Necromancer Crane
"Haha, I didn't expect things to turn out like this. I'm surprised."
"Sorry about that."
As they walked deeper into the cave, Elsid and Bernard took the brief moment of respite to talk. The topic was Elsid's earlier rampage that had wiped out the thieves single-handedly.
"It's fine. If you hadn't stepped in, I would have. I'm not the type to hold back either."
Bernard waved his hand dismissively at Elsid's apology.
"More than that, fighting side by side like this reminds me of when we snuck into that orc village together."
He reminisced about charging the orc palisade in the dead of night.
"Back then, you fought off a whole group of orcs by yourself, didn't you?"
"I really thought I was going to die that time."
Even ordinary orcs possessed several times the strength and stamina of a normal human. On top of that, they lacked anything resembling human fear. Elsid had only volunteered as bait, yet somehow he'd managed to take down dozens of them.
"Who's there?!"
"Show yourselves!"
It seemed their time was up. While they'd been talking, they'd wandered far enough that two thieves on guard duty were now shouting at them, demanding identification.
"Who are we?"
"Nobody important. Just passing through..."
Despite the shouts, the two men approached the guards with the leisurely gait of people out for a morning stroll.
"Intruders."
"Indeed, intruders."
They raised their hands toward the thieves.
"Guh!"
"Kuhk!"
The next moment, both guards collapsed unconscious. Elsid had lightly struck one across the rear with his wooden sword, while Bernard had simply pressed his fingers against the other's carotid artery.
Neither man had any intention of hiding or running. They'd already caused enough of a scene earlier. The thieves would know intruders had arrived, so the plan was to fight as loudly and conspicuously as possible to draw attention. That was the best way to reduce the risk to the people still waiting in the prison.
"Someone's broken into the cave! One's a young man with a wooden sword, the other's an older fellow in heavy armor. Signal the moment you spot them!"
Their assumption proved correct. Before long, countless thieves armed with axes and swords came pouring out from deeper in the cave. Torches lined the walls, so visibility wasn't an issue.
"No need for that."
"You're wasting your time."
Elsid and Bernard spoke in turn as they stepped into full view of the dozens of thieves without bothering to conceal themselves.
"What the—?!"
The man who appeared to be in charge scowled and turned toward them. The moment he saw their faces, his eyes widened.
"I-Intruders! Seize them at once!"
"Yaaah!"
At his command, the thieves charged without a second thought, quickly surrounding the pair. Elsid and Bernard pressed their backs together, swords in hand.
"Gravity Art — Hundred-Jin Slash!"
Bernard struck first. Using his aura technique, he launched himself straight at the thieves in front of him. His technique increased his body weight dramatically. It might have seemed useless at first glance, but when he put that weight behind a swing...
BOOM!
The impact was like a massive hammer rather than a sword. Several thieves were sent flying, slamming into the cave wall.
Thud! Thud! Crash!
It was less a cut and more a blunt strike. The men hit by the blade were hurled backward in a tangled heap.
Clang!
Bernard's sword shattered from the force.
"Even after reducing the weight and force, it still broke. Well, I did grab whatever was lying around in the lord's castle in a hurry."
He'd already held back, yet the thin blade couldn't withstand the recoil of delivering hammer-like blows. Bernard didn't look the least bit surprised. He simply picked up one of the swords the thieves had dropped and kept fighting.
"Raaagh!"
Bernard's opening strike signaled the start of the melee. Elsid focused on the fight as well. He ducked under a thrusting spear, closed the distance, and drove his wooden sword into the thief's solar plexus.
"Guhk!"
The man doubled over, coughing violently. Elsid followed up with quick strikes to the wrist and head, dropping him to the ground.
One down.
Plenty more remained. Elsid continued to block, dodge, and counter whenever an opening appeared, steadily knocking thieves unconscious one by one.
While Elsid fought in his own way, Bernard adjusted his technique and swung again. Each blow sent multiple thieves crashing into walls or tumbling through the air before they hit the ground. His swords kept breaking, but he simply grabbed replacements from the fallen.
Yet despite the growing pile of defeated thieves, the man who looked like the leader still hadn't shown himself. Where was he hiding while his subordinates were being taken down?
Then it happened.
Just as Elsid swung his wooden sword at the last standing thief—
"Death Spear."
A chilling, sinister voice echoed through the cave. A jet-black projectile shot toward him, piercing straight through the remaining thief's abdomen before hurtling at Elsid.
Elsid reacted instantly, throwing himself sideways. The projectile was shaped like a spear. It embedded itself in the spot where he'd been standing, turning the nearby green moss pitch black before reducing it to ash.
"Good instincts. If you hadn't dodged, that arm would've been useless."
The sinister voice spoke again. Its owner stepped into view beside the corpse of the thief he'd just killed.
"Foolish moths, charging in without knowing your place."
The man wore a black robe over a slight frame. He pointed a staff topped with a crystal orb at them.
"Moth? Are you sure your eyesight's all right?"
"I'd love to see a moth that big."
Despite the man's chilling presence, neither Elsid nor Bernard showed the slightest fear.
"You'll be dead soon enough. All talk."
"What nonsense. We're both still very much alive."
"I don't plan on dying until I've gotten married and had a son and daughter."
Elsid mocked their opponent while Bernard calmly stated his future plans, both dripping with sarcasm.
"Hmph. You'll do as entertainment, at least."
The man sneered arrogantly and leveled his staff at them.
"You should feel honored. I'll make you into materials for Crane's experiments!"
Dark, ominous energy gathered at the tip of the staff.
"Death Ball!"
The energy coalesced into a black sphere that hurtled toward them. If it shared the same properties as the earlier spear, blocking it would be dangerous. Elsid dashed forward and twisted aside, letting the sphere pass harmlessly by. Now within striking distance of Crane, he swung his wooden sword without hesitation.
"Raise Dead."
Thud!
The blow never landed. The thief who'd been impaled by the black spear earlier had risen as a zombie and intercepted the attack, shielding Crane.
"To be startled by something so trivial... you still have a long way to go."
While Elsid was momentarily distracted, Crane had already retreated to a safe distance.
"Arrogant brat. I'll show you the true power of a necromancer."
Clang!
Crane slammed his staff against the ground.
"Corpse Explosion!"
The zombie in front of Elsid began to swell.
BOOOOOOM!
The zombie detonated with a thunderous roar, the blast engulfing Elsid.