Pestilence: Rise Of The Pure Undead

Chapter 30: Switch Aim

"Oh crap-" Zola tried to step forward but was instantly stopped by Saul’s arm.

"Are you really trying to go check up on this guy?! It’s clearly suspicious" he stared at the fallen and unmoving figure, trying to catch sight of any suspicious movement or waiting for a noise to come from the figure.

However, they were as silent as one could possibly hope to be and garbed in an ample cloak, they looked nothing more than a dark bump on the ground, he couldn’t discern any sort of shapes.

The figure was soaking wet, a puddle of water forming where it had fallen, taking a few more steps forward to allow the diamond-shaped light to reveal the full extent of the dark shape.

"Ouch…" both of the brothers emitted the same noise as it came into view that the shrouded figure had an old, rusty blade stuck in its back.

Saul would have liked to point out a lack of blood, but the dark mantle could very well have been absorbing most of the bleeding.

"I certainly hope it isn’t actually some guy bleeding out to death whilst we are just watching" Zola voiced out his concern but Saul wasn’t buying into any of it.

"We checked every nook and cranny of this place, this guy is soaked, meaning that he came from the flooded area, the water was nearly freezing cold and he somehow didn’t make a single noise whilst making his way here with a sword stabbed straight through his back? I don’t believe a word of it, let’s just get out of here-" Saul was adamant on taking the least risk possible.

Zola on the other hand, felt like there was something to do.

"Right, by all means, it appears that this is actually the famed monster that throws rocks and random crap, so, let’s kill it" Zola thought back on some things he had heard about the monster.

What truly stood out was its shrewdness and lack of mindless aggressivity, a sign that it was a cut above the regular monster’s the two were used to kill, but that did not mean that it was out of their leagues, the simple facts that it kept its distances and employed such tactics should be proof enough that it wasn’t one possessing incredible physical might or magical powers, it did seem to have access to some terrible substances, but all signs of it had ended up disappearing.

The brothers simply exchanged a glance and Saul spoke.

"Nah, this is just too odd" Zola sighed and yielded, they began walking away.

After a few seconds, both Saul and Zola reached for a dagger tied around their waists, throwing it at the unmoving figure on the ground, striking it, the sound of flesh being pierced and clear, yet the monster didn’t move an inch or react in any other way.

They looked at one another, Zola shrugged and they both moved up to the cloaked dark bump, lifting the cloth from as far as possible using his longsword, they both stood in witness to a corpse.

The corpse of a beyond decrepit old man, the upper half of his face blasted to smithereens.

Before any of the two could realise that they had been had, a brick flew out from the darkness and smashed the floating diamond-light, drowning the surroundings into darkness, the faint light that remained was that coming from the not-so distant entrance, they were lucky that tonight was a full moon.

Still, they couldn’t see anything, and the sound of something running around soon filled their ears.

"Back to back! Shield your face!" Saul shouted, the two siblings were close enough to one another to not be separated, sticking together, they began moving toward the faint moonlight, they had spent much time running around the dungeon.

They didn’t run, feeling like they were going to accidentally trip on something or run straight into a spike of some sort.

The unseen monster showered them in bricks, no signs of the strange substances they had heard about, Zola and Saul seemed to only be deserving of stone.

’It’s going to leave some marks…’ Zola couldn’t help but think before a brick hit him in the back of the head.

May the man who invented helms be blessed, he had just saved his life, or at least a bad concussion.

The lapidation suddenly stopped.

’No more ammunition?’ Saul held his breath of relief in.

Something began running straight toward Zola, the sounds of its strange footsteps echoing down the halls.

They were nearing the exit, just a few more steps before they were basked in light.

Zola only had his longsword, Saul pushed his brother to safety and raised his shield, bracing himself for whatever was coming.

The footsteps neared close before stopping, using its momentum, the monster had jumped up and used its whole weight to dropkick Saul, his shield blocked the brunt of the unexpected attack, which he had no way of knowing was actually dropkick but his arm behind the shield still ached.

Groaning in pain, he was thrown in the light as well.

He expected an inhumane horror to come rushing out of the darkness, to pin him to the ground and drive something straight into his throat.

He only heard the sound of retreating footsteps and a loud, clacking noise, like a bear trap biting shut on nothing.

"Ah… What the hell was that?" he spoke aloud with a smile on his face, his heart had really begun racing back there.

But both of them were fine in the end, Saul felt like something was off with his shield-holding arm, Zola was starting to believe he had received one too many bricks to the head.

They would both undoubtedly still need some time to recuperate from all of this, but they were alive and well, it was all that mattered.

"Urgh… I am never going to another dungeon ever again" Zola spoke as they both stepped outside, breathing the fresh air of the night.

"You said it" the two stumbled away under the moonlight, unaware that they were being watched.

Loimos had concluded that the people coming to the dungeon weren’t adequate targets for the current him.

He was going to aim lower.