Chapter 149– Adventurers Die So That Others Don’t Have To (Patreon)

A crack echoed through the forest. The trees shook back and forth, rustling as if caught in a storm, so loud yet it was nothing compared to the roar of the earth below, as if the god Osidium himself was hammering in the depths. The ground swelled as if filling with air, before deflating again. It rolled like waves, heaving up trees, shaking Hump from his feet. He fell to his knees and clung to his staff for balance. Around him, shouts rang out. A tree crashed down nearby, bringing a second along with it, the treetops crunching loudly as they slammed to the earth.

It lasted for about a minute, but when it ended, the forest was a different world. Dungeon essence leaked from the ground in streams of blood-smog, clouding the forest. Trees were uprooted in all directions. Stone tore from the earth in fragmented shards, forming great mounds and morphing the forest into something eerily familiar. It reminded Hump of his dream. He half expected to see Lucile out there in the mist, smiling back at him with the gorger’s ivory teeth.

Howls rose in the distance and Hump dreaded to think what other beasts must be out there. The forest was coming alive around them. Trees ballooned, veins of essence running up their stonebark trunks like poison, the trunks bulging with the sudden growth as if driven by cancer. As stonebark split, sap ran from the open wounds. Roots bulged from the earth, rupturing the ground. Shrubbery thickened into bushes, spikes and sharp leaves forming where previously they had been as brittle as clay. The branches swayed and broke above, while others speared the ground, or swung around in frantic twisting motions.

Hump turned when he heard a tearing sound behind him. Tree roots lurched and dragged at a body of an ogre like crab legs emerging from sand, dragging back the dead beast and swallowing it into the ground.

They had to get out. Fast. Not just for their own sake, but the villagers were in danger. Gods knew how far the dungeon had grown.

“What in the hells was that?” Len shouted, scrambling to his feet, stricken with panic. “We need to get out of here! Marcela!”

“Gods mercy,” Marcela muttered, staring after the missing ogre. After a moment, she seemed to gather her senses and look over the rest of them. “Is everyone alright?”

There were yesses all around.

“Estra’s unconscious, but she’s alive,” Dylan called, shoving a collapsed branch off his body. He was in his bear form and standing over the woman. “An ogre got her, not the forest.”

“Jim’s out too,” Eve said, checking on the man.

Hump looked around, frowning. “There were three down. I was sure of it.”

Everyone looked around, and then Marcela’s eyes widened. “Matthias!”

“Brielle’s missing too,” Eve said.

“Mattias!” Marcela called again. “Brielle!”

“Quiet,” Celaine snapped, tilting her head and closing her eyes. She turned to the mound of rock that had formed nearby and started running. “Up here!”

Hump followed behind, along with a handful of the others.

Soon he heard the muffled of a woman. “Help! Please. Down here.”

“Help!” A woman called, her voice muffled. They all turned in its direction, but Hump saw nothing. “Please! Over here!”

“You can’t just—” Hump stopped himself, the others already scrambling up the cold stone mound that now protruded from the earth in search of the voice. “Shit. Bud! Help me secure the area. We’re completely exposed here.”

“What about them?” Bud said, nodding upward. “We need to get them back down. We’re too divided.”

Hump gritted his teeth, looking over those that had remained below with the wounded, then turning his gaze back to the top. Red light gleamed along a ledge ahead, and a sinking feeling filled his stomach. Celaine and Marcela dropped to their knees, reaching for something.

“Shit,” Hump said again. Something was very wrong. “Dylan! We need you up here.”

You better be watching, Hump thought, looking up to the heavens. These are your bloody Chosen.

The druid rushed up to him, and Hump started to climb, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. Coming to stand beside Celaine, he looked down into a deep fissure, so full of red essence he couldn’t see the bottom. A well of power, the artery of a dungeon. And hanging onto the rockside was Brielle. The berserker gripped the wall with one hand while holding onto an unconscious Matthias with the other.

“I can’t hold on much longer,” she said, voice strained.

“Everyone stand back,” Dylan said. He drew a handful of seeds from his pockets and vines manifested, shining with the green essence of nature. The stretched down into the fissure, dangling down beside Brielle and growing wider, thickening to the size of a forearm. Brielle clutched the vines with her knees, taking some of her weight. Emilia and Marcela stood at the edge of the fissure, ready to step in, while Bud gripped the vines with Dylan and Celaine.

“She’s on,” Emilia said. “Pull.”

The three of them heaved, dragging Brielle and Matthias up. As she neared the top, Marcela and Emilia grabbed her armour and shoulders, pulling her up over the ledge before grabbing Matthias. Together, they continued to pull his unconscious form up.

And then they stopped. They grunted, throwing their weight back, but still Matthias didn’t budge. Suddenly, he was yanked down. Emilia and Marcela fell onto the fronts, holding one of his hands each and screaming from the sudden weight.

Hump rushed forward. Roots had sprouted from the fissure walls and wrapped around his legs like tendrils. Blood flood where they’d dug into one of his legs, just above the ankle, anchoring in deeply.

“He’s been grabbed by roots,” Hump said. He summoned his essence, calling upon all the heat he could. “Fire Beam.”

He aimed the spell at the thick bit just under his foot, burning through them, but more formed in their place, lashing onto both of Matthias’ legs and climbing his bodies like snakes. They carved deep, red lines into his body, tearing through his skin.

Celaine shot arrows into the pit.

“No!” Nina screamed, launching blades of water at the roots, carving them apart, but there were always others.

Matthias suddenly screamed, his eyes going wide and full of terror. Emilia and Marcela heaved, but it wasn’t enough. He slipped from their grip in his panic, falling into the red mist below. A moment later, his screams went silent.

Hump watched, his heart racing, searching for some hope. Some way down, or some chance that he might live. Emilia and Marcela both stared wide eyed into the fissure.

“Matthias! No!” Nina cried, tears streaming down her face. She rushed forward, and Marcela pushed herself to her feet, catching her and holding her back. “We need to go after him. We need to get him out. Marcela, we have to!”

“I’m sorry,” Brielle said, still slumped on the ground. She was covered in sweat. “If I was stronger… I’m sorry.”

Marcela said nothing. All the colour had drained from her face. She nodded numbly, but she didn’t make a move.

Hump forced himself to think. He looked around, the smog of the forest suddenly feeling like an enemy itself.

“He’s gone,” Hump said, more harshly than intended. “We need to get ourselves out.”

“No. Shut your mouth,” Nina said viciously. Her tears formed streaks down her cheeks. “We’re going after him, wizard. You’re the reason we’re here. You can’t cower now.”

Hump hated what he was about to do. He hated the choice that had to be made, but the alternative was they all died. He clenched his jaw and stormed forward. “Look at where he’s fallen!” he jammed a finger into the fissure. “There is no coming back from there. He’s gone, Nina. Likely dead already. And we’ll be joining him if we don’t get out of her. Marcela, get control of your party.”

She stared at him, frozen with indecision.

Hump stepped closer. “Monsters are coming, we cannot stay here.” She stared at him, her mouth opening and closing but saying nothing. “Make a decision!”

Slowly, she nodded. “We’re coming.”

“But Matthias,” Nina protested.

“He’s gone.” Marcela’s voice trembled. “Hump is right. We need to go.”

“No,” Nina cried.

“You can stand there and argue about it, but we’ve still got two wounded down below,” Hump said. “And three villages we’re supposed to be defending from what now could be an entire dungeon. We need to move! Celaine, find us a route back. Bud, Dylan, round up everyone else. Emilia, help Brielle down to her party.”

His party went without discussion, Celaine splitting off from them as she searched for their path back.

Hump turned back to Marcela. “I want you to come with us, but we won’t wait long.”

“We’re coming,” she whispered, gently pushing Nina’s arms from her and stepping past. “Come on, Nina.”

Hump rushed down the mound with Dylan and Bud. “Eve, what do you need? We need everyone ready to move.”

He saw her standing with their cleric over the still unconscious Estra. Her face was bloodied, Luthar’s blessing was already at work, pale yellow essence radiating from the long gash down her cheek.

“Jim woke up, but Estra will need carrying.” she frowned. The small girl frowned, her eyes darkening. “Where’s Marcela?”

“She’s on her way,” Hump said. “We lost Matthias.”

Eve sighed and placed a hand on her forehead, running it down the middle of her face. The sign of Rathlar. Hump should have realised her god when he’d seen her wield the purple skull before. She was a Chosen of the god of death—a real one this time, not like the puppet Kassius had turned Lucien.

“Do you need someone to carry Estra?” Hump asked.

“She’s one of us,” Eve said. “We’ll bring her.”

Hump nodded. “Then everyone get ready, we need to—”

Hump felt an impact and was blown from his feet, falling to the ground, the wind knocked from him. He rolled over, ready for a fight, only to see a furious Len staring down at him.

“Who are you to give out orders,” Len snarled. He had his wand in hand, but he’d only shoved Hump. “You’re the reason all this happened. We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t pushed us.

Bud came to stand before him, blocking Len’s line of attack. “Don’t be a fool, Len. We need to work together right now.”

Len scoffed. “Oh, big surprise. The knight in shining armour appears to fend for his little friend.”

“He’s my friend, of course I’m here,” Bud said.

“Your friend got my friend killed,” Len snapped.

Nina and Marcela stood off to the side, watching. Everyone was watching. All nine of what remained of the spoilt, noble, arrogant lords and ladies.

Hump pushed himself up so that he was sitting. He spat out dirt and glared at Len. “I didn’t force you to come here. You all knew what you were doing when you accepted this quest, and you came here anyway. It doesn’t matter if you’re a gutter rat or silver spoon, monsters—dungeons—don’t care. If you wanted an easy, safe life, you shouldn’t have come here.”

“We shouldn’t have followed you here, you mean,” Len growled.

“It was my decision,” Marcela said. “I’m to blame.”

“No you’re not,” Hump snapped. “There was no predicting this. How we were to know the dungeon would expand? All we knew was that if we let those ogres go, more villagers would die. Are you going to say his life is more valuable than everyone else’s”

“Yes,” Len spat. “It is more valuable.”

Hump snarled in disgust. “And you call yourself Chosen. I’m sorry your friend is dead, but that’s how it goes sometimes. He didn’t die fighting the ogres. He died to the dungeon, and the rest of us are going to join him if we don’t get out of here.” Hump pushed himself to his feet. “Adventurers die so that others don’t have to. Now, in case you forgot, we still have three villages to protect, not to mention a forest full of monsters to escape. Either come with us, or stay here, but save your recriminations for someone else. I don’t give a shit.”