The storm raged behind us, unleashing its fury in a display that would have been awe-inspiring if it weren't so terrifying. Crimson lightning, like veins of angry fire, lashed the earth with a frequency that made my hair stand on end. Each strike illuminated our surroundings in a hellish glow, casting long, distorted shadows that seemed to reach for us with grasping fingers.

"Move your arses, lads, and lasses!" Thandroot bellowed over the rising wind. Sylara, in her half-elven grace, bounded ahead of us, her movements fluid despite the panic I could see in her vibrant green eyes.

I pushed my aching legs harder, and my armor felt heavier with each step. The thought flashed through my mind that if this were a game, I'd be reaching for the pause button right about now. But this was no game, and there was no respite to be found. We had to keep moving or risk being consumed by whatever eldritch horror chased us through this storm.

I stored my Titanguard Ultra Great Sword in my tote as we took off faster. There was no sense in having it bounce on my shoulder while we ran a marathon.

"Keep up the pace!" Thandroot called out over the howling wind. "We must put as much distance between us and that storm as possible."

Darby ran beside me, her bow clutched tightly in her hand. "This Ormithral," she panted, "just how bad is it?"

I shook my head, my lungs burning to keep up the grueling pace. "If it's got Thandroot and Sylara this worried, I'd say pretty damn bad. Phil warned me about it when we rested at the Veilstone."

"You talked to him?"

"Yeah," I said between deep breaths. "He mentioned the Ormithral. Said it was something a bunch of heroes got together and defeated. He played it off like it was no big deal."

"How? And what is it?”

“I have a theory,” I said between panting breaths as we ran.

“Oh?”

“This great evil was locked away. The reactor had something to do with it. Restarting it let the evil foozel out. Also, I think Thandroot and Sylara were stuck in Chronos Slumber for at least a thousand years, and they have no idea. That would explain Thandroot's confusion. He's a man who knows this world, but not this world, if you know what I mean."

"I think you're right, Liam."

"Yeah. My bad on the whole reactor reboot thing."

"In your defense. You had no choice."

A bolt of red lightning struck a nearby tree, splitting it in half with a deafening crack. As a group, we flinched and raced onward.

Suddenly, Trogs' voice rose above the chaos and infused our bodies with energy. Our steps became lighter and swifter.

Thandroot glanced back at the bard, a flicker of appreciation in his eyes. "Well done, Friend Trogs! Your magic is most welcome."

Trogs nodded, his fingers never faltering on the strings of his instrument.

The sky clouded overhead, but we were getting closer to The Nexus. The absolutely massive end had touched down and buried itself deep in the earth. It was at least a mile in circumference. Maybe three.

I panted heavily as we raced toward the colossal structure looming before us. The Nexus, once floating majestically in the sky, now stood partially embedded in the earth.

As we drew closer, the sheer scale of the place became increasingly apparent. Its base, driven deep into the ground, was so massive it defied comprehension. The structure dwarfed everything around it, making me feel like an insignificant speck in comparison.

"By the Leefser’s right hand!" Thandroot muttered in awe as we closed in.

The bottom of the Nexus was a chaotic mess of twisted metal, crumbled stone, and fractured crystal that we had to navigate if we wanted to reach the wall. Jagged edges jutted out at impossible angles, creating a treacherous landscape of debris and wreckage slowing us down. The impact had created a vast crater, with the earth pushed up in great mounds around the building's base.

Massive support beams, each thicker than a huge redwood, disappeared into the ground at steep angles. The metal was bent and warped, yet somehow still held the immense weight of the structure above. Sparks occasionally erupted from exposed pipes, adding an eerie, electric blue glow to the scene.

The base of the Nexus stretched so far in either direction that I couldn't see where it ended. It was as if an entire city had been compressed into a single, impossibly large building and then driven into the earth like a nail.

As we drew closer, I could make out ancient symbols and glyphs, some still glowing faintly with residual power, covering vast sections of the structure's skin.

“Look for a shelter from the storm,” Leech yelled.

He raced past us toward the building. Leech held his staff aloft, the magical ball mounted on top, pointed at the wall.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE: New quest unlocked: Nexus Invaders! Endure the storm, survive entering, and avoid electrocution and any other elemental attacks that might come your way. Oh, and try not to scream like a scared child when confronted with horrors within. Bonus: Impressing the ancient-evildoer-hunters Thandroot and Sylara might just get you on their Christmas card list. You’ll get some extra pennies to help level up. Or save them for the gift shop.

The ground violently shook. I glanced back and found a wave of something coming at us. It was hard to make out the mass, but it was anything but natural.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE: A wave of Crimson Reapers is on your six! These aren’t your run-of-the-mill vampiric juggernaut of demonic entities that can invoke blood magic to create whips and blades from their own veins. Picture a juggernaut with an all-you-can-bleed buffet fetish. With skin that looks like a pulsating anatomy lesson gone wrong, these demons are here to crash your party and turn it into a slasher flick. Pro tip: Avoid becoming their next blood smoothie. Oh, and maybe invest in some industrial-strength band-aids. #EmergencyRoomChic

>

> Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

We came to a sudden stop as we ran out of the grassy field and almost ran smack into a barricade in the form of The Nexus’ seemingly impenetrable walls.

Thandroot spun, yanked his halberd out of his Temporal Tote in the process, and lowered the tip to point at the encroaching horror.

“Crimson Reapers! We’re beyond fucked.”

Sylara veered into a dire ram again. Sparks cracked between her horns. She raced toward the horde and struck the ground with her head. A blast of power exploded outward and sped across the ground. It smashed into the crimson reapers and sent them flying, but it was like throwing a rock in the ocean.

The ocean of crimson reapers surged toward us, their grotesque forms crashing over each other in a frantic rush to reach our small group. The stench of decay and the metallic tang of blood filled the air, making my stomach churn.

The one saving grace was the treacherous landscape we'd had to navigate to reach this place.

Leech, his face tense with concentration, raised his staff. The air around him crackled with energy as a swirling vortex of fire and ice formed at the tip of his staff. He thrust the staff forward with a final shout, sending the chaotic maelstrom hurtling toward the approaching horde.

The spell slammed into the mass of crimson reapers, exploding in a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar. I thought Leech had turned the tide for a moment, but as the smoke cleared, I realized his spell had gone awry. Instead of decimating the reapers, it had only served to enrage them further. Some creatures had even absorbed the magical energy, their bodies pulsating with an eerie red glow.

"Shit!" Leech cursed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

Dammit! We needed a way out of this, and my cursory examination of the Nexus wall didn't reveal a way in.

"Oh!"

I turned and sprinted towards The Nexus's thick, imposing wall. As I reached the structure's base, I raised my gauntletted hand.

I had no idea how this thing worked, so I pictured a gap, large enough for us to pass through, forming in the wall. The stone and metal began to twist and warp, the fabric of reality bending to my will. With a final wrenching effort, the hole appeared, revealing a dark passage into the depths of the fortress.

"This way!" I shouted, waving frantically at my companions. "Hurry!"

Thandroot was spinning his giant halberd over his head. He struck the ground and sent a wave of silver streaks racing outward. Where they struck among the crimson reapers, the beasts froze in place. What looked like balls of hail, the same color as the streaks, fell among them, each exploding and sending bodies and parts of bodies flying in a gory mess.

Darby darted ahead into the entrance I’d just created. She gave me a questioning look. I whispered, “Tell you about it later.”

Leech tried to cast another spell. This time, he kept his leather-bound magic book in one hand and staff in the other. He uttered words, then shook his head as nothing happened.

“Dude!” I yelled at him. “Just get in. We’ll figure out how to block the enemy from within.

“I got this,“ Leech yelled back.

“Dude. The last time you said that, you turned into an old man,” I pleaded with him.

Leech put his book down and snarled, “You’re right.”

He dropped his magical tome back in his temporal tote and raced toward the opening.

The swirling mass of crimson reapers raced toward us, their grotesque forms tumbling over each other in a frenzied rush. Thandroot continued to unleash waves of shimmering magic, but his face was strained. He knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Fall back!" I shouted, my voice barely audible over the din of screeching monsters.

Thandroot seemed to realize the futility. He turned and sprinted toward us, his boots pounding the earth. But as he ran, Sylara stumbled. A crimson reaper's clawed hand struck her hard, and her dire ram form faltered. In an instant, she was back in her half-elven form, lying prone on the ground.

My heart leaped into my throat. There was no time to think, only to act. I gripped my Titanguard Ultra Great Sword tightly, and I triggered Knight's Reckless Charge with a deep breath.

The world blurred around me as I shot forward. I barreled into the approaching enemies, my massive sword cleaving through their ranks. Blood and viscera sprayed in all directions as I

"Liam!" Darby's voice cut through the chaos. I heard the twang of her bow, followed by the meaty thunks of arrows finding their marks in the reapers that got too close.

I reached Sylara, lungs already screaming from the exertion. "Can you stand?" I asked, extending my hand while keeping my sword ready.

She nodded weakly, grasping my arm. I hauled her to her feet, my eyes darting between her and the encroaching horde. We had mere seconds before we'd be overwhelmed.

"Hold on," I said, wrapping an arm around her waist. With my sword in one hand and Sylara pressed against my side, I turned back toward the opening I'd created in the Nexus wall.

I next triggered Guardian’s Oath. A protective shield dropped over us. While the thirty-second protection was active, it offered strong defense but wasn’t nearly enough to stop this horde.

They closed in from all sides. The Titanguard Ultra Great Sword worked best when dual-handed. I had the strength to use it with my right hand, but my swings were slower and less powerful. The one thing it had in my favor was reach.

The first screaming blood vein-flinging creature reached me. It was about half my height, and it was fast. It had turned parts of its body into weapons with spikes and hunks of metal driven into its appendages.

It leaped into the air, a scimitar-like blade aimed at my face, so I struck it as it flew. The blade worked more like a bludgeon, and they threw it about a dozen paces away.

Sylara had recovered enough to push away from me. She knelt, pressed her hands to the ground, and declared, “Earth be my fury.”

A quake ripped the ground. The line of advancing crimson reapers fell apart as a small fissure opened up, and rock shards thrust upward.

“Go!” She shouted at me. “Keep Thandroot safe. I am mortally wounded and will not survive even were you to get me to safety.”

I ignored her words, leaned over, and picked her up, and put my hand around her waist to pull her protectively close to my body. She tried to struggle but her hands were weak, that’s when I noticed the blood that had begun to seep though her chest piece.

Trogs' screams cut through the screaming crimson reapers. A blast of lightning erupted and fell among the enemies, giving me the time I needed to gather myself. Thanks to Trog’s song, it was easy to call forth a skill I had not used in a while, mainly because I had become a bonk first and ask questions later kind of guy.

The main force of crimson reapers targeted us. At least fifty or sixty had regrouped, and they launched themselves at us.

I called upon Shadowstrike, feeling the familiar chill as shadows enveloped me. In an instant, I was dashing through a dark void, Sylara clutched tightly against my chest. The world around me blurred as I covered thirty feet in mere seconds, emerging from the shadows near the entrance to the Nexus.

Darby and Leech had already set out after me, providing covering fire. Arrows whistled past, finding their marks in the pursuing crimson reapers, while bursts of arcane energy from Leech's staff kept the horde at bay.

Trogs' song grew in intensity, its haunting melody filling the air. My limbs lighten, my movements becoming swifter. The haste spell washed over our entire party, giving us the edge we desperately needed.

As I reached the entrance, Thandroot rushed past me, his halberd gleaming as he engaged the nearest reapers. His face was a mask of determination and fury as he fought to buy us precious seconds.

"Get inside!" he roared, his weapon cleaving through the air.

I didn't need to be told twice. Clutching Sylara even tighter, I ducked into the opening I had created earlier. Darby and Leech were behind me, with Trog bringing up the rear, his fingers still dancing across his instrument.

As soon as we were all inside, Thandroot backed up to join us. In one fluid motion, he reached into his temporal tote, pulled out a glimmering blue stone shaped like an egg, and hurled it at the entrance.

The stone cracked where it landed, and I watched in amazement as the opening began to fill in with what looked like sparkling gray and black granite. Within seconds, we were sealed off from the horrors outside, the sounds of the crimson reapers becoming muffled and distant.