Calvin, Amy, and Freya fought their way through the hordes of corrupted monsters that seemed to spring forth from the very essence of this twisted landscape. No matter how many they struck down, more would take their place, an endless tide of nightmarish creatures.

As they neared the portal, Amy called out to Calvin over the din of battle. "Wait! What if this is what Kyrak wants? If we go through that portal, it could take us somewhere completely different. Seth and the others won't be able to track us."

Calvin paused, his stormlord armor crackling with energy as he considered her words. She was right. If they stepped through that portal, they could be lost forever, unable to find their way back to Olympus.

"You're right," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of their situation. "We can't risk getting separated from the others. We need to find a defensible position and hold out until Seth can find us."

Freya growled her agreement, her fur matted with the dark ichor of the creatures she had slain. Together, the three of them scanned their surroundings, looking for a place to make their stand.

The landscape was a twisted mockery of reality, with jagged spires of rock jutting up from the ground and sickly, pulsating vegetation clinging to every surface. In the distance, they could see a massive structure that looked like it had been grown rather than built, its organic curves and pulsing veins a stark contrast to the harsh angles of the surrounding terrain.

"There," Calvin said, pointing towards the structure. "If we can make it inside, we might be able to bottleneck them and hold out until help arrives."

Amy and Freya nodded, and together they began to fight their way towards the structure, cutting down any corrupted creature that dared to stand in their way. It was a grueling battle, with each step forward hard-won and paid for in blood and sweat.

As they neared the entrance to the structure, a massive behemoth emerged from the shadows, its twisted form a nightmarish amalgamation of flesh and stone. It let out a roar that shook the very ground beneath their feet, and charged towards them with terrifying speed.

Calvin stepped forward to meet the creature head-on, his stormlord armor flaring to life as he channeled the power of the tempest through his very being. Lightning crackled around him as he swung his blade in a wide arc, cleaving through the behemoth's flesh with ease.

But the creature was not so easily felled. It lashed out with a massive claw, catching Calvin across the chest and sending him flying backwards. Amy and Freya rushed to his aid, their own weapons flashing in the sickly light of this corrupted realm.

Together, they managed to bring the behemoth down, but not before it had left its mark upon them. Calvin's armor was cracked and dented, and Amy's daggers dripped with the creature's foul blood. Freya limped slightly, favoring her left hind leg where the behemoth's claws had found their mark.

Battered but unbroken, the three of them staggered into the structure, sealing the entrance behind them as best they could with a massive slab of stone. Inside, the air was thick with the stench of corruption, and the walls pulsed with a sickly light.

"We need to find a place to rest," Amy said, her voice strained with exhaustion.

Calvin nodded, scanning the interior of the structure for a suitable location. His eyes fell upon a small chamber off to one side, its entrance partially obscured by a tangle of twisted vines.

"There," he said, pointing towards the chamber. "We can set up a perimeter and take turns keeping watch."

Together, they made their way towards the chamber, cutting through the vines with their weapons. Inside, they found a small space, just large enough for the three of them to sit comfortably. The walls were lined with pulsing veins, and the air was thick with the stench of decay, but it was better than nothing.

They set up a makeshift barricade at the entrance to the chamber, using chunks of stone and twisted vines to create a barrier that would slow down any attackers. Freya took up a position near the entrance, her keen senses alert for any sign of danger.

Amy and Calvin sat back against the far wall, their weapons close at hand. They were both exhausted, their bodies pushed to the limit by the constant fighting and the corrupting influence of this twisted realm.

"Do you think Seth will find us?" Amy asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Calvin reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I know he will," he said, his voice filled with a confidence he didn't entirely feel. "We just have to hold out until then."

Amy nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. Together, they sat in silence, listening to the distant sounds of the corrupted creatures searching for them. They knew that they were in for a long and difficult fight, but they also knew that they had each other, and that together, they could face anything this twisted realm could throw at them.

As they sat there, waiting for the inevitable attack, Calvin's thoughts turned to his brother Jesse, and the role he had played in their current predicament. He still couldn't believe that his own flesh and blood had turned against them, had sided with the very forces that sought to destroy everything they held dear.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

But even as he grappled with the betrayal, Calvin knew that he couldn't dwell on it now. They had to focus on survival, on finding a way back to Olympus and the people who needed them. There would be time for recriminations later, when they were safe and the threat of the Corruptors had been dealt with once and for all.

For now, all they could do was wait, and hope that Seth and the others would find them before it was too late. In this twisted realm, where the very essence of reality seemed to be unraveling around them, hope was all they had left to cling to.

Freya stood guard at the entrance to the chamber, her keen senses alert for any sign of danger. Her fur bristled with anticipation as she watched the twisted landscape beyond, ready to face whatever horrors this corrupted realm might throw at them.

Behind her, Calvin and Amy rested against the far wall, their exhaustion evident in the slump of their shoulders and the weariness in their eyes. They had been fighting for what felt like an eternity, their bodies pushed to the limit by the constant battles and the corrupting influence of this twisted realm.

But even as they rested, Freya remained vigilant, her loyalty to her companions unwavering. She knew that they needed this time to recover, to gather their strength for the battles that lay ahead.

As the hours passed, Freya fought off wave after wave of corrupted creatures, her claws and fangs tearing through their twisted flesh with savage efficiency. The bottlenecked entrance to the chamber worked to her advantage, forcing the creatures to come at her one or two at a time, rather than in overwhelming numbers.

Still, even with her enhanced strength and speed, Freya could feel the toll that the constant fighting was taking on her body. Her muscles ached with fatigue, and her fur was matted with the dark ichor of the creatures she had slain.

Just as she was beginning to wonder how much longer she could keep this up, Calvin stirred from his rest and made his way over to her. "I'll take over for a while," he said, his voice rough with exhaustion. "You need to rest too."

Freya hesitated for a moment, reluctant to leave her post. But she knew that Calvin was right. She needed to conserve her strength for the battles that lay ahead.

With a grateful nod, she made her way back into the chamber, curling up in a corner to rest. As she closed her eyes, she could hear the sounds of Calvin taking up his position at the entrance, his stormlord armor crackling with energy as he prepared to face the hordes of corrupted creatures that lay beyond.

As Freya drifted off into an uneasy sleep, Amy sat up, a strange sensation tingling at the edges of her senses. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, a subtle pull that seemed to be guiding her deeper into the structure.

She frowned, trying to make sense of it. It wasn't a physical sensation, but rather a kind of instinctual knowledge, a certainty that there was something important waiting for her further in.

Slowly, she got to her feet, her muscles protesting the movement after so long spent resting. She made her way over to where Calvin stood guard, her footsteps echoing softly in the eerie silence of the chamber.

"I think there's something deeper in the structure that I need to investigate," she said, her voice low so as not to disturb Freya's rest. "My spark is guiding me towards it."

Calvin frowned, his eyes searching her face for any sign of deception or confusion. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. "It could be a trap, or some kind of corrupted influence trying to lure you away."

Amy shook her head, her expression resolute. "No, I don't think so," she said. "It feels different than that. It's hard to explain, but I know I need to follow it."

Calvin hesitated for a moment, torn between his desire to keep her safe and his trust in her judgment. Finally, he nodded, his expression grim. "Alright," he said. "But you're not going alone. Freya, wake up. We need you."

Freya stirred from her rest, her eyes snapping open at the sound of Calvin's voice. She got to her feet, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep as she made her way over to where they stood.

A questioning thought reached Calvin through their link.

"Amy thinks there's something deeper in the structure that she needs to investigate," Calvin explained. "I want you to go with her, to provide cover in case there's trouble."

Freya nodded, her expression determined.

Together, Amy and Freya made their way deeper into the structure, their footsteps echoing off the twisted walls and pulsing veins that lined the corridors. The sensation that had been guiding Amy grew stronger with every step, until it was almost a physical pull, urging her onwards.

Finally, they rounded a corner and found themselves standing at the entrance to a large chamber. The walls were lined with pulsing veins and sickly, glowing fungi, and the air was thick with the stench of decay.

But it was what lay at the center of the chamber that caught Amy's attention. There, hovering in midair, was a barely noticeable rift torn in the fabric of space itself. It was a jagged wound in reality, its edges shimmering with a sickly, pulsating light.

And from that rift seeped a powerful toxin, a noxious substance that seemed to coil and writhe in the air like a living thing. Amy could feel it tugging at her senses, calling to the spark that lay dormant within her.

She took a step forward, her hand outstretched as if to touch the rift. But Freya held her back, her eyes wide with alarm.

Freya whined with concern. Sensing the powerful danger this energy represented.

She turned to face Freya, her eyes shining with a fierce determination. "I have to do this," she said. "It's the only way we're going to make it out of here alive."

Freya hesitated for a moment, torn between her desire to protect her friend and her trust in Amy's judgment. Finally, she nodded.

Amy took a deep breath to steady herself. Then, with a final glance back at Freya, she stepped forward into the rift, allowing the toxin to envelop her completely.

For a moment, there was nothing but darkness and silence, a void that seemed to stretch out into eternity. But then, slowly, a new sensation began to take hold, a feeling of power and strength that seemed to flow through every fiber of her being.

She could feel the toxin coursing through her veins, altering her on a fundamental level. It was a painful process, a searing agony that threatened to consume her entirely. But she held on, gritting her teeth against the pain as she allowed the transformation to take hold.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Amy emerged from the rift, her body wreathed in a sickly green aura that pulsed and writhed like a living thing.

YOU NOW BEAR THE BOND OF PRIMORDIAL PESTILENCE. YOU HAVE NOW BEGUN THE PATH OF PESTILENCE. AS YOU USE SKILLS FROM THIS PATH AND GAIN INSIGHTS INTO THIS ESSENCE, YOU WILL PROGRESS ALONG THIS PATH.

PATH SKILL GAINED: CREEPING ROT

CREEPING ROT: Generate a mark of creeping rot on a target. As long as the mark remains present, your target radiates an aura of rot. This aura passively damages enemies caught within every second. After 10 instances of damage on a single target, they also are afflicted with a mark of creeping rot.

Amy looked at her status screen and noticed the addition of a new meter underneath her Venomheart Affinity meter labeled Pestilence.

A slow smile grew on her face. She looked back at the now fading conduit and left the chamber heading back toward Calvin.