The Hidden Temple

Aarav, still panting from his near-death experience with the feathered horde, spotted the foreigners. "Go away! Go away!" he yelled, waving his arms frantically. "They're gonna eat you too!" He expected them to scoff, maybe even roll their eyes at the panicked human. He did not expect them to freeze, look at him, and then...bolt.

Their eyes, wide with a mixture of fear and something akin to recognition, locked onto Aarav for a split second. Then, as if an invisible string had snapped, they turned and ran. Not just a casual jog, either. They were sprinting, their strange clothes billowing behind them like miniature sails, their weapons bouncing haphazardly. It was a full-blown, ostrich-induced panic.

Aarav stared, dumbfounded. "Hey! Wait!" he yelled after them. "I'm trying to save you!"

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Fine! Be that way! Just don't come crying to me when you're being chased by a giant chicken!"

Then, he remembered the thousands of other giant chickens still on his tail. "Oh, crud," he muttered. He turned and ran after the fleeing foreigners. "Wait for me!" he yelled. "Misery loves company!"

And so, the unlikely group of six one terrified human and five equally terrified foreigners - found themselves engaged in a chaotic, six-way sprint through the woods. The thunder of the ostriches' feet echoed behind them, punctuated by Aarav's occasional yelps and the foreigners'...well,whatever noises they made. It sounded a bit like a herd of startled squirrels combined with a tin whistle recital.

Finally, they reached a steep, rocky incline. With a combined effort of scrambling, climbing, and a few near-misses involving slippery rocks and panicked squawks, they managed to haul themselves up to a small plateau. They collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air, the sounds of the ostrich horde fading into the distance.

Aarav, still slightly out of breath, looked at the foreigners. They were a sight. Their clothes were torn, their hair was a mess, and one of them had lost a shoe. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Well," he said, "that was... exhilarating."One of the foreigners, a young man with bright, inquisitive eyes, looked at him with a mixture of relief and amusement. He spoke in what Aarav assumed was their language, then pointed at himself and said, "William."

Then, William pointed to the others, rattling off a series of names that sounded like a collection of exotic spices: "Leon, Paranth, Alex, Sufferd." He then pointed at Aarav. "You?"

"Aarav," he replied. "And thank you. You guys...saved me."

William grinned. "Ostriches...scary," he said, making a clucking motion with his hands.

After a few minutes of catching their breath, Alex suddenly shouted, "Everybody! Come

here!"

Aarav, along with the others, rushed to where Alex was standing. He was pointing at a cave entrance. It wasn't just any cave entrance, though. This was an ancient-looking stone doorway, covered in strange inscriptions and drawings. Aarav could make out images of what looked like...someone awakening a dead body. The inscriptions themselves were in a language he didn't recognize.

Leon, Paranth, Alex, and Sufferd tried to open the door, pushing and pulling with all their might. It didn't budge. Aarav, curious, reached out and touched the cold stone.

Clunk.

The massive stone door swung inwards, revealing a dark passage beyond. At the same time, a notification flashed in Aarav's mind:

The Path of the Necromancer: First Quest Begins.

Aarav blinked, confused. "Necromancer? Quest?" He didn't understand what was happening.

Before he could process anything, the ground beneath them began to tremble again. This time, however, it wasn't ostriches. The cave floor gave way, and all six of them tumbled downwards, swallowed by the darkness. They were gone.

Aarav and the others were still confused about what had just happened. Alex shouted, "What is happening?! What is this?! I don't wanna be here! It's scary!" He flailed his arms, bumping into Paranth, who yelped and bumped into Leon. The group milled around in the pitch black, disoriented and afraid.

Then, as suddenly as the darkness had fallen, light bloomed. Torches lining the walls of what appeared to be a vast cavern flickered to life, one by one, casting long, dancing shadows. The light revealed a chilling sight. They were in a large chamber, the air thick with the smell of damp stone and something else...something metallic and faintly...rotten. In the center of the chamber was a still, murky pool of water, its surface reflecting the torchlight like a disturbed mirror.

From the depths of the pool, something emerged. Slowly, deliberately, a figure rose from the water, dripping and glistening in the torchlight. It was a knight, clad in full plate armor. The metal was dark and tarnished, etched with strange symbols. But the most disturbing detail was the knight's neck. A gaping wound, jagged and horrific, pierced the metal, revealing...nothing. Just darkness.

The wound seemed to pulse faintly, a dark void in the otherwise solid armor.

The knight stood at the edge of the pool, water cascading from his armor like liquid shadows. He raised his head, and though Aarav couldn't see his face behind the helmet, he could feel the weight of his gaze.

The knight's voice, when he spoke, was hollow and resonant, like the echo of a

forgotten tomb

"The test of the Necromancer begins," the knight intoned, his voice echoing through the chamber. "If you are capable...then survive the odds." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group. "If you wish to complete this quest...you must survive in this temple." He added, his voice chillingly calm, "You have twenty-four hours."

With those chilling words, the knight turned and walked back into the pool. He didn't swim, didn't sink. He simply...walked. The water closed behind him, the surface of the pool returning to its undisturbed, mirror-like state. The only trace of the knight's presence was the lingering chill in the air and the faint, unsettling smell of decay.

Aarav, despite his earlier bravado, felt a shiver run down his spine. This wasn't just a test. This was something...else. Something darker. And now, there was a time limit. Twenty-four hours. The silence that followed the knight's disappearance was heavy, punctuated only by the drip, drip, drip of water from the cavern walls. The torchlight flickered, casting grotesque shapes that danced and shifted in the corners of Aarav's vision. He could feel the eyes of his companions on him, a mixture of fear and anticipation in their gazes. They were waiting for him to do something, to say something. After all, it was his quest, wasn't it?

He swallowed nervously, his throat suddenly dry. "Well," he began, trying to project an airof confidence he didn't feel. "That was... dramatic. And...time-sensitive, apparently."

Paranth, his face pale in the torchlight, whispered, "Twenty-four hours? What happens if we don't...survive?"

Aarav shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "I suppose we find out," he said, gesturing vaguely towards the dark passages leading off from the main chamber.

"What choice do we have?"

He took a tentative step forward, then stopped. He could feel the weight of the unopened quest notification in his mind, a constant reminder of the unknown dangers that lay ahead, and now, the ticking clock.

He glanced back at the pool, its surface now perfectly still, reflecting the torchlight like a alassy, unseeing eve. He had a bad feeling

about this place. A very bad feeling. But he knew they couldn't stay here forever. They had to move forward, to face whatever challenges awaited them. He just hoped they were ready. And he hoped they were fast.

The group, a motley collection of humans cautiously made their way through the winding paths of the forest. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, a constant reminder of the untamed wilderness surrounding them. William, the only one who could communicate with the foreigners, kept up a running commentary in hushed tones, translating their observations and warnings. The foreigners, despite their initial panic at the sight of the ostriches, now moved with a quiet confidence, their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.

After what seemed like hours of trekking, the trees began to thin, revealing...nothing. Instead of a sprawling city or temple, they found themselves facing a gaping maw in the side of a cliff. It was the entrance to a cave, dark and ominous, its mouth framed by jagged rocks that looked like broken teeth. There was no grand architecture, no imposing gate, just the raw, unadorned entrance to the earth's depths. The air emanating from the cave was cold and carried a distinct, earthy smell, tinged with something faintly metallic.

As they approached the cave entrance, they saw him. A figure stood motionless just inside the opening, an imposing sentinel guarding the threshold. He was tall and slender, his posture radiating an air of quiet power. His hair was long and white, cascading down his back like a waterfall of snow. And his face...or rather, what they could see of it...was obscured by a mask. It wasn't a decorative mask, but something that seemed to cover his entire face, leaving only his long, white hair visible. The mask itself was a strange, featureless surface, smooth and dark, adding to the guardian's air of mystery.

As the group drew closer, the guardian stirred. His movements were slow, deliberate, almost ceremonial. He raised a hand, and they saw that he was holding a sword. It was a long, straight blade, its surface gleaming faintly in the dim light filtering from the cave mouth. He began to draw the sword from its scabbard, the scraping sound echoing through the still air. It was a slow, deliberate action, as if he was savoring the moment, building the tension.

The foreigners exchanged worried glances, murmuring to each other in their strange tongue. They shifted their stances, readying their weapons. Aarav, his senses heightened by the strange aura emanating from the guardian, felt a familiar surge of adrenaline.

He reached for the mental connection to his Hell Wolf suit. "Come on, baby," he thought, "don't fail me now." The familiar warmth spread through his body as the armor materialized, encasing him in its fiery embrace. He then drew his katana, the cool steel a comforting weight in his hand. He stepped forward, placing himself between the others and the slowly advancing guardian. He was ready. Whatever this creature was, whatever dangers lay beyond that cave, he would face them. He just wished there was a bit more...temple-y...stuff to face them in. This whole "abandoned cave" vibe was giving him the creeps.