Chapter 49: Ammo Room

The duo streaked across the cobblestones as they neared one of the palace entrances. Charon’s skeleton horde was waiting just behind them, hidden in a side building so as not to alert the defenders. They ducked around a stone wall, lying flat against the surface. Emerius peeked his head around the corner to study their approach, his mouth moving to count something Chaorn couldn’t see. Once he was done, he turned to him and explained. "I count five guards. I can take them out quickly, and we can move inside. Do not do anything until I give you the all clear." Charon nodded his understanding, and Emerius activated his ability. Inky shadows raced up his skin, covering every inch of pale flesh in pure darkness. He took on an intangible form, his body shuddering and shaking with the wind. Where his eyes were, now only two black pools remained. His mouth opened in what Charon thought was a grin, but he couldn’t quite tell. The shadow then fled around the corner, running towards the palace. Charon heard a shout, followed by metal striking metal. A cry went up, but was quickly stifled. Something wet hit the road, causing a loud splat. A laser shot zipped down the street, hitting the side of a building. A scorch mark appeared where it landed, and was soon joined by three others before he heard the sound of steel slicing flesh. Silence followed for a moment. "It is all clear." Releasing a tense breath, Charon stepped out from behind the wall and grimaced at the carnage. Three corpses were right outside the tall, open double doors. Two were missing their heads, and the third looked like it had fallen from a great height. Looking up, he saw Emerius standing on the rampart. The shadows had left his body, returning him to normal. With a flip, his friend jumped down beside him, gesturing towards the doors. "We should hurry. I did my best to keep quiet, but there were two more than I had counted. They might have alerted another section." Not wasting any more time, they ran into the palace, Charon’s skeletons marching behind them not long after. Inside, they found a long hallway with multiple branching doorways. Paintings hung on the walls, most of them depicting regal-looking men posing with various objects. Walking near Emerius, Charon pointed down the hall and whispered. "I can split up my skeletons and have them clear the side rooms. You and I can take a small contingent to clear the main path. We just need to find where this is all being organized from." Emerius gave him a stiff nod but didn’t verbally reply. As the skeletons entered the palace, they split off into groups of five. Each group then entered the different rooms connecting to the hallway, clearing them with methodical precision. The three remaining skeletons and the leader followed Charon to serve as combat support. ’Having so many summons is very convenient.’ Continuing down the hall, they arrived at a four-way junction, with one of the paths connecting to a staircase. It led both up and down, offering them five options. Emerius took the first step on the staircase going up, Charon following behind as he deferred to his friend’s judgment. ’It makes sense that the officers would want a higher vantage point. It also could be where they keep the ammunition for the palace guards.’ He sent new orders to his skeletons to explore the other paths once they finished with their first rooms. ’I need to make sure we don’t get flanked on our way.’ Once on the landing, Emerius ducked into the first room he saw, Charon and his skeletons close behind. The faint sound of voices reached their ears, soon accompanied by heavy footsteps. "I hate being on goffer duty. I’m a better shot than half of those nitwits, and they still make me fetch the ammo? I miss when the Queen was in charge." Another voice sighed. "No, you don’t. And they aren’t making you do goffer duty, they are making us do goffer duty! You may hate it, but it’s better than dying out there. Did you see some of the mages they sent? Bloody terrifying." The first voice snorted. "I ain’t afraid of no mages. It’s the infantry that’ll get us. I heard the Fort has dedicated thousands of men to this. They must really want what’s in that cave." Their voices drifted off as they moved further away, prompting Charon to move back to the doorway. He peered around the edges to make sure the coast was clear before rushing after the two men, the skeletons right behind him. He followed them as they turned down another hallway, and then a third, their pace slow and easy to keep up with. Emerius eventually joined him, his eyes full of understanding. Once the men entered a side room, they ran up to the side of the door, their weapons bared and ready for a fight. With a shared nod, the skeletons charged in, the duo hot on their tails. Inside, they saw the two men standing over a massive pile of rectangular charge packs. They covered the floor, leaving barely enough room to enter the room without tripping. Black with a red glow, they hummed softly, their energy barely contained by their packaging. By the time the Clayton men knew what was happening, Charon’s summons had buried their swords in their backs. Charon grinned at the bodies before frowning, his mind in turmoil after seeing so many dead at his hands. ’It’s almost too easy now. It isn’t like the heroic tales of struggle and victory. It’s just... simple.’ He didn’t hate the feeling, but for some reason, he hated that fact instead. He felt like he should hate it, that it should be more difficult for him to take so many lives. But it wasn’t. It was a job, one that he wouldn’t have chosen outright, but was still willing to do to reach his goals. Emerius knelt and grabbed one of the charge packs. He brought it to his face and inspected it before shaking his head in disappointment. "Very sloppy. If disturbed, the casing can rupture, causing the energy to be expelled violently. Laser charge packs should always be stored in proper ammunition carriers, lest you risk a very large explosion." Charon flashed him a wicked grin. "Then that’s exactly what we do, get them to explode. That was the mission, wasn’t it? Cause as much chaos by hitting their logistics? No charge packs means no using their laser guns." Emerius frowned. "Yes, but it could be disastrous. This many packs exploding at once could level the palace, this floor at the least. We would not be able to escape in time." Bones rattling beside him as one of the skeleton soldiers stepped forward. Charon jutted his thumb towards the summon. "Then we have him do it for us. We can get out of here, and at any moment, I can send the command for him to disturb the packs and make them blow this entire building sky high. Best of both worlds." Emerius looked reluctant at the proposition, his eyebrows narrowing. "It will still destroy this building. The casualties will be high, possibly even our own men. General Mongrave had specifically wanted to limit damage to the city." Charon scoffed. "Do you really think he will care if that damage is done to the enemy’s command post? We will kill two birds with one stone, if not more! Their ammo will be gone, as well as their best defensive point! We may even take out their officers at the same time. We would be heroes!" Emerius gulped, but nodded his consent. He stood up, brushing his robes off. "Very well. I may not agree with it, but it does have certain benefits. Leave your... man... here, and we can flee the way we came." Grinning like a madman, Charon sent the command and left the supply room, his other three warriors and the leader exiting right after. No other men were in the hallway, making him feel confident as they strolled back to the staircase, when he suddenly felt something was wrong. Grabbing his head, he shuddered as he felt multiple of his skeletons die. Pausing to rest against the wall, he groaned as more losses followed. ’Someone is hunting my skeletons!’ The next waves of pain were more muted, his body growing used to the sensation. That didn’t stop them from coming, however, as over a dozen summons died within a minute. ’That isn’t good, what could be happening to them all-’ His eyes widened as he realized what that meant: they were exposed. Turning to Emerius, he dropped all attempts and stealth and shouted, his voice full of panic. "We need to leave, now!"