The lead enforcer stepped over the pool of smoking black sludge, his broadsword shaking slightly in his grip. The heavy scent of acidic venom and burnt ozone still hung thick in the narrow hallway.
'How did an Apprentice-level specimen collapse in seconds?' the enforcer muttered, his eyes shifting from the dark stain on the marble floor to Kale's unreadable face.
'It was an Apex-rank Abyssal Crimson Fiend,' Kale replied, his voice cold and steady. 'The lower containment runes are failing across the entire fourth quadrant.'
Before the enforcer could respond, another deep tremor shuddered through the stone floor, far stronger than the first. A series of muffled explosions echoed from the deep stairwell, followed by the distant, chilling roars of multiple beasts waking from stasis.
