Before we could get far up the stairs, the knights arrived, and we turned back to meet them.
They said they'd taken care of the trolls, so we told them what had happened here. They decided to stay behind to protect the citizens in case more creatures appeared, and to secure the other cities while we continued upward.
The orcs confirmed the Orc King was in the castle. They all wished us luck as we set out.
Seems they don't like him either and want us to take him down.
Rightfully so.
We climbed the steep mountain, stone stairs winding along the snowy cliffs.
As we ascended, a wave of thankfulness washed over me. I looked around at my party members and couldn't believe that creature had almost convinced me to do the unthinkable.
I would never do that.
These three weren't just my friends—they were my family.
I would never leave them.
We finally made it to the top when one last bridge remained.
On the other side stood massive stone castle gates, built into the cliffside itself. Its towers and walls rose high, with enormous red banners draping down the stone.
I tried my best not to look down.
We crossed the bridge, passed through the arched gateway, and entered a wide, snow-covered courtyard.
A few orcs were standing around; when they saw us, they rushed over—but we handled them without much trouble. For some reason, it felt like they were holding back.
Maybe that was just a testament to how strong we'd become.
In fact, I hadn't even enhanced them yet. Once I did, we kept moving.
The courtyard was mostly bare, aside from a large circular pool of water in the center and an archway on each surrounding wall.
The pool looked like it was meant to be a fountain, but there was no spray—just stillness.
As we stepped closer, I wondered how it hadn't frozen over.
What's keeping it so—
Large, slimy green tentacles suddenly burst out of the pool, splashing water everywhere and startling us.
—warm.
How in the world did they even get whatever that thing is all the way up here?!
Orcs were definitely secret geniuses.
Immediately, a tentacle shot toward Talos, but he blocked it with his shield, repelling it.
Uri darted in and sliced it cleanly.
The severed piece writhed on the ground until Alva fired an arrow into it—just in case.
Then the rest of the tentacles lashed out. Talos blocked and hacked through them as best he could while Alva kept firing at the fallen pieces and Uri dodged between strikes, cutting wherever he could.
We kept it up for about a minute before I noticed something.
The severed tentacles weren't the problem.
The arms were growing back.
"Guys, it's regenerating!" I shouted. "We have to get closer—I have an idea!"
"Come on!" Talos said.
I grabbed onto his back as he charged forward, shielding me and repelling the barrage of tentacle strikes until we finally reached the pool.
I plunged my hand into the water and froze it with everything I had.
The tentacles instantly froze solid, locked in place.
Who would have thought that using ice in an already freezing environment would actually come in handy during a battle?
Me. That's who.
"Good stuff," Talos commended.
"Thanks, but this probably isn't gonna hold whatever's in there forever," I said. "So let's keep moving."
We went through the entranceway straight ahead and found ourselves in what looked like a small, circular battle arena, with stone spectator seats overhead and a large barred gate in front of us.
Several orc knights stood above, staring down with tremulous expressions. But there was something else in their eyes. They weren't like the countless orcs we'd fought before.
Maybe I was imagining it—but I could've sworn I saw fear.
And beneath that… a flicker of hope.
As we cautiously inspected the area, the gate behind us slammed shut.
We looked at each other.
Were they expecting us? Did we just walk into a trap?
We readied ourselves.
Then the barred gate in front of us began to rise.
The orcs backed away slowly—then turned and ran in fear.
What was going on?
What kind of monster were they about to unleash now?
We stood ready.
A moment passed. Silence.
Then—
"Ugh!" Talos grunted, collapsing in what looked like slow motion. His weapon and shield flew from his hands, clattering across the stone as he hit the ground.
"Talos!" we all shouted. I instantly cast a yellow physical barrier around us while healing him.
It was an odd sight, seeing him on the ground. I hadn't seen that since our first fight with the dragon. At this point in our journey, it wasn't just odd—it was downright jarring.
Uri and Alva rushed to grab his gear as he pushed himself back up.
"Thanks," he said, still keeping his eyes on the gate. "But… what just happened?"
"Did something shoot you from inside the gate?" Alva asked, voice tight with concern.
"No," Uri said, scanning the area. "Something ran out…and into him."
"What? How? I couldn't even—"
A heavy thud slammed against the barrier behind me, cutting Talos off.
We looked around but couldn't see what was causing the noise.
Then—another thud from somewhere else.
Then another.
"It's trying to break through!" I shouted.
Maybe I should've tried a stronger barrier—but it was my first time casting a physical one, and I just wanted to make sure it actually worked.
"I think it's one of those fast creatures from before," Uri said. "But this one sounds way bigger!"
The next impact was louder than the last. The barrier shattered, and something slammed into my chest, knocking me backward.
"Vel!" Uri yelled, rushing toward me—only to be hit himself and thrown to the ground.
Through the immense pain, I forced myself up, healing him quickly.
He rose unsteadily. "I can sense it… there's an aura around it."
"It's enhanced?!" I said.
"Can you see it?" Alva asked, frantically scanning the area, bow drawn tight.
"N-no…" Uri said, fear creeping into his voice.
"Get behind me!" Talos said.
Before he could, Alva was struck too—his weapon clattering to the snow.
As I healed him, it hit me:
If Talos's shield couldn't protect us—
If Uri couldn't see it—or even sense it properly—
And Alva couldn't hit it…
What hope did we have?
I tried desperately to think. None of my spells would work if it could break through barriers.
It was too fast.
Then Talos was knocked to his knees.
Then me.
Then another hit, and another, each blow landing before we could react.
I did everything I could to keep everyone healed, but healing wasn't enough.
My mind went blank.
For the first time ever, I didn't know what to do.
This wasn't speed. It was unimaginable speed.
Right outside the castle doors—four of us lying in the snow, motionless.
Snow fell gently over us as if we were logs left out in the cold.
The legendary Talos Party—now no different than four fallen logs.
Hopeless.
When I felt my strength fading, I poured the last of my healing into Alva.
As my vision dimmed, I saw him struggling to rise.
Then everything went black.
…
I slowly began to come to.
Alva was sitting nearby—scarred, shaken, but alive.
Tears streamed down his face, a strange mix of calm and relief.
As I pushed myself up, I realized he was sitting on top of a brown creature with rough skin, sharp claws, and an arrow lodged through its single green eye.
"Thank you, Velara."
Okay… I may hold this party together in a lot of ways, but right now, I was completely lost on what exactly he was thanking me for.
"You might not have meant to," he said, voice trembling, "but I know you gave me your last bit of healing. Maybe it was random—but to me, it meant everything. It showed me that you trusted me. Not just with your life… but with everyone's."
"That's… but… how did you—" I started, still trying to piece it all together.
He continued.
"When I got up, I didn't know how I'd do it, but I knew I had to stop this thing. I may not have the wits you and Uri do, or the strength Talos has—but I realized I had to trust what I do have."
He held up his weapon.
"A bow and arrow," he said.
He smiled faintly.
"Don't ask me how or why, but I closed my eyes and trusted my bow to take the arrow where it needed to go. I couldn't see it—but I had to rely on something more than sight."
As I got up, I walked over and sat down beside him. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If you'd told the Alva from the mushroom cave quest—the one who was afraid of the dark—what he'd become, he would've laughed in your face."
He gave a soft laugh.
"Thank you… for saving us," I said.
We embraced, and when we finally pulled apart, I noticed the others beginning to get up. Beyond them, on the far side of the arena, was a black bag.
"Uh… what?" I pointed toward it. "Was that always there?"
"No—well, I'm not sure," Alva said. "I think they dropped it down here after the fight. Or maybe not. Sorry, everything's a blur."
I got up and walked over to see what was inside.
Chunks of meat. A few small fruits.
Food? For us?
At that point, I knew something was definitely off about the orc knights.
Why would they give us supplies?
Did they actually want us to defeat the king?
Did everyone really hate this guy—or were we just pieces in some twisted game?
Then I thought of that orc woman again. Was her husband part of this?
We all gathered around the bag. I used my recovered energy to finish restoring everyone, then Uri inspected the contents, confirming what kind of meat it was and whether it was safe. Once he gave the all-clear, we ate while Alva recounted what had happened again to them.
Whether the orcs were using us or not, I figured that creature must've been the only one of its kind. They'd kept it locked behind a gate—and ran the moment it was released.
Still, we had to be ready for whatever came next.
Today proved that we had no idea what to expect from these orcs or the Wilderness creatures.
But it also gave me more hope in my party's strength than I ever thought possible.
Once we finished eating, the sky was already dimming. Evening was setting in.
We moved cautiously through the gate where the creature had been held and began to climb a set of stairs—unsure of where they would lead.
Luckily, they led inside the castle. But with no map, no guide, and no idea what they had lying in wait for us.
We might not be ready now.
But we would prevail.
We always do.