The light swirled lazily, reflecting off the entranced faces of the two men who stood before the rift entrance.

“We have to at least check there's not an army of these insect things in there,” said Silas, gesturing at the body of the Megasoma, as he pleaded with his companion. He looked thoroughly excited at the prospect of an undiscovered realm, buried in the depths of their cave.

Rifts were not unheard of, but they were usually carefully explored and dismantled by bands of experienced Warriors. They could contain any number of creatures, of varying levels, and any type of environment. Some even required specialist troops that were resistant to effects like poison or heat and wore custom-made armour. 

The only consistent rules that rifts seemed to follow were that all of the creatures were of a similar type and the highest level one was the master of the rift.

Katai had heard of two rifts that were in use. One was buried beneath the famous City of Steel, renowned for its unique metallurgy. The rift there was mined for its ores, producing alloys that were found nowhere else in the world. The other rift, known as ‘The Trial’, was used as a training ground for elite Warriors, usually Nobles or commoners from wealthy families who paid to use the service. It held high-level monsters and the number of people allowed in the rift each year was strictly controlled to allow the creature population to rebuild. The Trial was a key feature of the Capital, the source of its strength in arms and why adventurers and warriors flocked there from all corners of the land.

The two men gazed through the rift entrance, examining the dense vegetation. The small amount of space they could see was overflowing with broad-leaf ferns and a variety of tall grasses. An occasional tall, branchless trunk popped up, trees forming a sparse canopy high above the ground. Near the entrance, a peculiar bush with spiky leaves stood, bearing purple fruits as large as a clenched fist.

Not a single patch of ground could be seen amongst the many varieties of plant that covered the area, a distinct contrast to the rock and dirt that made up the cavern they were standing in.

“What if we're overwhelmed when we get inside? Or something slips past us and heads up to the surface?” said Katai as he frowned at his friend, the less excitable of the two. He was also curious about the rift and what it contained, but the responsibility he felt for the people above held greater sway over his decisions.

“We can stay in sight of the entrance. Besides, you know how important recon work is when reporting a potential enemy party…” Silas tried his best not to smile as he trailed off. Katai always just needed a little push and he'd be up for most things.

Katai sighed, knowing his best friend wouldn't give in. He'd keep hounding him all the way back to the surface. It was easier just to agree and make sure he didn't do anything too stupid. It was turning out just like every other adventure they'd had together.

“Alright, but we're leaving as soon as I say.”

Silas grinned happily. He doused his torch and laid it on the ground, ready to retrieve when they returned. He kept his pack, containing more torches and food, in case they ran into something they couldn't handle and had to hide out for a while. As prepared as he could be, Silas gave the thumbs up to Katai, who acknowledged him with a nod as he hoisted his own pack onto his back.

Katai stepped forward, gingerly piercing the rift entrance with his sword, before withdrawing it and inspecting it for damage. Finding nothing amiss, he took a deep breath and pushed himself fully into the glowing crevice, committing to the action so that he couldn't back out.

A cool tingle washed over him as he passed through the entrance. Warmth greeted him on the far side, sunlight beaming down from a pale sun that hung overhead. A soft breeze wafted across his body, barely enough to ruffle his clothing, as the sounds of the jungle washed over him. The area buzzed with a multitude of insects, various clicks and rattles sounding out at irregular intervals.  

The air was thick with humidity, the moisture and heat causing sweat to break out on his skin almost immediately. The heady scent of pollen hung thick upon the air, the incredible density of vegetation showing the richness of the natural environment. It was a drastic change in atmosphere from the cold and lifeless cave.

You have entered Sacrascent Rift, home of the Megasoma.

Rift Master: Pole, Guardian of the Sacred Polenciates.

Spawn rate: Very Low.

Katai blinked, surprised at the information. He thought those messages were only displayed to show personal skills and classes. If Rifts displayed these messages as well… did that mean they too could level up and gain skills and classes?

He turned and stepped back through the entrance, sighing with relief when the cave reappeared in front of him. What he knew about rifts was very much in the realm of fanciful village gossip, so he'd been a little apprehensive about getting stuck on the far side.

Waving Silas forward, Katai waited for his friend to enter the Rift. Silas practically jumping through in his enthusiasm, Katai following him at a more sedate pace. A cool tingle washed over him once again and then he was standing in jungle foliage.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“Did you get that message too?” questioned Silas, looking surprised.

“Yeah, weird that the Rift triggers them. I wonder what the spawn rate is referring to, and what these Sacred Polentiates are - the Rift Master’s pets?” Katai replied.

“Eh, who knows. I just hope this ‘home of the Megasoma’ has more interesting creatures than those weak little bugs.”

The two men looked around on high alert as they talked, scanning the tall shrubs and the array of ground cover, trying to pick out any movement. They circled the rift entrance in opposing directions, eyes looking outwards.

“All I can see is heaps of plants,” said Silas, a tinge of disappointment entering his voice.

“Same here. Think these berries are safe to eat though?” Katai had his eyes on the bright purple fruits that were only meters from the rift entrance. The village was very low on food after all.

A blot of pressure appeared in his senses, right on the edge of his awareness. Something large enough to register as a danger to the two men. Gesturing at Silas, the two men quickly retreated, hovering next to the Rift entrance as they peered outwards uncertainly.

“What is it? How big?” asked Silas, as he tried to spot whatever had alerted his friend.

Katai shook his head. “Not big, maybe another Megasoma? Wait – there’s two more now.” More blots appeared, following the first. It looked like the group was heading straight for them.

“We need to go. I know it’d be great to stay and collect some food and maybe explore a little, but we can’t alert the entire area.”

Silas sighed and reluctantly followed his friend back though the rift in space.

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

“You what!?”

“We went into the rift - but for a good reason!” Katai quickly explained to a red-faced Hiram. “We couldn't just return and say ‘oh we found nothing except this weird old portal that could contain anything’. We scouted it out and gathered some useful information. That's where we found these.” Silas opened his pack and held out two of the fruits that he’d snagged on his way out.

“Then what?” Hiram was breathing noisily out of his nose, mouth firmly clamped in an attempt to control his anger.

“Well Katai sensed, uh – saw a few more of those Megasoma creatures approaching, so we left before we were discovered.” Silas stumbled over his words for a second, glancing up quickly at the older man. Hiram continued to glare at the two, not seeming to notice the slip-up.

Before Hiram could give the two a proper dressing down, a commotion from the entrance caught their attention. They could hear raised voices, the noise outside quickly growing louder as the three men tried to see what was going on. One of the guards had left his post and the other looked around nervously, with his spear levelled, ready to repel an attack.

Hiram started to walk towards the entrance, when a louder voice called out. “Quickly! Someone get the Captain.”

Hiram took off at a run, quickly followed by Katai and Silas. Squinting against the bright sunlight, Katai made out one of the villagers hobbling up the slope. The poor man was out of breath and struggling to stay upright, with a small crowd of villagers following the pair. The missing guard helped him up the slope, but Hiram didn’t wait, hurrying down to speak to them.

“What is it? Did you run into more of the bandits?” Hiram asked, brusquely questioning the villager as he was lowered to the ground. He seemed to be unhurt, but his shaking hands betrayed his agitation. His face was drawn, white as fresh milk and his eyes rolled crazily in their sockets, looking everywhere but at the man standing on front of him.

Katai felt a dark premonition take hold of him. A feeling of heaviness rested in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t like the look of this – a bandit wouldn’t have caused this kind of reaction.

“Talk to me Antal, what happened?” giving him a shake, Hiram tried to get the man to focus.

The Captain’s face was as stern as ever, but Katai could see the worry in his eyes, the fear that was rising up in his own belly. He was beginning to realise the old man was far from the unflappable Captain the Warriors all thought him to be. He simply hid it better than most when his people needed him.

The villager Antal seemed to realise he was in safe hands, as his body relaxed on the ground, limply raising his tortured gaze to meet Hiram’s eyes.

“I… I was gathering Bluewort berries with Liza and Denes when—" Antal shuddered and swallowed heavily, struggling to get the words out. Remembering the events seemed to drain the man, his pale face turning an ashen grey colour. His breathing quickened, but he continued recounting his tale, gasping the words out.

“Hanna came out of the forest. She… she seemed a bit unsteady on her feet and her eyes were closed. Denes ran over to her, asking what she was doing out there on her own—“

“But Hanna’s dead. We buried her yesterday!” someone in the crowd interrupted.

The crowd around the men burst into a chorus of noise. Some shouted out questions, others arguing over whether Antal really did see Hanna or someone who merely looked like her. The general cacophony drowned Antal out as he tried to continue.

“Quiet!” Hiram called out, glaring around at the crowd surrounding him. He continued to glare at the loudest speakers, until they gradually quieted down, his furious expression cutting through the fear of the crowd.

Satisfied, Hiram turned back to Antal, who was on the edge of hyperventilating. The Captain placed his hand on the panicked man’s shoulder and squeezed gently, nodding at him to continue.

Taking a shuddering breath, Antal continued, “Denes, he went up and put his hand on her shoulder, he… he…” he struggled to breath, tears leaking from his eyes as he remembered, “he was worried she might be unwell. Then, Hannah bit him.”

“Bit him?” Hiram questioned, concern wrinkling his brow. Mutters of concern could be heard from some of the surrounding group.

“Y-yes, she bit his throat. And he screamed... he screamed so loudly... but she didn’t stop, she kept tearing at his throat even as his blood spurted over her face.” The man looked up at Hiram, his ashen face painted with confusion. “We were frozen, we didn’t even try to help. I—I think we were both too shocked.” Antal shook his head in disbelief. The crowd was silent now.

“Denes’ body fell to the ground, and that’s when we saw what Hannah had become. She had no eyes. They were pecked out, like a corpse after a crow had gotten to it. She was stumbling because she couldn’t see!” the crowd moaned collectively when they heard this. They had all been told the same stories, all heard the same warnings.

“She started to sniff at the air and Liza cried out as she ran off into the woods. That’s the only thing that saved me… that thing went after her.” Antal looked up at Hiram, his face calmer now that he’d unburdened himself. His breathing was still shallow, but colour returned to his face, as the murmurs of the crowd around them rose once more.

Hiram crouched motionless next to the villager. Katai looked over with shocked eyes at Silas, who’s horrified expression matched his own.

There was a necromancer out there. Or maybe, just maybe, there was a necromancer amongst them. Could the village be sheltering two forbidden classes?