1 Chapter 1.Adventurer's pov(Reworked)

Inside a dark cave...

A group of adventurers explores in the darkness,consisting of 4 people.A dwarf with a solid shield and 3 humans in which 2 of them are knights and last one a mage.

''Oi! There are no signs of monsters or minerals! What a bloody waste! a frowning dwarf shouted annoyedly. Inside a dark and murky cave'', a group of young and ambitious adventurers explores a dark and murky cave, hoping to find something valuable to sell in the nearest village.

''Patients my friend, you dwarves are always hot headed. You will be surprised what luxurious can be achieve with just a little patient.'' A novice mage replied to the dwarf as she uses her staff to cast an illumination spell, illuminating the dark cave, showing a passage that leads deeper into the cave.

''See, there are still more unexplored parts in the cave. We should-'' before she can finish, the short dwarf armed with a mace and a heavy shield rush in, eagerly to find valuable loot. ''Haha! A hearty feast and good wine are every dwarfs dream! There is not stopping a dwarf once he set his heart into it.'' Said the novice knight as he put his hand on the mages shoulder.

Dont put too much though on it. The knight continues. That does not mean we shouldnt be careful said a low-level paladin as he tightens his grip on his sword. Come on! Loot awaits! yell the dwarf and the rest soon follow not knowing the dangers that lied ahead.

''Be careful'' said the paladin silently. ''This place had been untouched for a long time. Death reeks this place.''

The paladin grips his shield harder as a sense of fear sends a chill to its spine.

''Well look at this!'' said the mage excitedly. She found a sack of spell books next to a dusty skeleton, long dead. ''Maybe I can finally impress my mentor with some new spells'' as she excitedly read the books as if in a trance state. ''Haha! Shinny rocks! Have to be gemstones!'' The dwarf smiled as he used a nearby pickaxe to mine the stones.

''All these armors look very sturdy, making I can find one that is my size'' said the knight as he examines the skeletons littered around the ground. ''Must be unlucky newbies. Glad that whatever killed them should be long gone, and we have a paladin here'' unintentionally voicing out his admiration for the paladin. He looks embarrassingly at the paladin, worrying he may have annoyed the paladin, but the paladin remains on guard, ignoring anything deemed unnecessary.

*Crack**Crack*. ''Dwarf! Stop immediately!'' Even the stubborn dwarf stops his mining, albeit annoyed. ''Guys, these spell books. They are not spells for apprentices the mage stutters as she speaks. They are for adepts it takes years to be an adept ''

The knight falls back as the skeletons starts to reanimate still bearing their rusty armor bearing their old signs. ''That sign, its its! ''The knight fell and tried to back away to join the group, the dwarf threw the pickaxe at a skeleton, only bruising its armor.

''The Order of the Sun, one of the elite knight orders. Men! Battle positions! Whatever that took them down is no simple necromancer!''

The paladin unsheathes his sword, the knight quickly stands up and takes position next to the paladin, the dwarf has raised his mace and clings to his shield, the mage stands behind all of them, preparing her spells, waiting for orders.

'' This dark magic can only reanimate the skeletons but not retain their skills. Still their numbers are large so we must be careful.'' The mage said. The knight bravely clashes swords with the skeleton, the dwarf blocks the incoming strikes and uses his short height to his advantage to smash the legs, before crushing the skulls of the fallen skeletons. The mage continues to cast more illumination spells to further bright up the dark cave while casting a few fire balls at some skeletons to help her team. The paladin, as expected, destroyed the skeletons with ease, dodging heavy blows and striking swiftly. Littering the ground with shattered bones and rusting armor. But the skeletons keep on coming. Tens of minutes, maybe even an hour or 2 had passed yet there is still no end to the fighting. The knight had already suffered some wounds on his leg, the dwarf fights on stubbornly, ignoring the gemstones that he was stubbornly clingy to that had fell off. The paladin is starting to feel exhausted while the mage is panicking and on the verge of breaking down.

''Mage! Cast a large fireball over there!!'' Yelled the paladin after noticing an opening where the skeletons came from. The mage broke out from her trance, quickly chanted a spell, and hurled a giant fireball at the opening. Blowing up and burning all the skeletons in it as the rest of the team killed of the remaining surviving skeletons.

'' How do you know?'' asked the exhausted knight as he pants and runs towards the mage that is now struggling to even stand after using most of her mana.

''Necromancers have a habits of stacking bodies in one room and use a spell trap to reanimate all of the dead easily. ''

The dwarf quickly ran towards the mage and handed her a potion. ''Take this lass, found it near the corpse I found the pickaxe, was planning to sell it but I think you need it more than me now.'' The mage chuckled and drank the potion. ''It seems I may have misjudged you dwarves.'' The knight let out a laugh, doing his best to ignore his wounded leg. The paladin still refuses to let his guard down.

''What creature could wield such powerful dark magic. No necromancer I ever faced have the power to reanimate that many skeletons much less kill that many elite knights. .....Unless!! WE MUST ESCAPE HERE NOW!!'' screamed the paladin as he barely dodged a large fireball, but the explosion was powerful, the shockwave propels him to the wall.

''Sir!!!'' Yelled the knight. The burnt marked left by the fireball it is corrupted magic. ''It can't be! It is a Lich!'' the mage mumbled out with what little energy she had left. The stubborn dwarf who had shown no fear throughout the entire battle now shed a cold sweat. The knight quickly ran towards the paladin to help him get up but the paladin, as skillful as always, already took a battle stance.

''Sir! we must run, there is a village not far from here and we can-''. The paladin suddenly dashes towards the lich, trying to cut it down but was blocked by the lich staff. That staff that order had long been extinct for hundreds of years. Before the knight could respond, the paladin was thrown towards the knight.

''We cant leave now. Not as long as that demonic creature stands. The village will be destroyed. This lich is hundred of years old. There is no telling what it can do! Quickly! You all must retreat! I will hold them back Shouted the paladin as he searches for a scroll.'' The dwarf, despite being small, carried the mage and run towards the exit. The knight, still in doubt, was slap pushsd away by the paladin before the lich hurl another giant fireball at them.

The paladin finally found his scroll, a purification scroll used by paladins to dispel dark magic or destroy creatures of dark magic or demonic origins. He made a prayer and used the scroll to cast a spell on the lich. The lich screams in agony and falls on the ground. The paladin lets out a smile, hidden by his helmet before almost collapsing but was held by the knight who is desperately trying to hide his excitement.

They slowly limb towards the exit and they can hear the joyful cry of the mage when she sees them. Nearing the exit, they saw the mage and dwarf sitting and waving towards them, but their smile soon faded.

''Behind you!'' yelled the dwarf, throwing his trusted mace passing by the knight and the paladin by an inch only to be shoved away by the lich.

''That...'' stuttered the paladin ''was the strongest scroll I have''. The paladin quickly pushes the knight towards the exit before jumping towards the lich to strike it but was grabbed by the lich with its two bony hands.

''Run! Get to the village! Warn them before it is too late! He turned his head to yell at them'', a grave mistake as the lich back reveals a red demonic claw, aiming to strike the paladins neck. Slash without realizing it, the knight also leaps towards the lich, cutting off its claw.

''I will not bring shame to the Knights Order!'' the knight declares as he strikes the lich in hopes to free the paladin. The lich, distracted and annoyed by the knight, threw the paladin near the entrance. Blood oozes out from his eyes and ears. The dwarf drags him towards the mage while looking worriedly at the knight who was desperately trying to hurt the lich.

''Curse marks I may not have much left, but I can still heal it before it gets worse'' as she cast a healing spelling on the paladin, who is choking on his own blood while looking at knight valiant yet futile effort. He was slashed and stabbed by the staff. Like a little doll being tortured by a sadist.

''Run my friends! I may not live to be a hero, but I will die as your friend! Sir! Did I make you proud!?'' yelled the knight before being grabbed by the lich. The mage near death of exhaustion screamed out in pain as the knight was flung towards deeper into the cave.

The lich tries to hurl a fireball at them, but the knight quickly rushes towards and stabs the lich at the back, causing it to miss and destroy the entrance, the dwarf, using his shield protected the paladin and the mage from the debris and shockwave. The paladin reaches out his arm towards the crumbled entrance before passing out. The dwarf abandoned his hang his shield on his back as he drags the unconscious paladin and the crying mage who is still staring at the entrance in tears. Hoping to reach the nearest village and not to waste his friends sacrifice, he holds in his tears and uses what remaining strength to drag them with him just after he abandons the gemstones.

Back in the cave, the knight, now trapped and heavily wounded stares at the lich with a delighted look. Knowing tge others had escaped brought him much release.

''I, a low-level knight may not be able to destroy a foul creature like you, BUT! I WILL NOT DIE WITHOUHT A FIGHT!'' The knight fights on, no matter how long it had been, how many cuts he suffered, how many of his bones had been broken or how many times he had been knocked down. He clings dearly to an amulet, given to him by his mother and blessed by the mage to give himself motivation but he is not even able to stand any more.

''Mother, I hope you are well. Father, I hope you will not cry. I may not be able to return anymore. Sir, I hope you will see me as an honorable knight.'' He kneels on his knee, expecting his destined death.

*Clank* *Clank* *Clank*

A loud metal sound can be heard, distracting both the lich and the knight. Suddenly, a weaker part of the cave walls is broken apart, revealing an entrance never known by to anybody including the lich. A dark humanoid figure emerged from it, clink clank.

''A Human? No, the way he move is too rigid. Is it a smaller golem?''