The weapon in my hands almost completely distracts me from the spell that was just cast over me. It's honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. My instruction in blacksmithing never quite completed properly but I know enough to know what I'm looking at now is basically a treasure.

And I'm being trusted to use it?

Part of me wonders if this is a dream again.

But if it was, I probably wouldn't be having to face down undead. Then again, compared to assassins, they're not going to be as dangerous even if they're going to be a lot less pleasant to look at.

"... R-right."

Six undead, of some sort. That's actually not so bad. Compared to living assassins, for sure. And I'm better defended and better-equipped, now, too.

I volunteered so help, so... so---

I take a deep breath to help still my pounding heart, and step forward.

It's damp. And cooler then it is outside. I haven't exactly made a business of spelunking, but I know more or less what to expect from somewhere like this.

Normally it's not undead.

---!

Speaking of, there's one now!

The scent immediately hits me. I already got a bit of a whiff of it just stepping inside, but now the rotten, fetid odor of a moving corpse is striking me a lot harder. I hadn't even thought about that until now, I almost have to stop myself from gagging.

It's shambling, naked, with skin sloughing off to expose paled muscle tissue and bone, with some organs beneath. I think it was a man, but when it's this poorly-preserved it's not necessarily easy to tell. It's taller then me, too.

I inhale deeply through my mouth and step forward. It's unpleasant, it's grotesque, but it's not nearly as threatening as the living, breathing, assassins.

There's no mind in there. Not an intelligent one, anyway!

It's not as if I'm somehow perfect with a sword, but I'm not entirely without self-defense skills. I wouldn't have lasted very long in this situation without them.

I raise the sword, as it raises its arm and lurches forward, swinging it in an arc.

Rotten, soft flesh gives away easily. The bone is pretty brittle, too. The outcome when it comes to a sword of this high quality was clear long before I swung it.

The arm sails into the air first. Then, the blade reaches its neck.

Some kind of foul gunk comes from the moving corpse as I sever its arm and head, something I'd rather not think about.

---I don't think I'm mistaken. When it comes to undead, there's not much of a purpose in attacking anywhere but the most crippling spots. Decapitation is pretty disabling, right?

I step back to avoid the beheaded zombie as it falls forward.

One down.