The moment they stepped into the portal, the world around them twisted.
The hall melted into color—dark greens, moss, and the wet rot of an overgrown forest.
Air that had been sterile seconds ago now reeked of mud. The kind of iron that only came from blood.
Branches bent low overhead, knotted together so tightly they strangled out the light. What little sun managed to bleed through painted everything in a sickly, green haze.
The six of them materialized in a clearing and for a few seconds, nobody said anything. Just the low hum of the teleportation ring fading out, the stillness of an untouched place waiting to be disturbed.
Then—
"Portal Trial, Phase Two: Subjugation," a voice crackled from the broken drone hovering nearby. The screen blinked twice before the static devoured it. "Target species: Goblin clan. Estimated numbers—"
The voice died before it finished. The drone twitched, sparked, and went dead completely.
