Inside the Maw
The descent was wrong.
Not in the way a ruined tunnel felt unstable, or how an ancient battlefield carried the weight of old violence.
No, this was deeper than that.
The walls around them weren't stone anymore. They were smooth, dark, pulsing faintly with unseen motion. The deeper they climbed, the more it felt like the passage itself was alive.
The air thickened—not just with the stench of rot, but with something deeper. Something that wasn't just old, but awake.
The heartbeat grew stronger.
Not fast. Not urgent.
Slow. Measured. Waiting.
The Ritual Chamber – The Last Binding
They reached the bottom of the pit.
And there it was.
A vast, circular chamber of impossible scale, where the walls stretched too far to be natural. The space felt constructed, yet organic, like it had formed from something growing rather than being built.
But what caught their attention wasn't the size.
It was the Vairlith.
They stood in a perfect circle, kneeling, their hands outstretched over a massive blackened surface. At first, it looked like a platform—smooth, jagged with cracks, covered in glowing runes.
Then it moved.
And they realized—
It wasn't a platform.
It was a limb.
A massive, clawed hand, bound in thick, rusted chains, half-buried in the cavern floor. The same chains that lined the pit above.
But one was already broken.
And now, the Vairlith were breaking the last one.
Vorr'gol's Return
The Vairlith chanted.
Not in words. In a name.
"Vorr'gol. Vorr'gol. Vorr'gol."
The sound filled the air, crawling into their bones, vibrating through the cavern like a physical presence.
Mira stiffened. "That's… that's a name."
Tomas's grip on his sword tightened. "That's its name."
The runes on the limb pulsed.
The ground trembled.
And then—
The System Notification – Dungeon Boss Discovered
A chime echoed through the cavern.
Danger!
You have discovered the Dungeon Boss.Wealth and glory await the brave!
Beat of silence.
Beren's face twisted in sheer disbelief.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Tomas ran a hand down his face. "Not the time, system."
Leila let out a frustrated groan. "Oh, fantastic. So now we have to fight it."
Mira threw up her hands. "No one is getting 'wealth' out of this!"
Arlan wasn't listening.
He was watching the claw.
Because at that moment—
It moved.
The Vairlith's Final Act – The Sacrifice
The Vairlith leader stepped forward.
It wasn't trying to escape.
It knelt before the claw, arms raised.
Another Vairlith was already positioned before it—kneeling, still, silent.
A willing offering.
The leader's blade glinted.
And as the ritual reached its final moment—
The dagger plunged downward.
The final chain shattered.
Vorr'gol Awakens
The entire cavern shook violently.
The claw flexed, cracking through the stone, its movements slow, deliberate, unnatural.
A horrible, shuddering inhale filled the space.
Not a sound.
A presence.
It didn't roar. It didn't thrash.
It examined.
Something enormous and unseen was shifting in the darkness beyond their sight.
And then—
Vorr'gol spoke.
"You… are not Ogryn."
The words weren't spoken aloud.
They vibrated inside their minds.
"You… are not Vairlith."
Silence.
A slow, patient curiosity.
"Then… what are you?"
Arlan's breath caught in his throat.
The hunger in those words wasn't rage.
It was consideration.
Vorr'gol wasn't just waking up.
It was deciding if it wanted them.
The Final Choice – Fight or Flee?
Tomas gritted his teeth. "We need to stop this now."
Beren lifted his axe. "Then let's stop standing around and start smashing things."
Leila's hands trembled on her bowstring. "Tomas. If it fully wakes up—"
Tomas didn't let her finish.
He took a step forward, his sword glowing faintly as he raised it.
Mira clenched her fists. "Tell me we actually have a plan."
Tomas exhaled.
"We kill the Vairlith before they finish whatever comes next."
The cavern shuddered again.
The claw twitched, rising higher.
And Vorr'gol's voice rumbled through their bones once more.
"I remember… hunger."