The alert came just before dawn.
Koda had barely returned from a patrol east of the trade roads when the message reached the Shield barracks— urgent, encoded with the seal of the high scouts. He stood with Vren beneath the gray-washed awning as a courier, his face pale and voice tight, delivered the words they'd all hoped not to hear again.
A dungeon had broken.
And not just any dungeon—one within visible range of Oria's southern watchtowers.
It was a young scout named Aeric who first caught sight of it. Posted along the tree line two clicks south of the Thornridge caravan stop, he'd been watching a strange disturbance in the air—an oily shimmer in the canopy that refused to resolve into anything real. Not at first.
Then the wind shifted.
And the shimmer cracked wide.
He described it later as a tear in the world, jagged and pulsing, with deep veins of violet light running through its throat. The trees around it had already begun to rot and steam began to rise from the ground.
But it wasn't the scar alone that had made Aeric turn and run— faster than even his mount could follow, his lungs on fire.
It was what came out.
The first caravan sighted them not long after: shapes half-seen through the lifting fog— hulking, broad-shouldered silhouettes with tusked jaws and armored hides that reflected the light like beetle carapace. Their hands were large enough to wrap whole around a grown man's head. Their breath steamed in the cold morning air like smoke.
They moved in packs.
Not kobold. Not goblin. Nothing the scouts had ever recorded.
These were something older. Larger. Hungrier.
Word was spreading fast through Oria's inner ring. Whispers caught like fishhooks in the alleys and marketplaces, tugging at dread. There hadn't been a large scale break this close in over a decade—and never one that spat monsters capable of shattering stone with their bare hands.
⸻
Koda stood with his team in one of the high command briefing halls by late morning, the room heavy with the scent of oil and steel. Maps unrolled. Assignments dispatched.
Vren cracked his knuckles against the hilt of his spear. Eno's expression darkened as he heard the caravan's report repeated aloud. Even Seta, usually composed behind the soft whir of her scout device, looked grim.
"They were feeding on the draft beasts," one of the caravan survivors had said. "Like animals. But they weren't. They looked at us. They knew we were watching."
Koda had said nothing. His thoughts swirling behind a calm exterior— fresh memories of claw and fang and blood pooling thick in mossy caverns. But this… this was something else.
A dungeon this close meant one thing:
War was coming to Oria's doorstep.
____
Oria's command was swift and ruthless. The news of the rift— a scar pulsing with unfathomable power so close to the city—had the ruling council mobilizing their forces before the sun set.
By evening, the lower levels of the fortress walls were alive with the steady rhythm of boots on stone, the echo of armor being strapped tight, and the low murmurs of soldiers preparing for what no one had expected to face. The Shield, the Forge, and those from the Holy Mother's order were called in, and in their ranks, the city's awakened: warriors who had passed through the trials of the system and emerged with strength beyond the mortal. They were herded into their squads, each man and woman assigned a role in the coming conflict.
And though the Order had made great strides in the past decade, there was a distinct, silent recognition that no one in Oria had seen such a threat— such an infestation— since the War of the Rift, hundreds of years ago. The city knew these monsters would not be content to simply invade. They would ravage. They would hunt.
⸻
Koda stood beneath the white-stone arch of the barracks, looking out over the courtyard filled with soldiers and scouts preparing their gear. The clang of metal on metal was punctuated by the rapid clicks of Seta's reconnaissance drone as it buzzed through the air.
He stood apart from the others—though not by choice. It was his age, that silent disqualification that kept him on the outskirts. At just nineteen years old, Koda was younger than even the average squad leader, and despite his rise to captain, that distinction hadn't been without its costs. The older, more seasoned warriors kept their distance, casting sidelong glances at the "boy captain."
Yet, he had earned his place. His time in the wilds, his battles against creatures more powerful than he should have been able to handle, had forged him into something else. Something deadly. Even if the scars still whispered of those early days, even if his body still bore the reminder of too many close calls, he had become a leader in his own right.
His squads—two in total—moved around him, preparing for the coming journey.
Vren, his ever-stoic first sergeant, stood nearby, leaning on his spear. His armor gleamed under the torchlight, though his sharp eyes were trained on Koda as the young captain walked past.
"Everything prepared?" Vren asked, his voice low.
"Everything," Koda answered. He looked at Vren and saw the understanding in his eyes. Though Vren was more seasoned than Koda, the two shared a quiet bond. Their first time in battle together had been brutal, but they'd survived, and that survival had created a kind of respect between them that words could never fully describe.
"You know," Vren said with a wry grin, "most squad leaders are pushing forty by the time they hit your rank."
"Yeah," Koda muttered, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. "And they've got twice the experience to prove it."
"Prove it?" Vren laughed softly. "Hell, half of them spend their time squabbling in council meetings. It's good they're used to sitting. But you, Captain Koda, you've earned your place. Don't let anyone say otherwise."
⸻
The captains had been assigned their duties, and now the city's forces were being divided. Level 10 squad leaders. Level 15 captains. And Koda, at level 16, was already in command of two full squads—an impressive feat for someone so young.
He looked over his newly assigned units, his gaze moving from soldier to soldier. Each of them had their own strength, their own stories.
Seta, the ever-reliable scout with her mechanical drones, was watching the horizon, eyes scanning for any sign of movement. Eno, the archer, was double-checking his bow, adjusting the string with practiced care. His flame arrows were a formidable tool, but his resolve would be tested in a real fight. And then there was Vren.
They were a team now.
Not the same one Koda had fought alongside in those earlier days, but something new. Something more formidable.
⸻
As the sun set, Koda found himself standing at the front of a line of warriors. There were no speeches, no inspiring words. Not here, not now. There was only the quiet tension of men and women waiting for their orders.
Koda's voice broke the silence. "We move at first light," he said, eyes scanning the faces of his squad leaders, meeting each gaze as he did so. "We'll cover the southern roads. Keep the perimeter secure. When the rift opens again—because it will—we'll be ready."
A collective murmur of agreement swept through the squads, though none of them seemed to have any illusions about what lay ahead. They all knew the stakes. The rift's power wasn't something they could close with a single strike. The creatures had already begun to spread. The city needed to act quickly.
"Get some rest," Koda added. "This will be a long march. We'll need our strength."
As the soldiers broke into their small groups, preparing for their final night's rest before the assault, Koda stayed behind, alone with his thoughts.
It had been a long time since he'd felt this weight—the responsibility of leading men and women into battle. Every decision now carried the potential for lives lost, for failures he couldn't afford.
But he couldn't afford to doubt himself, either. He had been tested, and he had emerged from those trials stronger, sharper. This fight would be no different.
He ran his hand over the smooth edge of his blade. The Blade of Conviction, summoned from his will. It had seen him through too many battles to count, and it would see him through this one, too.
He closed his eyes, letting the silence of the barracks wash over him.
There was work to do.
⸻
Koda, of the Eternal Guide
Level: 16
HP: 200/200
Mana: 200/200
Stamina: 200/200
Stats
Strength: 20
Vitality: 20
Agility: 20
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 20
Endurance: 20
Skills
Blade of Conviction – Active
Summon a weapon forged of pure will. The more clarity and purpose you hold, the stronger the blade. Willpower and Wisdom affect damage.
Mantle of Echoes – Passive
A passive aura forged from experience. Strength scales with Wisdom.
+Minor Fear (enemies), +Minor Focus (allies)