Monarch Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Jason’s boots slammed against the bridge, every plank rattling beneath his feet as he ran and cursed his luck. Dean’s limp body bounced on his shoulder with every stride, slowing him, dragging at his balance. But he didn’t stop. None of them did.

Behind them, the chimera’s roars hammered into his spine. Ahead, worms screeched on the planks, snapping rows of teeth at their legs.

But Jason kept going until he saw Rayne.

Rayne staggered near the middle of the bridge, sword raised, blood splattered across him. A worm lunged from the left, teeth spinning, and Jason saw Rayne slice into it, only for the plank beneath him to shudder.

Another worm smashed into the side of the bridge.

Jason's eyes widened and Casper yelled beside him. “Rayne!”

But it was too late.

Jason watched in horror as Rayne slipped. One foot lost its grip. His fingers scraped across wood. And then a worm’s whole body slammed into Rayne’s chest, knocking him clean off the edge.

Jason felt his heart split.

“Rayne!!”

Rayne’s body vanished into the darkness below.

Jason didn’t think. He didn’t breathe. The man was the reason they had survived the deserters and avenged the family.

His mind blanked except for one thought—Jump after him.

He shifted Dean to drop him and rush towards the edge. But a hand grabbed Jason’s arm hard.

Casper shook her head, eyes wide with panic and what he read as grief. “He's gone. If you jump, you die too. We already have enough deaths.”

“I can get him!” Jason said, voice cracking. “He might—”

“You can’t!” Casper snapped, pulling him back as another worm slammed onto the planks in front of them. “He fell straight down the center. The river will pull him under! You saw its currents. Move and get on the other side before the chimera reaches us.”

As if on cue, the chimera’s roar exploded behind them. The entire bridge shuddered. Jason turned to see the monster charging onto the planks, flames still burning in its fur, eyes wild with fury.

Knowing he couldn't stay still any longer, he forced himself forward. Dean cried out on his shoulder, terrified, but Jason bulldozed through the worms slithering across the wood, smashing one aside with the flat of his axe.

Most of the soldiers were already on the other side of the bridge, scrambling toward the tunnel. Nate and Kesh stood at the end, eyes wide in terror.

Jason tore across the last stretch, leaping off the final plank as a worm lunged at his feet. He landed hard on stone and put down Dean.

A second later, Casper arrived and threw her hands toward the bridge. A spellform wrapped her fingers.

“Burn, you bastards!” she shouted.

A torrent of fire blasted down the span of the bridge, rushing over wood, worms, and even the chimera as it barreled toward them.

Jason shielded Dean with his arm as heat washed over them, scorching the air.

The bridge ignited instantly.

Flames raced across the planks, the entire structure collapsing in seconds. Screeching worms tumbled into the river below—some already half-burned, some writhing in the air.

The chimera didn’t stop.

It sprinted across the burning remains, reaching the center of the bridge, gouging through collapsing beams. It roared in fury as the last section dropped under its feet. For a second, Jason saw panic in its eyes.

And with one final snarl, it leaped straight back toward the other side. A claw gripped the stone as it pulled itself up.

A roar shrieked out of its mouth as it looked at them. But then, it turned around and bolted toward the tunnel. Jason saw its massive form disappear and let out a breath of relief.

No one moved for several seconds.

He saw Axel and Hobbs whispering something to Andar while Casper kneeled at the edge, looking down at the river.

Kesh slowly approached him. “Jason… you okay?”

Jason didn’t answer, feeling like a nightmare was finally over, but his mind kept replaying the scene of Rayne falling into the river.

“We lost Rayne. You saw it?” he asked.

Kesh nodded while the others moved close to them, all staring at the river. Jason could almost hear what they were thinking.

Nate broke the silence. “Rayne is strong. He might survive the fall, right?”

“If the river doesn’t smash him into a rock,” Quinn muttered, getting a glare from everyone else. He shrank back a little. “I’m just trying to be realistic.”

“That doesn't mean you talk like that,” Kesh hissed. “He could have ended up on a bank or whatever the river leads to.”

John nodded. “Yeah. He did survive alone back in the troll cave and still found us. It might be the same this time.”

Jason blinked, recalling that event. It had come up a few times during their journey to the army camp. If he survived back then, he might do the same this time.

Also, he knew Rayne was different. He’d seen it during the fight with Marcus. His injuries healed faster than anyone Jason had seen.

Casper moved toward them, looking at his party with a strained face. “We should get out of the dungeon fast and report this to Commander Evans. He’ll prepare a party strong enough to clear the dungeon. And they might be able to save Rayne, if he's alive.”

They nodded, and she moved to talk to Axel, Hobbs and Andar. The others checked on each other and made their way toward the tunnel.

Jason stayed at the edge a little longer, looking down at the floating planks and dire earthworm corpses.

“Wanna make a bet?” Nate suddenly asked, coming next to him.

“About what?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“Rayne being alive, of course. I bet he is, and I think Fredrick will be interested in betting against,” he said, staring at him. “What about you?”

Jason didn't have to think twice. He looked down at the flowing river, then back at Nate. “I’m in. I think he's breathing.”

***

Rayne had a hard time breathing.

Cold. That was the only thing he felt. An icy numbness crawling up his limbs, sinking deep into the bone. His chest burned, a sharp, crushing pain that made him cough violently as water burst from his mouth.

He rolled onto his side, hacking up more river water, each cough stabbing his ribs. His fingers clawed at the wet stone until he finally sucked in air—cold, damp, rotten air.

He was alive. Barely.

Rayne groaned and lifted his head. He pushed his sopping hair out of his eyes, heart pounding at the shock of survival. He was lying on a cavern floor, similar to the dungeon entrance, glowstones lighting up the place.

The current still roared behind him, black and violent as it had been on the bridge, and the noise made his head throb.

His eyes took time to adjust, and then he scrunched his nose.

It smelled like piss in here.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain in his leg. He looked down and saw a long cut running along his thigh. [Lesser Regeneration] was dealing with it as he felt mana moving through the flesh.

Looking across the cavern floor, Rayne spotted the source of the smell.

Dead monsters lay around him.

At least five dire earthworms sprawled across the bank, their bloated bodies split open like rotten logs. Some had smashed into boulders, others had been crushed against each other, and one had clearly been torn apart by the chimera’s passing.

The sight made bile rise in his throat.

He forced it down and focused on himself. He was drenched head to toe, and he had no idea if [Lesser Regeneration] helped against cold. His armor felt ten times heavier.

“Fuck…” he muttered, rubbing his chest. “I don't even know how I'm alive.”

He didn’t remember when he’d broken the surface. Or how he’d washed up instead of drowning. Only flashes remained—the impact, water choking him, being dragged across jagged rocks, something slamming into him underwater, then darkness.

Other than the gash, bruises covered his ribs and back. One vambrace was also gone. Most of his armor was intact, and he still had his sword.

Rayne didn't know how he’d held onto it. But when he patted his belt, he swore.

His potions were gone. All of the vials had ripped loose in the river. He checked around the bank, hoping one might have flowed there with him, but there was nothing.

He frowned and wiped water out of his eyes before forcing himself upright, gripping the sword for balance. He gave one last look at the worm corpses before turning to the tunnel ahead.

If he had to guess, he was on the lowest level of the dungeon. Which meant no help was coming, at least not for weeks. And the chimera was still a threat.

He didn’t know what happened to it, but he hoped Casper had burned the bridge. At least he knew the chimera hadn't fallen into the river, or Rayne wouldn’t have woken up.

He had two choices.

Stay on the bank, eat worm corpses, and wait for rescue, but the river likely had monsters of its own, and he had no idea if worms were edible.

Or explore the level and see if he could find a dungeon room with a monster he could handle. Staying inside one would be far safer than camping by the bank.

Rayne chose the second.

He really didn’t want to breathe this foul air any longer. He gave one last look at the cavern, thanked whatever gods had helped him survive, and made his way into the narrow tunnel.

It didn’t take long for him to come across a monster.

***

Rayne staggered forward, every step feeling like dragging iron chains. His armor was waterlogged, chafing against his skin, adding a constant pull across his shoulders. His breathing stayed rough, each inhale scraping like gravel in his chest.

The tunnel stretched ahead in a narrow line of flickering glowstones. He kept his sword raised, arm trembling slightly from exhaustion.

Then he heard it. The sound of footsteps.

He paused and wondered what type of bug monster he was going to encounter. He shifted his stance, pressing his back against the wall and slowly moving forward until the next curve in the passage.

He peered around it and froze.

Something unexpected stood there. Not any bugs, but what seemed like zombies.

There were two of them, and at a glance, he almost thought they were humans, but their faces were rotten. Their skin was greyish, and he could see bones through gaps in their flesh.

Both of them wore dirty tunics and pants, and one of them dragged a spear, its jaw hanging loose as if barely attached.

Rayne wondered what zombies were doing here. He knew undead existed in this world, but it went against everything he had read in the journal about dungeons having a set archetype of monsters. He doubted undead came under bugs.

Though, he had no time to think about that as both of them were getting closer.

Should he fight them? There was no other way to get around in the tunnel, and they didn't seem very high levelled. In the worst case, he doubted they could chase him by how lethargic they were walking.

So, he came out of the curve, and both the undead immediately looked alerted.

Their hollow eyes seemed to glow for a second as one of them lunged suddenly.

Rayne was a bit surprised at the speed, but was ready. He sidestepped and slashed in one smooth motion. His blade carved through its neck—thicker than expected—and the head toppled off with a wet crack.

The undead swayed once before collapsing. It was easier than he ever expected.

But he didn't get time to celebrate his victory as the spear-wielding undead moaned and rushed in.

Rayne blocked the spear with his sword, the impact jarring his arm. The zombie pushed mindlessly, teeth gnashing inches from his face. He grit his teeth and rammed his knee into its chest, sending it stumbling back.

He followed up immediately with a downward strike.

His sword split its skull like old wood. The undead collapsed in a heap, twitching once before going still.

Rayne exhaled sharply and let his sword hang at his side. Notifications buzzed in his mind, indicating that he had stolen a stat point. But he hardly cared about it at the present.

Fighting while exhausted and in waterlogged armor was hell.

He took another sigh and looked at the undead. It was hard to say what it would have looked like when it was alive, as its face was just a skull with some flesh hanging on top of it.

It was straight out of a horror movie, but Rayne's penchant for morbid stuff had increased in recent weeks.

He crouched to check both the undead's pockets to see if he could find anything. But there was nothing in them. He wondered where they had gotten their clothes from or if the dungeon had made them.

It was a good curiosity for Rayne as he started walking again.

He didn't encounter any monsters, undead or bugs, for the next half an hour. The pain in his leg dulled too, his skill doing its work, and he wondered when the tunnel was going to end.

It seemed to stretch endlessly and was a little wider than the tunnel on the first level. But he was making quick distance, especially with no monsters in sight.

And finally, after ten more minutes, he saw it.

A wooden, iron-banded door.

The same as the others. He paused in front of it, his hand gripping the handle. He needed a break, and if he could conquer a dungeon room, then traversing through the level would be far easier.

But that would depend on whatever monstrosity sat inside of it.

“Please don’t let there be another giant bug,” he muttered under his breath.

And opened the door.