The exit of the Glimmering Caves felt less like an escape and more like stepping onto another stage of the same nightmare. The sickly green sky still pressed down, and the distant, swirling vortex remained an unsettling presence on the horizon, but here, the ground felt a little more stable. They had gold ingots and mana crystals, enough to feel a fleeting sense of accomplishment, but the desperate need for more, for answers, gnawed at them.
"So, what's next?" Elias asked, hefting his hammer. "More caves? Another dungeon crawl?"
Caden shook his head. "No. Not yet. We need information. And maybe... maybe actual supplies that make sense. Food, water, a place that doesn't feel like it's going to collapse on us." He looked at Vex. "Any larger settlements showing on that hacked map of yours? Old safe zones, major hubs?"
Vex tapped at her wrist device, her brows furrowed in concentration. "Most major locations are offline, or show as pure static. Too much energy interference from the… event." She glanced at the distant vortex. "But there's one anomaly. A stable, significant energy signature. Faint, but it's there. It looks like... a city." She zoomed in on a distorted section of her map. "It's miles from here. Could be a trap, could be nothing. But it's the only major structured signal I can pick up."
A city. The word hung in the air, a phantom echo of the old Aetheria. Before D-Day, these cities had been bustling hubs: marketplaces, quest-givers, social zones. Now, the idea of one existing, even in a ruined state, felt like a desperate beacon.
"A city," Elara murmured, a flicker of something akin to hope in her serene eyes. "Even if it's just ruins, there might be resources. Survivors."
"Or a whole lot of bad news," Gronk grumbled, but he didn't argue. His gaze, however, was already on the distant, hazy silhouette that Vex's map indicated.
"It's a long trek," Caden warned, looking at Lily and Thomas, who were slowly recovering but still fragile. "And likely dangerous. No guarantees of what we'll find." He paused, meeting each of their gazes. "But it's our best shot at finding others, finding answers. Maybe even finding out what this gold is really for."
The decision was unanimous. The grind in the caves had given them a small victory and some much-needed resources, but the true prize, information or a way out, lay in the echoes of civilization. They began their journey, leaving the Glimmering Caves behind, heading towards the distant, hazy promise of a city in the broken dreamscape.