Chapter 175 Exploring The Catacombs
The creature emerged from one of the halls of what looked like a catacomb. Damian was not fast enough to notice its presence, and that led to a surprise attack.
I was a floating mummy, its bandages wrapped tightly around its body. It had long, sharp claws and teeth, and its eyes were glowing red.
Damian was caught off guard, but he quickly recovered. He waved his hand, creating a two-handed sword using his Slime Ring.
Frederic retreated a few steps, as he always did. He knew that Damian was the only one who could defeat the creature.
Damian grasped his sword and dashed toward the floating mummy. He swung his sword with all his might, and the blade cut through the mummy\'s bandages like they were paper.
The mummy roared in pain and lashed out with its claws. Damian ducked out of the way and swung his sword again. This time, the blade cut through the mummy\'s flesh, and it fell to the ground, dead.
Damian sheathed his sword and turned to Frederic. "Well?" he asked. "What do you think?"
Frederic nodded. "You\'re getting better," he said. "But you still have a long way to go."
Damian smiled. "I know," he said. "But I\'m getting there."
It was just a fun act between the two. Damian knew that Frederic\'s true power, at least during his prime, was something far off from his current self, so even with all the cowardliness, Damian respected him.
"Watch out!" Frederic yelled from afar.
Damian turned around as fast as he could, but it was only enough to catch a glimpse of the mummy getting back up and hitting him with its claws!
The sharp claws cut through Damian\'s slime armor and skin, leaving a nasty wound on his left arm that was dripping with blood.
He cried out in pain and staggered back. The mummy took advantage of his momentary weakness and lunged at him again.
Damian barely had time to raise his sword to defend himself. The mummy\'s claws raked across his chest, tearing through his shirt and flesh.
The damage on his body looked quite serious if one saw it from the outside, but Damian himself knew how fast his wounds were healing, and he would be as good as new in no time.
That was the benefits of being a superhuman with high attributes, and having the bloodline of a giant.
"You idiotic mummy! Just die for me!" Damian yelled.
He hesitated for a second, afraid the mummy would overcome him once again.
\'The first time it did not die, but it has to now, right?\'
"Screw this. Imma go all out!" Damian yelled once again.
A surge of strength ran across Damian\'s body as he swung his sword, cutting the mummy in half. He did not stop there, but cut it down to pieces, ensuring it will not return to haunt him.
It was only the first enemy as many more would surely appeared to be inside that cave, and the most powerful of them — the white thundery wolf — was still far from where they were standing.
They moved forward after Damian stood there, watching the mummy\'s corpse for a few minutes, "Yep, this is dead."
Frederic shook his head, "Are you paranoic or something?"
Damian returned the gaze with a serious look, "I am well-prepared."
"My ass!"
They moved their gazes to the catacomb\'s entrance, walking forward, finally entering it.
The catacomb was a dark and damp place. The walls were made of stone, and the floor was covered in dirt and cobwebs. The air was stale and smelled of death. Damian and Frederic could hear the sound of dripping water, and they could see the occasional rat scurrying across the floor.
It was also a dangerous place. There were many traps and obstacles that Damian and Frederic would have to be careful of. There were also many creatures that lived in the catacomb, creatures still unknown to them.
Despite the danger, Damian and Frederic knew that they had to explore the catacomb. They were on a quest to find the White Wolf, and the catacomb was the only way to get to him.
Damian and Frederic took a deep breath and continued forward, reaching the deeper parts of the catacomb. They knew that they were in for a dangerous journey, but they were determined to succeed.
"How big do you think this place is?" Frederic asked after walking for one hour.
"Your old bones are starting to feel pain? There\'s something called Yoga, I can show you later. Maybe it will be good for your old body."
"You are so funny, aren\'t you? And hey, your wounds healed fast," Frederic said, grabbing Damian\'s arm to check his wounds.
The once nasty wounds on his arm and chest were long gone, all thanks to his high attributes and giant bloodline. Frederic knew Damian was someone who could take a hit, but it was still impressive to see it personally.
"Of course they healed. I am awesome."
"Don\'t boast."
"About your question, I think we might be reaching the end of this place. We are getting higher and higher, and soon will be in the mountain-top."
Damian was confident on his navigation abilities to tell that, but there was still an obstacle waiting for them: a locked door.
It was a double-door with ancient drawings on it, looking rusty and abandoned, covered in dust and spiderwebs.
"It\'s locked. How are opening this?" Damian asked.
For the first time in a long time, Frederic moved toward Damian, taking action instead of just running away! He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him closer to where he stood.
"What\'s this?" Damian asked, still not understanding the situation.
Then, a loud noise echoed inside the catacombs. Damian looked at the door again, and right in front of it was a hole, one that opened right after he touched the door.
"A trap?" Damian said.
He moved forward, gazing at where the hole would lead him, and he saw massive spikes down there.
"Yep, that would cripple me. Thanks, old bones," Damian said as he tapped Frederic\'s shoulder in appreciation.
Damian and Frederic looked at each other, their faces grim. The locked door was their only way out of the catacombs, and they had no idea how to open it.
"Maybe there\'s a key around here somewhere," Damian said, starting to search the area.
Frederic shook his head. "I\'ve looked everywhere. There\'s nothing."
Damian sighed. "Well, we can\'t just stand here. We have to find a way to open that door."
He started to pace back and forth, his mind racing. There had to be a way to open the door. It was their only chance.
Suddenly, he stopped. "Frederic," he said. "Do you remember the drawings on the door?"
Frederic nodded. "Yes. They were of some kind of creature."
"I think those creatures are the key to opening the door," Damian said. "We need to find them."
Frederic looked at him in disbelief. "How are we supposed to do that?" he asked.
"I don\'t know," Damian said. "But we have to try."
They started to search the catacombs, looking for any sign of the creatures. They searched for hours, but they couldn\'t find anything.
Just when they were about to give up, Damian spotted something out of the corner of his eye. It was a small, dark shape, huddled in the corner of a room.
"Frederic," he said, pointing. "Over there."
Frederic followed his gaze and saw the creature. It was small and furry, with big, black eyes.
"What is it?" Frederic asked.
"I don\'t know," Damian said. "But I think it\'s our only hope."
He slowly walked over to the creature, his hand outstretched. The creature didn\'t move.
Damian reached out and touched the creature\'s fur. It was soft and warm.
The creature looked up at him, its eyes widening in fear.
"Don\'t be afraid," Damian said. "I\'m not going to hurt you."
The creature seemed to relax a little bit. Damian slowly reached out and picked it up.
The creature was light, and it felt warm in his hands.
Damian looked at Frederic. "I think this is it," he said. "I think this is the key to opening the door."
He turned and walked back to the door, the creature still in his hands. He placed the creature on the ground in front of the door.
The creature looked up at him, its eyes pleading.
Damian took a deep breath and reached out to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned.
The doorknob turned easily, and the door swung open.
Damian and Frederic looked at each other in amazement. They had done it. They had opened the door.
They still had no idea why the small creature was the key to open the door, but they were glad it worked.
What awaited them on the other side was a massive open room with a throne in the middle where an armored draugr sat.
The moment they entered the room, the draugr slowly moved his head up, staring deep into their souls.