Baron Ashford was a thin, haggard man who looked like he hadn't slept in days. He had dark circles shadowing his eyes, and his hands trembled slightly as he greeted us in his manor's reception hall.
"Lady Morningstar, Lord Morvan, thank the gods you've arrived." He said gesturing frantically for servants to bring refreshments. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."
The manor was well-appointed but showed signs of strain—servants moved with nervous energy, and I could see makeshift weapon racks in the hallways. This was a household preparing for siege.
"Baron Ashford," Valerie said, her voice calm and commanding. "Your reports mentioned increased monster activity. What's the current situation?"
The Baron laughed—a brittle, desperate sound. "Current situation? My lady, we're barely holding on. Three days ago, we lost the entire eastern quarter. Not to monsters—the people fled before dawn, claiming they saw things in the mountains. Shadows that moved wrong and lights that hurt to look at."
"Spatial distortions," I muttered, and both Valerie and the Baron looked at me.
"You know what's happening?" the Baron asked, hope flickering in his eyes.
"I have theories. Tell us everything. Start from the beginning."
Baron Ashford slumped in his chair. "It started about two months ago, with small things at first.
Llivestock would go missing, strange sounds disturbing villagers at night. Then the monster attacks began. At first, they were normal creatures. Dire wolves, rock bears, the usual mountain predators. But they were more aggressive than normal and seemed to be well coordinated."
"And then?" Valerie prompted.
"Then they started morphing. We killed a dire wolf last week that had—" He shuddered. "It had too many legs. Too many eyes. Like someone had fused multiple creatures together. And the attacks got worse, they came more frequent and violent."
"How many casualties so far?" I asked.
"Seventeen confirmed dead. Twenty-three missing. And that's just within the town. The outlying villages..." He shook his head. "I sent riders to evacuate them. Only half of them came back."
Valerie's expression remained composed, but I could see the tension in her shoulders. "What about the crown? Have they sent aid?"
"A token force. Twenty soldiers arrived yesterday, led by some knight named William Stone." The Baron's voice was bitter. "Twenty men against whatever's in those mountains. It's an insult."
My blood ran cold. William. He was already here.
Valerie caught my expression. "Chase? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said quickly. "I'm just... concerned about the numbers. Twenty soldiers won't possibly be enough."
"No, they won't," Baron Ashford agreed. "But that's all the crown would spare. They said monster attacks are increasing across the kingdom and that resources are stretched thin." He leaned forward. "Lady Morningstar, I'll be blunt. I need help. Urgent help and your father has the resources, the soldiers. If you could convince him to—"
"We need to see it first," Valerie interrupted. "I and my husband need to see the source of the attacks. Where exactly are these creatures coming from?"
The Baron pulled out a map, spreading it across the table. "Here. The Crimson Peaks, specifically this area called the Devil's Throat—a valley between two mountain peaks. The attacks radiate out from there. My scouts report that the area has become... wrong. The air shimmers. Sounds echo strangely. And there's a light—a red glow that pulses like a heartbeat."
I studied the map, my mind racing. The Devil's Throat. That's where the dungeon would fully manifest in the novel and where William would lead his party and emerge as a hero after a desperate battle.
"We need to go there," I said.
Everyone stared at me.
"Absolutely not," Valerie said flatly.
"She's right," Baron Ashford added. "That's suicide. Every scout party I've sent—"
"Has been unprepared for what they would face," I interrupted. "But we know what we're dealing with. It's a dungeon manifestation and if we can reach the source before it fully forms, we might be able to do something about it."
"And how exactly do you know it's a dungeon?" Valerie asked, her crimson eyes sharp. "You've been very knowledgeable about something you should have no experience with."
Damn. I'd been too obvious.
"It's in the books," I said. "In the family archives. I spent days studying dungeon theory, remember? Everything the Baron described matches the texts perfectly. Spatial distortions, corrupted creatures, concentrated magical energy—it's textbook dungeon manifestation."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Valerie studied me for a long moment, and I could see her weighing my words.
"Even if you're right," she said finally, "going there would be reckless. We should gather more information and coordinate with the crown's forces—"
"There's no time," I said urgently. "Every hour that passes, the dungeon grows stronger. The longer we wait, the worse it gets. You said it yourself—something is building. We need to act now."
"The boy has a point," Marcus said from where he'd been standing guard. "If this is truly a dungeon, hesitating will only make it worse."
"Thank you, Marcus," I said.
"However," he continued, "going in blind would be foolish. We would d need proper preparation and a larger force."
"The crown's soldiers," Valerie said thoughtfully. "This William Stone and his men. If they're already here, we should coordinate with them."
No. No, no, no. That was the worst possible option. William was supposed to be the hero of this story. Meeting him now, while he was still building his legend, could complicate everything.
But I couldn't think of a good reason to refuse without raising more suspicion.
"Fine," I said reluctantly. "We will coordinate with the crown forces. But we need to do it quickly. Today, if possible."
Baron Ashford stood. "I'll send for Knight Stone immediately. He's been surveying the town defenses, but I'm sure he'll welcome additional support." He paused. "Though I should warn you—he's young and barely older than you two. Some kind of commoner who earned his knighthood recently. Don't expect much from him."
Oh, I expected plenty. That was the problem.
---
An hour later, we gathered in the Baron's war room—a large chamber with maps covering every wall. Our guards stood at attention. Valerie sat beside me, her hand resting on her rapier. And across from us stood William Stone.
He looked different from how I remembered him in my memories. Younger, less scarred, but with the same intense green eyes. He wore simple armor, well-maintained but not expensive, and carried himself with a quiet confidence that belied his common origins.
When he saw me, something flickered in his eyes. Recognition. Hatred. Although he quickly suppressed it I had seen it.
He remembered. Of course he remembered. All the times I had tormented him, humiliated him and made his life hell.
"Lady Morningstar, Lord Morvan," he said, bowing. He said keeping his voice in a steady and professional manner. "I'm William Stone, Knight of the Crown. Baron Ashford said you wanted to join strengths"
"We do," Valerie said. "What's your assessment of the situation?"
William moved to the largest map, pointing to various locations. "The monster attacks are well organized, which suggests intelligence behind them. They're testing our defenses and probing for a weaknesses. Three nights ago, they hit the eastern wall simultaneously in five locations. Last night, they focused on the northern gate."
"What about the source?" I asked, forcing myself to sound calm. "The Devil's Throat?"
William's eyes locked on mine. "I've scouted the area. There's definitely something there. A rift, or gateway. It's not fully formed yet, but it's growing. I estimate we have three days before it stabilizes and whatever's on the other side can come through fully."
Three days. That matched what I remembered from the novel.
"Then we have three days to close it," Valerie said.
"Close it?" William shook his head. "My lady, with all respect, we don't have the capability. My orders are to defend the town, evacuate civilians if necessary. The crown is sending reinforcements, but they won't arrive for at least a week."
"A week will be too late," I said.
"I know." William's jaw clenched. "But those are my orders. Protect the civilians. Nothing about suicide missions into active dungeon zones."
"Then we go without crown authorization," I said. "Valerie, Marcus, Elena, the Morningstar guards—we can form a party large enough to at least scout the rift, maybe find a way to destabilize it."
"That's insane," William said flatly. "You're nobles with minimal combat experience going up against an unknown threat. You'll die."
"He's not wrong," Valerie said quietly.
I turned to her. "But we can't just sit here and wait. You know we can't."
She met my eyes, and I could see the conflict there. The logical part of her that agreed with William, and the part that trusted me, that believed I knew something she didn't.
"What aren't you telling me?" she asked softly.
Everyone in the room was watching us. I couldn't reveal the truth here, not in front of everyone. But I needed her to trust me.
"I just have a feeling," I said. "That if we don't act now, we'll regret it. That everything will get worse in ways we can't imagine."
It was weak, and I knew it. But it was all I could offer.
Valerie was quiet for a long moment. Then she turned to William. "What would you need? To mount an expedition to the rift?"
William blinked, surprised. "You're serious?"
"Answer the question."
He considered. "At least twenty experienced fighters. Mages for magical support. Supplies for a three-day excursion. And honestly, a miracle."
"We can provide the fighters," Valerie said. "Between our guards and yours, we have enough. Chase has fire magic, I have darkness. That covers two elements. What else?"
"A healer would be invaluable," Marcus added. "And someone with earth magic for defense."
"Baron Ashford," Valerie said, "do you have anyone in town with those capabilities?"
The Baron thought for a moment. "There's a priest at the temple, Father Aldric. He has healing magic. And one of the town guards, a woman named Sarah, she has earth affinity. Neither are as strong as professionals but they're trained."
"Then we have our party," Valerie declared. She looked at William. "Will you join us?"
William's expression was unreadable. He looked at me, and I could see the calculation in his eyes. He hated me. But he was also the hero—he couldn't refuse a mission to save people, even if it meant working with his tormentor.
"Against my better judgment," he said finally, "yes. I'll join you. But I lead the expedition. My experience, my command."
"Agreed," Valerie said before I could object.
William nodded. "We will leave at first light tomorrow. Use tonight to prepare. Get your affairs in order. Because there's a very real chance we don't come back."
As the meeting broke up, William brushed past me. He leaned close, his voice barely a whisper.
"I don't know what game you're playing, Morvan. But if you endanger anyone on this expedition, if you show even a hint of the coward I know you are, I will leave you in those mountains."
He moved away before I could respond, leaving me standing there with his threat hanging in the air.
Valerie touched my arm. "What did he say to you?"
"Nothing important," I lied. "Just making sure I understood the stakes."
She didn't look convinced, but she let it drop. "We should prepare. If we're really doing this..."
"We are."
"Then we need to be ready." She squeezed my arm gently. "And Chase? Whatever you're not telling me about all this? I hope it's worth the risk."
So did I.
As night fell over Ashford, I stood at our room's window, looking toward the Crimson Peaks. Toward the rift that would change everything.
Tomorrow, I'd face the dungeon. I'd work alongside the protagonist who wanted me dead. And I'd try to change a story that seemed determined to stay on course.
But at least I wouldn't face it alone. Valerie would be beside me.
I just hoped that would be enough.
----
Idk If this is good enough but please support so I know where it is headed :)