The Dead Fortress

by LitRPG Freaks

  “Look up there,” Calista whispered, and Bishop followed her gaze.

  “Holy crap,” he said, shocked. “Is that where we’re going?”

  Far ahead of them, sitting atop a hill against a backdrop of darkness, was a fortress resembling the one they had just entered, except that this one was impossibly larger. Green flames flickered from the path leading to the main doors as well as from the windows.

  “How are we supposed to get in there?” Jimmy asked. “There’s no way we can just walk to the front doors. Can we?”

  “That is the only way inside the Dead Fortress,” Tavin told them.

  “Mortagh has many guards, Demons and hounds, creatures you have never laid eyes on before,” Bronson added. “The fight will be far from easy and there is a chance some of you will die.”

  “And we’re supposed to be encouraged by this fact?” Jimmy asked. “Great, that’s great.”

  “What do we do once inside?” Giles asked. “What are we here to do besides kill Mortagh?”

  “That is all you can hope to accomplish,” Tavin said. “The souls are bound to him and it is our hope they will be freed once he is dead. We do not have time to waste trying to save them individually. There are far too many and not enough of us to do so.” When she said this last bit, her gaze flickered to Bishop and his heart sank.

  She did know it was him, even when Giles was the one who summoned her. He doubted the others realized Tavin’s soul was here, too, or that he was going to be dumb enough to try and save it from the clutches of the Demon Lord. They were already here, what was the harm ensuring at least one soul did survive?

  “Once we walk through those doors, we will have to fight our way through the Fortress,” Tavin went on. “Mortagh will be in the room of souls, protecting his dearest treasure, and he will not be alone.”

  “At all times, Mortagh is guarded by his hounds, beasts of massive size bearing two heads.”

  “And this dungeon just keeps getting better by the second,” Arthur mumbled this time. “How many Demons are actually inside that fortress?”

  “Hundreds,” Bronson said. “We are in his world and Demons are easy to come by.”

  “Well then, I guess there’s no more use standing around and talking about it,” Trajan announced. “Same formation as always. Tanks to the front, healers in back, range keep near the healers and protect them. DPS, stick to the middle. Until we see what we’re up against, this is our formation.”

  “Close quarters might make this fight a little more difficult than normal,” Bishop said.

  “We’ll deal with that when we get to it. Move on! Giles, after you.”

  Giles took the lead as Bishop fell towards the rear with Benji and the healers and hunters. As they approached the fortress, the wailing grew louder. It made his skin crawl and he wanted nothing more than to tune it out so it would stop scraping across his mind, but short of actually covering his ears, he was stuck with hearing it.

  “Where is that coming from?” Jimmy howled from the middle of their group.

  “The souls, it is their cries you hear,” Bronson answered. “Crying for release, for a chance to move on from this hellish nightmare.”

  “And we can’t do anything to free them except to kill Mortagh?” Calista asked as if reading Bishop’s mind. “We can’t set them free?”

  “No, their only hope is to kill their master. Careful now, there are guards posted ahead.” Tavin drew her sword and held it high. They reached the end of the road before it led up to fortress. A bell rang out and roars of anger drifted over them.

  “Well, they know we’re here now,” Jimmy snapped and held his staff at the ready.

  Bishop rested his fingers on the bowstring, focusing on the gate grinding open at the entrance to the fortress. Demons poured out, joining the four guards that had stood sentinel at the top of the path. Ten, if not more, came at them and his palms grew sweaty as his mind raced, making it hard to focus.

  “The time to show your skill and bravery is now, heroes! Attack!” She led the charge as Bronson fell back beside the healers and Bishop.

  Trajan, Arthur, Calista, and Maverick rushed to join Trajan as the demons sprinted down the path towards them at full speed. Bishop drew back on the string as Tavin crashed into the first Demon head on, and Rain of Thorns exploded over the heads of the enemy. Hit points scattered around the fighting and he drew back as soon as he focused on one Demon towards the front of the line. He stopped farther back than Zoe had to, and he unleashed his new ranged Fiery Arrow. Between the range and the extra hit points and agility from his bow, the hit rocketed from his bow and struck the Demon in the chest. It pierced its armor and caught the bastard alight with a burning debuff.

  The Demon’s life quickly dropped as the flames remained for five seconds, giving Tavin a chance to relieve the Demon of its head.

  “Damn, Bishop!” Jimmy yelled over the fighting, glancing back at him. “You got a bow or a rocket launcher?”

  Bishop grinned as he waited for his Fiery Arrow cooldown. It was less than a minute, so he ran closer, firing Instant Shots and Penetrating Armors at the Demons he could reach. As soon as Fiery Arrow was ready, he fell back behind the range of the healers and let another one fly. But Bishop’s new arrow wasn’t the only new skill on display during that first fight. Jimmy lifted his obsidian staff in both hands, high over his head. It flared a bright red and, with a single word shouted over the fighting, a streak of red lightning shot from the staff, striking a Demon near the rear of the pack they fought. The Demon froze, dropping its jagged blade as a hit counter appeared over its head starting at six.

  Transfixed by the ability, Bishop lowered his bow to watch as that Demon’s eyes flared red to match the bolt of lightning, and it lunged at the closest Demon. The lightning spread and, soon, another and another Demon turned, attacking their own numbers viciously and without mercy. They tore each other apart, giving the heroes the advantage to push forward. When the hit counter hit zero over the original Demon, he fell dead to the ground and, one by one, the others followed, leaving only a few Demons left to kill. Maverick and Trajan finished them off easily with Tavin by their side, and the path was finally cleared of attacking Demons. Jimmy lowered his staff, jaw dropped and eyes shimmering red. His mana was depleted greatly, but a potion would get it back up fast enough.

  “Geez,” he muttered, then burst out laughing. “Did you see that? That was freaking awesome!”

  “Not going to lie, I’m kind of jealous now,” Bishop admitted, as he reached his friend. “That was incredible. How long is the cooldown?”

  “Too damn long, but it’s good for an end of battle hit.”

  “Or the beginning. Wipe out a decent chunk before they even reach us.”

  Shamus, Sorgon, and Mack looted all the demon bodies and Bishop grinned as coins fell into his bags.

  You have received: 5 Demon Shards.

  “They dropped a few items. Hunters, roll for cloak,” Shamus said and put the item up.

  Bishop checked out the stats, but it was geared more for Giles so he passed as did Zoe, and Giles won the cloak. A necklace was also picked up, but meant for a healer build. Aiden wound up with it, and the rest of the items were junk they could see later, Demon talons or fangs, and a few random scraps of leather or metal. Ahead of them lay the gate, wide open now and ominously beckoning them all onwards.

  Tavin peered through the entrance. “The courtyard is empty,” she relayed.

  “What, why?” Trajan asked. “It should be filled with Demons.”

  “Maybe it emptied when they attacked us out here?” Bishop suggested. “We can’t just keep standing here.”

  “Right. Potions everyone, check your mana and your health!” Trajan announced.

  “Keep your eyes peeled,” Bishop added as he watched everyone’s lives and mana go back up, some reapplying buffs they lost during the fight. He considered switching his stance to Endurance, but so far Accura
cy had held up and he hadn’t run out of mana during the last fight. “Tanks lead. I’ll cover our backs.”

  With their backs towards each other, they moved as a unit through the gate and into the Dead Fortress. A chill settled over Bishop and his teeth chattered as if he had suddenly stepped into a blizzard. The temperature dropped drastically and they shivered, huddling closer together as they moved through the deserted courtyard. The black stone walls rose up high on all sides, but it was the set of black marble stairs that they came to a stop at. Cages hung from the walls, dangling in the gusting wind. Bishop gagged at the strong stench filling his nose and he wasn’t the only one. Good thing they couldn’t actually puke in game.

  “A warning to all who dare go against Mortagh,” Bronson whispered, staring up at the dead decaying bodies in the cages. “Gods rest their souls that they might be at peace.”

  “Unlikely,” Tavin added, and she started up the steps.

  The cages banged loudly against the stone, and the cold only grew worse the higher up the steps they climbed until Bishop’s fingers hurt and he feared he wouldn’t be able to use them again. He expected some sort of resistance at the doors but, when Tavin reached out a hand, they opened easily for her with a simple push. There was no creaking this time, no grinding of gears, and the dark abyss that greeted them made the courtyard look more appealing than it had a few moments ago.

  “How are we supposed to move through here if we can’t see anything?” Jimmy hissed.

  Bishop could barely make out any of them with the dim light flowing in from outside. But a gust of wind burst through the door and it slammed shut behind them with a deafening clang, plunging them into total darkness. Bishop held up his hand before his face. He couldn’t even see his fingers wiggling.

  “Anyone have any ideas? Some form of light we can use?” Trajan asked.

  Curious to check if it would work, Bishop brought up his Demon Sight and used the ability. The corridor before him came into full view as if it was daylight. “I can see, but it won’t last long,” he said, moving forward slowly. “This place is massive.”

  He stared around, taking in the chandeliers overhead. He squinted, trying to make out what they were made of and grimaced when he saw the heads and bones.

  “Be thankful you guys can’t see,” he whispered. “Alright, let’s form a chain. I’ve got a few seconds left and can get us to the end of the hall. No Demons or doorways ahead that I can see.”

  Someone latched onto his cloak and he moved forward slowly through the utter darkness. When the Demon Sight failed, he came to a stop and waited for the cooldown to pass. By the third time, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end permanently, but at least his fingers warmed up sufficiently that he might be able to attack any Demons that decided to make an appearance.

  “Hold up,” he said as the corridor he never thought would end, stopped at an arched doorway. He blinked and a faint light glistened up ahead. “There’s light, but it’s not torches.”

  “Any Demons?”

  “None that I can see.” Bishop blinked rapidly as the Demon Sight faded. “Nothing up ahead, but the walls and the ceiling…the glowing is coming from them” He walked through the archway, not waiting to cast the Demon Sight again, and his jaw dropped as they drew nearer. “Please tell me those aren’t what I think they are.”

  He moved slowly into the massive room and stared at the glowing orbs lining the walls in bunches. They hung from the ceilings in clusters, their light ebbing and waning like a pulsing heartbeat. Hundreds of them, no, thousands of them lined the room covering every available inch of space. Bishop sagged to see so many souls trapped by this Demon Lord, and then his anger rose and all he wanted to do was kill the son of a bitch.

  Tavin’s soul… it’s here somewhere.

  “No,” Tavin whispered harshly beside him. “I know what you seek, but we do not have time.”

  “But if it’s here, we can find it and give it back to you. We can be certain you have it,” he argued quietly as the heroes moved deeper into the room. “Why don’t you want it back?”

  “I do, but if I am truly the Queen you think I am, then my main priority is freeing all these other poor souls and not worrying about myself,” she insisted. “My day of saving will come, Bishop, but it is not this day. We focus on freeing the others and killing Mortagh. That is all.”

  Bishop watched her walk away and hung back, searching in vain for a way to tell which soul was which. They weren’t labeled with names but as he crept closer to the wall and stared into one of the glowing, round orbs, he saw a face reflected back at him. He jumped back when it wailed loudly. Now he knew how to find Tavin’s soul. Searching all of them would take far too long, but Bishop had a feeling the souls Mortagh had the longest would be towards the rear of the massive hall of wailing, as he’d named it in his head.

  “Does anyone else find this weird?” Jimmy said. “Why aren’t they attacking?”

  “Don’t jinx it,” Zoe said, holding her bow at the ready. “They could be setting a trap for us.”

  “Or it’s glitched and we’re going to stroll right to the end of this dungeon without having to fight any more Demons.”

  Bishop would have been quite happy if they would make it out of here in one piece. If the dungeon was glitched and there was no way for any more Demons to attack, he could take his time searching for Tavin’s soul.

  He paused at the sound of something slithering around the room.

  “Ah guys?” he said when he heard it again and caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

  “Should we just keep going?” Trajan asked. “We can’t just stand here and wait around.”

  “Guys?” Bishop tried again, his fingers resting on his bowstring as he tried to peer around the stone columns hidden in shadow at the far sides of the room. Something large was definitely slithering along the floor…and hissing. Was that a hiss? He took a few steps away from the group when he was thrown backwards, gasping for air as something hard smacked him in the chest. He barreled into whoever was unlucky enough to stand behind him, knocking them all to the floor. His health fell to half and a debuff appeared in his vision, limiting his attack strength.

  “What the hell is that!” Jimmy hollered.

  “Tried to tell you,” Bishop grunted as he pushed to his feet. “Snake!”

  “That is not a snake!” Jimmy shoved Bishop off him and then proceeded to hide behind him as the massive beast emerged from between the columns. Its head nearly grazed the ceiling and the glowing from the souls refracted off its shimmering green and black scales covering its body. The hissing from its mouth drowned out the wailing of the souls crying out for freedom. Its tail coiled around its body as the heroes braced themselves for the attack. Its tongue flickered out and it moved its head from one side to the other.

  “What’s it doing?” Jimmy asked loudly, and the snake zeroed in on him.

  “Run!” Bishop shoved him out of the way as the snake lunged forward, barely missing them all with its snapping jaws and arm size fangs.

  Bishop covered his mouth with a hand and tried to motion to everyone else to do the same. It couldn’t see them, but it could sure as hell hear them. The exit to the room was dead ahead. If they could somehow get there without moving too fast, they had a chance of sneaking out of this room without having to attack the giant man-eating snake Demon. Bishop inwardly chuckled at the length of name he’d given the great beast, but stopped when the snake’s tongue flicked out and it started to slither around the room. He motioned, carefully, for everyone to move ahead. As the snake’s head grew closer, Bishop saw its eyes were milky white. Someone blinded it over the years.

  Tavin glared definitely at the snake and Bishop had no doubt in his mind the deed had been accomplished by her when Mortagh took her soul.

  The front of the group was nearing the door and Bishop let himself hope they were going to make it out of this room when Trajan yelled in warning and wen
t soaring across the room, half his health gone and bearing the same debuff as Bishop. A second snake appeared in the doorway, just as big. And this one was not blind.

  “I’m going to have nightmares about this for weeks,” Trajan grunted as Bishop hauled him to his feet. “Any bright ideas?”

  “Kill them before they kill us?” he offered. “They’re snakes, probably venomous.”

  “None of that helps.”

  Bishop watched as the heroes were forced back into the room, forming a huddle in the center as the two snakes hissed and flashed fangs at them, circling around what was about to be their next meal. Their health was high, much higher than any other Demon they had faced, not counting a Demon Lord. On the bright side they could see them now, but there were still no ideas popping into Bishop’s head.

  “Shoot out the eyes of the other one?” he said, fingering his bowstring. “Make a run for it?”

  “They’re too fast, but shooting out the eyes, think you can hit a moving target?”

  Bishop drew back on his bow and the Fiery Arrow flickered and warmed against his cheek. “Guess we’re about to find out.” He breathed out, willing his heart to calm itself. When he released his breath, the Fiery Arrow shot across the room and hit straight in the snake’s good eye. It flailed and hissed, spitting as its great body toppled to the side, but it still had one good eye. Bishop drew back and ran to get a better angle.

  “Attack the other one!” Trajan called and swung his war hammer down hard on the middle of the snake’s body.

  Bishop focused on the snake’s head, waiting for his shot. “Come on, you bastard,” he muttered under his breath as the fire burned away the snake’s eye and it thrashed around on the floor. “Come on, come on!”

  The snake whipped around and focused right on Bishop. He held his ground while the snake grew to its full height, its jaws opening wide as it dislocated, readying to take in Bishop whole. His fingers drew back. Fiery Arrow warmed his cheek again and the snake reared back before lunging forward. Bishop let loose and dove to the side at the last second. The snake hissed even louder than before as the arrow hit home and its body sent Bishop skidding hard across the floor. More of his life drained away until he was below half. Thankfully, when the snake rolled over, both of its eyes were useless.