Chapter 16 - The Summit

Leah stood quietly in the snow, the morning light casting a cold shimmer across the mountainside. Around her, members of her blood legion were busy pulling others out from beneath the thick layers of avalanche-packed snow.

Leah glanced over her shoulder. The towering stone golem loomed in the distance, unmoving, its colossal shape silhouetted against the brightening sky. It was a valuable weapon, one she planned to make use of in the future. But for now, it stood useless. She had no way to move it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Daraena approached She stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and lowered her gaze. "Most of the legion is still buried, Commander. It’ll take time to dig them all out."

Leah frowned. Her arms folded across her chest. "There’s no point in waiting for so long," she said. "We’ll leave without them."

She turned her head and nodded slightly. "Go gather a small force, composed of only the strongest ones."

Daraena looked up. "What should the rest of the legion do?"

"They’ll trail behind," Leah said, already scanning the mountainside. "If anything happens up there, they’ll catch up when it matters."

Daraena gave a sharp nod and stood, quickly making her way through the snow. Leah stood still, eyes narrowed on the slope above.

One by one, the ready members gathered around her. Standing with her were Daraena, Ibbi, Gabriel, Kogg and several of the stronger hobgoblin elites. Gabba was also there clutching her staff, her crimson eyes fixed reverently on Leah.

Leah turned around as her cloak trailed in the snow behind her.

"Let’s go." she said.

***

They continued up the mountain, trudging through the deepening snow as the sun struggled to pierce through the ever-thickening cloud cover above. Leah flew at the head of the group, with Gabba walking just to her side.

As they moved, Leah’s voice cut through the wind. "Tell me more about this king. And what’s inside the dungeon."

Gabba glanced over at her, face half-shadowed by her hood. "The dungeon stretches deep into the mountain. Twisting halls, old traps, ancient beasts, many rooms filled with strange relics we’ve never been able to understand. And the deeper you get, the stronger the goblins are."

Leah’s eyes narrowed. "And the king?"

Gabba nodded slowly. "He never leaves the dungeon. He rules from a throne at the deepest part of it, and he is always surrounded by his royal guard."

They crossed a narrow, jagged passageway overlooking a steep drop. The wind howled louder here, biting at exposed skin. As they moved along, Leah looked over at Gabba again. "Where did you find the giant golem?"

Gabba clutched her staff. "Long ago, before my time, our scouts found it buried on the other side of the mountain, deep within the mountain range. Half-buried in stone. Like it had been resting for centuries."

Leah tilted her head. "What else was there?"

"Massive ruins. Towering buildings made of black stone, older than anything we’d ever seen. My ancestors believed they belonged to an ancient civilisation. But we never found anyone still living there. Just echoes."

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Leah nodded, digesting the information. They pressed on.

The higher they climbed, the more vicious the wind became. Snow whipped through the air in near-blinding sheets, and visibility dropped with every step. Eventually, the gale became so intense that Leah only manage to stay aloft by flying in Kogg’s wind shadow.

They continued their ascent for hours, navigating frozen ridges and craggy ledges, until goblins began to burst from the snowfall itself, ambushing from hidden crevices and jumping down from ledges.

But still, Leah and her elite force carved their way forward, undaunted.

They fought their way up the mountain for what felt like an eternity, battling wave after wave of goblins that burst from the snow-covered rocks with savage cries. Steel clashed against claws and teeth, and blood quickly stained the snow black and red.

Eventually, the rocky incline evened out, and they emerged before a long, wide staircase carved into the mountainside. The stone steps stretched high above, flanked by crumbling statues of forgotten figures. Without warning, a roar echoed down the stairs, and then came the hobgoblins, charging in droves, their weapons raised, eyes wild.

Leah lifted her sword. "We push through!"

She led the charge up the steps, her sword cleaving through snarling faces as she climbed. The battle became a brutal gauntlet. Each step forward was earned in blood. Ibbi fought fiercely at her side, while Kogg and the other elites tore through the enemy with brutal efficiency. The stairs became slick with gore, but still they fought upwards.

The fight dragged on, relentless, stretching into a full hour of combat. But slowly, surely, the tide shifted. Their foes grew fewer, and the last remaining hobgoblins were cut down without mercy.

Leah ascended the final steps, boots crunching against frozen stone, and emerged onto a flat, open platform near the summit. The peak of the mountain loomed above them, jagged and vast. And embedded into the base of that towering wall of rock was a massive, ornate gate, tall, golden, and wide open.

Gabba stepped forward. "That’s the entrance."

She and her legion crossed the stone ground, boots thudding in rhythm as they approached. When they reached the gate, Leah looked up at it, her breath misting in the cold air.

"So, this is it."

As she stepped forward, a translucent red screen blinked into existence in front of her. Glowing words formed across it.

"You are about to enter a Tier Four Dungeon."

Leah blinked. She remembered the Blood Fairy Dungeon. That had only been Tier One.

She turned back to her group, eyes sharp, voice calm. "Let’s go."

But as Leah stepped across the golden threshold of the gate, sharp cries rang out behind her. She turned quickly, her eyes narrowing.

Daraena, Kogg, Gabba, and the other hobgoblins who had followed her past the gate were now hunched over on the ground, clutching their heads or chests, expressions twisted in pain. Only Gabriel stood upright, calm, as if unaffected.

Leah raised an eyebrow. "Back. All of you. Now."

They obeyed instantly, crawling and stumbling backwards out of the gate’s reach. As they returned to the outer platform, the painful expressions slowly faded. Leah also stepped back, her gaze focused.

"What happened?" she asked.

Gabba, still on her knees, lifted her head. "The mana inside… it feels different now. Ominous. It wasn’t like that before."

Leah turned to glance into the dungeon, her brows furrowed. The dark interior yawned before her like a throat ready to swallow. She didn’t feel anything strange at all, no pressure, no oppressive weight. She looked at Gabriel, who simply gave a slight shrug.

Then she turned to Ibbi. "Try crossing."

Ibbi didn’t hesitate. She walked through the gate, and as soon as she passed the threshold, her body tensed. Her shoulders dropped, and her lips curled into a growl.

"It’s like the air’s pressing on my lungs," she said through clenched teeth. "Feels like it wants to crush me."

Leah frowned, arms crossed. Ibbi had handled the Blood Fairy Dungeon fine. So was it because of the tier?

Her thoughts turned inward. She and Gabriel had both been human in their previous lives. Could that be why they were unaffected?

She exhaled through her nose. "This is going to be a problem."

Turning back towards the gate, she told the legion, "Stay here and wait."

Then she motioned to Gabriel. "Come on."

Daraena stepped forward, alarm on her face. "You’re going in with just the two of you?"

Leah took a glance back. "What else can I do?"

As she and Gabriel stepped across the gate, Ibbi suddenly stomped after them. Leah turned, raising a brow.

"Ibbi, wait."

Ibbi scowled. "I’m not weak like the others."

Leah’s gaze lingered on her a moment, then she turned back toward the dark hallway ahead. "Then don’t slow us down."

The three of them entered the dungeon’s shadowed depths.