Chapter 33 Before the Descent
Chapter 33 Before the Descent
\[ Reward Granted: Potion of Great Healing \]
\[ Item added to your inventory \]
\[ Items: 1/100 \]
The panel flashed, then dismissed itself as the group was escorted to the guild hall in Derrenhold. Around them, parts of the town still smoldered from the previous fight. At first glance, it seemed there hadn’t been any casualties. Victor was grateful they had made it in time.
“You think—” Xavier began, only for Echo to nudge him.
“You think they’ll have any more answers?” he asked, handing the dragon a treat. “Do you think they even know what’s going on?”
Victor watched the drake nibble at the offered food. “I think they might have more information. Whether they choose to tell us… that’s another question.”
As his focus shifted forward, the building finally came into view.
The guild hall rose far above every other structure in the area. It looked almost like a palace, lined with gold and silver accents that caught what little light remained. Stone towers spiraled upward into forked tips, cutting through the clouds above. Compared to somewhere like Thistledown, it was beyond extravagant.
“This place is gorgeous,” Valessia said as they moved through the market district, her attention caught by the brilliant stalls and trays of food. “Can we live here forever, Victor?”
Echo had already made his way to her side. Sitting by her feet, he eyed Xavier with the same intensity Valessia was now using on Victor.
“We’re only here to help this place figure out what’s going on,” Victor said, watching as both the dragon and Valessia began to pout. “Enjoy it while you can. We won’t be in town for long. Remember why we’re here.”
He paused and pointed toward the twisted tower outside the walls.
“To figure out why that dungeon is releasing beasts.”
“Come to think of it, we haven’t gone into a dungeon yet,” Xavier said. Unease crept into his voice as the thought fully settled. “There weren’t any near us. They’re supposedly packed with stronger monsters than what appears outside.”
“We’re almost there. Please join the Captain immediately. He’s already been briefed on your arrival,” the escort said.
As they drew closer, the weight of it began to settle over them.
They didn’t know what the dungeon held. They weren’t even sure what any of this truly meant. The only thing they knew for certain was that they had already played an important role, and they were going to be expected to do it again.
The man opened the large doors and motioned them through, signaling the women at the front desk to allow them passage without question. From there, the head secretary guided them deeper into the guild, through winding corridors and tight stone turns, until they reached a single wooden door.
She knocked exactly three times before opening it and ushering them inside.
Beyond the door was a cavernous room with no windows and a large circular table at its center. A map and several diagnostic papers were spread across the surface.
“Please have a seat. Grim will be with you soon.”
“Well, that was… organized,” Victor said as he settled into one of the chairs. “They definitely know something is up.” He lifted his hands in mocking quotation marks around the phrase. “Whatever’s going on, maybe Grim can explain it.”
Five heavy knocks rang out before the door opened again.
A massive, grizzled man stepped through, broad enough to make the doorway seem smaller around him. He stood so tall it looked as if his head might brush the top of the cavern ceiling.
“Thanks for waiting,” he said. “I had to make sure everyone was alright before coming here. Please forgive my tardiness.”
Without being prompted, the panel appeared in Victor’s vision. Bright red and blue accents pulsed across its surface.
{\[ Grim Harbringer \]}
\[ Known Deadly Entity \]
\[ Approach With Caution \]
Without changing expression, Victor dismissed the panel. Leaning forward, he asked about the dungeon and the problems they had been facing. The guild leader answered every question put to him.
“Why don’t you go in by yourself?” Valessia asked, accusation clear in her eyes. “You seem stronger than our entire team combined, so why ask us?”
“You three—”
Echo let out a loud chirp in protest, his void aura flaring in response.
“Ehem…” Grim cleared his throat. “You four… played a huge role in protecting Crossreach, and on top of that, you were early. You moved on your own accord. We need more adventurers like you.”
“Sir… you just dodged the question. Why can’t you do it?” Xavier asked.
“Who will protect Derrenhold?” Grim replied, fixing Xavier with a stern look. “If I’m not here, then we will no doubt face casualties until the dungeon has been dealt with. Would you ask your strongest teammate to go on a solo mission you knew they probably wouldn’t return from?”
The moment seemed to stand still as the question struck all of them.No one answered immediately.
The room had gone too still for that. Even Echo stayed quiet, the faint void shimmer around him dimming back into nothing as Grim’s words settled over the table. Victor held the man’s gaze for one moment longer, then pushed himself to his feet.
The meeting ended without ceremony.
By the time they stepped back out into the guild hall, the weight of the conversation had changed shape. It was no longer a question of whether they understood the danger. It was a question of whether understanding it made any difference.
No one spoke as they made their way back through the stone corridors and out into the open air.
Even the city felt different now.
Derrenhold was still standing. The market still moved. Voices still carried through the streets, and smoke still drifted from the damaged sections of town. Life had resumed because it had to. But now Victor could feel the strain beneath it. The tension holding everything upright.
At the edge of the city, all of them slowed.
The dungeon towered beyond the walls, twisted stone rising into the darkening sky like something that had forced its way out of the earth and refused to stop growing. From this distance, it no longer looked like a structure. It looked like a wound.
The air around it seemed wrong. Too heavy. Too still. Even the fading light around its edges felt swallowed instead of reflected.
Xavier stared at it without blinking. Valessia folded her arms tightly across her chest. Echo let out a low, uncertain chirp.
Victor said nothing, he just nodded in silent agreement.
Far above them, somewhere near the upper reaches of the tower, something shifted.
No one had to say it out loud.
Whatever waited inside that dungeon was already aware of them.
And tomorrow, they were going in.