Night had finally arrived in the dungeon. The duration of day and night had always changed from dungeon to dungeon, but this one seemed to be pretty close the normal cycle of Earth.
The artificial sun hanging above the grasslands dimmed slightly near the horizon, but darkness never truly settled across the plains. Cold light continued spilling over the endless sea of grass while distant flashes from active battles occasionally illuminated sections of the forest far ahead.
Riven stood near the same remains of the ruined watchtower overlooking the lower valley while Serena's squad gathered around the broken stone foundation behind him. Two insignias rested on the cracked surface between them.
One belonged to the Obsidian Circle.
The other carried the claw-mark emblem of the Hollow Dogs.
Several squad members immediately understood what they were looking at. The mood around the group shifted almost instantly. Serena picked up one of the badges and examined it carefully before raising her eyes toward Riven.
"You planned this before entering the dungeon."
"My plan was pretty established even before I learnt the circumstances here," Riven said calmly.
The wind rolled through the grasslands below while distant combat sounds drifted faintly through the open terrain. Even from this distance, the war consuming the dungeon felt constant. Smoke rose from scattered locations across the plains and the occasional skill detonation flashed somewhere near the forest line.
One of Serena's squad members folded his arms tightly.
"You're going to impersonate them?"
Riven nodded once.
"Both factions already expect attacks from each other. Patrol routes are collapsing, communication between sectors is unreliable and nobody trusts reports coming from outside their immediate camps anymore."
Serena leaned lightly against the ruined wall while still studying the insignia in her hand.
"This is gonna make it worse if the strike is hard enough."
"Only if everything goes without a hitch," Riven said looking at the disappearing horizon.
The straightforward answer silenced the group for several seconds. Riven crouched near the stone surface and pointed toward several locations sketched across a rough map beside the insignias.
"Obsidian Circle controls most of the river routes on the eastern side. Hollow Dogs dominate the forest sectors further west. Both sides have started targeting supply convoys and resource points directly during the last two days."
"That's already happening everywhere in the dungeon," another squad member muttered.
"Not like this," Riven replied.
His finger tapped against the map again.
"They're still prioritizing logistics and crystal transport over manpower. That means neither side wants full escalation yet. They're trying to weaken each other without committing everything."
Serena's gaze narrowed slightly.
"You're planning to force them into it," she said already looking through various possibilities.
Riven looked toward the distant plains below before answering.
"The moment both factions stop believing they can control the conflict, the fighting becomes far more destructive."
One of the younger members frowned immediately after hearing that.
"And how exactly does that help us?"
"Because large organizations become blind during uncontrolled conflict. It's not easy to coordinate so many moving pieces all while keeping up the resource acquisition."
The man still looked uncertain, so Riven continued.
"Right now both factions are operating through structure. Patrol schedules, protected convoys, organized movement and centralized command. Once enough confusion spreads, they'll stop trusting those routines."
Realization slowly spread across several faces around the group.
Serena understood first.
"They'll start panicking and try to take everything into their control."
Riven nodded.
"And once that happens, smaller operators gain room to move."
The wind shifted again across the ruins while everyone processed the plan properly. Eventually Serena fastened the Hollow Dogs insignia onto her coat.
"How are we splitting this?"
"You take the eastern routes near the river sectors," Riven said. "I'll handle the western forest patrols."
One of the squad members immediately looked uneasy.
"You're dividing us in the middle of an active faction war?"
"We'll be more than just divided if either faction stabilizes control over the dungeon," Serena replied before Riven could speak. "Independent squads like ours stop existing the moment that happens."
Nobody argued with that. The reality of the situation had become obvious during the last few days. Larger organizations were already tightening control over dungeon entrances, monopolizing crystal zones and absorbing smaller contractors whenever possible.
This war wasn't just about territory anymore. It was deciding who would control Blackvine's underworld after the fighting ended.
Riven attached the Obsidian Circle insignia onto his own coat before speaking again.
"We strike isolated patrols only. Don't get into a prolonged fight, finish it quick before they can call for reinforcements."
"Should we wipe them out?" Serena asked.
"Leave one alive, anonymous killings won't really benefit us."
Several people exchanged glances immediately after hearing that part.
One of the older squad members frowned deeply.
"Wouldn't it be safer to eliminate witnesses completely?"
Riven shook his head.
"No survivors means uncertainty. Survivors create retaliation."
That answer settled heavily over the group. The objective was no longer simple survival inside the dungeon. Riven intended to actively shape the war itself.
Serena watched him quietly for a moment before asking another question.
"How long have you been planning all this?"
Riven's eyes drifted toward the distant forest.
"Since the moment I realized neither faction could afford to retreat anymore."
The deeper issue wasn't the dungeon itself. It was what losing inside the dungeon represented outside of it. Whichever faction lost control over the crystal resources here would immediately lose leverage back in Blackvine. Protection businesses, underground trade routes, recruitment influence and territorial authority would all start collapsing the moment weakness became public and they lose capital.
That was why neither side could stop now even if they wanted to. The war had already progressed beyond reason.
The teams separated soon afterward.
Serena led four members east toward the river sectors while Riven guided the remaining members west through the forest territory largely controlled by the Hollow Dogs. The environment changed gradually as they moved deeper beneath the trees.
Open grasslands disappeared behind dense roots, ruined stone pathways and towering vegetation thick enough to choke visibility after only a short distance. Sounds from the distant plains became muffled beneath the forest canopy while shadows gathered naturally between collapsed structures scattered throughout the terrain.
Movement became slower here because they had to move with more caution. Riven eventually raised one hand slightly while approaching the remains of a moss covered stone archway.
The squad behind him stopped immediately. A patrol teams' voices drifted faintly through the trees ahead.
Riven activated Shadow Veil.
Darkness folded naturally around his outline before he disappeared into the surrounding shade. Even after witnessing the skill repeatedly, Serena's squad still reacted subtly every time it happened. It wasn't a skill you would get to see very often even with it's relatively low rank.
Riven moved soundlessly through the ruins until the patrol finally entered view between the trees.
Four Hollow Dog operators. Exhaustion was clear on their faces and the way they moved.
One carried supply packs across his back while another walked with a slight limp beneath damaged armor. Their formation lacked sharpness. Days of constant fighting had clearly worn them down already.
Riven observed them briefly before signaling the attack.
The ambush unfolded immediately afterward.
Two squad members burst from opposite sides of the ruins while another activated a gravity suppression skill overhead. The patrol reacted fast enough to avoid immediate collapse, but confusion spread the moment they recognized the Obsidian Circle insignias.
That hesitation was enough. Riven moved through the shadows while their attention shifted toward the frontal attackers.
A defensive skill activated across one operator's arm just as Riven closed the distance. Reinforced energy hardened into a barrier layer around the man's body.
Resonance Edge activated along Riven's short sword and just like in practice the strike passed through the defense without resistance.
The barrier remained intact for a fraction of a second before blood spread across the operator's chest underneath it. Panic spread through the remaining patrol and their formation collapsed almost immediately.
One operator broke away from the battle and fled deeper into the forest while the others died among the ruins before they could regroup properly.
Riven made no attempt to stop the escape. The survivor would spread exactly the story he wanted carried through the dungeon.
The Obsidian circle has started direct confrontation without sticking to territories anymore.
The operation continued throughout the night. Small patrols vanished across both eastern and western sectors while surviving witnesses carried conflicting reports back toward their respective factions. Riven also started wiping out whole teams or letting more than one escape to not let it look suspicious. Supply routes became increasingly dangerous as suspicion spread further through the dungeon.
By the time Riven returned to the regroup point near dawn, distant flashes from larger battles already illuminated sections of the plains beyond the forest. The war was accelerating exactly as intended.
But the moment Serena's group finally emerged from the eastern trail, Riven immediately realized something had gone wrong.
Only three people returned beside her.
And every one of them was covered in blood.