Before I got some rest, I decided to cast some healing and Refresh spells on everyone. Even the smallest wounds were cleaned up, and soon, everyone was back to their full condition. The Refresh spell also helped them maintain their minds and keep their sanity. The whole event looked a lot less bleak after everyone was back to 100%.
Although there were occasional bumps on the door from a zombie, the stone doors were locked and heavy. We would be safe until the morning. After finishing my healing duties, I decided that going back to sleep would be a good idea. Since we were indoors, I only pulled out my sleeping roll and then got ready. If it weren't for the catacombs and the zombies, this would almost feel like camping. I slept somewhere close to the fire, enjoying the feeling of the radiant heat on my feet.
When I drifted off, I dreamed of the scene I had read on the mural. Except, the girl took on the face of the catkin girl who went into the catacombs with the noble. She was a cute girl. I wondered why I couldn't get her out of my mind. Well, unlike the hero of the story, I had no plan to rescue her from her master.
I was just shaken awake by the big sister adventurer. "It's time to go, little one."
I nodded, yawned, stretched, and then stood up. Just about everyone was already up and ready to go. They must have let me sleep longer because of the usefulness of my Refresh. I was very thankful I found a party full of good people. Still, I quickly packed everything away to avoid holding anyone up. Once everyone was ready, the guild leader made a starting gesture at the door.
"We're going!" Two men pushed open the door.
The crowd of zombies wasn't there. There were only a few. The men quickly dispatched of them. Then, we began to move at a brisk pace, jogging through the corridors.
"With luck, we should be able to get through this without getting swamped again." One of the guys muttered.
"Shh… don't jinx it." Shot another.
I realized at that point that I really didn't know anybody's name. There was the guild leader, the big muscular sister, the wolfkin, the map guy, a bunnykin, a guy who looked like a rogue, and a guy who wore armor and a shield like a knight. I didn't even remember the three who had died last night. When we got out of this, I would definitely ask for their names and remember them, even though I was really bad at it.
"Raaawrr!" A roar of numerous voices came down the hallway.
"Damn it, you had to say something!" the rogue growled.
"What do we do, guild leader?" the muscular sister asked.
"If we don't push through, then we die here. Besides, if we don't kill them here, we'll be fighting them as they attack our village."
That was an argument everyone could understand. If a wave this large attacked the village again, there was no guarantee that it could be kept back. The only choice was to kill as many zombies as possible and hold off the attack on the village until some skilled dungeon divers or higher-level guild branches arrived.
"Everyone, get all of your mana potions out and give them to Deek. Deek, we're going to depend on you a bit. Don't knock yourself unconscious. Just cast that spell when we need it. It does wonder for crowd control."
"Ah… yes…"
As I agreed to the plan, about ten mana potions were dumped into my lap. This was a small fortune, but that was precisely how needy everyone was right now. I even pulled out my own mana potion I had won from earlier. There was no point in holding back anymore. It was do or die. There was one thing I was certain of though. I never wanted to go back to another dungeon in my entire life.