Artifact Unleashed

“ By the gods, what's passing? ” Matteo cried as he ducked behind a shattered pillar, his eyes wide with terror. I could slightly register his words over the blaring roar of chaos that had erupted in our formerly-calm clearing. The artifact — our unstable, portentous prize — had been actuated, and its raw, unbounded power was now percolating into every living thing around it.

I gripped my armament tighter, my knuckles white as I scrutinized the area. “ Stay ...