Tam, Axel, and Gigi stumbled into step alongside me, arms still midswing, eyes wide in surprise, with Wren and Jye atomising in at the same time not far beyond us. Having watched it happen this time, I was about as confounded as I’d been at the Gate for Nabu’s Dungeon. Maybe for the next Gate, if we survived this one, I’d try to get someone else in the party to walk through so I could see what would happen.

Surprisingly, since I could see them now, the redhead’s [Cloak] looked to be cancelled by being dragged into the Gate through the party retention protocol. I didn’t look back, knowing from Tam’s reports that Damien’s crew never entered the Dungeon, so they wouldn’t follow us in.

For good reason.

My thoughts crashed off a cliff when I focused on what lay in front of me, my breath frozen in my throat.

I stared, completely unable to react to the sheer immensity of it. It was unbelievable, no, rather I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing. I wanted to clench my eyes closed and pretend I hadn’t walked into this Dungeon.

Carrie and Killian must’ve gotten lucky early on; Wren and her first party too.

Because the chill that ran over me was not from the freezing wind whipping past my head nor the snowflakes piling up over my clothes. I was numb to the extremely low temperature, all bodily reaction thrown to the wayside in an attempt to understand the scene before me.

It put the word “bloodbath” to shame.

The snow at my feet was drenched red, with bodies and limbs scattered this way and that in heaped piles as far as the horizon stretched, torn to pieces, jagged gashes and ripped flesh. Viscera and gore was splattered haphazardly about, soaking and staining the freshly fallen snow. There had to be thousands of corpses, if not tens of thousands; what expressions I could glimpse were frozen in mangled depictions of horror and hopelessness, their faces spanning the ages of babes to seniors.

The dead terror in their eyes would haunt me forever.

It was horrific. It was nightmarish.

It was hell.

It was where everyone had ended up.

The icy cold blast of the Dungeon’s biome, anything but a greeting, fogged my breath when I finally managed to exhale.

I was thankful that the freezing temperature had kept the bodies from rotting, the smell only coppery, the faintest stench of strewn bowel contents underlying it, though my numbing nose wasn’t able to sense much more than that. Little consolation that it was, since what replaced smell was the taste of bitter bile snaking its way up my throat.

We’d hadn’t had lunch today, but the vestiges of breakfast, porridge and dried fruit and nuts, was curling in my stomach. The sick of it cloyed to the back of my tongue, and I swallowed it down, standing there, staring. Trying to accept that this was real. That the Dungeon, that the Deities, had claimed these lives.

I’d been expecting something bad.

I think we all had been.

But this… massacre was beyond even what my worst imagination could conjure up.

I’d known people entering weren’t coming out, but for them to have not made it beyond the first steps of the Dungeon was incomprehensible. Had the beasts Wren described truly butchered so many like this? It seemed impossible for them to have killed all these people. I didn’t even have the mental bandwidth to check on how everyone else was fairing, my mind still unable to process anything except the carnage in front of me.

Wren let out a little shriek, and Jye’s bow and arrow disappeared into their inventory so they could pull her face to their chest, blocking the child’s view, holding her close. This was not something a kid should see. Hell, as my gut clenched in disgust, I wasn't sure even I could stomach it. What was before us was unfathomable. It was a mass desecration of human life.

But a second had passed, though it might as well have been an eternity; the weight of deaths distorting time like gravity.

“Incoming,” Axel warned, sword raised.

Glad for the distraction, I whirled about to where Axel was pointing; a single person sprinted towards us, the gale of frosted wind curtaining them. Their features were difficult to make out, but there was a frantic energy in their movements. Something was wrong. Well, more wrong.

“You have to run!” the stranger shouted, voice strangled by hysteria. “They're coming!”

I could hear it, the crunching of ice and frozen flesh along the crimson ground, like pounding war drums, growing louder and louder. A stampede of something unknown approaching, bearing down on us. The beasts Wren had described. It had to be.

But this was all wrong. Wren said we’d have some time to walk in, to set up camp. I’d thought all these people would’ve gotten further inside too. We’d been planning on helping them, if we could, to ensure the human density didn’t get too low and slow the average decay. Fuck.

The plans of mice and men and all that jazz…

My stomach settled, the threat against my life a familiar panic compared to the dread stretching out before us. I could deal with sudden danger. I was used to it now. We’d been in life-or-death situations more times than I cared to remember.

“Run for your lives!” the stranger shouted as they barrelled past the party.

I didn't need to be told a third time.

I started sprinting. The Gate loomed before us, which had remained exactly as Wren had said; the ever tantalizing escape route.

My hands clenched into fists.

No.

We would be clearing this Dungeon.

As I pushed my feet as fast as they could carry me in the opposite direction of the stampede, past the Gate, half sinking into the mushy human snow that squelched with each step, I risked a glance back. I needed to know what was pursuing us, a morbid curiosity. What I saw was something entirely different to what I’d been expecting.

Instead of abominable snowmen, behind us, charging at full pace on six legs, were beasts of stark white fur, easily visible against the reddened combination of snowfall and plentiful corpse bits. The creatures were more than the height of an adult human and built with whip-like muscle, sleek and angular in shape. Made for speed, for pursuit. From their snarling mouths razor teeth glinted. Had there been one or two, perhaps I would’ve tasked the party with standing ground. Given our experience so far, we’d have been able to take a few on.

However, since there were fifty or so snapping at our heels, it was all I could do to not think about our imminent demise.

We had not been prepared for this.

During our discussions in base, Wren had gone into as much detail as she could about the Dungeon, with Makris filling the gaps from his observatory position in her mind, and even then, the most we’d readied was how to deal with the biome. The girl’s memory was spotty with details on the beast that had attacked, and Makris hadn’t been able to help either, since he could only see what she could, and the attack had been so swift and sudden, she could describe very little. Compiled with the trauma it put her through, it had been a miracle she could remember anything at all. We’d been hoping to trek through the arctic environment for at least a day before being set upon by our new assailants.

So these creatures, and the number of them, was beyond the scope of what we’d planned for. As Gigi followed after me, xe dropped some [Shield Walls]. It did not stop the predators but slowed a few down as they had to dart about to dodge the obstructions in their pathways.

It didn’t even need to be said that the bodies we’d seen had been ripped to shreds by our pursuers. The players, naive and ignorant to the dangers of the Dungeon, would’ve been like newborn lambs to the slaughter. And Damien’s crew had known what was laying in wait. Had let all these people walk unknowingly to their deaths.

Regret was heavy in my gut as my lungs burned.

I pushed it and the mountains of bodies scarred into my eyes away, knowing they weren’t something we could do about now, just a distraction that could make us slip and lose our own lives.

Blindly, we ran deeper into the snow biome, a white expanse before us now, even the sky barely a blue, hazed by falling flakes, my only guiding light the stranger running ahead of me. My eyelids felt oddly heavy, and I realised, as I blinked, that whatever moisture there’d been on my lashes had begun to freeze over. Oh, that wasn’t good.

The six of us sped after the stranger, the square of their back my singular focus, the pounding of the creatures’ paws secondary to not losing sight of our helper.

“This way!” they urged, whipping out a hand in gesture to get us to follow them.

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I hesitated for a split second, running through whether or not they should be trusted.

But there weren’t a lot of other options, at least on my end. I’d burned all of my stamina in that last ability back on Earth, and it was coming back up slowly. Well, much much faster than it had before I proc’d into the attributes with my credits but not enough to really assist me in borrowing anything in the meantime. Sure I could borrow something that cost mana, but there wasn’t anything particularly useful in a chase sequence.

Which reminded me… As far as entertainment went, this had to be relatively eye-catching.

Hopefully, that meant we were being focused by the Dungeon’s Mod. It’s not like there appeared to be anyone else alive in here apart from us and the stranger. The Deities had to be watching us. And if worse came to worse with the stranger, it was one versus six. Actually six and not just six-ish, since this time I felt like I could rely on Tam to do her part. Something had changed about how she’d been treating the group lately. Though it did make me less trusting toward her.

Taking a calculated gamble, I followed the sharp right in tow of the stranger, and we trailed them into the crevice wedged between high hardpack snow, the light of the sky snuffing out the further we delved into what now appeared to be some sort of cave system. The air grew colder, stinging my lungs as I heaved in breaths.

The stranger did not slow down. If anything, in the tight space, they sped up, darting about the dim narrow tunnel corners as if they knew the ins and outs of them like the back of their hand. If I didn’t keep my eye on them, I was liable to take a wrong turn and get my entire party and myself killed.

Right, left, left, right—

Tsss.

An ability or several; Gigi was littering [Shield Walls] still, but it didn’t seem in sync with xir activations. I lost track of our turns in that moment, desperation to survive the only thing snaring my focus onto the stranger’s back.

The thunder of the creatures’ pursuit echoed in after us, but more controlled now, perhaps because they were being forced to file in one by one into the cave, rather than continue on in the cluster that’d begun our chase. With that relief giving me a moment to think, I checked to ensure everyone had made it so far, not as worried as maybe I once would’ve been entering Nabu’s Dungeon.

We’d grown since then. Well, I hoped we had, at least.

Axel was beside me, Tam not too far behind, followed by Jye carrying Wren, and Gigi, still throwing down [Shield Walls] to block the tunnels as we raced through.

The stranger skidded to a halt at the dead-end before them, ramrod still, eyes flicking back and forth. They brought a finger to where their lips under their scarf would be and fell into a crouch, gesturing for us to do the same. I shared a look with everyone else, panting heavily, muscles burning, and silently we agreed to once again follow suit.

Dropping into a squat, I tried to control the air pumping rapidly in and out of my lungs. The others appeared to be doing the same to different degrees of success. It hadn’t been much, but for the days we’d been doing recon, I’d started including some cardio into my morning routine.

At my request, Jye, a “licensed PT” (in their words), had given me a training regimen, and I’d stuck to it as closely as I could. If attributes weren’t going to improve our overall physical fitness, it was up to us to do it instead. It was part of how I could protect the others better.

Said PT deposited Wren gently to the ground, and she shot them an appreciative though strained smile. Seeing the monsters again had to be horrific for her, but she was taking it on the chin. Hopefully Makris was supplying some sort of emotional support as well. I was glad Jye was looking after her.

The clambering of the creatures’ clawed feet upon the ice floor inside the cave didn’t quieten. In fact, it sounded like they were closing in on us. Axel’s grip on his sword tightened, turning to check with me for our next move. Would we have to stand our ground here? It wasn't exactly the most defensible position, the frost-caked walls further ingraining a coldness into my flesh.

To my left, Tam’s brown eyes were narrowed in suspicion, the blade she held already surreptitiously pointed towards the heavily clothed stranger before us. Her distrust toward them might be deserved.

It was possible this unknown person had worked in tandem with the beasts to trap us. In our haste, we'd trusted them and followed them, but that could've been just what they wanted.

I took a sharp breath, weighing up the options, the sound of the creatures drawing nearer.

It would only take a swipe or two at Gigi’s barriers for those aggressive beasts to get through the ones xe’d use to plug the tunnels behind us. They could be upon us in seconds, if that was the case. If we preemptively attacked the stranger, assumed they had betrayed us, and took them hostage, would it stop the creatures?

I doubted it.

Rather it would pit these beasts and the stranger doubly against us. We weren’t in the right shape to take on fifty of those beasts. I had enough stamina now for maybe one ability, but without knowing what this person before us could do, attacking blindly would be stupid. Add to that, though I could feel the blood thrumming through me, a heat of adrenaline too, my fingers had begun to grow numb. The sharp bite of the cold air also cut my airways as I breathed, burning my lips and nostrils when it entered them. It was far fucking below zero in here.

A tremor of anxiety thrummed through me. In a prolonged fight, we’d freeze to death.

The beasts were almost upon us, their thunder closing in.

The stranger didn’t move, a statue in all but the softly rising and falling of their chest.

In the dark of the cave, I met their gaze, hoping for reassurance, for answers, but it was obstructed by the hood and scarf that encompassed most of their face. Staring though, those eyes… I knew those eyes.

Why did I know those eyes?

I opened my mouth to speak, but they shook their head sharply, the pandemonium of the approaching beasts right on top of us.

My mouth went dry, and I felt my heart slow as I readied myself to fight. We’d have to take them on, filed into our cave end, one by one. At least there was some ease in that.

The stranger pointed up.

Following the line of their finger, the party and I angled our heads. We were treated to a glacial transparent ceiling above which an extended line of the beasts stampeded over.

One by one, the whole fifty plus of them swept overhead, before ambling out of view.

They were gone.

Just like that.

Suspicious gazes fell to the stranger.

Somewhere along the line, the beasts had taken an alternate route, a detour that had led them to the tunnel running adjacent but basically one floor above. Had… had the stranger planned this? They’d used an ability, I was sure. But what? Something similar to Anna’s [Mirror Aide] maybe, to lead them away from us?

Without a word, said stranger pressed their finger further into the scarf, instilling even deeper silence on us. I heard the hiss of another ability and watched as the stranger’s eyes pressed closed, their brow furrowed.

Something told me that even like this, they weren’t vulnerable. It was in the tension of their body. Muscles coiled, ready to spring. I sought Tam’s gaze and gave her a curt shake of the head. Utterly seen through, her expression flattened. She’d wanted to attack them.

We held our breaths.

Were they sensing the creatures somehow? Listening to their distant movements?

A tangible vibration of expectancy hung in the air.

After what seemed like forever, the stranger’s eyes finally flashed open and they stood, their familiar gaze taking us in. Another hiss followed, though it didn’t seem like it came from them.

“They’re gone. For now.” It wasn’t just their eyes… I hadn't noticed it because of the hysteric emotion colouring it, but their voice was familiar too.

Gigi’s hand found my arm and xe nodded tightly. Xe must’ve checked the beasts proximity using [Locate] to confirm their words. Xir touch was glacial against my skin.

A shiver rocked up my spine, the chill beginning to tremble through my limbs. I would’ve immediately liked to have begun interrogating the stranger, but there were more pressing matters to consider. My health had begun to pip down slowly, and the biome also seemed to be taking a toll on my stamina and mana regen. We had to do something about that first.

“W-Win-Winter suits,” I chattered, my teeth clacking together from the cold.

The stranger’s eyes narrowed.

Whatever. They would have to wait. They’d saved our lives. I'm sure getting them to hold off a little bit wouldn't be asking much more. And it wasn’t like they’d use this chance to attack us either; the creatures might come back with a big disturbance.

Almost simultaneously, the six of us pulled out some of the gear Killian had offered us before we’d left Tentworld. He’d been emotionless but apologetic (mostly to Axel) that he couldn’t do more for us, considering he wasn’t able to honor Carrie’s extension of an invite. Having stepped in and out of the Gate, he’d recommended an assortment of equipment and had suggested we’d layer up if we were intent on checking it out ourselves.

In silence, though Axel muttered complaints under his breath about the cold, we turned our backs on each other and started stripping. We only took the top off of whatever we were wearing since the falling snow had dampened them and was no doubt part of what was sapping our warmth. This was something Jye had explained to us about extreme camping. This extra layer had been uncomfortable for the duration of the fight we’d just been in, but most of us had chosen to wear tank tops beneath our shirts, just in case.

We’d agreed on this quick change during planning, since we knew it was unlikely we’d be able to step into the Gate dressed in appropriate gear for the arctic. I’d made sure to check with Wren and Tam, and they’d both understood the practicality of it. I’d hoped we might find privacy or be able to pitch up one of the tents Jye took from Bunnings to change in, though I told them not to count on it. We’d tried to fit an already built tent into our inventories, but we were met by the same Unacceptable parameters error message like when Jye had attempted to store the car.

The six of us had formed a circle with the stranger standing in the center, our backs to them as we layered on the equipment. For some reason, Jye had stepped ever further away from us all. Were they shy about nudity? I mean, I understood. I wasn’t exactly pumped to be getting half naked with an audience, but you’d think a gym junkie would be more proud of their hard work. In the corner of my eye, I noted that they’d opted for two tank tops.

Subconsciously, I’d put myself closer between Wren and the stranger, and I think Tam also had a similar idea.

I was surprised either of us had done so because my thoughts were stuttering to complete, the freeze beginning to seep into my bones. The warmth had since left my body, and just in my underwear, my hands and arms shook violently as I slipped on a thermal long sleeve shirt, long johns, and socks, followed by a layer of clean normal clothes, and then a down jacket and pants, gloves, a balaclava and topped it all of with a beanie. I dismissed the old damp set to my inventory.

It was quite the lengthy process even though I think we were all changing as quickly as we could, the uncontrollable spasming of our freezing bodies making the struggle more difficult. I was shivering even when fully dressed again, muscles clenching in response to the cold, and I folded my arms about myself to capture and retain as much warmth as I could. Yes, it looked like I was hugging myself, so what.

When we all turned back around, the sight nearly made me laugh.

We looked like some sort of confused gang of plump bank robbers.

“Awfully well-prepared, aren't we?” the stranger mused, and I was sure I knew that voice.

It was difficult to forget it. But it didn’t make any sense.

How had he ended up in here?