Chapter 15: Jack & Terrence Vs Grulk

Terrence placed a firm hand on my chest.

I was just about to activate my glitching abilities. Already imagining how I’d shut Grulk up for good, but Terrence didn’t even glance at me. His glare was locked on the ogre.

"Step aside," he said, voice like a loaded cannon. "You’ll need that rage for the real monsters."

I blinked. "What are you—"

Before I could finish, Dennis and Michael moved in like bouncers on autopilot, each grabbing an arm and dragging me back to the sidelines.

"Let him have this one," Dennis muttered.
"Trust me," Michael added, smirking.

I struggled at first, but then I saw the fire in Terrence’s stance, his body square, his muscles coiled, like he’d been waiting for this. Waiting for someone to piss him off just enough.

Grulk rolled his twin sets of eyes.

"I don’t fight gnats," one head said.

"I swat them," the other added.

Terrence just tilted his neck with a crack and stomped forward.

"You think I’m scared of a walking birth defect with two mouths and half a brain?" he spat.

The warriors lining the walls cleared the center of the room, forming a rough, wide circle. The tension rippled through them like a battlefield drumline, no one dared stop what was coming.

Terrence yanked his two-handed hammer from his back and slammed it into the floor with a clang. Then his veins bulged. His arms shook.

"Roaring Rage," His Magime.

A familiar red aura burst around his body like wildfire caught in a hurricane. His eyes flared. His teeth clenched. I could feel it from where I stood, raw, building fury, coalescing into something violent and primal.

Grulk raised his battle axe, yawning.

"Little man wants to scream. Let him."

He stomped forward, each step like a drumbeat of doom, then swung his axe low and fast.

But Terrence was faster.

He ducked, spun, and slammed the head of his hammer into Grulk’s side.

BOOM.

A lesser man would’ve collapsed. Grulk barely flinched.

Terrence growled and hit again, this time square in the chest.

BOOM.

Grulk grinned. "That tickles."

Another hit. This time to the shoulder. Then the ribs. Then the thigh.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

But the giant didn’t even grunt.

He grinned wider, both heads now speaking in unison.

"You’re strong, but not enough."

Then Grulk stepped forward, and with one massive swipe of his axe, caught Terrence off-guard. not with the blade, but with the flat of it, slamming it into his chest and sending him flying back a few feet.

Terrence hit the floor hard, gasping.

"I could kill you right now," Grulk said, towering over him. "You’re just a loud spark in a dying fire, you are not worth living."
This made me furious. I could tell, Grulk had struck him with the full intent to kill.

My jaw tightened as I summoned my Magime. The Nova Bloom flared to life in my hand, blue and violet petals sparking and swirling like a miniature storm. I’d used it before, so controlling it wasn’t the problem.

The problem was my anger.

I charged toward Grulk, the magic crackling and humming in my palm. Pointing it straight at him, I growled, "Stand down. You’ve crossed the line."

He didn’t flinch. Instead, a guttural laugh rumbled from his chest.
"Or what?"

I froze. The Queen had made it clear, we couldn’t fight each other. This wasn’t why we were here.

With effort, I tried to lower my hand and dissolve the Nova Bloom. But something was wrong.

My Magime didn’t fade.
It grew.

The petals spun faster, sparks growing into arcs of light. My pulse quickened.

Grulk mistook it for aggression. He slammed his massive palm onto my glowing spell—

—and the world exploded.

A violent shockwave hurled Grulk’s enormous body off the ground. He flew across the chamber, smashing through a reinforced stone wall with a deafening CRASH. Dust and debris swallowed him from sight.

The same force blasted me backward. Pain shot up my arm as I slammed into the wall behind me, my hands screaming from the impact.

Silence.
Complete, breathless silence.

A groan broke through the stillness. From the rubble, a single leg twitched… then went still.

Grulk was out cold.

Every single person had seen it.
Every single one understood exactly what had just happened.

"You were saying something about gnats?" Terrence muttered under his breath.

"That’s why you don’t mess with Jack, you sons of [BEEP]."

This time, no one argued.

The champions’ eyes were on me now, not with disdain, but with a wariness that made the air heavy.

I wasn’t sure if I’d just ruined my reputation… or convinced them we weren’t as weak as they thought.

Just as the dust was settling and my reckless display, the chamber doors creaked open.

A hush swept over the room like a passing shadow.

In walked the Queen, flanked by two figures, one I instantly recognized.

The beautiful woman who had upgraded my Dangatana.

Even amidst the chaos, she was composed, poised, ethereal, as if untouched by the violence in the room. Her presence stood in direct contrast to what she walked into.

Because right then… Terrence and his gang were mock-dancing over the unconscious body of Grulk, fists raised, hips swaying with exaggerated rhythm, while letting out yet another string of profanities.

I cringed.
Hard.

The gathered warriors, already skeptical of us Outsiders, now looked on with a mixture of judgment and thinly-veiled amusement. Some crossed their arms, unimpressed. Others sneered.

This wasn’t just embarrassing, it was humiliating.

I felt my face burn with shame. So much for earning their respect.

I dared a glance at the Queen.

She stood, stone-faced, her piercing eyes absorbing the scene before her without a single twitch of surprise. No raised brow. No words. Just… deep, unmistakable disappointment.

And honestly? I couldn’t blame her.

This was not how we were supposed to present ourselves, not to the champions, and definitely not to the Queen.

Then she looked at me directly.

"Have you made your decision?" she asked, her tone sharp, clipped.

I swallowed hard.

I had. At least, I was planning to.

Grulk had been my choice. The dual-headed ogre gladiator was powerful, versatile. perfect for the mission ahead.

But now? He was sprawled out cold against a wall like discarded furniture.

"Unfortunately," I said carefully, "I was going to choose Grulk… but, well…"

My words trailed off. There wasn’t much to explain. One look at Terrence prancing and the groaning wreck of Grulk said it all.

Before the awkward silence could thicken, someone stepped forward.

She was tall, commanding, with toned arms and intense golden eyes that spoke of countless battles. Her long braid moved like a whip down her back.

Serana Mountbatten.

She moved with purpose, her every step fluid and sure, the steps of someone who never second-guessed her instincts.

"Then allow me," she said, voice crisp like a spear slicing through fog. "I’ll join this mission."

She bowed slightly, not to the Queen, but to me. A gesture not of obedience, but of acknowledgment.

"Serana of the Valkyrians," she introduced herself formally. "Spear-dancer of the Second Circle, and daughter of the Hawkshade Matriarch."

That got everyone’s attention.

Even the champions who had been silent before now gave her respectful nods. The Valkyrians were not just warriors. They were elite.

The Queen nodded in approval.

"Very well," she said. "Then allow me to present the other two who shall accompany you."

She gestured toward the woman I already recognized, though I’d never known her name.

Her armor shimmered faintly under the torchlight, silver and moon-pale. A longbow rested on her back, its design curved and elegant, like it was grown from the forest rather than forged.

"This is Katarina Sylrielle," the Queen said.

I swallowed again, but this time for an entirely different reason.

Katarina was… stunning. Not just in the way she looked, but in the calm aura she carried, like a night breeze flowing through sacred woods. She gave me a faint smile, and for a second I forgot where we were.

"Moon-blessed ranger of the Syltherari," the Queen continued. "She weaves magic from nature, and her spells strike like fate itself."

Katarina gave a graceful nod.

"Your weapon will serve you well," she said softly, her voice like silver. "I’m glad to see you still carry it."

I blinked, unsure if I was supposed to reply or simply fall over.

Before I could do either, the Queen gestured to the third figure.

The room seemed to dim slightly as he stepped forward, not in darkness, but in presence. The very air felt heavier.

He wore polished radiant armor, every inch of it gleaming with golden etchings. Across his back, a sunblade pulsed faintly with divine energy, like it was alive.

His face was sharp, proud, and utterly unreadable. Not stern, but severe.

"And this," the Queen said with reverence, "is Sir Adrian Izyaslavich, the Dawnbreaker. Champion of the Celestine Church. Slayer of the Iron Giant Talas. Protector of the First Circle."

There were murmurs even among the warriors.

Everyone knew that name.

Even I had heard of him during my stay. Talas wasn’t just a monster, it was a fortress of iron and fire. The idea that one man had fought it and lived…

Sir Adrian gave no reaction to the attention. His focus was locked on me.

Judging. Measuring.

And I could tell immediately, I wasn’t passing whatever test he was giving.

He wasn’t here to be my friend. He wasn’t impressed by my title or the Queen’s favor. He didn’t care about Outsiders, or missions, or politics.

He was here to win. To kill Niobeorth’s spawn. To bring back light.

Nothing else mattered.

And frankly… I wasn’t sure if I could even hold a conversation with him, much less fight beside him.

Still, I nodded in respect.

Three champions.

A spear-dancer with battlefield foresight.

A moonlit archer who bends shadows.

A radiant knight who survived the impossible.

They were mine now.

And if I didn’t rise to their level soon… I’d be the weak link they never asked for.