"Guys!" Aryn called out, relief breaking through his exhaustion as he spotted them.
He took in the sight of his friends with a smile, he swore he could almost let out tears of joy, the stress of the last few moments were relieved at their coming.
Jaxon moved like someone who had always trusted his body to do what he asked of it. He stood right under six feet, his athletic frame was built from use, and not for show. Broad shoulders, and solid arms, again the kind of strength that came from doing, not posing. His features weren't soft or pretty, but city rugged in a way that worked for him, sharp lines and a steady gaze that made him look older than he was.
There was something unmistakably American about him despite his Korean heritage, a rough confidence that showed in the way he stood and the way he watched the world, as if daring it to give him a reason to move first.
Then there was Kaia…
Kaia looked a lot like her brother at first glance, same bone structure, same dark eyes but where Jaxon carried weight, she carried balance. Tall and slender at 5'7, her athletic build gave her a simple grace, like motion came naturally to her even when she was standing still. Her jet black hair fell straight and simple, framing a face that didn't rely on makeup to be striking.
She was beautiful in a quieter way than most people noticed at first, the kind that revealed itself in moments of focus or resolve. There was calm in her expression, but beneath it lived a stubborn strength, one that didn't need to announce itself to be felt.
Jaxon slowed first, eyes sweeping over Aryn from head to toe. "Bro… you look different. Dreads got a lil' longer and…" He squinted. "You look bigger. Your skin, did it get darker? And greener? Hold up, are you uglier now?"
Kaia snorted, though her gaze lingered a second longer than her laughter. "Yeah, I see it too. But don't worry… You're only a LITTLE uglier. It's kind of cute, actually."
She snickered, covering her mouth as her shoulders bounced, and her brother quickly joined in. Aryn followed a heartbeat later, the sound surprising even himself. It was a much needed laugh, easing the weight that had been pressing down on them for the past few hours.
Aryn shook his head, smiling despite himself. He stepped forward and clasped Jaxon's hand, their handshake overly complicated and familiar enough to say everything words didn't. Then he pulled Kaia into a quick hug before stepping back.
"Trust me, jokes later," he said. "A lot's happened."
He gave them a fast, uneven summary, monsters, the portal, the fight, the thing that answered when he shouldn't have survived. When he finished, he glanced around.
"…I wasn't completely alone," Aryn added. "Gregk, stop hiding. I know you're there."
The air near a collapsed truck shimmered. Gregk stepped into view as if he'd always been there, one shoulder resting against twisted metal. He said nothing, only inclined his head.
Kaia stiffened. Jaxon took an unconscious step back.
"This is Gregk," Aryn said quickly. "Gregk, Jaxon and Kaia. My friends."
Gregk nodded once more, then lifted his chin toward the portal.
"Right," Aryn said, catching on. "We still have to close it." He turned to Jaxon. "You said you felt something too, back at the park?"
Jaxon's grin snapped back into place. "Man, you don't even know. It's like, boom. Or pop. Energy just moves when I hit stuff or hold something." He scooped up a fist-sized rock and hurled it toward a wrecked car.
POP*.*
The ground dented near the impact, dust and debris bursting outward.
Aryn let out a low whistle. "Yeah… that fits you way too well." He glanced at Kaia. "What about you?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Jaxon bumped her shoulder. "Don't worry, I got you sis."
Aryn's smile faded as he turned back to the portal. "We can't leave it. Not like this. I'm going in." He hesitated, then added, "I won't stop you if you don't want to but I'd rather not do this alone."
Kaia and Jaxon exchanged a look.
"We're in," Kaia said. "The city's already crawling with things like this. Those goblins came from somewhere."
They stood together for a moment, the portal's low hum pressing against their senses.
"Hold up," Jaxon said suddenly, crouching to scoop rocks into his pockets. "Ammo."
Aryn laughed shaking his head left to right
The portal swallowed them.
The sensation was wrong, neither hot nor cold, pressure folding inward until the world clapped back into place.
"Yeah, I think I—" Jaxon gagged, staggering to the side before emptying his stomach against the stone wall.
Aryn and Kaia exchanged a look, half sympathy and half disgust.
The cave stretched wide around them, stone walls breathing damp air heavy with earth, metal, and something animal. A single passage led deeper.
"Let's move, quicker the better. This place gives me the creeps." Aryn said quietly. "Gregk, stay in the back."
Gregk simply nodded.
Aryn led the way through the corridor, surprised that he could see with how dark the cave was. Everyone noticed the firelight that flickered ahead of them.
The cave narrowed as they advanced, stone pressing closer on both sides. The air grew warmer with each step, thick enough that Aryn could almost taste it. His footsteps sounded too loud no matter how carefully he placed them, the echoes stretching farther than they should have, bending around corners before fading.
Aryn slowed, raising a fist and everyone froze.
Beyond the bend, a crude campfire burned low. Its light crawled across jagged stone and stretched shadows into warped shapes that twitched with every pop of burning wood. Five Gnolls lingered around it, hunched and restless, their fur matted and dark with old blood. They didn't sit. They paced. One gnawed on a bone that looked too clean to be animal.
Their voices rolled through the chamber in short, guttural sounds, not arguments, not conversation. More like checks or calls, showing their awareness.
Aryn focused, letting his breathing slow.
The warmth along his tattooed arm stirred faintly, not flaring, not answering outright, just acknowledging his attention. With it came a sense of weight, a quiet understanding of what stood ahead. Not overwhelming, but not trivial either.
[Spirit]: Yes this is Spirit Resonance, it will help you gauge how strong your target is…]
Aryn, Acknowledged the voice only he could hear and knew his enemy was of the same level as them.
'I'd really like this to be easier to understand, I hope you can hear me…'. Aryn thought before grounding himself in what needed to be done.
Fear pressed in behind his ribs, sharp and cold. But resolve followed close behind.
He glanced back. Jaxon shifted his stance, coiled and eager despite himself. Kaia stood still, eyes tracking the gnolls with careful focus unsure of her role in all of this. Gregk had already faded into the edges of the light, bow in hand.
Aryn gave a single, deliberate signal to Gregk and his arrow flew.
It struck one gnoll high in the neck. The creature dropped without a sound, its body collapsing forward into the fire. Fur caught, flesh blackened, and the smell that followed made Aryn's stomach twist.
The very sight of the creature dying sent chills and terror into Kaias being, but she grabbed a thick stone from off to the side of the corridors opening.
The others reacted instantly.
Growls tore free as four sets of yellow eyes snapped toward the corridor. They didn't hesitate. They charged.
Two broke left. Two right.
Steel scraped as rusted swords came free. One gnoll abandoned weapons altogether, dropping to all fours as it lunged.
But Aryn moved first.
He surged forward, meeting the first pair head-on. The impact rattled his bones as he collided with one gnoll, his shoulder driving into its chest. He felt the Gnolls weight give immediately, lighter than before, weaker than the initiates outside. He twisted, slamming the creature's skull into the cave wall. Stone cracked, and the gnoll went limp.
Behind him, motion blurred.
Jaxon vaulted past his shoulder, foot snapping up in a sharp arc. His kick landed square against the lunging gnoll's face, the impact echoing like a muffled burst. The creature reeled, stunned but not dead.
'Guess all those MMA Classes finally come in handy.' Jaxon thought to himself grinning in chaos.
Another arrow hissed through the air.
One of the back Gnolls staggered as the shaft punched into its chest. It tried to flee like a dying doe.
It didn't get far though as a thrown blade struck true, burying itself in the gnoll's skull. The body collapsed mid step.
Aryn barely had time to register it.
The dazed gnoll recovered faster than expected, claws snapping as it swiped wildly at Jaxon. Jaxon ducked, fists flying in short, brutal bursts. Bone cracked under repeated blows. When the creature stumbled, Jaxon snatched up a fallen sword and ended it with a single, and ugly cut.
The last gnoll turned to run. Kaia threw the stone she picked up earlier and watched it sail true as it struck the Gnoll, but didn't do any real damage. Luckily Aryn chased it with wild intentions.
His muscles burned as he closed the distance, shoes pounding stone. He caught the creature by its fur and wrenched it backward. It hit the ground hard. Aryn raised his fist… and froze as Jaxon's heel came down instead, crushing the gnoll's face into the floor.
Silence followed.
Aryn exhaled slowly, pulse thrumming as the warmth in his arm faded back to a low ember.
"Like smushing cockroaches, right?!" Jaxon said excitedly, staring at Aryn.
Aryn, didn't respond audibly and just shook his head at Jaxon's remark.
They stood amid the aftermath, breathing hard, the fire crackling beside them.
Aryn wiped sweat from his brow and forced himself to move, his eyes scanning the crude camp. The gnolls hadn't carried much, but what little they had was scattered around the fire.
Aryn noticed the look on Kaia's face, the killing and slaughter of these creatures was bothering her, even though it had to be done.
"It's either us, or them, Kaia. I don't like the feeling either, but I'm not gonna sit her and die either." Aryn said, his voice a bit shaky, but his look firm.
Kaia simply nodded in reply.
Near one of the makeshift tents, he found a battered round shield, about the size of his torso. The leather straps were worn smooth from use, the metal rim chipped and scarred. He tested its weight, then slid his arm through the straps and gave a short nod to himself.
'Better than only my fists, for now.'
Kaia crouched nearby, nudging something with her boot. She lifted a smaller shield, lighter, cracked down one side, but still usable. She hesitated, then strapped it on, fingers tightening around the grip as if grounding herself.
Jaxon let out a low whistle. "Guess I'm not punching everything anymore either."
He reached down and picked up a rusted sword lying near one of the bodies. The blade was nicked and ugly, balance looked off, but solid enough. He gave it a few experimental and sloppy swings.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I guess this'll be aight."
Gregk laughed at the human boy quietly, while shaking his head.
He watched them without comment, and only giving a small approving nod before turning back toward the tunnel.
They weren't done yet, they were just getting started.