The cemetery was shrouded in an eerie fog, the moonlight barely piercing through as if afraid to touch the corrupted ground. Graves lay desecrated, and the stench of decay filled the air as more undead creatures crawled and staggered toward Leon and Luna. Skeletal soldiers clattered forward, rusted armor clinging to their brittle bones. Behind them, grotesque zombies shuffled and groaned, their vacant eyes locked on their prey.
The next wave of undead charged forward, a mix of armored skeletons wielding chipped swords and rotting zombies with flesh hanging from their bones. Among them were a few new horrors—spitting zombies that hissed as they spewed acidic bile and bursting zombies, bloated with dark energy, that exploded upon impact, releasing a noxious mist that clung to the ground.
Leon gritted his teeth, slashing through a spitting zombie with his blessed sword, watching as it disintegrated upon contact with the holy blade. "These exploding ones are a nightmare!" he called out as he narrowly dodged one of the bursting zombies, which detonated with a sickening squelch, releasing a cloud of foul-smelling gas.
"Tell me about it!" Luna replied, her dagger flashing as she cleaved through a cluster of skeletal warriors. Her quick footwork kept her just out of reach of the acidic bile, her expression fierce as she cut down another zombie. "We have to keep moving forward—if we get surrounded, we're done for!"
Leon nodded, rallying his energy as he cut a path through the endless waves of undead. They fought like a storm, relentless and unyielding, each strike pushing them closer to the cemetery's heart where the undead leader surely awaited. The haunting silence in the distance was almost worse than the sounds of battle. It was as if the cemetery itself was watching, waiting for them to make it to their final test.
After an hour of relentless assault, they had finally taken down all the waves. "Ugh, I'm so done with this!" Luna shouted in frustration, looking at Leon and then down at herself, both of them exhausted and covered in grime.
"This dagger's broken too," she muttered, lifting the Holy Blessed Dagger, now dull and missing its holy glow.
Leon caught his breath, glancing at Luna with a weary grin. "Yeah, that was… intense," he muttered, sheathing his own weapon, which bore signs of wear after the relentless assault. He noticed her broken dagger, its holy glow now completely faded.
"Looks like the blessing couldn't withstand all that undead mana," he observed, his voice tinged with disappointment.
Luna scowled as she tossed the dagger aside. "So much for blessed gear," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "Guess we'll need a priest to re-bless this stuff, or better yet, get something tougher for the next dungeon."
"I have more of them" Leon said tossing two more blessed dagger to her, "You should have given it to me earlier" Luna muttered catching the daggers'.
Leon nodded, eyeing the eerie silence that had settled over the cemetery. Despite their exhaustion, a sense of dread still filled the air. They'd cleared the waves, but now they both knew the real challenge lay ahead.
"Think we're close to the boss now?" Leon asked, gripping his remaining sword tightly.
Luna smiled, though fatigue weighed on her. "After all that? He better be. Let's make sure this wasn't for nothing."
With a nod, they each looked at the gate that separated the commoners' graveyard from the noble burial grounds.
"This place has distinctions too," Leon sighed, noticing the ornate gate and the maintained path leading beyond it.
"Can't help it," Luna replied with a scoff. "Nobles are an obnoxious bunch; they think they're great. My father had to respect their traditions, so he maintained it separately."
Leon nodded, understanding her frustration as they both stepped through the gate.
As they entered, a stark difference became clear. Unlike the common graveyard, which was cluttered and chaotic, this section was eerily clean, almost untouched by the decay and chaos outside. A single figure was waiting in the middle, towering above the graves. It was a skeletal warrior, robed in tattered ceremonial garb, hovering a few inches off the ground, clutching an ancient sword with both hands as if eternally guarding something precious.
Leon took a step forward, feeling the weight of the air shift. "This must be the boss," he whispered, his grip tightening on his sword.
The skeletal figure raised its empty gaze to meet theirs, and a hollow, echoing voice filled the cemetery. "Intruders… your souls are forfeit."
Luna glanced at Leon, smirking. "Ready for round two?"
Leon gave her a quick, confident nod, his eyes narrowing with anticipation. "This one's different—feels like a true gatekeeper. Stay alert."
As they edged closer, the skeletal warrior let out a chilling wail that reverberated through the noble graveyard, summoning the ground beneath them to tremble. Suddenly, faint blue flames ignited within its empty eye sockets, and the blade it held began to glow with an ominous energy. With a sweeping motion, it raised the sword high and brought it crashing down, sending a shockwave of dark energy rushing towards them.
"Move!" Leon shouted, pushing Luna aside as he dodged the wave. The dark energy struck a nearby tombstone, shattering it instantly.
Luna quickly recovered, rolling back onto her feet. "He's no joke. Looks like we'll have to play smart," she muttered, her eyes fixed on the skeleton.
Leon circled to the left, attempting to flank the skeletal warrior. "We have to split its focus. I'll draw its attacks—try to get behind it and aim for the spine or any weak point you can find."
With a nod, Luna readied her dagger, keeping her stance low. As Leon darted forward, the skeletal warrior's gaze locked onto him, its eyes flaring even brighter. It swung its sword in a powerful arc, but Leon sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blade as it sliced through the air with a menacing hum.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Luna lunged forward, aiming her dagger at the skeleton's spine. She struck true, the blade finding its mark between its vertebrae. But instead of breaking, the skeleton's form wavered, its bones shifting like mist before snapping back into place.
"Persistent, aren't you?" Luna muttered under her breath, backing up quickly as the skeleton whirled around, now facing her.