Ascent!

"Gwen… Gwen… GWEN!"

Petra's shout woke Gwen inside the still carriage. She was alone. Enzo and Faye must have left at some point. The sky outside behind the blonde girl in the doorway was a soft orange as the sun hung just above the distant horizon.

"Have we arrived?" asked Gwen groggily. She stretched high with a yawn and rubbed her eyes. It felt like she had just fallen asleep.

"We arrived last night, you bum! You've slept an entire day! Let's get going already, we're preparing for the ascent!"

Instantly Gwen was jolted awake as she rushed out of the carriage past Petra. She hadn't realized she was so exhausted. An entire day of sleep!

A makeshift camp had been constructed around the carriage. Dozens of tents were scattered in a rough circle in the area, with men in adventurer's gear seated in groups near them. Most of the campfires for the morning had been buried already.

Anne and Fenn were waiting outside of the carriage as well. Anne handed Gwen a small loaf of bread with nuts and sweetmeat baked into it.

"Gwen, you should have told us you were so popular before!" said Fenn with his hands on his hips. He smiled wide and continued, "Being invited into the general's carriage is an impressive honor!"

Gwen tried to deny her popularity by waving her arms, but her mouth was full of bread. She was ravenous.

"Looks like we're starting up the mountain," said Petra. Her excitement from yesterday seemed dampened now. The reality of the dangers ahead had finally hit her as she stared up the imposing mountain.

After gulping down her mouthful of food, Gwen patted Petra on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine," she reassured her.

"Worry? My only worry is that I won't be able to use all these arrows I brought!" Petra retorted, gesturing with a sly smile at the full quiver on her belt.

Gwen smiled and marched forward with the group of 60 adventurers.

○○○

Kai leaned on his greatsword and took a moment to catch his breath as the undead monk in front of him crumbled to ash. Sweat dripped in beads across his forehead. Climbing a mountain with a greatsword would be exhausting on its own, but clearing undead with Tharon ahead of the main force of adventurers was even more tiresome.

Tharon spoke up from behind, startling Kai. His movements were as silent as a bird. "I took care of the second monk wandering in the bushes. It seems some of these monks were able to break the control of the Ashen Prince's blood curse. Whether by luck or some strategy, I don't know. They are still doomed to forever wander as undead it seems."

This made Kai's stomach sink. He couldn't recognize the monk he had just slain because there was no more skin on his face, but the monk didn't put up any resistance to being cut down. It could have been someone he knew, reaching out for Kai to save them from their immortal agony…

Kai strapped his greatsword to his back again and put the thought out of his mind.

"We are halfway to the monastery, Master Tharon." His mentor nodded and continued up the mountain quickly.

"As we get closer we will likely encounter more roaming undead, and perhaps some patrols under control of the curse. Stay vigilant."

The duo pushed on together up the hill. Kai hoped that any more monks they encountered would be under the effects of the curse. It would be easier to cut them down in defense, rather than slaughtering them as they meandered aimlessly.

Unfortunately, Kai got his wish soon enough. Tharon silently threw a hand into the air, alerting Kai to stop and take cover. He hid behind a bush near the trail as Tharon leapt into the cover of an overhanging tree.

An undead knight of the Ashen Prince's army was walking slowly down the path. He was flanked by a single monk, one who Kai instantly recognized: Master Soren.

Kai had been secretly hoping that Master Soren escaped unharmed. Maybe Soren could start a new life with a loving family, or a quiet cabin to enjoy the rest of his life in peace. He deserved happiness.

Seeing him in this state crushed Kai's heart.

Soren was the monk that took in Kai at the gates of the monastery. The other masters all looked down on Kai because of the mischievous tricks he played for attention, and his habit of shirking his responsibilities. But Soren was patient and kind, and spoke to Kai as an equal. He never felt burdened explaining answers to any of Kai's endless questions.

Now he walked with a vacuous look, in a dirty robe, his body deeply lacerated in several places, alongside a vessel of evil.

Kai looked up at Tharon who explained a plan through his distinct hand signals.

"Kai, take the big one as they pass beneath me."

A greatsword could crush the knight's armor much easier than a shortsword seeking an opening.

Gripping hard on the hilt of his sword, Kai burst from the shrubbery he hid behind and brought down the greatsword on the knight.

However, a whoosh of wind and a powerful kick to the side of the greatsword knocked it off course, causing it to hit the path and send an explosion of dirt into the air. Soren had kicked it away!

Tharon dropped behind the knight and cut its knees out from behind causing it to stagger for a moment.

"Take the monk!" he shouted to Kai. A sudden change of plans!

Soren advanced quickly on Kai as he hauled his sword into the air from the dirt pit on the path. He spun and kicked again, which Kai quickly blocked with the flat of his greatsword. The impact of the block made him slide backwards several feet.

Pushing off the greatsword with the same foot, Soren dove to the ground and spun, kicking Kai in the leg and knocking him off his feet. He stood and sent a fist toward Kai's surprised face.

Kai wrenched with all of his strength, cranking the muscles in his back and arms and shoulders all at once, and pulled his greatsword in a vertical arc in front of him, cutting off Soren's arm at the elbow with it. The sword slammed into the ground, digging itself another crater.

Suddenly, Soren's other hand cracked Kai's wrists!

[Disarm]!

Kai let go of the giant sword with a pain, but instead of backing off he leaned into Soren and returned the unarmed attack.

[Flurry of Blows]!

A blur of fists slammed into Soren's chest as Kai poured his strength into his punches. With his final blow, he knocked Soren's bones loose, causing Soren to drop to a kneel.

Kai jumped back to his sword and tore it from the crater. He picked it up over his head, and as he brought it down in a powerful arc, Soren looked up and smiled.

The attack cleaved him clean in two, and he slowly disintegrated to ash.

Tharon was still locked in battle with the knight, deflecting blows and backing up after each exchange. He had started to breathe heavily.

With a flat expression, Kai walked slowly over to Tharon as he dragged his greatsword. Tharon saw him approaching, and after parrying the knight's sweeping strike, kicked him backwards toward Kai.

Kai swept his sword horizontally across the knight, destroying his breastplate with a sickening crunch and slicing it cleanly in two. Both pieces turned to ash, leaving behind only the twisted metal of its destroyed armor.

"They are immune to small weapons it seems," Tharon explained in between gasping breaths.

Kai could only stare ahead blankly as the image of Soren begging for death burned itself into his mind.