Nafka

Max remained still, watching the group with an unreadable expression. Their exhaustion was clear—their limbs sluggish, their breathing shallow. One of them, a man barely holding himself upright, muttered, "Thanks…" The gratitude was automatic, like a reflex rather than something consciously felt.

Max's response was just as empty. "Welcome…" His voice carried no warmth, no real connection. Just a reply.

A moment of silence settled between them, stretching longer than necessary. Then, Solas's voice brushed against Max's mind like a whisper through the wind.

"Why didn't they use their emergency buttons?"

The question carried weight, the kind that lingered. Max didn't answer immediately, his gaze flickering over the group as his thoughts churned.

One of them—a girl, her hands trembling—finally pressed the emergency button on her device. The signal would call for rescue, yet something about the act felt delayed… forced.

Solas's voice slipped back into Max's mind, his tone even, but tinged with something hard to define. "Took them long enough."

A pause. Then, softer, more pensive:

"They hesitated. You noticed that, right? That wasn't relief—it was doubt."

Max's eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the implications.

Solas's presence flickered at the edge of his awareness, his next words drifting like an afterthought.

Max's eyes flickered over the exhausted group, their ragged breaths barely audible over the shifting sands. Their hesitation hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Why did it take so long for you to use it?" Max asked, his tone neutral but firm.

The girl swallowed, exchanging uncertain glances with the others before finally speaking.

"Well…" She hesitated. "It didn't work last time."

Max's gaze sharpened. "Didn't work?"

"Yeah. We all pressed ours, but nothing happened," she admitted, her voice tinged with unease.

Solas's presence flickered beside Max, his voice slipping through like a whisper on the wind.

"And there it is."

There was no shock in his tone. 

"Not a mistake. Not bad luck. If all of them failed, that means one of two things."

A pause. Then, calm and absolute:

"Either something is blocking the signal… or someone doesn't want them leaving."

Max's eyes narrowed as he watched the group of three, tension thick in the air. "Why would it be doing this?" he asked, his voice low, a hint of disbelief creeping in.

The girl began to speak, "We came across a demo—"

Before she could finish, there was a sudden, sickening sound. All three of their heads exploded in a burst of blood and bone. The force of it knocked Max back a step, his body frozen in shock. He watched, eyes wide, as their bodies crumpled to the ground, their life snuffed out in an instant.

'Oh… oh my god! What... what is going on?!' Max's thoughts pounded in his head. The world around him seemed to warp, time slowing as his body struggled to process the violence that just unfolded.

He staggered back, his heart pounding so loud he could hear nothing else. His mind scrambled, desperate to make sense of it, to find a reason, a cause, anything to explain what had just happened.

But there was nothing.

Only the gruesome remnants of the people who had been, seconds before, alive and breathing.

Max clenched his fists, trying to steady himself, but the horrifying image of what he had just witnessed was already burned into his mind.

Solas remained composed, his presence unwavering, untouched by the sudden violence. His tone was calm, almost detached, as if the brutality was just another part of this twisted world they were navigating.

"Well," he said, his voice smooth and unfazed, "that answers that."

The flickering presence in Max's mind remained neutral, analytical, as though it had expected this outcome.

"Something didn't want them talking," Solas continued, his tone devoid of emotion. "And it wasn't interested in being subtle about it."

Max stood frozen for a moment, his mind reeling from what had just happened. But before he could fully process it, Solas's voice returned, dry and matter-of-fact:

"You should probably move. Quickly."

Max snapped back to reality, adrenaline surging through him. He didn't need to be told twice. He turned on his heel, instinct driving him to move away from the gruesome scene. He could feel the weight of Solas's words lingering, but there was no time for questions. Something was out there, and it was hunting them.

Max walked, every step calculated, head on a swivel, his senses heightened. The sands around him felt endless, shifting, concealing whatever threats lay beneath. His mind raced.

"She was going to say demon. There must be a demon out here. But how?" Max muttered to himself, his gaze flickering between the dunes, searching for any sign of movement.

Solas's voice came through, steady and calm, as always, almost like he was a spectator to Max's thoughts rather than a participant.

"Mana shield," Solas replied, his tone almost dismissive as if the answer was obvious. "Keeps everything out that comes in. Or opposite, my theory."

Max didn't slow, but the words hung in the air, the weight of them settling in his mind.

A slight flicker in Solas's presence followed, and then the voice resumed, more thoughtful, as if he was analyzing the situation from every angle.

"A demon could easily be manipulating the shield. Blocking interference. Keeping its presence hidden."

Max's brow furrowed, the realization hitting him hard. That would explain everything—why the signal had failed, why it seemed like something had been orchestrating events behind the scenes. It was all adding up, but the question now was: how to deal with it?

"I can probably deal with a F rank demon…" Max said to solas. 

Solas's voice, though calm, carried an edge of something like bemusement, almost as if he were humoring Max's confidence.

Max's thoughts swirled, weighing the risks against his own confidence. "An F rank demon, huh?" He mused aloud, the tone skeptical but not entirely dismissive. The thought of facing a demon like that, even if it was hidden behind layers of magic and deceit, didn't faze him entirely.

Solas's voice came through, unyielding and clinical, grounding him back to the reality of the situation.

"Sure, you could probably deal with one. If it were alone. But I doubt that's the case here. F rank demons don't hide behind shields, and they don't block emergency signals. You're probably dealing with something far worse."

The pause stretched, a moment for the weight of those words to settle in.

"But, if you're certain, go ahead. Just don't get yourself killed in the process."

"He could have help. You can't be above an F rank monster in here. Either way, I think I can kill this demon."

Max and Solas walked in silence, their footsteps soft against the shifting ground. As they moved forward, the terrain gradually changed. The sand underfoot became darker, more brittle, as the blackened surface stretched ahead. Above them, the ceiling glowed faintly, with crystal lights casting a cool, eerie glow.

Solas's voice broke the quiet, calm and unaffected as he surveyed their surroundings. "Coal."

Max glanced around, his senses tingling with an unspoken warning. Solas continued, his voice matter-of-fact, almost clinical.

"The blackness you see... it's the result of the earth turning into coal. Heat and pressure warp the sand and stone over time. It's a natural process in certain areas. Turns everything dense, brittle," he explained, his tone flat but precise. "This place doesn't support much life, and the air's thick with sulfur. It's unstable. Be mindful of your steps."

Max nodded, eyes scanning the horizon as he absorbed the information. "Something feels off," he said, the unease creeping in.

Solas's presence remained steady in his mind, like a constant, analytical presence. "I feel it too. Stay alert. Whatever is ahead, we'll need to approach cautiously."

Max nodded again, his instincts on edge. As they continued walking, Solas's voice broke through once more, quieter but sharper. "Goblins ahead."

Max's eyes sharpened as he focused on the silhouettes ahead, barely visible through the shifting blackness. The goblins were scattered, moving in jerky, uneven steps.

Max's hand twitched towards his weapons, instinctively gauging the distance. "How many?" he asked, voice low.

"Four," Solas replied. "They're not organized. It seems like they're either patrolling or searching for something. Doesn't look like they've spotted us yet."

Max crouched low, using a small mound ahead as cover. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the goblins, observing their movements carefully. Quietly, he crept closer, his feet light against the coal-laden ground. The Nightstalker manual's teachings buzzed in his mind, the speed, deception, and precision guiding every motion.

With the goblins still unaware of his presence, Max struck.

In a blur of motion, he darted forward, drawing his weapon in a single, fluid movement. The goblins never saw him coming. One by one, he dispatched them with swift, calculated strikes, each blow a deadly pinpoint to vital areas. The night's silence broke only by the soft thud of their bodies hitting the ground.

The last goblin collapsed, its body crumpling to the coal-covered earth. Max stood still for a moment, letting the adrenaline drain from his system. His breathing was steady, his body already resetting as the fight was over.

Solas's voice cut through the silence, his tone flat but intrigued. "Interesting sword art."

Max sheathed his weapon, his expression unreadable. "An older one," he replied, almost absently, as he turned to collect the fallen bodies.

The air was thick with the scent of sulfur and the remnants of battle, but Max's mind was already moving forward. He opened his storage cube, placing the goblins' corpses inside with practiced ease. The remains vanished into the cube with little more than a faint shimmer of light.

Solas, unfazed, simply watched, his presence flickering at the edges of Max's mind. "Not a bad way to handle them."

Max didn't respond immediately, focusing on the task at hand. Once the bodies were securely stored, he straightened and surveyed the area. The path ahead was clear—for now. He adjusted his gear and motioned for Solas to move forward.

"We keep going," Max said simply, his eyes scanning the blackened landscape ahead.