The evening light spilled over the rooftops of the capital as Valdor and his team left the guild. The streets were bustling with life, but eyes were on them—some looking on with mockery, others with curiosity.
Kael unrolled the parchment.
— Ruins on the northern edge of the valley. Eliminate monsters. Classic.
— Nothing is ever as simple as it looks on paper,— Valdor muttered. — The guild is testing us.
Arwen raised an eyebrow. — Test? You think they'll come back and ask how many monsters we killed?
Valdor looked ahead.
— No. They'll check if we come back at all.
Noah snorted, his hands itching for sparks of fire. — Then let's show them we'll come back in flames.
— Fire is a weapon, not an answer to everything, — Mayuri interrupted coolly. — If you burn the ruins, we won't learn anything.
Valdor raised his hand, silencing them.
— Enough. Arguing won't help. Where we're going, the only thing that matters is whether we can stick together.
The road led through a valley. The silence was unnatural.
Kael frowned. — I can't even hear the birds.
— The calm before the storm, — Valdor replied, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Arwen crouched down, examining the ground. — Tracks. Not wolves. Something bigger.
Valdor knelt beside her and touched the indentations in the ground.
— These aren't natural prints. They're... something created.
Noah smiled crookedly. — All the better. I like challenges.
Valdor looked him in the eye.
— Challenges are good, Noah. But remember — if you don't think, the challenge becomes your grave.
The ruins emerged before them at dusk. Cracked arches, shadows of columns, and the smell of dampness and dust in the air.
— It looks peaceful,— Kael remarked.
— Peace is the loudest lie,— Valdor replied.
There was a roar. The echo spread through the ruins. Figures emerged from the darkness: humanoids covered in black shells, their eyes glowing red.
Arwen hissed. — They're not monsters. They're soldiers of the Empire... changed.
Valdor stepped forward and drew his sword.
— Battle formation! Kael, cover the front. Arwen, the flanks. Mayuri, barriers. Noah... burn the path, not the team.
— You don't have to remind me,— Noah snapped, but fire was already dancing in his hands.
The monsters howled and moved forward.
Steel struck steel.
Kael fought like a shield, deflecting heavy blows. Valdor appeared beside him, parrying attacks with brutal precision.
— Hold the line, Kael!— Valdor shouted.
— I'm trying!— he replied, gritting his teeth.
Arwen leapt to the side, her daggers flashing in the darkness.
— I've got the flanks, but they're fast!
— Focus on their legs— Valdor shouted, slicing another monster from shoulder to hip.
Mayuri erected more barriers. One broke under the enemy's spell, but a second one immediately rose.
— Their magic... is unstable!— she shouted. — I can sense the source!
Out of the corner of his eye, Valdor saw a pulsing red light in the heart of the ruins.
— The source... the answer is there.
Noah roared, sending out a wave of fire. — The source can wait until they stop biting me!
Valdor cut down another opponent, then shouted loudly, his voice piercing through the chaos of battle:
— Listen to me! We will not be scattered! We hold the line, then we break through to the center!
The bodies of monsters fell, but new ones kept coming. Sweat poured from Kael's forehead, and Arwen was panting, but her blades never stopped moving.
— They're endless!— she cried.
— That's why we have to keep going!— Valdor replied, parrying a blow and countering with a lightning-fast thrust.
Mayuri, trembling with exertion, raised another barrier. — Valdor... if we don't destroy the source, this fight will never end!
Valdor looked at her and nodded.
— You're right. But if we break apart now, we'll never get there.
His sword cut through another monster, and his voice carried above the roar of battle:
— We're together! And together we'll fight our way through this hell!—
Night fell over the ruins, and the fight continued. The monsters grew in number, and the source pulsed brighter and brighter, as if feeding off their efforts.
Valdor felt their line beginning to crumble. He looked at his team: Kael was staggering, Arwen was covered in blood, Noah was struggling to breathe, and Mayuri was barely keeping her spells up.
Then he made his decision.
Valdor raised his sword and his voice rang out loud and clear:
— Listen! You must hold the line! I'm going to the source!
— What?!— Noah roared. — That's suicide!
— No, it's a necessity.— Valdor looked him in the eye. — This power responds to me. If anyone is going to end this, it's me.
Kael took a step toward him. — I can't let you do this!
Valdor placed a hand on his shoulder. — You've already done more than I could ask. Now your job is to protect them.
Arwen snorted, anger in her eyes. — Valdor...
— Trust me.— He smiled briefly but confidently. — If we fail, at least you'll know we fought together.
The monsters lunged at them. Valdor parried two blows, made a powerful cut, and lunged forward, clearing a path toward the pulsing red light.
— Valdor!— Mayuri reached out to him, but her barrier cracked and she had to focus on defense.
Valdor did not look back. Each step was heavy but sure. Flames danced around his body, and the echo of the dragon's roar reverberated through the ruins.
— The source is mine...— he whispered.
And alone, he plunged into the darkness.
**To be continued...**