They stood in silence, ringed around the towering stone monolith. The structure exuded a malevolence that crawled beneath their skin. At first glance, the arch resembled an oversized doorway, but as the mist parted, it revealed something more unnatural—a vertical curtain of shimmering light. It flowed like a sheet of liquid glass, cascading down the frame with an eerie smoothness, never pooling at the base. The air around it buzzed faintly, like a taut string plucked by an unseen hand.

Paul broke the silence, his voice low. "That definitely looks like a portal to somewhere else."

Rachel took a half-step closer, eyes narrowing. "Yeah… and I don't like the looks of it. If we go through, can we even come back?"

Before anyone could respond, Nathan was already striding forward. "Let's go check it out at least," he called over his shoulder. "We won't learn anything standing around staring at it."

Rachel surged forward to catch up, muttering under her breath, "Something's going to eat him if he keeps this up." She didn't slow her pace, but her mind churned, already considering how to make the man understand that a bit of caution now might save them all later.

As the group approached, the sheer size of the portal became more apparent. What had appeared modest from afar now towered over them like a monument built by forgotten giants. The closer they drew, the heavier the air became—thick with pressure, weight, and wrongness. The mist that billowed upward from the base rolled outward across the glade, cold and unyielding, flowing like a tide down into the surrounding woods.

Rachel's breath caught. Every instinct screamed that this was a doorway into something unnatural—something that had no right bleeding into their world.

They halted within five meters of the archway. The silence was oppressive now. Whatever lay beyond wasn't just a source of the mist—it was the heart of it.

Evelyn's voice broke the stillness, her tone hushed. "Now what? We found it... what do we do with it?"

A chime sounded in Rachel's mind, a soft ding that cut through the fog like a bell in a storm. Her interface bloomed to life. A quest update pulsed at the top of her vision. Frowning, she opened it and read aloud, the words sharp in the heavy air.

Quest Update: Dominion of the Vale Eaters (Rare)

Goal: A gateway to the domain of the Vale Eaters has been found. The corruption spilling into this world is not born here—it is summoned. The rift must be sealed, and its masters destroyed. Enter the portal and hunt down the Vale Eater Sovereign, Shrithgath, Devourer of Light. End his dominion. Return with his head as proof of your victory."

Nathan let out a low whistle, still watching the tree line. "That's… quite a name."

Paul shifted his stance, eyes scanning the darkening forest. "Sounds like this guy isn't just the ringleader. He is the blight."

Rachel closed the interface and looked toward the portal, the cold mist wrapping around her boots. The path ahead had become clear. Once they stepped through, there would be no turning back. The only way forward now was in.

Evelyn's voice came out dry and tense. "Well… that's mildly terrifying."

Charles shifted beside her, eyeing the portal with a growing knot of unease. "Should we consider trying a different quest? This might be over our heads."

Nathan clapped a hand on Charles's shoulder with a grin too wide for the moment. "Nonsense, little buddy. Stick close to me—I've got this."

Rachel snorted, but her tone stayed even. "Charles isn't wrong to be cautious." She scanned the group, gauging their expressions. "That said, I think we're fine to at least scout ahead. We enter, get the lay of the land. If we're outmatched, we fall back, level up elsewhere, and try again. No one said we have to throw ourselves on the altar." She shrugged. "But this is a chance to test where we really stand."

"I'm alright with that," Diana said, her twin knives already back in their sheaths, eyes cool but steady.

Rachel looked around the circle. Most nodded in agreement, some more hesitantly than others. Evelyn and Charles were the only ones who didn't move. Rachel met their eyes. "Up to you two. No pressure. I won't force this."

Charles turned toward Evelyn, gently bumping her shoulder and squeezing her hand. "I got you, love. We'll be fine."

Evelyn still looked uncertain, but she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Okay. As long as we're not being foolhardy," she said, staring pointedly at Nathan. He just smiled and chuckled under his breath.

Rachel nodded. "Alright then. Same formation as before. Let's move."

They fell into place, boots crunching softly over the dead grass and bare dirt as they approached the portal. The closer they drew, the more their nerves twisted into tight coils in their stomachs. The surface of the gateway shimmered with that same rippling liquid sheen, now flickering more intensely as if aware of their intent.

One by one, they stepped through. Diana paused last, glancing back at the living forest beyond the glade before she vanished into the unknown.

On the other side, they emerged slowly, stepping into a wholly different world. The ground beneath their feet turned coarse and cracked, a dead expanse stretching out in every direction. They stood at the base of a jagged mountain slope, its peak obscured by rust-colored clouds that hung low and heavy.

The sky above burned with a dull, blood-tinged hue, casting a reddish pallor over the barren land. A hot, acrid wind surged toward them, sweeping dust and grit across their faces. It smelled faintly metallic, like scorched iron and something fouler underneath. They coughed, shielding their eyes, and instinctively moved to a sloping scree pile for cover.

Rachel led the way, but paused mid-stride as she looked back. Her face paled.

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The gateway behind them, once vibrant with swirling energy, now stood dark and lifeless—a hollow frame of stone with no portal in sight.

The others turned. Evelyn let out a sharp breath as a tear slipped down her cheek. Paul caught her hand and held it tightly. Nathan stared for a beat, then shrugged with a grunt.

"Well… that's not good," he said matter-of-factly. "But nothing to do about it now. We move forward."

Felicity and George were already scanning the distant horizon, bows low but ready, their movements efficient and composed.

Rachel watched them closely. They seemed unfazed, their expressions focused and steady. She took that as a small comfort.

"Alright, everyone, regroup," she called.

They gathered near the base of the slope, weapons held loosely, eyes tracking every corner of the bleak terrain.

Rachel pulled up her map. "Good news—the map still works. Should keep us from getting turned around."

She looked to the group. "Who sees anything?"

There was a pause before George spoke, his eyes squinting into the haze. "I think… I can make out a structure in the distance. Maybe a tower or a wall. Hard to say. It's far."

Rachel stepped beside him. "Can you point?"

George lifted his arm, angling it toward a jagged line on the horizon, about forty-five degrees off their current heading.

"There," he said. "Just beyond that ridge."

Rachel squinted into the distance, trying to pierce the haze that dulled the landscape, but she couldn't make out any clear features beyond the vague silhouette George had pointed toward. "It's as good a direction as any. Anyone got a better idea?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

"Alright then. Let's get moving—and stay close. We don't know what to expect out here, so be ready for anything."

The group fell back into formation, boots crunching over the parched ground as they marched across the wasteland. The reddish haze above gave everything an eerie hue, casting jagged shadows from the occasional stone outcropping. As they walked, the terrain gradually descended, obscuring their line of sight to the distant tower. They could only catch a fleeting glimpse of their destination when they crested small hills or traversed flatter stretches.

The first signs of danger appeared during one such cresting. As they topped a low rise, the valley below came into view—and with it, movement.

Rachel's eyes narrowed. Four shapes crouched in the shallow basin below, their hulking forms snapping into alertness as the group came into sight. The creatures raised their heads in unison, ears twitching, nostrils flaring.

"Shit," Rachel muttered. "Form up! Archers, take shots if they start charging!"

The beasts were monstrous—each stood at least four feet tall at the shoulder, their skin a warped blend of crimson and charred black. Their bodies were lean but muscular, and their elongated snouts split into rows of jagged teeth. Glowing red eyes locked onto the team. Then, without hesitation, they charged.

A chorus of piercing howls erupted from the hounds as they bounded up the slope, claws gouging into the earth. The sound made Rachel's blood run cold, but she took solace that no answering cries echoed back.

"Now!" Rachel called.

Felicity loosed first, her arrow striking the lead hound in the shoulder with a dull thud. George followed with an arrow pulsing with mana—his projectile struck the second beast and exploded on impact, flinging it off-balance.

"Hold the line!" Paul shouted, stepping in front of Evelyn as he drew his sabre.

The first hound leapt, and Charles met it mid-air with a braced shield. The beast's weight drove him back a step, but he twisted and stabbed, burying his short sword into its ribs. Blood hissed like acid as it hit the ground.

Nathan barreled into another with a roar, his axe cleaving down hard enough to crack bone. But the creature lashed out with a clawed paw, raking across Nathan's ribs. He grunted and staggered, but didn't fall.

Diana dashed past Rachel, twin knives flashing as she harried the hind legs of a third hound, keeping it off-balance. Rachel moved to cover Paul's flank, parrying a lunging strike from the fourth beast and jamming her shield into its throat.

It was chaos—howls, shouts, the ring of metal, and the hiss of corrupted blood. The ground became a churned mess of ash and ichor.

Finally, with a savage yell, Nathan brought his axe down one last time, cleaving through the spine of the beast in front of him. Charles collapsed to one knee, having driven his blade into the skull of the hound that had pinned him.

Rachel stood over the fourth corpse, chest heaving.

"We got them," she said, more to steady herself than to announce the win.

But the victory came at a cost.

Nathan leaned heavily on his axe, blood soaking the side of his tunic. Charles clutched his shield arm, now slick with red. Evelyn was already moving, dropping to her knees beside Nathan.

"Hold still," she said, voice tight with concentration.

She placed her hands on his wound, but her brow furrowed. "The magic's… slow. It's like the air's resisting me even more than on the other side."

Rachel crouched beside Charles, hand on his shoulder. "Can you fix it?"

Evelyn didn't answer at first, pouring more mana into the healing spell. Sweat beaded her forehead. Slowly, the wounds began to close, but at a sluggish pace compared to what they were used to.

"It's working," she said finally. "Just… not easily. Something in this place is pushing back."

Rachel stood and scanned the bleak horizon. "Then we'll have to be smarter. Conserve what we can and fight when we must. We push forward, but we do it knowing this place wants us dead."

Four more battles followed as they carved a careful path through the oppressive landscape. Each fight was a brutal exchange—tight formations, coordinated attacks, and hard-won victories. The enemies varied in form, but the constant was their aggression and the toll they took on the group. One encounter had them ambushed by creatures that resembled skeletal vultures, diving from above in flurries of bone and claws. Another fight saw them encircled by humanoid wretches with elongated limbs and flesh like stretched wax, their shrieks cutting through the haze.

Though the team had grown sharper with each skirmish, the strain was evident. They bore cuts, bruises, and exhaustion in equal measure. Still, each kill brought progress. Every one of them had leveled at least twice by the time they neared the ruined outskirts of what looked like a city. Evelyn had hit her next level during the last engagement and immediately dumped her new stat points into Willpower and Intelligence. The effect was immediate—greater mana reserves and faster regeneration, which brought a much-needed edge to her healing.

Nathan had reached level five first and had not let anyone forget it.

Crouched behind a rocky ridge overlooking the city, they took stock. Crumbled buildings stretched in a jagged sprawl, old stone and half-buried rubble making up the skeleton of a forgotten civilization. The remnants of walls hinted at what had once been formidable defenses, now barely standing above the wind-carved earth.Barely visible against the wind-carved earth, the remnants of walls suggested a past of formidable defenses.

"We need to take this slow," Rachel said, eyes scanning the ruined skyline. "We don't know what's in there, but I doubt it's anything friendly."

Nathan nodded, his expression serious for once. "Safe to assume whatever's left here isn't going to welcome us with open arms. Walls are mostly rubble, though. That could work in our favor."

Paul pointed toward a structure slightly more intact than the rest. "That one's still standing. Looks like it has most of its walls. I say we make for that. Take the city one building at a time until we've got a better grasp of what we're dealing with."

"Agreed," Rachel said. "Nathan, Charles, and I will take point. Everyone else hold at the wall until we give the signal. Stay sharp."

With a nod from each of them, the three broke off from the group and crossed the gap, keeping low and moving fast. Dirt and ash kicked up underfoot as they sprinted across the open space, boots landing on stone as they entered the shadow of the standing building.

Rachel halted just inside the threshold—and froze.

Three skeletons waited within, animated by dark energy. Their bones were blackened, and their joints were wrapped in sinew that pulsed faintly. They turned at the sound, empty sockets locking onto the intruders.

Nathan skidded to a stop next to her, eyes wide. "What the shit. Fucking skeletons."

He didn't wait for an answer. With a bellow, he swung his axe in a wide arc, and the battle was on.

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