Kaelen hit the ground with a thud, and Vessira floated slightly above him. He sat up with a groan and surveyed his surroundings. "What the hell happened? Where are we?" Vessira landed back on top of his head before replying, "The sand opened up, and we fell down here. Even when I tried to fly out of the hole, my wings wouldn't work."

Kaelen sighed and dusted himself off. "What did I do to the gods to deserve this? Why does this stuff always happen to me?" He picked up his sword and slotted it back onto his back. "Well, I'm still alive, so let's keep going." As they walked through the cold, gray halls, they could hear the creaking and tapping in the distance, but there was no one in sight.

Vessira sat in silence for a long time as they walked, her usual curious questions or playful games absent. Kaelen thought she might have fallen asleep, but she was merely quiet. After a while, the small woman finally spoke up. "I think I know what's happening. I've heard of this before. The desert likes you, Kaelen."

Kaelen's expression shifted to one of confusion. "Well, it sure has a strange way of showing it. I never wanted to kidnap the people I liked."

"Ugh, that’s not what I meant! This continent was created by the god of sands, Shan'Karu. The desert is an extension of him—he can see everything and feel everything that happens here. It’s rumored that when Shan'Karu takes a liking to someone, they get swallowed by the desert and are offered an opportunity to gain strength. Often, those who succeed receive a blessing."

Kaelen sighed again. "Well, it looks like it’s more than just a rumor. We're down here, right?" Vessira laughed at his nonchalant attitude toward the situation. "You might be the only person who would sigh upon hearing that, Kaelen." Kaelen shrugged and kept moving; there was no use crying over it. This was the most Shan'Karu had ever interacted with him in his life, and he was beginning to feel a little jaded.

He prayed to him every day as a child, but the man never even granted him a breeze to show he was listening. Now, he had only been free for a few weeks, and after praying just once, he meets the god and gets swallowed by the desert.

Kaelen still had no clue what Shan'Karu had in store for him. After what felt like hours, the duo came upon a door slightly ajar. They stepped through, only to find a room filled with skeletons. "Well, this is one way to show you like someone," Kaelen said with a deadpan expression.

Vessira tucked herself into the back of Kaelen's armor, balling up nervously. "This is no time for jokes, Kaelen. They're dangerous."

Kaelen drew his sword, settling into a battle stance. "If Shan'Karu wanted me dead, he could've killed me last night."

Vessira peeked out, confused. "What are you talking about, Kaelen?"

He smirked. "Nothing."

The skeletons finally noticed Kaelen and began to approach, their weapons ranging from pikes to scimitars, all worn and rusted from time. One skeleton charged at him, scimitar raised. Kaelen deflected the blow with ease and retaliated with a swift strike to its leg. The bone shattered under the force of his sword, bringing the skeleton to the ground. Without hesitation, Kaelen quickly finished it off, smashing its skull with a powerful swing.

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["Shan'Karu's Punished Slain. Minor Rune of Dexterity awarded."]

Before Kaelen even had time to process the notification, the rest of the skeletons charged, swinging their weapons wildly at him.

Kaelen tightened his grip on his sword as the group of skeletons rushed toward him, their worn weapons clanking and rattling with every step. The hollow sockets of their skulls seemed to burn with a faint, eerie light, like embers of a long-dead fire.

The first skeleton, wielding a rusted pike, thrust it toward Kaelen’s chest. Kaelen sidestepped the attack, grabbing the shaft of the pike and yanking it forward, throwing the skeleton off balance. He swung his sword down in an arc, severing the pike-wielder's arm. The skeleton staggered, but it didn’t fall. Kaelen quickly followed up with a brutal swing, crushing its skull with a clean hit.

Another skeleton, this one brandishing two rusted scimitars, came at him from the side. It slashed horizontally, aiming for Kaelen's midsection. Kaelen jumped back just in time, feeling the sharp wind from the blades as they passed inches from his torso. With a quick step forward, he brought his sword down hard on one of the scimitars, the impact snapping the brittle metal in two. He then thrust his sword into the skeleton’s ribcage, twisting the blade until the bones shattered and it collapsed into a pile of dust.

Before he could catch his breath, a third skeleton, carrying a chipped axe, lunged at him from behind. Kaelen barely had time to raise his sword in defense, the axe colliding with a clang of metal. His arms shook from the impact, but he held his ground. Gritting his teeth, he shoved the skeleton back and followed with a sweeping strike that cleaved the skeleton in half, sending bones scattering across the room.

"Keep moving, Kaelen!" Vessira shouted from her hiding spot within his armor. "There are more coming!"

Kaelen’s eyes darted around the room. Three more skeletons were closing in, surrounding him. He cursed under his breath, adjusting his grip on the sword.

The first of the trio lunged at him, swinging a rusted mace down from above. Kaelen sidestepped the blow and retaliated with a horizontal slash, catching the skeleton's neck and sending its skull flying. The second skeleton attacked while he was mid-swing, a sword thrust aimed at his side. Kaelen barely managed to block, the force of the attack sending him staggering. He pushed the skeleton back and, with a fierce overhead strike, split its skull in two.

The last skeleton hesitated, as if realizing its comrades had all been destroyed. Kaelen wasn’t about to let it recover. He charged forward, his sword glowing faintly with energy as he activated Brutal Swing. With a roar, he brought the blade down in a devastating arc, smashing the skeleton into the ground, its bones shattering on impact.

Kaelen stood there, panting, surrounded by the remains of the skeletons. Dust settled over the room, and for a moment, everything was still.

[Multiple Shan'Karu's punished Slain. Minor rune of strength(4) Minor rune of dexterity(2) awarded.]

Kaelen took a deep breath, inhaling the stale, musty air, and exhaled slowly. "What’s it say?" he asked, not breaking his stride.

Vessira peeked over his shoulder, still nestled securely in the back of his armor. "Just that you gained a few points in strength and dexterity," she replied.

Kaelen nodded, his expression unchanged as he wiped the sweat from his brow and sheathed his sword. Without saying a word, he resumed his march down the seemingly endless hallway, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the cold, stone corridor.