The cavern stank of sweat, rust, and old fire.
Kess crouched over the scrap-built teleportation device like a surgeon mid-operation. His tools clicked and hissed—metal-on-metal, wires threading through crystal cores, runes scorched into bent plates. Sparks flared with each adjustment, reflecting in the sweat clinging to his brow.
"I don't like how hot that thing's getting," Rav muttered behind him, pacing with a curved blade in hand.
Kess didn't look up. "Then don't look at it."
Kaiden knelt nearby, his mechanical arm twitching slightly from a burn he hadn't had time to fix. He watched the way Kess's hands moved—precise, fast, unnervingly calm.
"How long until it's ready?" he asked.
"Now," Kess said flatly. He flipped a final switch, and the device gave a low, steady hum—stable, resonant, alive.
Kaiden raised an eyebrow. "Will we come out in one piece?"
"No."
Kaiden cracked a grin. "I like the honesty."
Kess didn't smile. "You won't like the landing."
Sylen appeared at the doorway above them. "We've got company. Three guards. Heavy armor, sigil plates, weapons drawn."
"Human elite?" Kaiden asked.
Sylen nodded. "And fast."
A distant shout echoed through the slum corridor—then the sharp stomp of boots pounding over stone and dirt.
"Time's up," Rav said. "Get that damn gate open."
Kess pressed both palms to the core. Mana surged through his arms, threading into the device. Lights pulsed. The air warped, twisted, folded.
Then, with a crack of pressure and light, the rift snapped open—clean and sharp, a perfect tear in the world.
Kaiden felt his stomach drop.
"Go!" he shouted.
Sylen slipped through first, her body vanishing into the blue-white shimmer. Rav followed with a grunt and a leap.
Kaiden grabbed Kess, who had slumped sideways, his skin pale and eyes fluttering. The device had drained him.
"Damn it—hold on."
The guards rounded the corner.
The first one, lightly armored, charged with a longsword raised. Kaiden dodged, using his smoking arm to block and slam the man into the wall. The second swung a halberd, catching Kaiden across the shoulder with the flat of the blade—but he held his ground.
The third was in full tower armor, plated head to toe, glowing runes etched into the joints. A walking fortress. He stormed forward, slow but unstoppable.
Kaiden heaved Kess over his shoulder and turned, sprinting for the gate.
The armored knight dove after him.
As Kaiden passed the edge of the rift, the world blurred. A roar of pressure built behind him—then silence.
Then a crunch.
The rift collapsed mid-pull, snapping shut with a deafening pop.
Only two made it through.
The third guard—the one in heavy armor—wasn't fast enough. Only part of him had passed the threshold.
The gate sealed on his center mass.
The weight of his enchanted plate armor crushed inward on itself with a wet, metallic screech, folding in like a bear trap. The air on the other side filled with red mist and the clatter of ruined steel.
Kaiden slammed into the stone floor on the other side, the impact knocking the breath out of him. Kess rolled from his shoulder like a sack of bricks and didn't move.
Rav was already crawling over. "He okay?"
"He's breathing," Kaiden said, shaking.
Sylen lit a small enchanted torch. The space around them was a cavern—cold, damp, dark—but the air carried the sting of mana. They were far from Crater. Far enough.
Kaiden tried to stand. His legs obeyed. His arm didn't.
It twitched, spasming in sharp bursts. Sparks danced along the seams in his shoulder. His whole body jerked once—twice—then froze.
"Kaiden?" Rav stepped forward.
"I'm—fine." His voice slurred slightly.
Sylen helped prop him up. "You're not fine."
Kaiden didn't argue. He looked down at Kess, still unconscious, blood trickling from his nose. He looked back at the spot where the gate had vanished.
Nothing remained of the Crater slums. No portal. No lights. Just damp stone and the coppery taste of mana in the air.
"We made it," Sylen whispered.
"No," Kaiden said, staring ahead. "We survived."
He turned, jaw clenched, and started walking deeper into the mountain path.
"Let's report in."