Rat Calendar (Year 2026) - Verdant Hollow
On the 7th of March, in the Inner Zone of Verdant Hollow, the air grew heavy with the stench of decay as the party entered the heart of the cemetery. Twisted, gnarled trees clawed at the sky, casting long, skeletal shadows across crumbling tombstones. Bones littered the ground, a grim carpet leading to a ruined mausoleum at the far end.
"Eyes open," the party leader growled, his voice low. "They're here."
As if on cue, a chorus of rattling and clanking echoed from the darkness. Skeletons, their bones a sickly yellow in the fading light, surged from behind the tombstones and from within the ruined buildings. Skeleton archers, perched on crumbling ledges, nocked bone arrows. Taller, more imposing figures, the Skeleton Knights, stood guard before the mausoleum, their rusted armor glinting menacingly.
The Shieldwoman, a wall of steel, moved forward. "For Nova Asta!" she roared, her voice echoing across the graveyard. She slammed her shield into the first wave of skeletons, sending bones flying like macabre confetti. Twenty, maybe twenty-five skeletons shattered from the impact. She activated "Taunt Shielder," a wave of energy rippling outwards. The skeletons, their empty eye sockets burning with an unnatural light, turned their attention solely on her.
"Shield Barrier!" she bellowed, and a shimmering blue aura enveloped her, extending to encompass the party.
The two Heavy Swordsmen, their faces grim, moved as one. They charged towards the Skeleton Knights, their greatswords whistling through the air. "Dual Enhancement!" they shouted in unison, their movements blurring with unnatural speed. They struck the first knight simultaneously, their blades meeting with a deafening clang. The knight staggered, but the synchronized attack was a perfect, the skill activating.
"Lila, keep those potions ready!" Accel shouted, his hand hovering over the runes etched onto his belt. He felt a surge of energy as he focused on a specific skeleton, one with a darker, oily residue clinging to its bones. Dark reinforcement. Need to counter it.
"Got it!" Lila replied, her voice steady despite the chaos. She tossed a vial that shattered near, its contents spilling onto the grounds, it turned into mud. She was already mixing another concoction, her hands moving with practiced ease.
Accel quickly etched a "Purification Rune" onto a small, smooth stone. He tossed it to one of the Swordsmen. "Embed this in your blade! It'll disrupt their unnatural reinforcement!"
The Swordsman caught the stone, jamming it into a small indentation on his blade. A soft, white light pulsed from the rune. He grinned, a flash of teeth in the gloom. "Thanks, Archivist!"
The Archer and the Mage unleashed a volley of arrows and firebolts. The arrows, tipped with silver, found their marks in the Skeleton Archers, while the firebolts exploded amongst the advancing ranks of lesser skeletons.
Lyra, the Healer, chanted softly, her hands glowing with a warm, golden light. A wave of healing energy washed over the party, mending minor wounds and bolstering their strength.
Suddenly, a Skeleton Archer's arrow, tipped with a sickly green substance, whizzed past Accel's head, striking Lyra in the shoulder. She cried out, stumbling back.
"Healer down!" the party leader yelled.
The Shieldwoman roared, repositioning herself to protect Lyra. "Hold the line!"
Accel reacted instantly. He drew a "Protection Rune" on a piece of parchment and slapped it onto Lyra's armor. A faint blue shimmer surrounded her, deflecting another incoming arrow. "Lila, she needs a health potion, now!"
Lila tossed a vial to Lyra, who quickly uncorked it and drank. The color returned to her face, and the wound on her shoulder began to close.
The Swordsmen, fueled by the Purification Rune, finally shattered the first Skeleton Knight. But as it fell, more emerged from behind the mausoleum, their bones larger, their armor thicker.
"More Knights!" one of the Swordsmen shouted, his voice strained.
Just as the party seemed to be gaining a small advantage, the ground trembled. From the depths of the ruined mausoleum, a figure emerged. Taller than the knights, clad in ornate, blackened armor, it held a staff topped with a glowing skull. The Skeleton Mage.
The air crackled with dark energy. The Skeleton Mage raised its staff, and a wave of black fire erupted, sweeping across the cemetery. The party scattered, narrowly avoiding the blast.
"Scatter!" the leader yelled. "Don't let it hit you!"
The Mage then began to chant, its voice a dry, rasping whisper. The ground around it began to bubble, and from the disturbed earth, more skeletons clawed their way free, their bones glowing with the same dark energy as the Mage.
"It's summoning more!" the Archer shouted, firing arrow after arrow at the Mage, but they were deflected by a shimmering barrier.
Accel felt a surge of information flood his mind as he focused on the Mage. Archivist System: Analysis Complete: Necromantic Energy Signature - High Vulnerability to Radiant Damage.
"The Mage is weak to radiant damage!" Accel shouted, relaying the information. "Mage, Archer, if you have anything holy or light-based, use it!"
He quickly etched another rune, this one a "Radiant Rune," onto a small piece of metal. He tossed it to the Mage. "Imbue your spells with this! It'll amplify the effect!"
The Mage caught the rune, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He began to chant, weaving the rune's power into his next spell.
The Shieldwoman continued to hold the line, absorbing the brunt of the skeletal onslaught. The Swordsmen fought back-to-back, their synchronized attacks carving a path through the undead. Lila kept the potions flowing, tossing health and energy refills to those who needed them.
The Mage, his spell now infused with radiant energy, unleashed a blinding blast of light. It struck the Skeleton Mage, shattering its barrier and staggering it backward. The newly summoned skeletons, weakened by the radiant energy, crumbled to dust.
"Now's our chance!" the party leader yelled. "All out attack!"
The party surged forward, a wave of steel, magic, and courage crashing against the remaining skeletons and the wounded Mage. The battle raged, a chaotic dance of death and defiance in the heart of the haunted cemetery. The Skeleton Mage roared, preparing one final, desperate spell, a swirling vortex of dark energy gathering in its skeletal hands. The fate of the party, and the success of the quest, hung in the balance.