The corridor twisted and narrowed as Kael, Elira, and Torran pressed forward, the echoes of their footsteps swallowed by the oppressive silence. The Node chamber was behind them now, but its lingering energy still clung to Kael like a second skin.
Ahead, the passage opened into a large, hollow chamber. Crystals jutted out of the walls at sharp angles, their once-brilliant surfaces dulled and fractured. At the center of the chamber stood what appeared to be an outpost—a low, fortified structure made of dark stone. Its walls were scorched, and pieces of broken equipment lay scattered across the ground.
“Looks like someone set up shop here,” Torran muttered, his sword resting loosely in his hand. “Doesn’t look like they left willingly.”
Elira moved forward cautiously, her eyes scanning the area. “This place feels... wrong.”
Kael followed, stepping over the remains of what might have once been a crystalline console. The outpost was eerily quiet, its silence broken only by the faint hum of distant energy. The walls bore faint etchings, glowing faintly with System runes that flickered in and out like dying embers.
“What do you make of this?” Kael asked, running his fingers over one of the rune patterns.
Elira joined him, her gaze narrowing. “System logs,” she said. “Encoded. But whoever did this was sloppy—parts of it are still legible.”
Kael leaned closer, reading aloud:
“‘...Node instability spreading beyond expected parameters... Reset Protocol initiated...’” He frowned, his voice trailing off. “What’s the Reset Protocol?”
Elira stiffened, her shoulders tensing. “Something the System shouldn’t be doing,” she said curtly. “Let’s keep moving.”
Kael frowned, noting her change in tone, but Torran interrupted. “Hold on. There’s more over here.”
They followed him to another wall, where deeper engravings marked a desperate message:
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[Abandon hope. The corruption feeds on the weak. Trust no one.]
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Elira turned away sharply, her voice hard. “We’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”
Kael exchanged a glance with Torran but decided against pressing the issue. Whatever they’d just stumbled onto, it was clear Elira wasn’t ready to explain.
The chamber felt colder as they moved deeper into the outpost. Cracked consoles lined the walls, glowing faintly with residual energy, and piles of debris cluttered the floor. Kael couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, a prickle of unease crawling up his spine.
“Anyone else getting the feeling this isn’t as abandoned as it looks?” he muttered, gripping his dagger tightly.
“Stay sharp,” Torran said, his shield raised. “Something’s off.”
Elira moved ahead, her bow drawn and ready. “I’m not picking up any obvious traps, but the energy in this place... it’s distorted.”
They stepped into a larger room, its walls covered in glowing etchings that pulsed faintly. At the center of the space, a toppled crystalline obelisk lay shattered, its jagged pieces scattered across the floor. The energy felt stronger here, more concentrated, and Kael’s shadow flickered erratically.
“Whatever happened here, it wasn’t pretty,” Kael said, his eyes scanning the room.
Elira approached the obelisk cautiously, running her fingers over one of the shards. “These runes... they’re not System standard. They’ve been tampered with.”
Before Kael could ask what she meant, a sudden noise—like the crackle of static—echoed through the room. He spun around, his heart racing.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Out of the shadows, figures emerged. At first glance, they looked human, but their movements were jerky and unnatural, as though they were marionettes controlled by invisible strings. Their bodies were partially corrupted, glitching with jagged edges and glowing red veins.
“They’re half-corrupted,” Elira said sharply, nocking an arrow.
“Bound, or NPCs?” Torran asked, raising his shield.
“I don’t think it matters,” Kael said grimly as one of the figures stepped forward, its voice distorted and mechanical.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” it said, its tone cold and hollow. “You meddle with forces beyond your understanding. The Reset will cleanse all.”
Before Kael could respond, the figures surged forward, their movements a chaotic blur.
Torran met them head-on, his shield colliding with the lead attacker. The impact sent a jarring shockwave through the room, but more figures pressed in from the sides.
“Watch the flanks!” Torran shouted, swinging his sword in a wide arc.
Kael activated Shadow Stitch, black tendrils lashing out to entangle two of the attackers. The corrupted figures writhed against the bonds, their distorted forms resisting the skill’s pull.
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[Skill Activated: Shadow Stitch]
Effect: Binds two enemies. Duration reduced due to Corruption Resistance.
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“Not as effective as I’d hoped,” Kael muttered, dodging a wild swing from one of the attackers.
Elira loosed an arrow, her shot piercing the head of a corrupted figure. It dissolved into flickering light, but the others showed no hesitation, pressing the attack.
“These things aren’t backing down!” Elira yelled, firing again.
Kael caught movement out of the corner of his eye—a corrupted figure leaping toward Torran’s unprotected side. “Behind you!” he shouted.
Torran pivoted just in time, slamming his shield into the attacker with a glowing Shield Bash. The figure crumpled to the ground, its body glitching violently before dissolving.
“We can’t keep this up forever!” Torran growled, sweat glistening on his brow.
As the trio fought to hold their ground, one of the corrupted figures stopped and spoke again, its voice crackling with static.
“The corruption feeds. The Reset is coming. You cannot stop it.”
Kael’s grip tightened on his dagger, the weight of the words sinking in. “What Reset? What are you talking about?”
The figure didn’t answer. Instead, it lunged forward, and the fight raged on.
The corrupted figures pressed in from all sides, their distorted bodies flickering with jagged energy. Kael’s muscles burned with exhaustion, and his shadow pulsed erratically, responding to the chaotic energy in the room.
“We’re getting overwhelmed!” Kael shouted, dodging a swipe from one of the attackers. His Shadow Stitch faltered, the black tendrils snapping as the corruption resisted his control.
Torran let out a grunt of effort, slamming his shield into another enemy. “Fall back! We need a better position!”
Elira loosed an arrow, the shot piercing clean through a corrupted figure’s chest. “I saw a passage on the right when we came in!” she called. “It might lead out!”
Kael turned toward the indicated direction, spotting a narrow tunnel partially obscured by rubble. “Worth a shot!”
The trio moved as one, Torran leading the way with his shield raised. The corrupted figures lunged after them, their jerky movements unnervingly fast. Torran blocked the first wave, his shield glowing faintly with another activated skill.
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[Skill Activated: Fortified Advance]
Effect: Reduces damage to nearby allies while moving.
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“Keep moving!” Torran bellowed, deflecting a wild swing aimed at Elira.
Kael followed closely, his chest heaving as they pushed through the rubble and into the tunnel. The confined space forced the corrupted figures to follow single-file, giving Torran a chance to block their advance entirely.
Once inside, Kael turned and activated Shadow Stitch again, the threads lashing out to collapse part of the rubble behind them. The tunnel shuddered, and debris fell, blocking the path.
“Not bad,” Elira said, pausing to catch her breath.
Kael leaned against the wall, his shadow flickering weakly at his feet. “That’s... all I had left.”
Torran nodded grimly, scanning the darkness ahead. “We bought ourselves a little time, but it won’t last. Whatever’s going on here, we’ve stirred up something dangerous.”
Kael turned to Elira, his eyes narrowing. “You’ve been tense ever since we found that Node chamber. What aren’t you telling us?”
Elira hesitated, her gaze dropping briefly before meeting Kael’s. “The Reset Protocol. It’s... tied to the Nodes. I think it’s part of why the corruption is spreading.”
Kael frowned. “And you knew this? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I wasn’t sure,” Elira admitted. “And I still don’t know enough to explain it. But we need to keep moving. If the Reset is what I think it is, this dungeon’s just the beginning.”
Before Kael could press further, a notification appeared in his vision.
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[Warning: Corruption Levels Increasing. New Threat Detected Nearby.]
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Kael’s stomach dropped, the air growing colder around them. “Whatever’s next,” he muttered, “I don’t think it’s going to wait for us to figure this out.”