Chapter 17: This Time, I’m Truly Done For

"Thank you, my lord," the guard said, dazed.

Field extended a hand and pulled him up, giving him an encouraging punch on the shoulder. "Training suitable soldiers is no easy feat. I'm counting on you to leave behind your slave status and become true warriors, maybe even knights!"

The guard was stirred, having initially dismissed Field's promises as mere noble whims or jokes. But now, he genuinely felt that Field was different from other nobles.

"For Lord Field, charge!"

Those around him were also fired up, furiously wielding their pikes to cut down the zombies.

Soon, all the zombies attracted by the noise were cleared out. Field roughly counted; there were over seventy of them.

Field took a sharp breath but immediately regretted it as the stench filled his lungs, causing him to quickly shut his mouth. He mused, "Did the winery need this many workers? When the Empire decided to release the Death Fog, why didn't they warn the people of the Northern Territory to evacuate?"

"Whatever, not my problem."

Shaking off these useless thoughts, Field continued deeper into the winery.

After walking for a while, Field found the large room used for brewing wine. He hoped to find some raw materials like sugar or barley.

But his unrealistic hopes were met with the sight of a grotesque bat woman's corpse, eyes wide open in death, her body violently torn from neck to groin, with her internal organs missing.

"Such a waste of barley. It was supposed to be used for making barley wine," Field noted the scattered barley, now writhing slightly after ten years of corruption. "Perhaps the corruption isn't a curse from the devil, but some form of radiation."

"Radiation?" Asheena, her brain momentarily freezing, tried to comprehend the new term Field used. Suddenly, her expression changed. "Watch out, something is flying towards us!"

A symbol of a skull flashed on Field's mini-map, indicating a threat approaching quickly.

"Clang!"

The guard at the front was taken by surprise, instinctively looking up. In an instant, his shield shattered, and he was sent flying. In his place stood a monster resembling a licker from Resident Evil, with a long tail and nose revealing it had mutated from a rat.

The rat monster screeched, slashing its claws at Field.

Field felt a gust of wind and saw the giant claws getting closer.

"Not a chance!"

In the nick of time, Asheena and her dragon wolf intervened, shielding Field with its curled body.

There was a cacophony of sounds as the claws hit the dragon wolf's scales, sparking but causing no harm. The rat monster seemed bewildered, staring at its claws, which had only managed to dislodge two bloody scales.

The dragon wolf swiped its massive paw, knocking the rat monster to the ground.

Sam and the others seized the moment, slashing at the monster with their swords and pikes. Despite the numerous wounds, the rat monster's tough hide only suffered minor injuries. It swept its long limbs, sending several armored guards flying like they were weightless.

"You all, fall back! This is beyond normal creatures." Field raised his shield, seeking cover. "Damn, we forgot the crossbows. Regular people can only penetrate its defenses with crossbow bolts. Asheena, it's up to you."

The rat monster rose, aiming to grab a guard for a snack.

"No way!" Asheena channeled her power into her spear, her presence intensifying.

With a powerful thrust, her spear pierced through the rat monster's hide, lodging in its bones. If not for the confined space, Asheena's mounted wolf charge could have skewered it completely.

The rat monster screeched in pain, its claws reaching for Asheena.

"Boom!"

The dragon wolf slammed into the monster's chest, interrupting its attack and exposing its vulnerabilities.

This three-tiered corrupted creature required someone of equivalent tier, possessing fighting skills or magic, to defeat it. Alternatively, castle ballistae or armor-piercing bolts were needed.

Fortunately, The Chosen were vastly stronger than ordinary people. Asheena, with her first-tier divine power, was more than a match.

"Extremely Cold Killing Spear."

For the first time, Asheena used her divine skill.

A spectral blue spear formed in her hand, like a dragon of frosty light. Asheena infused it with divine power and launched it with all her might. The spear struck the rat monster, causing blood to spurt and bones to shatter, leaving a mess of flesh and bone smeared across the wall.

"Phew, it's finally over." Asheena's face was pale, and she was slightly out of breath.

The fight had ended in a flash, but the danger had been suffocating.

Field let out a long breath. "Thankfully, you were here. The last deer steak is yours."

"Long live Lord Field!" Asheena's tail wagged vigorously, drooling at the thought of the steak, her aloof battle demeanor disappearing. She patted her chest and said generously, "Half is enough for me. You deserve some too, my lord."

Field felt a surge of warmth.

His mini-map indicated that the winery had only a few monsters left, marked by small skull icons.

To be safe, Field took the injured outside for treatment before leading the rested group back in to thoroughly clear the winery.

By nine in the evening, the task was nearing completion.

The entire winery was in disrepair, with collapsed sections and gray dust blowing through the stone cracks. The only consolation was that the main structure remained intact. The first and second floors were thoroughly searched, yielding nothing of value, only some blackened wood that could be used for building shelters or fires.

"Now for the cellar, my lord," a guard said, opening the thick, dusty cellar door to reveal a dark staircase.

Field swallowed nervously, rubbing his hands. "Bless me, Buddha, God, let me find something useful."

The cellar was filled with stacks of oak sherry barrels, some damaged by the collapse, with dried stains and signs of rats everywhere.