The rat corpses were a remarkably simple form of undead creature. Composed of the remains of rats, these abominations possessed little individual strength, yet their sheer numbers—often in the hundreds—rendered them a formidable challenge to confront.
"These creatures are intended to deplete our spells, are they not?" Lynn quickly deduced. "The vampires must be nearby; this is merely the first wave of their assault. However, this attack seems peculiar; they likely harbor ulterior motives."
"Regardless of their schemes, I shall address the immediate threat first," Eirich declared, stepping forward with unwavering resolve. While the rat corpses posed a nuisance to melee fighters, they were far less daunting to a cleric like Eirich, who had the means to combat them.
Lynn did not impede Eirich's approach; he was equally curious to discern the true intentions of the vampires. Although employing swarms to exhaust their spells seemed effective, their best course of action at this moment would be to fracture the party's cohesion, preventing mutual support. The choice to engage in a war of attrition at this juncture seemed somewhat inexplicable.
Eirich, however, paid little heed to such considerations. He raised his holy symbol and unleashed a dispelling light upon the swarm of rat corpses. Within the cavern, the radiance of Lothandar flared brilliantly; wherever the light touched, the rat corpses collapsed, their numbers dwindling in an instant as hundreds of undead rodents met their demise.
Lynn was momentarily taken aback. Though the rat corpses were not particularly strong, they were not easily dispelled either. Eirich had invoked a fourth-tier spell, but it was uncommon for a cleric of that rank to so effortlessly banish the corpses unless he was concealing significant power or wielding some enhancing gear or magical boon.
Whichever the case, it conferred substantial advantages when dealing with undead.
Yet, no sooner had Eirich completed his dispelling than the scattered remains of rat corpses exhibited a sudden, unsettling movement. The rancid flesh began to twitch, the remnants of decay shaking off to reveal a gathering of bones that reformed into a new entity.
This bizarre spectacle caused the adventurers to take a cautious step back, but Lynn quickly provided an explanation.
"The rat bone swarm—another variant of undead. The distinction between them and the rat corpses is akin to that between zombies and skeletons; while they are considerably weaker, their collective form can still pose a challenge."
"Do not waste any further dispelling magic; they likely have another trick up their sleeves," Imory interjected, taking the lead in the conversation. "Lynn, you are familiar with undead; this assault cannot be the end, correct? Will they not launch another attack?"
"Typically, the progression goes from rat swarm to rat corpses, then to rat bone swarms, culminating in the swarm of will-o'-the-wisps. A necromancer needs to use spells on a group of rats multiple times, which can be seen as a grotesque form of resource recycling."
The methods employed by some necromancers could indeed appear excessive, even eliciting a frown from Eirich. Nevertheless, upon grasping the situation, Eirich did not retreat; the cruelty of their adversaries only strengthened his resolve to stand firm.
"This is futile. Do they truly believe such tactics will deplete my dispelling magic? They are sorely mistaken." The Lothandar priest spoke with renewed determination and stepped forward once more, casting another dispel.
Again, the rat bone swarm was vanquished—this creature was even feebler than the rat corpses, and dispersing it posed no challenge.
However, just as Lynn had anticipated, illuminated by the spell, there appeared a silent and intangible mass of ghostly rats not far away. Undead, incorporeal, and collective—these creatures were indeed troublesome, and most crucially, dispelling them required the prowess of a legendary cleric.
"This time, I cannot dispel them alone; I require your assistance. I possess holy water; I will use my dispelling magic to hinder their ability to attack while you utilize the holy water against them."
Compared to the previous encounter, this time Eirich required cooperation. The will-o'-the-wisps were far too resilient for him to handle alone, and unwilling to squander spells, he opted for the use of holy water to address the threat. This request was met with favorable responses from the adventurers; after all, the will-o'-the-wisps lacked offensive capability and merely drained life force through negative energy, leading to a gradual demise. This process was exceedingly slow, granting the adventurers ample opportunity to escape.
With another dispelling magic successfully cast, the will-o'-the-wisps began to retreat, prompting the adventurers to pursue them relentlessly. Eirich led the charge, exuding confidence in his abilities and showing little concern for danger.
Lynn, however, lagged behind, refraining from a hasty attack. He still suspected that the vampires' strategy was not limited to merely using rats for a war of attrition; there was an underlying issue at play.
Indeed, as Eirich chased the will-o'-the-wisps into the tunnel, a sudden darkness enveloped the passage. Ethereal arms stretched forth from the walls on either side. The previous swarm of undead had obscured Eirich's detection, and he had not realized that incorporeal undead lay hidden within the narrow corridor, forming an ideal trap.
Yet, undeterred by the imminent threat, he swiftly raised his holy symbol and unleashed a dispelling magic upon the ghostly hands extending from the walls.
"Lothandar!"
The dispelling magic called forth in Lothandar's name had proven effective several times today. However, this time, his deity did not respond. Eirich's expression shifted, and he gestured, attempting to conjure a spell, but this time he could not even invoke his divine magic.
The cleric suddenly found himself bereft of his dispelling abilities and divine spells, realizing that he was ensnared in danger. In a moment of desperation, he rolled back to the entrance of the corridor.
From the depths of the tunnel, a horde of incorporeal undead streamed forth, appearing neither fully human nor entirely monstrous, their forms adorned with strange sigils. They looked utterly bizarre, but for Eirich, the most pressing concern was that these entities had severed his connection to the divine, leaving him momentarily disoriented.
At that moment, the mocking laughter of vampires echoed nearby; their voices were unmistakably close, even visible to Eirich. Clearly, they were the ones who had orchestrated this ambush, emerging to taunt him after their scheme had succeeded.
"Your god has forsaken you, priest!" taunted one of the vampires.
Yet the vampire's words did not extinguish Eirich's fighting spirit. Lynn seized the moment to speak. "That is the extinguishing spirit—it has severed your connection with the divine. This is not insurmountable; we can rectify this."
"Then we must act swiftly," Eirich replied without hesitation, his urgency evident. Lynn paused for a moment, comprehending the gravity of the situation.
Not far away, the will-o'-the-wisps had re-encircled them, and shadows of other undead began to materialize behind them. The minecart had yet to deliver new reinforcements, and the cleric had lost both his spells and dispelling magic. They now found themselves in their most critical predicament.