Chapter 21: Kalthor’s fall
The demon's lair was eerily silent after Kalthor's fall, the chamber's glowing runes dimmed, and the stench of charred ogre flesh hung heavy in the air.
Leon's body ached, his muscles screaming from the fight, but the adrenaline of their victory—and the weight of Terya's worsening curse—kept him moving.
Her coughs had grown weaker, her blonde hair matted with sweat, the web-like curse on her cheek pulsing like a dying star.
Saria led the party deeper into the cave, her black ponytail swaying, her face a stoic mask despite the faint burn mark on her side.
Tila and Boren followed, their weapons bloodied but ready, while Leon clutched his satchel, the Crimson Thorn's glow muffled inside.
The tunnels twisted, the glowing fungi casting sickly light on jagged walls.
Saria's fiery aura flickered, guiding them through the dark, until a low growl echoed from a side passage.
"There," she said, her voice flat but sharp, her sword drawn.
The party crept forward, and Leon's breath caught as they spotted it—a red-scaled kobold, smaller than the others but radiating a cursed aura, its eyes glowing with the same dark energy as Terya's mark.
It snarled, claws scraping the stone, and Leon's stomach twisted.
"That's the one," Terya rasped, leaning against the wall, her green eyes dull but defiant. "Get it, rookie."