Chapter 94: The Trial
The next day dawned with the sound of bells ringing across Hiving.
The announcement of the coming monster horde had finally gone public, and the entire city was already shifting into a state of organized chaos.
Armored adventurers and guards filled the streets. Merchants shouted out the names of the potions and gear they had available from the doors of their shops.
And to top it all off, notices bearing the royal seal of Vasaria fluttered across every wall with a simple message.
"All adventurers are to report readiness within three days. Prepare for conscription."
Inside the Lion’s Guild building, the atmosphere was no less tense.
Wade walked beside Sebastian, Rowan, and Ingrid through the corridor of dungeon doors, a long, arched hallway lined with dozens of sealed rooms.
They were all armored and ready for a fight.
Each door in the corridor had the names of the dungeons sitting behind them etched into bronze plaques on their surface.
Two armored guards stood at every entrance, motionless except for the subtle tightening of their grips on their spears.
Their footsteps echoed against the floor, but it was not alone, as other parties walked in both directions in the corridor.
Sebastian, leading the way, glanced back at the group. "The last party to enter Shattered Hall this morning reported something unusual," he said.
"They noticed fractal cracks forming along the dungeon walls. That usually means there’s a high probability that the dungeon’s storyline has shifted."
"Shifted?" Wade asked.
Rowan nodded. "Every dungeon runs on a type of script, remember? With this, we must operate on the assumption that everything has changed inside. New enemies, different bosses, and in some very rare cases, new rewards."
Wade frowned. "So it’s more dangerous?"
Sebastian grinned faintly. "Potentially. Since we have little information about it. I would’ve changed to another dungeon, but there’s no available dungeon. Every party has also booked appointments for the foreseeable future. This is our only chance."
"But that’s fine. The goal today isn’t just clearing the dungeon. It’s giving you and Ingrid the chance to level up more."
Ingrid, walking silently beside Wade, adjusted her quiver. "So we’re the bait," she said dryly.
"Not bait," Sebastian corrected. "Experience collectors."
"Rowan and I will try to hold back and monitor your progress. You’ll both take on most of the wraiths this time. It’s the best way to push your stats up before the war."
Wade’s grip tightened slightly on his battle axe, Toothpick. He’d been through worse, and the idea of a new dungeon didn’t faze him. After all, this wouldn’t be his first time.
Sebastian continued, "Also, profit share is equal this time. Everyone gets twenty-five percent of the loot, regardless of who gets the final hits. This would give us all a chance to settle whatever debts we might be facing before the war."
Wade’s mind went to his debts to the guild. He still had 8,750 coins left to pay. He’d settle it now.
They continued down the hall until they reached the door that was their destination. The plaque before them read [Shattered Hall] in bold letters.
The guards on either side straightened as Sebastian approached, presenting a sheet of stamped paper.
One of the guards inspected them carefully before stepping aside. "You’re cleared. Party of four, confirmed. Good luck in there."
Sebastian nodded his thanks and pushed the heavy door open.
The room beyond was identical to the one Wade remembered from his first time. A simple and plain stone room, with a cold feeling in the air.
Sebastian turned to the group, his expression grave. "Everyone ready?"
Wade rolled his shoulders, gripping Toothpick. "Ready."
Ingrid drew an arrow, her bow held loosely in her left hand. "Always."
Rowan twirled his staff, light collecting around its tip. "Let’s see what’s changed."
Sebastian grinned, pulling his massive axe from his back. "Then let’s begin."
He turned to the second door within the room, the true entrance to the dungeon.
The moment he opened, white mist began spilling out, glowing softly in the dim light.
Sebastian looked back, his eyes sweeping over them one last time.
"Let’s go," he said simply.
And together, the four of them stepped into the light.
A few seconds later, the bright light faded away. Wade blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brilliance.
The party found themselves standing in the middle of a vast throne room. The place looked majestic, haunting, and painfully pristine, different from the dilapidated hall they’d met the last time they were here.
The floor beneath their boots gleamed like glass, and every wall was lined with tall mirrors that stretched towards an arched ceiling of fractured crystal.
Even the throne at the far end of the hall shimmered with the same mirrored surface, jagged yet regal, reflecting the flickering light in a hundred different directions.
The hall was so silent that every breath they took seemed to echo.
Then a soft chime rang in Wade’s ears.
Ding!
[Welcome To Shattered Hall]
Another notification followed immediately.
[Scenario Activated!]
[The Trial]
The temperature in the room dropped sharply. A ripple of light passed through the hall, and slowly, ghostly figures began to materialize.
Guards appeared first, forming along the walls in neat, silent lines. They were tall, translucent figures in armor that glimmered faintly.
Behind Wade and the others, several more shapes took form. Nobles, judging by their extravagant robes and jeweled neckpieces.
Their eyes were pale and empty, yet Wade could feel their disdain even through the ghostly visage.
Then, at the far end of the room, seated upon the mirrored throne, a king appeared.
His body was a bit more defined, unlike the faint translucence of the others. His crown looked like it had been carved from broken shards of glass, and his voice, when he spoke, resonated through every wall in the hall.
"Let the trial begin," the ghostly king intoned.
Another ghostly figure stepped forward from the line of nobles. A tall man with sunken eyes and the look of self-righteous fury carved into his face.
"Your Majesty," he said, bowing deeply. "These four stand accused of blasphemy against the goddess herself!"
Wade felt Sebastian shift slightly beside him. The older adventurer’s voice dropped to a murmur. "Stay sharp. Wraiths can spawn at any moment. Play along until they do."
Wade gave a barely perceptible nod, his grip tightening around Toothpick.
Ingrid had already moved subtly into a defensive stance, her bow at her side but her eyes keenly following every motion in the room.
The accusing noble continued his tirade, his voice rising. "They have entered sacred ground without offering tribute! They have desecrated the sanctum of mirrors with their mortal filth! They are guilty beyond doubt!"
A second man stepped forward then, calmer and gentler in tone, and standing between the accuser and the adventurers.
"Your Majesty," he began, "my clients are strangers to this land. They meant no disrespect to the goddess nor her temple. Their actions were done in ignorance, not malice. Surely, such intentions should temper judgment."
"Ignorance," the first man spat, his ghostly form flickering with rage. "Ignorance does not absolve guilt!"
"If we excuse every trespasser who claims ignorance, what remains of law and order? They must be punished. Let them serve as an example to all who would defy the divine!"
The lawyer folded his hands behind his back, speaking softly but firmly. "And where, I ask, do we draw the line?"
"Shall every traveler who stumbles across a shrine be executed? Every child who utters a forbidden name cast into the fire? Mercy is not weakness, my lord, it is the proof of justice."
The accuser turned towards the throne. "Your Majesty! If you let them go, you will embolden others to defile the goddess’s name. The Church demands retribution! Surely you would not turn your back on the faith that upholds your crown."
The air in the hall thickened with invisible pressure. Wade felt the weight of countless eyes on them. The nobles, guards, and courtiers, all waiting for the king’s verdict.
Even though he knew this was an illusion, a dungeon’s conjuration, the tension was too real.
The king rose slowly from his mirrored throne, his expression giving nothing away.
"Enough," he said at last. The single word echoed through the hall like thunder.
He looked down upon the adventurers, his expression cold and regal.
"You have entered the sacred hall unbidden. You have offended the goddess and defied her will. Whether by ignorance or intent, it matters not. Blasphemy cannot go unpunished."
Wade exhaled quietly through his nose. Here it comes.
The king’s voice deepened. "I, King Elandros of the Mirror Court, sentence you to death by beheading."
He raised a hand and pointed directly at them. "Guards. Seize them."
The world seemed to fracture.
The moment the command left his lips, every figure in the throne room, nobles, guards, even the king himself, began to warp.
Their shapes rippled like a lake disturbed by a thrown stone, and the faint ghostly light in their eyes turned a glowing blue.
The guards’ armor cracked and melted into liquid glass that reformed into sharp, angular edges. Their faces elongated, teeth sharpening into jagged shards.
And one by one, they transformed into Mirror Wraiths.
That was when Sebastian’s calm voice filled the air. "Now we fight."