A massive underground cavern greeted Zarir and his team as they materialized on a metal platform in a raised area of the cavern. The platform was roughly ten meters in diameter and covered in a blue energy shield.
The platform was chaotic with trial participants running around, some having just arrived, others leaving quickly.
A race Zarir hadn't seen before with a wiry build, multicolored eyes, and grey skin with patterns of energy was periodically appearing on the platform before being led by trial participants to another area of the platform where they were teleported, presumably to a safer location.
Many participants moved to stand guard around the platform or join skirmishes happening nearby via steps at the edge of the platform leading to a large open area that had to be crossed before gaining entry to a massive underground city.
The city itself covered almost half of the cavern's area; luminescent moss and crystals growing on the cavern's ceiling provided enough light to see the large river that snaked its way through it.
On each side of the riverbanks, land seemed to have been cleared to grow food, but the fields abruptly stopped after a certain distance, giving way to crystal-decorated rock dwellings packed tightly together that spread to cover most of the available space.
A small cylindrical container suddenly appeared, hovering in front of each of them, interrupting their observation of the area.
[Enter the town and rescue the natives. The container in front of you contains teleportation tags. Tag the natives to teleport them to this platform for evacuation]
The trial's voice informed them all… that explains the race I just saw; they must be the natives… thought Zarir as his hand closed around the container in front of him.
Turning it over, he noticed an indent the size of a finger at one of the ends. He placed his finger over it and the end vanished, revealing a small round disk with a flashing red light in the centre.
He shook the container over his hand and the several disks fell out; picking one up, he flipped it over, revealing mana-nanite material on the back… guess we stick that side on the natives… he thought as he placed the disks back into the container, the lid materializing back in place.
"Let's go," Zarir said and started walking toward the stairs, his teammates following him.
Zarir made his way rapidly down the stairs, while noticing the battles being fought in the open area below; the void spawn seemed to be in small packs, no greater than four, usually the packs were bigger… might be because of all the participants… well, that's good for us, at least we can split up into two groups.
At the bottom of the stairs, Zarir turned to his teammates. "I think we should split up to cover more ground. The void packs are small, so we should be okay as long as we are careful. Lumir, open a communication channel for everyone," he ordered his AI.
[Yes, Zarir, channel open.]
"If the void spawn packs get bigger," continued Zarir, "retreat back here and we will join up again. Zahava and Aurelia will move together, and Elidor will come with me." Zarir then looked at the girls. "Be careful," he added.
"We will," Zahava replied as she grabbed Aurelia's hand. "Worry about yourself; us girls will be fine," then she turned, dragging Aurelia away, heading in the direction of the city; Aurelia's soft laughter echoed as they left.
"Ready?" Zarir asked as he looked at Elidor.
"Yep, after you," Elidor gestured toward the city entrance in the distance, the girls having already disappeared inside.
A small smile touched the corners of Zarir's mouth as he shook his head before walking forward, Elidor following behind.
They broke into a run, crossing the area quickly, arriving at the city entrance; broken stone and cracked crystals littered the ground, embedded with claw marks. Weapons drawn, they entered the city.
The air grew heavy with the scent of damp stone and the faint hum of crystalline energy as Zarir and Elidor moved cautiously through the narrow streets, their footsteps echoing off the rocky ground.
Zarir, his war fan ready, scanned the shadowed alleys, checking for potential threats.
Elidor trailed slightly behind, his whip coiled at his side, his gaze on Zarir while also observing the surroundings.
They approached a cluster of dwellings, their crystal decorations glinting faintly in the dim light, and began searching each building methodically.
Zarir pushed open a creaking door with a swift, careful motion, his eyes darting to check for natives or danger.
Inside, he found overturned furniture and claw marks etched into the walls, a sign of recent void spawn activity, but no survivors.
Moving to the next dwelling, he ducked under a low beam, his Tessen slicing through hanging cloth with a controlled flick, revealing another empty room.
Suddenly, a low growl rumbled from the shadows ahead, and four void spawn emerged—large wolf-like beasts with pulsating purple crystals—their claws scraped the ground as they advanced, two lunging toward Zarir, while the other two attacked Elidor.
Zarir stepped forward, channeling mana into a fierce gust of wind that erupted from his Tessen, the air swirling like a tempest to slice into the first spawn's crystal, cracking it with a resounding snap.
The void beast roared and staggered back, its claws slashing wildly in retaliation.
Zarir pivoted, avoiding the claw swipe with a powerful twist, and unleashed a crackling surge of energy from his hand, striking the second spawn's core, leaving it smoldering but intact.
The second spawn hissed, its crystalline eyes flaring as it reared up, preparing to lunge again.
His fan flickered, absorbing a glancing blow from the first spawn's flailing arm, and he retaliated, swinging his Tessen in a wide arc, the fan's edge catching the beast's limb, forcing it back with a grunt.
The first spawn snarled, charging forward with a snapping jaw, but Zarir sent a second gust of wind that battered the creature, deepening the crack in its crystal until it shattered—energy dissipated as the first void spawn vanished.
The second spawn lunged at Zarir, its claws raking the air as it closed in, its form turning intangible to phase through his guard, nearly grazing his chest before solidifying.
Elidor's whip uncoiled with a sharp snap, the leather lashing out to entangle the beast's leg, pulling it off balance with a deft tug.
Elidor used his talent Diamond Ward his skin hardened to a diamond-like sheen, shimmering under the cavern's light as he absorbed a retaliatory claw strike from his own target—a third void spawn—with a solid thud, the impact reverberating through his arm.
The third spawn growled, its tail whipping toward him, but he sidestepped the lunge with a ghostly flicker, his form phasing briefly through the attack, then lashed out again, the whip cracking against its crystal fracturing it.
The third spawn roared, slashing with its claws as it recovered, while a fourth void spawn emerged, its crystal pulsing as it advanced with a menacing hiss.
Elidor ducked under the third spawn's sweeping tail, rolling to his feet with a smooth, practiced motion, his years as Zarir's guardian sharpening his reflexes.
He summoned a swirling vortex of ice crystal shards, the jagged pieces spinning around the entangled second spawn, slicing into its hide with a grating sound until its core disintegrated in a flash—the second void spawn dissipating.
Planting his feet firmly, he deflected a bite from the third spawn with his hardened arm, the impact leaving him unscathed as its teeth skidded off his diamond skin.
He swung the whip in a wide arc, aiming to bind the fourth spawn, its claws slashing back as it resisted, the building trembling with their struggle.
The area echoed with the clash of combat, the two remaining void spawn—the third and fourth—snarling with renewed fury, their crystals pulsing as Zarir and Elidor braced for the next onslaught.