Chapter 110: Fill In
Kay cleared his throat, the sound unnaturally loud in the chamber’s acoustic qualities. "Before you two start," he said, gesturing toward Arthur and Aziel, "let me fill you in on what happened on our end."
His deep voice rumbled through the dungeon as he recounted their experiences after the group’s separation. Following Aziel’s abrupt removal from the laboratory and Arthur and Jonas leaving after him, the remaining trio—Lara, Kay, and Jake—had embarked on their own desperate quest to reunite the fractured party.
"We went door to door," Kay explained, his hands gesturing to illustrate their methodical approach. "Must’ve gone through at least thirty different rooms."
His expression darkened, jaw tensing visibly beneath his unkempt beard. "Then we got unlucky. Really unlucky."
According to Kay’s account, they had stumbled upon this very dungeon. The sheepman had been waiting. The battle that followed had been brutal and desperate, with Jake ultimately paying the ultimate price.
"He died protecting Lara," Kay said quietly, his eyes momentarily flicking toward his silent companion. "Bastard got between her and that thing’s blade. Didn’t even hesitate."
During the conflict, they had made the same discovery about the sheepmen that Arthur had—the creatures served as physical anchors for the castle’s enchantment, animated constructs rather than living beings. Kay didn’t elaborate on how they’d vanquished the dungeon’s guardian, but the shattered remains against the far wall testified to their eventual victory.
When Kay finished, a leaden silence settled over the group. Arthur took this as his cue and launched into his own narrative, carefully detailing the events following his and Jonas’s departure. He described their harrowing battle with the sheepman, the discovery of his shadow manipulation ability, and—with a voice that threatened to crack despite his best efforts—Jonas’s sacrifice.
At the mention of Jonas’s death, both Kay and Lara physically recoiled. Kay’s massive frame actually swayed backward as if struck, while Lara’s already pale complexion somehow managed to lose another shade of color. Her fingers curled into tight fists at her sides, knuckles blanching white with tension.