Chapter 14

  The portal snapped shut behind him, a jagged rip of red and black that tore the air like a pissed-off beast before vanishing. Tyler stumbled forward, his crew lined up behind—Red, Rima, and Big Sexy. Shit, forgot her name already, he thought. It’ll come to me. Then he looked up, and his jaw dropped. A sun—real, blazing—hung low, painting everything in light, no more of that void’s creepy purple gloom. Shadows peeled back; he could see his own skin again, the sweat beading on it, the faces of his crew—every damn line and curve. “What the fuck? What the actual fuck?” he blurted, spinning around.

  This place looked like Earth—almost. The sky burned a light red, not some soft pink bullshit, but a raw, bloody glow that pressed down like a fever.. A beach stretched out fifty yards ahead to where it met the water clear and sparkling, tempting as hell, but the sand was dark brown, gritty and damp, clinging to his boots. Normal-ish rocks jutted up, sharp against the red haze, waves hissing soft in the distance.

  Off to the side, he caught a break in the rocks—tight gap, barely six feet wide sharp-edged, looked like it led somewhere worse. Up past that, cliffs loomed like a busted-up wall, rough as hell and tall enough to make his stomach twist. This is a dungeon? he thought, blinking hard. “Better than that void shithole—I’d rather be stuck here than back there?” he said aloud, voice cracking.

  “Watch your mouth, Henry,” came from behind—Red, her tone sharp but low as she moved to stand directly in front of him. The light hit her full-on, and damn, she was even hotter here. Eyes bigger than human, dark red edging black, glinting like wet obsidian in this weird-ass sun. “They’re watching us,” she said, nodding upward. “Like I told you—it’s a game to them, a game that if we play smart we can win.”

  “I always win,” Venra cut in, smirking wide as she stepped up beside them. Oh yeah, Venra—that’s it, Tyler thought, grinning. Her chainmail hugged those massive curves tight, legs thick under padded leggings, radiating a don’t-fuck-with-me sex appeal. Rima stood quiet, petite frame dwarfed by the beach, her dark eyes darting around, soaking it in. She’s new here too—confidence’s fake, Tyler clocked, reading her vibe.

  “This is a Dungeon Heart,” Red said, stepping closer, her red hair catching the bloody sky. “ They’re realms of their own.”

  “Why’s it not like that void dump we came from?” Tyler asked, squinting.

  Red’s hand cracked across his face—a sharp, stinging blow that sent Tyler stumbling back half a step. “Didn’t I say watch your mouth?” she snapped, her dark red eyes—big, fierce, edged with black—drilling into him. “Not all dungeons match their realm.” That glare hit like a brick, screaming This is serious, dumbass, and forced him back another step, cheek burning. What the hell was that for? he thought, rubbing it. He was out of his depth, no question, but her intensity threw him off-balance.

  His mind raced. He’d been about to pull out the ring, juice it up with whatever power it held, but a cold realization stopped him short. If they’re watching, they’d see me wearing it. What even was that spell? He’d thought ability Gems granted spells—not scrolls. None of it added up. Why give me this shit, if he wants me dead? The question pecked at him like a damn woodpecker, relentless and unanswered.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “So what now?” he muttered, voice low, the sting still pulsing on his face.

  “We fight whatever comes,” Venra said, enthusiasm dripping, fists flexing.

  “Where’s everybody else? Why’re we the only ones here?” Tyler asked, squinting against the glare, the sand crunching underfoot like wet gravel.

  “They’re in different parts of the realm,” Red said, her tone clipped, eyes scanning the horizon where the red sky bled into the water. “Think of it as small zones—from what I’ve been told, we won’t see anybody ‘til after the initiation quest.” The waves hissed louder, a low growl beneath her words.

  “How do you know so much?” Tyler pressed, the sticky air coating his throat.

  Red’s gaze flicked to him, sharp as a blade. “Let’s just say I’ve been here before. My Father had one of these” She paused, her voice dropping low, barely audible over the distant crash of surf.” until he didn’t.”

  Tyler thought on that—her dad was some big shot, and she’s stuck here? There’s more she ain’t spilling, he mused, the heat prickling his neck. The sand shifted under his boots, a faint tremble. “Yeah, but where do we go?” he said, louder, the words hanging in the thick air.

  As if on cue, a notification slammed into his head—different, heavier, not the Cosmore’s cold buzz. This one seethed with anger, glory, honor, a guttural roar that rattled his skull, hot and bitter like blood on his tongue:

  [Pathetic… Cravens… Peons… Cubs…]

  Is this place alive? Taunting me?

  [You dare force my gates… with such a weak key…]

  Tyler’s eyes flicked around—everyone’s heads twitched. They felt it too.

  [Challenge Quest: The Hourglass of Flesh: A game, then. Run. Bleed. Kill. Every second you earn will be stolen from corpses. Reach the altar or die watching sand run out. Participation is absolute. Refusal is finality.]

  [Through blade and blood, I forge. Let the weak die screaming. I will make warriors—or graves.]

  Venra laughed—loud, wild—head thrown back under the red sun. “Screaming? I’ll give you screams!” she shouted, fists raised like she’d punch the sky. Her chainmail glinted, legs braced wide, the bloody light catching every curve. Tyler blinked—She’s nuts—love it. The air thickened, the sand trembling underfoot as if the Heart heard her, a low hum pulsed back.

  “Keep yelling, it’ll kill us faster,” Rima muttered, her bow twitched, dark eyes darted to the horizon.

  Red’s glare snapped to Venra. “Save it for what’s coming—not the damn dungeon.” Red hair flicking like a whip in the sticky breeze.

  Then they came—black shapes on the horizon, not Tyler black, but a deep, night-black with a scorpion-like sheen glinting under the red sun. Hundreds, maybe, swarming closer—too far to identify, but near enough to send a chill down his spine. We’re dead—I’m dead—this is hell, he thought, chest tightening. An hourglass seared into his mind like a screensaver burned in consciousness, blood—not sand—dripping down slow and thick. Thirty minutes, tops, some gut instinct screamed, the image clinging like tar. Beyond the creatures, he glimpsed a faint glow—the altar, he figured, a distant taunt.

  “High ground, now!” Rima yelled, voice spiking high, eyes wide as she scanned the beach—low, boxed-in, a chasm more than sand.

  “No—look,” Red cut in, pointing sharply at a narrow gap in the rocks. “That defile—we’ll pull ‘em in there.”

  Venra muttered low, then shrugged. “Why not run at ‘em? Time’s ticking—more we kill, the better.”

  Tyler’s brain spun—Safest, not dumbest—“Defile’s good,” he said, siding with Red. No hesitation—they bolted, fifty feet to the gap, a hundred feet up a rocky cliff. “If there’s no exit, we’re fucked,” Rima hissed, her pitch climbing again.

  “Move!” Red barked. Venra grumbled but followed, chainmail rattling. Tyler ran, glancing back—scorpion-humanoids, tails whipping, eyes glowing like alien freaks, closing fast, thirty feet off now, a swarm of black death. They hit the defile—four across, tight as hell. “Tyler, Venra—front line!” Red snapped. “Shield up, hold ‘em back!