Chapter 30: Talas the Iron Knight

We all searched for Jarrod, staying close together.

"Why in the world did he go so far? Is he insane?" I muttered as we hurried through the tunnels.

At last, we found him, but in the rush, we all ended up colliding with him and crashing to the ground.

"Hey—Get off me! You guys are freaking heavy," Jarrod groaned.

We scrambled back up. I offered him a hand. "What the hell, man? Why did you go so far ahead?"

"Sorry, guys. It’s just that… you know what, let me show you."

We all ended up following Jarrod as he led the way, moving with confidence, as if he knew every step. Could it be he had found a way out?

He stopped in front of what looked like a plain rocky wall. But then, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a bronze key, and revealed the wall was actually a hidden door.

He unlocked it and pushed it open, leading us into a narrow passage.

"How did you know this? Are you taking us above?" I asked. He gave no answer.

We pressed on until a faint light flickered ahead. Hope stirred in my chest, until we stepped into an even larger cavern.

And there… were people.

I turned to Jarrod. "Where did you take us?"

He faced us with a calm, almost weary smile. "This… is our safe haven. Villagers, survivors from nearby, even players who couldn’t escape. They’re all here."

My eyes widened. "You made all this?"

"What do you expect me to do in one month?" he replied.

From the shadows, figures emerged, men, women and even children. Their eyes were cautious, filled with fear and suspicion. It was clear they didn’t trust us.

Jarrod raised his hands, trying to reassure them. "They’re friendly, don’t be afraid." But his words did little to ease their doubt.

"They’re paranoid," he explained softly, "scarred by Niobeorth’s terror."

Suddenly, a pair of children rushed to him, a boy and girl, not much younger than us. "Did you find our mother?" they pleaded.

Then a woman approached, her voice trembling as she asked for her husband. A man followed, desperate to know about his son.

One by one, they gathered, all begging Jarrod for answers about their loved ones.

Jarrod’s face hardened. Sometimes, he gave them a fragile spark of hope: "I haven’t found them, but they might still be alive." Other times, his voice broke as he delivered the truth: "I found them… but they didn’t make it."

Around us, grief and despair spread like a wave. So many lives, so many broken families, all because of Niobeorth.
I couldn’t do anything, aside for being sorry.
I looked around and spotted a section of the cavern that froze me in place.

Dozens of wooden crosses stood in the ground, each carved with a name. Tombstones. Far too many of them.

Jarrod walked up beside me, his voice low. "Almost all of them were players. It took me a while to accept that they were really gone. I couldn’t just leave their bodies to rot, so… I buried every single one."

My throat tightened. "How many… have died so far?"

Jarrod’s expression darkened. "Around 170."

I staggered back a step. One hundred seventy lives, gone. It was a complete massacre.

He clenched his fists. "Baba Kong was relentless. Fast, merciless. I almost didn’t make it. For some reason, it spared me… but trapped us here in this miserable place."

"Baba Kong?" I muttered.

Jarrod nodded. "A small humanoid monkey—supposed to be inspired by Sun Wukong, but more as a twisted reflection. For some reason he just flew up and then left."

I let out a short laugh. "I know that creature. In a matter of fact I killed him."

His eyes widened. "You? You killed that freakin’ monkey?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? Of course I did. Ask Diana."

I pointed toward her.

Jarrod blinked. "Wait—Diana? Hold on. I seriously need to ask. Since when you and Weiss Shi are all buddy-buddy? Don’t tell me you two… you know."

Heat rushed to my face. "W-We didn’t get that far! And for the record, I wouldn’t dare. For my own survival."

I leaned closer to him and muttered under my breath, "For now."

Diana’s glare burned into the side of my head.

Jarrod burst out laughing. "Man, I never thought you’d change this much in just a month. Damn, I wish I’d been there—could’ve gotten some action myself."

I shook my head, half relieved, half exasperated. Despite everything he’d been through, all the danger he endured for nearly a month, Jarrod was still here. Alive.

And that was enough.

I was about to apologize to Jarrod for taking too long when the ground suddenly trembled again.

We clung to each other, struggling to stay upright.

"What is going on?!"

The walls began closing in, and the floor lurched upward beneath us.

Amid the chaos, Jarrod was nowhere to be seen, he had gone ahead to scout and was separated from us.

When the shaking stopped, we found ourselves back in the chamber where the hostages had been. This time, everyone lay sprawled across the ground, unconscious, everyone except us and a handful of others: Terrence’s gang, Thor cradling an unconscious Aster, and Galtor and Serana, both battered and barely standing.

They looked drained, on the verge of collapse. Terrence, still gripping his massive hammer, turned toward me.

"Hey—"

Before he could finish, a wave of raw force tore across the room. The impact dropped everyone instantly, Durgan, Merewyn, even Katarina, all of them slammed to the ground, too weak to move.

Only Diana and I remained standing, barely, my Dangatana supporting my weight as I forced myself upright.

Through the haze of dust and pressure, I saw a silhouette.

It was Adrian’s.

He stood there with his sword in hand, back turned toward us.

Katarina’s eyes widened in shock. "Adrian…? Please don’t tell me…"

Her voice trembled, her body pinned by the force of the blast. I guess Katarina couldn’t handle the revelation, especially because the one doing this is her childhood friend and crush. I couldn’t stand seeing her hurt.

"ADRIAN!!!" I shouted.

Slowly, he turned his head toward me. His face was empty, expressionless, devoid of emotion.

That hollow look froze me for an instant, but I charged forward, refusing to hesitate.

My blade sliced toward him, he slipped aside effortlessly. I swung again and again, but every strike met only air. When he countered with a piercing thrust, I phased through it, narrowly escaping.

[Special Move: Splitting Jack]
I split into two with my ability, attacking from both sides. Two against one might be cheap, but against someone corrupted by evil, I’d take every advantage I could.

More copies appeared mid-battle, surrounding him. For the first time, I caught him off guard, two of my doubles pinned his arms, two more his legs. I rushed in for the finishing strike—

—but my blade stopped cold.

It was like stabbing solid iron. His chest didn’t yield an inch. I swung for his neck, his limbs, nothing. Every strike rebounded like I was striking a body made of steel.

I fired, but the shot ricocheted and struck one of my own copies. Desperate, I unleashed Nova Bloom, pouring everything into the attack—

—and still, nothing.
Adrian looked at me with an evil smirk. At first, it seemed like he was struggling to keep up with me, but I realized he was only acting. He wasn’t struggling at all. He was toying with me, making me look like a fool.

Then, above his head, a health bar appeared. But it didn’t read Adrian.

[Talas the Iron Titan]

The name shifted again, 

[Talas the Iron Knight]

From the ground, Durgan looked up, his face pale.
"By the gods… no…"

His voice was heavy with sorrow, while Katarina’s eyes widened in horror.

The truth hit me like a blade. All this time, Talas had never died. It was Adrian who perished, and Talas had stolen his body. So for all this time he was living among us in the kingdom, he was also fighting by our side, I bet he was the one who killed the six warriors that he chose personally in the Khaterinth Mountain.

I guess Ysanthe knew… but fear kept her from speaking. 
So that training we did back at the Hall of Embers, was that just to test me? To know my weakness? You disguised your so call teaching?

He didn’t responded.

"TALASSSS!" I roared, pointing my Dangatana at him.

Talas, who was wearing Adrian’s face, grinned wide, baring his teeth. In the next instant, he vanished.

"Behind you!" Diana shouted.

I barely had time to activate my glitching ability before his sword thrust through me. My molecules flickered, his blade passing harmlessly through my body. But he knew my weakness, staying in phase form too long would tear me apart from the inside, forcing me back to solid form.

I had to run. Keep my distance. Survive. But no matter where I went, he was already there, appearing behind me each time. He was swift as the wind.

My body finally betrayed me. The phasing ended, leaving me exposed.

Jarrod’s voice echoed, "Behind you!", but when I turned, nothing. I realize it was too late. Talas was still behind me. His blade came down, and though I blocked with my Dangatana, his strike crashed against my arm.

CRACK!

Pain ripped through me. My scream filled the chamber as I collapsed, clutching my broken arm. I had never felt agony like this. My vision blurred, my teeth clenched so tight I thought they’d shatter.

Diana and Jarrod rushed to my side, kneeling next to me, while Talas stood over me, grinning.

"What the hell are you grinning for?!" I shouted through the pain.

He chuckled. "Because it’s amusing. One strike, and I broke your arm—and that was enough to make you cry?" His grin widened. "Pathetic. It such a shame that the others of my Master’s creations were defeated by you… it makes me embarrassed to be associated with them."

Rage boiled inside me. I tried to lunge, but Diana and Jarrod held me back. I slipped into my glitching ability, phasing through their grip. With my good arm, I gathered energy, Nova Bloom.

Talas didn’t even flinch. He just stood there, as if daring me to try.

I pressed my glowing hand to his throat, holding back the surge of energy. "Laugh again, and your head’s gone."

He laughed.

Still laughing.
I stood up and went near him, who was still standing still.
And with my other arm I activated my Nova Bloom and pointed at him.

"Do you really think your little magic will work on me?" he sneered. "Even in this borrowed human body?"

"Uh… yeah?" I answered, my confidence cracking.

He shook his head. "After all your useless strikes… after failing to even scratch me… you still believe you can kill me, with a miserable magical spell?"

"Not if I do this." My hand phased, sliding through his throat, energy still crackling in my palm. "Even in this state, I can still unleash Nova. One release, and your head explodes from the inside."

His smile never faded. "So you would rather kill me… than save everyone."

"What are you talking about? It’s only you here."

"Exactly."

A chill sank into me. "…What do you mean?"

His grin widened.

"It’s only me here… while Niobeorth is at the Kingdom of Mondunion."