"Are you crazy?!" Diana cried, staring at the advancing creatures. "You can't fight that!"

"There is nothing else we can do!” Hector shouted, still standing fast. He couldn't really back down now. What kind of man would he be if he did?

Hector saw her hands trembling as she prepared a spell. He himself was shaking all over as he looked at the approaching titan. There was so way he would be able to stop that monster.

He had seconds before the big monster arrived. He had seconds before he died.

"None of my skills will work. Most I can do is fucking throw stones and try to blind it!" Frank yelled, his hands picking pieces of fallen buildings and aiming them at the monster’s head to negligible effect.

"Take this!" Diana cried and Hector saw her fingers tracing glowing runes above one of the stones Frank was about to pick up.

With a mighty heave, Frank launched the stone towards the towering monster. As the stone arced through the air, the runes on its surface ignited with a brilliant light, illuminating the darkness with a blinding intensity. Then the monster's head was engulfed in a dazzling explosion of energy, momentarily disorienting it.

Temporarily blinded and confused, the massive creature thrashed about, bellowing in pain and fury, one of its hands covering its giant eyes.

In its disoriented state, its other hand lashed out and collided with a nearby wall. The impact was thunderous, shards of stone and debris flying in all directions as the wall crumbled under the force of the collision. Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring the other monsters from view.

"Good job, Diana!" Mia encouraged, "Into that building! It’s the only way out!"

"Right behind you," Hector grunted, running after Mia. Then he used his Battle Cry skill that made everyone move just a little bit faster.

"Watch out!" someone yelled as one of the creatures leaped out of the dust cloud toward Hector. He punched it straight in the face and the surprised beast fell down stunned, but not before it managed to rake its claws across his side. Immense pain shot through Hector, he stumbled but managed to keep running. He spared a look at his side and saw that his clothes got torn to shreds and what was under all the blood looked even worse.

"Damn it!" Hector cursed, gritting his teeth against the pain. His wound was bleeding heavily, and he knew he was in serious trouble.

"Everyone, keep running!" Mia commanded, grabbing Hector's arm to support him. "We need to get out of here!" Hector was glad it was not him calling the retreat.

"Okay!" Diana agreed, her voice trembling as she cast another spell, creating another slowing rune.

"This went to shit real quick ." Frank shouted.

As they retreated, Hector couldn't help but feel anger. What was Mia thinking, running away randomly, they could have ran the way they came from. At least they knew it was clear. And he got injured! What if they didn't make it out alive? That sort of spur of the moment shit leadership would kill them.

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The group dashed through the streets, Mia’s heart pounding as she desperately tried to outpace the pursuing monsters. She weaved through narrow alleyways, her breath getting more ragged with each twist and turn. She could hear the others right behind her. With Hector hurt there was no other choice but to run inside the buildings, Diana’s Light Runes helped. Despite the monsters' relentless pursuit, the group's speed advantage allowed them to gain distance, gradually leaving their pursuers behind. Seeking refuge in the labyrinthine cityscape, they hid from the monsters.

Inside the abandoned building, they laid Hector on the cold, hard floor. He was gritting his teeth against the pain as sweat beaded on his forehead. Mia knelt beside him, her green eyes filled with worry and fear, while Diana stood at a distance, her hands trembling.

"Can anyone do something?" Mia pleaded, her voice cracking. "He's really hurt."

Diana hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I can try using my Healing Rune skill, but I'm not sure how effective it will be."

"Please," Hector managed to choke out between gasps, "just try." Whatever to stop the goddamn pain.

As Diana closed her eyes and began to chant softly, a warm glow enveloped her petite frame. The light extended towards Hector, encircling his wounded side. A rune appeared next to his wound. He winced, his eyes filled with hope and wonder.

"Is it working?" Mia asked, unable to tear her gaze away from the spectacle unfolding before her.

"Feels better," Hector replied through gritted teeth, though doubt still lingered in his eyes. "But I don't think it'll heal completely without proper treatment."

"Fuck this place, fuck this magic and fuck those monsters" Frank muttered, kicking a loose stone across the floor, his attempts at humor now replaced by frustration and anger. "We nearly died out there!"

Now that she had a moment to process, Mia felt herself becoming light-headed. Her breathing became faster and more erratic, and she broke out in a cold sweat. "This – this is insane!" she said, struggling to speak through her mounting fear. "We were just having a party, minding our own business, but now we're trapped in some godforsaken city fighting... whatever those things were! And they can hurt us! I almost killed us all!" Her knees weakened and she fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably

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"Hey, hey," Hector said, reaching out to place a reassuring hand on Mia's shoulder despite his own pain. "We'll get through this, okay? We always do."

"No, Hector, you don't understand!" Mia's voice was raw and filled with desperation. "I thought this would be like some stupid game – that we'd level up and become powerful and just... waltz our way out of here! But those things... they were real. They were terrifying, oh god all those legs. And they almost killed you! They still might!" She looked at Hector, her eyes begging him to understand.

"Listen," Diana interjected, her voice cold and steady as the light from her healing spell began to fade. "We're all scared. We're all angry. But falling apart isn't going to help us survive. So we need to pull ourselves together and figure out how to get out of here alive."

Mia tried to focus on her breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly as she fought to regain control. Despite her efforts, she still teetered on the edge of another panic attack. Diana's words echoed in her mind, helping her to push through the fear. But the weight of their hopeless situation was overwhelming. Her eyes stung with tears, and she could feel her resolve slipping. "It's impossible," she whispered, her voice heavy with emotion. "How are we supposed to survive against those monsters?"

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The rest of the team gathered around Mia, offering gentle reassurance and support. They patiently waited, giving Mia the space and time she needed to regain some semblance of control over her emotions. After a while Mia calmed down somewhat, she seemed to have cried out all the tears she had and was just sitting there staring into space.

"Next time," Frank said, trying to break the tension in the room, "let's not poke the bear. Or the... whatever those things were." He forced a laugh, but his eyes betrayed a lingering fear.

"Frank, this is hardly the time for jokes," Diana snapped, her icy demeanor cracking slightly as she glanced at Hector. The magic from her healing ward was still at work, and though it seemed to be doing its job, the uncertainty of their situation was clearly affecting her.

"Sorry," he mumbled, shuffling awkwardly. "I just thought we could use some... levity, I guess."

"Levity won't save us if we're not prepared," Diane said, her voice steadier now as she clenched her fists. "We need to figure out how to fight those creatures better next time – or there won't be a next time."

"Agreed, shit i could use a drink right now" Hector grunted, wincing slightly as pain shot from his wound. "But how do we even begin to prepare for something like that?"

"For starters everyone takes one of these,” Diane said as she cast a rune onto a flat piece of rubble she picked up, the rune was glowing with a weak light. "I got it from my class but it's a bit bright." Mia was just glad they had more options now.

"Good thinking," Hector said, looking through the nearest doorway. "It will help us save our phone batteries..."

Mia realized the air grew colder inside the buildings and she shivered in her thin shirt.

"Hey Mia, take this" Hector offered his jacket to her. “Sorry about the blood” Mia took it and pulled it tight around her body with a thankful nod. It was better than freezing.

"Who could've built this place?" Diana whispered, “You noticed how the doorways had strange sizes, some far too large, and others were barely more than a foot tall. And the lack of windows freaks me out”

"Yeah this place is extremely weird" Frank said, his voice hushed. "It's like something out of a nightmare."

Mia couldn't help but disagree, at least you could wake from a nightmare. This was worse. There was a sense of foreboding that hung heavy in the air, a tension that made her skin crawl.

"Alright," Mia said, attempting to keep her voice steady. She needed to take control of something. "We need a plan. If we're going to go home, we have to start thinking. "

"Agreed," Hector nodded, his brow furrowed in thought. "Diana, you've got that genius brain of yours. Any ideas on where we should start?" Mia rolled her eyes, not the sharpest tool in the shed, huh Hector? At least you know it and know who you defer to.

"Obviously we're not going home right now, so we need shelter and supplies," she stated with certainty. "If we can find a map or clues, even better. Let's explore methodically, sticking together."

"You heard her, no scooby doo shit," Frank chimed in, his lanky frame tense.

“Okay, what else can we do?” Mia asked.

"Maybe we should start by really getting to know our abilities," Frank suggested. "And see if we can combine them somehow. Like, for instance, if Diana can slow them down with her magic, we can all attack the same one to bring it down quickly.

"Or what if we set traps for them?" Hector chimed in, seizing on the idea. "Like, we don't have to fight them head on."

"Exactly," Mia nodded, feeling a spark of hope amidst the fear. "We need to get a bit more creative."

As they discussed their strategy, Hector's breathing grew steadier, and the pain in his side began to subside. He looked down, amazed to see that his wound was no longer bleeding and appeared to be healing at an accelerated rate. "Guys, look!" he exclaimed, lifting his shirt to reveal the nearly closed gash.

"Wow," Diana breathed, staring at her own handiwork. "I didn't know I could do that."

"Neither did I," Hector admitted, grinning despite the lingering soreness. "But I'm not complaining."

“Diana, how can you even cast spells?” Mia asked.

"I...I'm not sure," Diana admitted, opening her eyes. Her voice was cautious. "It's like tapping into a part of myself I never knew existed. I just know how to do it, probably similar to your skills"

"Nice, can you show us the explosive one?" Hector said, apparently feeling better.

Diana nodded and got a focused look on her face and drew a weird symbol in the air. She drew a symbol in the air! Light showed behind her fingers as she moved them and stayed there. Then, Mia felt a surge of energy course through her, emanating from Diana, and with a whoosh, the symbol moved from the air to a nearby wall and after a seconds delay it produced a small explosion. The sudden burst of flame illuminated the ruined room around them, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

"The feeling of power is really something else." Diana said, looking at her hands.

"Good job healing Hector, Diana. And Frank... even though your jokes aren't exactly helping, it's nice to have a little bit of normalcy in all this craziness."

"Thanks," Frank said, returning her smile. "Let's go all Batman on this shit and prepare, prepare, prepare