A wave of purple light erupted outward. The explosion rocked the tower walls. When the dust settled, the goblin was slumped—headless and burning. Its cursed body collapsed like a rotted tree, split at every seam. Silence fell.
Meanwhile, inside the Tower Dungeon. The walls of the underground fortress were slick with dampness and blood, the air choked with the stench of rot and fear. We moved fast, boots splashing through pools of foul water. The flickering sconces cast uneven shadows along the cracked stone walls. Every few feet, another warded door blocked our path—pulsing with dark magic, desperate to keep us out.
Kael pressed his hand against the next one, his palm glowing with soft blue light. "This one's older... reinforced with blood magic."
"You can handle it," I said quietly, my hand resting on his shoulder.
He nodded, took a breath, and focused. "Break."
The barrier cracked like ice, splintering with a flash and then shattering into faint sparks. The door swung inward with a metallic groan.
Beyond it, the corridor narrowed. Felix raised his rifle and motioned for us to move quietly.
We were close.
"Karl," I murmured, and he looked at me. His expression was steel, but the pain behind his eyes was impossible to miss.
"I'm ready," he said. We kicked open the last door. The iron cell at the end of the hallway was dim, lit only by a dying lantern in the corner. Inside, hunched against the wall, were three figures—chained, bruised, and malnourished, but alive.
Karl's mother gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Karl…?"
He dropped his weapons, stumbling forward. "Mother…" She screamed and lunged, the chains dragging her back before she could reach him.
"NO—" he roared, falling to his knees, fumbling for the shackles. "I'm here! I'm here now!"
His father, an older man with greying hair and a swollen eye, blinked as tears fell freely down his cheeks. "Is it real…? Son… is it really you?"
Kael stepped forward with his dagger and began slicing through the restraints. "It's him. He came for you."
Karl's younger sister whimpered softly, pressing herself closer to their mother. "I dreamed… I dreamed you'd come…"
"I promised I would," Karl choked, tears running down his face as he pulled them all into his arms. "I never stopped thinking of you."
Felix clicked his communicator. "This is Alpha Team. Target secured. Three civilians. We need medical stretchers at the southern corridor, Level 3—now."
"Copy that," came the voice from outside. "ETA four minutes." Then I stepped closer, letting the moment breathe as Karl held them all—his mother sobbing into his shoulder, his sister's tiny fingers gripping the fabric of his coat like a lifeline.
His father looked up at me with tired, thankful eyes. "You must be Lord Dirk."
I nodded. "Yes."
He tried to rise but faltered. "Thank you, my lord… for giving my boy the strength to come for us."
"I didn't give him strength," I said softly. "He already had it. I just gave him the chance."
Karl turned to me, still holding his sister. His voice cracked, thick with emotion. "I don't… I don't know how to repay you for this."
"You already have," I told him. "You stayed loyal, even when they used your family against you. You held on long enough for us to fight back. That's more than most could do."
Kael gave his twin a proud, quiet nod. "You're still my brother, Karl. And you always will be."
Karl's mother looked between the twins. "Kael… is that you?"
Kael chuckled softly, stepping forward. "Yeah. I'm taller now, huh?"
She gave him a weak smile. "You always were the stubborn one…" The sound of boots echoed down the corridor—our medics. They came in with stretchers and clean blankets. The family were carefully helped up, their chains finally removed. Warm canteens were passed around. I watched as Karl refused help at first, refusing to let go of them until his mother insisted.
"You need to breathe too, my son," she said.
When he finally stepped back, she grabbed his hand tightly. "Whatever happens now… we're safe because of you."
As they were led away, I stayed behind for a moment, staring into the dark cell that had imprisoned them.
So much pain. So much suffering. All hidden behind a locked door and a nobleman's lies.
This is why I'm here.
Not for power. Not for fame. But for people like them. To make sure no one is ever used like this again.
Felix placed a hand on my shoulder. "You did good, my lord."
I looked at him, then at the path ahead—the corridors still waiting to be cleared. We weren't done yet. Not by a long shot. But for tonight, for this family, we'd won. And I swore—this wouldn't be the last family we'd save.
*****
The throne room: the grand doors creaked open with a groan, the sound echoing down the marble halls like a death knell. The once-pristine throne room, lined with obsidian pillars and veined gold, now bore the signs of chaos—cracked floors, scorched banners, and shattered stained glass that let in the eerie light of a cloudy sky.
Duke Veranos sat slumped beneath his gilded throne like a broken statue. His dark silk robes clung to him, drenched in sweat and streaked with blood. His crown had rolled several feet away, bent and dented—trampled by fleeing guards or perhaps cast aside in desperation.
When he saw me step through the doors, flanked by Kael, Karl, and Felix, his eyes widened in horror. The last of his composure evaporated.
"No... No, it can't be..." he gasped, scrambling backward on his hands like a rat cornered in its own nest. "You… you're not human. You're something else—something cursed!"
Monster? Huh, he was the monster here. Not me! I smirked at him as my boots thudded against the stone as I approached, slow and deliberate. Every step carried the weight of the dead—the villagers, the guards outside the lake, and Sylphy, who had given her life in that cursed dungeon.
I didn't respond to his accusation at first. I wanted him to feel the silence. To feel the fear he'd carved into so many hearts now directed back at him.
"You tortured people," I said quietly, stopping just a few paces from his crawling form. "You enslaved families. Burnt villages. Built your power on fear, and blood, and lies."
He whimpered, holding up a trembling hand. "I—I was protecting the kingdom! You don't understand the politics—the power struggle—!"
"You weren't protecting anyone," I growled, the fury slipping into my voice. "You were protecting yourself. You used dark magic to manipulate your way into nobility. You held a man's family hostage to force him to betray his people. You killed innocent warriors—fifteen of mine—just to send a message."
He tried one last time to muster pride. "You think you're some saviour? Some godsent hero? You're nothing but a tyrant in a different suit. This realm doesn't need another one!"
I raised my sword, letting the weight of it settle in my hands. The silver gleam of the blade caught the faint purple shimmer of my magic. His eyes fixated on it.
"No," I said calmly, blade pointed toward his chest. "I'm not a hero. But I'm the one who stood when no one else would."
With one fluid motion, I plunged the sword—not into his heart, but directly into his mana core. A burst of dark energy erupted, sizzling against my blade as the core cracked like broken glass.
He screamed—a piercing, inhuman cry that bounced off the tall walls and fell dead on the blood-streaked floor.
His body convulsed, limbs twitching violently as the severed magic lashed back at him, no longer held in check. Then he collapsed in a heap, breathing raggedly, his skin pale and glistening with sweat.
Kael stepped forward, wary. "Is he dead?"
I shook my head. "No. But he's powerless now. The throne doesn't belong to monsters like him."
Felix approached slowly, eyes never leaving the writhing form of the Duke. "And what now?"
I turned toward my men, the rising storm outside rumbling like the voice of judgement.
"He'll stand trial. Publicly. Let the realm see what rot was hiding behind this throne."
Karl clenched his fists, his voice low and angry. "He made me betray you. I should be the one to—"
I cut him off with a firm look. "Your redemption was in saving your family, Karl. Not in vengeance."
The doors opened again behind us, the storm wind billowing into the ruined hall. Soldiers filed in, faces grim but victorious.
I sheathed my blade. "Take him. And make sure the world knows—this is what becomes of tyrants."
The Duke groaned as he was dragged away, still whispering curses under his breath. But no one feared him anymore. He was just a man now. Broken. Defeated. Forgotten by power. And outside, the winds of change were blowing.
The next morning, the steel beasts—HUMVEEs, massive trucks, and motorbikes—rumbled across the open terrain like thunder rolling across the plains. Mud sprayed under the tyres, and dust rose in the wake of our long convoy.
In the back of the lead HUMVEE, Karl's family rode in awe, wrapped in thick cloaks to shield them from the wind. His sister, Marla, leaned over the edge with her mouth open. "It's like a monster made of iron and fire…"
"It doesn't eat flesh, don't worry," I chuckled from the front seat. "Only mana-charged fuel cells."
Karl's father gave a tired but amazed whistle. "And this… this is common where you came from?"
"More common than swords," I grinned, then tapped my wrist. A flicker of light danced midair as I pulled up my Guardian Screen.
Quest Complete: Rescue Karl's Family & Deliver Justice to Duke Veranos
Reward: Level Up (Passive Boost) Applied to All Residents
Bonus Reward: 500 Gold Coins Credited.
My eyes widened slightly. "Huh."
"What is it?" Felix asked from his seat beside me.
"We all just leveled up," I said. "Every single person in the town."
In the following trucks, cheers erupted as notifications appeared in the warriors' vision. A few of the beastkin whooped loud enough to rattle the canvas tops of the carriers.
"YES!" A woman shouted from the back, her rifle resting on her lap. "I can finally use Tier 2 ice arrows!"
Igor thumped his chest, laughing. "I thought I was hallucinating! My strength stat just jumped two levels!"
Even Karl's mother gasped. "I feel... younger. Like the heaviness in my body has vanished."
"That's because my guardian recognized your suffering," I told her, glancing back. "It rewards survivors, too."
Karl looked at me across the cab. "You keep saying 'guardian' like it's a god."
I gave a half-smile. "Sometimes… it feels like one."