The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Monsters in the Woods

Read chapter 37 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 37: Monsters in the Woods The fortress descended into a methodical storm of crunching boots and clanging steel. Lucius’s party had no room to interfere; this was no place for stragglers. The group had no choice but to retreat back to the barracks lest they be trampled underneath all the chaos. The inside, however, had become just as frantic. Players ran about in a daze, terrified by the sound of bellowing horns, and it was only thanks to Sir Ruggiero that they managed to compose themselves long enough to evacuate towards the upper levels. “Concern yourself not with the paladins’ rally!” he roared, taking command with a boldness unlike his prior, more gentle, self. “This battle is not yours to fight, not yet. Climb the ramps up to the battlements and spread yourselves thin. There, you will find the priests of the artillery division: Their position lies the farthest out of danger, but heed caution nonetheless. No corner is truly safe.” Far out in the distance, Lucius could hear it: a faint yell. The cries of war. It seemed the Frankish knights had already made contact, bitterly clashing against their mortal enemies. Ruggiero donned a scaled helm. “I must leave you now; the others require my aid. Should your lives be threatened, scream. Do not die a reckless martyr.” With that, the Peer disappeared, leaving the others to fester in their distress. The players had been warned of this, but nothing could prepare them for the grim reality: the pressure, the tension, the constant gnawing fear creeping down their spines. Lucius was perfectly fine, of course. So was Marco. The old mobster patted the trembling Mili’s shoulder and held her hand as she took deep breaths. Harper was a bit unsettled, her face scowling, but the firefighter quickly sprung to action and led at the forefront. “The worst you can do during an emergency is to stop,” she hollered, grabbing the party and running up the fortress steps. “Your body’ll whimper and try to hold you back, but you gotta keep moving—push through. Run . One of the first thing’s I learned at the station was to grit my teeth and let the blood boil. Heat will keep you alert - don’t fight it.” Soon, they arrived at the fortress’s peak, where a long line of both player and priest alike had already begun congregating. They looked out to the west. The hazy mist obscured their vision, but still they were able to glean a glimpse of the tattered lands and scorched soil that laid beyond the walls. It was like another world entirely. The mountains stretched out into the beyond, jutted peaks encased in whirling black clouds, and stood tall as an imposing, dreadful monument. Lucius could feel the evil emanating from its shadows, looming over all under a rotting sky. The once-luscious forests, decayed. The air—stagnant. From the bowels of this fetid realm, it appeared. The vile horde the players had trained all this time to slay. Mili began to hyperventilate. She backed away and clutched at her head, eyes threatening to burst out of their sockets. “W-What is that? What the hell is that?” It was too bizarre to fully comprehend. “I don’t know, kid. I don’t—Jesus Christ…” Marco trembled and made the sign of the cross. Even the horrors of the maze had not shaken him to the extent he was now. “Were those knight fellas really dealin’ with that all this time?” Too unnatural to have been spawned by nature. Harper covered her mouth and strained every muscle she had to prevent herself from hurling. “I, um, need a second…” What was it that defined a creature as living? Was it a vessel of meat; a frame of bone; a consciousness upon which to think? If that were true, then these things could not be considered alive whatsoever. Their figures had no sensible form. The only way Lucius could describe it was as if a child’s scribblings had come to life—a jumble of nonsense that merely imitated the actions of the living. Some looked like they were drawn by pencil: others watercolor, acrylic, pastel and yarn and clay. The