"Could it be we ended up in another Gate?" Soren voiced his thoughts, his grip tightening slightly on his spear. "Maybe the exit portal didn't lead back to the entrance, but to another rift entirely."
"Yeah, I think so too..." Ryan agreed, his voice trailing off as he looked at the obsidian-scaled corpses littering the ground. "And if this is another Gate, those Drakelings were just the welcoming party."
"You're right. If this is a Third Circle one, we can't afford to linger," Soren said, his voice dropping to a low, cautious tone. "We barely handled that pack. If we run into a high-tier elite or the Boss of this place, our chances of survival drop to near zero."
Ryan stood up, dusting off his gear, his expression mirroring Soren's urgency. "You're right. Even with your skills, my ability, and the 'Master's' legacy... we aren't ready for a full-scale raid of this level. We need to find the exit."
They huddled briefly to discuss their next course of action.
