Level 1 Fallen

Seeing as Wisteria had to come in person herself to take command off this mission, I could tell just how severe the possible implications were. Wisteria was a very strong individual. Even though she had been weakened in her fight against me at the League of Assassins, considerably reducing her level, I only managed to defeat her because I abused the Animate Shadow skill to swarm her with summons. Something that isn't even possible anymore.

If we were to fight again under the same circumstances, I wasn't honestly sure who would win. Admittedly, I had more skills on my side now, but that's just how strong she was.

As I was thinking about that, Wisteria appeared before us once again, having teleported back to us after likely reaching the village. Seeing the serious look on her face, I couldn't help but have a bad feeling. "Are they missing people, too?" I asked.

"You could say that." She nodded. "The entire village is empty. It's the same thing as what happened here. I didn't see any sign of a struggle, and there weren't any tracks leading out of the city."

Diane gave a firm nod of her head. "That settles it. This is likely the work of an undead monster guild wanting to create an undead tide."

"Probably." Wisteria agreed. "We need to strike fast. According to your report, Drake, you prevented them from taking anyone yesterday, thanks to your Ki Projection. While that was noble of you, it would have likely alerted them that they need to move. Wraiths don't perform well under direct sunlight, so they would likely abandon their base after nightfall."

"So, we hit them before that." Diane said, earning an approving look from Wisteria.

"Try to keep up." The half-fox added, rolling her shoulders. "We're making a run for the forest."

Seeming to understand what this meant, Diane sighed, before climbing up onto my back. "Let's go, Drake." She said, this time earning a confused look from Wisteria.

Without saying anything, I used Glancing Steps-X, as well as Ghost-X. With three quick steps, we were already on the southern wall of Pike City, and I began charging forward. The landscape blurred around us, shifting every half second as I locked onto our next destination.

It only took me twenty seconds of moving like this to reach the edge of the forest. After we arrived, Diane jumped off my back, landing nearby and leaning against a nearby tree. "If she's moving at mach one, she'll be here in two minutes." Diane said calmly, though I simply blinked in surprise at her ability to calculate that quickly.

However, it only took another thirty seconds before Wisteria arrived, her body seeming to form together from flowing energy. What sort of skill was that, and how can I learn it? "Well… didn't expect something like that from you two." She said with a grin. "At that speed, surprised you haven't made it all the way to the front lines yet."

"We still need time to get stronger." Diane retorted seriously. "So, this is going to be a raid, right?"

"That's right." When Wisteria answered such, Diane let out a sigh.

"Then I'll see you later, Drake." She spoke up, glancing towards me. A moment later, her brand darkened, and Diane's Chosen pulled her staff out of her inventory. "Sorry, Wisteria. My player's not in a good state to fight right now, so I'll be taking over for her."

Wisteria blinked, but nodded her head. "And you use magic, instead of her ninja techniques?" She asked, looking at the staff in Diane's hands. When Diane nodded her head, Wisteria chuckled. "Maybe I should look into investing in you two. Never a dull moment, right?"

After saying that, Wisteria turned, looking at the forest ahead. "We need to move fast, but stay cautious. We don't know where the enemy's base is within the forest. Or where they may have hidden traps or scouts."

"According to my player, the normal enemy type for this forest is a wolf-headed spider." Diane informed the two of us. "Their bodies are more than two meters long, and they move in groups of ten or more. Additionally, they often burrow in the ground, waiting for people to approach so that they can strike."

Wisteria grimaced, before nodding her head and pulling out a pair of bladed fans. "Ambush predators are the worst. Still, I should be able to detect them early. I'll be focused on watching for any hidden monsters, so I want the two of you to be looking for their base."

We both nodded our heads, and moved to follow behind Wisteria as she entered the forest. At first, it looked like everything was clear, but every few minutes, she would wave one of her bladed fans. When she did, there was a faint hiss from underground several meters ahead.

"At least they haven't cleared out the monsters in this area." I muttered, earning a nod from the other two. That indicated that their undead force wasn't strong enough to completely sweep through these monsters yet.

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As we walked, I would keep observing the area with Detective Analysis, until finally, I saw something. Once I did, I reached forward, lightly tapping Wisteria's shoulder to get her attention. She glanced back, and I pointed up ahead, towards a slightly deformed hill. I lowered my voice, whispering to Wisteria and Diane. "There's a hollow structure within that hill, like a cave that descends downwards. The entrance is on the westernmost side, covered by a canopy of leaves and vines."

Wisteria nodded her head in appreciation, gesturing towards us. "Everyone, enter stealth. We'll move at the same speed we have been in the target direction. From now on, we will only communicate through private chat."

Diane and I both nodded our agreement, the three of us activating our stealth skills and making our way forward. The closer we got, the more I could detect the smell of decay, gritting my teeth and pushing through.

As we approached the canopy, I saw it being brushed aside by an invisible figure, no doubt Wisteria herself. Even with my Detective Analysis, I couldn't make out her outline right now. Diane and I ducked through the open canopy, and Wisteria closed it behind us. Inside was a dimly lit space with a single desk, lit only by a candle that had almost burnt out.

In the back of the room was the cave that I saw, descending down underground. However, this did not seem like a dungeon. As I was thinking about that, Wisteria messaged us again. Maintain a constant speed, and follow my directions as we move.

I nodded my head, walking carefully forward as we proceeded down the hallway. After twenty or so meters, it opened into a wide room, where numerous undead lined the halls. There were skeletons, zombies, and even larger abominations. However, we weren't here for them. None of these undead had the familiar brand of a Chosen, meaning that they were all just basic monsters.

Wisteria directed us down the leftmost of three passages that led out of this room, where we saw even more abominations. Some of these horrific creatures had monster parts grafted to their skin, like giant mantis sickles coming out of their shoulders, or wolf heads attached to their stomachs.

Further and further we went, with the undead only becoming more horrific with every room. They weren't just creating undead here, they were experimenting with them. I clenched my fists, personally wanting to destroy every undead here, if only to put them out of their misery. However, doing so would cause too much of a stir, and we couldn't' risk alerting the players.

After exploring more than a dozen rooms filled with undead horrors, we finally came to a more tidy room, one which housed only a dozen coffins. Drake, can you ID them? Wisteria messaged, and I activated Detective Analysis once again.

All Chosen. I confirmed. Eight wraiths, three vampires, and a skeleton mage. The mage is the master of the undead we've seen so far, according to my skill.

With that, Wisteria had us move forward. Since Diane and I each had two of the punishment anchors, she tasked us with taking out the vampires, while she dealt with the rest.

However, as we got closer, an alarm spell suddenly sounded, the lids of the coffins flying off as their occupants awoke. "Intruders!" The wraiths wailed, letting out a shrill screech that alerted the other undead we had already passed.

The vampires, meanwhile, took up defensive positions around the skeletal mage, who… cowered in the back corner? I was expecting some grand overlord of death, instilling fear and madness in any who saw him. Instead, he looked like he was about to fall apart at the mere idea of a fight. "W-who goes there?!" He shouted, his bones rattling. "We can talk this out, there's no need to fight!"

Seeing this, I couldn't help but feel confused even more. This undead Chosen seemed legitimately terrified, even without seeing the face of his attackers. Meanwhile, the others took positions to protect him, even seeming to disregard their own safety to form a tight net around the mage.

However, Wisteria was not to be deterred from her mission. Strike. She ordered, appearing silently at the back of the other party. Her bladed fans lashed out, slashing through the skeletal mage's skull. Meanwhile, I used my Martial Intent-X to form dozens of spikes, piercing through two of the vampires.

Diane, waiting for her chance to strike, summoned blades of darkness that easily decapitated the final vampire. "No!" The wraiths shouted in unison. "They got James!" Despite the vampires all being slaughtered, the only one that they seemed concerned about was the skeletal mage.

The wraiths took on vicious expressions, preparing to lash out before Wisteria sent a gust of bladed wind to cleave them apart. There was a confused look on her face as she stared down at the shattered skull at her feet.

"What's wrong?" I asked, glancing warily back towards the hallway that we came from. If the undead were coming, they would be here any second. However, nothing seemed to be approaching us other than the same rotten stench we've dealt with this whole time.

"The Punishment Anchor didn't activate with him." She said, reaching down and placing a hand on the mage's corpse. "Loot."

The body of the mage shimmered and disappeared, and Wisteria gasped in surprise. "So much?"

"What's going on?" Diane asked in confusion, and Wisteria looked up at us, not seeming to know how to explain, until her eyes seemed to catch something.

"Oh… oh my." She stood up, eyes wide. "This was the possessor of two ten-star traits, one positive and one negative. His positive trait, Master of the Horde, removed the unit limit and maintenance cost for familiars. However, his negative trait was Hardcore, removing his ability to respawn. When he died, the Punishment Anchor didn't activate because he was unable to respawn, and everything he owned dropped on his corpse, including his traits and all of his skills."

"You two… head back to town, this mission is over. I need to talk to the guildmaster about this." Her gaze was shaking as she looked at the loot that she had gotten. "I'll handle your rewards once he's made a decision."

After saying that, Wisteria disappeared from view, teleporting away. I looked at Diane, surprised by what Wisteria had revealed. A trait that could permanently kill a Chosen? That was… terrifying to imagine.