Lior steps echoed softly around the corridor as he and Frank moved towards the central plaza. The dim glow of the mana crystals cast long, shifting shadows, and for a moment, Lior eyes caught something in the corner of his vision.
A small hunched shape flicked past a stack of crates. For a heartbeat, he froze, his mind ticked through possibilities. Monster? Thief? Or just his mind playing with him?
"Did you see that?" Frank whispered, his voice tight.
Lior shook his head slowly. "Probably just a trick, our heads messing with us." he said with a faint smile.
Frank nodded, though his eyes darted around nervously. Lior, sensing his friend's tension, said to him "let the thought pass, whatever it was, it hadn't followed us into the open streets."
The plaza opened before them, alive with the usual evening bustle. Merchants called out their wears, miners unloaded glowing crystals, and children wove through the crowd in games of chase. The hum of life washed over them easing the tension from earlier.
Lior let himself relax, though he kept one hand near the knife at the belt, a habit that he recently developed. Frank glanced around, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Ever noticed how busy this place gets?" Frank asked. "Even though Floor One is safe, it always feel like there's always something is happening."
Lior shruggled. "People lives where its safe. Its no surprise they fill every corner of the plaza. Makes it easier to get supplies or just watch the world go by."
They wandered slowly between stalls and carts, inspecting the colourful displays of crystals, dried rations, and simple trinkets. "Not bad, huh?" Frank said, nudging him. "Even with all the rumors and stories, this place still feels… normal."
Lior nodded, letting his gaze drift upward. The jagged ceiling of Floor One, faintly glowing with veins of crystals, always held a strange beuty in him. Years of walking these streets hadn't dulled that sense of awe.
For a moment the earlier unease faded entirely. Whatever had caught their attention in the alley seemed insignificant now. Lior and Frank walked on, blending into the crowd.
The plaza stretched ahead, bustling with life, but a small detail caught Lior attention. At the far end, near a stall selling polished crystals, a hooded figure stood motionless, watching the crowd. They weren't moving towards anything, weren't buying or selling, just standing there, head tilted slightly as if studying something only they could see.
"See that?" Lior nudged Frank lightly.
Frank followed his gaze. "The hooded guy? Yeah… weird, right? I thought everyone here is busy is supposed to be busy at the hour."
The figure shifted slightly, and for a moment, their eyes caught Lior, making him quickly look away.
"Maybe they're new to the settlement," Frank suggested, trying to brush it off.
"Maybe," Lior replied, but the feeling didn't leave him. There was something about the way the figure lingered, calm and delibrate, that felt … unusual.
Deciding it wasn't worth causing a scene, they moved deeper into the plaza. Lior curiosity was piqued, though he made mental note to keep an eye out. Whoever that was, they weren't just another resident.
As they walked past vendors and laughing children, the smell of cooked rations, the metallic tang from the crystal miners, even the dampness of the stone walls all reminded that Floor One, for all its dangers was still home.
Frank leaned closer, "You know, sometimes I forget how alive this place really is. Lior smiled faintly. "Yeah. And it's the one place we can actually watch life go on without being chased by monsters or being eaten."
They continued down the main walkway, letting the crowd pull them along. The hooded figure remained in the distance, stationary, like a quiet shadow at the edge of their perception. Lior didn't panic, he didn't even bothered approaching them.
The hooded figure shifted slightly, stepping forward from the edge of the plaza. No one paid them much attention most assumed it was just a strange, silent individual, one of the many oddities that occasionally wandered Settlement C.
Then, almost abruptly, the figure reached into the folds of their cloak and pulled out a small, crude container. Smoke hissed from it as they uncorked the top, releasing a thick, dark plume into the air.
For a heartbeat, the plaza froze in mild surprise. Some children squealed, thinking it a trick. Merchants waved it away. "Crazy person!" someone shouted out loud. "Move along!", dont do your petty magic trick here.
Lior and Frank glanced at each other. "What… what is that?" Frank whispered, eyes wide.
"Don't know," Lior said, frowning. "But it smells… odd."
The figure crouched slightly, spreading the smoke with deliberate gestures, almost like painting it across the plaza. A faint, eerie shimmer passed through it something weird beneath the haze, but the people around continued on, laughing or shoving the incident aside. Most thought it was just some maniac acting out.
Then a few seconds later, almost imperceptibly at first, a low, distant growl echoed through the plaza.
Lior stiffened. "Frank… did you hear that?"
Before Frank could answer, the growl deepened, multiplied, becoming a chorus of snarls coming from outside the wall. Guards moved naturally, in formation heading towards the gate.
The hooded figure stood, watching silently as the smoke curled upward. Their work complete, they melted back into the panicking crowd, hood falling to obscure their face once more.
But the monsters drawn by the smoke, of the ritual were already coming.
Panic began to ripple through the plaza. Screams pierced the evening air. People ran in all directions, clutching children, dragging carts, and shouting warnings. Lior knife was out in an instant. Frank eyes were wide with fear, but he stayed close to his friend.
Lior's mind raced. So this is what it was… that hooded figure wasn't crazy. They were… summoning them.
The first wave of the monsters reached the south gate, since that where he was closed too. He could see a particular monster from within the plaza, this one was huge, bigger than what should exist in Floor One, it was twisted, had a hulking shape with glowing eyes and jagged claws, moving with terrifying speed, towards the gate.
Then suddenly a loud alarm rang out throughout the entire Settlement, this was the first time an alarm had rang since the establishment of the Settlement, As if this was not bad enough, the next announcement brought dread to the public.