Chapter 9: Into the Unstable Rift
Ryo Aelren stood before the Adventurer's Guild job board, the flickering torchlight casting shadows across the parchment notices. His new leather bracer chafed against his bandaged arm, a small comfort against the weight of his decision. The Rank C mission posting loomed large: Investigate Unstable Rift Branch. High Risk. Reward: 20 Silvers. His Status Screen burned in his mind: Level 0: 95/100. One fight could push him to Level 1, but a Rank C mission could also be his end.
The guild hall buzzed with tension. Adventurers whispered of the new Rift branch—monsters spilling out, Rift-touched bandits, and strange mana surges. Calen's warning echoed: Keep your head down. But the Memory Fragment—Progress: 1/10—and its cryptic whisper, Seek the forgotten, pulled Ryo toward the Rift. The System thrived on danger, and answers lay in its depths.
"You're not seriously considering that," Mira's voice cut through his thoughts. The archer stood beside him, her bow slung over her shoulder. Her usual scowl softened, replaced by concern. "Rank C's no joke, Ryo. You're good, but you're not Awakened."
Ryo met her gaze, his iron sword heavy at his hip. "I can handle it."
Mira snorted. "That's what the dead ones say. Calen's leading it, so we're stuck with you if you sign up. Don't make me regret it."
Ryo nodded, a flicker of gratitude warming him. Mira's bluntness was better than Gav's suspicion. He tore down the posting and approached the clerk, who raised an eyebrow but stamped his name. "Report to the Rift Gate at dawn. Don't be late."
That night, Ryo barely slept. The inn's thin mattress did little to ease his aches, and the Memory Fragment haunted his dreams—runes pulsing, a voice whispering of forgotten things. He woke before dawn, checking his Status Screen: Strength 3, Agility 5, Endurance 4, Weak Point Strike 11%. He was close, so close, to something more.
At the Rift Gate, Calen waited with Mira, Brom, and a new face—a lanky mage named Elara, her robes shimmering with faint runes. Her staff hummed with mana, marking her as Awakened, unlike the others. Calen's eyes narrowed as Ryo approached. "You sure about this, kid? Rank C's not a game."
"I'm sure," Ryo said, his voice steady despite the knot in his stomach. Danger Sense was quiet, but the Rift's violet glow above felt like a warning.
Elara tilted her head, studying Ryo. "The porter who survived a Stone Reaver? Curious. Stay out of my way, and we'll get along."
Brom chuckled, patting Ryo's shoulder. "She's prickly, but her spells hit hard. Stick with us, lad."
Calen activated the portal, and the vortex opened, its pull stronger than before. They stepped through, emerging in a fractured landscape. The ground was cracked, glowing with veins of mana. Twisted trees pulsed with unnatural light, and the air crackled with static. In the distance, a jagged structure rose—not a spire, but a ruined tower, its stones carved with familiar runes.
"Unstable," Elara muttered, her staff glowing. "The mana's chaotic. This branch is fresh—barely formed."
"Stay sharp," Calen said, drawing his sword. "Map the area, find the source of the surges. No heroics."
They moved cautiously, Mira's bow ready, Brom's wards shimmering. Ryo's Danger Sense prickled, growing stronger with each step toward the tower. The runes called to him, their hum resonating with the Memory Fragment. He kept pace, his iron sword drawn, its chipped edge a grim reminder of his limits.
A low growl broke the silence. From the glowing trees emerged a pack of Rift-touched wolves, their fur matted with crystalline shards, eyes burning red. Danger Sense screamed, and Ryo shouted, "Wolves, left!"
Calen reacted instantly, his sword cleaving a wolf's flank. Mira's arrows flew, piercing eyes. Elara unleashed a wave of ice, freezing two wolves, but more came—eight, ten, their howls shaking the air. Brom's ward flared, protecting the group, but it flickered under the onslaught.
Ryo's Survival Instinct kicked in, boosting his agility by 15%. He dodged a wolf's lunge, using Weak Point Strike to target its throat. The iron sword sank deep, felling the beast. Experience gained. Level 0: 97/100. Another wolf charged, and Ryo countered with Basic Strike, its 6% bonus enough to cripple the creature's leg. Mira finished it with an arrow.
Experience gained. Level 0: 99/100.
The System's chime was drowned by Elara's shout. "The tower! It's feeding them!"
Ryo glanced at the structure. Its runes pulsed violently, mana surging into the wolves. His Memory Fragment hummed, and the whisper returned: Seek the forgotten. The tower was the key.
"Calen!" Ryo called. "The runes—shut them down!"
Calen parried a wolf, his eyes flicking to the tower. "Elara, can you do it?"
"I'll try," she said, sprinting toward the structure. Ryo followed, Danger Sense guiding him past a wolf's claws. Brom and Mira covered them, their attacks thinning the pack. Calen fought like a storm, but the wolves kept coming, drawn by the tower's mana.
Elara reached the tower, chanting as she traced the runes. Ryo guarded her, fending off a wolf with a Weak Point Strike to its eye. The System chimed: Experience gained. Level Up! Level 1 Achieved. Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1. New Skill Unlocked: Rift Sense (Passive). Detects Rift-based anomalies.
Ryo's body surged with energy, his muscles tightening, senses sharpening. Level 1. The words were a triumph, but there was no time to celebrate. Rift Sense activated, and he felt the tower's mana like a pulse in his veins. A single rune glowed brighter, the source of the surge.
"There!" Ryo pointed, his voice steady. "That rune—break it!"
Elara nodded, redirecting her spell. A bolt of mana struck the rune, shattering it. The tower's hum faltered, and the wolves staggered, their glow dimming. Calen and Mira cut through the pack, and Brom's ward held firm. The last wolf fell, and silence descended.
Memory Fragment Progress: 2/10.
Ryo's breath caught. The rune's destruction had advanced the fragment. Elara slumped, her mana spent. Calen approached, his sword bloodied. "Good call, Ryo. You're full of surprises."
Elara eyed him, curious but too exhausted to question. Mira muttered, "Not bad, porter," while Brom grinned. Ryo said nothing, his mind on Rift Sense. It had guided him to the rune, tied to the Memory Fragment. The tower held more secrets, but the branch was collapsing, the ground trembling.
"Out!" Calen ordered. They raced to the portal, diving through as the Rift branch shattered. Back in Varnholt, the merchants' twenty silvers were split, Ryo's share a hefty five. But the true reward was Level 1—and the whisper: Seek the forgotten. The Rift's secrets were calling, and Ryo Aelren was ready to answer.
To be continued…