Chương 52: One Step Away

Rayne raced down the stairs at the head of the group. At the bottom, a heavy iron door blocked their path. To their surprise, however, it was not locked. Rayne gave it a cautious push. With a harsh scrape, the door slowly swung inward. That only made him more wary. On the way down, Asar had explained why they had avoided the basement earlier: a violent noise had suddenly erupted from somewhere below. Now, the source of that sound lay somewhere beyond this door.

From somewhere nearby on the first floor above them, Barton's roars and the crash of repeated impacts still reached them faintly. But the sounds lasted only a moment before falling completely silent. Their expressions darkened. Rayne let the others enter the basement first. Then he shoved a wooden cabinet away from the wall and wedged it tightly behind the iron door.

"Damn it!" Asar slammed a fist against the wall.

"Barton..."

"He should be back in the starting chamber by now, right?" Tyren forced a smile onto his face.

"Though I doubt the process was pleasant." Everyone remembered what they had witnessed in the hall. The guard's soul had been forcibly pulled from his body before pitch-black shadows swallowed him whole. Even though they knew Trial Return should bring Barton back, merely imagining what the process must have felt like sent chills through them. Just then, a violent impact struck the other side of the iron door. Bang! The heavy door jolted inward. Even the cabinet wedged behind it slid forward slightly.

That damned thing had followed them down! Rayne rushed forward and threw his weight against the cabinet.

"Help me!" Asar and Tyren lunged forward with him. Together, the three of them braced the cabinet as it shook beneath repeated impacts. The pounding continued for quite some time. The iron door and wooden cabinet trembled violently again and again. Rayne and the others could only grit their teeth and press forward with all their strength, desperately holding the door shut. Eventually, the creature outside seemed to lose patience after failing to break into the basement. The violent impacts stopped.

A moment later, footsteps began to retreat from the other side of the door. Rayne and the others continued bracing the cabinet for a while longer. Only after confirming that the creature was not about to strike the door again did they breathe a sigh of relief. Pale-faced, the three of them leaned against the cabinet and slowly slid to the floor. Serin hurried over and began treating their injuries.

Afterward, she cut several strips from the Healing Bandage she carried and wrapped them around their arms, helping their wounds heal and their stamina recover a little faster. Only then did the group have enough energy to take a proper look around the basement. There was no sign of any shadows inside. Several oil lamps even hung along the walls, casting enough yellow light to make their surroundings visible.

Rayne had only just calmed his breathing and risen to his feet when another heavy impact sounded from deeper inside the basement. Bang! Everyone turned toward the sound, weapons already drawn. But what came from the darkness was not the roar of a monster.

"Hey!"

"You're really human, right? Not something that damned creature made to look human?" A hoarse voice came from behind a collapsed shelving unit. A moment later, something hard knocked against the shelf twice. Rayne did not approach. Holding both swords ready, he stared warily toward the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" Silence lingered on the other side of the shelf. Then a man with a stubbled face cautiously peered through a gap. He looked to be around forty. A bloodstained strip of cloth was wrapped around his forehead. He wore the leather armor of a Graywood Town guard, though the leather over his chest and shoulders had been badly torn. The moment he saw Rayne and the others' equipment, the man relaxed.

"Adventurers?"

"Thank the gods... Someone finally made it inside." Rayne did not lower his swords.

"Answer my question first." The man paused, then gave a bitter smile and raised both hands.

"Huck. I'm a Graywood Town guard."

"There are seven more people behind me. All of us fled down here from upstairs." He glanced over his shoulder.

"We've been trapped in this basement for more days than I can count." Huck looked toward the basement entrance.

"Luckily, those shadows can't enter the basement. The monster upstairs only ever pounds on the door. Otherwise, we would have been wiped out long ago." Rayne and Asar exchanged another glance. After a moment, they lowered their weapons.

"Do you know what happened upstairs?" Huck nodded and cursed through clenched teeth.

"Damn it... When the Demonic Tide invaded the town, the garrison commander ordered us to turn the almshouse into a shelter. We brought the townspeople here and used the building as a temporary base." He fell silent for a moment, then slowly sat down against the wall.

"At first, everything went smoothly." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Until the bell rang." Huck raised his head, his expression grim.

"You've already seen it yourselves. That monster created all those shadows upstairs."

"At first, we had no idea where they were coming from." His voice dropped.

"Now we do." Rayne swallowed.

"That thing upstairs?"

"That thing?" Huck gave a derisive laugh.

"That monster upstairs is nothing more than a minion."

"The truly terrifying creature is still at the bell tower. None of us could do anything against it." Rayne's expression grew even more serious. But this was not the time to ask about the bell tower.

"Do you know how to get out of the almshouse?"

"I do." Huck nodded.

"Either kill the monster upstairs..."

"Or dismantle the bronze clock on the second floor."

"Dismantle it?" Tyren frowned.

"That thing won't move, and hitting it once with a sword made the old hag go completely insane." Huck stared at him.

"You hit it directly?" Tyren's expression became rather awkward.

"... Yes." Huck remained silent for several seconds before covering his face with one hand.

"No wonder there was such a commotion upstairs." He drew a deep breath before continuing in a helpless tone.

"When I said dismantle it, I didn't mean hacking at it with a sword."

"When the Demonic Tide first broke out, the garrison commander ordered us to move that clock from the storeroom to the second floor. I was the one responsible for installing it." Huck spread his hands with a bitter smile.

"Who could have guessed it would later become the conduit that monster used to control the almshouse?"

"There are three concealed locking clasps beneath the clock's base. Release them in the correct sequence, and you can sever the connection between the clock and the monster."

"And then we can leave?"

"It isn't that simple." Huck shook his head.

"The moment you begin dismantling it, the monster will notice. Last time, we had only just released the second clasp when it rushed over, blocked the exit, and forced us all the way back into the basement." Tyren understood.

"So that's why you're still here."

"Hey, at least we tried." Huck snapped irritably, then slowly lowered his head.

"There are two more guards in the basement, but both of them are badly injured."

"There are five civilians as well. None of them are seriously wounded, but they're all terrified."

"I can treat them first," Serin said. Huck's dull eyes immediately lit up.

"You're a priest?" He hurried to his feet.

"Quickly! They're farther inside!" Huck turned and led the group deeper into the basement. After confirming that the survivors hiding in the storeroom showed no signs of anything unusual, Rayne brought Huck back toward the basement entrance, leaving Serin to treat the injured.

"Can you tell us how to deal with the clock now?" Huck shook his head.

"I want you to escort me upstairs." He looked toward the cabinet blocking the iron door.

"I'll dismantle it myself." Rayne frowned slightly. He did not understand why Huck insisted on doing it personally. Huck seemed to notice his doubts. After a moment of silence, he spoke apologetically.

"Sorry." He glanced back toward the depths of the basement.

"But if I tell you the entire sequence now, you could open the exit and leave on your own, abandoning everyone down here."

"I'm not saying you definitely would." He turned back to Rayne.

"But I need to keep some leverage for my people." Asar raised an eyebrow and replied irritably.

"Relax."

"We don't completely trust you either." Huck blinked. Then, instead of taking offense, he smiled and nodded at Asar.

"Good."

"One more thing," Rayne said, remembering something.

"Once we sever the connection between the bronze clock and that monster, is opening the exit all it will do?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot." Huck slapped his forehead.

"The shadows inside the almshouse will temporarily lose the ability to move as well." He pointed overhead.

"They seem to rely on a barrier generated by the bronze clock to move freely throughout the rest of the almshouse." Rayne and Asar exchanged another glance. Almost simultaneously, both of them thought of the countless shadows filling Graywood Town.

"So that means..." Rayne's expression grew more serious.

"The shadows throughout the entire town have a similar source of power?" Huck gave a bitter smile.

"More or less what you're thinking." He looked upward, as though he could see through the thick ceiling toward the towering bell tower in the distance.

"The source controlling every shadow in Graywood Town..."

"It's at the top of the bell tower." Tyren's mouth twitched.

"Wonderful. Another monster we already know we can't handle, just from hearing about it." Huck shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Escaping this cursed place alive would already be a miracle. We wouldn't dare hope for anything more." At Huck's defeated words, Rayne and the others fell silent. None of them spoke again. Some time later, footsteps sounded from deeper inside the basement. Huck looked up and saw Serin emerging from the storeroom with two other Graywood Town guards. Their wounds had been freshly bandaged, and faint white light still lingered across their exposed skin.

Although their faces remained pale and their steps were far from steady, they could at least walk without assistance. One held a spear. The other had strapped his longsword back to his waist.

"Their injuries are stable for now." Serin wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"But I only healed the worst of their wounds. They should avoid any intense fighting for a while."

"Being able to stand is enough." Huck stepped forward and firmly patted both men on the shoulders. The two guards said nothing. They merely nodded toward Rayne and the others. Rayne examined them briefly. All three guards, Huck included, had reached Bronze rank. Even if the two injured men could not currently fight at full strength, they would still be a considerable help now that the group had lost Barton, their most important frontliner. Huck picked up his weapon again and looked toward the basement entrance.

"Are you ready?"

"Do you need more time to rest?" Rayne braced a hand against the wall as he stood, then flexed his bandaged arm. The pain remained, but much of his stamina had recovered.

"No. We're ready to move." Huck grinned.

"Then let's go." He rested his weapon across one shoulder.

"Leave dismantling the clock to me."

"You just need to keep that damned creature away." Together, the group moved the cabinet blocking the iron door. Rayne carefully pushed the door open. After confirming that nothing was moving outside, he made his way up the stairs, keeping his footsteps light. The others followed one by one. Rayne stopped at the top of the staircase and cautiously peered around the corner. The Bellringer's Scion was standing directly outside the room containing the bronze clock.

Beside it stood a tall, broad shadow holding an all-too-familiar greatshield.

"Fuck..." Tyren cursed under his breath.

"Is that Barton?" ◆ ◆ ◆ Inside the Core Chamber, Owen watched Tyren mutter a curse under his breath, and his mischievous side resurfaced. A quiet chuckle began to echo through the chamber.

"Don't worry, don't worry. Your teammate is perfectly fine!" Humming to himself, Owen shifted the screen to the ruined church. Barton, who had just completed Trial Return, was lying on a bed in one of the guest rooms with a puzzled expression. He sat up. Then he lay back down. After a moment, he sat up again. This time, he climbed out of bed and stood. There was nothing wrong with him. He was still the same Barton. As for the shadow inside the almshouse, Owen let out another delighted, mischievous laugh.

"That's just a replica. It adds atmosphere and builds up your mental resilience at the same time." Owen swayed his core proudly.

"I really do have a talent for training people!" They had now obtained the key required to clear the almshouse. The only remaining challenges were holding off the Bellringer's Scion and protecting Huck while he dismantled the bronze clock. Owen shifted the screen back to the almshouse. This time, his voice was much calmer, though it still carried a trace of anticipation.

"Come on, Rayne. You're only one step away from clearing Graywood Almshouse." ◆ ◆ ◆ Rayne stared at the tall shadow holding the greatshield, uncertain what order to give. Was it really true that no one truly died inside Blackstone Dungeon? Perhaps the way Barton had died was simply too horrifying. The doubt had once again taken root in Rayne's mind. Seconds ticked by. Rayne still said nothing. Tyren turned toward Huck.

"Hey. Can people who've been transformed into shadows still be saved?" Huck's expression stiffened slightly. After a moment, he shook his head with the stiff, halting motion of a rusted machine.

"No. Once someone becomes a shadow, there's no bringing them back." He glanced at the tall shield-bearing shadow.

"Was that one of your companions?" Tyren pressed his lips together. After a moment of silence, he gave a slight nod. What should he do? As Rayne stared at the familiar figure, another question entered his mind. If he were ever transformed into something like that, what would he want the others to do? The answer came to him almost immediately.

"I'll lure that creature away from the clock room first." Rayne slowly drew both swords.

"Once I do, take down that shield-bearing shadow and escort Huck into the room."

"But Barton..." Tyren's voice sounded strained. Rayne reached out and lightly patted his shoulder.

"Tyren, if I ever become a monster too, don't hesitate." A flicker of shock passed through Tyren's eyes as he stared at Rayne.

"Hesitating will only get more people hurt." Rayne's gaze swept over Tyren, Asar, and Serin.

"If I really die, the last thing I'd want is for whatever remains of me to turn around and hurt my companions."

"Understood?" Tyren, Asar, and Serin exchanged glances. In the end, all three gave firm, silent nods.

"Good." A smile returned to Rayne's face as he tightened his grip on both swords.

"Then get ready." Rayne burst out of the stairwell and charged straight toward the Bellringer's Scion. The moment it saw him, the creature froze briefly before releasing a high-pitched cackle. The Bellringer's Scion and the shield-bearing shadow charged together, closing in from opposite sides and blocking Rayne's path. But he had already prepared for this. Just before the two enemies reached him, Rayne kicked open a nearby door and darted inside.

The Bellringer's Scion hesitated for an instant, then charged into the room after him, with the shield-bearing shadow close behind. A few seconds later, Rayne burst through another doorway on the opposite side. Using the room as a shortcut, he slipped past both enemies and reached the far end of the corridor. The Bellringer's Scion rushed out after him. It watched Rayne race farther down the corridor, then glanced back toward the room containing the bronze clock. It appeared to hesitate.

A moment later, however, it released another shrill cackle and chased after Rayne, leaving only the shield-bearing shadow to guard the clock room. Only after Rayne had drawn the Bellringer's Scion deep into the corridor did Asar lead Tyren and the others out of the stairwell. Hearing their rapid footsteps, the tall shield-bearing shadow slowly turned around and raised its greatshield across the entrance to the clock room.

"Barton, get out of the way," Tyren shouted through clenched teeth. The shield-bearing shadow did not react. In the next instant, it swung the greatshield with tremendous force, bringing it crashing toward Tyren.