Chapter Twenty-Five: The Place of Death

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Place of Death

While Elise and her companions pressed onward, Jen had already recalled his forces and regrouped. The three search teams sent ahead were utterly wiped out by a combined assault from the Aliens and the Banshees, though Jen paid a price for it—these elite fighters were not easily dealt with. Reality lacked the clear-cut stats and health bars of games; slitting someone’s throat certainly wouldn’t have them bouncing back to trouble you. Yet these elites from Black Onyx City proved themselves formidable. Even with the element of surprise, Jen’s Alien and Banshee ambush couldn’t avoid retaliation. He was forced to sacrifice two Banshees to protect his Aliens—the undead gained little from leveling up, but if an Alien didn’t evolve, it was doomed to lurk in the shadows and snipe from afar.

During the fight, Jen noticed certain issues. In the original movie lore, Aliens could only reproduce through facehugger implantation; ordinary Aliens lacked the ability to lay eggs, a privilege reserved for the Alien Queen. Yet here, the system allowed every Alien to produce eggs, while the Queen acted more like a Zerg Overlord, controlling the population.

Jen hoped their commander might scatter the formation once more for a search, making it easier for him to pick them off. Unfortunately, Elise was no fool; Jen had to abandon his plans for guerrilla tactics and gather his troops. He knew that once Elise and her unit emerged from the passage, the real battle would begin.

But Elise’s worries went far beyond that. The farther she advanced, the stronger her unease became—not the kind triggered by sensing terrifying magical energies or monstrous presences, but a deeper, more unsettling premonition. It was as if a bottomless abyss yawned before her, and a single misstep would plunge her into darkness.

What puzzled Elise was that, after their earlier encounters, they met neither monsters nor traps. The previously anxious soldiers felt both relieved and wary—relieved that nothing lurked beneath their feet to spring forth, wary that some hidden scheme might still unfold.

After a long, tense stretch, they finally exited the tunnel. Before they could take in their surroundings, a sudden chill wind swept over them, snuffing out their torches. The abruptness nearly elicited screams; weapons were drawn as they formed a defensive ring, eyes scanning the darkness for any threat.

There was nothing. Only the passing gusts and a silence as deep as death. Elise frowned, then raised her hand. A bright white sphere of light appeared in her palm, dispelling the shadows.

“Alright, you cowards, brighten your shields! Damn it, you’re the finest warriors of Black Onyx City, and a bit of wind scares you senseless? Cough… cough…” The serpent captain, unimpressed by his troops’ timidity, brandished his longsword and bellowed his commands. Yet this time something was different; after his shout, he coughed several times, as if suddenly ill.

“Are you alright, Captain?” Elise asked, concern in her voice. The serpent captain waved her off dismissively. “It’s nothing, milady—just a bit of discomfort. Probably these idiots getting on my nerves… I’m starting to miss the warm rooms of Black Onyx City.”

“Then we should hurry, find out what happened to those merchant caravans, and return home as soon as possible.” At this, the Tiefling leader interjected, seizing the moment. Though it sounded like agreement, the perceptive caught his true meaning—after these setbacks, his goal had shifted from “eliminate the threat” to “investigate the threat.” Clearly, he intended to shift the responsibility to headquarters.

No one objected, not even the previously irate serpent captain. If the cunning traps showed their opponents’ guile, the silent slaughter of their patrols proved their strength. Attacking now would be suicide.

The damp, biting wind forced everyone to bow their heads. Without Elise’s “Everlasting Flame,” they wouldn’t see a thing in the darkness. Their footsteps and the howling wind merged into a haunting melody within the empty corridor.

The further they walked, the faster Elise’s heart raced. By the light of her spell, she could see the smooth floors on either side—this was a flat, well-made passage, not the architecture of a tomb, nor the style of any castle she knew.

Rather, it resembled…

As they advanced, the wind gradually abated, and only then did they breathe a collective sigh of relief. “Light your torches, illuminate the surroundings, and keep your eyes wide open! Watch closely for any movement!”

“Yes, sir!” At the captain’s command, the warriors relit their torches and raised them high. Suddenly, as a Tiefling struck his torch alight, a monstrous, pitch-black head appeared before him, making him jump.

“Waugh!” The unexpected “surprise” sent the Tiefling shrieking and leaping backward. Hearing his cry, the others spun around, then relaxed—it was no monster, merely a stone statue in the corner, claws outstretched in lifelike ferocity, ready to pounce. No wonder it startled him.

“What’s the fuss? It’s just a statue!” The Tiefling leader scowled at his subordinate, glaring. “Shut your mouth—aren’t you afraid of summoning something worse?”

Yet no one noticed Elise’s face had gone pale at the sight of the statue. She stepped forward, eyes wide, staring intently at it. Then she turned, gestured quickly, and conjured three more glowing orbs. They floated around her, illuminating the ceiling and the ornate, rune-carved walls.

“Milady?” Her strange behavior confused the others, who watched without understanding. But Elise ignored their questions, alternating her gaze between the wall’s carvings and the statues, her expression suddenly changing.

“We must leave—now! Get out, immediately!” As she spoke, Elise drew a scroll, murmuring an incantation. In moments, the scroll shattered, transforming into a portal of gleaming, multicolored light.

This…

Elise’s abrupt command left the group bewildered. They knew she possessed a teleportation scroll for returning to Black Onyx City after their mission, but nothing had been resolved. Why was she so desperate to flee now?

Before anyone could ask, disaster struck.

Whoosh! Dazzling flames blazed forth, flooding the passage with light in an instant. The brilliance forced everyone’s eyes shut, and with a thunderous crash, a massive stone door slammed shut, trapping them inside. At that very moment, the portal near Elise flickered like a mirage, then vanished without a trace.

Elise’s face turned ashen.

“Milady, what’s happening?” The group rallied around Elise, back to back in a defensive formation. All around, rumbling echoed like falling boulders, the ground quivered, and the atmosphere grew ever more foreboding. Even the dullest among them now sensed something was wrong.

Elise bit her lip and shook her head in despair. “We made a mistake. When I first saw those corpses, I felt something was off. If only I’d realized sooner… but now it’s too late.”

“What is this place, milady?” the serpent captain pressed.

Elise was silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

“This is a dungeon.”