Taking a deep breath, Thorian stepped towards the portal gate when a notification abruptly halted him.

Warning: You are about to step into a corrupted dungeon. Are you sure you want to enter?

Nodding, Thorian responded internally, Yes, I am.

With determination, the group of ten ventured into the portal. Emerging on the other side, they found themselves in a forest vastly different from Sherwood. While Sherwood possessed a mystic charm despite its dangers, this forest exuded sheer horror. The trees stretched abnormally tall, their leaves a sinister, dark shade of blood. The ground was an ominous black, marred with streaks of crimson and dark green.

“This is truly an ominous place,” Vigil whispered, his voice tinged with unease. “The corruption has spread too far.”

“Be on your guard,” Thorian commanded, his gaze scanning the surroundings. “We don’t know where our enemies might be lurking.”

Simultaneously, Saxum, who had evolved into a Sand Kobold Sorcerer, approached Thorian. “My king, my evolution has granted me a new skill: Seismic Scanning. It provides a general layout of the land within a kilometer radius.”

Thorian’s eyebrows lifted in intrigue. “That's a valuable skill. Please use it; it could aid us in locating the shrine.”

Acknowledging Thorian’s instruction, Saxum sat down, placing his palm against the cold, dark earth. Circular pulses radiated from his hand, spreading in a wide arc around them.

After a few tense seconds, Saxum shook his head in frustration. "I can't locate the shrine, but I did sense a plethora of monsters scattered throughout the forest." He suddenly turned to his right, his eyes narrowing. "One of them is right there."

As if responding to his words, a thunderous roar shattered the eerie silence, and trees toppled in the distance as the creature Saxum sensed bulldozed through them.

"It’s making far too much noise," Thorian muttered with a click of his tongue, swiftly advancing towards the source of the commotion. As he closed in, the creature’s formidable form became visible. It was a massive bear, towering at ten meters, its expression one of wild frenzy. Its pupils were unnervingly rolled back, and foam frothed at its mouth. Dark, branch-like appendages sprouted grotesquely all over its body.

Elemental Embodiment: Wind, Thorian thought, raising his emberstrike cane high. Greater Gale Slash.

With a powerful vertical swing, he unleashed his spell. The wind slash sliced through the air, cleaving the monstrous bear before it could even reach him. The creature collapsed, unable to emit a final cry, as blood and gore painted the forest floor.

“I thought our target was supposed to be elves,” Forlune remarked, rushing to Thorian’s side. He eyed the bear’s carcass with evident revulsion. “What in the world is this thing?”

“A beast corrupted by the forest’s malevolence,” Thorian replied, observing the dark and red corruption consuming the bear’s lifeless form. “These creatures are not our primary adversaries; they're just unfortunate beasts caught in the crossfire.”

Turning to the group, he commanded, “We can’t afford to dally. This bear has compromised our location; we need to move swiftly.”

At his command, the group nodded in unison. Without hesitation, Thorian chose the eastern direction and confidently led his party onward.

If memory serves, the ruins of the shrine from my past encounter were to the east. The exact location, however, remains unclear, Thorian reflected, glancing at Saxum. But with his abilities, as long as we're headed in the right direction, we should be able to pinpoint our destination.

With Thorian at the forefront, the group advanced, their movements swift and coordinated. Given Harald’s superior agility, Thorian opted to ride his partner as they navigated the dense forest terrain.

Corrupted creatures—wolves, bears, and bobcats, all twisted echoes of their natural forms—launched relentless attacks. Yet, none could breach the defenses of Zogarth. Towering and formidable, Zogarth wielded his battle axe with lethal precision, felling any beast that dared to cross their path.

As they neared a clearing, Thorian signaled for the party to halt. Turning to Saxum, he instructed, “Use your scouting ability once more.”

Saxum complied, sitting down to concentrate on his ability. Moments later, he looked up, shaking his head in disappointment. “Still nothing.”

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Thorian sighed heavily. “We must press on. Our search continues.”

With those words, the party stepped into the clearing. Suddenly, Thorian felt a gut-wrenching sensation, as if his heart had plummeted. Trusting his instincts, he looked north, simultaneously activating both Predator’s Gaze and Elemental Sight.

Deep within the dense, corrupted woods, Thorian's enhanced vision caught a brief glimmer of mana. It originated from over five kilometers away, but he instantly recognized the imminent danger.

Quickly calculating the trajectory of the incoming projectile, Thorian whirled around, his eyes locking onto its intended target—Aqua, the ice kobold sorcerer. Aqua stood momentarily paralyzed, his gaze fixed on the direction of the impending attack.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Run!” Thorian bellowed as he dashed towards Aqua. In a split second, he infused his palm with mana and forcefully pushed Aqua out of harm's way. The arrow whizzed past, grazing Thorian and leaving a deep gash across his chest.

Boom!

The projectile struck the ground beside Thorian with explosive force, obliterating a quarter of the clearing in an instant. A billowing cloud of dust soared into the sky, while fragments of earth were hurled in all directions.

Wincing in pain from his injury, Thorian issued an urgent command without a moment's hesitation. “Run! Don’t stop, just run!”

At his order, the party sprinted across the clearing. Harald, in a swift motion, scooped up Thorian with his mouth and gently placed him onto his back. Transforming into his formidable bestial form, Harald telepathically cautioned Thorian, “Brace yourself. I’m about to accelerate.”

Harald's paws glowed with a mana infusion, propelling him at astonishing speed towards the opposite end of the clearing to regroup with their companions.

Wasting no time, Thorian invoked a spell to conceal their tracks. Mist Veil, he thought, a shroud of mist enveloping their escape, masking their presence from any pursuers.

The scorching mist enveloped their surroundings, providing much-needed concealment. Seizing these precious seconds, Thorian swiftly issued commands to his team. "Use every defensive ability you have. Spare no mana!"

Aqua, understanding the gravity of the situation, quickly enveloped each member in dual layers of protection—a water shield and an ice shield. Saxum followed suit, fortifying them with a rocky shield. Vigil, not to be outdone, enhanced his teammates' agility and constitution, his powers manifesting as golden and silver flares.

Thorian, determined to contribute, invoked his own defense. Lord’s Aegis: Elemental Guard. A massive magical circle materialized around his party, dissipating to leave only a golden ring. This deceptively frail-looking barrier was, in truth, incredibly potent. However, Thorian knew their adversary was a force even more formidable.

As Thorian tirelessly sustained Mist Veil to maintain their cover, a minuscule fire entity, no larger than a fist, materialized beside him. It returned his gaze with a sinister leer, its mouth brimming with hundreds of teeth, evoking the visage of the devil himself.

“Take cover!” Thorian commanded urgently. “Raise any blocking spells you have!”

Aqua, visibly unnerved by the spirit, nodded in response to Thorian's order. With a deft flick of his finger, he conjured a massive ice barrier from the ground, intending to shield them.

Realizing the need for additional defenses, Thorian quickly erected an Earth Wall to bolster their protection.

Yet, despite their efforts, the defenses proved insufficient. With a thunderous boom, a fiery bolt obliterated their protective spells in an instant, surging menacingly towards Thorian’s party.

Elemental Embodiment: Flames. Determined to counter the onslaught, Thorian raised his staff, channeling his formidable magic. Fire Stream!

A brilliant burst of flame erupted, colliding with the incoming fire bolt. Thorian's fire stream surged forth, battling against the now-weakened fiery onslaught. Despite its ferocity, it struggled, gradually losing ground to the overwhelming firepower of the spirit elf's attack.

"I’ll help you!" Aqua, resolved to contribute, raised his staff. An ice bolt of unprecedented size materialized in front of the blue kobold, whirling with dizzying speed.

Ventus, not to be outdone, took out his stormcaller’s rod, conjuring a fire arrow. The two elemental spells, along with Thorian's waning fire stream, converged on their target. This cataclysmic clash of elements finally tipped the scales in their favor.

As the spirit elf's fiery bolt disintegrated, Thorian wasted no time in celebration, turning immediately to Saxum. “Check again!”

Obedient to his lord's command, Saxum employed his spell once more. This time, his face lit up with hope as he reported back to Thorian. “I found it! It’s to the south!”

“Then let’s move!” At Thorian’s directive, Harald swiftly picked up Saxum, Aqua, and Vigil, the slower members of their party, and bolted through the forest. Taking the lead with great speed, Harald set the pace, while the rest of the team followed, running as fast as they could.

Gazing upwards, Thorian's pupils dilated in alarm. The sky, which had been clear just moments before, was now teeming with hundreds of arrows, each a meter in length.

“Take cover!” he bellowed.

Forlune and Zogarth sprang into action to intercept the deadly volley, their bodies aglow with vibrant auras. Zogarth let out a thunderous roar, his battle axe cleaving through the arrows, sending bursts of flying aura with each powerful slash.

Forlune, equally formidable, unleashed his spells upon the onslaught, his sword shimmering with silvery and golden auras as he sliced through the projectiles.

Despite their valiant efforts, the barrage was relentless and overwhelming. Each arrow's impact eroded their protective layers—ice, rock, and water shields alike crumbled under the assault.

But then, the arrows met the two generals’ last line of defense—Elemental Guard. They began to deflect, sparing Forlune and Zogarth from injury, causing only winces from the force of the impact.

Bolstered by this turn of events, the two warriors' spirits soared. They redoubled their efforts, vigorously slashing and obliterating the incoming arrows. They ceased only when the rain of projectiles finally abated.

While numerous, these arrows lacked the potency of the previous attack that Thorian, Aqua, and Ventus had countered. Having neutralized the threat, the two generals quickly regrouped with Thorian, expending every ounce of their aura to hasten their return.

Within a minute, the party reached their long-sought destination. The ruins of the shrine lay before them, a sight offering both hope and relief.

"Keep running!" Thorian's voice rang out, cutting through the brief lull in his team's urgency. He knew all too well that danger still lurked at every turn.

As if responding to his concerns, a new threat emerged. From beneath the ground, a colossal behemoth appeared, a grotesque fusion of a treant and a bear, dwarfing the size of their previous encounter.

Without hesitation, Thorian turned to Zarjin, the lightning goblin champion. "Destroy that monstrosity swiftly! Clear our path!"

Zarjin, radiating with a yellow lightning aura, charged towards the treant bear, his spear poised for a decisive strike.

Simultaneously, Thorian detected another imminent danger. From the north, the whoosh of an incoming attack caught his attention. Utilizing his Elemental Sight, he spotted the spirit elf's fiery bolt, pulsating with intense mana.

"Ventus! Enter the shrine and purify the crystal of its corruption!" Thorian commanded. He promptly raised an Earth Wall, while Aqua and Saxum supplemented his efforts with an Ice Barrier and another Earth Wall.

Meanwhile, Ventus’s form blazed with blue lightning energy. In a barely perceptible flash, he darted into the shrine, evading the treant bear. His figure was a mere flicker of lightning as he sped past the formidable creature.