The veil of the portal shut behind them with a harsh rumble. Tier 4 Academy's clearing welcomed them like a brutal return to reality. The contrast was stark: the diseased forest of the other world gave way to the cracked stone courtyard, but even here the air reeked of sweat, iron, and dust.
Corven didn't wait. His cold gaze swept over Squad Eleven—Ash in front, Kaelen limping, Mira supported by Tovan, and Darian's face marred by an acid burn.
— Alive, he said flatly. Battered, but alive. That's already more than I expected.
Silence fell. The other students gathered around, watching. Some raised their brows, others snickered.
— Mission accomplished. Neutralization of a Rank C (low) creature.
The simple announcement set off whispers.
— C? At their level? Impossible.
— They're exaggerating. Corven's covering them.
— They say even B-ranks struggle against a C…
Corven raised one hand. Silence returned instantly.
— Squad Eleven. Infirmary. Full report in two hours.
Then he turned and left, abandoning them to the weight of all those stares.
Infirmary
The academy's medical wing looked more like a converted warehouse than a proper clinic. A few poorly set mana crystals cast a bluish glow, and a dozen creaking beds lined a hall saturated with groans and weary breaths.
Mira was laid on one of them. She still clung to her staff like a drowning girl to a buoy, fingers rigid. A healer had to pry them loose.
— She's drained her reserve, the woman muttered, shaking her head. If she doesn't recover, she'll lose potential.
Kaelen grimaced when an apprentice healer probed his fractured arm. Pain wrung a growl from his throat.
— Ice rune immobilization, the apprentice explained. It won't regenerate, but it'll hold.
A thread of blue frost wrapped his arm, hardening into a translucent brace.
Darian, meanwhile, was already resisting.
— No need! It burns, but I can walk!
— If you move, it infects, the healer snapped. Want to end up blind?
He grumbled but let her smear his cheek with a mana-saturated herbal ointment.
Tovan, drained, refused the bed.
— Not needed. I'm standing.
— Your stone is empty, the healer observed. You're useless in this state.
Tovan clenched his jaw but nodded.
Ash stayed apart. His wound had been roughly bandaged, and he refused to lie down. His gray eyes fixed on the open window. He listened to breaths, groans, the clink of vials. This was Tier 4 reality: crude care, second-hand tools, and above all, complete lack of regard.
Rumors
The next day, whispers filled the courtyard as soon as they appeared.
— That's them.
— You think they really killed a C?
— Five against one, maybe. But without an instructor? No way.
— Ash, especially… did you see him? He doesn't move like an Omega.
Kaelen endured, fists tight. Mira lowered her head, uneasy. Darian, burn scar and all, strutted.
— Yeah, and you'd still be stuck in the mud! We dropped that C!
— Thanks to who? an Alpha retorted. You, flying through the air?
Laughter burst. Darian bristled, ready to retort, but Ash's hand pressed firm on his shoulder.
— Leave it.
The tone left no room for argument.
Daily Life in Tier 4
Days resumed their relentless rhythm.
At dawn, the mana bell rang, dragging students from freezing dormitories. They spilled into the courtyard for drills: runs burdened with sacks of raw stone, weapon practice with dulled blades, rune carving on planks already saturated and brittle.
Meals were little better: black bread, thin soup, and stringy F-rank beast meat, tough and barely seasoned. Tier 1 academies boasted banquets where every dish reinforced mana. Here, they ate only to avoid collapse.
At night, the dorms echoed with quarrels and nervous laughter. Iron beds creaked, rough sheets scratched, and students bickered over a bucket of hot water. Squad against squad, everyone tried to impose themselves, to matter in a place where failure meant erasure.
Ash stayed apart, silent. He observed: alliances, rivalries, glances. Hatred, fear, jealousy. In a place like this, every word weighed heavier than a blade.
The Foreigners
One afternoon, while students carved basic runes into stone slabs, an unexpected group crossed the yard. Two Ælvari, slender silhouettes haloed in cold grace, and a massive Drakhen, clad in blackened leather, reptilian eyes unblinking.
Conversation stopped dead. Foreigners were rare in Tier 4. They belonged to prestigious academies, not this decrepit yard.
One Ælvari glanced around with disdain, as though even the air here felt impure. The Drakhen paused, his reptilian gaze locking with Ash's. For one suspended second, Ash felt stripped bare, flayed by that depthless stare. Then the Drakhen walked on, wordless.
— What are they doing here? Kaelen muttered.
— Inspection, probably, Mira whispered. They never stay long.
But Ash remained thoughtful.
The Announcement
That evening, Corven summoned every squad to the courtyard. Exhausted students gathered in silence. The instructor's runes gleamed silver in the dusk.
— You've survived your first Rank I Gates, he said, voice cold. Some left comrades behind. Others returned. That is the law of this world.
A murmur rippled.
— But the academy does not exist to coddle weakness. It forges those who endure.
His gaze lingered a moment on Squad Eleven. Ash met it without flinching.
— Next week, several squads will be sent to observe a Rank II Gate. You won't be alone. But it will be your first contact with real danger.
The silence thickened. A Rank II Gate meant confirmed C-rank creatures, perhaps a mid-C. For F, E, and shaky D students, it was already the abyss.
Corven turned and left.
The courtyard held its breath a moment before whispers rose again, sharper, more nervous than ever.
Ash remained still. He knew this was only the beginning.
The Week of Training
The week after the announcement turned into a constant ordeal. As if waiting for the excuse, the instructors doubled their severity. The courtyard now echoed with shouts, clashing metal, and the dull thunder of training golems.
— Again! Corven roared.
Students, gasping, repeated the same drills again and again until their legs gave out. Golems struck relentlessly, stone fists hammering shields, ribs, and fragile weapons.
Kaelen, armed with a patched shield, held his ground despite a barely healed rib. Each blow made him wince, but he refused to fall.
Mira, still pale from mana exhaustion, focused on smaller, steadier circles of light. Her hands trembled at times, but her gaze never faltered.
Tovan, drained, returned to his earth-control exercises. His stone pillars were shorter, shakier, but he persisted, sweat pouring down his brow.
Darian masked the burn scar on his cheek with renewed aggression. His strikes were brutal, sloppy—every enemy carried the face of the beast that had scarred him.
And Ash… Ash remained the same. Silent. Precise. His movements weren't spectacular, but they always struck true. His gray gaze never betrayed fatigue.
Corven's Lecture
One morning, mist still clinging to the yard, Corven assembled all squads.
— You've seen Rank I Gates, he said. The weakest anomalies, ones even armed civilians sometimes close. But Rank II Gates… are another story.
He projected a map from a crystal, red marks denoting active zones.
— Inside a Rank II Gate, you'll face Rank C (low) creatures, sometimes packs. One such beast can crush an unprepared squad. Several together…
Silence weighed heavy.
— Your mission is not elimination, but observation. Identify the creatures. Assess density. Survive until closure order. Understood?
Students nodded—some pale, some grimly resolute.
— Remember: in a Gate, one person's mistake kills the group.
His gaze lingered a heartbeat longer on Squad Eleven, as if to remind them of their improbable victory over the Fangbear.
Squad Tensions
That night, tension rose in the dormitory.
— Observation only? Darian scoffed. You believe that? We'll run into a monster, and we'll have to fight.
— That's the point, Kaelen replied, peeling off his frost-brace. But we can choose our fights.
— Choose? Darian growled. You think a C-rank will let us choose?
Mira looked up from her bunk.
— Darian… stop.
— Shut up, he snapped. If you collapse again like last time, we'll all die.
Silence slammed down. Mira lowered her head, fists clenched.
Tovan sat up, eyes hard.
— Say that again, and I'll put you in the ground.
Kaelen cut between them, his deep voice covering both.
— Enough. We survived once because we held together. If we tear apart now, the next Gate will finish us.
Ash sat in shadow, silent, eyes fixed on the lantern's flickering flame.
— And you? Darian spat, turning to him. Nothing to say, Omega?
Ash lifted his gaze at last.
— Yes. Next time, focus on your sword. Not our weaknesses.
The silence returned, heavier. Darian clenched his jaw, but looked away.
Preparations
The following days were spent preparing. Students received new mana stones—low quality, dull, barely enough for two D-rank spells.
— Treat them as if they're your lives, an instructor said. Because they are.
The armory offered little. Kaelen was given a hastily repaired shield. Ash kept his runed spear, cleaned but scarred from the fight. Mira received a simple robe reinforced with runes of resistance, too large for her frame. Tovan got patched gauntlets. Darian polished his chipped sword endlessly, as if hiding its state with stubbornness.
Each evening, Squad Eleven drilled formations. Kaelen at the front, Ash slightly behind to cover angles, Tovan on the left flank, Mira shielded in the center, Darian on the right. They repeated until exhaustion, Corven correcting without mercy.
— Too slow, Kaelen.
— Tovan, your pillars barely stand.
— Mira, your light flickers.
— Darian, your striking arm is too open.
— Ash… nothing to add. Keep going.
The others lowered their eyes, frustration burning. Ash remained impassive.
The Shadow of Danger
On the eve of departure, the academy hummed with taut nerves. Rumors spread fast: some spoke of packs of creatures, others of unseen shadows.
In the dormitory, everyone prepared their gear. Mana stones glimmered faintly at their belts—a constant reminder of fragility.
Mira packed her staff with trembling hands. Kaelen polished his shield, focused. Tovan meditated, eyes closed, scraping together scraps of mana. Darian stared at the ceiling, uncharacteristically silent.
Ash sat on his cot, gaze fixed on the moon through the window. His reflection stared back—gray, cold eyes.
Tomorrow, they would plunge into a Rank II Gate. And for many, it would be the moment when fear outweighed training.
The first mana jackal collapsed, its throat pierced by Ash's spear. Dark blood spilled onto corrupted soil, absorbed at once by the hungry ground.
But two more were already leaping at Kaelen. His shield took the impact with a deep thud. The giant staggered, boots sinking into the mud.
— Hold! Tovan roared.
He raised a stone pillar between Kaelen and the beasts, the explosion of dust forcing them back. The effort cost him—his knees buckled, and he spat a ribbon of blood.
— My stone's empty… he gasped.
Ash pivoted silently, his spear intercepting a jackal lunging for Mira. The young mage recoiled, trembling, staff clutched in white knuckles.
— L-light! she whispered.
A burst of radiance flashed around her, blinding the pack for a heartbeat. The reprieve vanished instantly.
Darian hurled himself forward, blade slamming into a monster's jaw. Blood sprayed thick.
— Come on, beasts! he roared.
He parried a second strike, but his open stance earned him a bite. Fangs sank into his flank.
— Ghhhhh!
The scream tore the air. Ash's spear struck the jackal's eye, killing it. Darian dropped to his knees, clutching his side.
— Stand, Ash ordered flatly.
Darian growled but forced himself up, swaying, sword still in hand.
Tightening Formation
— Circle! Kaelen barked, voice carrying over snarls.
They closed ranks—backs together. Kaelen shield front, Tovan bruised but left flank, Darian bleeding on the right, Mira protected at center, Ash pivoting, spear guarding all sides.
The jackals circled, red eyes gleaming, claws raking earth. Their growls built into a chorus.
And behind them, three blood wolves rose. Their sheer presence froze the air. They advanced slowly, paws cracking the ground. Not yet attacking—but every second they drew nearer.
Mira's voice trembled.
— If… if the C-ranks join…
— Quiet, Kaelen snapped. Focus.
First Assault
The jackals struck as a pack. Three left, two right.
Kaelen braced, shield rattling under teeth. His legs trembled, but he forced them back.
Tovan raised his arms, a stone barrier sprouting—too thin. Fangs pierced, tearing a cry from him.
Ash spun, spear slashing. One throat pierced, another thrust aside. Every strike was surgical, no motion wasted.
Darian, bleeding, bellowed and hacked deep into a jackal's spine.
Mira, trembling, unleashed another flash. The beasts staggered, blinded, but she swayed, breath breaking. Ash caught her before she fell.
— Stand, he said simply.
She nodded weakly, clutching her staff like a lifeline.
Second Assault
The jackals regrouped fast. Two pounced again on Kaelen. His shield caught them, but one clamped down on his arm. He roared, kneeing it off.
Tovan tried another barrier—but his mana faltered. The pillar crumbled before forming. Fangs grazed his thigh.
— Tovan! Mira cried.
She cast a weak light sphere in cover, almost useless.
Ash struck again, saving Darian from a lunging beast. His spear thrummed, each blow cold precision.
Darian panted, blood flowing, but swung harder.
— I won't die here!
The Shadow of C-Ranks
As they forced back the second wave, a deeper growl shook the ground.
The three blood wolves drew near. Their aura bent the air, metallic mist pouring from their jaws. The jackals themselves backed off, cowed by these predators.
Mira trembled, eyes wide.
— They're coming…
Kaelen gripped his shield tighter, sweat beading.
— We can't hold if—
Ash's gray eyes fixed on the hulking shapes. His breath stayed steady, but his fingers whitened on his spear shaft.
They all knew: once the wolves joined, this circle would become a grave.
The blood wolves crossed into the clearing. Up close, their differences from D-rank beasts were stark: chests heaving like forges, each breath releasing a ferric mist that scraped throats and weighed down limbs. Their dark fur shimmered red, and thick saliva dripped from fangs, blackening the ground where it fell.
(Reminder: Blood Wolves are C-rank predators specialized in pack pressure; their ferric breath hampers recovery, and their bite leaves wounds that clot poorly.)
— Northwest, Ash said, voice low. Through the gap under that fallen trunk. We break there.
The trunk formed a narrow corridor between two stone blocks. A choke point—enough to squeeze the D-rank pack and force the C-ranks one by one, if luck held.
— Carousel formation! Kaelen ordered.
The carousel was a rotating defense: Kaelen's shield as pivot, Ash circling tight to redirect momentum, Tovan hammering flanks with terrain, Darian striking openings, Mira at the core for light and short heals.
The jackals sensed escape and pounced.
First Clash
Kaelen took the charge. His shield shrieked under impact, twisted—he turned with it, redirecting mass. Ash caught the next leap, spear slamming a ribcage, shunting the beast aside. Darian slashed its exposed neck. Tovan raised a stone spike—one jackal skewered itself mid-leap.
Mira whispered a Seal of Gleam—a blinding [E] flash. Two jackals reeled, eyes hazed.
— I'm dry, Tovan growled. Stone's gone.
— Two more pillars. Then the trunk, Ash said.
Step by step, the carousel turned. Every meter cost them sweat, breath, and blood.
Behind them, a blood wolf detached, walking in their shadow—its presence pressing like a hand on their necks.
— C at six o'clock, Ash murmured.
Kaelen gritted teeth, braced.
The wolf lunged.
Kaelen's shield was too slow. Ash jammed his spear crosswise, striking the beast's jawbone. The blow stunned it a heartbeat. Kaelen crashed his shoulder in, stumbling, but alive. The wolf's fangs scraped steel, tearing chunks free.
It landed and whipped its tail, smashing Darian breathless to the ground.
— Hit the joint! Ash barked.
Tovan slammed his palm down. A stone ridge tripped the wolf's paw. Kaelen drove his burning blade into the exposed tendon. A hiss of scorched flesh.
The wolf roared, sound crushing their ears. The ferric mist thickened, searing lungs. Mira coughed blood, forced her chant.
— Move! Kaelen rasped.
Through the Trunk
They reached the fallen pine, forcing the jackals three across.
— I'll take it, Ash said.
He surged forward, absorbing the charge, turning the impact into a strike under a jaw. Darian darted past and finished one with a throat stab. Another smashed against the trunk; Tovan trapped it with a stone bump, Kaelen burned through its snout.
— That's through, Tovan gasped. But I'm empty.
— Two meters more, Ash replied.
Behind, the other two wolves closed in. One growled so deep it rattled ribs. The other marshaled the pack. They weren't rushing—they were calculating.
— They think, Mira whispered, pale.
— Then we make them overthink, Kaelen snapped. Force the choice.
Ash gave a faint nod.
— Mira, cone-light on my signal. Darian, in and out. Tovan, one last ground-break under the lead C.
— I've got nothing—
— One more, Ash cut him off.
Tovan's jaw clenched. He nodded once.
The Screech
The first blood wolf howled—not a roar, but a shifting tone laced with mana. The mist thickened into clinging red spores, burning throats and eyes.
— Cover mouths! Kaelen barked.
They tore strips of cloth, dampened them, pressed to lips. Mira raised a filtering veil—Clear Lantern [D low]—parting a narrow corridor of breathable air.
The wolf leapt.
— Now! Ash snapped.
Tovan's collapsing step—ground sagged under its paw. It landed short, right into Mira's cone of light. The beam scythed its cornea. The beast reeled. Ash struck its hind tendon. Kaelen scorched the wound with fire. Darian darted in, stabbed between ribs.
The wolf staggered back, bleeding black steam.
— One eye gone, Ash noted. Two left. Keep moving.
The trunk ended. Ahead lay a ravine—a strip of gray stone, a drop into black water. Salvation, or a tomb.
The Ravine
The clearing opened at last. The ground fell away into a narrow gorge where black water churned. Slippery rocks, crumbling edges. To the right, a spur of stone offered a possible leap—if uninjured. For them, it was a gamble.
— We cross, Ash said. Tovan, a short bridge here.
— I've got… a ridge. No more.
— It's enough.
The blinded wolf prowled close, guided by scent. Its sibling flanked left, circling to cut them off. The third remained behind, commanding the D-rank pack.
— Mira, no flash until I call. Kaelen, hold the angle. Darian—bait, then behind me.
— Fine, Darian spat, eyes wild but present.
The half-blind wolf scratched for rhythm. Ash feinted high, withheld low—the beast snapped at air. At that instant, Tovan ripped the last of his mana into a crude earthen ridge between banks. Wobbly, but a bridge.
— Go! Tovan shouted.
Kaelen leapt first. His arm burned, but he landed, sliding, regaining balance with his good shoulder. Mira followed, robe scraping rock—Darian grabbed her mid-fall, shoved her forward, then jumped himself. He struck the ledge with ribs, crumpled, but made it.
Tovan went next, hurling himself across. Behind him, the wolf lunged for Ash—the classic kill on the rearguard. Ash stepped in, spear cracking against its snout. The blow skewed its leap into the wall.
Tovan landed sprawling. Ash was alone.
The intact wolf's breath scalded his face. The half-blind one surged from the side. Mist stung his skin.
— Rope! Kaelen bellowed.
A cord whipped through the air—missed. The wolf struck.
Ash didn't retreat. He slid under the jaws, spear braced crosswise. Fangs cracked on wood—splinter, tooth lost. The other lunged—Ash slashed its cheek open, hot blood coating his arm.
— Now! Ash shouted.
Mira's flash seared both faces. The wolves crashed into each other. Kaelen hurled the rope again. This time Ash caught it. Darian and Tovan hauled with all they had. Ash vaulted, boots scraping rock, dragged up as jaws snapped below.
The wolves scrabbled at the ravine's edge. One gathered for a leap—Tovan, dry, still shoved a spill of stones down. The ledge crumbled mid-jump. Claws clawed air, then failed. The beast plunged into the black water, its roar swallowed by the gorge.
The half-blind one prowled along the bank, searching for a ford.
— We move, Ash ordered. Now.
The Tunnel
They limped along the ravine, lungs seared, bodies wrecked. Two jackals found a crossing, pursued. Kaelen smashed one into stone with his shield. Darian split the other. Mira's filtering veil kept their throats clear. Tovan staggered, arm clutched tight.
— There, Kaelen pointed. A rock seam. Ten seconds, then drop through.
It was a crack in the cliff, barely a chimney. Big enough for humans, too narrow for wolves.
— Tovan, widen the base.
— I'm… spent.
— A finger's width.
Jaw clenched, Tovan pressed his palm. The stone shifted a millimeter. Enough.
They squeezed in, scraping shoulders raw. Outside, claws raked stone. Wolves circled.
Ash held the rear, spear barred. The half-blind wolf jammed its snout into the gap, fangs snapping. Ash's spear braced. For a moment, space itself seemed to harden around him, air grating like stone. The jaws scraped nothing. The beast withdrew, snarling.
— Go, Ash ordered.
They crawled, the rock biting arms and knees.
Then—different breath. Not wolves. Heavier. Older. The tunnel itself exhaled.
An eye opened in the dark. Vertical. Ringed with rough basalt flesh.
Gate-Warden (Rank C low): segmented tunnel predator. Mineral-plated body. Folded fang-legs. Hunts in chimneys by blending with stone. Acid bite. Pressure-wave roar that crushes lungs.
The air grew heavier. Dust rained.
— Don't back up, Ash whispered, spear leveled.
The Warden unfolded claw-legs, sweeping forward.
Ash rammed half a step, spear grating plates, sliding toward a seam. Acid spilled, sizzling wood. He shortened grip, knife-fighting in the crawlspace.
— Shield, with me, Kaelen growled.
He jammed his battered shield into the gap. Fangs shrieked against steel. His frost-braced arm screamed but held.
— Light, fine beam, Ash ordered.
— Little left, Mira gasped.
— Enough.
Her staff birthed a white thread. It sliced the Warden's eye a blink's width. Ash stabbed the gap, splitting flesh. Pressure-wave blasted, bursting eardrums. Pain sang.
Behind them, wolf growls echoed down the chimney.
— We pass now, or die here, Tovan rasped.
— Burr of stone. Three steps past its head, Ash commanded.
Tovan scraped a bulge from the wall. The Warden's claws caught, stuck. Ash twisted his spear, cracking a plate. Acid burned his neck. He didn't cry out. Kaelen shoved with the shield, Mira lanced a nerve with light, Darian stabbed between segments, blood blackening his sword.
The beast spiraled, body screwing deeper into the chimney.
— Lantern in its throat, Ash barked.
Mira forced a weak veil into its mouth. The reflux of its own acid choked it. It coughed. Ash struck, deep and sharp. The spear tore a U-shape into its flesh. Pressure boomed again, shaking stone.
The Warden recoiled, jammed in its own tunnel.
— Go! Ash snapped.
They scrambled past, dragging one another. Ash held last, spear crossbar. The Warden shoved, plates screeching. Ash's runes flared, the shaft bent but held. He let go, reversed the thrust, pinned its cracked plate to rock. It writhed, stuck.
They spilled into a basalt chamber, obsidian columns rising above a black lake.
The Warden ripped free, head shattered, one eye burst, still crawling. Ash finished it—precise, three thrusts to the exposed core. The carapace convulsed, then lay still.
But no rest.
A roar thundered. The half-blind wolf had found another entrance. The intact one followed. Two C-ranks entered the chamber.
Ash straightened, gray eyes narrowing.
— Two C-ranks.
Kaelen coughed blood, shield raised.
— We can't hold.
— Then we bleed one while the other watches, Ash said.
The wolves charged.
The Obsidian Hall
The half-blind wolf lunged first. Kaelen shifted aside, not blocking fully—he slid the jaws off his battered shield so they clamped air instead. Steel shrieked, shield tore, but Kaelen rose again, coughing blood. Darian struck its flank, blade bouncing off ribs. He gritted teeth, stabbed again.
The intact wolf targeted Ash. Its breath poured ferric mist across his face. Ash watched its gait—left paw lagged a tenth of a beat since the ravine. He seized that sliver, sliding under its arc. His spear struck the joint. Not deep enough, but enough to stagger it. Fangs clamped his shaft, bending wood. Ash yielded, twisted, hammered the beast's ear. The resonance stunned it.
— Mira! Cut its breath! Curtain!
Mira raised a trembling veil of light—Clear Lantern. The mist thinned, the wolf coughing on lessened advantage.
— Tovan, spike!
Tovan, ribs crushed, stomped. A pitiful basalt tooth jutted—but enough. It scraped the wolf's pastern, stumbling it. Ash darted, piercing the shoulder, jamming a nerve. The paw collapsed.
To the side, Kaelen wrestled the half-blind wolf. Its tail smashed him against a column, splitting his frost brace. His ribs cracked. He roared back, slamming a flaming strike into its last eye. The flame sputtered—his stone empty. The wolf's jaws clamped shield, tearing it away. Kaelen braced with bare arm, teeth clenched.
— Rope! Darian shouted.
He looped his rope around a column, pulling with all his strength. The wolf slipped half a step, Kaelen slammed his elbow into its throat.
But claws raked Darian's thigh, ripping it wide. Blood sprayed. He stumbled, laughing through clenched teeth.
— Still here!
The wolf tore forward. Kaelen battered blindly, fists bleeding. Mira flicked a tiny spark into its nerve. Ash thrust, deep into its jawline. Together, they drove it back.
The beast crashed.
The intact one rose, eyes burning. It feinted high, bit low. Ash countered, shaft smashing snout, stunning it. He stabbed again, piercing chest muscle. The wolf retaliated—headbutt slamming him. The world blurred. A red glow flickered in his eyes. Space itself bent, just slightly, the beast's lethal blow glancing aside into a column.
No one had time to notice. Ash still stood.
— Darian! Left flank!
Bleeding, swaying, Darian roared. He hurled himself into the open flank. His sword plunged where Ash's spear had pierced. The wolf convulsed, jaws snapping. Darian let go, leaving the blade stuck.
— Kaelen! Cut!
Kaelen swung shield-edge into the open wound, widening it. Tovan, pale, raised one last spike beneath. Ash wrenched his spear upward in one brutal arc.
Something cracked inside. The wolf fell, limbs shuddering, chest leaking black steam.
The half-blind one staggered upright again. Its jaws gaped for Mira.
Ash pivoted too late.
It was Darian who leapt—broken leg dragging, arms locking around its neck. His fingers gouged its ruined eye. The wolf rolled, crushing him against stone. Bone snapped. Darian coughed blood, grinning mad.
— Burn it! Anything! he choked.
Kaelen's fire was gone. He hammered his fist into its throat anyway, again and again. Mira's last spark flicked into a nerve. Ash struck, spear plunging deep through its palate into the mana core.
The beast collapsed heavy, shaking the hall.
Aftermath
Silence. Their breaths ragged, bodies shattered. Mira sobbed quietly, alive. Tovan sat broken, gasping. Kaelen bled from shattered hands. Darian lay pinned, laughing through blood, somehow still breathing.
The Gate-Warden dragged itself one last time. Ash strode, finishing it with three quick thrusts to its cracked core. It twitched, died.
The chamber finally stilled.
But before relief came, a deeper roar echoed from the ravine. The stone itself trembled. A cold wind swept across their scorched skin.
Ash lifted his spear, gray eyes narrowing.
— Stand.
The fight was not over.
End of Chapter 3.