章 232: Castle of Blood, Part 1

NOTE: Edited 01/11/23 - Significant changes to prose, pacing, and the battle scenes. Much cooler now.

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The old fogies at this adventurer's retirement home in New York that Divah forced me to work in twice a month had a saying… 

'It's a dangerous business, going on an adventure,' they collectively warned fourteen-year-old me. 'You step on a path filled with trials, and if you don't steady your footing, there's no telling where you might get carried off to.'

Tonight at least, I guess those old fogies weren't wrong exactly. 

Hel, even Saga, our strongest member, was swept off her feet by the waves of blood that exploded out of the castle's open entryway. 

Yep, what began as a pool of blood spilling out onto the staircase quickly escalated into a crimson tide that crashed against our unprepared bodies, sending some of us scrambling back into the tunnel while the others drowned in blood. 

"Raise your shields, guys!" Dess yelled.