The Record Tower wasn't designed for modern locks, but Sarah's key card still worked. The heavy door clicked open, and they stumbled inside just as another tremor shook the castle. Sean's enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of more Fomorians scaling the outer walls – the scrape of claws on stone, the wet slap of webbed feet, the guttural clicks they used to communicate.
"What do we do?" Sarah's hands shook as she tried to activate the tower's emergency lights. "Phones are dead, radio's dead, and those... things are everywhere."
Sean's new interface highlighted structural points around the room, ancient knowledge mixing with modern tactical analysis:
[Location: Record Tower - Dublin Castle]
[Strategic Value: High]
[Defensibility Rating: 78%]
[Suggested Actions: Secure Perimeter, Establish Base Camp]
"We fortify," he said, moving to the windows. His enhanced vision cut through the strange darkness outside, mapping the castle's layout with overlaid tactical data. "This tower's perfect – thick walls, good sight lines, easily defensible staircase. The Fomorians won't be able to mass their larger troops in the narrow corridors."
"Larger troops?" Sarah's voice cracked. "That thing you killed was already massive!"
"That was a scout. Probably not even fully grown." Sean's genetic memory supplied images of the true monsters still to come. "The big ones are still in the bay. We'll hear them when they start moving inland."
[New Quest Available: Secure the Record Tower]
[Objectives:
Barricade All Entrances
Establish Safe Zone
Gather Basic Supplies
Locate Other Survivors]
The emergency lights finally sputtered to life, casting the tower's interior in a dim red glow. Sean took stock of their surroundings. The Record Tower had been modernized over the years – computer terminals lined the walls, and climate-controlled storage units held historical documents. But the old bones of the place remained unchanged. The stone walls were five feet thick in places, and the medieval arrow slits would work just as well against Fomorian acid spit as they had against Norman arrows.
His interface pinged:
[Area Analysis Complete]
[Defensible Positions Identified]
[Resource Cache Located]
[Warning: Multiple Entities Approaching From East Wing]
"Someone's coming," Sean said, moving to the door. "Three... no, four people. Running from something."
Sarah joined him at the door's small window. "How can you possibly..."
"Help!" A voice echoed up the stairwell. "Someone please!"
Sean's enhanced vision caught movement in the darkness below – three castle staff members and a security guard, racing up the spiral stairs. Behind them, something big was smashing its way through the narrow passage, stone crumbling under powerful blows.
[Combat Scenario Detected]
[Recommended Action: Ranged Engagement]
[Available Weapons: Limited]
[New Skill Available: Improvised Combat Tactics]
"Get ready to open the door," Sean told Sarah. He grabbed a metal pole from a nearby display stand, his Spear Mastery skill automatically adjusting his grip. The metal hummed under his fingers, responding to his awakened blood.
The survivors reached their floor, gasping for breath. Sarah yanked the door open.
"Inside! Now!"
They rushed in – two tour guides Sean recognized from previous visits, a maintenance worker, and the guard. The guard's uniform was spattered with something that looked like black ink, and he was clutching his right arm.
"Close it!" he shouted. "Those fucking things are right behind..."
The stairwell wall exploded inward. A massive scaled arm, twice the size of the scout's, punched through the ancient stone. This time, Sean's Monster Analysis skill activated automatically:
[Entity Identified: Fomorian Warrior]
[Threat Level: High]
[Weaknesses Detected:
Limited Mobility in Confined Spaces
Vulnerable Eye Structure
Poor Vertical Tracking]
"Everyone get back," Sean ordered, his Fenian Leadership skill lending his voice a resonance that made the others instantly obey. He felt the power of his bloodline surge as he stepped forward, weapon raised.
The Fomorian warrior pulled itself partly through the breach, its massive head alone filling the gap. Unlike the scout, this one wore crude armor made from what looked like shipwreck metal, and its eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence.
[Combat Tutorial: Advanced Targeting]
[Weak Points Highlighted]
[Recommended Strike Zones Marked]
The creature opened its mouth, revealing rows of teeth like corroded metal. But Sean was already moving, his enhanced muscles coiling for the strike. The metal pole wasn't a legendary spear, but in that moment, with his ancestor's power flowing through him, it would have to do.
The Fomorian warrior's acid spit melted a perfect hole through the floor where Sean had been standing a split second before. He rolled, came up in a crouch, and threw the metal pole with all his enhanced strength. His Spear Mastery skill guided the improvised weapon straight into the creature's left eye.
[Critical Hit!]
[Damage Dealt: 247]
[Experience Gained: 75]
[New Skill Unlocked: Weakness Exploitation]
The monster's roar of pain shook dust from the ceiling. It thrashed, widening the hole in the wall, but the narrow stairwell prevented it from fully entering – exactly as Sean had predicted.
"The shelving units!" he shouted to the others. "Push them in front of the breach!"
The maintenance worker – his nametag read 'Mike' – was first to move. "These things weigh a ton!"
"Just do it!"
Sean's interface flashed new warnings:
[Multiple Hostile Signatures Detected]
[Reinforcements Approaching: 3 Minutes]
[Structural Integrity Warning: East Wall]
The Fomorian warrior tried to pull back, but the metal pole had lodged deep in its skull, pinning it in place. Black blood that smelled like rotten seaweed poured from the wound. Sean grabbed another pole from a fallen display, his skills automatically calculating the best angle of attack.
"Second strike incoming!" he warned. "Cover your ears!"
This time, he aimed for the throat. The pole punched through scales and corrupted flesh, striking something vital. The warrior's death scream was deafening in the confined space, but Sean was already moving to help with the barricade.
[Kill Confirmed]
[Experience Gained: 150]
[Level Up!]
[New Skills Available]
His enhanced strength made the difference. Together, they managed to push three heavy metal shelving units in front of the breach, just as Sean's senses picked up more movement in the stairwell below.
"That won't hold them for long," the security guard said. He'd pulled himself together, though he was still favoring his right arm. "I'm David, by the way. Head of castle security. Or what's left of it."
"Sean." He quickly checked his new status:
[Name: Sean O'Brien]
[Level: 2]
[Class: Fenian Hunter]
[Health: 180/180]
[Mana: 200/200]
[Stamina: 150/150]
[New Skills Unlocked:]
Tactical Assessment (Passive)
Quick Strike (Active)
Basic Leadership (Passive)
"We need to secure the whole floor," Sean said, his Tactical Assessment skill already mapping out defensive positions. "Sarah, how many other ways up are there?"
"Just the main stair and the service elevator," she replied, seeming calmer now that they had a plan. "The elevator's been dead since everything went dark."
"Good. That makes things simpler." Sean moved to the windows, checking the courtyard below. His enhanced vision cut through the darkness, revealing more Fomorians gathering in the shadows. They seemed to be organizing, showing more intelligence than the legends suggested.
[Area Scan Complete]
[Hostile Count: 17 and Rising]
[Recommended Action: Establish Defense Perimeter]
"Mike, what tools do you have?"
The maintenance worker emptied his pockets onto a desk: screwdrivers, a hammer, wire cutters, and various other tools. "Was doing repairs in the State Apartments when everything went to hell."
"Perfect." Sean's interface highlighted the most useful items. "We can use these to secure the doors. The other tour guides..."
"Claire and Emma," Sarah supplied.
"Claire and Emma, I need you to check our supplies. Water, food, first aid – anything useful. David, let me see that arm."
The security guard's wound wasn't as bad as it looked – mostly bruising from a glancing blow. Sean's interface provided basic medical analysis:
[Injury Assessment: Minor]
[Treatment Required: Basic]
[Warning: All Injuries More Severe Under System Rules]
A distant explosion rocked the castle. Sean's enhanced hearing picked up the sound of combat from the direction of Dame Street – gunfire, screams, and the roars of what had to be larger Fomorians.
"They're pushing inland," he said grimly. "Using the Liffey as a highway into the city center. But they'll need this castle. It's the perfect staging ground for an invasion."
"How do you know all this?" David asked, wincing as he tested his arm.
Before Sean could answer, his interface flashed red:
[Warning: Major Hostile Entity Detected]
[Classification: Elite]
[Estimated Time to Contact: 5 Minutes]
Through the window, Sean saw something massive moving through the bay darkness. Something that made the warrior they'd just killed look like a minnow.
The real battle for Dublin Castle was about to begin.
The tower's stone walls trembled as the elite Fomorian emerged from the bay. Sean's Monster Analysis skill activated automatically, and for the first time, he felt a spike of real fear:
[Entity Identified: Fomorian War-Chief]
[Threat Level: Extreme]
[Size Classification: Apex]
[Warning: Current Combat Rating Insufficient]
"Mother of God," David breathed, joining Sean at the window. "That thing's bigger than the castle."
The War-Chief rose from the water like a mountain of corrupted flesh and ancient metal. Its armor, forged from centuries of shipwrecks, creaked and dripped with seawater. A crown of barnacle-encrusted spears jutted from its misshapen head, and in one massive hand, it clutched what looked like the remains of a fishing trawler, wielding it like a club.
[Strategic Analysis:]
Direct Combat: Suicide
Recommended Action: Survive and Observe
Defensive Positions Critical
Additional Resources Required
"Everyone away from the windows," Sean ordered, his Leadership skill automatically projecting calm authority. "Claire, Emma – what supplies did you find?"
"Some vending machine snacks," Claire reported. "First aid kits from three floors. About forty bottles of water from the tour guide station. And..." she hesitated. "The gift shop's replica weapons."
Sean's interface highlighted the pile of tourist tat – plastic swords, resin spears, decorative daggers. But under his enhanced vision, something caught his eye. Among the replicas lay a single authentic piece: an old spearhead, more rust than metal, still attached to a fragment of ancient wood.
[Item Detected: Historical Artifact]
[Classification: Potential Legacy Weapon]
[Resonance with Bloodline Detected]
The whole castle shook as the War-Chief took its first step onto land. Sean grabbed the spearhead, and the moment his fingers touched it, his genetic memory exploded with recognition. This wasn't just any old weapon – it was a fragment of something legendary.
[Item Identified: Partial Legacy Weapon]
[Connection Established: Lúin of Celtchar Fragment]
[Warning: Significant Power Required for Activation]
The spearhead grew warm in his grip, responding to his bloodline. His interface filled with new information:
[Legacy Weapon Fragment Bonding...]
[Requirements Met: Blood of Fionn]
[Additional Fragments Required: 299]
[Basic Functions Available]
"Sean?" Sarah's voice snapped him back to the present. "Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it now."
She was right. The War-Chief had reached the castle walls. Its massive head lowered, fish-eyes peering directly into their tower. Sean felt the weight of its ancient malevolence – this wasn't some mindless beast. This was a commander, a strategist, analyzing their defenses.
[Tactical Options Updated]
[New Skill Available: Rally Point]
[Warning: Multiple Hostiles Converging]
"Mike," Sean said, grip tightening on the spearhead, "how well do you know the castle's maintenance tunnels?"
"Like the back of my hand. Used them to run new wiring last year."
"Good. Because we're about to use them." Sean's Tactical Assessment skill highlighted a path through his interface. "There's an old passage under this tower, probably sealed up centuries ago. We need to find it. Now."
The War-Chief raised its makeshift club.
"MOVE!" Sean shouted. Everyone scrambled away from the windows just as the fishing trawler smashed into the tower. Stone cracked but held – the old walls living up to their reputation.
[Structure Integrity: 72%]
[Secondary Impacts Imminent]
[New Quest Available: Escape the War-Chief]
As the others began shifting furniture away from where his interface indicated the hidden passage should be, Sean gripped the spearhead tighter. The fragment of Lúin hummed with power, responding to the presence of Ireland's ancient enemies. It wasn't much – a shadow of its former glory – but it was a start.
The War-Chief drew back for another strike.
[Choice Required: Stand and Fight or Strategic Retreat]
[Warning: Survival Chances Limited]
[Legacy Quest Available: Recover the Spear]
Sean O'Brien, Level 2 Fenian Hunter, looked at the frightened survivors counting on him, then at the fragment of legendary spear in his hand. The old stories never mentioned Fionn Mac Cumhaill running from a fight. But they never mentioned him being stupid, either.
"The passage," he said. "Now."
The War-Chief's roar shook all of Dublin, but Sean was already moving. The first battle for the castle was lost. But the war? That was just beginning.