Chereads / A Rat’s Second Chance (Old) / Chapter 79 - A Rat and the Necromancers

Chapter 79 - A Rat and the Necromancers

The skeletal hand gripped the edge of the crack and pulled the rest of itself out. The uncovered form of the skeleton let its off-white colored bones turn a light green from the ground below. Another hand came from the crack, then another, and then another, until the small inn was filled with twenty or so skeletons. Another hand came out from the ground, but this time different from the rest: rotting flesh hanging loosely from the bones beneath.

It pulled the rest of itself out, showing a familiar monster, a ghoul. A scream came from outside as the adventurers in the inn could see a lumbering figure wander past the window. The person let out a small mumble, and four other people crashed through the wooden frame windows. Each held very similar light weaponry to the first person, and drew them also quite similarly. Loud cracking came from the floor and outside, and more screams followed. A few more undead managed to squeeze into the inn, becoming like sardines in a can.

An adventurer took a step back which was quickly followed by an animalistic sprint towards the exit. As she wildly sprinted towards the exit, many undead threw themselves onto her. The pile of bodies covered her, and suffocated her with the sheer number of undead. The undead struggled to free themselves of the prison they created while more undead crawled out from the cracks. Another extremely muscular woman clicked her tongue, "Damn, looks like we can't just run away; we'll have to fight till the end."

All the adventurers in the inn steeled themselves once more, preparing for a fight. Silence overtook the area with screams echoing in the background, the cackling of bone against bone being the only noise actively made in the room. With a small creak of one adventurer shifting their weight, the room spun into a brawl.

The adventurers let out war cries and charged at the skeletons while they scrambled forth with growls, clicking, and other inhuman sounds. Swords and spears were met with the hardened bodies of the undead, unfeeling and uncaring. The five necromancers danced around the room, cutting the heels and tendons of their opponents with calculated precision. Undead fell and felled others as the entire inn turned into a scene from a nightmare.

Eodum, Henry, and Sheila stood in the middle of the room, watching the madness unfold, attacking any undead who got near them. A barrier of bodies piled up as more and more undead gathered around them. From out of the hordes of skeletons, zombies, and ghouls, a figure clad in black jumped at them. The necromancer had their kama by their side, and released a flurry of attacks on the three. Sheila interrupted the necromancer's attacks, and a golden wall expanded from her shield.

Each attack made contact and flew off, but the necromancer kept up the assault. More and more blows impacted the wall, but it held strong. The necromancer continued their rage, refusing to give up, and was rewarded with a slight crack forming in the wall. Sheila winced as Eodum and Henry readied themselves in alarm. The undead also continued their siege, bashing against the golden wall and surging around it. With their efforts recognized, the necromancer continued their whirlwind of attacks with renewed effort.

A spider web of cracks formed in the wall, and dents formed in Sheila's shield until finally with a shatter, the wall broke. They rushed through the gap in the defenses and swept themself to the ground. They cut the areas where tendons were, hopping back to the rafters to watch the three get helplessly swallowed by the crowds of animated corpses. The undead rushed in, but found themselves being stabbed by tendrils of darkness with stingers at the tip. The tentacles all sprouted from Eodum's backside as he glared in fury at the necromancer.

Henry flew into the crowds of corpses, bottles of vodka-like alcohol in hand. He disappeared into the crowds, and an eruption of flame burst from where he stood. Flames rose and danced on from Henry's body, turning the bodies into charred husks of blackened meat and bones. Powerful flames continued to dance across Henry's skin wildly, barely controllable by even their source.

Sheila rose as she was the only one the attack worked on. Her tendons healed themselves through the power of willpower, skills, and holy magic. She took her heavily dented and cracked shield and the golden wall formed once more. Instead of gathering around herself and her teammates however, the barrier extended outwards slowly, and gathered around the feet of the undead. With a sudden burst of speed, the energy barrier formed a trap around the undead, and crushed them to death.

A mashed, charred, and punctured mass of bodies formed around the three as the necromancers looked in abstract horror. This strength, this brutality, these were true monsters. With a nod from the original necromancer, the five gathered together in a line. They all stuck their weapons out and began a chant in unison. They spoke with a tone verging onto that of an eldritch being as their voices mashed together to become an echoing ramble of gibberish, only clear to those who understand magic speak.

Eodum and Henry both pick up a few words here and there like "call", "undead", and "giant". The five finish their chant with a sudden loud cry from everywhere. The very walls themselves seemed to cry out in fear and agony while the cracks become larger and glow an ominous purple. A pattern forms as the cracks widen and grow into a spiral with a large pit in the center. A huge, misshapen, and mismatched hand came from the crack, and hauled the heaping monster of flesh and other monsters' parts out from the crevice.

The looming patchwork abomination stood silently, many eyes all across its body frantically scanning the area. The center necromancer let out a few more words in magic speak, translating to,"Krowtap, kill."