Maria and Chariot followed the sounds of explosions.

They came to another clearing in the forest and met with spiked wooden barricades pointed toward the treeline. Several red-tanned leather tents were propped up around the ruin grounds. Before them were the towering walls of an old, small castle. At least that’s what it seemed. Moss crept up the stone walls, with vines growing over the sides like rope. In each of the four corners stood the remnants of circular towers. Among them, a solitary tower stood tall, still preserving its pristine form with a conical roof fully intact.

“Woah,” Maria said, staring wide-eyed. “Never seen a castle in person before.”

“It’s a fort. A castle wouldn’t—”

A loud squeal grabbed their attention. Hallows came running out of one of the tents.

Maria stepped back as Chariot drew her sword and dashed forward. While she dealt with the small hoard, Maria messaged Master Eardwulf.

Maria: I found something. There’s an old castle at my coordinates.

Amidst the chaos, Maria glanced up. Tanalia was up on the wall, dealing with a trio of Hallows surrounding her. She drew a golden dagger at her hip and slashed one, then used her bow to knock another away. From the sounds of the roaring, an army of Hallows had to be behind those walls.

Eardwulf: Did you find anything in it?

Maria: Not yet, there are Hallows everywhere. I found some other people too, we’re clearing out the monsters.

Eardwulf: Careful. Don’t let any of them know why you’re there.

Maria: I remember. Keep it a secret.

Eardwulf: Stay safe, I’m on my way.

Maria closed her display and hurried after Chariot, who had just finished cutting down the last of the Hallows outside.

Chariot peeked inside a tent. “There's no one in there.” She sighed in relief. Together, they combed through the adjacent tents, searching for any signs of captives. Fortunately, they found nothing. The surrounding area was engulfed by grass and weeds reaching halfway up Maria's knees. She trudged through it until she stumbled upon the weathered stone foundation of the castle. Smoke billowed from it.

Chariot pointed to a collapsed wall. “We can enter from there.” It formed a scalable pile of stones. She began ascending the rubble, carefully making her way toward the opening in the castle wall. Maria followed suit, cautiously stepping on the unstable stone bricks that occasionally shifted beneath her feet.

A vast rectangular courtyard was visible from the top. Its once-grand walls and crumbling towers had succumbed to the encroaching grasp of overgrown vegetation. Scattered across the courtyard was a cluster of tanned leather tents huddled together. One of the huts was on fire, but far enough away to not spread to all the others.

Tanalia was a step ahead of them, maneuvering along the battlements and leaping over crumbled sections. She fired another arrow into the courtyard, causing an explosion that destroyed the supports of a tent. Hallows scurried out. Some of them charged up a stairway in pursuit of Tanalia. From the looks of it, there was a doorway leading into the castle under those stairs.

Chariot hopped down into the courtyard. “I pray she checked those tents for prisoners.”

Maria shrugged. “She wouldn’t blow them up before checking, right?”

Chariot groaned, then darted toward the tents, slashing through Hallows as they approached. There were so many of them. If the map was being held anywhere, she would bet on it being here.

A squeal came from her right. The Hallow came running at Maria, thrashing its ax. She attempted to cast {Firebolt}, but nothing happened. Her mana bar flashed red.

Empty!

The Hallow struck Maria. Pain radiated up her chest as she stumbled. She chugged a mana potion as she fled from the Hallow. With her MP replenished, she cast {Firebolt}, blasting the Hallow away. It squealed as it smashed against the stone wall. Wasting no time, she lunged forward and stabbed the fallen Hallow until it was dead. She checked her HP. {224/250}. She rubbed her chest. Going into battle before checking her mana was a rookie mistake. The standard guild gear offered decent protection against low-level adversaries, but a mistake like that against anything stronger would cost her greatly. Hell, even if more than one Hallow attacked, it could’ve been the end.

Chariot was still searching for people. It was possible some were being held captive in the castle. Maria figured she’d check the inside. It would give her a chance to look for the map too, if it was indeed there.

Maria ran around the courtyard and along the walls. Running through the maze of tents would’ve been faster but with Tanalia still firing explosive arrows, it was too risky. A squeal came from above. A Hallow came crashing down with an arrow in its back. Maria yelped and jumped away, but no explosion came. She looked back cautiously. The Hallow was slowly crawling away.

Tanalia stood atop the wall. “You made it!” She hopped down.

“Can you stop blowing things up for a minute?”

“What for? This is the quickest way to kill ‘em.” She ripped the arrow from the monster. A trail of blood splashed up her leg before the creature disappeared.

“What if you destroy the castle? I still need to search inside.”

“But I didn’t.”

Maria groaned. “I’m starting to understand Chariot…”

Tanalia shrugged and gave Maria a sly grin before hurrying off.

Maria let out an exasperated sigh before reaching the doorway leading into the castle. She braced herself, gripping her short sword tightly, and stepped inside. The narrow halls were filled with the musty scent of lingering dust. The stone corridor forked. She peered down both paths. Spider webs covered the walls and ceiling, shimmering in the faint sunlight that filtered through cracks. Opting to explore the left path first, Maria made her way down the corridor until she arrived at a circular tower room. The space was compact, its meager furnishings–a table and some chairs–haphazardly strewn into a corner. Apart from the cluttered pile, the room stood empty. The only other doorway within the room was obstructed by rubble and a fallen support beam.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

A snort reverberated throughout the castle. Maria turned around. Emerging from behind was another Hallow, larger, and more robust than the ones she had encountered before. It sported a metal helmet, devoid of a mask, tightly encasing the burlap sack covering its head. The creature's muscles bulged, the veins visibly throbbing and pulsating beneath its skin.

Hallow Brute - Lv 7

Maria broke into a cold sweat.

Despite wielding no weapons, it attacked head-on. Maria cast {Firebolt}, but the attack didn’t even make it flinch. The Brute slammed Maria into the wall, leaving her disoriented. She groaned, gritting her teeth as she steadied herself. The Brute tried a headbutt tackle, but she avoided it this time. It crashed head-first into the wall and didn’t move. Maria put some distance between herself and the beast. The Brute swayed. The impact must have dazed it, but not for long. It shook its head and attempted the same headbutt tackle. She rolled to the side and it collided with the wall, once again stunning itself. Maria delivered a devastating backstab, taking half its health. It thrashed, attempting to strike her. This thing was durable but dumb. Putting her back to the wall, Maria goaded it with shouts. The dense brute took the bait, and tried the same attack with the same results. Another backstab finished the remaining health.

A notification appeared in the upper middle part of her vision as the beast disintegrated into polygons.

Steel Helm Acquired.

Defense: 10

Maria accessed her inventory, locating the helmet within the apparel tab. It looked hideous, like something she might have found in a prop store. She tapped on the helmet, and it materialized on her head. Despite its absurd appearance, she prioritized the added defense over aesthetics.

Her health was only {164/250}.

She didn’t want to make the same mistake with her health like she did with her mana. She chugged a red potion.

Her health was bumped up to {214/250}.

It was better than nothing.

With her new gear equipped, and her health somewhat restored, Maria hurried back down the hallway with a little more confidence.

Eardwulf: Have you managed to find anything yet?

Maria: Not yet, still looking.

Eardwulf: Keep searching, then. I should be there soon.”

Maria hurried down the right path this time, arriving at the circular tower room situated at the opposite end of the castle. To her relief, the door remained intact. As she pushed it open, a noxious odor of burning graphite assaulted her senses. The room was no larger than the previous one, completely devoid of any furnishings except for a black iron grate cube positioned at its center. The cube rattled violently, expelling wispy green fireballs akin to a volcanic eruption. Each fireball gave rise to towering columns of green flames when they touched the ground. From within the inferno emerged a Hallow, initially motionless before bursting into frenzied activity with a distinctive squeal. The creature dashed towards the other open doorway, vanishing through the hole in the wall, and out into the courtyard.

Maria backed away as more of the Hallows were spawned. This was why there were so many. As three more of the Hallows spawned, Maria hurled three {Firebolts}, knocking them away. Determined to put an end to the spawning, she raced towards the spawner and unleashed {Flames}, sending forth a scorching wave of fire at the metal grate. No effect. She struck it with her short sword, only to be met with a shower of sparks in return. The spawner retaliated by launching green fireballs, spawning Hallow Brutes.

Maria sprinted towards the door. The Hallow Brutes made loud snorts as they gave chase. She dashed out into the courtyard, then scrambled to compose a message while evading the oncoming brutes.

Maria: Box spawning hallows how destroy?

It was all she had time to type. She dove out of the way as one of the brutes got too close.

Eardwulf: A Monster Spawner? Does it have green flames?

Maria weaved between the burning tents to get away. She frantically messaged her master as she kept running.

Maria: Yes!

Eardwulf: You need to find something to blow it up with. Make sure to check around if there’s more than just one.

Maria ran over to the nearest wall, positioning herself in front of it, and braced for the imminent charge of the three brutes. As they lunged, she rolled out of harm's way, causing all three to collide headfirst into the wall and stun themselves. Maria seized the opportunity to make her escape. She scanned the top of the walls, searching for Tanalia, but she was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, Tanalia hadn’t abandoned them. Perhaps she was concealed within the courtyard or the battlements.

Chariot burst out from a tent and swiftly dispatched a Hallow. Her breathing was heavy, and her brow was sweaty. “Where do these numbers come from?”

“A spawner!” Maria yelled. “Where’s Tanalia? I need her explosive arrows!”

“I am not her keeper!”

A shadow swooped over the two. Tanalia leaped from a wall with an arrow readied. She fired, piercing a Hallow through its chest and sending it flying over the side. Tanalia landed on her feet like a cat with a grin. Chariot scoffed and focused on the trio of Hallow Brutes approaching from behind.

Maria waved at Tanalia. “There’s a spawner in the castle producing these things. I need your explosive arrows.”

“Take me to it! I’ll destroy it!”

“Chariot needs backup. Stay here and help her.”

“She has a hard head. Doubt their weapons can even damage it.”

“Now is not the time to be bickering!”

The elf muttered something in elvish and sighed. “Fine.” A bundle of explosive arrows materialized in Tanalia’s hand. Maria grabbed them and they appeared in her equipment slot along with her mana and healing potions. A large ‘3’ was set beside the image.

Maria ran back into the castle, but a Hallow Brute stood in front of the entryway. The creature locked eyes with Maria and barreled toward her. She narrowly avoided being hit as the Brute collided with the wall, then retaliated with {Flames}, burning the Brute. Prepared this time, she repeated the same tactic and landed a killing backstab. Another iron helmet was added to her inventory.

Maria rushed back into the room housing the spawner. The eerie green flames within the cube flickered and danced, emitting more ominous fireballs. The explosive arrow materialized in her palm. She stuck the arrow between the iron grates, then retreated and cast {Firebolt} on the arrow. A deafening boom reverberated through the air, and the blast made the room's roof to crumble. Dust and debris went billowing out the door. Maria staggered back, coughing amidst the aftermath. Despite the chaos, adrenaline surged through her veins, giving rise to a grin.

No time for celebration, however. Another spawner was likely hidden within the castle's walls. Maria pressed on, searching every corner of the ancient structure. Finally, her perseverance paid off. Nestled in one of the circular rooms was a spawner. Maria stuck an explosive arrow between its grates and hurled a {Firebolt}, obliterating it along with several freshly spawned Hallows.

The ground rumbled. Maria extended her arms to regain balance as dust and debris fell around her. Hastily, she made her way out of the crumbling castle. Chariot stood in the courtyard, glancing around. The Hallows had vanished, leaving behind an eerie silence filled only by the cracking embers of the tents. Tanalia was perched atop the tallest tower–bow at the ready–scanning the courtyard.

The ground rumbled again.

“What in the name of the lunar goddess was that?” Chariot asked.

Maria trembled. It had already been a few minutes since the explosion went off, and they were far enough away that they shouldn’t feel anything from the room collapsing.

A gust of wind surged through the courtyard, creating a tempest confined to the castle's boundaries. The wind snaked around, intertwined with the fire from the tents, and formed a flame vortex that ascended into the sky. Scattered debris began to stir. Pieces of stone and rubble levitated and converged at the center of the courtyard. A mesmerizing spectacle unfolded before the trio as rubble coalesced into a massive orb of stone covered in moss and entwined with vines.

Chariot fled from the middle of the courtyard, pulling Maria with her as she glanced up wide-eyed.

Sections of the castle detached and collided with the mass, molding its form into a floating torso the height of three men. Bulky arms with jagged stone claws formed, then a rugged face with a menacing array of sharp teeth. It hovered over the swirling vortex of stone and roared.

A long health bar appeared at the top of her vision.

Terra Elemental - Lvl 50