Chapter 7: Proving Grounds part 1

The 13 brothers set out during the cover of night, swiftly navigating a large forest. Corvus was rather surprised at how much tree they had to navigate. Although he had seen the outside of the tomb, it was only during battle. The forest was actually rather thick, making him wonder on how so many humans made their way to the tomb. Nevertheless, this was no time for useless pondering, the task at hand is to eliminate the enemies of Nazarick, and this task must be completed.

"Brothers, we will slit up our forces from here." Doorman said as they sprinted through the trees.

"Pillars, 7-12 are with me. The rest will go south-west, under the command of brother Skullbane, and wait for our signal to initiate the ambush."

The other group split off from the leader and headed to their position. Doorman and his group continued on to the original assault position, a gargantuan tree which is located at the south-east tree line of the clearing. The brothers sprinted for 6 long hours without a single moment for rest, eliminating any slack in their plan. The ambush had been carefully planned, there was no room for mistakes.

"Brothers, when we start the attack, I will enter into combat first. After I draw their attention, Pillars 7-9 will flank down to their right side, and the remaining pillars shall initiate a flank from their backside. Make sure to not let any escape, this is not just for the sake of gathering souls, but to bring glory to The Supreme Beings!"

Doorman used a hand gesture to invite Corvus to move closer to him.

"Brother, should anything happen to me, I expect thee to finish the mission in my place. I entrust you with executing the commander, should I fall in combat. I wish thee the blessings of The Supreme Beings." Doorman said.

"Brother Doorman, please do not raise unnecessary death flags." Corvus joked.

"Brother Corvus, promise me that thou shall complete the mission at all costs!" Doorman responded seriously.

"Yes, Brother."

The skeleton squad finally arrived at their intended ambush position; a gargantuan tree. The tree overlooked the clearing which the invaders were going to pass by. The tree also seemed to be very good for ranged combat. It had much space for the brothers to hide.

At the time of their arrival, the sun moon lit up the sky beautifully. There was no error in the sky, it was as if the sky symbolised the Supreme Beings, having no error whatsoever. The beauty of nature was much more apparent to the skeleton, being born in the darkness bred an appreciation for the gentle night sky. Even without a human's sight, the skeleton still felt at home in the darkness.

Corvus sat in a large cave-like hole in the tree. It had enough room for a few brothers, but everyone else were busy keeping watch. For now, Corvus had some time to relax, even without the need to rest it still feels good. The short moment of respite soon ended by the sound of marching in the clearing.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP...

The loud chatter of metallic armor could be heard from miles away, the invading forces had finally arrived at the clearing.

"SET UP CAMP! TOMORROW WE DESTROY THE UNDEAD!"

The group of humans did not seem to be the same type that the skeletons slaughtered a week ago, these ones seemed like they were in uniform. They all wore full plate armor adorned with blue clothing, they appeared to be a professional army.

"NIGHT GUARD, KEEP WATCH! DO NOT LET ANY BANDITS GET INTO OUR CAMP!"

Corvus took a peek at the scene, spotting a figure in a unique red cloak, this figure didn't seem to be part of a standard army.

"Brothers, we will strike at dawn. Wait for my signal." Doorman whispered.

Corvus continued his thorough watch of the invading forces. From what he could see, they seemed to be an elite force judging from the way they walked and carried their weapons. It seemed like they were all around 25th level. Perhaps they were sent as a high priority extermination force.

Something caught Corvus' attention.

"Interesting..."