The mist (6)

*CRUNCH*

After successfully reaching the highpoint cavern, a surgical process unfolded.

The cavern was not wide enough to let more than three large men enter it. Even for skeletons, five would be the limit. Although Ourin and Baerys were beyond exhausted, their survival was at stake, allowing them to squeeze the very last bits of energy that remained in their body.

*CRUNCH*

[Target does not show any sign of life anymore...]

After the destruction of so many skeletons, Ourin was now used to his biochip's mediocre analysis. Although damaged, it could successfully pinpoint which skeleton was dead, and which one was just damaged, allowing him to deliver the fatal blow.

*CRUNCH*

[Target does not show any sign of life anymore...]

Swinging his sword once more, the blade clashed with the skull of a charging skeleton, skillfully breaking it in several pieces upon impact. The blade was no longer sharp. Drenched with murloc blood and not receiving proper maintenance for days, it was a wonder that it was not chipped. 

After all, it was no enchanted masterpiece. It was just a high-quality sword based on mortals' standards. Although knights would find it very well balanced and sharp, it now lacked its pristine quality, reduced to an old piece of iron that was becoming increasingly more dull as Ourin cut down the skeletons.

One of the skeleton on the ground suddenly charged and bit his thigh, adding an injury to his body, but Ourin quickly reacted, using his shield twice. The first strike shattered the one-legged skeleton in half, the pressure causing it to relaw its jaw. The second shield blow was much more vicious, targeting the back of its skull directly, putting an end to its existence.

[Target does not show any sign of life anymore...]

Without any time to breath, the duo continued to destroy skeletons, one at a time for the next dozen of minutes. Baerys used up all her magic, casting twelve icicles before running out of mana. Seeing Ourin struggling and bleeding from the pore of his skins, from his feet to his head, her fighting spirit never once wavered, as she started to throw rock at the climbing skeletons who tried to reach their lair. 

Over time, the flux of skeletons started to diminish, allowing Ourin to compensate his increasing exhaustion with less pressure. After twenty minutes of fighting, the last skeleton fell from six meters, its balance broken by a rock thrown by Baerys.

They had survived.

At last, they could rest.

Ourin looked at the state of his body with a grave expression, and executed a body analysis.

[Status: Gravely injured. Immediate treatment required. Bleeding has stopped thanks to hemostasis and strong vitality, and respiratory condition has started to stabilize. Life force is helping regenerating wounds, but risks of infection are very high]

Ourin sighed, and reluctantly took out a semi-hemostasis potion, a treasure which he had bought at a staggering price of two magic crystals. Although it was a failed product which could not compare to the real hemostasis potions sold in the market floor, a true remedy against bleeding wounds that almost negated the risks of infection, increased the regeneration of flesh and stopped bleeding, it still possessed strong medical properties and a fraction of the benefits of the original concoction.

When he had bought it from a senior acolyte who looked like an experienced witch, he had been suspicious, to the point that he felt like she had diluted the content. Had he possessed the fully functional biochip, he might have been able to tell whether he had been tricked or not, but he had bought it as a last resort. A gamble, that could now save his life.

Taking the potion, Baerys immediately recognized the potion and quickly nodded, seeing that he was not going to drink it, like many incompetent acolytes did. 

'There is a better way to apply a hemostasis potion', Ourin said in his head

Splashing the potion on his wounds, a strange steam of grey colour started to emit from his wounds. A piercing sting caused him to clench his teeth, but he did not utter a word, his body too tired to even pronounce a word. Baerys may not look like it, but she was still suffering from the effects of the poison, and despite that, she had fought with her spells until spiritual force exhaustion and bloodied her pristine hands into a bloody mess. 

Seeing her so engaged in their quest of survival, Ourin finished applying the content of the bottle and left about ten percent of the potion, before handing it to Baerys.

"Apply it", he said with a hoarse voice, "We do not know how much more we will need to stay in this damn mist"

The surprisingly strong murloc shaman, the encounters of an extremely high number of mutant murloc warriors and now the assault of a group of more than 300 skeletons led by a skeleton mage, a sight which had not been witnessed in the outskirts of the Island of Bones in the last five decades, as far as the archive from the Mercifura Free Library Floor went...

Such was the evidence that the small trio of acolytes had not stumbled upon an ordinary mist.

The [Mist] spell's strength and duration was proportional to the spiritual force of the caster. 

Ourin originally feared that it had been cast by a level 2 elder bone tree, or even a level 3 elder bone tree. These monstrous plants which could reach hundreds of meters in terms of height and possessed a wide array of bone elemental spells could not be threatened by anything less than an expedition of seasoned acolytes of the same rank. These expedition should usually be ten to twenty acolytes strong, something that almost never happened.

However, Ourin now had an incredible fear.

What if it was a magus level elder bone tree?

This would explain why they had still not reached the limits of the mist zone, or why they had attracted so many creatures. The longer a mist lasted, the scarcer the resources became in this zone. Although acolytes could use meditation to sustain their spiritual force, regular beast like warlocks needed organic matter to survive, similar to how regular humans needed nutrients.

Murlocs possessed strong senses, and the smell of human flesh was enough to attract regular murlocs, not to mention famished murlocs.

Despite the cavern being relatively safe, Ourin stood up after catching his breath, and proceeded to seal the cavern, leaving only enough ventilation for them not to suffocate. Three hours of hard work turned into pride. With the tiny hole left, skeletons would not be able to enter the cavern anymore.