The flickering light of the torches fades, then extinguishes.
Darkness thickens like mist.
Everywhere—scratches on the stone walls, as if something had been dragged across them with claws.
The air is dead cold.
And then...
Eyes.
Dozens of blue sparks light up in the dark.
Those who live between worlds, the otherworldly dogs.
And suddenly, an attack.
One of the dogs leaps out of the shadows.
Kano manages to deflect the attack with his sword, but the blow sends him stumbling backward!
Another dog lunges at Sheyla.
She jumps back, but its claws tear at the sleeve of her jacket.
—"They're faster than us!"— she growls.
The dwarf grabs his hammer and enters the fray.
First strike!
His hammer smashes the jaws of one of the dogs, but the monster doesn't fall— its body keeps moving!
The dwarf spits out dust:
—"DAMN, DON'T THEY DIE PROPERLY?!"
Kano takes the initiative.
A swift movement—and his sword plunges into the monster's chest!
Blue flames burst from the dog's body, and it disintegrates into ash!
The first enemy destroyed!
But...
A rustle from the side!
And the second dog lunges straight at him!
Kano dodges, but a deep gash tears through his shoulder!
—"You just drank the potion, and now you're joking?"
The pain is sharp, but he doesn't retreat!
Sheyla moves between the monsters, despite the slight bleeding, landing blows on their weak spots.
One dog falls dead from her knife!
The dwarf rips a dark crystal from the ashes of the slain monster.
His eyes narrow.
—"Let's... play!"
Rudgard holds the crystal in his hand and whispers ancient words.
A sudden flash!
The crystal begins to tremble!
The dwarf throws it into the crowd of monsters!
BOOM!
Three dogs explode into pieces!
Kano stares at him in shock.
—"WHAT, ARE YOU A MAGICIAN?!"
The dwarf roars with laughter!
—"Grandma taught me!"
The dogs realize they won't be able to handle them alone.
They circle the group.
Their jaws snap, hissing echoes throughout the hall.
The dwarf:
— "Do they... communicate?!"
And suddenly, they attack all at once!
Kano barely manages to dodge!
Sheyla is knocked to the ground!
The dwarf is thrown into the wall!
Kano grabs his wounded shoulder, trying to regain his bearings!
The dwarf coughs and pulls out another crystal.
He's surrounded by four monsters!
— "And here's my magic..."
He throws the crystal to the floor beneath the dogs! BOOM!
A fiery wave wipes out half the pack!
Kano enters a state of pure adrenaline!
His sword moves at lightning speed, cutting down one monster after another!
The dwarf smashes a dog in the skull with his hammer!
Sheyla slices off the head of the last one, who tried to flee!
The last monster falls.
Silence.
Only heavy breathing.
The group is exhausted, but they've survived.
The dwarf wipes the sweat from his brow.
— "What a mess..."
Kano, clutching his wound:
— "Yeah, you guys are unbelievable..."
Sheyla tucks her knife back into her belt, picking up a dagger that fell from the dog's corpse.
— "Nice piece."
Lianel stands silently.
She hasn't fired a single shot.
She was powerless again...
And then...
They see a new threat.
Ahead— a hall where ghosts linger.
The group enters the new hall.
Even the light from the torches seems to suffocate, dimming in this emptiness.
The floor is bare, with no bones, no remnants of past battles.
There were no warriors here. Only silence. Absolute, suffocating silence.
And then...
Something moves.
An invisible wind sweeps through the room.
Lianel touches Kano's hand.
Her fingers are cold as ice.
— "Something's... wrong here..."
Kano feels a strange sensation in his chest.
It's as if something invisible is pressing down on him, something pulling his soul outward.
And then...
The first ghost appears in the air.
Pale light... a formless shadow... and the absence of any sound.
These are the remnants of souls who died here... and couldn't find eternal peace.
One soul...
Then another...
And another...
Now, dozens of ghosts hover in the air.
The dwarf raises his hammer.
— "Damn them..."
His body reacts automatically.
The sword moves and pierces the ghost's body.
And...
Nothing.
The sword simply passes through it, as if through mist.
The ghost doesn't stop. It moves even closer.
BITE! Pain pierces Kano's shoulder!
His flesh isn't torn.
His bones aren't broken.
But something is draining his strength. His soul.
Kano drops to one knee.
— "What... is this...?!"
One of the souls moves toward Sheyla!
Sheyla spins around, grabs her dagger, and tries to strike!
The blow passes straight through.
The ghost manages to touch her hand.
Sheyla screams in pain!
She falls to her knees, clutching her hand.
A terrible black mark, like frozen cracks, remains on her skin.
"I can't kill them... I can't..."
She looks around, searching for an escape... but there is none.
The ghosts close in around them.
The dwarf grits his teeth.
— "Damn, we can't hit them!"
The group is trapped!
And then...
A soft sound behind them...
Lianel.
She stands with her head bowed.
Helpless... Again... I couldn't do anything...
Her shoulders tremble.
And in that moment...
Her hands slowly rise.
She places her fingers on the bowstring.
And feels...
Something warm.
Her fingers grip an invisible arrow.
And then...
It appears!
An arrow made of pure mana!
Thin, almost transparent... but Lianel feels its weight.
She doesn't think.
She simply shoots.
The arrow passes through the air...
And strikes the ghost!
And…
A DULL SCREAM!
The ghost bursts into a flash of light!
Sheyla stares at it in shock.
The dwarf opens his mouth.
Kano, clutching his wound, lifts his head.
— "...You..."
Lianel tightens her grip on the bow.
She won't let this happen again.
She creates another arrow.
And another. And another.
A bright hail of arrows wipes out the ghosts one by one!
Only one soul remains.
It doesn't flee.
It slowly drifts toward Lianel.
Its eyes are empty… but there's something… human about them.
Lianel grits her teeth.
— "You've been here so long..."
The soul hovers right before her.
Lianel draws her bow… and shoots!
The ghost explodes in a bright flash of light... and vanishes.
Silence reigns again in the hall.
Only the heavy breathing of the group remains.
Lianel stands in the center of the room… her hands no longer trembling.
She has been reborn.
The dwarf sinks heavily onto a stone.
— "Damn it..."
Sheyla laughs through the pain.
— "Well, our Archer... you're no longer powerless."
Lianel looks at her hands.
— "...I can shoot."
Kano smiles.
— "That's putting it mildly."
She did it. She awakened her power thanks to the mantikor crystal.
The group moves into the new hall, their footsteps echoing in the emptiness.
Ahead, towering gates rise, carved from black stone.
Ancient symbols are etched into them in fiery gold.
This place breathes death.
It has waited. It has waited for many years. And now… new victims have arrived.
Before the gates…
Sits a creature.
A giant, part-orc, part-skeleton.
Its eyes do not glow.
Its muscles are dead, but it moves.
Its massive axe is buried in the ground.
It seems to be sleeping...
...But as the group takes another step…
It opens its eyes.
Its gaze meets theirs.
The earth trembles as the giant rises!
The dwarf immediately takes a step back!
— "HA-HA! To hell with it!"
Sheyla narrows her eyes.
— "We won't give up."
Kano takes a deep breath and tightens his grip on the sword.
— "I'll handle it."
Kano charges first!
His movements are quick, precise, without any wasted motion!
He strikes at the giant's leg!
…And…
The sword stops halfway.
The blade doesn't pierce the flesh.
The enemy isn't even fazed.
It turns — and its massive paw comes flying straight at Kano!
STRIKE!
Kano is thrown backward, crashing into the wall.
Sheyla draws her daggers!
— "Idiot! Can't you feel that its skin is like armor?!"
The dwarf charges into battle!
He swings his hammer, trying to hit beneath the giant's knee!
But...
His hammer only shudders from the impact, failing to break through the muscles!
The dwarf stares in disbelief:
— "What the hell?!"
Sheyla moves with speed!
She weaves between the strikes, searching for a weak spot! A swift thrust — and her dagger sinks into the giant's side!
…But it doesn't go deep.
She leaps back.
— "It can be hurt, but it needs more power!"
Kano gets up, wiping blood from his lips.
He looks at the giant.
So, we can't break through from the outside… That means...
A real strike.
The giant grabs his axe and roars as he swings it!
The blade flies straight toward Kano!
He dodges at the last moment!
A massive crater forms in the ground where Kano had stood just a second ago!
Sheyla looks around.
— "How has he not torn us apart yet?"
The creature speaks for the first time.
Its voice is dead, cold, emotionless.
— "You... are weak."
It takes a step forward — and its shadow envelops the group.
Its axe rises again...
Lianel doesn't stand idly by either. She measures the limits of her new power.
She draws her bow.
Her new magical arrow begins to glow brighter!
It's not just an arrow; it's made of pure mana!
She shoots!
The arrow strikes the giant's chest!
It shudders!
For the first time, it feels pain.
It roars!
Sheyla looks around:
— "It worked!"
Lianel forms another arrow!
The dwarf grabs his hammer:
— "This is how it works! We need to break him from the inside!"
The gates behind the giant begin to open...
Kano sees his chance.
His eyes ignite with fire.
He pushes beyond his limits! He moves with insane speed!
He dodges the strike and leaps straight onto the giant's back!
He drives his sword into its neck.
Dark blood splatters in all directions.
The giant roars – and falls to its knees.
Lianel forms a massive magical arrow, much more powerful than all the previous ones!
She releases the arrow straight into the monster's heart!
The arrow pierces its chest!
Black flames begin to consume the giant, its roar slowly fading...
It crumbles to ash… and only an ancient amulet remains on the ground.
The dwarf approaches and picks up the amulet left behind by the monster.
An ancient symbol is carved into it.
— "This... isn't an ordinary amulet..."
Sheyla catches her breath.
— "Let's take it with us."
Kano wipes the blood from his lips, staring into the darkness beyond the open gates.
Something is waiting for us there… we need to rest before we enter.
— "Let's take a break."
The dwarf glances at Kano, remembering how he was bitten by the ghost, and says — "A short rest, we need to regain our strength. Who knows what's beyond those gates?"
Lianel falls to her knees right where she stood, exhaling from the tension.
But they can't rest for long; the dungeon's entrance is their only way forward.