In a flash, Simone disappeared, teleported presumably to the nether.

The others followed quickly on her heels, and I scrambled after, surprised at the alacrity with which matters were moving. I’d been expecting Simone to outline the plan at least.

“Why the rush,” I called out to the others before they could vanish.

Barac and Moonshadow didn’t bother responding, and a second later, they too disappeared through the rift. Jasiah, though, paused and waited for me to catch up.

“Because we’re on a time limit,” he said when I reached his side. “We’ve only one hour to find the stygian seed, destroy any nether creatures guarding it, and head back.”

“Stygian seed?” I asked in confusion.

“The thing that’s created the unstable ley line to this sector. We have to remove it to seal the rift.”

I nodded in understanding. “And we don't have any more of the protection crystals?”

“We do,” Jasiah said. “But they are too expensive to spend frivolously.”

I bit my lip, frustrated anew by my ignorance of so many aspects of the Game. “What can I expect on the other side of the rift?”

“You'll find out soon enough,” he said and, without further explanation, dove into the black void.

I stared at the spot where the duelist had vanished and then with a shrug of my shoulders, followed on his heels.

~~~

You have entered sector 6,910 of the Netherworld. This area is outside the boundaries of the Endless Dungeon and is unclaimable by any Force or faction. Warning: the ley line connecting this sector to the Kingdom is unstable and may close at any time.

You have entered the nether. The dark miasma infecting the region is unconducive to life and will cause your health, psi, stamina, and mana to degenerate by 20% per minute. Current status: Protected. Remaining duration: 59 minutes.

I stepped out into a world of gray.

The journey through the rift had been no different from traversing a portal. The transfer had been instantaneous and smooth, but the sector I found myself in was wholly different.

The air was hazy and thick, enveloped by heavy banks of smog. Visibility was poor. I could see, but not more than a few yards ahead of me. After that, everything transformed into a wall of gray that even my nightwalker senses couldn't pierce.

I looked back. The rift behind me was also obscured. Even the void of nothingness was seemingly not proof against whatever hung in the air. Glancing down, I saw the ground was rocky and hard, reassuringly solid. At the scuff of a stone, I peered up, the stygian blade held at the ready. Four shapes had emerged from the mists.

It was the party.

As the others drew closer, I noticed Moonshadow’s eyes were closed, and his mouth was moving rapidly. Casting a spell?

I had my answer a moment later.

Moonshadow has cast purifying dome. Duration: 10 minutes.

An electric ring rippled outwards from the mage, passing harmlessly over his companions, but causing the thick tendrils of mists to dissipate. The circle kept expanding until it passed over both me and the rift to my rear.

You have entered a purifying field. All environmental ill-effects have been nullified.

I turned about in a slow circle. The dome was about ten yards in diameter, and inside it, the air had been entirely cleared of smog.

Moonshadow opened his eyes to rest them upon me. “So you came through, after all,” he said, sounding disappointed.

“Huh, didn't think you would,” Barac added. He attempted to speak in a low voice but wasn't at all successful.

Ignoring the pair’s comments, I turned to Simone. “Are we safe here?”

Barac snorted. “Of course not,” he replied before the archer could, his words another dull rumble. “This place is infested.”

“Shh, you big oaf,” Jasiah hissed, nudging the crusader in the ribs. “Or you will bring them down upon us.”

The centaur muttered something under his breath, too low even for me to catch.

“Relax, Jasiah,” Moonshadow said. “I've cast my net. There are no stygians within fifty yards,” he said confidently.

Simone glanced at him. “Have you found the seed yet?”

“Still looking,” the elf replied, his eyes half-lidded. He was scrying with his mage senses, I thought.

“Well, hurry up, then,” Simone said. Ignoring the glare the mage threw at her, she turned to me. “Until Moonshadow finds it, there's nothing for us to do but wait.”

I frowned and gestured to the dome above us. “Is that a good idea, though?” The spelled circle of purified air had to be a beacon to the stygian creatures in the region, and I felt vulnerable beneath it.

Simone smiled, if a bit grimly. “The dome exposes us, I know, but it’s actually our best option in this scenario. It lets us keep an eye on the rift to detect if it’s closing.” She paused. “And it keeps our lines of sight clear in case we’re attacked.”

I nodded slowly. I understood her reasoning, even if the tactics they’d chosen were not the ones I would have employed myself. I would’ve preferred to have skulked in the mists, poor visibility or no.

“Besides,” Jasiah added, “Stumbling through the mist is more dangerous.”

I glanced at him. “But it isn't mist, is it? This stuff feels heavier and moves strangely. What is it?”

“What else? It’s the dark miasma of the nether itself. You don’t want to feel its touch while unprotected,” he warned.

“Right,” I muttered. My gaze flickered back to the party leader. “When Moonshadow finds the seed, what then?”

She eyed me for a moment in silent contemplation. “We don't have the numbers for a straight-up fight, and normally we'd wait for the knights’ assistance before attempting this.”

“I see,” I said, my concern mounting that perhaps this venture was not as well thought out as I'd originally assumed. “What's the plan then?”

“You're a good sneak, aren't you?” Simone replied obliquely.

I folded my arms and stared at her, not sure I liked where this was going.

“You hid successfully from the mantis, no mean feat,” the archer continued, either oblivious to or ignoring my unhappiness. “If you managed that, you should be able to pull this off.”

“The plan, Simone,” I growled. “Tell me.”

She shrugged. “You sneak into the stygian's lair, grab the seed and hurry back.”

I scowled at her in disbelief. “What about the rest of you?”

“We hold this point and create a distraction.”

“So, you want me to venture into that—” I gestured to the swirling mists—“alone while the rest of you stay here safe?” I asked in a half-strangled voice.

“In essence, yes,” Simone replied unapologetically.

My gaze drifted from her to the rest of the party. Jasiah wouldn't meet my eyes. Lost in the midst of his scrying, Moonshadow paid me no attention, while Barac only smirked in response.

From what I’d seen of the party, none of them were stealthy. Without me, their scheme—such as it was—would not work. My suspicions hardened. “This was the plan all along, wasn't it? This is the only reason you invited me along?”

“Yes,” was the unflinching response.

I bowed my head in disappointment. The party didn't consider me an equal member. I'd only been brought here to attempt a gamble—and a risky one by the sounds of it.

“Extra blade, eh?” I remarked bitterly. I wasn't that; far from it. I was a sacrificial lamb. A noob of no consequence.

Simone sighed. “Look, I admit what I'm asking you to do is dangerous. But I wouldn't have wasted our time and, more importantly, our resources if I didn't think you had a chance of pulling it off.”

I said nothing.

“The truth is,” Simone continued, “the five of us cannot take on an entire stygian nest on our own. But the four of us may be able to hold off one long enough for you to retrieve the seed and return here. Believe me, in drawing the nest’s attention, we'd be risking as much as you.

Not quite. The four would still have an easy line of retreat if things went sour. Me—not so much.

Still, the archer’s arguments did assuage some of my doubts. Maybe this can be done.

“What if I die?” I asked eventually.

Barac laughed—quietly. “Don’t,” he said in a clipped tone. “This sector has no safe zone to resurrect you.”

It took me a moment to digest that, and I finally understood their reluctance to leave the safety of the rift. Better to retreat through the portal and die on the other side than risk permanent death on this side.

That one little fact raised the stakes significantly, though.

“Will you do it?” Jasiah asked softly.

I didn't answer immediately. My failed attempt at crossing over the safe zone wall and even my encounters with the mantises had driven home how under-leveled I was for the sector. Given my player rank, doing what the party requested would be a gamble. I'd be risking permanent death too.

But on the other hand, if I took no risks, I would not go far in the Game. No, I thought, the real question is not that of risk but of belief.

Did I believe I could sneak into a lair of monsters and steal the prize they guarded?

I did.

Moonshadow opened his eyes. “Found it!” he pronounced in satisfaction. A moment later, his face crinkled in confusion as he sensed the tension about us. “What's going on?”

“Simone told him the plan,” Barac replied laconically.

“Oh.” The mage turned my way, a surprisingly sympathetic look in his gaze. “Not too keen on the idea, are you?”

Before I could respond, Simone tugged on the elf’s arm. “Where is it?” she demanded.

Moonshadow pointed to his left. “Three hundred yards in that direction. There is a nest surrounding it.” He paused. “A large one.”

The party leader turned back to me. “Well, Michael, are you in?” She gestured to the rift at our rear. “If you're not, there's the exit. Time to decide.”