To get to the Ruins, they had to head west from Fort Valkyrie. The road took them through rocky hills, which soon flattened and became lush with vegetation. Before Severance knew it, he was in a forest. Again.

Words could not express the joy he did not feel.

Awesome Dude, who was leading the way, turned around. He walked backwards, maintaining the distance between them.

"Hey, hurry up, you guys! Our tank is waiting for us up ahead."

"Hm." That was the response from the stoic Knightglaive walking beside Severance. Valentin was, Severance had quickly discovered, as quiet as Awesome Dude was loud. The two couldn't have been more opposite.

Severance was grateful. Two Awesome Dudes would have given him a headache.

Their path curved through a dense cluster of trees. Their trunks were close and their overhead branches so intricately woven together that the path darkened considerably. Severance reached out as he passed through, brushing his fingertips against the rough bark.

When the path opened up again, there were two people sitting on a fallen tree, waiting for them. Awesome Dude bounded over, greeting them like an exuberant puppy.

"Dude! And other dude! We finally found you!"

The tank regarded Awesome Dude with what could only be described as profound resignation. "It hasn't even been a minute since I messaged you."

Awesome Dude wasn't listening. "Man, it took forever to get through the forest. Why did they have to make places so far away?"

Severance joined his friend, though he had already tuned out the Shade's complaints.

"Hey," he said to the tank. Out of all the players, he didn't expect to see this one again so soon.

"Hello again," Ironhide rose from the tree. He was a well-built man in his early thirties and his armor, scuffed and dented, had clearly been through a few battles. "I hope our mutual friend hasn't dragged you into any more trouble since we last met."

Severance could only shake his head. Trouble followed the Shade like a shadow. "Well, we haven't run into any more super powered guys with spears."

"Ooh! I remember that guy!" Awesome Dude exclaimed. "Sessh, right? He killed me good!"

Severance snorted. That was one way to put it. If Ironhide himself hadn't stepped in during that battle in Two Bridges, Severance would have faced the same fate.

"That's the one," Ironhide said. "He's appeared once more since, and an entire raid team of 12 players was wiped out."

"No way." Severance couldn't believe it. Actually, on second thought, he could. That guy had been absolutely terrifying.

"You didn't hear about that, Sev? It was all over the chat." Awesome Dude looked at him strangely.

"I didn't, no."

"Huh. You should pay more attention, Sev. That guy is really bad news. It's so not fair that the Chosen get a super strong NPC on their side."

"The Chosen are a broken clan," said the player that had come with Ironhide. He was a lanky fellow with a pair of mismatched eyes. One was silver and the other a pale gold, which lent him an unsettling gaze.

"Broken is right," Awesome Dude muttered.

Atrocity ignored him and went over to Severance. "Hey, I'm Atrocity. Wann Mi clan. You?"

"Severance, from the Veiled." Severance paused, waiting for the predicted reaction. Sure enough, it came right on cue.

"What kind of clan is the Veiled? Never heard of them."

"They're small," Severance said, and hoped that was enough to satisfy Atrocity. "What class are you?"

Apart from the belt of multi-color threads on Atrocity's waist, from which hung orange and green rags, there were no other identifying features. The player even wore the simplistic and comfortable style that the civilians of Eliona favored.

Atrocity smirked. "Wanderer. And I'm guessing you're the healer, though you don't look like one."

To that, Severance shrugged. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that comment.

The System chimed, announcing that Ironhide had sent out party invites. Severance accepted instantly, and was rewarded with a party list forming in the upper left corner of his vision. Names unfolded, along with their corresponding health bars. Unsurprisingly, Ironhide was at the top of the list.

The tank swiped at air, dismissing the System window he had summoned to set up the party. He glanced at Severance as he did so. "Dude says you're new to the Ruins?"

Severance nodded. "I'm also only 31. Is that okay?"

"No problem," Ironhide didn't seem all that concerned. "You're not a DPS, so it doesn't affect you too much. Just follow the team and you'll be fine. Come, let's get going."

He started down the path, which led deeper into the surrounding forest. The team followed, falling into single file. The trees thickened as they went, and it became as dark as twilight. Apart from the occasional bird call or rustle in the brush as an animal was startled by their passage, it was eerily quiet.

"What are the Ruins like?" Severance asked, keeping his voice hushed. It only seemed fitting.

"They're fun! It's the best dungeon yet, Sev." Awesome Dude's voice rang out. He'd fallen behind Severance, and Severance glanced back to see the Shade had plucked a long stalk of silvery grass from somewhere and had it sticking out of his mouth. The grass trembled when Awesome Dude tried to talk around it.

When Severance faced forward, he noticed that Atrocity also had a grass toothpick. He snorted softly. He wondered who discovered the grass first.

From the front of the party, Ironhide cleared his throat. "The Ruins is just the short name for this dungeon. It's actually known as the Ruins of Light and Dark. That's because it'll randomly give one of two paths to take. One light, and one dark." He chuckled softly. "You'll see what I mean once we're inside."

That sounded rather intriguing to Severance. "What's the difference between them?"

"The light path is shorter, but that doesn't mean it's quicker," Ironhide explained. "It has quite a few enemies to fight, and they're stronger overall. The dark path is longer, but if you're careful, you can sneak past through most of the mobs without having to fight. The boss fights are quite different between the paths as well."

"The rewards are different, too," Atrocity glanced back over his shoulder. The Wanderer winked, while at the same time, he made an imaginary gun with a hand, aimed it at Severance, and fired it off. "The dark path has treasure that would make any scholar or rogue wet themselves, and the light path hands out things that might suit a tank or warrior."

"I see." Severance was mostly hoping to get some more experience with this run, but some cool gear would be welcome as well. Apart from his weapons and the fingerless gloves, he had pretty much nothing.

It didn't take long before they arrived at their destination. The little trail took them right to a crumbling stone structure in the middle of the forest. It wasn't quite a building, and not quite a sculpture. It resembled a wall with a doorway, while alcoves on either side held worn humanoid statues. The doorway was the main point of attraction, however, for it was filled with a murky purple-gray light.

That was the signature appearance of a dungeon entrance.

Severance looked around, a little surprised to see no one else in sight. "Are we the only ones here?"

"Most of the playerbase is busy running quests at this level," Atrocity drawled. "I'm sure the Ruins will become a lot busier in a few days."

Awesome Dude nodded his agreement. "Mmhm!"

"Everyone ready?" Ironhide went to the entrance, glancing at each of them in turn.

"Yep!" Awesome Dude quickly ran up beside him, as if afraid he'd get left behind.

Atrocity sauntered past Severance. With a quiet mutter, a huge longbow appeared in his hands. It was nearly as long as he was tall.

Beside him, Valentin also pulled out his chosen weapon. The glaive he produced looked every bit as lethal as he. The shaft itself was formed of darkened steel, and it had to be at least six feet in length. Braided leather wound around it to provide extra grip. The blade itself was easily a foot and a half long, its cutting edge curved and tapering to a deadly point.

Since everyone was getting ready, Severance followed suit. He drew out his war fans. "One sec. Precaution."

You have activated Precaution. Please cast the skill you wish to store.

"Revive."

Without having a Dance invoked, the color of the energy was silvery white. It swirled around his feet, gathering around his wrists and fans, building into a near-blinding white. It took the full 10 seconds to charge Revive, and when it was done, he simply let it go.

In an instant all the gathered power vanished without a trace, leaving only the awareness of a new status being added. Precaution was charged, ready to be fired at a thought's notice. Pleased, Severance lowered his war fans.

"Okay, ready."

"What was that?" Awesome Dude asked.

Severance shrugged, smiled, and said nothing. That got him a pouty glare, which he ignored. He didn't really feel like explaining how his new Gift worked with everyone around. Besides, Awesome Dude would figure it out eventually.

With everyone gathered near the entrance, Ironhide took the initiative to step through. The murky light swallowed him up without even a whisper of sound. And one by one, the rest followed him in.

They emerged in a room of crumbling stones. Sunlight fell through a hole in the ceiling, bathing them in light. Severance looked about, marveling at the fact that the dungeon entrance had transported them from the forest into somewhere very different.

To the right, a ramp of stone rose up and curled away from them like a stone staircase. Maybe it even had steps at one point, but now it was worn smooth. A huge square stone sat on the ramp, completely blocking off their access.

The only way forward was to the left, where a second path descended into a pool of shadows, much like steps into the basement.

"Ooh! It looks like we get to take the dark path! Yes! That's the best one!" Awesome Dude pumped a fist.

Ironhide ignored the Shade's enthusiasm, and faced the rest of them. "Remember to stay quiet. Follow me closely and walk where I walk. Got it?" He was looking at Severance when he said the last part.

Aware that the words were for his benefit, Severance nodded.

Satisfied, Ironhide pulled out his sword and shield, holding them at the ready. He headed down the path to the shadows, his footsteps surprisingly quiet for a guy wearing plate armor. Severance hurried, determined to follow the tank's footsteps so that he didn't make any mistakes.

Valentin came next, with Atrocity and Awesome Dude bringing up the rear.

For a while, nothing happened. They followed the path as it descended downwards in a wide spiral. It was dark, but torches lit with strange, flickering blue fire lined the walls.

Severance thought it looked cool. That opinion lasted all of one and a half minutes.

They turned a corner and the path abruptly opened up into a large room. A narrow ledge ran along the near wall, providing the only route across the room, for the floor in the rest of the area had vanished into darkness.

Dark shapes hung from the ceiling, illuminated by the blue torches that hung above the narrow ledge nearby. Severance stared at these shapes, his mind struggling to identify them. And when it finally hit him, he clapped a hand over his mouth, barely managing to stifle a horrified gasp.

They looked an awful lot like bats. They were very similar to the ones in the other dungeon but these were the size of a toddler! Just looking at them made his skin crawl.

No one else seemed to share his horror, however. Ironhide merely turned sideways and began to calmly shuffle his way across the ledge, the armor on his back quietly scraping along the wall. The sound seemed awfully loud in the quiet room of nightmare creatures, yet the bats didn't stir.

Severance wasted no time in following after Ironhide. The sooner they could get out of this room, the better. With his own back to the wall, he couldn't help but peer down past his toes and into the darkness below. There wasn't any floor or ground that he could see—just darkness.

He wondered what would happen if he fell into that. Would he fall forever? Were there spikes waiting to impale him?

One by one, they made it past the oversized bats. A narrow corridor of stone greeted them on the other side of the room. It did not have any of the handy blue fire lighting it, either, so it appeared as a deeply unsettling wall of darkness.

Severance stopped, even as Ironhide went forward and vanished into the dark. How were they supposed to get through that without even being able to see their way? What if there were monsters hiding in there?

It wasn't like he was afraid of the dark, but he had a very healthy respect for the kinds of things that liked to hide inside it. He looked back, wondering if anyone else brought some kind of light source with them.

At the end of the line, he saw Awesome Dude. The Shade was grinning like he'd just witnessed something hilarious. Before him was Atrocity, who made his way across the narrow ledge with a relaxed ease that suggested he'd done this before—if not once, then several times.

Then something moved up into his field of vision, blocking his view of the two players. Red eyes caught him in an unreadable stare. Valentin said nothing. But Severance became instantly aware that he was now holding up the line.

There was nothing else to do but step into the dark. And hope he didn't fall into a pit of spikes.