Chapter 4: A Warm Welcome:

The poor healer was less than informative about what he and his party had faced, but through his mumbling, it was clear that the rest of his party had been killed. By who? No idea. He wasn’t able to say before passing out.

“Take care of him, quickly.” Stephan Lorren called out to a level 77 healer from his guild, a young man with blonde hair. He then turned to Lady Mikaela. “I think we should definitely back down now. I don’t like this.”

“I know, Lorren.” Lady Mikaela replied through gritted teeth, before pointing some of her guild members, including Yana, at the entrance. “Blast this door. We need an exit.”

They attempted to bring it down, but the stone door remained steady, resisting any physical or magical damage, clearly enchanted by powerful magic.

Stephan Lorren looked concerned and shouted at Lady Mikaela. “You said you managed to leave without a problem last time!”

“I did!” she snapped back. “It wasn’t like this before!”

The tension between the two great adventurers was palpable, but Yana, surprisingly, was the one to ease it.

“Please, don’t fight.” She said, her voice pleading. “The situation is already problematic enough.”

They exchanged glances and seemed to agree, taking deep breaths and choosing not to escalate the situation further.

Then, a chilling voice, seemingly coming from everywhere, echoed through the tomb, addressing us.

“I am Gaelith of Tepan, once the Crown’s Champion, First Knight of the Kingdom, and the Blade of Honor. My name was known across the land for valor and strength, for victories on the battlefield that brought glory to Tepan. Yet I was betrayed. Betrayed by a coward king who unjustly accused me of treason and condemned me to death.

“You dare enter this tomb seeking the treasures that pitiful king sent to buy my forgiveness? Shameful. My forgiveness is forever beyond purchase, for my soul is bound to hatred, and my wrath will never fade. As I promised back then, no one who steps within my domain will leave it alive. Your fates are sealed. Those who have come before you have fallen, and so shall you.” He paused briefly, before finishing his terrifying introduction with a greeting and a fatal threat. “Welcome adventurers. This is where you die.”

The atmosphere in the tomb shifted instantly at Gaelith’s words. Fear gripped everyone, especially the lower-level adventurers as they exchanged nervous glances, some of them clearly trembling. Even I did. The veterans among us, and the higher-leveled adventurers, seemed more composed, but even they wore grim expressions.

Whispers broke out in the crowd. Some muttered prayers, others cursed under their breath. The younger adventurers, barely teens, seemed frozen in place. Others, like Jax, tried to maintain their bravado, but even he appeared more rattled than usual, his cocky demeanor faltering.

My heart raced at Gaelith’s words, and I quickly searched for Yana. This was the exact opposite of what I’d imagined this quest to be. No one who steps within my domain will leave it alive? He sure sounded menacing about that...

Lady Mikaela’s voice cut through the panic, authoritative and steady. “Calm down, everyone! We’ll all make it out of here alive! Lorren and I will make sure of it! Just follow us and trust our commands.”

Her words seemed to provide some relief as many adventurers calmed down.

Stephan Lorren, however, seemed unsure at first, his face tense. But after a moment, he nodded. “Yes. Follow me and Mikaela. There will be an exit out of here. I’m sure of it.” He then turned to the entrance of the tomb, his brow furrowed as he began to inspect the magic that kept it sealed. “Let me analyze the entrance here for now.”

But while everyone seemed to agree this was the right approach to secure our escape, Gaelith clearly had other plans. A bone-chilling howl echoed from deep within the tomb, followed by more guttural, unnatural howls that made my blood run cold.

Then we saw them.

An incredibly large pack of wolves charged at us from the depth of the tomb, but those were no ordinary wolves. Their eyes were milk-white and vacant, their bodies torn and mangled, yet their corpses rushed at us.

“They’re undead.” Someone whispered beside me.

They weren’t just fodder, either – each Undead Wolf was level 70, and the head of the of pack, their leader, a massive undead wolf, its name Pack Leader, snarled at us, its level reading 75.

“Prepare yourselves!” Lady Mikaela commanded, her voice cutting through the rising panic.

Everyone seemed to get a hold of themselves, hastily preparing their weapons and spells.

“I’m here, Aidan.” Yana whispered to me, her voice as tense and nervous as I’d ever heard it.

***

The aftermath of the battle was bloody.

The undead wolves didn’t just attack like ordinary beasts – they possessed sound wave attacks – high pitched, disorienting blasts – which left several adventurers stunned and unable to react in time. Combined with their sheer numbers, the pack was overwhelming.

As least seventeen adventurers had fallen here, with tens of others injured.

I stood among the survivors, panting, blood smeared across my chestplate. Yana and I had managed to take down one of the undead wolves together, though it had been far from easy. The creature lunged at me, its rotting teeth aiming for my throat. Luckily, my agility stats were high enough to dodge. I swung Nightfall, cutting through its side, hoping it would leave some damage, but it barely slowed him down or reduced any of its HP.

Yana, standing beside me, thrust her sword into its side, activating one of her fire spells giving me just enough time to finish it off with a well-timed Time Delay Swing. We exchanged a quick, breathless glance, both of us shaken but alive.

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Not far from us, Lady Mikaela had just slain the Pack Leader. The massive undead wolf was a beast unlike any of the others. It moved faster, hit harder, and fought unlike anything a regular level 75 beast would. Lady Mikaela was a level 100 adventurer, yet the wolf’s strength far exceeded what all of us had expected from its level.

She managed to bring it down eventually, but it wasn’t as easy as anyone would’ve expected for an adventurer of her stature.

“Damn it.” She muttered under her breath, her eyes lingering on the corpses of the fallen adventurers. It was clear she felt responsible for their deaths. Then, her gaze shifted sharply to Stephan Lorren, who hadn’t lifted a finger during this entire fight. “Lorren!” she shouted, her voice booming loud throughout the antechamber. “You better have a good reason for not helping!”

The mage turned to her, his expression calm and collected, almost dismissive of the tension. “I was analyzing the entrance.” He replied coolly. “This dungeon is clearly not normal. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Lady Mikaela’s nostrils flared as she breathed angrily. “And I hope you found something, or else the blood of these adventurers is on your hands!”

He cleared his throat, unfazed. “Of course I did.”

His response surprised not only her, but the rest of us as well. He continued. “I can open this door, but I’ll need time. And I’ll need everyone’s help to cover me while I work through the enchantment.”

Lady Mikaela shook her head, visibly angry with her counterpart, but she held her composure. “How much time do you need?”

Stephan Lorren shrugged, nonchalant. “As much as you can give me.”

His reactions were annoying, but I knew he was probably our only way out. Lady Mikaela seemingly understood that as well. She closed her eyes, shook her head aggressively, then turned to the rest of the adventurers, her voice firm and commanding.

“You heard the mage!” she began. “We are going to hold this position while he works on the enchantment. I will organize our defense into two groups. The first one, higher-leveled, will stand deeper to the tomb, our first line of defense, ready to repel any further attacks from the tomb’s beasts. The second group, lower-leveled, will form a perimeter around Lorren, ensuring he is undisturbed while he focuses on unlocking the door.”

Her eyes swept over the crowd, then her tone softened slightly. “I understand that some of you may be frightened. This situation is far from what any of us expected, and I do not blame anyone who feels unsure of continuing. If any of you wish to sit this out, now is the time to say so. I need to know immediately, so we can adjust our strategy accordingly.” She paused, waiting for a response, her gaze filled with both authority and compassion. “But know this: if you choose to stand with us, I expect your full commitment. Together, we will make to through this!”

As Lady Mikaela’s words echoed through the chamber, I could see some of the adventurers, shaken and pale, quietly step back toward the walls, visibly too terrified to continue.

One young adventurer, probably no older than eighteen, slumped against the wall, her eyes wide with fear. “I...I can’t. I didn’t sign up for this.” Her voice trembled as she stared at the corpses of the fallen. “I don’t want to die...”

Another, middle-aged man clutching a shield, sat beside her, his face blank in shock. “I thought we were here for an easy treasure. Not...whatever this is!”

But there were those who supported Mikaela. “We can’t give up now!” called out a towering warrior, his armor still slick with blood. “Lady Mikaela is right - stand strong or we die here!”

Others seemed empowered by his words. “We’ve got this!” one shouted, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “We’ll get through this!”

Despite the motivational cries, my heart sank as I turned to Yana, hoping she would take this chance to step back with me. The wolves had been too strong. I had wanted nothing but for both of us to sit this one out. But her face was set with determination. She was part of Lady Mikaela’s guild, and the loyalty showed as she stepped forward, her sword at the ready.

“I can’t sit this one out, Aidan.” She said softly, glancing at me. “Lady Mikaela needs me.”

I swallowed hard. I should’ve known better. Yana was always the brave one. And now, with her standing strong, I couldn’t leave her.

“I’ll stand with you.” I said as my grip tightened around Nightfall, moving into position by her side. Even though my instincts screamed to retreat, I couldn’t leave her.

We replenished our health using the potions provided by Lady Mikaela’s guild and were resting in the middle of the antechamber, then awaited another attack from the enemy while Stephan Lorren continued working on the enchantment at the entrance. Yet no one came for us.

After a short while, Lady Mikaela addressed the mage. “No one’s coming, Lorren.”

He spoke without turning to us. “That doesn’t make much sense.”

“I know.” Lady Mikaela replied. “But it’s good - you have time, then.”

Minutes passed in tense silence, and then Stephan Lorren suddenly cursed. “Shit!”

He turned to us, his expression grim. “This door needs a Keystone.”

“A Keystone?” Lady Mikaela frowned. “Oh, gods...”

Stephan Lorren sighed. “There’s a Keystone somewhere within the dungeon – likely deeper inside. Without it, this door can’t be reopened. The enchantment is designed to seal us in unless the Keystone is retrieved.”

“This didn’t happen when I was here alone...” Lady Mikaela muttered softly, covering her face with her hand. She took a deep breath and then regained her composure, turning to us with a focused look.

“We don’t have time to waste.” She said firmly. “We’ll split into two search parties, seven members each, level 80 and higher. I will lead the first, and Lorren will lead the second. Our goal is to find the Keystone that will unlock the door. We’ll need to move fast and cover as much ground as possible.”

She paused, glancing over the rest of us. “The rest of you will stay behind and guard this location. I’m leaving you in the hands of Aric Kelltins, one of my finest.” She pointed at the man in question. “Level 87 Vanguard in the Ironclad subclass.”

Aric, a towering fellow clad in heavy plate armor, stepped forward. A massive war-axe hung across his back. His had short-cropped brown hair, and a serious gaze. I heard about him before. One of Lady Mikaela’s strongest guild members.

“Aric will stay here and defend this position. Those who are staying, you’re under his command while Lorren and I are gone. Trust him and keep this area secure.” She glanced around, her voice full of confidence.

Then, most of the high-leveled adventurers, led by Stephan Lorren and Lady Mikaela, ventured deeper into the tomb, where they would eventually split into two groups. Meanwhile, Aric Kelltins, took charge of those of us who remained, arranging un into a defensive formation that covered all potential angles of attack.

The tanks - himself and Waylan included - were placed at the outermost line of defense. Behind them, he positioned the melee fighters – including Yana and Goren – ready to assist the tanks if enemies breached the frontline.

Further back, he placed all the ranged fighters, Jax and Henry among them, allowing them to strike from a safe distance. The healers and utility mages, including Lena and Dina, were positioned in the center, shielded by the outer lines, healing the injured adventurers. Protected and ready to provide support.

As for me, Kelltins seemed unsure of where to place someone as low-level as I am. Ultimately, he positioned me and two other level 52 warriors beside the healers, acting as the final line of defense for them.

Those who were too scared to take part were reluctantly positioned near the entrance, their will to fight non-existent.

Initially, I didn’t mind being placed with the healers, but when Yana was put in the front lines, I couldn’t stand the idea of being this far back. Everything was going from bad to worse. Again, this weird feeling as if I already lived through this washed over me, and I couldn’t stop throwing glances at the ground for some reason.

“Don’t worry!” Kelltins shouted, likely trying to raise our morale. “I have vast experience in adventuring, and from what I’ve seen, monsters usually target the highest-leveled adventurers first, so we should be safe while the guild masters take care of things.”

Most people breathed a sigh of relief, but it only took a few minutes to prove him wrong as this dungeon continued defying all logic. Out of nowhere, large, twisted versions of moles burst through the earth using their oversized claws, shattering our entire formation.

Their decaying skin exposed gnarled teeth, and their eyes were the same milk-white color as the undead wolves. Their names appeared as Grave Moles, followed by a terrifying level 80.

They aimed for the healers, appearing beneath us. When the front lines noticed and tried to retreat to help, they were immediately ambushed by spider monsters that emerged from within the tomb.

With enemies closing in from both sides, all hell broke loose.