Chapter: 840
Jay decided not to pull out his luminous orb, as he would reach the gatehouse soon, and if there were any windows or openings, then it would become like a beacon in the night, drawing all knights far and wide.
Red’s bone footsteps clinked as they scurried up the stone steps, its armor resembling the sounds of the knights. There were no sounds of fighting above and Jay reassured himself.
Jay’s eyes adjusted to the darkness as he climbed to the top of the stairs. Faint shafts of light came in through arrow slits in the gatehouse's wall, helping him to see the vague outline of the gate mechanism.
Large rusted chains connected to a drum winch held the gate up; a circular drum with large wooden pegs. Jay looked around for a way to drop the gate, but in the darkened room, nothing stood out.
“Dammit. Come on…”
He searched around the room, but that was when Red came over and touched his shoulder, beckoning him to one of the arrow slits.
Jay shot towards the wall, peering below the castle.
“Fuck.”
A large group of knights was charging forwards, much more than his remaining skeletons could handle. The skeletons were already fighting enemies running out of the castle, so if enemies were on their backs, their fight would end soon.
“Dammit.” Jay pursed his lips.
Turning around, he pulled out his luminous orb. Its glowing light didn’t matter anymore, as all the knights knew he was here.
The gate room had a few different hatches in the floor, designed for guards to drop large rocks onto enemies below. Among large boxes of rocks were cauldrons, filled with oil which was boiled and poured down the hatches during an attack - however it was cold right now.
The gate mechanism revealed itself under the light. Two latches on either side had to be pulled to release the gate and let it drop.
“Red. The latch.” Jay pointed. His words were level but urgent, hiding the stress he felt.
Red grabbed the latch and glanced at Jay.
“Three, two, one.”
*Grr - Crack*
The latches pulled back at the same time as the gate’s chains rattled - however after a grinding sound, nothing happened.
Below the gate, it was too late. The additional force of the knights crashed into the skeletons, and one of them died.
[Your skeleton has been slain.]
Jay peered into the enclosure and saw that his fear had come true. The rust of the gate caused it to jam on its guide rails as it fell.
“Shit. Think…”
Jay looked through the room for anything to help him, and his eyes landed on the defensive weapons.
“Red, help me with the cauldron.” Jay said, running behind a cauldron and pushing.
The giant cauldrons were heavier than they seemed, and it slowly moved, grinding across the floor - yet with Red it was possible to flip it to its side.