"Atreo noticed Kore’s furrowed brow and the new spider tattoo on her palm. He walked over, his footsteps echoing in the silence. 'Everything okay?' he asked, trying to mask his worry."

Kore shrugged, flexing her fingers as the spider tattoo glimmered faintly. 'Yup, I think so... just, you know, pacts with lich spiders and dungeon cores. Just another day on the job,' she said with a wry smile."

"Lich spiders, huh? That explains the weird noises. I thought you were wrestling with a particularly stubborn bowel movement," Atreo chuckled.

"No, no, unfortunately not. I haven't been able to go for a few days. Must be the stress."

Atreo scrunched his face in disgust. "That's gross, Kore. I don't need to know about your bowel movements."

"Kore rolled her eyes, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. 'Oh, look at me, I'm Atreo, master of poop jokes,' she mimicked, her voice dripping with mock seriousness."Kore's expression grew serious as she looked at the fallen lich. 'Atreo, I made a pact with Arachnaeus. In return for protection, he’ll teach me the ways of our late friend over there.'"

"You sure you want to be like him? He seemed kind of underwhelming, if I do say so myself."

Kore frowned, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns of the spider tattoo. She hadn’t really considered that. The legends spoke of liches as powerful beings, yet they had defeated this one with relative ease.

She went silent for a moment while Atreo stood, waiting for an explanation.

"Arachnaeus says it's because this lich had been purposely bound here as a last line of defense to protect the library. Over time, without the ability to gain more power, it weakened into the husk that we fought earlier. He also says we would have been unable to defeat it had we come only 100 years earlier."

"Hang on," said Kore, moving towards the small hole in the floor. She squinted into the darkness, spotting the corner of a black book hidden beneath layers of cobwebs."

Kore pulled out a modestly sized book, its dark brown leather binding worn and plain, except for a single symbol in the center: a stylized skull surrounded by faintly glowing silver runes. The spine was reinforced with sturdy stitching, ensuring its durability through repeated readings and travels.

The title caught her eye:

Volume I: Novice’s Grimoire

Kore opened the book, her curiosity piqued. The first page was written in a language she could understand, introducing the basics of necromancy and hinting at the power within the tome. She felt a thrill of excitement as she read, realizing the potential knowledge it held.

As she turned the page, her excitement turned to frustration. The text beyond the first page was in an ancient, indecipherable language, filled with cryptic runes and symbols. It was as if the book was teasing her, revealing only a glimpse of its secrets.

"Check this out," she said, waving Atreo closer.

"Did you identify it? Seems kind of ominous, with the skulls and stuff."

"I did. It's a Novice's Grimoire, the first volume. I'm still not sure if it's something I'm interested in, but who knows? Some extra knowledge can't hurt, right?"

"Yeah, sure, because everyone needs to know how to summon the undead for those pesky Monday morning meetings."

"What?" said Kore, confusion playing across her face.

"Nothing, nothing. I know I'm being kind of a hypocrite right now, but I'm going to say it anyway. Be careful, alright?

"I will, and same to you."

As they moved around the forgotten library, they walked toward the solid wall opposite from where they’d entered. Stopping in front of it, they inspected its uniqueness and position. Unlike the surrounding walls, this one remained almost pristine.

Kore sat down to put on her new boots while Atreo went about inspecting the wall, looking for any levers or challenges they’d need to accomplish for it to open. To his dismay, he found none and soon began to feel frustrated.

Kore walked over with a slight skip in her step as she tested her new boots.

"Any luck?" she asked, inspecting the wall herself.

"None yet," replied Atreo. "I can’t seem to figure this one out. There’s no symbol, and there’s no challenge or anything like that. I must’ve run my hands up and down the wall ten times by now, and the only thing I’ve noticed is a very tiny seam on the side. So I know for sure that this is a door."

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"Hmm," said Kore. "Maybe it’s one of those walls that only opens if you have a magical spell or magical signature. You know what I mean?"

"I could see that, but if that’s the case, then we are royally screwed."

"What if I try phasing through the wall to see if there's anything on the other side?" suggested Kore.

"Are you up for that? What if it's not a door and it goes on forever, and you get trapped inside, screaming until you die?"

"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" she said, looking at him like he'd just skinned a cat.

"Regardless, it'll be better than being stuck down here to die."

She stepped back from the wall, and Atreo moved to the side, still unsure about Kore's plan. She began with a running start and aimed for the center of the wall, hoping her hunch was right. At the moment before impact, a purple sheen formed around her body, blanketing her in a soft substance. As she made contact with the wall, the sheen forced her through the solid stone and right out onto the other side.

Thankfully, it had indeed been a door, and she now stood on the other side. She stood panting, taking a moment to survey her surroundings, making sure she wasn't in any immediate danger.

With nothing but more cobwebs and roots hanging from the ceiling, she turned back to the door and yelled to Atreo on the other side.

"I made it! Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, thank God. Is there any lever or anything over there?" he yelled back.

"Not that I can see, but there is a symbol here on the door. I'm going to try and push it. Be ready if something happens!"

Kore placed her hand on the door, and the symbol emitted a faint glow, nearly invisible to the eye. She removed her hand, and the symbol faded into darkness again.

She placed her hand on the symbol more firmly this time, and it gave another glow, still dim but not as dim as the first time.

"I think this is a challenge of strength. I'm going to try and push this door open, but I might need your help! Get ready to pull as soon as the door cracks open."

"Alright!" Atreo yelled.

"On the count of three," said Kore. "One, two, three."

She heaved and pushed forward with all her strength. The symbol on the door immediately bloomed into a red light but slowly began to dim. The door groaned, and with colossal effort, Kore managed to push it open the smallest bit. Atreo shoved his fingers into the opening and began to pull. The symbol glowed again and began to pulse. The door opened wide, and they both fell to their knees, panting.

"Why was that door so damn heavy?" asked Atreo.

"Enchanted, maybe?" said Kore, taking deep breaths to regain her balance.

They sat in silence for a moment, trading ragged breaths.

"We really need to get in shape," said Atreo, with a hint of a smile.

“Speak for yourself!” Kore replied. “I’ve never been this skinny in my life!”

They laughed at their dysfunctional situation and moved onward through the now-open door to explore what came next.

As they rounded the corner, Atreo immediately noticed a familiar shape of bones lying across the floor. Long-forgotten jewelry hung from the skeleton's neck, and gold and silver rings barely clung to the brittle bones. The skeleton clutched another leather-bound book tightly in its arms.

Atreo knelt beside the skeleton, carefully prying the book from its grasp. "Looks like this wizard was clutching onto something important even in death."

Kore glanced at the book. "Is that the journal Abel sent us to find?"

Atreo examined the cover, noticing the intricate runes etched into the leather. "It matches the description. But it’s in a language we don’t understand."

Kore sighed. "Great, another puzzle. Do you think this portal has something to do with it?"

Atreo focused on the portal, his Identify ability activating. A translucent overlay appeared, the words forming before his eyes, detailing the portal’s rare quality and fixed anchor points."

----------------------------------------

Portal of Transportation

Rarity: Rare

Description: This portal will transport its user to and from two fixed anchor points. The portal is of rare quality and does not currently need repairs.

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Atreo shared the information with Kore. "It’s a transportation portal, rare quality. Seems like it can take us to two fixed points. Maybe one of them has the answers we need."

Kore looked at the gold and silver rings and the jewelry hanging from the skeleton's neck. "What about all this? Think we should take it?"

Atreo shook his head. "I'd rather not fight another lich today. Last thing we need is to disturb this wizard's rest and end up cursed or worse."

Kore chuckled. "Good point. We're in enough trouble as it is. Let's leave the jewelry and just take the journal."

Atreo nodded. "Agreed. This book is what we came for."

Kore nodded thoughtfully. "Well, standing around here won't help. Let's see where this portal takes us."

Atreo handed the Journal to Kore, and she quickly added it into her storage bag. Atreo stepped closer to the portal, its shimmering surface reflecting in his eyes. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Kore replied, stepping up beside him. They both took a deep breath and stepped into the undulating portal, leaving the long-forgotten skeleton and its precious jewelry behind.

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As Atreo emerged from the underground, the forest's symphony hit him like a tidal wave. The once-muted songs of birds and the rhythmic chirping of insects now surged around him, vibrant and overwhelming. The sudden brightness from the dungeon core flared, forcing Atreo to shield his eyes with his hand. It was reminiscent of his first moments in Memora, when the world's intense light had seared into his vision.

Kore stood next to him, her black hair draped upon her shoulders.

“That sucked,” she said, looking over at him.”

“Not too bad,” Atreo replied, attempting a smile despite the feeling of tension in the air. “At least we made it out in one piece.”

Suddenly, the rustling of leaves and the faint clinking of metal interrupted their moment of respite. Atreo’s grip tightened on his weapon as he scanned the surroundings, the forest's earlier symphony now a harbinger of danger.

“Company,” Kore muttered, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Four, from the sound of it.”

Atreo nodded, his eyes narrowing as shadows emerged from the dense foliage. His heart sank as he recognized the leader—a man covered in greasy grime with a twisted grin, the one who had beaten Kore and humiliated him.

“That’s him,” Atreo hissed, a surge of anger and fear coursing through him. “The one who—”

“I know,” Kore interrupted, her voice cold and steady. “Stay focused.”