Spears of Redriver

Part Fifty - Through the Dead

"GO!" Carthus gritted his teeth, "we have to get through!" He leaped into the room with his shield in front, sprinting at full speed into the undead. They shrieked at him as he fell into the fray, bashing them back one by one. Enleif and Tassos were right behind him, blades swinging wildly. Carthus saw the doorway on the opposite side of the chamber and knew he had to get to it.

The silence of the dead tower was suddenly gone in a violent eruption of screaming and gnashing of teeth. The Maad drove his shield through the ranks of the walking corpses as he pushed on. He saw with the corner of his eye, Enleif decapitating several figures. When he finally reached the end of the chamber and turned back in the doorway, he saw Enlief twirling violently with blade and ax in hand. Tassos was by the Maad's side, dropping stragglers who stumbled too close.

"Go!" the Nord shouted, "I got this...go!"

"Tassos lets move!" Carthus commanded. As much as he didn't want to leave the Nord behind, he had to get to the crystal. The stone that brought this curse upon the valley had to be destroyed. He turned to go, but Tassos stopped just past the doorway and out of sight from the dead. He sheathed his blade and pulled another torch from his pack, lighting it on the first. Once the blaze caught, he threw one of them into the chamber, giving Enleif some light.

"Good thinking!" Carthus nodded.

They went down another long winding flight of stairs, and the sound of the fight above was drowned out by silence. The shadows danced and shifted in the corner of Carthus' eye, but he ignored them, focused on the goal.

"Do you think he will make it?" Tassos asked suddenly.

"I think so...those didn't seem as fast or strong as the dead we faced in the burned village before" Carthus replied.

"They seemed older and worn out," Tassos agreed.

"Yes, they did," Carthus nodded, eyes still fixed at the darkness below them, "let us keep quiet."

When they finally reached another landing, the torchlight fought against the shadows in the large open chamber. The ceiling must have been nearly fifty feet up. They stepped inside cautiously.

"This looks like a crypt" Tassos remarked quietly, pointing up at the walls. Carthus saw it too, there were hundreds of indents lining the stone walls, most empty, although some still had skeletal remains within.

"The frail dead must be old, from an age past...while the villagers who died recently, come back stronger" Carthus looked around wide-eyed, hoping that the dead here would not wake at their trespass.

"Look there! Another doorway," Tassos pointed ahead.

"Keep moving," Carthus whispered the command and pressed on.

They reached the opposite end of the chamber quietly and stopped before the massive bronze double door.

"Can we open it?" Tassos asked.

"Keep watch" Carthus propped his spear against the wall by the door and threw his shield over his back. Something creaked behind them, and they both turned suddenly. Just at the edge of the light, one of the skeletal figured creaked again, moving in short sharp bursts as it came to life. It rose up from the indent and turned to face them. Another figure rose from its indent high above and fell twenty feet with a loud crack next to the first. Others began to shift.

"We should fight!" Tassos shouted.

"Watch them! I got the door!" Carthus shouted back. He turned and violently lunged at the doors, grabbing the handle and pulling as hard as he could.

"They are getting closer!" Tasso called.

"AAHHHHH!" Carthus pulled with all of his might, and the door creaked before it burst open. He almost fell, barely catching himself as it flew open, slamming into the wall before coming back halfway. Carthus grabbed his spear, "let's go!"

They both jumped through the doorway and pulled at the massive doors to close them shut as nearly two dozen skeletal figures rushed in, creaking and shuffling as they went. The door slammed shut.