Ben gripped the steering wheel tightly.

  The sight of the titan had given him shivers down his spine. Luckily, it had moved back a moment after looking at the allies before the thick mist had moved further out from the Chateau and enveloped the allies, making it more difficult to see what was happening.

  From what Ben had seen of the bridge and the gate, there was enough space for the van to make it through, so he slowly pressed the gas and kept his speed low. The enemies started running towards him, but were run over, while the ones behind were knocked over into the fast-moving torrent of the river.

  Ben activated the [Kunai Outburst] skill when two small chained blades were launched from the front of the van, with their aim being automatic. Two enemies were reeled towards the van like fish on a pole, a few seconds before they hit the bull bar. Suddenly, Ben activated the [Exponential Mass] skill to blast them ahead, causing them to knock over the other enemies at the gate like bowling pins before he drove through.

  [+960XP. +24MP.]

  [You are now Level 11: +2 Skill points available.]

  [Order of the Hollow Moon (Faction): You have been promoted to Knight Lieutenant II.]

  Hauxwell and Le’Vieux raced in, hacking and slashing like madmen at any enemies who stood in their way, with the knights following in their steps. The mages started casting spells and pushing the dark mist away.

  When the mist cleared, it revealed a giant mess of mangled bodies piled atop one another, taller than the palisades constituting the Titan's structure. It had a human shape, albeit very large beyond what constituted morbid obesity, and caused it to be stuck in a seated position. Its head turned to face Ben and the allies while the rest of its body moved slowly and sluggishly.

  It didn’t take long before all the smaller enemies had been dealt with, and Jerry started shooting the titan in the face with exploding fire arrows. They looked like they didn’t even cause an inkling of damage from the lack of reaction.

  Ben was confused by the Titan's behavior; since arriving in the courtyard, it hadn’t attacked them or even given them a second thought. It felt like they were insignificant, like how little bigs are to humans.

  Jerry shrugged before looking at one of his enchanted arrows, confusedly. “What in the hell? I’ve never seen that one happen before.”

  Hauxwell slapped Jerry on the shoulder. “Don’t you remember my lessons about using your head and thinking about what enemies you are facing before pulling your quick bowstring?”

  Le’Vieux coughed and cleared his throat. “Alright, our conventional weapons won't work against that giant thing. While it’s still passive like that, we should figure out how to defeat it.” He motioned for the others to huddle around before they began discussing.

  Ben used the time to step away and close his eyes in deep meditation. The energy radiating off the titan was colossal, many times more than Sudfield's, and it made it feel like some gigantic powerplant generating an obscene amount of magic. It didn’t feel like the energy would be used for offensive purposes, but rather something else entirely.

  Hmm, that seems odd.

  Ben was curious about what was happening and decided to investigate. The entire area, including most of the courtyard, was fuzzy and distorted, similar to how it had looked when he had observed Sudfield during the battle for Robynhill. Sometime later, after checking everywhere, he noticed a singular thread that led toward the main archway into the Chateau and down some stairs.

  Where does that lead?

  Ben jumped out of meditation and stood before marching ahead, startling the others and giving him a funny look.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Le’Vieux asked while scrunching up his forehead.

  Ben pointed to where he had seen the thread. “This giant thing is generating a giant amount of magic. I can’t sense any ill will from its demeanor, so it looks like it will use it for ulterior motives. I discovered one thread connected to it originating beyond there and down some stairs.”

  Alfred and Hauxwell appeared to have closed their eyes briefly before confirming the information.

  Le’Vieux nodded before turning to his knights and mages. “Keep this area clear from the mist and form defensive formations near the main gate. I don’t trust this, so keep your eyes peeled for danger. Hauxwell, Jerry, and Quicksilver, you’re with me and Ben. Let’s see what’s going on down there.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  The stairs led to an area built into the chateau's foundations. It consisted mostly of tunnels and small storage areas where countless crates and barrels filled with long-decayed goods were kept. The stench down there got more unbearable the further they moved, and before long, the walls and floor started to become covered in the usual thick, slimy tar. Some areas were hard to navigate due to how thick the disgusting matter had gotten before they finally reached an area that resembled a dungeon, where countless human bodies filled the cells.

  Moving his torch around for a closer look, Le’Vieux muttered. “These people are all buried under that slime and still alive.” Turning to Quicksilver, he asked, “Have you seen this thing before?”

  “They did this with many of our people in one of our settlements on the northern edge of this island. We had to burn the entire area down to ash. I would suggest you also do the same here.” Quicksilver replied.

  Suddenly, one of the bodies on the far end bellowed a wet, chesty cough that sounded full of phlegm. It sounded like he was trying to mouth some words but failed miserably.

  Le’Vieux motioned everyone to move there. When he got there, he moved his torch closer to the body that was almost fully submerged in the goo, with only some parts of the face showing. Le’Vieux looked like he had seen a ghost as his torch began to shake before he muttered in shock, “What in the hell is this?”

  Hauxwell moved in for a closer glance before shaking his head in disbelief. He turned around with his mouth wide open and was about to say something when he was interrupted.

  “The Duke of Meso.” Jerry blurted. “I don’t think anyone would have thought he would still be alive after all that’s happened.” Turning to Le’Vieux, “Shouldn’t we be giving him a health potion or something?”

  After Le’Vieux had cleared the goo and stuffed a few vials down the duke's throat, it looked like enough life had returned to his face for a conversation.

  “Grand Marshall Le’Vieux.” The duke asked. His voice was hoarse, raspy, and broken as if he had caught a deadly flu. The slow, delayed way he spoke made him feel like an old man upon his deathbed.

  “Aye, it’s me. Your old friend Hauxwell is here, too.” Le’Vieux replied.

  The duke’s face lit up like a beacon on a night before he moved his eyes around and smiled. “Ah, it’s good to see you again.”

  Hauxwell nodded and stepped ahead. “Likewise. We thought you might have perished with the rest of the Meso Knights.”

  The expression on the duke's face changed to one filled with sadness. “It took us a couple of generations to build the Meso order up from the ground. It’s a shame it all fell within weeks due to one man’s greed.” When he finished speaking, both Hauxwell and Le’Vieux huffed deep sighs.

  Hauxwell cleared his throat. “We’ve taken care of Sudfield and the army of monsters he had created from the remains of your Knights. Our only regret is that we weren’t able to save anyone from the effects of that evil which took over their bodies.”

  Le’Vieux nodded before interrupting. “The only one that remains now is the big one in the courtyard. We would be grateful if you could tell us how to get you out of this mess and advise us on defeating that thing.”

  The duke coughed up some dark phlegm, clearing his throat. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to help someone in my situation. I’m too far gone; the magical barrier I erected will soon fail and let that evil thing overwhelm me.” He paused momentarily, taking some heavy breaths filled with frustration. “We got word from the northern border that one of our fortifications had fallen. Word was sent out to rally the soldiers and knights, but it was all for naught. When we arrived, the entire northern province was overrun with fairies.” He glanced at Quicksilver with a dirty look as if it was all their fault.

  Quicksilver shook his head and grunted. “My people, the ones you fought, were also victims of this decay.”

  Ignoring the statement, the duke continued, “After a week of bloody fighting, and at the cost of most of our men, we were victorious and managed to defeat every last enemy. That bastard Sudfield purposefully delayed his entrance till the last moment and used his then-superior forces to turn coat and seize power. We were either butchered or imprisoned.”

  Le’Vieux looked like he was about to punch something. “I always told you to get rid of him, but with all your grace, you always kept giving him second chances for his transgressions against yourself and the people of Meso.”

  “What’s done is done. There is nothing we can do to go back and change things.” Hauxwell muttered before asking. “Oh, before I forget, how did he become infected and use it to create his undead army?”

  “I don’t know. He went out one day and returned with that monstrosity you see in the courtyard. It was much smaller then and could lay eggs, which were used to infect most of my men and knights. Those who created barriers to protect ourselves were thrown in the cells and encased in this slime, slowly eating away at our defenses.”

  Looking around, Le’Vieux nodded. “It doesn’t look like there’s any other survivors apart from yourself.”

  “Speaking with you has taken away the last of my reserves. Before I pass, you should know the creature in the courtyard has become like that to generate vast magical energy. This world has never seen the likes of which, and from what I've heard, it will use it to open a portal.”

  “A portal? For what exactly?” Le’Vieux questioned.

  “To bring forth an army of creatures from whence it originated. This world and all its peoples will cease to exist if you don’t destroy it before that.” The duke explained.

  “As I said, I doubt neither conventional weapons nor magic will work.” Le’Vieux reiterated.

  While that conversation transpired, Ben went into deep concentration a few times and tried to figure out what was happening. He cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention. “That thing is squeezing what energy it can from down here. If we cut it off from this source, we might be able to cause some damage.”

  Le’Vieux shrugged. “I don't see how that’s going to work.”

  “From everything I’ve noticed with these creatures, they become vulnerable momentarily whenever they cast powerful spells. By cutting it off, we may be able to trigger it into casting that portal spell and give us our opening. We give it all we’ve got.” Ben explained.

  Le’Vieux motioned towards the duke. “Doing that will surely mean his death, will it not?”

  The duke croaked a few coughs. “I’m as good as dead, and you’ll be doing me the favor of a merciful death when compared to what I will become when that thing takes the last of me. I beg you to save yourselves and burn everything here to a crisp. Make them pay for what they’ve done to us.”