Snowflakes drifted down as the cold wind howled.
Rosie and Alysia followed the group of knights from a distance.
Snow accumulated on their shoulders and hoods, forming a thin layer of white.
The knight squad ahead moved at a brisk pace, the clanking of their armor echoing down the empty street.
Because it was daytime, most of the feral ghouls cowered in the shadows.
The occasional feral ghoul that lunged out was met with the devastating force of two-handed greatswords.
The entire unit advanced like an armored wall, ruthlessly crushing any creature in its path.
After the squad passed, they left behind only a trail of mangled corpses that had yet to begin dissolving.
“They're quite formidable,” Alysia whispered.
“Living corpses in the outer city, feral ghouls in the inner city—a small elite squad is ideal for swift action,” Rosie replied in a similarly low voice.
“Yes,” agreed the elf.
Before long, the squad ahead came to a halt in the open plaza before the castle.
Although the ground was blanketed in snow, numerous bodies could still be seen lying across the earth.
Since feral ghouls dissolved upon death, these corpses clearly didn't belong to them.
A knight stepped forward toward the castle and shouted to the defenders above.
The guards on the battlements poked their heads over to look down, but no one fired an arrow.
The banner of the Order of Norman Knights fluttered at the front of the formation—that alone was the ultimate pass.
A moment later, the castle portcullis slowly rose, revealing the pitch-black gateway behind it.
The squad of knights filed inside in double time.
The white-robed figure walked in the center of the squad, standing out vividly against the gloomy curtain of snow.
Once all the knights were inside, the heavy gate slowly descended again, sealing the entrance shut.
Rosie and Alysia remained still, crouching in a hidden corner and waiting in silence.
Roughly half an hour later, a dull explosion echoed from within the castle.
Immediately after, commotion broke out among the defenders on the wall.
Men ran along the ramparts, shouts rang out, and noble-looking figures bellowed commands.
Moments later, a large portion of the soldiers guarding the wall departed.
The defenses thinned out significantly.
“Fighting has broken out inside,” Alysia said softly. “Let's go.”
Rosie crouched low and followed Alysia as they stepped out from behind the wall corner.
Alysia led Rosie quickly across the street, circling around to a blind spot on the castle's flank.
This wall was taller than any they had scaled before, its gloomy stone face covered in dark greenish-black moss stains.
Alysia crouched down, pressed a seed into a crack at the base of the wall with her fingertip, and chanted an incantation under her breath.
Vines snaked their way up through the stone crevices, quickly scaling over the parapet.
“Follow me.”
Alysia scrambled up first. Rosie followed closely behind, grabbing the vines and deftly vaulting over the wall, landing softly on the other side.
The two hurried down the walkway along the inner wall, passing through an archway into the inner courtyard.
Distant battle cries and the clashing of metal drifted over from the main keep.
Given the combat prowess of the Order of Norman Knights and the presence of the priest from the Temple of Light, they shouldn't suffer against just the vampires.
However, if everyone in the castle was aligned with the vampires, the situation would be much harder to predict.
“Stay close to me,” Alysia whispered.
The route she chose was exceptionally tricky—cluttered side alleys, half-closed side doors, twisting and turning until they bypassed the guards and reached the castle's internal corridors.
The passageways inside were wide and winding. The wall sconces along the corridor were extinguished, leaving only the dim daylight filtering through high windows to cast mottled shadows.
The combat noise was dampened by layers of thick stone walls, reduced to a faint, muffled buzz by the time it reached them.
On the way, they occasionally spotted servants cowering in corners out of fear, but neither paid them any mind.
Guided by Alysia, they soon arrived at the stairwell leading to the first basement level.
Alysia paused at the head of the stairs, her pointed ears twitching slightly to catch any sound from below before descending.
She pulled back her gaze and whispered, “Five guards. I can sneak past, but you won't make it. We'll have to assault directly.”
Rosie said nothing and simply nodded.
Alysia's form blurred as the black panther took her place once more.
Her thick paw pads pressed silently against the stone floor. She cast a glance at Rosie, turned to step down the stairs, and vanished into the shadows at the edge of the platform within a few strides.
Rosie didn't waste time either. She slid two daggers from her waist, spun them slightly in her grip to adjust her hold, took a deep breath, and charged down the stairs.
Kicking off the final few steps, she bounded out of the stairwell, landing firmly on the stone floor of the basement corridor.
The five guards raised their heads at the same time, iron gauntlets instantly tightening around the wooden shafts of their halberds.
Rosie flicked her arms, throwing both daggers one after the other.
Two sharp metallic clangs rang out almost simultaneously as the daggers struck armor, sparking briefly before bouncing off toward the base of the wall.
The guards wore iron half-plate armor, full-face helmets, and metal gorgets covering the seams between neck and collarbone.
The thrown daggers didn't even scratch them.
However, getting their attention worked just fine.
“Intruder! Kill her!”
The lead guard bellowed, his voice sounding muffled from behind his visor.
Three guards immediately leveled their halberds and closed in on Rosie.
Their footsteps were steady as they lowered their halberds, the three blades blocking any angle for her to rush forward.
Rosie didn't force her way through. She dug her heels into the stone floor and darted backward.
The three guards advanced in pursuit.
The instant they were drawn into the middle of the corridor by Rosie, a dark shadow leaped out from the gloom beside the stairwell.
Front paws snapped onto the neck of the nearest guard, pinning him down hard while razor-sharp claws thrust into the gap between the helmet brim and the gorget.
A flash of blood followed. Before the guard could even scream, he collapsed to the floor. His dropped halberd clattered and bounced across the stone, echoing through the corridor.
At that exact moment, Rosie lunged forward.
Combat Skill—Charge.
Startled by the black panther's ambush on their comrade, the remaining two guards froze for a split second before hastily turning their halberds to attack the beast.
In that exact instant, the figure that had been retreating suddenly vanished from their vision.
By the time they realized what was happening, sharp pain ripped through the backs of their knees.
Her blade swept across the backs of their legs, slicing cleanly through their hamstring tendons.
Blood pooled across the flagstones as both men instantly lost their footing, collapsing forward onto their knees.
Mirroring the panther's tactic, Rosie jammed her sword tip into the gap behind their helmets, then yanked it free.
Two swift thrusts, clean and lethal, dispatched both guards.
Rosie flicked the stray droplets of blood off her blade.
Seeing their comrades slain, the two remaining guards burst into enraged roars.
Lowering their halberds, they lunged directly toward their respective targets.
Facing the thrusting halberd, the black panther twisted sideways with remarkable agility, the spear tip scraping past her fur and showering sparks against the stone wall.
In the split second she dodged, the panther's form blurred, and a massive grizzly bear erupted in her place.
Opening its jaw wide toward the guard, the bear unleashed a deafening roar.
“ROAR—!”
The roar reverberated violently through the basement corridor, causing the guard to momentarily freeze.
Without missing a beat, the bear swiped a giant paw, sending both man and halberd flying. It pounced forward and brought a heavy paw slamming down onto his helmet. After a dull thud, the body on the ground ceased moving.
Rosie wrapped things up at the exact same moment.
As the guard thrust his halberd toward her, she slapped the side of her shield hard against the shaft to deflect it. Stepping in close, she slammed the edge of her shield viciously into the side of his helmet.
Heavy clangs of metal colliding and bodies hitting the ground resounded in rapid succession.
The bear raised its head just in time to see Rosie draw her blood-stained blade from the guard's neck.
She sheathed her sword, picked up a fallen halberd from the floor, and tested its weight in her hand.
“That roar of yours was way too loud. Pretty sure every living soul in this castle heard it.”
The bear's silhouette blurred, and Alysia reappeared. “My apologies. I couldn't hold it back.”
“We're getting close, though. Follow me.”
Rosie didn't dwell on it. She retrieved her daggers and continued forward alongside the elf.
The basement level was apparently not heavily guarded; encountering no further resistance, they quickly reached the dungeon on the second basement level.
The air here was even colder and damper than above, smelling heavily of mold and rust.
Torches mounted on the walls flickered with yellowish light, casting orange-red glows and uneasy, dancing shadows across the damp walls.
After walking a short distance and rounding a corner, an iron-barred gate appeared at the end of the corridor.
An oil lamp hung from the gate, barely illuminating a small patch of space in the dark.
Two people stood at the entrance.
They were neatly dressed in smart, tailored casual attire.
Unarmed and wearing no armor, they stood quietly on either side of the entrance.
Rosie's footsteps slowed involuntarily.
With a fierce battle raging across the entire castle, having two unarmed, meticulously dressed people standing at the entrance to the underground dungeon felt inexplicably eerie.
“Be careful. These two are likely vampires.”
Alysia's tone was calm, yet carried a rare heaviness.
Grip tightening on her sword, Rosie glanced at the pair.
They looked like nothing more than ordinary noble retainers.
Noticing her gaze, one of them actually gave her a polite nod, a courteous smile gracing his lips as if greeting a stranger at a formal banquet.
Rosie felt the corner of her mouth twitch slightly.
Is there anyone out there who can give me a crash course on how to fight vampires? It's pretty urgent.
Rate on N.U.
