Chapter 2: Whispers of the Plaza
Jason trailed Lynn through Kaldor's mist-choked tunnels, his boots echoing on stone worn smooth by centuries. The Farthalin burned in his grip, its crimson glow casting shadows that danced on the walls, each etched with glyphs—blue, purple, fading like forgotten promises. It's trying to talk. His scar pulsed, fragments of Earth flickering—gunfire, a medic's shout, sand in his throat—but he pushed them back. This is my fight now. Lynn's rune stone cast a faint green light, her steps sure, robe shimmering with woven sigils. She knows this place. The system's hum lingered, its last message—[Resolve Points: 450%]—a riddle he couldn't crack. How much higher can this go? He tightened his grip on the Farthalin, its warmth a steady anchor in the unknown.
The tunnel widened, opening to a hidden plaza, a heartbeat in Kaldor's corpse. Rune-lit stalls bustled with forsaken traders, their voices a low hum—bartering relics, etching glyphs on armor, and sharpening blades. Stone spires loomed, their glyphs pulsing, a city carved from ruin. It's alive. Jason's breath caught, the scale sinking in—plazas stretching into the mist, arches holding despite cracks. Lynn gestured: "The rune-war broke Kaldor, shattered by the lords' greed. We're the forsaken, rebuilding cell by cell—Mistveil, Crags, Ashen Vale, Outer Reaches." Her green eyes burned, a vow etched in her stare. She's all in.
A red-haired warrior approached, warhammer slung across his back, his build solid, eyes fierce. A tank. "Lynn, you trust this stranger?" he asked, voice rough, sizing Jason up. "Ren, he fought rogues," Lynn said, her tone firm. Ren's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "My sister dreamed of Kaldor united. I fight for her." He's loyal. Jason's Farthalin flared, a vision searing his mind: Kaldor burning, a shadowy colossus rising, whispering: You're mine.It's a lie. He clenched his fist, meeting Ren's gaze. "I'm no rogue," he said, voice steady. The system flashed: [System Insight: Joined forsaken. Reward: 200 Resolve Points. Resolve Points: 650%.]
Ren stepped closer, his warhammer glinting in the glyph-light. "My sister, Mara, used to say Kaldor's glyphs held hope," he said, his voice softer now, eyes distant. "She'd etch them on scraps, dreaming of peace. Rogues got her two winters back. I'll see her dream through—or die trying." Jason nodded, the weight of Ren's words settling in. He's got a reason. The Farthalin's warmth pulsed, as if acknowledging the warrior's resolve.
The plaza thrummed—traders haggling, glyphs flickering, children darting through stalls. A black-haired woman, violet eyes sharp, slipped through the crowd, her dagger glinting. A scout. She stopped, her stare a challenge. "New blood?" she asked, voice low. "Celia, meet Jason," Lynn said. Celia's lips twitched, a predator's smile. "Prove you're not dead weight." She's testing me. Jason held her gaze, the Farthalin's warmth steadying him. "I've survived worse," he said, scar throbbing. Celia's eyes flicked to the stone, curiosity flashing. She stepped closer, twirling her dagger with a flick of her wrist. "Let's see how fast you move," she said, suddenly tossing the dagger at Jason's feet, its blade embedding in the stone with a sharp thunk.
Jason reacted on instinct, sidestepping as the dagger quivered where he'd stood. Fast. He crouched, yanking the blade free, and tossed it back to Celia, hilt-first. Her violet eyes gleamed with approval as she caught it mid-air. "Not bad," she said, her smile widening. "But next time, I won't aim for the ground." She's always watching, catching every detail, ready to strike. Jason's scar pulsed, the Farthalin's crimson glow steady in his grip. I'll keep up.
Lynn led them to a stall, its keeper etching runes on a breastplate. "We survive by grit and glyphs," she said, her rune stone glowing. She's their spark. Ren lingered, his warhammer a quiet threat, his sister's dream a weight. Celia scanned the crowd, her dagger twirling, her violet eyes never resting. The plaza's hum shifted, glyphs flickering erratically. A tremor shook the stone, stalls rattling. Trouble. Lynn's rune stone dimmed, her eyes narrowing. "Rogues are close," she said, voice taut. Celia's dagger stilled, her gaze locking on the mist. Ambush. The Farthalin's whisper grew, a shadow coiling in Jason's mind, pulling him toward the dark.
Shouts erupted from the plaza's edge as a dozen rogues burst through the mist, their blades and glyphs flaring red with bloodlust. "They've found us!" a trader yelled, stalls toppling as forsaken scrambled for weapons. Jason's instincts kicked in, the Farthalin blazing crimson in his hand. Here we go. Lynn's rune stone flared green, a barrier rune shimmering to life, deflecting a rogue's thrown dagger. "Protect the plaza!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. Ren roared, swinging his warhammer into a rogue's chest, the impact sending the man crashing through a stall, wood splintering.
Celia vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind a rogue, her dagger slicing his throat in a fluid motion. "Keep up, new blood!" she called to Jason, her violet eyes glinting with challenge. Jason dodged a rogue's blade, the Farthalin's whisper urging him: Fight. He slammed the stone into the rogue's glyph-etched armor, the sigils shattering in a burst of crimson light. The rogue crumpled, but more surged forward, their glyphs flaring with chaotic energy. They're endless. Jason's scar throbbed, adrenaline surging as he fought alongside Ren and Celia, the plaza erupting into a battlefield.
Lynn's runes lit the air, green vines tangling a rogue mid-charge, but her barrier flickered under a barrage of glyph-attacks. "They're targeting the spires!" she yelled, pointing to the stone spires—their glyphs dimming as rogues slashed at their bases. They're trying to bring it down. Jason pivoted, charging a rogue near a spire, the Farthalin's crimson glow searing the air. He struck, the rogue's glyph shattering, but a second rogue's blade grazed his arm, pain flaring. Not now. The system pinged: [System Insight: Defended plaza. Reward: 250 Resolve Points. Resolve Points: 900%.]
The battle raged, the plaza's hum now a war cry, glyphs flickering like a dying heartbeat. Jason fought on, the Farthalin's whisper louder, a shadow growing in his mind. Kaldor's testing me. He glanced at Lynn, her rune stone nearly spent, then at Ren and Celia, their faces grim but unyielding. We hold the line.