Reborn with a Necromancer System-Chapter 232: Storming the Walls (Stealthily)

"The gateway to Imeria? We don't even know if they have the portal crystals," Kai said, his voice low, almost drowned by the moan of the wind coming off the cliffside.

The wall loomed before them—a jagged monument of stone, half-swallowed by moss and decay. Even in its crumbling state, the battlements rose high, daunting and unbroken in their sheer presence.

'If it were properly manned, if soldiers once again filled those parapets with bows and ballistae, it could still turn back an army.' Kai thought.

But the ramparts were silent. Empty. Not a single demon walked their length. Whoever ruled here had never expected an attack from the cliff-face.

Just as Seyren had said.

"I just wanted to say something cool," Seyren admitted, glancing sheepishly at Kai.

"Try that again if we get the crystals and make it back to the gates alive," Kai replied.

"Okay!"

"Be quiet…" Vepice muttered, eyes narrowing as she studied the black windows staring down at them like hollow eyes.

"Oh. Right."

"Do neither of you feel any sense of danger?" she asked, her voice more serious now, threading tension into the air.

Kai and Seyren looked at each other. A smirk tugged at Kai's mouth.

"I do," he said. "But if it comes down to it, I'll sacrifice as many undead as I need so that we survive."

"And I'm terrified," Seyren admitted, shrugging. "I just make jokes to feel better."

"We know," Kai and Vepice said at once.

Kai stepped forward, boots crunching against gravel and broken masonry. "Come on, then. What are we waiting for?"

Vepice adjusted her cloak. Seyren drew a slow breath. Together, they nodded and moved.

The wall's surface was uneven, patches of stone eaten away by centuries of storms and neglect. They climbed carefully, hands searching for holds in the cracked mortar. Kai's strength carried him up quickly, the other two following close behind until they reached the yawning gap of a shattered window.

They slipped inside.

Kai coughed as he hit the ground and flicked up the dust on the floor.

The air was stale, thick with dust. No torchlight flickered. The sconces in the wall had long gone out.

Kai listened for movement, but no footsteps echoed through the great hollow corridors. Not even the sound of rats, bats, or other creatures.

The silence of the place was oppressive, the kind of silence that seemed to listen back.

Kai resisted the urge to activate his mana sight.

Even the faintest shimmer of his magic might leave a trace, a whisper for demons to follow.

If the crystals were truly here, then subtlety would be their only chance.

Getting discovered by an army of demons would create trouble that would be difficult to get out of.

"Any idea where they might be?" Kai asked, glancing to Seyren.

"The crystals?"

"And the demons..."

The half-demon's gaze darted over the faded banners drooping from the high ceilings. "I guess we got lucky with the demons. But the crystals? Maybe… a throne room? I saw drawings of this castle once, back in my village. It should be at the centre of the first floor."

"I guess that's a start. We might even find them on the way."

Their footsteps echoed faintly as they moved, shadows swallowing them with every turn.

Eventually, they came to a hall where three demons lingered in hushed conversation.

Kai pulled away, holding his arm out to stop either of his companions from walking passed the doorway.

"What?" Vepice asked.

"Demons. Ones that look like Balthaz."

Kai peeked around the corner and saw that they were in a heated discussion.

"Why is the king away at such a crucial time?" one of them asked, voice sharp with unease. "He forbade us from invading the other world until he returned."

"Careful. You never know who might be listening."

"What? I was just-"

"Questioning his motives?" the third snapped. "He'd cut you into pieces if he knew."

The first demon paled, throat bobbing as he swallowed and said no more.

Kai signaled with two fingers, and they slipped past, moving deeper into the fortress. One chamber after another revealed nothing but dust and ruin.

Down a staircase worn by centuries, and through archways half-collapsed.

"It feels like we're going around in circles. Everything looks the same here." Kai said.

"No, it doesn't. I'm sure we're getting closer." Seyren replied.

"Didn't we pass that dead mouse before?" Vepice asked, pointing at the little carcass in question.

"There are probably a lot of dead mice here. The demons probably eat them."

"I don't think they'd eat mice." Seyren said, obviously offended.

"Oh, sorry... I didn't mean..."

"It's okay. I'm only half demon, so what would I know?"

Seyren poured and remained silent for the rest of their search, making the mood awkward.

Several more hallways were walked down and dozens more rooms passed before they stopped.

They finally stopped before a pair of colossal doors. Blackened iron ribs bound them together, and though the wood had warped, it still radiated weight and permanence.

"Do you think…?" Kai asked softly.

"I think so," Seyren answered, voice tight.

Together, they pushed. The doors groaned, shuddering as they gave way, and a surge of raw, chaotic mana washed out from the chamber within. It clawed at Kai's senses, prickling across his skin. He immediately yanked Vepice and Seyren against the wall, every instinct screaming at him to stay unseen.

Inside, the throne room stretched wide and cavernous. The air shimmered faintly, warped by the chaos lingering in its heart. And there it was. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The throne.

Perfect, unbroken. Polished to a black mirror's sheen, as though carved whole from volcanic glass. Its perfection was unnatural, untouched by the decay that claimed the rest of the fortress.

And beside it, on a small pedestal, glimmered the prize.

The crystals.

Shards of purple carved into intricate shapes that pulsed faintly, each humming with power.

'It can't be this easy…' Kai thought, suspicion tightening in his chest.

A woman's voice answered his thought, smooth and mocking, curling through the silence behind them.

"Oh, it's not."