The group was dragged along in a state of exhaustion, their wounds not yet healed. The forest path led them, staggering, into a village beneath a colossal tree. Tribesmen closed in, torchlight flickering across the crimson markings painted on their faces. Murmurs rippled through the crowd—some suspicious, some furious, some mocking.
An old woman with silver hair struck her cane against the ground with a thud. Her voice was hoarse yet sharp:
"They reek of beast blood. These outsiders are a bad omen!"
Children jeered and hurled stones. Senmi lowered her head, biting her lip in silence. Renar gripped Kael's hand tightly, too afraid to resist.
A burly warrior strode forward, snatching Kael's sword and raising it high:
"Outsiders' weapons! They came to kill us!"
Kael moved to reclaim it, but spearpoints immediately pressed against his throat. Senki hastily raised a thin barrier, but a village shaman scattered it apart with a puff of enchanted powder.
Sill quickly held up the translation gem, shouting desperately:
"We mean no harm! We only… want to survive!"
But the villagers would not listen. Their shouts rose into a frenzy:
"Kill them!" — "Offer them to the gods!" — "Outsiders must not live!"
Just as chaos was about to erupt, a deep voice rumbled from the base of the great tree:
"Silence!"
The plaza fell still. From the shadows stepped a towering man, his face covered in red markings, eyes cold as steel. He was the chieftain.
He spoke slowly, voice resonant:
"You trespassed upon sacred ground and stirred the wrath of beasts. That is a crime worthy of death. Yet… the law of the forest is fair. Before you are judged, you shall have one chance."
He raised his hand, pointing at Sivall.
"This outsider… will fight in single combat. If he wins, you will be acknowledged. If he loses, all of you will be sacrificed."
Sill's face went pale.
"No! He's still injured!"
Sivall placed a calm hand on her shoulder.
"If I don't stand now… we will all die here."
He stepped into the plaza. His opponent, a hulking tribesman covered in blazing red tattoos, eyes burning like fire, advanced with a roar. The crowd erupted, drums thundered, and the duel began.
The warrior lunged like a beast, fist slamming into the ground—BOOM!—splintering earth and spraying dirt. Sivall dodged, but the shockwave still knocked him back. He countered with a slash, but the blade barely left a shallow wound on flesh as tough as stone.
The tribesman sneered, spinning a kick—CRACK!—Sivall was hurled to the ground, blood trickling from his lips.
"Brother!" Sill screamed, breaking free of Senki, but Kael grabbed her, holding her back.
Sivall forced himself upright, sword trembling in his grip, breath ragged. Determination burned in his eyes. As his foe lunged again, he roared, and power surged from within.
Thunder cracked. Lightning wrapped around him, his sword blazing like a blade of storm.
"I won't fall that easily!"
He charged, moving faster than sight. One thunderous strike—BOOM!—sent the warrior flying, collapsing unconscious.
The plaza froze in silence. Then the chieftain stepped forward, raising his hand.
"Outsider… you are strong. You are acknowledged."
The village erupted in cheers.
That night, a feast was held. Roasted game sizzled, rice wine flowed, and forest fruits filled the tables. For the first time in days, the adventurers laughed and ate alongside the villagers.
During the revelry, Sill approached the chieftain, voice hesitant:
"Please… tell us about the pit."
The chieftain's face darkened as he spoke slowly:
"The pit devours even light. I once descended to its deepest point… where colossal mushrooms glowed with ghostly violet light. Below that lay a forest of moving stone. And deeper still… shadows that no mortal eye dares look upon. None who went further… ever returned."
The group fell silent, but resolve flickered in their eyes.
That night, Kael found Senmi sitting at the forest's edge, hugging her knees, tears streaming down.
"If not for me… Layla wouldn't have died…"
Kael sat beside her, voice low and steady:
"In the dungeon, death is always near. Don't carry the blame alone. If you want Layla's death to mean something… then be strong, protect the ones still here."
Senmi sobbed, then leaned against his shoulder. Kael gently stroked her hair, eyes fixed on the darkness.
"Tomorrow… I won't let anyone else be lost."
At dawn, with mist still clinging to the trees, the villagers gathered to see them off, offering bundles of herbs and a final warning:
"Down there… you will face the heart of darkness itself. Steel yourselves."
Renar gripped his sword tightly. Kael placed a hand on his shoulder, voice firm:
"Let's go. Layla won't return… but for her sake, we'll move forward."
They stepped to the edge of the yawning pit, fog swirling like a devouring maw. Thus, their journey deeper began.
For several days, the path was eerily calm. Wounds healed, mana reserves recovered, and the forest seemed quiet—too quiet. Only the wind whispered through the trees, broken now and then by flocks of black birds crying as they vanished into the sky.
Then one afternoon, the path was cut off by a wide river. The current raged, froth churning like the fangs of a beast, roaring thunderously.
Kael frowned.
"No bridge… and with a current this strong, swimming is suicide."
Senki studied the torrent and nodded.
"We'll pair up. Those with more mana left will use flight magic to carry the others across. It will cost us, but it's safer."
The group agreed. One by one they rose above the torrent, wind shrieking in their ears, spray lashing their faces, until Renar clung to Kael's arm and they landed safely on the far bank.
But what awaited stole their breath.
Before them loomed a cliff, three to four hundred meters high, its base shrouded in mist. Beneath stretched a vast fungal forest—giant mushrooms like towers, their caps glowing faint violet in the gloom. The air reeked of mold and poison.
Renar swallowed hard.
"That… must be what the chieftain spoke of."
But before they could discuss further, Sill pointed with a trembling finger.
"Look… firelight!"
A flickering campfire burned below. Hope stirred—survivors?
Yet as they peered closer, hope curdled into horror. Around the flames lay scattered corpses, blood soaking the ground. Hunched over them, gnawing bones with grotesque crunches, was a pack of green-skinned goblins. Their yellow eyes gleamed, their mouths stretched wide as they laughed hideously between bites.
Senmi clapped her hands over her mouth, tears brimming. Kael's jaw clenched, hand gripping his sword until his knuckles whitened.
"Bastards…" he growled.
No more words were needed. Rage and disgust surged through them all. Blades and spells lit the darkness—ready for battle