章 15: The Fog of Dread

As they left Vodgo's chamber, Horizon noticed some tribe members sneaking into a corner and disappearing behind a door guarded by two Amberskins.

Horizon shrugged it off; he doubted they'd let him enter that chamber anyway.

The two then went off to the Catacomb Reaches.

"How did you get here?" Horizon asked Von as they made their way toward the Catacomb Reaches in search of Twilight Flowers.

Von avoided eye contact, clearly not keen on discussing the subject. "Why do you ask?"

"Maybe if I knew how you got here, I'd have a better idea of how to get out," Horizon explained.

Von hesitated, glancing briefly at Horizon. He wasn't comfortable with the topic, but seeing that Horizon was serious and wouldn't drop it, he finally began, "Well, it all started with an epic adventure."

"You mean tragic," Cappy chimed in.

"I was hunting in the forest," Von continued, "part of my grand adventure, when the Red Moon suddenly appeared in the sky. Then, out of nowhere, dragons — unlike any I'd ever seen — poured out, grabbing everything in sight! I was among the brave warriors who stood against them, fighting to save my brethren!"

"You mean you got dragged away like everyone else," Cappy clarified.

"I fought valiantly," Von insisted, puffing out his chest. "I was covered in blood, but I managed to save my comrades! In return, I was bitten so badly that a dragon managed to drag me into Drakha."

"You were crying and begging for everyone to save you," Cappy added, laughing. "Your face was covered in snot."

"Then, alas, I was too strong for the dragon!" Von ignored Cappy's comment, his voice swelling with pride. "It couldn't eat me, so it dropped me mid-air, and I ended up here in the catacombs. I've been stuck here ever since!"

"You mean you wet your pants, and the dragon's sensitive nose smelled it, got disgusted, and released you," Cappy finished.

"And that's the story of my grand adventure so far," Von finished, a proud glint in his eyes, his head held high despite Cappy's in between remarks.

Horizon took a deep breath and pressed forward, regretting that he'd even asked.

As they ventured deeper into the Catacomb Reaches, Horizon suddenly came to a stop, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadowy depths around them.

"Where's the Nix'udjar?" Horizon asked, his voice low and alert.

Von frowned, his brows knitting together in confusion. "Hmm . . . That's strange. Usually, the sight of anything with a pulse around here is enough to send those savages chasing us to the edge of the realm," he muttered, glancing around with growing unease.

They continued their trek for a few more hours, the eerie silence broken only by the occasional sound of their footsteps echoing off the ancient ground. Along the way, they carefully harvested a few Twilight Flowers, their soft glow barely cutting through the oppressive darkness.

Finally, they arrived at the Ossarium — a sprawling, bone-chilling place that housed the Great Mausoleum, the lair of Azhurma Nixis, the Mother Undead Dragon.

"We should turn back," Von warned, his voice tense. "This is where Nixis resides. That creature will turn us into corpses the moment she lays eyes on us."

"There might be an exit there," Horizon suggested, his gaze fixed on the ominous structure ahead.

"There's no exit there, only death," Von retorted, his voice grim.

Horizon turned to Von. "You've roamed the Catacomb Reaches for years, but the one place you've never explored is this part, right?"

Von hesitated, not liking where this was headed. "Y-yes . . . and that foggy expanse where no one dares to tread because of the zero visibility."

"Then the exit is probably between those two," Horizon stated.

Von took a deep breath, his instincts screaming at him to turn back. "You're probably right. But heading to the Mausoleum unprepared will only get us killed. We should gather more information about that place first—" He paused, noticing that Horizon was completely out of it. "What's wrong? What's the matter?"

Horizon didn't respond immediately, his eyes distant as if he were sensing something far beyond their current location. With his skill [Draconic Awareness], he could tell there were dragons nearby. Not just one or two — hundreds. They were marching, their presence a dark wave that sent chills down his spine.

Horizon squinted into the dense fog that obscured the northern horizon. "What's beyond that fog?" he asked, his voice edged with concern.

Von shook his head, perplexed. "No one knows. No one ventures there — visibility's almost zero in that fog. But why do you ask?"

"There are at least hundreds of dragonkin marching from that direction," Horizon replied, pointing toward the fog-shrouded distance. "They're heading straight for that cliff."

Von's eyes widened. "You can tell? Is that some kind of skill?" His voice trailed off as the realization dawned on him. "Wait . . . why would hundreds of dragonkin be marching from there to . . . ?"

Von's face drained of color as the horrifying truth sank in. "Beyond that cliff . . . it's the Cleave!"

"Which means . . ."

"They're heading for the Cleave!" Von interrupted, his voice filled with horror.

Von's blood ran cold. The gravity of their situation hit him like a hammer. "We need to move — now," he said urgently, his voice filled with a rare edge of panic. The Catacomb Reaches had always been dangerous, but this . . . this was something else entirely.

Without another word, they both turned and ran to the Cleave. As they raced back toward the Amberskin, Horizon glanced at Von. "I thought the Nix'udjar never ventured near the Cleave?"

"That's what we all believed," Von replied, his voice tense with fear. "For years, Nixis has kept to herself. But now . . . something's different. Maybe she's finally stirring, or worse — she's decided we're back on the menu! Who knows what goes on in the twisted mind of that undead dragon!"

"Could those seven Nix'udjar we saw earlier have been scouts?" Horizon suggested, piecing together a puzzle.