Night fell like a curtain of ink, swallowing the Crimson Ruins in shadow. Raven sat by the crackling fire pit, her leather jacket draped over her shoulders, and her makeshift weapon resting across her lap. The taste of battle still lingered in her mouth—coppery and addicting.
She opened her newly unlocked Minion Menu.
Available Slot: 1/5 (Upgradeable)
Summoning Token: None
Option: Bind Location Spirit (Crimson Ruins)
Warning: Location Spirit may be unstable due to corrupted history. Proceed? Y/N>
She didn't hesitate. "Yes."
The air grew thick with pressure. From the broken ground beneath her fire pit, crimson light bled through the cracks. The wind howled. Something old stirred beneath the ruins—something forgotten.
A figure slowly rose from the earth: humanoid, cloaked in tattered robes made of smoke and ash, with eyes like dim coals. It hovered, head tilted as if remembering what it once was.
Special Traits: Shadowmeld, Haunting Presence, Territory Link (Crimson Ruins)>
Raven smirked. "Let's call you Ash."
The spirit nodded once, then sank back into the shadows around the camp like a loyal beast.
Raven felt the change immediately. The ruins grew colder, but also… safer. Her domain accepted her—welcomed her. She wasn't just a squatter now.
She was becoming something more.
A new notification pinged.
Infamy Level: 1
New Feature Unlocked: Influence Aura
Effect: +10% Fear to hostile NPCs within territory
Next Infamy Threshold: 5 – Unlock Minor Hellgate.>
"Huh. Minor Hellgate?" she whispered, eyes glowing in the firelight. "That's promising."
She stood and looked over her domain again. Still broken. Still raw. But it was hers.
Then she heard it—whispers, faint and melodic, coming from beneath the collapsed tower at the edge of the village. Ash materialized beside her, pointing without speaking.
Torch in hand, Raven crept toward the wreckage. She pulled away vines and loose rubble until she uncovered a narrow staircase spiraling into the earth.
"Of course there's a crypt," she muttered.
With a shrug, she descended.
The air grew heavy. The whispers clearer. Names she didn't know. Secrets in a language she almost understood. And at the base of the stairs—an ancient seal, cracked but pulsing.
It bore the symbol of a horned crown wreathed in flame.
She reached out.
The seal flared.
Hellgate Progress: 1%
The Princes stir. They have noticed you.>
Raven pulled back, grinning wide.
"Good," she whispered. "Let them come."
And from the shadows behind her, Ash chuckled for the first time.