The Chalice ruins loomed out of the desert like the bones of some ancient beast. Crumbling walls, shattered columns, and broken statues lay half-buried beneath drifting sands. The carvings along the stone walls depicted monstrous creatures, blood rituals, and skies alight with falling stars.
As Adrian moved deeper into the ruins, a chill seeped into the air. It was unnatural, wrong, as if the desert's furnace heat could not touch this place. Nyxaris sniffed the air, fur bristling. "Old magic here. Deep and foul."
Adrian's wrist rune pulsed faintly, obtained from the bond forged by Nyarixis, lighting the way forward. The passageways grew narrower, forcing him to move cautiously. Strange whispering sounds danced at the edge of his hearing—words in no tongue he understood.
Finally, he emerged into a wide, circular chamber. In the center stood a pedestal of black stone, a shattered altar atop it. Across the surface were carved three ancient words:
"Claim. Conquer. Ascend."
The system chimed suddenly:
[Warning: Dungeon Rift Forming Nearby. Threat Level: Severe.]
Adrian clenched his fists. He wasn't leaving empty-handed. The blood moon's light spilled through cracks in the ruined ceiling, bathing the altar in an eerie crimson glow. Something was watching him.
He could feel it.
The first attack came without warning. A massive werewolf, his fur matted and eyes burning with bloodlust, charged from the shadows, swinging a brutal axe. Adrian barely dodged, feeling the blade tear through the air inches from his head. Three more figures followed—Bloodfang werewolves, snarling and armored.
At their head was a behemoth of a beast, towering over the others, wearing jagged crimson armor adorned with bones. "The relic is ours, mortal!" Midwak, the leader roared.
Adrian summoned another pair of Umbral Construct daggers, the black weapons flickering faintly in the oppressive heat. Nyxaris lunged forward, splitting into three shadowy clones to confuse the enemies. Adrian fought defensively, evading and parrying rather than striking to kill. Every blow sapped his limited energy. The Bloodfangs pressed closer, boxing him in.
One mistake, and he would be shredded apart.
He needed a way out. Now.
Sparks erupted from the ground as the Bloodfang leader swung a massive hammer, shattering the stone near Adrian's feet. Adrian stumbled but rolled away, feeling the heavy thud of the weapon slam into the earth. A plan formed in his mind—risky, but his only chance.He could feel it.