After reaching the treasury room again, Tarin broke the cellar door on the right with his greatsword. It didn't take much force to break it open.

  Another long cave stretched before them. They started making their way again. Not long after, they saw jail cells lined on both sides of the corridor, iron bars on their left and right, each cell a dark square cut into stone.

  The air carried the smell of death—stale, heavy, impossible to ignore. Lyra put her hand over her nose to cover the smell, but it was not effective.

  "The smell is so bad here," she whispered under her breath.

  "These cells look abandoned for decades. Obviously there would be a smell," Arix answered. He was walking behind, followed by Tarin, then Lyra. Meilie was the source of light for everyone, so she was walking in front. Arix made sure to look at every cell for any information he could get.

  And in one of the cells, he did. "Hey, wait. Show your light here," he said, pointing toward the cell on his left. It was the fifth cell in the left row. Arix saw a figure lying there, not moving at all.

  When Meilie flashed her light in the cell, everything became clear. It was a skeleton of some creature. Arix went inside, hiding his nose with his hands, just like Lyra.

  Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was the skeleton of one of the Loms. It had a long and thin ribcage, with a tail bone stretching from its back.

  In his hand, Arix saw a note, the paper yellowed and brittle with age.

  Arix picked the note up and opened it. The words were still there, but faint, as if time had tried to erase them, but failed.

  "What does it say?" Tarin asked, standing at the cell door.

  "Wait a minute," Arix answered as he got out of the cell to save himself from the dead smell.

  The mosquitoes were humming in Arix's ears when he started narrating the letter.

  "I am writing this letter in case something happens to me. It's been fifteen days since the orcs attacked the village. If you found this letter, please make sure that my kids are safe. We were the last remaining Loms on these lands and were living happily and peacefully. Our land was rich, lots of gold and silver, with no shortage of food. We welcomed any guests we ever got, like the Witch of Alianda. Even though she is feared in the lands, we welcomed her like she was our own. But little did we know that this gifting gesture would make us all dead. It was just a normal night. Some orcs came to our village. They looked pale and dried. Being the chief of the village, I gave them a helping hand. I gave them a place to stay and food. But after three days, at night time, they sabotaged us. They let all of their orcs into the city and attacked us. They killed our children, raped our women, and looted everything they got their hands on. We tried to fight, but we were not ready. It was a surprise attack that totally caught us. I tried reasoning with them to at least not kill anyone, just loot and leave, but failed. They threw me in this cell and locked me. I tried getting out of here, breaking the locks or screaming for help, but it didn't help. I cannot hear anything from this cell. I don't know if anyone is alive or if my wife and kids made it out alive. I am afraid. Oh lord, why did this happen to us? What have we done to any of those orcs? Please save us."

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  "This is so sad." Sadness settled over Lyra's face.

  "So the orcs killed everyone here," Tarin said, taking the letter from Arix's hand to take a better look.

  Meilie's eyes filled with tears. She held her staff with both her hands and pulled it closer, like her guardian angel. She was wiping away her tears when Arix said, "This is why the village is abandoned." He paused and continued again. "But what about the barrier? Nothing is written here about the magic barrier."

  "Let's move forward," Tarin said, giving the letter back to Arix.

  As they moved forward, the air grew heavier, pressing against their lungs. The usual echoes faded, swallowed by a silence that didn't feel empty.

  Without realizing it, Tarin put his hand on his greatsword. His heartbeat quickened with every step.

  Arix was feeling it too. His breathing was faster as he moved closer to the cave end.

  Meilie held her staff tightly as she kept staring at the distance with a very serious face.

  Lyra also knew something was wrong, but she couldn't place it. She was turning around quite often to look at the empty cave which she had already walked through.

  All sound faded for Arix, except for his loud breathing and everyone's footsteps. After a while, he reached the end of the tunnel.

  Before him lay a door—a wooden door to be precise. He felt a strong presence behind the door. Without any weapon, it would be quite impossible to face anything that lies there. He looked around him to potentially find anything that could help him as a weapon, but there was nothing.

  "Don't worry, we will defeat whatever lies on the other side of the door. And after we escape, we will find you a good weapon," Tarin said as he unsheathed his greatsword.

  Lyra also took out her needle.

  Tarin stood before the door, ready to break it. He took a deep breath and swung his big sword at the door, breaking it in one strike.

  In front of him stood a figure with its back to the group.

  Everyone went inside and looked at the figure. It wore a simple red robe.

  Arix took a deep breath when the figure finally turned around to reveal his face.

  "Oh my, humans," he said in a low pitch. "My lord will be pleased."

  He had a mask on his face—a black mask with only an opening for his eyes. It was made of material that Arix didn't recognize. He stood as tall as Arix. He had red leather armor covering his chest. His long black hair framed his face as he stared at the group.

  "An elf with humans?" He picked his trident from his side and continued. "Well, no worries. I am the Masked Servant. Welcome to my lair, humans. This will be your last day."