• Chapter 27: From Bad To Worse

    The heroes were wiping the sweat away from their brows.
    So were the Dwarven soldiers who were part of the mission.
    “Well, that takes care of those two biohazards,” said Rouvin, catching his breath.
    But soon, the armory guard emerged.
    “King Granadanano,” said the guard, panting. “The armory had been invaded! The Black Steel Dagger had been stolen!”
    “WHAT?!” the king said in horror.
    “It is true!” the guard replied. “The perpetrator had gotten away before I could identify him!”
    “It must be Erebus!” said Valerius. “And isn’t a Black Steel Dagger part of the Forbidden Ritual?!”
    “Indeed!” said a voice from the wreckage of the golem within the city.
    A holographic image emerged from the remains, resembling the head of Erebus.
    Erebus explained:
    “I needed some way to keep the Dwarven populace distracted, so I contacted a terrorist group outside the boundaries of the empire, who made these two golems for me.”
    “So this attack was all a diversion!” the Dwarf King said.
    “Yes,” said Erebus. “And now, I am about to obtain the last part of the ritual, but before then, a little surprise for Valerius!”
    The warlock laughed again as the image vanished.

    A large monitor near the tree of the Hephaestus temple (as well as the Dwarf King’s Palace) turned on. A news reporter soon spoke:

    “This just in—The capital city of Olympalantis has been under attack! Erebus Tonadi has been seen leading an army of monsters from the mountains to ransack the city!”

    Valerius’ face turned pale with horror.
    “Friends,” said Valerius, “we need to return to Olympalantis quickly!”
    “The gods be with you,” said the Dwarf King. “As for us, we shall search the golem remains for where they came from, so we can contact the authorities there. Perhaps they can ensure the ones who committed the atrocities are justly punished!”
    “Thank you!” replied Valerius. “And farewell.”

    It was midafternoon when the party left Gray Corfu.
    A few more Forest Imps, similar to the ones encountered in Emerald Kavala, ambushed the travelers, as well as a few gray-skilled ogres with energy axes.
    By the time they were halfway between Gray Corfu and Olympalantis, it was twilight.
    The party set camp, had a small supper of their rations, and then turned in for the night.
    For Valerius, sleep came hard—he did not like having to stop for rest when he knew his beloved was in danger, even though he knew it was necessary to rest from time to time.
    The next day, they resumed their trek to Olympalantis.
    It was an hour before noon when they reached the city limits. But nothing could prepare them for the horror that awaited their eyes.