield until it blazed even brighter.

“Now what?” Quin asked.

“I’m on it,” Hump said through gritted teeth. He slammed his staff against the ground, envisioning flame expanding around him. “Shatter Shield.”

The shield broke with a crack, essence shattering and filling the air. Then a great wave of fire exploded around him, sweeping back everything. As the fire cleared, skeletons and ghouls lay on the ground, their bodies temporarily crippled as the temple fought to heal them.

The light around the basin grew thicker and brighter, changing as the hooded figures chanted louder.

“Something doesn’t feel right, kid,” Walt said. “I-I don’t like this. It’s making me wheezy.”

The essence grew thicker still, building like—

“They’re trying to blow the temple up along with themselves,” Hump shouted.

“No need to panic, lad,” Leif said, striding forward confidently. “Not our first time dealing with these guys.”

The four hunters surged forward, each hammering the barrier at the same time. The power within continued to build. One of the hooded figures glanced nervously their way, when the shield shattered.

The instant it did, Celaine loosed an arrow at the furthest target, while Leif and Quin felled the others two, swiping at the necks of the creatures with their blades.

They fell to the ground, dead.

“Mother’s mercy,” Irik said, walking forward. His spear shaft tapped against the ground as he walked, the head glowing with essence. “What have they done to this place?”

“Nothing you can’t fix, I hope,” Leif said. “Otherwise, we’re here for nothing.”

The shaman shook his head. “It’s far from nothing. They were poisoning the spring itself. Whether or not we can fix it… I suppose we’ll find it.”

As the shamans began their ritual, Hump took a few moments to catch his breath. Despite his casting, he was surprisingly warm, his body still feeling like he could continue. He and Celaine stepped outside to see if they could assist elsewhere, but there was no need. Outside, the fight was over. Without the temple to support them, the undead had fallen easily.

Over where the skeleton lord lay dead, Itris the dragon stood atop the broken remains of the snake creature. She tilted her head back and bellowed a victorious roar.