"i will take your good wishes for this adventure then" Sir Ethan chuckled heartily, his laughter echoing through the air.
He turned to face the fifteen to twenty warriors gathered around him and asked, "Are you all ready?"
"Yes!" they replied in unison, their voices a chorus of determination.
Cloud nodded along, securing a massive black backpack filled with food, water, and essential gear for the Warriors.
"Alright then, let's get this done!" Sir Ethan declared with enthusiasm as he waved his hand and stepped forward.
Logan and Blackwood followed closely behind him, while the other warriors trailed in line.
Cloud took up the rear as they approached the enormous swirling portal, completely vanishing into its depths.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, a faint crimson light flickered across the portal's surface before it returned to its usual state, almost as if nothing had happened at all.
The portal continued to swirl slowly, creating an eerie yet mesmerizing spectacle.
"Huh?" Inspector Ron, who had been engaged in conversation with one of his personnel, suddenly glanced at the portal with a puzzled expression.
"Inspector Ron, is everything alright?" the person he was speaking with asked curiously.
Shaking his head slightly, Inspector Ron replied, "It's nothing." But deep down he wondered: "Was that just an illusion?".
-----------------------------
As Cloud stepped through the portal, he was immediately hit by a dramatic shift in his surroundings.
The fresh air he had been breathing have already disappeared; instead, he was assaulted by a nauseating stench of decay and rotten meat that made it difficult to breathe.
His stomach churned, but with a deep breath, he steadied himself.
After all, this wasn't his first venture into a Ruin.
He remembered his first experience vividly, how he had vomited up every bite of food he'd eaten that day and struggled for air.
But after six months of entering these treacherous Ruins, Cloud had grown accustomed to their oppressive atmosphere.
Looking around, Cloud noticed they had emerged onto a vast plain shrouded in darkness with faint light peeking from the dark clouds.
The landscape was bleak and desolate, marked by deep gulleys and ravines that seemed to stretch endlessly.
There was not a hint of vegetation; only barren hills and mountains loomed ominously in the distance.
"Alright everyone," Sir Ethan said, turning to face the group of warriors with an intense expression. "We're now inside the Ruin. Stay alert! Even though this is classified as a D Rank Ruin, our lives are on the line here."
"Yes, Sir!" came the unified response from all the warriors.
"Good," Sir Ethan nodded approvingly before continuing. "We must remain vigilant until we defeat the boss. Mages at the back for support; attack-type warriors in front! Cloud, you stay at the rear, don't let your guard down."
"Understood, Sir Ethan," Cloud replied with determination etched on his face.
"Don't worry, kid, I've got your back!" Blackwood chimed in cheerfully as he patted Cloud on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Sir Blackwood," Cloud grinned back at him.
Suddenly, an ominous growl echoed from behind nearby boulders and hills as shadowy figures began to emerge from the darkness.
"Hmmm!" Sir Ethan's gaze sharpened as he turned toward the sound.
"Looks like we're getting into action quickly!" Blackwood exclaimed with excitement as he unsheathed his massive hammer strapped to his waist.
Moments later, small green creatures appeared on the horizon, goblins clad in tattered rags with sharp ears and grotesque faces brandishing wooden clubs.
Their eyes glinted with malicious intent as they laughed wickedly at Cloud and his companions.
"These are just disgusting goblins, the weakest of them all," Logan sneered disdainfully.
Cloud face was quite calm when he saw that it was goblins he have been dealing with these goblins with Sir Ethan for half a year now, goblins are the lowest of the weakest creatures in Ruins, they are slightly only stronger than ordinary people.
Cloud was able to kill one which he is quite proud off as an ordinary person as long as one is careful enough killing these ugly creatures as an ordinary person is quite easy as long as you have the courage but Cloud isn't ready to rest his courage after all he almost died when he killed one sometime ago.
As the goblins approached with their short legs and crude clubs, growling and drooling, Cloud felt a mix of fear and determination.
"Dozens of them!" he thought.
But just then, Sir Ethan raised his hand dismissively and said, "Just deal with them; don't take much time."
With that, he unsheathed his long silver spear, its gleam catching the light as he prepared for battle.
"Hehehehehe!" Blackwood let out an eerie chuckle as he hefted his massive hammer and charged into the fray.
BOOM! BANG! BOOM!
With each swing of Blackwood's hammer, goblins exploded into bloody mist, a gruesome spectacle that was both horrifying and mesmerizing.
He smashed through them like they were nothing more than overripe fruit.
Meanwhile, Logan who was standing there before withdrew his long long sword before vanishing in a flicker of light.
In mere moments, he reappeared amidst the chaos, unleashing a flurry of strikes that sent another ten goblins bursting into clouds of red mist.
Sir Ethan also charged into the fray, with a flurry of his spear he started killing the goblins, every stab of his spear a goblin would have it's head blown off.
The other warriors quickly joined in; it was like watching a well-rehearsed dance of death.
In what felt like an instant, all that remained on the battlefield were lifeless bodies sprawled across the ground, a grotesque carpet of defeated foes lying in pools of their own blood.
"Okay, let's move on," Sir Ethan said nonchalantly as he shook off some splattered blood from his spear.
"Yes," came the chorus of agreement from the others as they resumed their journey through the Ruins.
Cloud lingered at the edge of this brutal scene before nodding to himself and following along.
There was no point in scavenging; those goblins had little value beyond their grotesque forms.
Within minutes, they had vanished from the battlefield.