Everyone turned their eyes toward it, the same heavy feeling sinking into their chests.

Skitz pointed toward the entrance. "Gobo2, go check what's inside."

Gobo2's eyes widened instantly. "What? Why me? That place gives me the creeps! You go instead, Kaeldron!"

Kaeldron gave an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, but I'm not in the best shape right now. If something jumps at me, I might mess up."

"Oh yeah? You don't want to? You want me to beat you up, then?" Gobo2 barked, puffing up.

Vakk stepped forward, chuckling under his breath. "Easy. How about we just go together? If there's something in there, we'll deal with it as a team."

Skarn crossed his arms. "You go by yourself. Don't drag us into your bright ideas."

Vakk smirked. "What, you scared?"

"Scared? Of that hole?" Skarn scoffed. "I just don't want to waste energy dealing with something stupid."

The other captains began to murmur, their voices overlapping, part joking, part uneasy. None of them wanted to admit it, but that cave made their instincts scream danger.

Their argument carried on until a sharp click silenced everyone. Shade's mandibles clacked together, eight crimson eyes glinting. Without a sound, he turned and began walking straight toward the cave.

"Shade… wait," Skitz called, but the spider didn't stop.

With slow, heavy steps, Shade disappeared into the shadows of the cave's mouth, his form swallowed whole by the darkness.

A few tense moments passed. The forest around them was eerily quiet, no wind, no rustling leaves, not even the sound of insects. Everyone's eyes stayed locked on the dark mouth of the cave.

Krivex shifted uneasily. "Hey," he called out, raising his voice just enough to echo faintly into the cave, "you still alive in there, Shade?"

No reply came.

Krivex frowned and took a cautious step forward, his hand already gripping his bow. "If that big spider doesn't answer in three seconds, I'm running."

Just as he finished speaking, a low, heavy thud came from within. Then another. The sound grew louder, each step echoing.

Krivex instantly jumped back, drawing an arrow, while the others took up battle positions, weapons raised.

Then, emerging from the darkness, came Shade, his massive legs scraping against the stone as he stepped out into the light. But what made everyone's eyes widen wasn't just his return, it was what he carried.

In his front limbs, clutched carefully, was a long, ancient-looking coffin. Strange runes glowed faintly along its surface, etched into black stone that seemed to pulse with life. The air around it grew heavier, filled with an aura that felt old.

Shade dropped it onto the ground with a dull thud, dust rising from the impact.

"What the hell is that…" Kaeldron muttered, eyes narrowing.

Skitz took a slow step closer, studying the runes. "Someone, open it."

Gobo1 immediately backed away, waving his hands. "Oh no, no, no. Are you serious right now? Should we really open that thing?"

Everyone shared uneasy looks. No one moved closer. In fact, a few of them quietly took another step back, just enough to make a run for it if things went bad.

Then, the chained lizardmen began to thrash wildly. Their pale eyes bulged in terror as they fought against the dark chains binding them, hissing and screeching like animals sensing death.

"That's not a good sign," Vakk said, raising his blade.

Shade let out a low growl, his mandibles twitching impatiently. Then, without waiting for others, he lifted one of his massive limbs and slammed it down. The coffin cracked open with a loud snap, stone fragments scattering across the ground.

The moment it split apart, a wave of cold air swept out, crawling over their skin.

Inside, curled like a corpse long forgotten, lay a humanoid figure, its skin pitch black, as if all blood had been drained from it. It had no hair, its limbs thin and stiff, and from its slightly open mouth jutted sharp, beast-like fangs that glimmered faintly.

The group stood frozen, staring at the blackened figure inside the broken coffin.

"What the hell is this creature…?" Skarn muttered, his voice low but edged with unease.

No one answered. The air around them felt heavy, almost suffocating. Even battle-hardened warriors like them, those who had faced near death situations felt something primal in their gut, fear. The thing inside the coffin didn't move, yet its very presence sent chills crawling up their spines.

A strange, oppressive aura seeped from its body, darker than anything they had ever encountered. It wasn't like the curse of Naxxiriss, nor the malice of corrupted beasts, it felt ancient, twisted, and foreign.

Then, without warning, its eyes snapped open, bright red, glowing like embers in the dark.

"What the…!" Krivex started, but before he could finish, the creature let out a shrill, guttural scream. The sound echoed across the forest, sharp enough to make their ears ring.

The instant sunlight touched its skin, a faint hiss echoed through the air. The creature's black flesh began to smoke, then bubble and sizzle as if the light itself was poison. Its body twitched and jerked, the sound of burning flesh filling the silence. It tried to move, to crawl away, but something unseen held it down, like invisible chains keeping it bound to the coffin.

Its scream was sharp and inhuman, echoing through the forest before fading into a pitiful hiss. Within moments, its body crumbled into black ash that scattered with the passing breeze.

A long silence followed.

Skarn exhaled slowly, still gripping his axes. "What kind of abomination was that? It just died from sunlight?"

Gobo2 blinked and scratched his head. "Then isn't it kind of weak?"

Vakk shot him a glare. "Idiot. Didn't you feel that aura? That thing wasn't weak, it was something else. I'm willing to bet it's the reason those lizardmen and monsters ended up like broken dolls."

He turned toward the chained captives. The once fierce warriors now stared blankly into space, their bodies limp, drool dripping from their mouths. Whatever will or reason they had was gone.

Aren frowned, lowering his spear. "It's a shame the Lord isn't here. If he could've devoured its essence, maybe we'd know what kind of creature it was."

Krivex lowered his bow, shaking his head. "And risk being corrupted? That thing didn't feel natural. Its essence might do more harm than good."

Aren sighed. "Then what about the lizardmen we captured? Should we still bring them to the Lord?"

Skitz's eyes remained fixed on the pile of ashes, his tone calm but serious. "We'll still bring them. They might hold some answers."

He turned to the others. "Search the area. There might be more clues nearby. Whatever caused this… it's not over yet."

The captains nodded and spread out, the uneasy silence of the forest once again settling around them.

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