Chapter 11: Finding The Resting Chamber
The pair stared at the underground opening.
Winston awkwardly glanced at his belly. "That entrance looks kind of narrow..."
"From what I’ve read, the inside is quite spacious. Only the opening is this bad." Leonard reassured, taking the lead.
Winston sucked in his stomach and followed suit.
The passage was tight, and the cramped stone walls made it difficult to venture deeper.
Leonard emerged on the other side and let out a relieved sigh. "It wasn’t that bad."
He looked back to see Winston stuck in the entrance, struggling to move forward or back.
"A little help?" Winston stretched out his hand with a hopeful smile.
Leonard let out a quiet chuckle and pulled him through.
The two brushed off the dust that had gotten on their attire and examined the inner chamber of the Haunted Catacombs.
Just as Leonard had read, the passages inside were wide enough for a large party to move comfortably, the cold rock constantly keeping the temperature low.
The catacombs were connected by numerous paths and were where the majority of the awakeners in the dungeon spent their time.
"What are the chances of encountering others?" Winston wondered aloud.
"Pretty high." Leonard replied with a nonchalant shrug. "If we do, it’s better to keep our distance. We don’t want to give them the impression that we’re trailing them to steal their kills. We don’t need a confrontation."
Relying on the never-ending light of the torches lined along the walls, they started exploring the passages, their footsteps echoing softly.
The path they had chosen led them to a circular room. Stone coffins with open lids occupied the space. Skeletons stood eagerly waiting for a chance to increase their numbers.
Spotting the two, the monsters bared their weapons outright and charged straight in.
Their white bones clattered against each other. Clad in ruined armor, some carried swords, others maces, spears, and shields. The only semblance of consciousness was within their skulls, where their empty eye sockets shone with a menacing light.
Winston gripped his two weapons tighter, ready to charge, only to be stopped when Leonard placed a hand over his shoulder.
"Challenging them in the open room puts us at a disadvantage." He said calmly. "Let them come to us. Although the passage is wide, it is still narrower than the chamber, which makes it harder for us to be overwhelmed."
With a nod, Winston made a mental note to pay closer attention to their surroundings from henceforth.
The first skeleton reached them and thrust forward with its spear.
Holding his ground, Winston absorbed the impact with his shield and smashed the creature’s skull with his hammer.
Leonard ducked under a sword slash and fractured his opponent’s legs. Reduced to dust, the skeleton toppled to the ground, allowing it to be finished with a firm stomp to the head.
[You have defeated a Level 4 Skeleton Warrior]
[You have gained 8 Experience]
Despite their relatively high level, the skeletons didn’t provide much experience per kill, since they were easier to dispose of compared to other lower-leveled monsters.
The gang of skeletons pushed forward, and the party backed away, gradually thinning out their numbers. Soon enough, the skeletons’ remains lay scattered on the ground, their skulls reduced to dust.
Level: 2 [Experience: 120/200]
Leonard was content with the rate at which they were progressing. With their pace, he was bound to reach Level 3 soon.
Remaining vigilant, he stepped over the scattered bones and entered the circular room.
"Aren’t we going to loot the monsters?" Winston asked, picking up a fallen bone.
"No." Leonard shook his head. "Their equipment is broken and old. Nobody would buy it, and it’s too heavy to carry around. Only the white bones can be sold for profit if we grind them into dust, but the process is long and grueling, not to mention the pay would be insignificant. It simply isn’t worth it."
"Is that so..." Winston was impressed by Leonard’s preparation. Putting the bone into his backpack, he followed after him.
"You’re keeping the bone?" Leonard couldn’t help but ask.
"Oh, yes!" Winston chuckled softly. "Eating monster remains may be deadly for us, but it’s not the same for all mammals. I’m sure my dog would appreciate the treat."
Nodding slightly, Leonard focused on examining the circular room. In total, there were ten open coffins, which was greater than the number of skeletons they had faced. If he had to guess, the coffins were what allowed the monsters to respawn.
"There are six passages connected to this room. Ruling out the path we came from, that means we can head in five different directions..." He sighed.
Leonard knew that, with the exception of the Boss Rooms and a few special locations, the passages and sceneries changed over time. Sadly, that meant there was no reliable map they could use to determine where to go.
Not finding anything noteworthy in the room, they pondered on which path to take.
"Huh, weird... The ground under my foot budged downward." Winston blurted out.
Leonard frowned, eyes snapping to the stone plate, which had sunk lower than the rest of the floor.
"Pressure plate?" He murmured, his eyes narrowing in realization. The skeletons hadn’t weighed enough to trigger them, but any intruder would. "It’s a trap! Run!"
Suddenly, the ceiling of the chamber trembled. A slab of stone slid aside, revealing a mechanism about to unleash an inferno capable of setting the whole room ablaze.
Choosing the passage opposite the one they had entered from, they dashed with all their might.
"Okay... if we survive this, I... will cut down on the muffins." Winston panted amid his sprint.
The fire engulfed the room and spread through the passages connected to it. But the pair was fast enough to escape the deadly clutches of the flames.
Fortunately, the trap they had triggered had led them down the correct path. Exiting the corridor, they entered a large resting chamber where several dozen awakeners were recovering and preparing to challenge the hardest portion of the Haunted Catacombs and hopefully reach the Boss in the end.
Completely spent, Leonard and Winston were inclined to rest until a female voice suddenly bellowed.
"Unbelievable! You really managed to reach this place?" Harley flicked her hair to the side, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
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