A Guild of Moonlit Shadows (A KOTLC FanFic)

7~Time to be Wicked, Youngling

Hey ya'll, I'm struggling with formatting, just so you know. The chapter might look a little blocky. 

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Sophie's steps were as silent as death as she pushed further and further into the crypt. She ditched her large fur cloak a while back, the chill not seeping through the cavern. Sophie swallowed down her gasp when she turned the corner, quickly diving behind one of the columns and peeping around the corner.

Draugr. (points to whoever can guess which game these are from)

Hollowed walking corpses, not quite dead but not alive. The first versions of Mirthless infused people, probably where Vespera got her inspiration for her experiments. People who died and were unfortunate enough to have Mirthless encounter their dying bodies. The Mirthless sometimes inhabit dying people, using their life source as food before they fully die.

Sophie knew almost all crypts had Draugr infestations, the exact reason why she avoided them. The draugr stumbled out of their standing coffins, the guardians of the Royal Crypts of ancient Vatarian royalty and heroes. Tezcaoatl was the protector of the entrance and decided who walked in, but those who walked in were on their own against the draugr.

Sophie slid past the column, approaching one of the draugr from behind. She wrapped her around its wrinkled neck, swinging her leg into its kneecaps. Sophie didn't account for the brittleness of the bones underneath their dry, broken skin for going for its knees, as its calf bones shattered beneath her swing. Sophie cursed at the sound of the Draugr's knees disintegrating, the other draugr turning their attention to her. Sophie sprinted down the hall, sliding past the door of spikes and leaping over the pressure plates. The draugr followed as fast as they could with their rotting and crumbling bodies, Sophie keenly aware of the groaning of a bowstring.

There has to be something to get her out, she needs to move.

Sophie ducked as an arrow stuck into the rock right where her head once was. She ducked behind a coffin as draugr rushed past, waiting for the heavy beating of their feet to soften. Emerging from her hiding place, she grabbed the arrow's shaft and pulled it out of the stone, sneaking towards the group of draugr. Sophie accounted for their brittle bones this time, smashing the arrow into the side of one of their skulls, the skeleton dropping before the others realized where Sophie was. 

Sophie rolled out, grabbing the sword of the downed draugr. She easily got to her feet, slightly bouncing on her toes as she swung the blade in her hand. The draugr swung his great ax over his head, aiming for Sophie, but she easily sidestepped it and dragged her blade across its ribs, slicing straight through and meeting the blade of the other draugr. She pulled on her weapon, and the great sword flew out of its hands, Sophie flinging the blade to her other hand when the draugr surged forward. One hand over its skull as she shoved the dull draugr blade into its throat.

The beast dropped, Sophie's panting the loudest sound in the crypt beside the distant sound of running water and clinging of the weapons of other draugr. Sophie held the blade up in the dull light, clicking her tongue is a disappointment. It was fairly dull and heavy, not what she was used to. Sophie threw the sword aside and picked up the other Draugr's bow. She pulled back the drawstring, surprised by the draw strength. There were only 12 arrows left in the quiver, but it was better than a dull sword.

Sophie slung the bow and quiver across her back, pressing onwards further into the crypt. Sophie didn't know how long she was walking for, she just continued to trek onwards. She was looking for Queen Kassandra, trying to find this artifact.

Tezcacoatl mentioned that Queen Kassandra made a sacrifice, what was it?Sophie lept over a hidden pressure plate, jogging past the burial mound of a former Chiranu emperor, sliding her eyes over the various labels for the mounds. Sophie heard the clicking of Draugr teeth from around the corner, easily nocking an arrow and pulling it back. Sophie loosed the arrow into the back of one of their heads, another arrow nocked before the others could react. One arrow into the eye socket of the second one, one into the back for the third. They dropped silently, and Sophie shimmied across their rotting bodies and poked her head around the doorframe.