[The Abyssal Academy - The Outer Gates]
The ground trembled under the synchronized march of five thousand heavy steel boots.
High Commander Kael sat atop a massive, armored white warhorse, leading the Holy Vanguard up the jagged mountain path. The freezing rain battered against his golden armor, but his holy aura pushed the chill away. Behind him, five thousand elite Paladins marched in perfect, unbreakable formation, their blessed silver swords gleaming in the gloomy light.
They had come to cleanse the Abyssal Academy. They expected a fortress of dark magic, surrounded by moats of boiling blood and barricades of bone.
Instead, as the Vanguard crested the final hill, Commander Kael pulled hard on his reins, stopping his horse in utter confusion.
The ancient, rotting wooden gates of the academy were gone. In their place stood a massive, pristine archway of polished obsidian. Hanging above the entrance was an enormous, glowing neon sign that cut blindingly through the storm:
THE PANTHEON GROUP WELCOMES YOU TO THE ABYSSAL ACADEMY.
TODAY'S WAIT TIME: 0 MINUTES.
"What trickery is this?" Kael muttered, his jaw tightening. "Where are the necromancers? Where are the archers?"
Inside the Security Control Room behind the one-way enchanted glass , Victor Thorne stood impeccably dressed in his midnight-blue suit. He held a steaming cup of black coffee, watching the monitors as the army hesitated at the gates.
To his right, Elara stood trembling, clutching her clipboard. Watching her brethren march into a corporate meat grinder was breaking her spirit. Princess Ignis leaned against the wall, her demonic tail twitching with anticipation.
"They are hesitating, Principal Thorne," Seraphina noted, tapping her silver pen. "Shall I initiate the aggro-lure?"
"No need," Victor pulled his gold pocket watch from his vest, the sharp click echoing in the quiet room. "They are religious zealots. Zealots do not know how to retreat. Open the doors."
Down in the courtyard, the massive obsidian doors slid open automatically with a cheerful, melodic chime.
"Shields up!" Kael roared, drawing his glowing broadsword. "Formation Delta! March into the abyss!"
The five thousand Paladins locked their heavy shields together, forming an impenetrable wall of blessed steel, exactly as Elara had predicted. They marched aggressively into the Grand Foyer.
But there were no spikes. There were no fireballs.
The foyer was brightly lit with magical fluorescent lights. Blocking their path was a row of heavy steel turnstiles. Sitting behind a thick, blast-proof glass booth was a Goblin wearing a high-vis yellow vest and a headset.
"Welcome, valued Crusaders!" the Goblin's voice droned over the PA system, sounding incredibly bored. "To proceed to the lair of evil, please pay the general admission fee of five hundred Gold per soldier. Group discounts are not applicable during peak crusade hours."
Commander Kael stared at the Goblin in sheer disbelief. "You dare ask the Holy Vanguard for a toll?! I am the fist of the Gods!"
Kael raised his sword and slammed it into the turnstile, intending to shatter the metal and march his army through.
BZZZT.
A red light flashed above the turnstiles.
Up in the control room, Victor smiled a cold, ruthless smile.
"Seraphina," Victor said softly. "The Commander just attempted to bypass a commercial paywall and vandalize academy property. What is the standard protocol for a party of five thousand?"
"Group Trespassing," Seraphina smirked, pressing a glowing red rune on the console. "Initiating forced crowd control."
The floor beneath the first five hundred Paladins suddenly gave way. It wasn't a trapdoor to a spike pit; it was a frictionless, angled chute.
Before Kael could even scream a battle cry, he and his entire vanguard slipped, their heavy armor dragging them down the chute at terrifying speeds, plunging them directly into the dark depths of the first floor.
"Let the monetization begin," Victor adjusted his cuffs.