The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 75] ROSE: The Forgotten Prison

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“Run.” Zentrias yelled. As they sprinted away, their leader hung back and struck a wall. Large cracks formed from the point of impact, and everything behind them collapsed. Rose had just the time to see the outline of a white skull drop down into the sewers.

Zentrias didn’t stop his destruction, bouncing back forth between the walls causing cave-ins. Meanwhile Dawn took the lead, freezing the lesser undead in their path. Loud crashing shook the ground as the pursuing reaper ripped through the obstacles barring its way.

“What if all this noise attracts another one?” Rose asked, fighting off the panic while charging a ball of red power in her hands.

“Won’t happen.” Carol answered. “They never team up unless facing a strong immortal.”

As they desperately fled, Rose realized the reaper was catching up. We’re too close to the surface, and there isn’t enough material above us. Although Zentrias was compensating for this by shattering walls and ceiling into large chunks, in many places this wasn’t enough to completely block the passage.

Her fears proved true when a black robed figure smashed its way into view. Twice the size of a grown man, the grim reaper held a giant scythe in its skeletal hands. Its presence radiated death.

Rose pushed passed Zentrias and unleashed the magic she’d gathered. A flood of fire poured forth, gradually sweeping the reaper back. When the torrent of flames weakened, Zentrias grabbed her and pulled her away as the stone around them came tumbling down.

“We must head somewhere deeper.” Zentrias cried out.

“This way.” Carol directed them through a side passageway and down a flight of stairs into a catacomb.

This changed in venues altered the chase without improving their situation. While it was simple for Zentrias to obstruct the narrow passageways, they were were far more interconnected than the long sewer corridors. The reaper took advantage of this, taking detours to reach them. They were forced to constantly change directions depending on which way it was circling around. The game of cat and mouse continued until they broke into a wide space with a chasm at the center.

“Jump down.” Zentrias ordered, kneeling at the edge. A magic circle made up of purple runes appeared around him. “I’ll seal the entrance behind us.”

They dropped down, and Rose summoned fire fairies to light their way. A deafening explosion followed a moment later. She glanced up to see Zentrias falling with a wave of debris at his back. What if this doesn’t lead anywhere? Rose objected silently.

Fortunately, there was an opening at the bottom, and they all rushed out before being buried alive. Around them was a cave through which ran a stone causeway.

“Let’s catch our breath.” Zentrias said, sitting down. They barely had time to rest before the ground rumbled. It happened again a second later. Something was digging down towards them.

“That persistent bastard…” Dawn swore softly.

“It’s not giving up.” Carol agreed grimly.

Zentrias glanced around worriedly. “This place is too big to block off. We must move.”

No one said a word as they traveled the strange underground road. Everyone knew they were dead if the grim reaper caught up here. Because of this, the periodic trembling causing small rocks to jump around was reassuring.

“There’s a building ahead.” Dawn announced excitedly. The structure appeared to be chiseled from the rock, and the architecture seemed familiar.

“That looks like a sanctified ground.” Carol added. They sped up and were relieved when a sense of safety washed over them after passing the entrance.

This time they all fell to the floor, panting. Thank god. As she lay on her back, Rose turned to see a ghastly figure floating just beyond the doorway. It was strange gazing at the undead without the dread. Its terrifying aura couldn’t reach them here.

“How long will it wait there?” Dawn wondered.

“Could be a while, they hate abandoning their prey.” Carol responded. “Not that it really matters.”

“What do you mean?” Rose asked.

“There’s only one reason for a sanctified ground to be here.” Zentrias answered. “This is the entrance to a secret side area. It’s what I was counting on. I’m so glad my instincts were right.”

Rose reflected on their escape. Fleeing continuing through the catacombs might’ve been safer than plunging into the chasm, at least initially. However, once Zentrias’s stamina ran out, they would’ve had no choice but to split up, sacrificing one for the survival of the others. I probably would’ve made the same gamble he did.

On the opposite side of the building was a massive cavern. Rose send her fairies into the darkness and was surprised to recognize what she saw.

“What do you think?” Dawn asked.

“It looks like Earth’s End.” Rose said. Below them, domes and rectangular building were linked together by a twisted network of enclosed passageways. Even their black metallic exterior was as she remembered.

Zentrias sighed. “Agreed, this is a structure made by Sola or the reproduction of one… I didn’t believe we’d run into one so soon.”

“We were expecting them towards the dungeon’s end, guarded by liches.” Carol explained. “It’s the one aspect we both agreed on when discussing the layout.”

Rose noted that, while the cavern didn’t have any visible way out, many of the corridors and domes disappeared into the rock walls. Logically, if they traveled within the structure, they’d reach somewhere new. There’s no choice really, with the reaper behind us.

It didn’t take long to locate the entrance. “Any idea what’s inside?” Zentrias asked.

Rose close her eyes. Soon she’d reached a room lined with cells, and behind the bars were bodies reeking of danger. Anxiously, she crept forward. Halfway through, the corpses rose, moaning horribly, and tore their way out from their confinement. She ended it there.

“I’ve never seen that type of undead.” Rose apologized.

“I have.” Carol said. “Those are wretches, formed when grudges reanimate torture victims. This place must have been a prison.”

“How do you know so much about obscure undead?” Rose asked. This was starting to undermine her self-confidence as a necromancer.

Carol shrugged. “My summons feed on my fears, and there is nothing more terrifying to react to. I thoroughly explored the archives when I was at Xarst.”

“What should we know about them?” Zentrias seemed keen to get back on track.

“Their sin is lethargy. They spend their time in a trance, reliving the trauma of their mortal form. Once disturbed, they’ll fight until their target is crippled and dying then sink back into their stupor. Other undead will often drag wretches towards the living, so their presence is a constant threat.”

“How dangerous are they?” Zentrias asked.

“They’re about as strong as wights and their abilities depend how their host died. Since their minds are in perpetual agony, their intellect is on the level of ghouls.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Dawn observed.

Carol shook her head. “They are the most resilient of any undead, capable of regenerating from an amazing amount of abuse. Putting them down for good is so troublesome most don’t bother.”

Zentrias Frowned surveying the intertwined metal. “Too bad the outside is indestructible. We’ll have to do this the hard way.”

They made their way inside, and Rose was able to get a closer look at the wretches. They resembled the wights, except they wore rags and much of their bodies were missing. Eyes, lower jaw, the flesh of their arms and legs, the skin from their faces… So much was gone they almost resembled skeletons. Once they’d finished standing in their cells, she gasped as their hands transformed into metal and their fingers became sharp blades.

As Carol warned them, no matter how many times they were struck down, they pulled themselves together and got back up. Rose gave up burning them and focused on blowing them apart. Those finger blades were capable of making deep scratches into Dawn’s ice armor and were way too dangerous to allow up close.

Each time they moved to a new structure, Dawn would summon an ice wall to hold back the wretches behind them. They’d then fight their way through the next area and repeat the process. Luckily, before they could be overwhelmed by the growing number of undead, they discovered a door they could close, and Zentrias warped it so it’d never open again.

The slow, arduous journey dragged on. It took longer to find a second door, and they came close to being overwhelmed. When they attempted to take a short rest on the other side, the frantic scratching of claws on the doorway wore away on their nerves and compelled them to continue.

They reached a large dome with a pit in the center. Under the light of Rose’s fairies, they saw hundreds of bodies at the bottom. Some began to stir.

“We run.” Zentrias yelled. “And we don’t stop until the next door.”

They dashed for the hallway on the opposite side while knocking down the undead climbing out. By the time they made it into the passageway, the entire pit was active. A horde overflowed after them, and the ground beneath them vibrated from the stampede. Arriving at the next set of cells, Rose was horrified to see wretches already rising, awoken by the commotion.

Carol summoned an ogre to bulldoze a path for them. Dawn and Zentrias dealt with those on the sides, and Rose launched fireballs at their pursuers. There were so many now they couldn’t all fit in the narrow corridors, and they were squeezed together in one giant mass. Exploding those in front had little impact as their bodies were pushed forwards by the unstoppable tide.

They made a mad scrabble for what seemed an eternity. Their entire being was focused on survival, without sparing a thought to which direction they headed. Luck was with them as, before exhaustion claimed them, they spotted another door. They slammed it shut and sealed it. The metal buckled in several place, but it held firm. Surprisingly, the pressure on the other side soon ceased, and a solemn quiet returned. Certain the door wouldn’t give way, they observed their surroundings.

They were in smaller dome. The space was empty aside from a body hanging high on the far side. Chains stretched from every corner, hooking into its tattered flesh. A sinking feeling engulfed Rose. This is a boss, isn’t it?

As if to answer her question, the figure raised its head. Chains shot at them from every directions, wrapping them up from head to toe and lifting them into air. Rose struggled, but made little progress. It took most of her energy to simply avoid being crushed by the tightening embrace. She looked over and felt a twisted satisfaction at seeing Dawn equally trapped. This was immediately followed by dread. If she can’t get out, what hope do I have?

One by one, the bindings holding Zentrias snapped, and he dropped to the floor. The hanging wretch, which had gone dormant again, glanced up, and black steel once more captured the man.

“Don’t worry…” Zentrias wheezed. “I’m getting the hang of destroying these.” Breaking free, he approached and released Rose too. “Start burning him. I believe this will take a while.”

“Done.” Rose released a crimson fireball, and the frightening wretch was engulfed in the flames. A second later, she was entangled and dragged off her feet.

The battle became a long war of attrition as the chains tried to squeeze the life out of them while the wretch slowly immolated. Although Zentrias spent the entire time shattering bindings, at least one of them was always stuck at in bondage at any given time. Eventually, Dawn grew tired of this and told them to leave her alone as she was strong enough to withstand the pressure. Meanwhile, Carol encased herself in bones to protect herself. This allowed Zentrias to focus on keeping Rose unbound so she could better cook their foe.

Two hours later, the wretch gave in and collapsed into ash. All the chains disintegrated, revealing the hidden exit. Except for them, the dome became empty. I never want to fight one of those again, ever.

They made their way into a small, bright room. At the center, on a podium, was a pair of shiny gray gauntlets.

“Go ahead and take them.” Dawn magnanimously motioned Zentrias. “We would’ve never beaten that thing without you.” No one objected.

Zentrias picked up the metallic gloves and examined them. He then handed them to Carol. “Could you check if they’re cursed? I’m not confident we can trust the loot here.”

“There’s nothing obviously wrong with it,” Carol ultimately declared. “But I sense powerful enchantments buried deep within, so its impossible to be sure.”

“I see…” Zentrias stared intently at his prize. “After everything we went through, it’d be a pity not to try them on.”

He carefully reached his hand inside one. Then his eyes opened in shock. “Amazing… I don’t feel like I am wearing anything at all.” He wiggled his metal-covered fingers, causing destructive sparks to fly out. “This is perfect for me.”

I’m just glad some good came from all this. Rose was beginning to understand why all adventurers hated undead dungeons. Fortunately, the bright room led out into a cave where they found a building with a sanctified ground. There was a one-way elevator up, but everyone agreed to some well-earned rest first.