Chapter 31: The Village of Chimeras

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Village of Chimeras

Nine hours.

Arin walked along the dirt road, his sword attached to his side. Ayan walked beside him. Saira followed a few paces behind. They had not said much on the way. Arin kept looking at the road ahead. He glanced at the blue window only he could see.

[Time Remaining: 09:00:00]

He clenched his fist. They had already lost two hours. Mira had ten hours when they got the coordinates. Now there was only nine. And they did not know what waited for them. "We’re close." Ayan said. Arin looked ahead.

Beyond the trees, he saw a small village. "There?" Arin asked. Ayan nodded. "That should be the location." Arin slowed to a stop. Something was wrong. There was no one walking around. No children, no merchants, no adventurers. The village was silent. Too silent. Saira stopped beside him.

"Something is wrong." She said. "I know." Arin replied. He looked at the village. "Let’s stay hidden." They walked through the trees instead of the road. As they drew closer, Arin finally saw the villagers. His expression darkened. A man stood in the middle of the street. He did not do anything. He just stood there. His eyes were open, but his expression was empty. Another villager walked past him. They did not acknowledge each other. Then the first man suddenly raised his hand. He brought it across his face. Arin’s eyes widened. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

The man did not react to the action. He simply lowered his hand and continued to stare blankly ahead. "What the..." Saira’s expression hardened. Another villager began scratching at his own arm. A woman sat against a wall, her eyes fixed on the ground. A child slowly walked down the street, not looking at anything in particular. They all looked...

Wrong.

Arin whispered. "They’re acting like zombies." Ayan’s eyes narrowed. "Something is affecting them." He said. Saira looked at the village. "Not just them." she said. Arin followed her gaze. His blood ran cold. Something moved between the buildings.

Then another.

Then another.

A Chimera.

Arin immediately crouched behind the trees. "Don’t attack." He said. Saira looked at him. "It is a Chimera." She said. "I know," Arin replied. "It will attack us." "Then we hide," Arin said. Saira frowned. "You want us to leave it alone?" "For now, yes." Arin said. Ayan said nothing. Arin looked at him. "Ayan." The dragon’s eyes remained on the Chimera. His expression was unusually cold. "Understood." But there was no enthusiasm in his voice. They waited. The Chimera passed by.

Then another.

Then another.

Arin slowly looked around. There were dozens of them. Some walked the streets, while others stood near buildings. A few moved between the houses. The entire village was crawling with them. Arin swallowed. "How many people were turned into these things?" "We don’t know." Ayan replied. Saira’s eyes were on a Chimera passing by. Her fists tightened. Arin noticed.

"Don’t do anything." He said. Saira looked at him. "It is difficult," She said. "I know," Arin replied. Her expression was still cold. "But we’re not here to fight them." She looked away. "Fine."

They continued walking through the village.

Every few minutes, another group of Chimeras passed by. Arin kept them hidden.

Once, a Chimera was close enough that Arin could hear its breathing. Saira’s hands nearly went out to grab it. Arin immediately grabbed her wrist. She looked at him. He shook his head. Saira stared at him for a few seconds before reluctantly lowering her hand. The Chimera walked away. Ayan watched it go. His jaw was tight. Arin noticed. "You okay?" Ayan did not answer right away. Finally, he said. "I am." Arin knew he was not, but he did not press the issue.

They continued walking deeper into the village. The strange behavior of the villagers grew worse. Some simply stood in place, while others wandered aimlessly. A few repeated the same actions over and over.

None of them seemed to be aware of what they were doing. Arin looked around. "What happened here?" Ayan shook his head.."I don’t know." That was not a comforting answer, especially coming from Ayan. They finally reached the edge of the village. Arin stopped. Beyond the trees, he saw a large stone structure. It was partially hidden behind an abandoned building. Attached to the main building was a staircase leading down into the ground.

Arin looked at it. "This is it." He said. Saira looked down the stairs. "There is something beneath the village." She said. Ayan walked forward. His expression darkened. He looked at the building more closely. "This is a dungeon." He said. Arin looked at him. "You’ve seen it before?" "No." Ayan replied. He crouched beside the staircase. His eyes traced the stone walls. Then his expression became even more serious. "This is not a natural dungeon." Arin frowned. "What does that mean?"

Ayan stood. "Natural dungeons form when mana accumulates in one place over a long period of time." He looked at the building again. "This one was created." Arin’s eyes widened. "Someone built a dungeon?" Ayan did not say anything. His gaze was fixed on the dark staircase. "I have never seen anything like this." Another mystery. Another thing that made no sense. Arin walked forward. The moment he reached the building, his right hand began to glow. Arin stopped. He looked at his hand. The Dungeon Master’s Mark was glowing.

A faint black and blue light pulsed from it. Saira looked at him. "The Mark," she said.

Ayan’s expression was even more serious. "It recognizes the dungeon." He said. Arin slowly lowered his hand. "What does that mean?" Ayan looked at him. "I don’t know." Arin stared into the darkness. For once, he did not have an easy answer. Then the air in front of them shimmered. Arin took a step back. "What is that?" A blue light appeared before the entrance to the dungeon. A man’s figure slowly became more defined. He was wearing a dark mask. Arin looked at him. He had never seen this man before. But he knew who he was.

Zarl.

Beside him, Mira sat. Her hands were tied behind her back. Ropes kept her bound to a wooden chair. "Mira!" Arin said. He took a step forward. Mira looked up when she heard his voice. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Arin..." The masked man turned to look at Arin. A calm voice said. "Welcome." Arin tightened his grip on his sword. Zarl’s eyes seemed to look right through him. "Welcome to my dungeon, Dungeon Master." The projection began to fade. Zarl’s final words echoed through the village. "I’ll be waiting for you." The image of him disappeared. Silence fell over the village once more. Arin stared at the empty space for a few seconds. Then he looked down at the dungeon entrance.

The Dungeon Master’s Mark continued to glow. He looked at it for a moment. Then he tightened his grip on his sword. "Then I’ll come."