At one of the entrances to Cascade Valley, a guild as large as Cassandra's Night Espresso had gathered.
Some players lounged against tree trunks. Others sat on fallen logs near the middle of the path, their heavy armor and oversized weapons turning the clearing into something that looked less like a waiting area and more like a villain raid camp.
Black steel, red cloth, bone-white masks, and smoky enchantments marked their equipment. From an outsider's perspective, the whole group looked as if they had dressed for dark schemes long before any actual plotting began.
Behind them, the entrance to Cascade Valley yawned between two cliffs wrapped in moss and hanging roots. Mist drifted out in slow waves, carrying the distant roar of waterfalls and the wet, mineral scent of stone. Every few seconds, something splashed deep inside the valley, followed by the faint clicking of countless insect legs moving somewhere beyond the fog.
