In the heart of the Qomore Kingdom, far beneath the cobbled streets and bustling marketplaces, the underground lair of a hidden organization lay shrouded in gloom and silence.
The walls were damp stone, lit only by faint blue flame-lanterns embedded in iron brackets. Shadows danced around them.
Two figures stood in one of the inner chambers. The place were quiet and layered with secrecy and unease.
One was a burly man with rough stubble and arms crossed over his chest like a pair of stone gates. He leaned against the wall with his eyes narrowed.
The other, a woman draped in revealing dark silks and leather, sat atop a carved benc. Her one leg crossed over the other as she lazily smoked from a long pipe. The scent of burning herbs mingled with the cold air.
Neither of them spoke for a long time.
Finally, the man grunted. "We still haven't received nothing."
The woman exhaled slowly, a plume of smoke curling around her lips. She said, "Yes. This is weird. Darel and his crew vanished just like that."
"They are too good to die like dogs in the woods," the man muttered. "And if they'd failed and lived, they'd report in. But nothing came in."
"That forest turned into a dead zone for information after the large fluctuations of Magic energy." She tapped ash onto the floor, her eyes hooded. "Not even the cultists sent any messages. You know what that means."
"Its either they are dead or run away."
"Exactly." She leaned forward, her tone cooling. "You know who ruined the whole job? That cursed alliance from Astoria and Qomore that we never expected."
The man's jaw tightened. "This wasn't supposed to be ! The cult had paid a fortune of down payment to wake up that god but now they are gone. So we wil never received the rest. Darel's team was there to make sure it happened without interruption."
She gritted her teeth and said. "But they failed. I don't know how they can faile. So now we also failed. Now we've got nothing to show."
There was a moment of heavy stillness for few seconds.
Then she looked up at him, exhaling another slow plume of smoke. "You know who's going to be furious when he hears this."
He nodded grimly. "Yeah. Sting won't take failure lightly."
She chuckled low, bitter. "He never does."
"So what do we do?" he asked, voice low and firm.
She took one last drag of the pipe, then tapped it empty. "We must find Darel first. Or what's left of him and his party. We need to figure out what went wrong. If he ran, we'll drag him back. If he's dead, we find out how."
"And what if it was the adventurers who did it?" he asked.
"Then we watch them," she said simply, standing and tossing the pipe aside. "We learn about them so that we can prevent them to mess with our next just. At least we got something to report to Sting. Because if we don't…" she trailed off, her expression unreadable.
The man didn't answer. He just pushed off the wall and the two of them deeper into the shadows to contact their other members.
When the day had reached afternoon and the sun finally dipped past its zenith, the road ahead bent one final time and then they saw it.
Tall stone walls rose on the horizon, flanked by towers and colored banners fluttering gently in the breeze.
The city gates stood open under the watchful gaze of guards in polished armor. Their halberds gleaming in the light. Beyond the gates, the rooftops and spires of the inner kingdom stretched toward the sky.
Erend, Eccar, the eight adventurers, and the five newcomers led by the bald man all slowed their steps. Tension in their shoulders eased even further now that true safety was within reach.
But then Erend came to a stop.
"I think this is where I leave you," he said quietly, his voice cutting through the gentle breeze.
Everyone halted and turned toward him, confused.
"What? You're leaving?" Kaela asked, startled.
"Yeah," Erend said, offering a small smile. "I was never really part of your group. I came here because I had to."
They blinked and stunned. Then they remembered how he had appeared mid-battle, emerging through a glowing portal like a force sent by fate itself to safe the day.
Mark took a step forward. "Still… thanks. You saved my life back there. I won't forget it."
Erend nodded once. "Good luck. All of you."
Without another word, he turned slightly, raised his hand, and a vertical shimmer in the air formed beside him. A circular portal cracked open with a rush of wind, colors swirling on the inside.
The bald man and his group gawked with their eyes wide.
Erend stepped through the portal calmly. In an instant, it closed behind him. Then he gone just like he had never been there at all.
The bald man turned slowly toward Jan, clearly rattled.
"What the hell just happened? Who was that?" the bald man asked.
Jan didn't even look at him. "None of your concern," he said, his voice flat.
The bald man looked like he wanted to argue but then glanced back toward the spot where the portal had been. His instincts told him not to ask further. His party silently agreed.
So they said nothing more.
Together, the group entered the gates of the Qomore Kingdom.
Inside, life went on as usual. The market streets bustled with vendors and buyers. The scent of fresh bread and roasted meats carried on the wind.
Children chased each other down cobbled alleys. Few even noticed the returning adventurers, let alone guessed the magnitude of what they had just survived.
The city was at peace. Most of them would never know it. It was thanks to those adventurers and a Dragonborn who walked now toward the king's palace quietly, without fanfare.
They entered the king's palace a few minutes later.