In the middle of Grayridge's village square, a gigantic portal hovered ominously. Its swirling center shimmered with unstable energy, pulsing with every gust of corrupted wind.
Two figures stood amid the empty space —one a towering hulk of a man, the other perched on his broad shoulders like a grumpy royal mascot.
Torren, the larger of the two, had a physique of a walking mountain by physique. Nearly seven feet tall, his muscles twisted like thick braided rope. A smithy's hammer dangled casually from his back like a toy mallet.
"Well, Ervan, do you see a way out of here?" he asked.
"Keep your voice down, Torren. Do you want those things coming after us?" Ervan who was standing on his shoulders he reminded. Ervan's sharp blue eyes scanned the shadows. Though shorter than most, he moved with the poised grace of an elven noble—silver hair, pointed ears, and an air of quiet menace that demanded attention.
"It's just..." Torren's voice softened as he gazed longingly at the sky. "I miss Elyna dearly. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can see her again."
"No. The sooner we get out, the sooner we find a cure for the love potion she made you drink!" Ervan snapped, kicking Torren's head in frustration.
Torren barely noticed the kick, like it was a small kitten jabbing at him, "Nonesense! Elyna and I are in love! I love her dearly—and she loves me!" His voice cracked as he grabbed Ervan by the waist and shook him like a child clinging to a favorite stuffed bear. "I must see her, Ervan! I must!"
Ervan struggled like a wet cat. "Put me down, you love-sick ox! I don't know what my sister sees in you—was she really so desperate she had to dose you with love potion fumes just to make you obsessed?"
"Elyna! Elyna! My dear Elyna!" Torren shouted skyward as though the princess might hear him.
"Stop yelling her name! She's not going to magically fall from the sky!" Ervan barked, wrenching free.
WHUMP.
Something massive crashed down on top of Ervan, plunging everything into darkness.
She gasped, winded and dizzy. "I can't believe it worked!"
Three magical sleeping bags and a mattress cushioned Kassie as she landed—miraculously unscathed.
Torren's jaw dropped. His eyes shimmered with tears as he staggered toward her, arms outstretched like a pilgrim seeing a miracle.
"My sweet Elyna..." he whispered reverently, dropping to one knee. He took her hands gently, as though cradling a newborn dove. "Is it you? Is it truly you?" His eyes brimmed with tears, lips trembling—ready to press a reverent kiss to her hand.
Kassie blinked, utterly confused. "Wait—Who—?"
Ervan clawed his way out from under the enchanted bedding, sputtering in disbelief.
"For the love of sweet Serendale—open your eyes! That's not Elyna!"
He scrambled to his feet and tried to yank the towering man back by the collar. He took a second glance at Kassie to confirm he was not mistaken. While the girl before them had black hair and blue eyes like his sister, the two shared nothing else in common.
"Let go of her, Torren, or you're really going to anger Elyna when she finds out you've been drooling over a stranger.
He turned to Kassie, "I'm sorry about him," Ervan said, awkwardly. "He's under a love spell, and you have the same hair and eye color as my sister."
Kassie recognized them instantly.
Torren—the towering, rugged blacksmith—was the main love interest in Princess Elyna's romance arc, a story woven with tragic devotion and fiery loyalty. He was a quarter giant and a quarter dwarf.
Ervan—with his silver hair and piercing blue eyes—was the rare, elegant elven princeling. A premium "cheat" character that rich gamers recruit to speed through the game's toughest challenges. Kassie had never been able to afford him.
These two were supposed to be arch-enemies. So why were they acting like the best of friends?
A soft crying pulled Kassie from her thoughts—the same cry she'd heard earlier. Strapped to Torren's big chest, was a baby boy.
"He's crying again, Ervan! Do something!" Torren panicked.
"Me? Did I wake the baby up?" Ervan replied, disbelief coloring his voice. "Here female human since you both are of the same kind, do something about this thing. What kind of mother leaves her own baby in a carriage like that?"
Kassie flinched as the cry grew louder, piercing through the thick forest air. It echoed almost to the far edge of the village —just shy of reaching the other side.
Beyond the towering trees that had sprung up overnight, a makeshift hub stood—a ramshackle hovel where the desperate residents of Grayridge gathered, some we're recuperating while a few we're hopeful they'd return home once the adventurers close out the dungeon portal. The other families were clinging to hope, waiting for any news of their missing loved ones.
A desperate mother pleaded with the imperial knights blocking the village perimeter entrance.
"Please, let me inside! I have to find my baby!" she begged, her voice cracking. Villagers gathered anxiously beyond the perimeter.
One knight stepped forward, his tone gentle but firm.
"Ma'am, we can't allow anyone through until the adventurers close the portal."
"But my baby—my baby's still inside! You don't understand," she cried.
Nearby, a man gently supported her. "My wife, please come back to the tent. You haven't eaten or drank anything since last night."
"Sir, please escort your wife to safety. It's not safe to get any closer," the imperial knight urged.
This was the scene Isaac and Hans witnessed. Isaac hung back trying to understand the situation better.
Hans recognizing the couple called out, "Mr. and Mrs. Namdlo!" he called out.
"Hans! Thank the goodness you're safe. We feared you'd been caught inside the village, where have you been all this time?" Mr. Namdlo said, relief washing over his face.
"I returned last night and stayed at our house. When I returned to the village this morning it was already in such a state. One of our companions was dragged inside. We tried to enter through the south entrance but it was too dangerous . We went a different way to see if we can enter through the western gate but I see it's blocked." Hans recapped. "What happened exactly?"
Mr. Namdlo's face grew grim. He took a slow breath, his eyes darkening as he spoke. "A dungeon portal appeared in the village square three days ago."
He paused, "A few adventurers went in to subjugate it..." His voice dropped. "But they've been inside for three days now and have not returned."
His jaw clenched. "It's fortunate the village chief has a son who serves with the imperial knights—and a nephew who's a guild master. They've managed to evacuate most of the villagers... but last night as we we're prepared to evacuate. A few villagers got caught inside."
His eyes flicked to Hans with urgency. "Your father was trying to convince the tavern owner to leave—or at least let us take his mother to safety."
"Hans come with me we must go in to rescue them." Mrs. Namdlo urged urgently almost dragging him.
"My wife please come back, the imperial knights have already sent people inside for another rescue effort. It's too dangerous."
"But what about my baby! My baby! He's stuck there since last night what will become of him. Please you have to help me convince them to let me in." Mrs. Namdlo burried herself in her husband's embrace.
"They won't let people in? Why?" Hans trying to understand.
"They won't let us in," Mr. Namdlo shook his head. "They say it's too dangerous. Only registered adventurers are allowed past the barricade."
He looked past Hans toward the treeline, eyes filled with frustration.
"The mana inside's gone unstable. Monsters are rampaging through the village square." He lowered his voice. "If we go in now, we'd just be more bodies for them to drag out later."
Hans clenched his fists, his heart thudding in his ears.
"Isaac..." Hans began, his voice tight. He didn't know what to ask—especially not of someone he'd only just met. He couldn't bring himself to say the words: Will you risk your life to save my father?
Isaac looked at the village ahead. He was certain the ominous feeling he felt earlier was definitely a portal to a dungeon.
"Are you an adventurer? You can accept a rescue quest right?" Tears welled in her eyes as she began fumbling with the jewelry around her neck. She pressed coins, earrings, anything of value into Isaac's hands with desperate urgency. "Please... help me find my son. He's been in there since yesterday—alone. He's just a baby he won't last another day if we keep waiting."
He clenched his fists. Every part of him knew this was the right moment to walk away. The people trapped inside weren't his family. There was no bounty, no contract—nothing binding him to this place.
"Take it as a reward for the quest. You can have it—all of it. Just please - please bring my son home." She gripped Isaac's sleeve as though clinging to the edge of a cliff.
He returned her belongings not making eye contact. This was the time to walk away surely but those words echoed in his heart again—home.
"Isaac I... "Hans wanted to make a plea as well but he saw Isaac's face changed completely.
It wasn't the mother's plea that struck Isaac the hardest. It was that word —sharp and familiar, like a blade drawn clean across memory.
It was the same word Kassie had said to him when they first met."I need to get home."
He remembered the fear in her eyes. The way she said home like it was a vow.
Isaac marched forward towards the gate.
"I'm trying to get home..."
It felt like her words we're strings attached to him tugging his own feet to move forward.
"I'm from the East."
He remembered his words back then "I can at least offer to escort her to Arvandale. It's safer there. Then
we part ways."
But he hadn't parted ways.
And now, he couldn't.
Before he realized what he was doing, instinct had taken over.
Isaac ripped the tattered edge of his cloak—still scorched from Kassie's failed cleaning spell—and wound the fabric around a broken tree branch. He lit it from a nearby brazier, the flames catching fast, casting flickering shadows on his face.
The village ahead was swallowed by gnarled trees and warped silence.
He turned to the Hans and the Namdlos in a low voice he assured them. "Don't worry. I'll get everyone back."
Torch held high, Isaac stepped forward.
He showed his guild badge to the imperial knights at the blockade. They opened the secured blockade allowing him to enter. As he step foot further into the city a muffled cries can be heard from a distant.
The source of that cry was in Kassie's arms. She was busy taming a new kind of chaos.
She'd fashioned a makeshift milk bottle using silk, an empty potion vial, and a little milk she magically warmed. "Okay now, little one... don't cry," she whispered, rocking him gently. "We know you've got a healthy set of lungs. You little berserker."
The baby hiccupped and latched on, soothed by her voice.
Kassie smiled as the little one drank with gusto.
Torren and Ervan looked at her bewildered, "How did you do that?"
"He wouldn't eat anything we gave him" Ervan looked at the peaceful baby.
"What?! You haven't fed him anything?!" Kassie whispered afraid to disturb the baby
"Hey! we rescued that monster from an abandoned carriage. I also gave him water from the Mother Tree's sacred spring. And we managed to change his diaper at least" Ervan tried to point their actions worthy of commendation.
"Guys I don't think we have time to argue about that - " Torren said whispering to them as shadows started lurking around them.
"We need to move!" Kassie said already moving her legs. Securing her mattress and sleeping bag in one swift move.
"Where are you going? " Ervan hissed following after her.
"Just somewhere not here! Those things are Rootlings. It won't detect you if you don't step on the roots." Kassie said smartly maneuvering her way around the intricate street.
"Are you serious? This whole village is made of roots how can you not step on it!?" Ervan said trying to keep up with her speed.
But then behind them Kassie and Ervan heard a strong CRACK! They turned around slowly and saw the gentle giant - Torren sheepishly moved his foot up from the broken roots, "I didn't mean to do that."
"Run!" Kassie shouted clutching the baby tighter.
The sound of cracking wood echoed behind them—sharp, irregular, like branches snapping under pressure.
Then came the screeching.
They were being hunted.
Rootlings.
Twisted, bark-covered dungeon monsters—half-tree, half-predator. The smaller ones, not yet rooted, moved fast—on clawed limbs of gnarled bark, snatching up prey for their slower, massive kin. From behind, the deep groan of the larger Rooted One rumbled through the earth, their roots tearing through stone as they chased by feeling their prey's movement.
Kassie ran in no particular direction she ran through the village.
Ervan ran faster, his elegant frame darting ahead like a silver shadow. "Move! Don't stop!"
Torren trailed behind—his massive form slowing slightly to make sure Kassie wasn't left behind.
In Kassie's arms, the baby giggled. Cheerfully. Cackling at the monsters behind them as though this was a game of tag.
Kassie dared to glance over her shoulder, her blood ran cold. The Rootlings were closing in. Their twisted, bark-covered forms moved with unsettling purpose, their gnarled limbs creaking with each step.
In a desperate bid to slow their pursuers, Torren seized a nearby market stand, its wooden frame creaking under his grip. With a mighty heave, he hurled it toward the advancing Rootlings.
They nimbly dodged the attack and continued their chase.
As the group rounded a corner, a Rootling lunged at Ervan, its twisted limbs reaching for him with terrifying speed. Kassie screamed avoiding the grasp of its long branches by a hair's legth. Torren's massive hand shot out, grabbing Ervan by the waist and yanking him backward with a force that left them both stumbling.
The Rootling's claws missed by mere inches, its screech echoing in the alleyway.
"This way!" Kassie ran towards another path. The two scrambled to their feet.
They surged forward, hearts racing, feet pounding the cobblestones. The Rootlings were relentless, their pursuit unyielding.
The baby on the other hand, squealed in Kassie's arms—little fists waving—as if mocking the Rootlings and daring them to come closer.
Kassie nearly tripped trying to keep him secure. "Stop wiggling! This is not playtime, you little rascal—!"
Torren grunted, swept Kassie up with one arm, and charged forward without missing a step. "Hold on!"
Ervan veered sharply, using a broken rain barrel as leverage to vault up to an open second-floor window. He drew his arrow back and release a —thwip—straight into the twisted trunk of a Rootling closing in on Torren's side.
Kassie shouted between breaths. "That won't work on them! You're only gonna piss them off!"
It staggered backwards with a loud thud — the entire hoard paused looking at their fallen comrade. Then they hissed in unison, the fallen one used its bark peeling back to reveal fresh sinew. The arrow snapped from its trunk and regenerated instantly, glowing faint green with rage.
"This way quick!" Torren yelled as he ducked into a narrow alleyway, roots exploding up behind them, tearing through the cobblestone.
"It's a dead end!" Kassie stopped as he reached the end of an alleway.
Ervan vaulted down, barely avoiding the slashing limbs of another Rootling as it clawed through the alley entrance. "They're closing in—fast."
Torren placed Kassie on the floor and started punching the wall trying to see if he break the stoned wall for them to escape in.
Kassie stepped into the farthest part of the alley, trying to figure a way out. Still carrying a baby who was oddly enjoying this too much.
Then—
A hand.
Rough and firm hands grabbed Kassie by the arm and yanked her sideways into the shadows of a nearby building.
"In here!" the man called out.
Torren and Ervan quickly followed after Kassie.
The figure who saved them was broad-shouldered, cloaked in roughspun with flecks of sawdust still clinging to the fabric. He shut the bolt behind them with practiced care. A sturdy axe hung at his hip, worn from use but well-maintained.
He turned, sharp-eyed and square-jawed. His palms bore the calluses of someone who'd split wood for a living.
"Little Jo?" his voice dropped, thick with disbelief and sudden relief. "You're really here... Sweet Serendale, thank the stars you're safe."
Kassie blinked, holding the baby a little tighter. "Wait... you know this child?"
The baby squealed and stretched his pudgy arms toward the man, his eyes lighting up. "Titi!" he babbled, grinning wide like he'd just spotted an old friend in the middle of a game.
The man knelt instinctively, one hand hovering near the baby's cheek but not quite touching, as if needing permission. "I helped deliver him," he said, quieter now. "But what's he doing with you?"