The wind whipped against Hunter’s back as he trudged down the small hill that led to the Sanctuary. Even in the fading light, it was easy to see that it had been the site of a pitched battle. Broken spears, shattered swords, and dropped tridents littered the ground like twinkling stars. Hunter could feel the hunger rising in his sword. It subtly twitched every time he walked by another forgotten weapon.

Hunter ignored the blade’s pleading. It was easier than usual because his eyes were fixated on the Sanctuary itself. It resembled an ancient medieval English church. It had a square, three-story bell tower in front with a rectangular building behind that backed up to the Rift’s edge. Even from a distance, Hunter could see that the pale stone edifice had been intricately worked.

Although the shapes were simple, silvery inscriptions covered every surface. They reminded him of the strange runic language used by the Archivist. Although its inscriptions were bright with power, these looked like muted reflections. They were almost dim in comparison. Hunter wondered whether they were always like that or if they had been damaged in some form.

He couldn’t rule out the possibility of damage. The rest of the Sanctuary was covered in proof of combat. The pitched tile roof had pieces that were torn and fallen. It looked like part of it had caved in to the structure below. Parts of the walls were blackened and crumbling. Even the bell tower was missing its bell. Of course, that could’ve been a design choice.

Hunter numbly walked toward the metal-reinforced walnut doors. They were sturdy constructions but had evidently been attacked as well. He could discern parts of the wood that had been chopped by blades while other pieces were burnt. Despite their appearance, they still stood proud against the enemy that had tried to assail them.

The teenager pressed a palm against the doors, and they shuddered open on silent hinges. Despite the circumstances, Hunter was impressed that such large pieces of wood could move so silently. The inside of the structure was in rougher shape than the exterior. As soon as he took a step inside, he received a message.

Welcome to the Snodgrass Rift Sanctuary! While inside, natural regeneration rates are tripled and active skills level three times as fast.

WARNING: Due to demonic taint, Sanctuary benefits are halved.

Hunter scowled at the Archive’s warning. When he read the first message, he had already thought of ways to abuse the system. He had planned on leveling some of his skills until he was able to leave the Rift. It seemed that strategy was no longer viable.

Well, I could practice cleanse until I removed my faith, but then I wouldn’t be able to train skills with my sword.

He frowned as he tried to think of a compromise. It seemed like this game-like interface rewarded someone by pursuing one faction over the exclusion over the other. Normally, he didn’t mind that sort of thing. He was used to following instructions from teachers and coaches. It was really the only task he was good at. The issue is that now he was placed in a position where he needed both options to survive. He needed to raise some of his utility skills offered by the Archives and the only weapon he possessed was demonic in origin.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Maybe there will be a weapon here, he thought as he looked around the interior of the Sanctuary.

Despite the building’s worn state, the insides were impressive. The bell tower in which he stood had richly painted frescos adorning the ceiling and the walls. They kind of reminded him of the Michaelangelo painting of that naked dude touching the guy with a beard.

At least, I think it was Michaelangelo… or was that just the name of a ninja turtle?

Shrugging, he glanced over the rest of the paintings. There were all kinds of angelic beings, fiery demons, and a hodgepodge of various other creatures pulled from common fantasy stories. He saw centaurs, elves, fairies, dwarves, undead liches, and a number of other things. While interesting, they weren't the most eye-catching thing in the building.

That title was given to the five stone arches that took up every wall in the room. They were filled with glowing blue portals that reminded him of that sci-fi show where the protagonists fought body-snatching aliens.

Directly across the room from Hunter was the largest of the portals. Since it was the side that backed up against the Rift barrier, he hoped that was his ticket out of this hellhole. All he needed to do was escape the Rift, meet up with his grandparents and then…Well, he didn’t really know what he was going to do after that. Hopefully, the rest of the world had a less jarring introduction to the Archives than he did. Surely, his heavenly benefactors didn’t drop everyone into a Rift as a hobby.

Hunter skirted the rubbled caused by the caved-in roof and made his way to the back of the room. He noticed smashed bits of wood that could’ve been pews. When he neared the raised platform in the end of the room, he found more busted furniture. He stooped to pick up the largest piece. It was a wide board that had a golden symbol painted on the top. It looked like the starburst halo he had seen on the statues in heaven. Hunter tossed aside the board and moved onto his real goal for trekking across Snodgrass.

He strode up to the portal and stopped until he was just a couple of paces away. He felt a vibration coming from his sword. It seemed to be pulling away from the azure-colored portal. Hunter tried moving the blade closer, but the nearer it got to the portal, the more that it vibrated. He didn’t want to leave his sword, but he could already feel its hold on his mind being suppressed. If it was a choice between escaping the Rift and keeping his sword, it was an easy choice to make.

Hunter dropped the sword and it clattered to the ground. As it bounced, it seemed to tilt in midair like it was trying to slice his ankle. The teenager hopped aside just in time. He shuddered at how close he almost took a sword to the ankle. It was at least a better prospect than an arrow to the knee. Amused at his joke, he pulled the bracer off of his arm and let it fall to the ground with its brother. Thankfully, it didn’t explode into a fireball or something equally annoying.

Confident that he had removed his last barrier to entry, he strode into the portal. Instead of passing through effortlessly, a charge of electricity rocked its way through his body, and he was thrown backward. He fell into a heap as his twitching muscles spasmed in protest. A few notifications flooded his vision.

Congratulations! You have earned the Passive Skill: Shock Resistance Lvl 1

WARNING: You cannot exit a Rift without authorization from the Rift Sentinel!

Congratulations! You have been offered the quest: Save the Sentinel

Save the Sentinel: The Snodgrass Rift Sentinel has been captured by the forces of darkness. Save the Sentinel OR report the Sentinel’s death to the Archives.

Completion reward: Authorization to leave the Rift, a Class, and a unique Path.

WARNING: If the Sentinel isn’t saved or is confirmed as deceased, the Rift will be sealed until a new Sentinel can be assigned.

Hunter stared at the notifications in disbelief. There was only one word that summed up how he felt.

“Fuck.”