I Have a Task Log

Chapter 293: Chapter 292: The Beginning of the Raid

’There aren’t many guards.’

But that was to be expected. The Priests and Cultivators inside the Monastery could all cast Divine Arts. When push came to shove, they could just pick up their Nail Head Hammers and join the fight.

"Hold on, let me see if I can get any support from Rommon."

Colin thought for a moment before taking out a Scroll of Sending.

He was quite proficient at Casting from Scrolls by now. As he recited the Spell, he mentally formed the message he wanted to send: ’Demons in the Monastery. Can you send reinforcements?’

The instant the Casting was complete and the message sent, Colin received a reply.

[Eliminate the enemy if possible. No reinforcements yet. All is well.]

"Alright, looks like we’re on our own."

Colin took a deep breath.

He continued, "I suggest we charge straight into the Bone Repository Hall to take care of those Demons, just like we did back in Pig Badger Village. We might only need to destroy the Array beneath the Monastery to break their influence. If we do, the Monastery’s Guards might even become our backup. As for the plan..."

"Can you two scale the Monastery’s outer wall in full armor?" Colin asked, looking at Battier and Morne.

"With a rope, yes," they said in unison.

"Then it’s simple. First, we get over the outer wall. Then, we’ll charge into the Bone Repository Hall through the cemetery entrance, eliminate the Demons, and destroy the Array. We’ll figure out how to clean up afterward," Colin said. "And of course, we’ll have to use our Potions, Sword Oil, and anything else we have."

"Let’s get a good night’s sleep tonight. Tomorrow, we go to work!" Kase declared.

Time flowed onward, until the early hours of the next morning.

Once again restored to peak condition, the group hid their horses and baggage before arriving outside the walls of the White Dove Monastery.

They each took out Sword Oil, coating their weapons, and drank a Potion of Protection from Evil and Good. This would allow them to resist any Charm or Intimidation from Evil Demons, while also reducing the accuracy of their enemies’ attacks.

After drinking the Potion of Protection from Evil and Good, they took out an Antidote and drank it down—an Ordinary Antidote is not a Magic Potion.

[Antidote/Ordinary Potion]

[Poison Resistance: For the next hour, the user takes -4 poison Damage and can resist most non-magical poisons.]

Once their preparations were complete, Colin held his Giant Sword and entered his Sword Dance state.

He took hold of one end of a Climbing Rope.

At Colin’s command, the other end of the rope was thrown over the wall and secured.

At this hour, no one from the Monastery would be patrolling the walls, making it nearly impossible for them to be discovered.

After casting See Invisibility on himself, Colin led the way over the wall, dropping into the cemetery. The others followed close behind, scaling the wall one by one.

The group slowly crept toward a small stone house within the cemetery.

All that could be heard was the chirping of nearby insects and the calls of distant birds.

’These Demons are quite good at hiding,’ Colin thought. ’None of the surrounding insects or birds have noticed their presence.’

The entire Monastery was pitch-dark, save for a single point of warm light moving through the cloisters. It was likely a Guard on patrol inside.

Even with the constant CLINKING and CLANKING from Battier and Morne’s armor as they advanced, there was no response from within the Monastery.

A normal person would have trouble hearing it from so far away.

Most Middle-Low Tier Demons lacked the ability to create Undead Creatures on a large scale, so Colin wasn’t particularly worried about things rising from their graves to bother them.

After a short while, the group arrived at the door of the small stone house.

There was an unlocked, barred iron gate.

"There should be two Imps on watch in the hall below," Colin whispered to the others. "Get ready. The three of us will go down first. Follow us once we’ve dealt with the threat."

Kase drew his Longbow, and Ale took out a small diamond to use as Casting Materials.

The three of them descended the steps one by one.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Colin took a deep breath.

He burst out from the stairwell, gesturing toward the two corners where the Imps were located—the creatures hadn’t even moved from their original spots.

An Arrow and a Chromatic Orb shot out instantly.

Two limp, red bodies slowly materialized before falling to the ground with a SMACK. The creatures hadn’t even had time to take flight.

Colin glanced worriedly at the entrance leading further down, then waved his hand.

Ale quickly ran back up the stairs to call the others in.

There wasn’t a single sound from deeper within.

The group exchanged glances, then descended the steps, moving cautiously toward the hall’s interior.

It was eerily quiet, the only sound being the scrape of Battier and Morne’s armor.

They passed through the hall, crossed a long corridor, and followed a spiral staircase down to the very bottom.

The three barred iron gates around them were now wide open.

"Ngh... uhn..."

Just then, a faint moan drifted from ahead. It sounded like some sort of strange invitation—it was coming from the room Colin had scouted earlier using Gaseous Form.

’If this were some B-rate slasher film, this is the part where we’d split up into three groups.’

’If those Demons have noticed our arrival, they’ll definitely have gathered together to set an ambush. Splitting up now would be suicide.’

As he thought this, Colin glanced at Battier and Morne.

He pointed to the small door and led the way through, while Battier and Morne took up the rear.

After all, they only excelled at close-quarters combat, and the space inside the crypt couldn’t accommodate four people on the front line—especially since Colin and Kase wielded a Great Sword and a Giant Axe, two weapons that required plenty of room.

SQUELCH.

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before he spotted dark red drag marks on the floor. They were only half-dry, and tacky under his boots.

The moaning from ahead continued unabated.

Orelia gripped her Lost Wanderer’s Holy Emblem, casting a ward against Evil Demons on those around her. Then, at a signal from Colin, she cast Light on his Chest Armor.

With all their preparations made, Colin entered the tomb, sword at the ready.

The magical radiance laid bare the scene within the tomb, which was much clearer than the last time he had been here.

There were still piles of "things" arranged here, and some fresh ones had been added to the collection.

The source of the moans was hanging above a coffin. To the coffin’s right stood a rack draped with a great length of chain, and beside it stood a lone figure.

This figure was staring, utterly entranced, at the poor soul hanging above.

It wore no clothes. Instead, its body was wrapped in barbed chains, the hooks dug deep into its flesh. The mere sight was enough to induce a phantom pain in the onlooker, but the creature itself seemed completely unconcerned.

’A Chain Demon!’

This type of Demon was considered a Middle-Tier Demon from the Nine Jails, one of Hell’s most proficient Interrogators in the art of torturing souls.

They could drive any mortal who looked upon their face into a state of unreasoning terror, and they could animate any nearby chains to do their bidding.

The instant he recognized the type of creature he was facing, Colin began Casting a Spell without a moment’s hesitation.