Chapter 20: The Call to Chaos
Ethan slurped his noodles with all the grace of a toddler, reclining in his lumpy chair as the dim light of the apartment cast long shadows across the cluttered room. He was midway through contemplating whether his ramen tasted more like cardboard or sadness when the system notification materialized, a glowing box hovering obnoxiously in his vision.
---
System Notification:
New Quest Available: The Chasm of Unmaking
Difficulty: High
Objective: Descend into the Chasm and recover the Heart of the Abyss.
Rewards: +3 levels, rare equipment, and ???
Failure Penalty: Severe injury or permanent death.
Time Limit: 48 hours.
---
Ethan froze, noodles dangling from his chopsticks. He squinted at the words, hoping they'd rearrange themselves into something less terrifying, but no such luck. "Well," he muttered, "this sounds perfectly delightful."
"Something wrong?" Lucas's voice floated in from the couch, where he was absently flipping through a magazine he'd clearly found under a pile of Ethan's laundry. Ethan waved the notification toward him like it was a physical object. "Oh, nothing big. Just the Forge throwing another charming death trap at us."
Lucas leaned over to read the glowing text, his eyebrows climbing. "'The Chasm of Unmaking'? That sounds… bad."
"Bad? Lucas, that sounds like something you find at the end of the world, not on the Forge's to-do list."
Naomi looked up from where she was tightening the straps on her bow, her expression calm but curious. "High difficulty and permanent death? Looks like they're upping the stakes."
"You think?" Ethan said, jabbing his chopsticks in her direction. "What's next? Quests with the subtitle 'Your Funeral Guaranteed'?"
The creak of Karis's chair made them all glance toward the corner of the room, where she sat sharpening her knife with mechanical precision. Her face was, as usual, unreadable, but the intensity in her eyes was unmistakable.
"This is serious," she said, standing. Her words carried the weight of someone who'd seen too many people underestimate the Forge. "The system doesn't offer rewards like this unless it's testing us."
"Well, I wish it wouldn't," Ethan said. "What's it testing us for, anyway? Most Gullible Idiots of the Year?"
"It's testing whether we're capable of more than just surviving," Karis replied sharply. "And whether we're stupid enough to try."
Ethan snorted. "I think we've already answered that second part."
---
The notification hovered persistently in the corner of Ethan's vision as the group gathered around the table to discuss the quest. Karis stood at the head, her posture rigid, while Naomi leaned back casually, her bow balanced across her lap. Lucas, ever the optimist, was flipping his shield in his hands like a coin, as if trying to convince himself it weighed less than it did.
"Let's break it down," Karis said, her voice all business. "The Chasm of Unmaking. High difficulty. Time limit: 48 hours. Failure means severe injury or death."
"Love how it says 'severe injury' like that's the consolation prize," Ethan said, leaning his chair back on two legs. "What do you think counts as severe? Broken bones? Missing limbs? Or is it just the emotional trauma from realizing the Forge hates us?"
Lucas smirked. "Probably all of the above."
Naomi tilted her head, her sharp gaze scanning the notification as if it might reveal more if she stared hard enough. "The Heart of the Abyss. Sounds like some kind of relic."
"Or bait," Karis said. "The system wants us to think the rewards outweigh the risk. But the fact that it's not even telling us what one of the rewards is… that's deliberate. It's a lure."
"Okay, but if we don't take the quest, what happens?" Ethan asked. "Does the Forge send a strongly worded letter?"
Karis's expression darkened. "If we don't take it, it'll find another way to push us. That's how this works. The Forge isn't optional."
Ethan groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Great. So we're going into a place literally called the Chasm of Unmaking because the Forge says so. I love how little say we have in this."
Naomi's lips twitched. "We could always say no. But then we'd just get another quest, and the stakes would probably be worse."
"Worse than permanent death?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's worse than permanent death?"
"Permanent death," Lucas said cheerfully, "but with bad lighting."
Ethan stared at him, his mouth twitching. "Why are you like this?"
---
The discussion continued for over an hour, with Karis leading them through possible strategies. She sketched a rough plan on the back of an old takeout menu Ethan had lying around, her movements sharp and precise as she mapped out their approach.
"We'll need supplies," she said, circling a spot she'd labeled "entry point." "Once we're inside the Chasm, the environment will be hostile. Food, water, healing items—everything needs to be accounted for."
Naomi nodded. "And weapons. If the Forge is throwing high-level monsters at us, we'll need to hit harder than we usually do."
"I'm already hitting as hard as I can," Ethan muttered, glancing at his glowing pipe. "Unless one of you knows where I can find a legendary baseball bat."
"Keep dreaming," Karis said dryly. She tapped the menu with the butt of her knife. "We move at first light. That gives us a few hours to prepare. Rest, resupply, and clear your heads. You'll need it."
Ethan stood, stretching until his shoulders popped. "Clear my head? Sure. I'll just put 'don't think about dying in a dark hole' on my to-do list."
"You joke now," Karis said, her eyes narrowing. "But this isn't like the raids we've done before. You need to take this seriously."
"I do take it seriously," Ethan said, meeting her gaze. "I just prefer to do it without looking like I've swallowed a lemon."
Lucas winced, clearly expecting Karis to bite back, but to everyone's surprise, she didn't. Instead, she gave him a curt nod. "Just be ready."
---
Later that night, Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the glowing notification that refused to leave his vision. His reflection in the darkened window looked the same as always—tired, messy-haired, and holding a glowing pipe like he was about to start an amateur fight club. But for the first time in a long time, he felt the weight of everything pressing down on him. The group was counting on him. The Forge wasn't going to stop pushing. And if he wasn't careful, one wrong move could end everything.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, Forge," he muttered. "Let's see what you've got."
As the timer ticked down, the notification pulsed faintly in the corner of his vision, a silent reminder that dawn was coming—and with it, the Chasm of Unmaking.