"Lord Yaren, please resider. We've already searched the whole castle. If we do not find it here we ot dey further, if—"

  "Murin, definitely left it ihe Whisper. And we will find it." The voice was firm and unyielding.

  Then a booming ugh echoed from the hall, "Rex, Orik! You worry too much."

  Erik crept closer to the rge double doors, careful not to step on any bohey were left slightly ajar—just enough for him to peer ihe grand hall. Holding his breath, he listened carefully, making sure that his ears had not deceived him. It was the noble s, and his group of younger subordinates—now only two left.

  The entrao the grand hall was on the western wall, while on the far eastern wall stood a stohrone. Between them, scattered skeletons y among the remains of broken furniture and shattered decorations.

  The vast room was framed by tattered banners, their inal emblems long lost to time, hanging from the walls. The te afternoon light poured in from a gaping hole in the ceiling, and through fractured stained-gss windows, casting broken colors across the ruins. The windows depicted ed, timeworn images of long-fotten warriors braving untamed wilderness and t mountains.

  As for the trio, they were rummaging through the debris, examining every wall and er of the room.

  What are they looking for so desperately? Erik thought.

  "Quite, you red-haired baboon!"

  "Why? The city is empty. There's nothing around."

  "Did you fet what happeo the other two? We don't know if there aren't any Nilgrim hiding somewhere close."

  "Bah! It's their fault for being so weak."

  "The four of us had been handpicked by Lord Yaren. There were not weak. And you would do well to remember that even with all our training and preparation, a Whisper is always dangerous—no matter who you are."

  There was some hushed grumbling afterwards, none of them said anything else.

  Before Erik figured out what to do , he decided to py it as safe as he could, and leaned down towards one of more preserved skeletons at his feet. Using his Ability, he willed the Draugr to life... well maybe not quite life, but something that could move at least. He wasn't sure how much help it would be, he had just barely scratched the surface of things he o try to find out out what his Draugr could do, but at was better than nothing.

  Also, since abs the Blood Crystal, and the time that had passed sihe fight with the Mischief, he was sure he could and more strength from the Undead at least.

  In a heartbeat, small teal sparks ignited in the hollow skull, the Draugr then focused on Erik.

  "Stay here," he whispered.

  Just as he was thinking how to hahis situation, the one called Orik spoken again.

  "Lord, could you tell us a bit more about the artifact? You've only told us to look for something that stands out. Maybe if we know more, we might be able to find it quicker."

  The noble s didn't say anything for while and seemed that he would just ignore his subordinate. But surprising he answered.

  "Bjorn was secretly part of a powerful cult, and through that e he obtain something that few others . What he gave to his son... was a fruit from one of the Elderines."

  Both subordiopped what they were doing and turo stare at the noble s with wide eyes.

  "Seriously?" The red-haired guard said, seemingly fotten how he should address a noble.

  Yaren just gave a subtle nod, prompting the brute to whistle.

  "I am not pletely certain what it would look like, but it should be something like a normal fruit, yet ohat stands out."

  The two subordinates seemed to know the value of such a thing, and from their looks they now uood why the noble was so focused on looking for this fruit. However, Erik had only heard that the Elderines were mythical types of pnts, he didn't kly why it was so important.

  “Lord! e see this,” Orik called out from beside the stohro the far end of the hall.

  The other two hurried over, and after a few heartbeats, the blond-haired archer pressed something behind the backrest. A few moments ter, the stohroarted moving to the side. It reveal a short staircase going down into small room.

  Erik could barely make out the interior from his vantage point, but what he saw filled him with unease. Jars lihe walls, stuffed with dead is and preserved ans, their shapes distorted in murky liquid. Skulls of the rat-like essence beasts were interspersed betweeheir hollow sockets seemed to watch them.

  It appears like the governor was hiding a lot more than the librarian knew about, Erik thought.

  Everio felt the same way, as they made sounds of disgust.

  "Lord Yaren, allow us to check it out first to make sure it's safe," Orik said and stepped forward.

  The one called Lark grunted, but followed without saying anything. Nothing happened as they desded the stairs. However, the moment the archer stepped onto the floor of the hidden room, a pulse of translut energy reverberated through the space, passing through the walls and tinuing outward.

  Everyone froze, Erik hoped that they hadn't attracted the attention of something hideous.

  Then, multiple screeg howls echoed out from across the city.

  "Shit!" He cursed.

  He looked down towards his minion, but noticed that there were noarks in all the other skulls.

  And that's when it clicked for him. The thing that had been b him since he ehe city—the ck of corpses oreets and houses, despite the fact that this city looked like it had beeroyed in a battle. There should have been human remains everywhere.

  When he saw the skeletons in the arena, he should have realized it. Burial rites were performed to ehe dead did not return as Undead. Which meant the ck of proper rites should have led tr appearing. He guessed that they were most likely in some form of hibernation to not notice the humans so far.

  But that had ged and they were now waking up.

  Erik started panig. He was in the middle of the city, most likely surrounded by thousands of Undead and who knows how many Nilgrim.

  Noises ing from the castle entrance could already be heard. With nowhere else to go, he dashed into the grand hall, and smmed the doors shut behind him.

  "HEY! What are you doing here?" The red-haired brute's voice thundered behind him.

  Erik turo see that the one called Lark had emerged from the hidden room, axes in hand. Before Erik could say anything, the maniac charged, his ons glowing with a pale red light.

  He barely had time to read jump to side. Both ons smmed into the grouing a loud sound and burying an into the stone floor.

  This must be his Talent, Erik though. He had fotten that if he Awoke a Talent by entering the Whisper, the others would too.

  The axe warrior pulled his ons out, and spun around ready to attack again.

  “Stop! There is no time for this,” the noble s called. He then started issuing orders.

  "Lark, barricade the doors. Orik, was there anything of value in the hidden room?"

  The archer shook his head, prompting the o grimace.

  "Then help me kill the Undead in the hall and then look for any other exits."

  “You,” he said as he turo Erik, “make yourself useful and help Lark.”

  It was an order rather than a request, which Erik did not appreciate, but also did not dare oppose—for now. After all, it was best to team up with them in this situation.

  The brute gave a quick aowledgment to his lord, then gowards Erik.

  "Peasant, if you do anything to get in our way, I will end you immediately," he whispered with cold eyes. He then rushed off to pile debris in front of the doors.

  Erik gritted his teeth and followed.

  The horrid screeg was much closer now. And a chorus of moans echoed from everywhere. The city of the dead was rising, ing a song from the beyond. Eager to wele the group into its fold.

  Yaren and Orik dispatched the Draugr that were struggling to rise and frantically started looking for as. While Erik and Lark were just about to join them, having pced all that they could at the doors, they heard a monstrous roar ing from the somewhere iy—something horrible was ing.

  The doors were holding against the Undead for now, but it wouldn't st.

  "Maybe we should try the windows? If we move the throne under one, we should be able to push one of us high enough," Orik suggested.

  Although all of their bodies were improved a bit by their ret Talent Awakenings. None of them were actually fully fledge Rune Bearers. They were just barely above average mortals. So they couldn't just run through the thick castle walls or jump through its high windows.

  Not only that, but they had no time to discuss it further, as abominations smmed into the outer sides of the north- and south-fag walls, followed by more screeg. The walls held whatever was out there at bay, but the young Rune Bearers had o go now. They were surrounded.

  To their horror, a Nilgrim—another of the Shackled King’s Mischief—crashed through one of the south-fag windows, sending shards and vines flying.

  It nded in the middle of the hall, madness in its eyes, seeking to destroy anything it saw.

  The group froze for a moment before Yaren charged forward. Positioned behind the monster, he seized the opening and caught it off guard, driving his spear deep into one of its back legs.

  The creature howled and turned around striking out with a sharp cw. But the noble was just fast enough to dodge.

  Before the creature could poun him, an arrow lodged itself through its muzzle. It did not pierything vital, but it was a nasty wound.

  The brute was soon upon the mooo, and sshed both his ons at its sides. Two fatal gaping wounds opened up, but the Nilgrim was not yet dead.

  It screeched, striking out a d wounding him on the leg. He dodged a follow up attack of the other cw, but was too slow to react to its tail. It shed out and struck him across the chest like a whip, with a siing crack it send the red-haired baboon flying.

  The blond archer shot another arrow, only managing to graze the creature's spine.

  The Nilgrim eyes found Erik and it charged at him.

  He was holding his hatched in one had and a piece of a wooden chair iher, which he threw at the monster.

  It did no damage, but he mao distract it for a few moments. Long enough for him to jump forward and sm his axe at its head. Or at least he tried, instead he sshed across its shoulder and down its leg. A deep wound, but not enough to kill it.

  I am really not cut out to be a close bat warrior, Erik though.

  The Nilgrim roared, still strong enough to lu him. He pivoted his body to get out of the way and almost did, but the abomination's sharp cws racked against his left forearm. He left out a stifled scream and stumbled away.

  Before he k, the creature was ready for atatil it was struck by another arrow. This one pierced its eye and buried itself deep in its brain.

  With a weak growl, the thing finally died.

  At st, the four of them could breathe.

  Yet the moment was fleeting.

  Something smmed into the doors of the grand hall. The impaearly broke through their barricade. A furious roar followed.

  The group hurried, pressing shoulder to shoulder against the eastern wall, just in front of the throne. Erik and the brute weren’t faring well—especially the red-haired baboon, whled to stay on his feet.

  Another bang. Whatever was outside smmed into the dain.

  This time, it broke through.

  A Mischief charged into the grand hall. It was followed by a horde of Undead.

  This is it. This is how I am going to die, Erik though.

  But the abominations didn't get far, as the north wall exploded in a shower of rocks. And this time a true monstrosity came barreling into the room—The Shackled King.

  With its momentum it rammed straight into the charging horde, and they all crashed together into the south wall. They became aangled mass of bones and grotesque limbs.

  "Now is our ce! Charge through the opening!" Erik despaired.

  The other three threw him a quice with differeions. Their expressions mostly said that they were indignant to be anded by this nobody.

  "Move!" the noble s shouted.

  However, before they proceed forward, a few Draugr, and five more Mischiefs came in through the opening in the wake of the rge monstrosity.

  Three of Nilgrims ran straight into the entangled mass of the Shackled King and Undead, piling on the chaos. But the other two managed halt their charge, stopping in the middle of the room. They turned around and focused their mad gazes on the group.

  The four were just about to rush forward and try, and push past them, when a rge shadow was cast upon the hall.

  Everyone look up.

  What stared back at them was a bck butterfly almost the size of the grand hall itself.