Journey To Hellspost (TXT X READER)

  The night in Bleakwick was dreary and unfulfilling. The sleep that was gotten was minimal and the abandoned town was empty, or at least the parts they'd been brave enough to check. They'd left not long after dawn. Beomgyu couldn't help but look back at the dreary kingdom in remembrance, but not regret. He was almost choked up as the castle left his sight. He once again, walked away from a life that could've been his.

The journey across the plains was hot. It caused each member of the company to fan themselves in an attempt to cool their burning skin. Meanwhile, the rogue lifted her hood over her head further, despite the radiating heat that beat down on her back.

"Do you not feel warm?" Soobin asked, using his hand to fan himself.

"I do, but warmth is better than being burnt by the sun," she told him, using the hood of her cloak to cycle fresh air through the closed atmosphere.

She wanted nothing more than to move further North, where the climate was slightly more bearable. Where the weather didn't force beads of sweat down her temples. She was glad that they had been gifted the horses, for if she were to walk in this weather, she may have passed out.

The night was the opposite. It was freezing cold and it made them wish for heat. They could not understand the indecisive nature of the weather. The heat was unbearable, yet so was the cold.

Taehyun rolled up his sleeves and fanned cool air into his face, yet he seemed to fair better than the rest, whose energy was drained by the heat. He almost felt bad.

Despite the freezing cold nights, each member was cradled into a deep sleep, one that had them waking up in a drowsy and scrambled state. The good kind of sleep that is very rare.

It seemed like they had been venturing for years when they saw buildings peek over the horizon. The first sight of Hellspost was like a dream. Yeonjun marvelled at the sight. They had made it. He almost couldn't believe it. So many obstacles had come in their way, yet he stood, looking at the kingdom he had been trying to reach from afar and it felt like everything he had ever wanted to achieve. He felt content.

The rogues story was also coming to a close. The one they had listened to so intently. It made them all wonder what the journey back would be. Would there be a journey back?

  "And this bargeman you're infatuated with? Did he only slay the dragon?" Yeonjun asked with a quirked brow.

  "I know not what you mean when you say 'only'. Slaying such a savage beast is nothing to scoff at," she hummed.

  "You made him seem so valiant," he shrugged.

  "He is the leader of the race of man! And he wishes to avoid conflict! Who am I kidding? You simply couldn't understand," she scoffed back, turning away from Yeonjun.

  She had been telling the story of the battle of five armies and everyone seemed to believe that the story was coming to a close, and it was. She was nearly at the part that caused her such grief. They drew close to the kingdom, reaching the outskirts. She brought her story to a pause once again.

  "The orc king is tricking the dwarven prince!?" HueningKai asked, his eyes darting around as he attempted to understand.

  "Indeed. You must wait once again for the rest of the story," the half elf said as the approached the beginnings of cobbled road.

  "What if..." Soobin started, his eyes scanning the burned buildings and accumulated piles of rubble on the ground. "What if we don't make it? How could you just end the story there?" Soobin asked, fear welling in his chest. He was no adventurer. He was meant to stay in his home, not poison elvish kings, fight orc packs, and look for hidden treasure. He was meant for a much calmer life, and as they began to enter the city that wreaked with the smell of burned and rotting flesh, he wondered why he even joined in the first place. Suddenly, as if he was on his deathbed, he wished to hear the end of the story. If only to bring his own story to a close.

  "I will finish the story later and you will all get to hear the ending," she assured, meeting his eyes as she told him, with such surety in her voice, he no longer doubted his survival.

  The city was dank, warm, and dark. The heat allowed the scent of death to hang in the air and drift throughout the kingdom. The dried blood had been washed away from the cobbled road, but between the cracks, still remained evidence of the massacre that occurred.

  Silence loomed over the group as they approached the castle. Beomgyu suggested they allow the horses to rest in a stable, for he could not bring himself to take them any closer to the castle. It was decrepit and it made his heart beat faster. How could he bring himself to force an innocent life into such a situation?

  Yeonjun was the most curious, looking around the streets, examining houses, looking for any sign of life. Soobin, however, led the group, pressing on until they drew close to the large castle doors, doors that put the gates of Eboncross to shame.

  Moss grew in between the stones of the castle, and it was evident that no light had been in the castle for a long time. Rust grew on the large hinges of the door and the wood was swollen with moisture. The rocks had begun to crumble and plants had begun to grow up the walls, climbing from their spots on the ground. Underneath all of the ruin, down by the outer edge of the massive door, was a smaller door, one that would be easy to enter. Taehyun was the first brave soul to push the door open and step inside. He looked around, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

  The door led to a hall, and the hall led to a massive ballroom, or a greeting room where the king would address his subjects. It seemed untouched by the massacre that had destroyed the village around it, and a thin layer of dust had formed on the floor, covering the shine. The inside of the castle was unkempt but not worn. Taehyun wondered as the others did the same. He found himself in a room with countless books and a nice table with an unopened bottle of ink and a quill scattered haphazardly on the desk. In the centre was a leather bound book.

  Taehyun gently opened the pages, beginning in the middle of the book, on the last page of writing.

    The men of Eboncross will soon reach the kingdom. I find myself with no choice. Men are addicted to wealth. If they are going to massacre my people, I will die knowing that they did not get what they want. I will die knowing that they have to live with lives on their hands that were taken for no reason. As for the fortune, I have two layers of defence. My last line of defence is a spell that can only be undone by the rightful heir of Hellspost, and the first? Man may be addicted to gold, but dragons covet gold with a dark and fierce desire. Let's see how men fare against a creature with a stronger desire.

  Taehyun's eyes widened as he read the passage. He looked around him for any others to spread the news, and yet, the thought of a dragon made his voice catch in his throat. He ran from the room, finding himself in the entrance hall. He ran through hallways until he found himself greeted with the back of the rogue, in the threshold to another hall.

  "(Y/N) we have to leave! There is a dragon!" He gasped for breath as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "Yes," she began, eyes widened at the sight in front of her, a giant hall that typically would've been used for storing wealth, which instead, contained a dragon.

  Taehyun's breath caught in his throat once again. In a pure panic, he slipped his had from the rogues shoulder to her hand and pulled her from the threshold as the dragon inhaled a deep breath in its sleep, pausing for a single moment. The breath came out, sending a warm gust through the hall. It's eye twitched gently and as it opened, Taehyun sprung into action, running from the doorway as he pulled the rogue beside him.

  The floor shook and the castle groaned as the dragon stretched his tired limbs.

  "You cannot run. I can smell you." His words drew out like those of a serpent. His whispers were so deep and strong that they echoed through the halls.

  As (Y/N) and Taehyun entered the hall, the other three were there, their brows furrowed in confusion at the whisper that echoed through the halls.

  "We must leave!" Taehyun shouted at them as he bolted toward the exit with the rogue in tow.

  "Why? What's wrong?" Beomgyu asked, stepping forward as the floor rumbled, and then the castle lurched, bricks falling to the ground, a wall falling, shards of rock sent flying towards the company.

  "Dragon," HueningKai whispered in pure horror.