Chapter 19: The Khaterinth Mountain

We stood in the courtyard beneath the looming towers of the castle. The sky was overcast, like even the heavens weren’t sure we’d return.

The Queen and King stood before us. Regal, poised… but there was gravity in their expressions. This wasn’t ceremony, it was farewell.

The Queen stepped forward, her voice composed but resonant.
"Champions of Ashalondaria," she began. "Before you lies the Fourth Spawn, and with it, the souls trapped deep within Khaterinth Mountain. Save them if you can. Defeat the spawn if you must. And above all… return to us alive."

That last part lingered in the air longer than the rest.

Weiss Shi stepped forward, calm as ever, but I could tell by the way she exhaled that even she wasn’t entirely at peace. She closed her eyes, focusing.

Then, with sudden precision, she raised her hand and declared:

"Venue Shift."

The ground beneath us quaked, soft at first, then stronger. From the soles of her feet, blue light cracked outward like lightning across ice, forming glowing fractures beneath every one of us.

And then—
Boom.
A vertical flash of light surged up from the cracks, enveloping us in a pillar of energy.

We were teleporting.

And it felt eerily familiar.

Just like the first time. That chaotic, weightless sensation. When we first crossed the barrier of reality to arrive at the Island of Beginnings, when Ashalondaria claimed us from our world.

Only this time, we weren’t arriving into a peaceful haven.
We were being dropped straight into a battlefield.

The light dimmed, and our feet hit solid stone.

We had arrived at the base of the Khaterinth Mountains.

Jagged peaks towered above us like sharpened teeth. Before us stood a massive cavern mouth, black, silent, yawning open.

It was no ordinary cave. It was a gateway into something old and alive.
I could feel it watching us.

Weiss Shi turned toward the group, her expression unreadable."Once we step inside," she said plainly, "we don’t come back the same way. I’ve already sensed movement. A lot of it. I don’t know what’s in there… but it’s not nothing."

That was all we needed to hear.

We drew our weapons. Readied spells. Braced for the worst.

Because the moment our boots crossed that threshold, our fates were sealed.

Jarrod… if you’re in here somewhere, please still be alive.

The tunnel walls felt like a tomb. Stone cold, carved with marks that hinted at a civilization long gone. Like the dungeon we fought in before, but older, deeper, more forgotten.

Katarina led the way, using her light magic to cast a pale glow ahead of us.

Then came the growl.

It rumbled through the cavern like thunder, deep and guttural. The ground trembled. Debris sifted down from the ceiling.

That was no animal.

That was the Spawn.

We followed the sound, weapons drawn, hearts pounding.

But instead of a monster, we stumbled upon four separate entrances, each yawning like a throat, waiting to be fed.

Splitting up was inevitable.

Adrian took the lead before anyone else could speak. "We divide into four groups. Seven in each. I’ll lead one. Katarina, Serana, and Weiss Shi will lead the others."

He didn’t ask. He assigned.

Adrian chose his team first, stacking it entirely with Ashalondarian warriors. Not a single player.

I don’t know well this guys, but he is surely a piece of worth treating us like just because we are outsiders.

Katarina’s team included me, Terrence, Dennis, and three more warriors.
Serana took Barnaby, Michael, and her own circle.
Benson stood beside Weiss Shi, along with a few quiet fighters I hadn’t spoken to yet.

I watched Adrian give orders like he was born to command, like we didn’t matter.

Maybe he wanted us away from him.

Fine by me.

Once our groups were formed, we gathered at the threshold of our respective paths. The air was tight with anticipation. No one joked. No one laughed.

I looked toward the others and gave a nod. "Good luck."

And then we stepped into the dark.
As we kept walking, Katarina noticed the frown on my face. She gave me a soft smile.

"Something bothering you?"

"Not exactly bothering me," I replied. "It’s just… Sorry if this sounds rude, but that guy Adrian? I don’t like him very much."

Katarina let out a small laugh. "I get it. Don’t worry, it happens to everyone."

"You mean he’s like that with everyone?"

She nodded. "He tends to be distant with people he doesn’t know. He doesn’t trust easily. He watches, analyzes, then decides if someone’s worth his time."

I gestured toward Terrence and Dennis, who were chatting and, as usual, not taking things seriously. "Especially people like them?"

Katarina tilted her head thoughtfully. "Maybe he’ll make an exception for you guys."

"Ughh," I groaned.

"Don’t stress," she said. "He’s just serious, especially in moments like this. But underneath that strict exterior… there’s a man with a great heart. That’s why I loved him."

"You loved him?"

"Well, it was more of a one-sided thing," she said with a small shrug. "He’s engaged. His fiancée’s being held hostage by one of the spawns. I guess that’s why he acts the way he does—so strict, so focused."

"I’ll bet you’ll get along with him… if you help save what’s precious to him."

"I doubt it."

We walked in silence for a few seconds.

"So," I asked casually, "do you still have feelings for Adrian?"

Katarina smiled wistfully. "I mean… maybe. It’s probably still one-sided. He doesn’t see me like that. But who knows? Maybe he’ll break up with her… or maybe she’ll catch a flu and die."

I turned and stared at her.

Was she serious?

Katarina slowly looked at me, her expression dead serious and then, out of nowhere, she reached her finger toward my forehead.

What is she—

She flicked me right on the forehead.

"Gotcha," she said, sticking out her tongue. "It’s a prank. Did I get you?"

I was still a little stunned.

Katarina grinned. "Was that too much?"

"Maybe I need to teach you how to actually joke, because… yeah, that was a little much."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Please don’t say something like that again."

She laughed lightly. "If you insist."

We kept walking.

Up ahead, the others were talking, more like bickering, really.

Terrence was laughing so hard he nearly stumbled, pointing at Dennis and his so-called weapon.

I turned to look.

Dennis was proudly holding… a rake.

Dennis, completely unfazed, announced, "Oi, this thing’s actually cool!"

He pressed a button on the rake, and with a satisfying click, it transformed into a pitchfork, though the teeth were short and awkward-looking.

Terrence burst out laughing even harder, practically wheezing.

The three warriors with us, tried their best to hold in their laughter, but their shoulders were shaking.

Dennis just stood there proudly like he’d built the Excalibur of gardening tools.

Then, the three knights stepped forward and formally introduced themselves.

The first to speak was the man, a tall, broad-shouldered warrior with silver-plated armor and a sharp, commanding presence.

"I am Sir Caelren Vaelthros," he said with a crisp bow. "It is an honor to fight beside fellow champions."

His voice carried a tone of discipline, one that came from years of service and battlefield experience.

Next was a woman with auburn hair tied tightly behind her head, eyes sharp like the edge of her blade. Her expression was calm but respectful.

"I am Dame Lysindra Veylan" she said. "You may call me Lysindra. I serve with purpose and precision. I look forward to seeing how you all fare under pressure."

Lastly, the second woman stepped forward. Unlike the others, there was a warmth behind her gaze, especially when her eyes settled on Terrence. She had long dark hair, streaked faintly with violet, and a slight smile that lingered too long on him.

"I am Seressia Eldrave, Shieldmaiden for this mission," she said, her voice softer than the others, almost melodic. "But for this mission, just Seressia will do."

She glanced at Dennis and me politely, but when her eyes returned to Terrence, her tone grew almost teasing. "It’s reassuring to have such… bold warriors among us."

Terrence, completely blind to the way she was practically undressing him with her eyes, just gave a casual shrug.

"Bold, my ass. I just wanna stab whatever ugly [BEEP] made that sound earlier."

Dennis snorted. "[BEEP]’ hell, Terrence—ye got no filter. The lass is flatterin’ ye and all you care about’s hackin’ monsters. Yer brain’s made o’ bricks, I swear."

Terrence blinked. "What? We’re in a death cave full of man-eating beasts. Not really the time for flirtin’, Dennis."

Seressia’s smile faltered just a bit, clearly hoping for more of a reaction. But Terrence was already turning away, cracking his knuckles and glaring down the corridor like it owed him a favor.

Dennis leaned toward me and whispered under his breath, "That man wouldn’t notice a woman likin’ him even if she smacked him across the face with a heart-shaped mallet."

I didn’t respond. Mostly because Dennis was right.

However, Terrence wasn’t wrong.

We’d been walking for quite a while now, too long and still no sign of the monster. No sign of the players, either. There were supposed to be over two hundred of them trapped in this place. Two hundred and five, to be exact. That’s not counting the villagers who were taken too.

God, I hoped none of them had already died.

But I spoke too soon.

Because just as we turned the corner into a wide chamber… we stumbled into a scene that stopped all of us cold.

A room filled with bodies.

Players, dozens of them, strewn across the floor like discarded dolls. Motionless. Lifeless.

Dead.