Night hung heavy over Oswell’s Crossing, and the air buzzed with a quiet unease as Jace prepared for the next step in his journey. After the events of the day, the villagers treated him with cautious respect, though many still cast curious glances his way. His work with Merra and the others to eliminate the bandit threat had granted him a brief reprieve, but Jace knew better than to get comfortable.

The aftermath of the raid left questions swirling in his mind—about his place in this world, about the ominous power guiding him, and about the people around him. The quiet didn’t last long.

At dawn, Jace awoke to the sharp rap of knuckles on his room’s door. Opening it, he found Merra standing there, already dressed in her leather armor. Her expression was unusually grim.

“Get your gear,” she said. “We’ve got another problem.”

By the time Jace descended into the tavern, Merra had already assembled a group of villagers around the hearth. Most of them were familiar faces—Darrin the blacksmith, Talla with her trusty bow, and Edd, who looked significantly more nervous than before.

“What’s going on?” Jace asked, taking a seat.

Merra unfolded a roughly drawn map and spread it out on the table. She tapped a spot just east of the ravine where the bandits had been routed the day before.

“Something’s stirring in the ruins near the ravine,” she said. “Scouts spotted movement there last night. Could be surviving bandits regrouping, or it could be something worse.”

“Something worse?” Talla asked, her voice steady despite the tension in the room.

Merra nodded. “There are old stories about those ruins—about creatures that shouldn’t be disturbed. I don’t put much stock in legends, but I do trust my scouts. Whatever it is, it’s enough to spook them.”

A new notification flashed in Jace’s interface:

Quest Initiated: Shadows in the Ravine

Objective: Investigate the activity in the ruins and neutralize any threats.

Reward: Enhanced Combat Skill and rare loot.

“I’m in,” Jace said without hesitation.

The group moved quickly through the forest, the familiarity of the terrain offering little comfort. Every shadow seemed to stretch further than it should, and the usual hum of wildlife was eerily absent.

Merra led them to the ravine’s edge, where the ruins loomed like jagged teeth against the sky. The structures were ancient, carved from dark stone that pulsed faintly with an otherworldly light.

“What is this place?” Jace asked, stepping cautiously onto the cracked cobblestones.

“Old Oswell,” Merra replied. “Before the settlement moved north, this was the heart of the region. It was abandoned centuries ago after… well, after whatever happened here.”

The group fell silent as they pressed onward. Broken statues and toppled columns littered the ground, their surfaces covered in strange runes that seemed to shift when Jace looked directly at them.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The notification reappeared.

Analyze Activated.

Object: Ruins of Old Oswell

Description: An ancient settlement abandoned after a catastrophic magical event. Residual energy attracts dark entities.

“Dark entities,” Jace muttered. “Of course.”

They didn’t have to wait long for the first sign of trouble. As they entered what appeared to be a central courtyard, the temperature plummeted, their breath visible in the frigid air. Shadows pooled unnaturally in the corners, coalescing into humanoid forms with glowing red eyes.

“Wraiths,” Merra hissed, drawing her blade. “Don’t let them touch you!”

The creatures lunged with terrifying speed, their movements jerky and unnatural. Jace met the first one head-on, his sword slicing clean through its spectral body. The wraith let out a piercing screech before dissolving into a wisp of smoke.

The fight quickly turned chaotic. Darrin swung his hammer with wild force, each blow scattering the wraiths but failing to destroy them. Talla fired arrows with remarkable precision, though the creatures seemed to shrug off anything less than a direct hit to their glowing cores.

Jace felt the interface guiding him again, each movement fluid and precise. He activated Twin Strike, his blade cutting through two wraiths in a single motion. Another chime echoed in his mind.

Skill Unlocked: Wraithbane

Description: Increases damage dealt to spectral enemies.

The battle was brutal, but the group held their ground. When the final wraith dissolved, the courtyard fell silent, save for their labored breathing.

“Everyone alright?” Merra asked, scanning the group.

“Still in one piece,” Darrin grunted, though his armor bore deep scorch marks from where a wraith had grazed him.

Talla nodded, her hands trembling as she lowered her bow.

Jace’s gaze shifted to a large doorway at the far end of the courtyard. Beyond it, faint whispers echoed, too soft to make out but impossible to ignore.

“There’s something else,” he said, gesturing toward the doorway.

Merra followed his gaze, her jaw tightening. “We go in together. No splitting up.”

The air inside the structure was thick with an oppressive energy, each step feeling heavier than the last. The whispers grew louder, resolving into an incomprehensible chant. At the center of the chamber, a massive crystal pulsed with dark light, surrounded by hooded figures.

“Cultists,” Merra growled, her grip tightening on her sword.

The figures turned as one, their chant rising to a deafening crescendo. The crystal flared, and a massive, shadowy figure began to take shape above it.

Analyze Activated.

Entity: Summoned Voidwalker

Level: 12

Description: A creature born of pure darkness, summoned through forbidden magic. Highly resistant to physical attacks.

“Highly resistant?” Jace muttered. “Fantastic.”

The cultists moved to attack, their crude weapons clashing with the group’s steel. Jace focused on the Voidwalker, its hulking form radiating malevolence.

“Keep it distracted!” Merra shouted, cutting down a cultist with a swift strike. “We’ll handle the rest!”

Jace nodded, darting toward the creature. It swung a massive, shadowy arm, narrowly missing him as he rolled to the side. Activating Wraithbane, he slashed at its core, his sword glowing faintly with magical energy. The Voidwalker roared in pain, its form flickering.

The battle raged, each member of the group playing their part. Talla’s arrows struck the cultists with unerring accuracy, while Darrin’s hammer shattered their defenses. Merra fought like a whirlwind, her blade a blur of motion.

Finally, with a well-timed strike, Jace plunged his sword into the Voidwalker’s core. The creature let out a final, ear-splitting roar before collapsing into a cloud of smoke.

The chamber fell silent, the oppressive energy dissipating. The crystal at the center cracked and crumbled, its dark light extinguished.

“Is it over?” Talla asked, her voice shaky.

“For now,” Merra replied, wiping blood from her blade.

A notification appeared in Jace’s interface.

Quest Complete: Shadows in the Ravine

Reward: Enhanced Combat Skill and rare loot obtained.

The group emerged from the ruins, battered but victorious. As they made their way back to Oswell’s Crossing, Jace couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. He was far from understanding this world or his place in it, but for the first time, he felt like he was making progress.

And in a world as dangerous as this one, progress was everything.