"Hold?"
"You insects have clung to your walls for centuries. And you believed this world was yours."
The fire above condensed into a writhing sphere, a sun of death. His other hand lifted, and every corpse within reach rose in unison, jaws gnashing.
"…But we," he hissed, "we are the true heirs of this universe."
Our captain leapt forward. The rose lunged, but she carved two of them down with a snarl, black ichor staining the stone.
"Then I'll carve that inheritance from your chest!" she shouted at Dakin.
She rushed to my side, parrying a strike, her voice fierce despite the grief I could hear trembling inside it.
"Together! Form up! Don't give him the satisfaction of despair!"
The soldiers obeyed her command. Their battle cry thundered in the dungeon once more.
But then Dakin pointed his finger downward, and the storm of fire swirling above us tightened, darker, deadlier.
My chest tightened as I realized the truth: we weren't fighting to win—we were fighting just to survive.
For a moment, the dungeon fell still. The soldiers—bloodied, broken, barely standing—stared at me and her as if they were seeing ghosts.
"He—hey, guys! Watch out!"
I followed, my blade carving through claw and flesh without mercy. Beside me, she fought like a storm, her sword spinning arcs of steel. Her voice thundered through the hall.
"Push them back! Don't falter!"
"Well, well," he rasped.
"Surrender so that I can give you a simple death otherwise". Warlock said.
But then one soldier—young, bloodied, his voice raw—shouted above the chaos:
"Captain! You must go! Find the King—warn him! We'll hold this demon here. Clear Dungeon Two, and we'll meet you there!"
Her voice cracked with urgency. For just a heartbeat, she froze, anguish flickering in her eyes.
"Huh? C-Captain?" the warlock gasped.
The Warlock's head snapped toward us, his crimson eyes widening for a heartbeat before curling into a cruel grin.
His voice slithered through the smoke like venom.
"HAHAHA!" His laugh shook the stone walls, echoing in every corner of the dungeon.
"So it is you… whoever you are, it does not matter to us. None of you will leave this castle alive. Not a soul."
The air thickened with heat, the torches bowing as though his words themselves were fire.
The soldiers around me tightened their grips on their blades, though their knuckles were pale with fear.
The captain—the only one still unshaken—stepped forward, glaring at the Warlock. Her voice was steady, but I could feel the weight behind it.
"Don't listen to him! Every second we stand is another second, the King can be warned", the captain said.
"Go, Captain—go and make our way easier!", said the warlock.
"No!"
"I won't abandon you here!", the captain said to us.
One of the soldiers said again. "You're the only one who can reach him in time! If the King falls, the kingdom falls with him. Let us do our duty!"
Another soldier chimed in, raising his battered shield.
"Captain, we'll hold the line! Even if it costs us our lives—go! Carry our will forward!"
The Warlock tilted his head, amused, as though watching insects squabble over scraps.
"How touching," he sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Mortals clinging to pride, pretending your deaths matter. You'll die screaming, and your King will follow."
"Enough!" the captain barked, stepping closer to me. Her hand gripped my arm like steel.
"Do not waste this chance. Go!", said soldiers.
She swallowed hard, every part of her wanting to fight beside them. But her gaze—unyielding, fierce, and filled with command—held in place.
She said in a sad voice "Don't you all dare to die here."
Her lips curved into the faintest of smiles.
The soldiers said, "We'll see each other again. Just make sure the King lives to see the dawn."
Behind us, the Warlock raised his staff, fire spiraling upward like a beacon of death.
"Run, little rat. Run and carry your fear. When I come for your King, he will know his walls are nothing but ash waiting to be blown away."
I shoved the captain toward the darkened corridor.
"GO!"
Her boots pounded against the stone as she turned away.
(the roar of my soldiers behind me blending with the Warlock's laughter and the storm he summoned), she thought.
Then her jaw tightened, and she forced a nod. With one last look—steady, unbroken—she turned and sprinted down the shadowed halls, her figure vanished into the darkness.
The storm answered us.
The ceiling of Shadow Castle groaned as heat warped the stone.
Chunks of rock dripped like molten blood, hissing as they hit the ground. Dakin's chants thundered through the dungeon, words of death that pulled the fallen back onto their feet.
Corpses twitched, then rose, eyes burning with green light, jaws snapping like beasts unleashed.
The stench of ash and rot clogged my lungs. My chest felt heavy.
Only a dozen of us remained, standing shoulder to shoulder, shields trembling but still raised.
Their armor was cracked, their swords dulled, yet their resolve burned brighter than the flames around us.
And then… his gaze.
The Demon Warlock's crimson eyes swept over us. My knees nearly buckled under the weight of that look—it was like staring into a chasm that wanted to devour me whole.
He raised his staff and sneered, his voice dripping with malice.
"Who's gonna save you now?" he hissed, his tone mocking and cruel.
The soldiers near us tighten their grip with their staff and swords.
Their armor was scorched, their faces smeared with soot, yet their expressions burned with defiance rather than fear.
One of the soldiers stepped forward.
"We don't need anyone to save us," he said. "Let me say this—who's gonna burn you?"
The warlock's laughter echoed unnaturally, bouncing off the shattered walls.
"Bold words for someone on the edge of death," he said, raising his staff higher. Sparks of dark energy danced along its length.
The soldier didn't flinch. They tightened their grip on his sword, feeling the heat of the air around them.
Another soldier joined him, fists clenched. "We fight for ourselves. Not for some hero to save us. If you think we'll cower, think again."
"Then come," the warlock spat, voice sharp as lightning. "Let's see who burns who first!"
The soldiers exchanged determined glances, a silent agreement passing between them.