A sigh escapes my lips as I sink down onto the cool, damp floor, relief washing over me. A chorus of groans echoes around the room as we all let ourselves relax for a moment. I take a moment to look around and assess the situation.
Isadora looks hardly winded from our battle against the 50 or so skeletons. Her dark, unreadable eyes hold a glimmer of interest, perhaps in anticipation for more combat, well it's no surprise given that it's her way of escaping. Biana, on the other hand, has plopped down onto the ground, her face pale and eyes fluttering shut. I sigh at her lack of stamina.
Ilka hovers above us, her tiny body floating effortlessly in the air. "How boring," she grumbles, her wings flickering with a hint of annoyance.
I pull myself up and walk over to Biana. She seems to have fallen asleep, not a care in the world. I reach out and flick her forehead. Her eyes flutter open and she glares at me, rubbing the spot where I flicked her.
"Ouch, goddammit! It was an honest mistake," she whines, stifling a yawn.
Sighing, I take a step back. There's no point in arguing with her. Right now, we need to figure out where we are.
The room is quite large, with towering ceilings and narrow, mossy walls. In the distance, something catches my attention. As I get closer, I realize what it is - a skeleton knight.
"I don't remember adding them," I mutter under my breath. "Maybe the professors decided the soldiers were too weak."
The skeletal knight stands tall, its bony fingers gripping a massive, rusted sword. Its hollow eyes glow a menacing red, and its rib cage is adorned with a faded, tattered coat of arms.
Isadora immediately tenses up, preparing to charge at the skeleton knight. I quickly step in front of her, holding out a hand to stop her.
"I'll deal with this one," I say, meeting her eyes. She regards me for a moment, then gives a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Oh~ let's see just how great you are," Biana chimes in, her tone teasing.
Clicking my tongue again, I take a step towards the skeleton knight. Well, it would be difficult to deal with it if you didn't know how to kill it. It has a strong defense and a similar offense. However, It has one big weakness.
As I get closer, the skeleton knight stirs, rising to its feet. I pull out my dagger, my hand steady as I coat the blade with my aura. The red energy dances around the dagger, lighting up the dim room.
'Let's see, which bone was it again?' I think, racking my brain for the details I had programmed into this creature. Just how many creatures did I design?
"Come on, use what I taught you," Ilka encourages from her spot atop my head. Her voice is laced with interest and anticipation. Tsk, she wants me to die.
With an ear-splitting screech, the skeleton knight lunges at me, its rusted sword arcing through the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Isadora springing into action, but I shake my head at her. This is my fight.
"That's right! It's the third rib bone," I remind myself, my focus narrowing on the target.
The dagger leaves my hand in a crimson streak, cutting through the damp air. It whirls and tumbles, moving in a deadly arc towards the skeleton knight.
There's a loud crack as the blade makes contact, then the skeleton knight topples over, crumbling into a pile of bone dust. The room is left in silence, only broken by the faint, disappointed huff that comes from Ilka. I feel like I'm cheating, well, I should at least be able to do this much.
"What the hell was that? Where's the fight? Where's the struggle? Just why did you do that?!" Ilka flies into a mini tantrum, buzzing angrily around my head. I don't respond, choosing to watch the dust settling where the knight used to be.
Biana stands up, looking at me with wide eyes. "What the fuck? Are you some sort of skeleton expert? Is that why you were so confident?" she questions, her voice holding a hint of amazement and confusion.
Isadora, who had stopped at my warning, simply watches me with her unreadable dark eyes. Even so, I can sense her surprise. Hahaha, I like this, it feels great.
With a sigh, I retrieve my dagger, wiping the dust off the blade. "I guess that's one way to put it. Skeleton knights are supposed to be a challenge for beginners, but since I killed it in one shot, the professors are probably screaming at their screens right now," I comment lightly, my words echoing softly in the room.
"I'm just glad it was only a knight. If it was a death knight, we'd be dead by now," I add as an afterthought, sheathing my dagger. I glance at them. They really do seem a bit taken aback, but I just shrug. We don't have time for a stupid fight with a skeleton Knight, thank god it wasn't a death knight or we'd be dead.
I heave a sigh as I see another wave of skeletons appearing in the distance. Their hollow eyes glowing ominously, they march towards us, their swords clanging against their bony bodies.
Without a doubt, there's well over a thousand of them. Just perfect.
"Fuck, we better go back," Biana swears, her voice laced with worry. But I shake my head, my gaze focused on a particular point.
"No, look. We found it." I raise my hand, pointing towards an old run-down hut glowing slightly with a dark green aura. It's almost hidden amongst the horde of skeletons, but there it is, our destination.
Biana whirls around to face me, her hands gripping my shoulders as she shakes me quite hard. "How do you expect us to get over there?" she demands, her face a mask of incredulity.
As my head bobs up and down from her shaking, I manage to get my words out. "It's easy. Isadora will climb up the wall and stay there," I explain, gesturing towards the walls flanking us.
"We just need to run and bring the skeletons along. Isadora will kill the remaining few that stand in her way and then slice up the hut. From there, all the other skeletons will fall apart." The plan is risky, and there's a thousand things that could go wrong, but it's the best shot we have.
Biana releases my shoulders, but her gaze hardens. "No way. How about I climb up as well, and only you run," she suggests, she clearly doesn't want to run, but that's fine. I need to split up from them regardless.
I let out a resigned sigh, nodding in agreement. "Alright, that's fine. You two get up there, and I'll attract the attention of these bastards," I announce, resigned to the reality of my upcoming marathon through the horde.
Biana turns to me, a smug grin plastered on her face. "Good luck," she says, but her laughter that follows speaks volumes about her relief. She really doesn't want to run, huh.
As they begin to climb, I watch them, my eyes lingering on their receding forms. 'They should be fine, right? Yeah, it's not like I'm going to leave them for too long, maybe a day or two.' I try to reassure myself, the knot in my stomach tightening with worry.
Turning back, I face the bone horde, a wave of pale, grinning skulls staring back at me. My voice bounces off the cavernous walls as I yell, "Hey, you pile of brainless bastards! Catch me if you can!"
The reaction is immediate, a cacophony of bone scraping against stone as the skeletons whirl towards me, their empty eye sockets glowing ominously. I release a tired sigh and kick off, my feet finding purchase on the slippery cave floor. 'Alright, I need to go back and choose the passageway at the center. I'll find the trap entrance there.'
Ilka zooms in next to me, her laughter echoing around the tunnel. "Oh, look~ they're getting closer~," she teases, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
My focus shifts back to her as she flits around, her voice joining the noise of the skeletons. "Start using my footwork technique," she instructs, though it's less of an instruction and more of a demand. Fuck! Seriously? She wants me to train right now?
I huff, my breath fogging up in front of me. "I'm not even close to completing it," I grumble, my words barely audible over the clamor.
"So what? It's my technique; this is a perfect way to train!" Ilka retorts, It looks like she won't take No for an answer.
With a shake of my head, I push myself harder, my footfalls growing faster. My attention is quickly brought back to my surroundings when Ilka warns, "On your right."
Clicking my tongue, I quickly veer left, narrowly avoiding a skeleton that had lunged at me. My heart thumps in my chest, a stark reminder of the danger I'm in. I hate these types of situations, I should be sleeping on a soft bed right now.
Ilka's moonwalking on air, and I'm left to navigate this nightmare. "You know I might fall and die if I fuck up, right?" I snap at her, my gaze flicking between the charging skeletal mass and her carefree figure.
She grins, her wings fluttering excitedly. "These are the type of situations you need to improve your skills. And don't act like you'll die. If you end up in a difficult situation, you'll end up using Umbra or that Bang! Bang! toy of yours," she says, making a finger gun and shooting it at me.
I click my tongue in annoyance. There's no way I'm going to use Umbra or my baby. They're last resorts, I really don't want to be questioned by Professor Thaddeus.
'Well, fuck it, they'll catch up eventually,' I muse, swerving to dodge another skeleton. My feet are starting to ache from the constant movement, and my heart hammers against my chest. 'Just what the hell is taking those two so long? Just how many skeletons stayed behind?'
With a resigned sigh, I start to change my footwork, just like Ilka taught me. My steps become lighter, more precise, and I weave through the horde with surprising ease. I can't let my instincts get the better of me.
Ilka cackles, her laughter echoing through the dank cavern. "Don't fuck up! I hate to say it, but despite the curse, your body is quite compatible with martial arts!" she says, finding amusement in my plight.
My heart skips a beat as a skeleton lunges at me, its rusted sword slicing through the air where my neck was a moment ago. Fuck these stupid skeletons are pushing each other making themselves go faster.