"Hurry up, or this shortcut's just a risky waste of time!" shouted RangerDanger, an unnaturally tall, elven male as he glanced back at his struggling companion.
Behind him, Fayne—a petite human woman—muttered a few colorful complaints under her breath, pushing her much shorter legs to keep up. "You're practically built for speed and dexterity, plus you maxed out your height to match your ego.""Shouldn't have picked a healer," he teased, quickening his pace and leaving her further behind. "Try to keep up!" His laughter echoed as he disappeared up the trail."Jerk," Fayne grumbled between gasps, trying desperately not to lose sight of him. "Try not to get yourself killed before I catch up!" knowing her warning was lost on him.Fayne pushed herself to her limits, but eventually, her stamina drained, forcing her to slow to a stumbling walk, leaning heavily on her holy staff. Words of frustration lingered on her tongue, but she was too winded to utter them. After what felt like an eternity of grueling steps, she finally spotted Ranger lounging comfortably on a sunlit rock, possibly asleep.Suppressing her urge to shout obscenities, she steadied her breathing and crept up quietly, realizing nearly too late that her shadow was casting toward him. She sidestepped, positioning herself carefully before raising her staff above her head, ready to exact a little revenge.Just as she swung, Ranger's hand shot up and caught her staff, his eyes snapping open as he shouted, "Boo!" The surprise sent Fayne stumbling back onto her rear, her face flushing as his laughter filled the air.Recovering her composure, Fayne got up, cheeks rosy, and jabbed him in the ribs with her staff while his laughter left him too breathless to dodge."Oof!" he grunted, clutching his side, still laughing despite the new pain. "Oh god, it hurts to laugh now," he wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes. After a final chuckle, he looked up at her with a grin. "Did you forget? My new skill warns me about rookie-level sneak attacks.""Ugh," Fayne groaned, recalling how he'd just leveled up and bragged about his new ability. She huffed, "Whatever, move over. I need a break." As he scooted aside, she plopped down next to him, the full weight of her exhaustion settling in. She tilted her head back, letting her gaze drift up to the sky."Don't take too long, though," Ranger chimed, glancing around. "With the time we saved, I doubt anyone'll beat us to the next zone. All-you-can-farm buffet, here we come!" He scanned their surroundings, shading his eyes against the sun. "Wonder why the NPCs kept warning us about this area, though. It's been a total breeze."Fayne sighed deeply. "In response to everything you just said," she murmured, "I'm… too tired." She rolled over, putting her back to him, hoping he'd take the hint."Fine, fine," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You know the way if you want to meet me there, right?" he teased, backing up with a smirk when Fayne sat up, eyes flaring with annoyance.Trying to change the subject before she could launch another verbal assault, Ranger pointed toward a cave entrance off in the distance. "Hey, look! That cave might have some sweet loot in it."Fayne followed his gaze, her exasperation turning to suspicion. "I don't know... maybe that's why they warned us?""Relax" Ranger flashed a confident grin. "You can finish resting while we take a quick peek. No fighting, just scouting. If there's anything nasty, I'll lay down some traps, and we'll bolt. Treasure this early in the game is going to seriously boost us up beyond the others." He kept his more reckless thoughts to himself, knowing they'd probably spark an argument.Fayne had heard about the recent increase in random loot drops, and after hearing friends verify it, she was intrigued, despite her better judgment."Alright," she sighed, "I'll go with you and keep you alive on one condition." She paused, waiting for a protest. When none came, she continued, "We keep the pace reasonable. I'm not about to crawl into town drenched in sweat.""Fiiiine," he drawled, rolling his eyes as he feigned reluctance, though a smirk betrayed his excitement. "Let's go."They made their way to the cave entrance, reaching it within ten minutes. A strange, sickly-sweet smell drifted from within, not unpleasant but certainly unusual. Fayne offered a quick prayer to her deity while Ranger rummaged through his pack for an unlit torch."Care to give this the ol' holy fire treatment?" he joked, holding the torch out to her."There's a tinderbox in your bag. Light it yourself. I might need my magic for actual healing, thank you very much.""Party pooper," he mumbled, digging out the tinderbox to spark the torch. Once prepared, he took the lead, stepping into the cave with torchlight flickering against the walls, casting eerie shadows as they ventured into the unknown."So far, so good. And surprisingly warm air, too. Think there's a lava maze up ahead?" Ranger mused, his voice echoing with enthusiasm. Once he started rambling about game tropes, he was hard to stop, but Fayne had enough experience dealing with that to tune him out.Rolling her eyes, Fayne replied, "Just stay focused. If you die, I can't resurrect you yet, and it's a long walk from our last checkpoint. Honestly, I'd have no problem leaving without you." Her voice carried into the cavern, the echo hauntingly repeating, "without you… without you… without you…"Ranger clutched his chest in mock heartbreak, but to his credit, he stayed silent and kept his gaze forward. If he sensed the ominous feeling creeping around them, he didn't show it. But Fayne couldn't shake the growing dread settling heavily on her shoulders.As they pressed onward, the air thickened with a damp warmth, each breath becoming heavier. Strangely, the rock walls remained dry despite the humidity, and still, there was nothing to find.The tunnel twisted and turned, looping back on itself as if intentionally confusing them. At this point, Fayne couldn't escape the eerie feeling that the tunnel was leading them, almost exploring them.Just as she was about to suggest turning back, her boot pressed into something soft and yielding. She jolted, stumbling back with a sharp gasp, clutching her staff tightly. "Ranger… lower the light. I think I just stepped in something… awful." A wave of nausea churned within her as she imagined what it could be.Ranger looked down, his initial confusion fading as he realized what she meant. He crouched, bringing the torch closer to the floor, though the light seemed to be absorbed rather than reflected. The ground beneath them swallowed the torchlight, dulling it into a dark, organic gloom.The torch revealed a thick, stretched layer of something disturbingly fleshy. Where solid stone should have been, a dark, red membrane stretched across the floor, extending down the corridor. It twitched subtly under their feet, sending a chill down Fayne's spine as it pulsed beneath them.Ranger forced a grin, though his eyes betrayed a hint of unease. "Well, hey, no monsters yet, so there's that, right?" His voice wavered as he placed one boot down on the membrane, feeling it give slightly under his weight before twitching in response. "It's… not corrosive or anything. Doesn't seem to do much besides being creepy as all hell. Let's keep going, but stay on guard."Taking a steadying breath, Fayne followed him, though her instincts screamed at her to turn and leave him behind. The tunnel soon gave way to a sprawling cavern, empty and silent, but shaped with purpose. There was no way this was a natural formation, definitely a dungeon."There's nothing here. Can we please go? I don't care if we run the whole way; I just want out," Fayne whispered, her voice barely steady, as she glanced around the eerie, empty space."It's fine, Fayne," Ranger assured her, more to himself than to her. "The devs wouldn't put this here if we weren't meant to explore it." He pressed on, reasoning away the unsettling surroundings.The next chamber hit them with the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh, a sickly wave that stopped them dead in their tracks. Both gagged, instinctively stumbling back a few steps before Ranger broke the silence."I got this," he muttered, extending his arm and casting a simple light spell. A stream of colorful lights filled the chamber, revealing a large mound of decaying meat piled against one wall. The lights hovered, casting a cheerful light in contrast to the grotesque pile. The lights danced past the flesh before drifting to an opening at the far end, illuminating a statue in the next chamber and promptly fizzling out, plunging them back into shadow."Whatever left that stockpile sitting here is going to be back. We can't afford to be here any longer." Fayne's voice picked up volume, asserting her position and refusing to budge."Correction," Ranger countered, "Whatever left that here, hasn't been around in weeks based on the level of decay we are seeing." he stepped back into the room and investigated,"Besides, remember that this is a big part of my class. What Ranger wouldn't know this sort of thing? It comes with the tracking skill. This is all part of my build, just trust me on this." Ranger was now at the mound of rotting flesh, and the reach of his torchlight began to leave Fayne in the dark. He smirked as she instinctually made her way back into the protective glow."...and didn't you see that statue further ahead? We might have found honest-to-god ruins, and where there are ruins, there are relics," his fear replaced with greed; RangerDanger got his second wind and was eager to loot this place for all it was worth.Passing the mound of decaying meat, they entered a chamber with no other exits, and there, in the center, stood the statue they'd glimpsed before. Its sheer size was breathtaking, nearly reaching to the ceiling twenty or thirty feet above. The figure was a massive insectoid creature, fierce and imposing, yet its stance conveyed a strange sense of protection. Its colossal, scythe-like arms wrapped delicately around a smaller figure of a man, one whose features shared an eerie resemblance to the insect itself.Fayne felt an unexplainable pull toward the statue, captivated by thoughts of the race that might have crafted such an unusual monument and why it was hidden here of all places.Ranger was equally mesmerized, though his mind drifted to the statue's worth and the impossible logistics of moving something this enormous through the narrow corridors behind them. Even with a team of horses, he doubted they'd ever budge it.Then, a faint glow caught their eyes, radiating from the smaller figure's chest. They approached, momentarily forgetting the absurdity of the cave's strange layout and grotesque contents. Up close, the figure seemed less like a sculpture and more as though a real person had been trapped in stone. The glow came from the statue's eyes, which sparkled with gem-like intensity, reflecting the torchlight. They both noticed this detail, though no words were spoken.Ranger reached out, his hand lingering on the surface."Fayne," he whispered, hesitating. "It's warm... and I think… it's alive." Before he could say more, cracks began to form on the statue's face, small chips flaking off as if the stone was beginning to shed.