Chapter 222 - 221: Outpost Courtyard
The squad members got out of the carriage one by one.
The cold night wind blew past, invigorating their spirits.
Looking ahead, they could now see Rose Castle standing in the distance.
It was truly magnificent, covering a vast area, far beyond what the Wenmier Clan’s current small manors could compare to.
But time had also left its indelible mark upon it.
Most of the walls were covered in ivy, and the battlements in many places had collapsed, revealing the jagged brick and stone within.
The once-magnificent stained-glass windows were long shattered, leaving only black, hollow voids, like the eye sockets of a skull, silently staring at the visitors.
It loomed atop the hill like a skeleton left behind from a glorious bygone era.
"Honorable Adventurers, this is as far as I can take you."
The coachman seemed timid and fearful.
"It’s not safe any further ahead... But I’ll wait right here. You can come find me here directly after you complete your mission."
"Alright," Marcus nodded.
The coachman was just an ordinary person.
If he got any closer and was targeted by some Demon—even the simplest Skeleton Soldier—it could cost him his life.
After bidding farewell to the coachman, the squad began to advance on foot along the desolate stone-paved road.
The moonlight was bright tonight; they could see the path clearly even without torches or the Lighting Skill.
The term "former site" didn’t just refer to Rose Castle.
Along the way, Zelir also saw many dilapidated auxiliary buildings, most of which were low-lying houses.
Presumably, after Rose Castle was abandoned, the people who maintained these support structures also left, so they fell into ruin as well.
The group arrived at the drawbridge at the very front.
The drawbridge was lowered, covered in large patches of dry, blood-like moss.
Thick, rust-covered iron chains hung on both sides.
The moat beneath the bridge had long since dried up, filled with knee-high weeds that rippled like waves in the wind, making a RUSTLING sound.
"This place really is a bit creepy..." Gray drew his Longsword.
"We’re fighting at night. Everyone, be careful."
Marcus held his Shield in front of him and, as the vanguard, was the first to step onto the drawbridge.
"Stay alert to your surroundings at all times."
"Understood."
The squad members entered a combat-ready state.
They spread out in an arrowhead formation. Marcus was at the point, with Maki and Gray to his left and right, respectively, and Valles was behind Marcus.
Zelir was at the very rear, a position that gave him a clear view of the entire battlefield’s developments.
They had officially entered the outer bailey.
This was a huge plaza paved with gravel, with weeds sprouting from between the stones.
In the center of the plaza stood a fountain sculpture of a praying angel. Its white marble body had also crumbled and broken over the years.
Fine cracks spread across the exquisitely carved facial features, looking like an angel’s teardrops.
Surrounding the plaza were dilapidated stone cloisters.
More than half of the stone pillars that once supported a magnificent dome had collapsed, casting deep, jagged shadows in the moonlight.
"Tsk tsk, no wonder Patriarch Vance wants to restore this Ancient Castle..."
Maki said with a sigh, looking up at the magnificent but dilapidated structure.
Putting aside everything else, just look at this forecourt.
If they could just get this place fixed up, anyone who stepped foot in here would surely be filled with awe and respect for the Wenmier Clan.
As the squad reached the center of the courtyard, just as they passed the Angel Statue, a strange sound suddenly rang out.
"CRACKLE... CLACK... CLACK..."
From the shadows of the surrounding cloisters, the grating sound of grinding bones rose up at the same time.
Under the moonlight, more than ten Skeleton Soldiers wearing tattered Chain Armor and holding Bone Spears slowly stepped out.
Within their empty eye sockets, eerie green Soul Fires ignited one after another.
They stared in unison toward the Marcus Squad in the center of the courtyard, then advanced with stiff gaits.
"Time for some action..."
Gray tightened his grip on his Longsword.
But before the rest of the squad could even move, scorching Fireballs appeared one after another.
Their searing light dispelled the darkness, and then they shot out fiercely!
Fractal Fire!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!"
A series of explosions erupted!
The Fractal Fire Zelir unleashed was like an advancing wall of flame, wiping out most of the Skeleton Soldiers in the very first clash.
Normally, Fireball-type attacks weren’t very effective against Skeleton Soldiers; it was best to use blunt-force Magic.
During the previous graveyard cleanup mission, Zelir had used the Ice Cone Skill.
But his current Magic Power Strength was on a completely different level than before.
The concussive force of the Magic Power contained within the Fractal Fire directly blasted the Skeleton Soldiers to bits, along with the tattered Chain Armor on their bodies.
The few that slipped through the net were easily dispatched by Maki and Gray.
With a powerful horizontal sweep, Maki sent two Skeleton Soldiers flying.
Gray’s Longsword swung through, piercing the vulnerable gap in a cervical vertebra and severing it completely.
He followed up by stomping on the skull, finishing it off.
The entire battle was over in less than two minutes. The intensity was so low that Valles didn’t even get a chance to make a move.
Soon, the ground was littered with bone fragments.
Zelir’s Experience Points increased slightly.
Level 21 (463/600) -> Level 21 (484/600).
"I have a question... This Ancient Castle has been abandoned for decades and everyone moved out long ago. So where did the bodies come from to turn into Skeleton Soldiers?"
Maki kicked the Chain Armor on a dead Skeleton Soldier. "And they even knew to wear armor."
Even though it’s all rusted and decayed, it’s definitely better protection than bare bones.
"Homeless vagrants."
Gray shrugged.
"No matter how ruined the Ancient Castle is, the walls are still standing. At least it offers some shelter from the elements."
"Those vagrants died here. Over time, as the Undead presence grew stronger, their corpses naturally transformed into Skeleton Soldiers."
"As for the Chain Armor... they probably scavenged it from some storeroom in the Ancient Castle, right?"
After collecting the jawbones from the slain Skeleton Soldiers as proof of kill, the squad continued onward.
After crossing the outer bailey and pushing open the large gate at the far end, they were met with the sight of a stone bridge.
The outer bailey and Rose Castle, two large architectural complexes, were actually separated by a chasm.
The group walked to the edge of the bridge and looked down, but they had no idea how deep it was.
In any case, they couldn’t see the bottom; their view was quickly obstructed by swirling mist.
The stone bridge was about fifty meters long, with a wide surface.
It connected the two cliffs; this was the only way to enter Rose Castle.
Maki tentatively stomped a foot on the bridge’s surface, feeling a little uneasy.
"Hey... this thing isn’t going to suddenly collapse when we’re halfway across, is it?"
Even as a Middle Level Warrior, the fall would surely be fatal.