The wind bites at your face, harsh and unforgiving, carrying with it the faint, bitter scent of death. You pull the hood of your ragged cloak tighter around you, hiding the fine clothing beneath. It's not the time to flaunt appearances, not when you’re this close to your quarry. At your hips, your dual swords hang with a comforting weight, their edges sharp and deadly. Your repeating crossbow is clenched firmly in your grip, each bolt loaded and ready for the kill. You can feel the ache in your body—three days without food, one day without water—but your resolve drives you forward. The thirst gnawing at your throat is a constant reminder of just how close to the edge you are, but you can’t stop now. Not when the demon’s lair is near.

You unroll the map, its magic shimmering faintly in the dusk light. You see it immediately—a new threat. The red swirl of a demon portal has appeared, pulsing as if alive, not far from your current path. The sharp scent of sulfur fills the air, confirming the worst. A new portal, and with it, new demons ready to spill into the world. You glance south. There’s a village two days away, a place that would be easy prey for these creatures once they get a whiff of human life. You’ve seen it too many times before—demons hunt by scent, and it won’t be long before they sniff out the village.

To the north, a river. Just a day’s journey, and it could offer you the precious water your body so desperately needs. But you know what lurks there. Demon fish infest the waters, vicious and deadly, and your magic map can’t track them—water blocks the magic’s reach. You could handle them, maybe, but who knows how strong they are in this region?

Then your eyes fall back to the original target—the demon you’ve been hunting for days. Its lair is close now, close enough that you can almost taste the fetid air seeping from its depths. The demon must have water, maybe food. If you push on, you might make it before you collapse from thirst. But this new portal… if you leave it unchecked, the demons will spill out, free to wreak havoc.

You’re running out of time and energy. The village is vulnerable. The river holds risks of its own. The demon's lair promises survival—if you can reach it. But now, the portal threatens to upend everything.

What will you do? The map pulses in your hand, as if urging you to make a decision before it’s too late.

> Continue chasing the big demon: The lair is close, with water and maybe food, and killing the demon would be a significant victory. But the new portal will go unchecked, releasing more demons.
> Head to the river: There’s water there, but demon fish are dangerous. You don’t know how many or how strong, but you need water to survive.
> Head to the village: You could save the village, but it’s two days away. The demons from the portal won’t take long to find it.
> Head to the new portal: Close the portal before the demons spread, but without water or food, you’re on borrowed time.
> Write in