The skies over El Queen darkened unnaturally, casting a grim pallor over the once gleaming towers of the capital city. A cold wind howled through the narrow streets, twisting banners and chilling every player to the bone. El Queen, the heart of Valoria, had never seen such chaos. Players darted through the streets in confusion, their shouts for healing and regrouping drowned by the menacing screeches of the creatures that had emerged from the shadows.
Arcodia stood frozen, her eyes wide as she watched shadowy forms slither out of the cracks in the cobblestone streets. They weren't like any creatures she had seen before, faceless beings, formed entirely of darkness, with tendrils that stretched and snapped like whips, attacking anything that moved.
"They weren't here when we logged out last night..." Arcodia muttered, her voice barely above a whisper, gripping her staff tightly.
"Hey! Focus up, Arc!" Kellan's booming voice cut through the din of panic. The warrior was already charging into the fray, his sword glowing as he swung wildly at a nearby shadow beast. He barely missed a swipe from its black tendrils. "These things aren't going to kill themselves!"
Kellan's bravado was unmistakable, as usual, but this time there was something more, a thrill in his eyes that belied the seriousness of the situation. To him, every fight was just another opportunity to prove his might.
Arcodia hesitated. "We don't know what we're up against! There's something wrong with the game, Eldrin's message, the glitches."
"Not the time!" Kellan grinned, slashing through another creature. "It's just a big quest with more XP. Don't be a wuss."
Just then, Zenny materialized beside Arcodia, her expression calm but intense. The mage's staff glowed faintly with a violet aura, and her movements were sharp and calculated, unlike Kellan's reckless abandon. "We need to work together," she said, her voice low but commanding. "These aren't normal mobs. They're something else."
Thorn appeared next, seemingly out of nowhere, a dagger twirling between his fingers. "Shadow creatures? That's new. Fun." His mischievous smirk remained, but Arcodia could see the tension in his posture. "Too bad there's no loot for these things."
Arcodia felt the weight of their stares. She was new here, still unsure of her place in the group and still trying to understand this strange world. But the city was falling apart around them, and people were counting on each other, just like in any game. She straightened her back.
"Fine," she said, tightening her grip on her staff. "Let's do this. But we need a plan."
Kellan scoffed, still caught in the rush of combat. "Plans are for cowards. I say we charge in, cut them down!"
Before he could finish, one of the shadow creatures lunged toward him, its tendrils wrapping around his arm at lightning speed. Kellan's face twisted in surprise as he struggled against the dark tendrils. "Damn thing, get off me!"
"See? That is why we need a plan," Zenny said dryly, pointing her staff toward the creature. "Hold still."
A burst of arcane energy shot from her staff, searing the tendrils and forcing the creature to release Kellan, who stumbled back, glaring at the now dissipating shadow.
"Fine," Kellan grunted, brushing himself off. "I'm listening."
Arcodia nodded, scanning the battlefield. Players and NPC's alike were scattered, fending off the shadow creatures, but there was no unity, no strategy. "We needed to find where they were coming from. Zenny, can you track their origin? Maybe you find a weakness?"
Zenny's eyes gleamed behind her hood. "Already on it."
"Thorn, think you can scout ahead without getting yourself killed?" Arcodia added, her voice laced with uncertainty. She still wasn't sure how much to trust him. Thorn had a habit of disappearing when things got too dangerous.
Thorn gave a mock salute, his grin returning. "Scouting's my middle name, sweetheart."
As Thorn darted into the shadows, Arcodia glanced at Kellan. "We'll hold the line here until he finds something."
Kellan snorted. "Hold the line? You sound like an NPC."
Arcodia shot him a look. "And you sound like someone who got grabbed by a shadow monster."
Kellan opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Thorn's voice crackled through the party chat. "Got something. The north side of the city looks like a portal. They're coming through it."
"A portal?" Arcodia exchanged a glance with Zenny. "That's not in any of the quest lines. Zenny, is that part of the game?"
Zenny's lips pressed into a thin line. "No. This is something... different."
"Well, that's our target," Kellan said, already moving. "Let's go shut it down."
Arcodia hesitated for just a moment longer, the weight of Eldrin's warning sitting heavy in her mind. Something dark was manipulating the game. Was this it? Or was it just the beginning?
With no time to dwell on it, Arcodia gripped her staff and followed Kellan and Zenny toward the portal. This was no ordinary fight, it felt like something far greater was at stake. As they ran through the crumbling streets, the shadow creatures seemed endless, but for the first time, Arcodia felt something different in her heart: determination.
They had been thrown together by chance, but this—this felt like the beginning of something much bigger. A team. A real adventure.
"Let's do this," Arcodia said to herself as they neared the portal.
And for the first time since entering Valoria, she felt ready.
As the group approached the northern edge of El Queen, the towering buildings gave way to crumbled ruins, and the air grew thick with a strange, oppressive energy. The closer they got to the portal, the more distorted the world seemed—buildings flickered in and out of existence, and the ground beneath their feet felt unstable, as though reality itself was warping.
"There it is," Thorn whispered, crouching low behind a half-destroyed stone wall.
Arcodia followed his gaze. Ahead of them, the swirling mass of shadows hovered in midair like a storm waiting to unleash its fury. It crackled with dark energy, twisting and writhing as more shadow creatures spilled out, slithering toward the city. Their numbers were increasing by the minute.
Zenny stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "It's a rift. Not a normal portal, this is different. It's feeding off the chaos."
Kellan cracked his knuckles, unfazed by the ominous sight. "Good. That means we smash it."
Arcodia shot him a doubtful look. "Smash it? It's not a vase, Kellan. We need to think this through."
But Kellan was already unsheathing his sword, ready to charge. Before he could take a step, Zenny raised her hand and a wall of shimmering energy blocked his path.
"Hold on, meathead," Zenny said, her voice calm but stern. "You charge in there without a plan, and we're all dead. This isn't some regular raid boss. The rift is drawing power from the city's energy. If we go in unprepared, we will feed it."
Kellan huffed, pacing in frustration, but he didn't argue. "Fine. What's the plan, then?"
Arcodia looked around. The rift was the source of the problem, but taking it down wouldn't be as simple as Kellan hoped. Zenny was right, they needed strategy. The shadow creatures were still pouring out, each one more grotesque than the last. Their movements were erratic, almost as if something or someone was controlling them.
Thorn leaned in, his eyes darting around. "We'll need to cut off its supply. If Zenny's right and this thing is feeding off the city's energy, we can't let it keep growing."
Zenny nodded, already piecing together a plan. "There are ley lines running under the city of magical currents that power everything in Valoria, from the NPC's to the quests. The rift is tapping into them, but if we sever the connection…"
Arcodia caught on. "Then we starved it of its power."
"Exactly," Zenny replied. "But there's a catch. The ley lines are hidden, and they run deep. Thorn, you'll need to scout the area and mark where they converge."
Thorn gave her a playful salute. "Scout, mark, maybe dodging a few shadow creatures is a piece of cake."
Arcodia felt a growing sense of urgency. "What about us?"
Zenny glanced at the rift, her face growing more serious. "Kellan and I will draw their attention. Arcodia, you're on support. Keep us healed and protected while we hold them off."
Kellan's grin returned. "Finally, something I'm good at. Let's crush these things."
Arcodia took a deep breath, her heart pounding. She wasn't sure if they were truly ready for this, but there was no time for doubt. The city was counting on them, and so was everyone trapped in this glitch-filled world.
"All right," Arcodia said, steeling herself. "Let's go."
The battle began in a whirlwind of chaos. As soon as Zenny unleashed her first wave of spells, the shadow creatures responded like a hive disturbed, surging toward them with renewed aggression. Kellan was in his element, swinging his blade with reckless abandon, his roars of triumph echoing through the air as he cleaved through the darkness.
"Come on!" Kellan yelled, dodging a tendril aimed at his chest. "You think this is scary? I've seen scarier at level five!"
Arcodia struggled to keep up, her staff glowing as she cast rapid bursts of healing magic toward Kellan and Zenny. "Stay focused!" she shouted. "We can't afford to get overwhelmed!"
Zenny was calm and composed, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as arcane energy swirled around her. "Keep them at bay. I'll weaken the rift's connection."
While the others fought off the seemingly endless wave of creatures, Thorn darted in and out of the shadows, marking spots on the ground with quick strikes of his dagger. He moved like a shadow himself, slipping through the chaos unnoticed, his eyes focused on the ley lines pulsing faintly beneath the surface.
"I've got three points marked," Thorn called out through the party chat. "Almost done."
Arcodia glanced at the rift, it was still pulsing, still feeding, but it seemed slower now, more sluggish. They were making progress, but it wasn't enough. "Thorn, hurry!"
"On it," Thorn replied, his tone unusually serious.
Suddenly, a deep rumble shook the ground beneath them. Arcodia staggered, nearly losing her balance as a new wave of shadow creatures erupted from the rift, larger and more fearsome than before. Their eyes, if they had eyes and seemed to glow with malevolent intent, and they moved with a deadly purpose, converging on Kellan and Zenny.
"Kellan, watch out!" Arcodia shouted, but it was too late. One of the larger creatures lashed out, its tendrils wrapping around Kellan's leg, pulling him off his feet.
"Damn it!" Kellan cursed, swinging wildly as the creature dragged him toward the rift. "A little help here?"
Zenny reacted instantly, unleashing a blast of pure energy that struck the creature square in the chest, but it barely flinched. "It's too strong! We need to disrupt the ley lines now!"
Arcodia's heart raced as she saw Kellan being dragged closer to the swirling mass. If he went in there, there was no telling what would happen. Thorn's voice cut through the panic.
"All points marked! Do it now!"
Zenny's eyes gleamed with determination. "Arcodia, focus your power on me. We're going to sever the lines in one strike."
Arcodia didn't hesitate. She raised her staff, channeling every ounce of magic she had into Zenny, her hands trembling from the intensity. Zenny's form lit up with a brilliant light, her power surging as she gathered the energy of the ley lines around them.
"Now!" Zenny cried, thrusting her staff into the ground.
A shockwave of magical energy rippled outward, crackling along the ley lines and severing their connection to the rift. The creatures shrieked, their forms disintegrating into the air as the rift itself began to collapse in on itself, its swirling darkness dissipating like smoke.
For a moment, the world stood still. The shadows were gone. The rift was closed.
Arcodia let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, her legs shaking from the effort. Kellan, freed from the creature's grasp, stood and dusted himself off, grinning like he'd won a tournament.
"Well," he said, sheathing his sword. "That was fun."
Zenny shot him a look. "Fun? We almost died."
Kellan shrugged. "Still here, aren't we?"
Thorn reappeared at Arcodia's side, smirking. "I don't know. That wasn't so bad. Maybe we should do this more often."
Arcodia shook her head, but she couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "Let's hope we don't have to."
As they stood amidst the ruins of El Queen, the city slowly returning to normal, Arcodia felt a strange sense of calm. They had won this battle, but something told her this was only the beginning.
The shadows had been unleashed, and the real threat was still out there; waiting.