“Stand back, Elaine,” The raven-haired newest member of their party said, his velvet cloak billowing as he stood in front of the Bent specialist. “I’ll not let these flame-beavers harm a single hair on your head.”

“For the last time Reginald,” Elaine said, bonking him on the head with Reservoir, a pitted wooden cane with a thick glass orb sloshing with black Bent at the top, “Do not block my view.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, his shiny, undented armor chiming musically as he stood aside. He was obviously someone’s pampered son.

“Are we really gonna keep him?” Karen asked Andrew over her shoulder.

“He’s been vetted, and he works for free. I’m not gonna turn down free labor.” Drew said, plunging his blade down into the mastiff-sized beaver with the glowing red teeth.

“Plus he gives good head,” Elaine chortled. With a flick of her wrist, a pulse of Bent traveled down her arm and into the ground, launching dozens of stone spears out of the ground, catching the last remaining Fire-beavers off guard.

Gregor raised an eyebrow.

“My lady!” Reginald said, blushing. “That is highly inappropriate.”

“You came to me, Reggie. If you don’t like it, you can sit on it and spin.”

Drew pulled his blade out of the monster, panting with exertion. He sent a calculating gaze at Reginald as he wiped the blood off and sheathed his weapon.

“Reggie.”

“My name is Reginald.” He said, his former timidness lost.

“Reggie’s easier to say.” Drew continued, unconcerned. “Reggie, we’re going to have a talk about professionalism and how it relates to inter-party fraternization.”

“Sir.” Reginald stood stock still, spine straight as an arrow. His chiseled face was a mask of stone.

Drew gave Karen an exasperated glance.

“…Keep it in your pants when we’re not in town, alright?” Drew said, visibly irritated by their newest member’s seriousness.

“Sir!”

“Gregor, let’s get the hides and teeth.” Drew said, aiming for the nearest beaver.

Spurred on by the success and fame of their last raid, they’d gone even farther afield chasing a myth of a gigantic sinkhole that had buried an entire city. Legend said it was to the west.

They headed out from Kinereth in late winter, the season easing as they travelled, until everything was green and lush, and they were hundreds of miles outside the recognized borders of the country of Malkenrovia.

There was no guarantee that their trip would bring them wealth, so they hunted for Warped creatures as they passed, harvesting their most valuable parts, so that no matter what, they would break even.

Karen was scanning the woods for any sign of predators lured in by the smell of blood when Elaine sidled up to her.

“Did you hear that?” she asked, elbowing Karen’s thick plate armor.

“Hear what?”

“You can jump Andrew’s bones when we get back to town. He set the precedent himself.”

“And retire to become a mother of two? Raise sheep? I don’t think so.”

Elaine leaned over and slipped something small into Karen’s hand.

“Guaranteed effective.” She whispered.

Karen glanced down at the charm against pregnancy in her hand, thanking the gods that her helmet made it impossible to see her face.

Elaine gave her a wry look and got started making the campfire.

They had fire-beaver for dinner. It was gamey, but it kept them going.

In the morning, they got back on their way, blazing a trail through the most hazardous, Warp-Infested deep woods known to man, and quite possibly beyond.

Black-Bears and Wyrms occasionally harassed the party, and a Widowmaker tried to carry off Gregor, but the weakest among them had six Breaks, so they dealt with the challenges handily.

On an evening of the fifth month since they set out, they came across a sight that chilled them to the bone.

A black, glistening wall surrounded a sinkhole so vast that lake Ondaria wouldn’t give it pause. Not a single mote of light could be seen reflecting from its depths. The earth simply…vanished into nothingness.

“There we have it,” Andrew said, motioning to the pit with bravado. “Our next paycheck.”

Karen could see the goosebumps on his arms.

As they traveled closer, Warp grew thick in the air, the sensation they’d long since learned to associate with death hanging heavy over them like an angry cloud.

The forest around the wall was thick with overgrown foliage, living wood, and monsters they never knew existed, twisted abominations that had never before been recorded by man. A quarter mile around the wall, the lush forest came to an unnatural halt, some plants sheared off by some invisible means, giving way to a dust-filled flatland.

Andrew stopped them at the edge of the forest, testing the perimeter with his sword, then his hand. They went and got a rabbit and threw it into the dust, and the creature scampered back into the woods like it had been chased by the hounds of hell.

“Well, whatever caused this isn’t immediately lethal.” Drew said. “I think.”

Their leader took a deep breath and walked out into the dust, on guard for any sudden movements. Other than the Warp being slightly denser, there was no change.

“Alright,” he said, continuing to scan the horizon. “Reginald and Karen, watch our backs. Elaine and Gregor, the sides. As always, the focus is on securing a safe exit strategy.”

They fell into their roles, marching through the flattened earth, orienting themselves on a small discoloration in the massive wall. A weak point or possibly an entrance. One place was as good as any other, facing the featureless obsidian in front of them.

As they grew closer, the discoloration resolved into an off-color panel with a diagonal line through it, about fifteen feet tall and twenty feet wide.

Out of nowhere, a deep rumbling issued forth and seven panels opened in the dusty ground.

Five strange metal men emerged from the seven holes. They were only men in the loosest sense, that they stood on two legs, and had two arms. Their joints exposed hollows filled with metal rods and colorful wires, some of which spilled out into the air, crackling with tiny bolts of lightning.

They moved strangely, some motions with inhuman fluidity, and others with spastic jerkiness that nearly toppled them over.

They grouped up, their weapons pointed outward.

“Go to the front,” Karen said, tapping Reginald on the shoulder. She considered leaving the rearguard to the younger man while she helped Drew, but she knew the value of sticking to her orders, and cast her gaze back, rather than look at the distracting creatures ahead of them.

The creatures lurched toward them and came to a halt. The lead one jerkily raised an arm to point at them.

“Tressp-p-passers. T-t-t-this is a Har-r-r-r-binger Blac-c-c-k Si-i-ite. C-C-C-ivilia-a-a-ns ar-ar-are Prohi-i-i-i-Bitttted. Leave at on-n-nce.”

“Elaine.” Drew said.

“My pleasure.” Elaine said, pouring Bent into the earth.

Five spikes of stone shot out of the ground and shattered on the creature’s steel armor, not even staggering them. The metal men studied the spikes in silence for a moment, seemingly uncomprehending.

“I don’t think it worked.” Reginald said.

The metal men looked up at Reggie, then back down to the ground. Then back up at Reggie.

“At-t-ta-a-a-ack detec-c-c-ted. C-C-C-ivilia-a-a-ns regi-regi-stered as hostile. Elim-m-m-minating hostiles.”

“Damn it, Reggie!”

As one, they lifted their arms and little metal tubes came out. Some of the tubes were warped or rusted, others leaked strange smoke. Whatever the metal men seemed to think they were doing wasn’t happening, and it took them a moment to notice.

“Main weapons di-s-s-s-sabled, switch-ch-ch-ch-ing to CQC.”

They charged forward with their awkward gait, raising their steel arms above their heads.

“Karen, we could use you now!” Drew shouted, and Karen left her spot at the rear to clash against the creatures up front, putting her heavy steel greatsword between the creature and herself.

One blow from the inhuman things rattled her knees and drove a dent so deep into her blade as to almost render the damn thing useless.

Reinforcement

Bent 7/8 remaining.

Karen used her heavy armor skill to raise the toughness of her equipment and shoved the creature back before bringing a feral swing down on its head.

Despite her strength that could split a boulder, the sword simply deformed around the monster like she’d tried to hit it with a blade made of cheese.

“Shove them back! I’ll try to bury them!” Elaine shouted as a metal fist warped Karen’s armor and drove her sliding backward.

“How ‘bout we move back instead?” Karen snarled, adjusting her grip on the lump of iron in her hand and charging forward.

“That works too!” Elaine shouted, putting a palm to the ground.

Karen and Drew rebounded off the metal men, but Reginald ran right through them, just as huge chunks of stone tore themselves from the earth and dropped on top of them in an effort to render them incapable of moving.

“Reggie, what the hell are you doing!?” Karen’s call was lost in the wave of deafening rumbling.

When the dust settled, all five metal men were shrugging off the tons of stone that Elaine had dropped on them.

“Cocksuckers!” Elaine exclaimed, furious at her finisher being resisted.

“Elaine, put some barriers between us, let’s make it a fighting retreat.” Drew said.

Karen glanced over her shoulder and spotted a shimmering barrier cutting off their avenue of escape, cutting off a few tree branches at the perfect edge of the dome.

Karen tapped Drew on the shoulder and pointed behind them.

“Ah shit,” Andrew groaned, seeing the barrier behind them. He settled into a battle stance. “ Gregor, shoot their joints. The armor seems weaker there.”

“What about Reggie?” Elaine asked.

“Shouldn’t have run in,” Gregor said, unleashing a bolt on the nearest creature’s armpit.

The steel arrowhead folded on the brightly colored wires.

“Gimmie a break.” Gregor growled.

“Talleyho!” Reginald shouted, rushing back into the fight with a shiny metal arm in his hand rather than his expensive blade.

Whatever was causing the iron to become as soft as cheese didn’t seem to effect the metal arm, and it put a heavy dent in one of the metal men’s heads, causing it to stagger backward.

Karen and Andrew shared a glance and sprinted forward.

“You two back up!” Drew shouted back at Elaine and Gregor, who backed off.

The two heavily armored warriors shot past Reginald.

“I figured it out! There were seven holes and only five men, so I thought maybe-“

They ran past Reginald, ignoring him. Karen went left and Andrew went right, trailing a couple metal men each. The first hole was empty, and the second, and the third…

“Karen! Leg!” Drew shouted and tossed her a shiny metal leg.

Irresistible Force

Bent 6/8 remaining.

Karen activated her club skill and her first strike nearly tore her opponent in half, along with the next, and the next.

In a matter of seconds, they’d cleaned up all the metal men, leaving nothing but strange twitching parts, oil slicks and foul, acrid smells.

The shimmering barrier in the distance had yet to go away though.

“I guess the only way out is through,” Andrew said, creating a handle for his makeshift club.

“You’re gonna carry that around?” Reginald asked.

“What, you don’t think there’ll be any more?” Karen asked as she started on number two.

They all froze as a chill swept down their spines.

Clunk. Hisssss.

No. this isn’t supposed to happen.

The rectangular discoloration in the black wall opened, revealing infinite emptiness. A skull with whorling patterns etched into it faded into view flying out of the gate. it was so close, Karen could swear it was biting her already, its teeth clacking together in amusement.

Uncharacteristically, Karen tried to run. She put her feet under her and turned away, but the ground slipped away underneath her

No, No.

Behind her, the hideous thing she’d seen at the attack gained on her. Form of a man, Form of a man. The thing chasing her looked human, and at the same time she knew what it really looked like, but her eyes just couldn’t bend the right way to comprehend it. She knew what it really looked like.

Its finger touched the back of her neck.

NO!

Kala sat up, her skin sticky with sweat, sheets soaked. She reached up and rang the bell for her maid, who entered with a glass of water for her princess, who had nightmares since her cousin had killed her guards in front of her.

Kala hadn’t told anyone the real reason for her nightmares.

Maybe I should.

“Where is my father?”

“He’s with your uncle, princess, in the study.”

“Thank you.” Kala said as the woman helped her slip on a new gown and slippers, padding down the cavernous halls of the palace until she came to the little reading room where she could make out the golden light of a lamp keeping her father and uncle company.

“The whole thing?” She heard her father’s voice

“Many of the people got away thanks to the golden haired freak of a Malkenrovian, but the damage to the livestock and infrastructure means the village won’t be producing any tax revenue for the forseeable future. The land is still arable though.” Her uncle said.

The two of them were hidden behind the door, speaking in hushed tones.

“Small blessings,” her father said.

“Iletha is convinced that this is a sign that we are weak, and damnit they’re right. If they throw everything they have at us –“

Uncle Bekvah noticed her entering the door and his tone flipped completely. “hey there, Kala, care to join me and your old man?” he gave her a trembling grin.

“Did something happen?” Kala asked, fixing them with a steady gaze.

Her father glanced at her uncle. The two men shared quite the resemblance, but her father was a little heavier set with broader features. He sighed.

“That little village you liked to go on your days off has been pillaged by Genosian raiders.”

Kala’s heart seized. “Calvin?”

“He was not among the citizens who fled to Surrak, nor among the dead. We can only assume they took him.”

They all knew what Genosians did with the people they took.