An explosion jolted the ship, causing the camera to tilt off-center.

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the—" Scribblez yelped as the camera stabilized, showing her gripping a railing.

  A voice from offscreen shouted, "I didn't sign up for this, Scribblez! You hired me for a sightseeing gig, not to get blown out of orbit!"

  Scribblez ducked as another blast rocked the ship. "Relax, Dave! Just reposition us somewhere safe. You're fine!"

  "I am not fine!" Dave shot back. "That was a class-three plasma bolt from a guild destroyer, by the way! They're shooting at each other now, in case you didn't notice!"

  Scribblez glanced at the camera with an exaggerated grimace. "Inter-guild crossfire, folks. Guess when everyone's gunning for the same prize, teamwork kinda goes out the window. One sec while we, uh… not die."

  The screen cut briefly to static before the feed resumed, showing Scribblez leaning against the railing with the planet visible behind her.

  "Okay! We're good," she chirped, brushing herself off. "Now, where were we? Oh, right. Ac3's discovery."

  The feed cut to a recording of Ac3 running through the metal corridors. He paused to catch his breath and spoke to the camera, sounding excited but anxious.

  "Alright, listen up. This artifact? It's big. We're talking reality-bending levels of power. If you're hearing this, do not take it lightly. I mean it. This thing… it could rewrite everything we know." His words were cut short as pursuit drones swarmed in, and the screen went dark.

  The battle in the video continued to escalate. In a bright flash, a flagship lost control, crashing into the planet's surface with devastating force.

  Scribblez let out a low whistle. "Oof, that flagship's a wreck, but hey, nothing a little repair magic can't fix. Probably."

  The reactor inside the downed flagship detonated, unleashing a massive explosion that ripped through the surrounding terrain. The planet's outer shell fractured, chunks of its surface crumbling into space like shards of a shattered eggshell.

  Scribblez blinked at the screen, momentarily stunned. "Well… I hope they had insurance."

  The camera panned across the splintered surface, surveying the wreckage. It suddenly caught a lone ship fleeing the chaos. Scribblez chuckled, her tone playful. "Hey, look at that. Someone decided to punch their 'I'm outta here' card. Honestly? Not a bad call."

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  The battle crescendoed, and the screen filled with light as cracks spread across the space surrounding the battlefield. Scribblez's voice sharpened with nervous energy. "Uh, hold up—something's happening with the artifact. It's—it's going full meltdown mode!"

  The expanding light distorted everything it touched, fracturing reality into shards of chaos. Scribblez's voice rose, her excitement giving way to alarm. "Okay, nope! This is officially too much. I'm bailing—logging out before this thing decides to blow—"

  The screen shook violently, static overtaking the feed as her voice crackled. Her final words came quickly. "Stay safe, keep digging for that lore—logging ou—!"

  The video cut abruptly to the LoreHunter logo, leaving behind an uneasy silence.

  After it ended, Scribblez turned to Auron, her eyes bright with expectation.

  "Well?" she asked.

  "It was… intense," Auron said, choosing his words. "You really nailed the scale of everything going on."

  Scribblez grinned, the spark of satisfaction unmistakable. "Yeah, that was some next-level chaos. One of the wildest things I've ever captured." Her grin faded slightly, her tone turning serious. "And that's exactly why you can't just go charging into the gateway like a brainless noob. We don't even know what's on the other side. Going in solo? Might as well hand over the luxa for the death penalty now. Trust me, I've seen enough near-death experiences to know better."

  Auron nodded, forcing himself to stay composed. She wasn't wrong; they'd need to stick together. But the Watcher's Cover felt heavy in his pocket. Auron wasn't sure if he wanted her to find out about it, but he knew she was right about the gateway. He needed to avoid going in alone if he could. Plus, she lived on the same floor, so maybe he could trust her since they were in the same predicament.

  "Alright," he said after a moment, his voice carrying a note of reluctant agreement. "But we need to be smart about this. No rushing around without a plan, and we avoid getting separated as much as possible."

  Scribblez's grin returned, broader this time, with a hint of relief. "Deal. Shall we see what's on the other side then?"

  They turned toward the gateway. Auron's breath hitched as he stepped forward, his hand hovering near the portal's surface. After calming himself, he pressed into the portal. The strange smoke-like material felt thick, like pushing against a barrier that resisted his touch.

  Then it gave way.

  Auron and Scribblez were pulled forward, the world bending and twisting around them like a coiled spring snapping loose.

  But just as quickly, it all stilled.

  To their confusion, they found themselves standing right back in front of the archway as though nothing had happened. Auron turned to Scribblez, his frown deepening as she squinted at a hovering icon now visible above the gateway.

  "'Minimum participants: four,'" she read aloud, her frustration evident. "Great. Just great. All that talk, and we're locked out. Love that for us."

  Auron's shoulders sagged with disappointment. For a moment, it felt like the trail had gone cold. But then, an idea flickered to life.

  Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a small card and held it for Scribblez to see. It depicted a swashbuckling adventurer back-to-back with a woman in high-tech armor. The words The Navigators crawled across the top in bold lettering.

  Scribblez raised an eyebrow, leaning in for a better look. "What's this?"

  Auron smirked faintly. "A backup plan."