Chapter 4: Ashes and Allies

The clearing reeked of burned fur and blood. Lucas knelt by the campfire, staring at the glowing notifications still hovering in his vision. His heart was still racing from the battle, and every muscle in his body screamed in protest. But he couldn't rest yet. Not here.

With a shaky breath, he dismissed the notifications and pulled up his status screen.

Player Status – Lucas

Level: 3

Health: 12/100

Stamina: 15/80

Skills: Dodge Roll (Active) – Allows the player to evade attacks with a quick roll. Short cooldown.

Flame Strike (Active) – A powerful sword strike imbued with fire, dealing additional fire damage. Moderate cooldown.

Equipment: Emberblade (+15 Attack, +5 Fire Damage, +2 Strength)

Reinforced Leather Armor (+5 Defense, +2 Agility)

Lucas stared at the Emberblade in his hand. The sword was sleek and deadly, with a crimson blade that shimmered like molten lava. Flames flickered along its edge, casting eerie shadows across the clearing. It felt… powerful. More powerful than anything he'd wielded so far.

This might actually give me a chance, he thought.

But power alone wasn't enough. He was still bleeding, and his health bar was dangerously low. He reached into his inventory and pulled out one of the Health Shards he'd looted earlier.

[Health Restored: +20 HP]

Warmth spread through his body as his wounds began to heal, and his health bar climbed back up to a slightly less terrifying number. It wasn't much, but it would keep him alive at least for now.

Just as he was about to use the second shard, a rustling sound came from the edge of the clearing. Lucas froze, his hand tightening on the hilt of the Emberblade. His eyes scanned the shadows, every sense on high alert.

"Relax," a voice called out. "I'm not here to fight."

A figure stepped out of the darkness a tall, lean man with messy black hair and a crooked grin. He was wearing light armor and carrying a sleek bow, which he held loosely at his side.

Lucas didn't lower his weapon. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Name's Kael," the man said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "I saw the fight. Impressive work, by the way. Not many players can take down a Shadow Wolf pack on their own."

Lucas frowned. "You were watching?"

Kael shrugged. "I was going to jump in if things got too dicey, but you seemed to have it under control."

Yeah, right. Lucas wasn't sure he believed that, but he didn't sense any immediate hostility. Still, he kept his guard up. He'd learned the hard way that trust was a dangerous thing in this world.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Kael's grin widened. "Straight to the point. I like that. Look, I'm putting together a party, and I could use someone with your skills. You're clearly not a newbie anymore, and with that sword, you've got some serious firepower."

Lucas blinked, surprised. A party? He hadn't even considered teaming up with other players. After everything that had happened, the idea of trusting anyone seemed… risky. But at the same time, he couldn't deny that having allies might increase his chances of survival.

"What's the catch?" he asked warily.

"No catch," Kael said. "Just strength in numbers. This game's brutal, and solo players don't last long especially in the higher levels. You've seen that for yourself, right?"

Lucas hesitated. Kael wasn't wrong. He'd barely survived this far, and he knew things would only get harder from here. But could he really trust this guy?

As if sensing his hesitation, Kael chuckled. "Tell you what. We'll team up for one quest. If you don't like how I roll, you can walk away, no hard feelings."

Lucas considered that. It was a low-risk offer, and having someone who knew the game better might give him an edge. After a long pause, he gave a reluctant nod.

"Alright. One quest," he said. "But if you try anything, I'll burn you to ash."

Kael laughed. "Fair enough. Welcome to the party, Lucas."

A notification popped up in Lucas's vision:

[You have joined a party with Player "Kael." Party stats and shared XP enabled.]

"Great," Kael said, slinging his bow over his shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here before more wolves show up. There's a safe zone not far from here where we can rest and resupply."

Lucas followed him cautiously, still wary but hopeful for the first time in days. Maybe, just maybe, teaming up wasn't such a bad idea after all.

As Lucas followed Kael through the darkened forest, the eerie silence pressed down on them. The faint glow of Kael's bow illuminated their path, but Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was watching them.

"You seem tense," Kael said casually, glancing over his shoulder. "Relax a little. This part of the map's clear for now."

Lucas didn't respond. He wasn't in the mood for small talk, especially not with someone he barely trusted. Instead, he kept his eyes on the shadows, his hand resting on the hilt of the Emberblade, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

Kael didn't seem bothered by his silence. "You know," he said after a while, "most people would've just logged out after getting ganked like you did. Or rage-quit entirely. What made you stick around?"

Lucas hesitated. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to share. "It's complicated," he said finally.

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Complicated, huh? Alright, keep your secrets." He smirked. "But you should know, everyone here's got a story. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others."

Lucas didn't respond. He wasn't interested in trading life stories, and he certainly wasn't about to pour his heart out to a stranger. Instead, he focused on putting one foot in front of the other, his mind racing with questions he couldn't quite answer.

Was teaming up with Kael a mistake? Could he really trust him? And what about the wolves? If that was only the second wave, what horrors awaited in the later stages of The Infinite Grind?

Before he could spiral further into his thoughts, Kael stopped abruptly, holding up a hand. "We're here."

Lucas looked up, surprised. They'd reached a small clearing, bordered by tall stone pillars covered in glowing runes. At the center was a shimmering blue dome of light the safe zone.

"Not bad, right?" Kael said, gesturing toward the dome. "These zones are scattered all over the map. Monsters can't get in, and it's a good place to rest, resupply, and strategize."

Lucas stepped into the safe zone cautiously. As soon as he crossed the barrier, a sense of calm washed over him. His stamina bar began to refill slowly, and the tension in his shoulders eased for the first time in hours.

Kael flopped down on a rock, pulling a bundle of supplies from his inventory. "Alright, let's talk business," he said, tossing Lucas a ration pack. "We've got two options: lay low here until the next wave, or head out and look for better gear before things get tougher."

Lucas tore into the ration pack, his stomach growling. The food wasn't great some kind of bland, chewy bread but it was enough to keep him going. "What's the catch?" he asked between bites. "You don't seem like the type to play it safe."

Kael grinned. "You're catching on. Yeah, I'm not exactly a 'wait around' kind of guy. But if we're gonna make it through this game, we'll need better gear, stronger skills, and, ideally, a full party."

Lucas frowned. "You want to recruit more people?"

"Eventually," Kael said. "But first, we need to level up. There's a dungeon nearby nothing too crazy, just a low-tier raid. If we clear it, we'll get decent loot and enough XP to hit Level 5."

Lucas hesitated. The idea of diving into a dungeon with Kael made his skin crawl, but he couldn't deny that better gear and more XP sounded appealing. He was tired of being at the bottom, barely scraping by while everyone else seemed to thrive.

"What kind of dungeon?" he asked warily.

"Just your standard starter raid," Kael said. "Some traps, a few low-level mobs, and a boss at the end. Nothing we can't handle."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "And you're sure about that?"

Kael shrugged. "As sure as I can be. Look, you don't have to come if you don't want to. But sitting around here won't get you anywhere. The game's called The Infinite Grind for a reason. You've got to keep moving forward, or you'll get left behind."

Lucas hated how much sense that made. He didn't like Kael's cocky attitude, but he couldn't argue with his logic. If he wanted to survive really survive he needed to take risks.

"Fine," he said reluctantly. "I'm in. But if this turns into a death trap, I'm blaming you."

Kael laughed. "Fair enough. Now, let's gear up and get moving. The dungeon's not far, but it's in enemy territory, so we'll need to be careful."

Lucas nodded, checking his inventory one last time. He equipped the Emberblade, adjusted his leather armor, and made sure the Health Shards were within easy reach. He didn't trust Kael, but for now, he had no choice but to follow his lead.

As they left the safe zone and ventured back into the forest, the air grew colder, the shadows deeper. Every step felt heavier, as if the forest itself was trying to drag them down.

Kael moved confidently, his bow at the ready, while Lucas trailed behind, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the crunch of leaves beneath their feet.

After what felt like an eternity, Kael stopped and pointed ahead. "There it is."

Lucas followed his gaze and felt his stomach drop. A massive stone structure loomed in the distance, its jagged towers rising above the treetops. The entrance was a gaping maw, surrounded by crumbling statues of grotesque creatures.

The dungeon.

"Welcome to the Crypt of Forgotten Souls," Kael said with a grin. "Ready to make some memories?"

Lucas stared at the ominous structure, his grip tightening on the Emberblade. He wasn't ready not even close. But he didn't have a choice.

"Let's do this," he said, stepping forward. The darkness swallowed them whole.