The Lazy Chronicles: Apartment of the Apocalypse-Chapter 114 - 115 – The Price of a Hero

The silence in the Oracle’s chamber was suffocating. Rusted gears still trembled in the wake of its final words, and a faint hum of dying energy filled the air.

Mallory stood at the center, gripping the key like a lifeline.

"We’re opening the gate," she repeated.

Greg threw up his hands. "Oh, sure! Let’s go ahead and ignore the creepy robot’s very clear warning!"

Elara crossed her arms. "You want to just leave it and hope the problem solves itself?"

Greg scowled. "Yes! That is exactly what I want to do! Or at least let someone else handle it!"

Quinn smirked. "Who, exactly? The underground mushroom cultists? The ones who worship Blinky?"

Greg groaned and slumped against the wall. "Fine. But if we all die, I will haunt you."

Mallory turned back to the Oracle’s inert form. It had shut down entirely, its eyes dim, its body locked in place as if waiting for time itself to finish corroding it. There were no more answers here.

She tightened her grip on the key. "Let’s move."

The moment they stepped back through the passage, the cultists were waiting.

The Keepers’ Farewell

The robed figures lined the tunnel, their skeletal masks unreadable. The leader stepped forward, hands clasped.

"The Oracle has spoken?" he asked.

Mallory nodded. "It confirmed the danger. But we need to see this through."

The leader inclined his head. "Then you will have our blessing."

Greg muttered, "Oh, great, we’re officially cult-approved."

The leader ignored him and produced a small obsidian amulet. The carvings on its surface pulsed faintly with red light.

"Take this. It is an artifact of the Forgotten Gate. It may aid you... or it may curse you. The gate does not tolerate half-measures."

Mallory took the amulet hesitantly. The moment her fingers closed around it, a strange heat ran up her arm. Not painful, but... aware.

She shoved it into her satchel before Greg could start panicking again.

The leader stepped back. "Your path is your own now. May the Devourer guide you."

Blinky burbled in response.

The cultists bowed deeply.

Greg whispered, "I still don’t trust them."

Quinn smirked. "Don’t worry, Steve, you don’t have to."

With that, they left the underground ruins behind, climbing out of the sinkhole and stepping once more into the Screaming Wastes.

The Forgotten Gate’s Location

The wasteland was as miserable as before.

The sandstorms howled. The vulture-creatures still wailed like tortured opera singers.

Greg shoved wax plugs into his ears and grumbled, "I hate this desert. I hate this entire trip. I hate my life."

Mallory ignored him, unfolding the Oracle’s map—a rusted metal sheet covered in glowing inscriptions. The coordinates were burned into the surface, pointing them toward the Forgotten Gate’s resting place.

It was far—beyond the wastes, through the shattered ruins of an old empire, deep within the Valley of Silence.

Alex frowned as he studied the map. "That place is a death trap."

Quinn arched a brow. "You’ve been there?"

"Once," Alex said. "Didn’t stay long. The dead don’t rest there."

Greg groaned. "Fantastic. Now we get zombies too."

Mallory rolled up the map. "Then we’d better be ready for anything."

With that, they began the long march toward the Valley of Silence.

Arrival at the Valley

The trek took days.

They fought off bandits. They avoided the worst of the sandstorms. They even ran into a wandering merchant, who happily sold Greg a new pair of boots after his last pair disintegrated.

But eventually, the desert ended, and they reached the Valley.

The change in atmosphere was immediate.

The howling winds stopped.

The air was too still, like a world caught between moments.

And before them, stretching far into the distance, lay the Valley of Silence.

Ruined towers jutted from the earth, their foundations cracked and crumbling. Statues of forgotten kings stood watch over the path, their expressions worn down by time.

And at the very center, at the far end of the valley, stood a massive black gate.

The Forgotten Gate.

Greg inhaled sharply. "That’s... bigger than I expected."

Mallory stepped forward, her boots crunching against brittle stone. The air hummed with power, ancient and waiting.

The key in her hand warmed.

Quinn unsheathed his sword. "No welcoming party?"

Alex scanned the ruins. "Something’s watching us."

Elara pulled out her crossbow. "Then let’s not give it the chance to strike first."

Mallory took another step—

The valley trembled.

From the shadows of the ruins, they emerged.

Tall, skeletal figures in decayed armor. Their empty eyes burned with cold blue fire.

The Gatekeepers.

Greg paled. "I KNEW IT! ZOMBIES!"

The lead Gatekeeper raised a rusted blade and spoke in a voice like grinding stone.

"Who seeks the gate?"

Mallory met his gaze and lifted the key. "I do."

The undead warriors shifted. Their hollow eyes flickered with something... almost like recognition.

"...Then prove yourself."

And with that, the Guardians of the Forgotten Gate attacked.

Battle for the Key

The first wave hit hard.

Mallory barely dodged as a massive sword came crashing down, splitting the ground where she stood.

Quinn rolled beneath another strike, slashing upward, his blade slicing through ancient armor. The Gatekeeper didn’t even flinch.

Elara fired a bolt straight through a skull—only for the undead warrior to keep moving, unfazed.

Greg, in full panic mode, shouted, "WHY WON’T THEY DIE?" freewebnøvel_com

Alex deflected a blow, his movements precise and fluid. "They’re already dead. We need to break them."

Mallory gritted her teeth. The key pulsed in her grip.

She could feel the energy of the gate, feel the way it called to her.

And suddenly, she knew what to do.

"Cover me!" she shouted.

She ran straight for the gate.

Blinky, sensing her intent, launched itself forward, colliding into a Gatekeeper and absorbing part of its rotting armor. The undead staggered, momentarily disoriented.

Greg, to his credit, hurled a bottle of mystery fire potion at the largest Gatekeeper. It exploded spectacularly, setting the warrior ablaze.

"YES!" Greg whooped. "BURN, YOU UNDEAD NIGHTMARE!"

Mallory didn’t stop.

The Gatekeepers surged toward her—

But the moment her hand touched the gate—

The world stopped.

The Guardians froze in place.

The valley turned silent once more.

And then, a voice—deep, ancient, and echoing from beyond the gate—whispered:

"The price must be paid."

Mallory’s breath caught.

The key in her hand melted into light, sinking into the gate’s surface.

The stone trembled.

And then, slowly, the gate began to open.

What Lies Beyond

The others reached her side just as the black stone doors parted, revealing...

Nothing.

A void.

An endless, swirling abyss of shifting darkness.

Greg stared. "Nope. Absolutely not. That’s the most cursed thing I’ve ever seen."

Mallory swallowed hard. "We don’t have a choice."

Elara studied the abyss carefully. "It’s not just darkness. It’s a threshold."

Alex nodded. "A portal."

Quinn flexed his grip on his sword. "Only one way to find out where it leads."

Mallory took a breath.

Then she stepped forward.

The darkness swallowed her whole.

And the others followed.

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on fr(e)𝒆webnov(e)l.com