Ted struggled to stay standing as his mouth fell open in shock.

"I-i've never heard of a ruin that was this close to town."

"Neither have I…", Phil replied slowly. He was getting a bad feeling about this whole ordeal. "Karen might, but…"

"Yeah. She's still out of it."

The two explored the area as quickly as they could; searching for an shelter that they could take over. But, the ruins were far more extensive than a single crumbling structure. They had stumbled across the outermost edge of an ancient compound. There was evidence of a fallen wall, as well as several overgrown and decaying buildings around a tower. 

The tower, Phil recognized, was the structure he had seen from the forest canopy. And, from the looks of things, it was the only thing that had remained intact over the years. 

In fact, as they drudged through the wet mist and came closer to the tower, they found that it was suspiciously untouched by the ages. The stone was pristine and unharmed by the weather. And, even the surrounding plant life, that had swallowed everything else, did not attempt to reclaim it. 

Yet, a large ornate door was cracked open at the base of the tower. The door was not broken, or splintered apart, but rather it seemed as though it was left open to welcome them inside.

It may have even put them both at ease if there was some form of light emanating from inside the tower. A sign that there was life and perhaps a kind soul that was waiting to greet them and offer them a place to stay. 

But, no. 

It was dark. And, quiet. 

The forest was still.

Only the mist swirled around them. And, the darkness behind the door beckoned to them. 

Phil grabbed Ted as he walked to enter the building. 

"Wait. Something is wrong", He hissed.

Ted shook Phil's hand off his arm.

"Do you think that I don't know that?

This is obviously wrong. But, we don't have a choice. 

We can die out here, or take our chances."

Phil shook his head and let out a deep breath. He stared at the door with indecision. Until finally he replied with defeat. 

"You're right. We don't have a choice."

He unsheathed his sword and walked ahead. "I'll go in first. Just to make sure everything is alright."

Ted nodded and followed closely behind. 

Phil pushed on the door. 

And, with a mighty creak that thundered and broke through the quiet, it opened. 

Phil took a step inside and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. 

And, stared at the interior in shock. 

Here, abandoned in the middle of the woods and amongst a forgotten ruin, a completely furnished and cozy living area was arranged. 

There was too much to look at and to take in, Phil didn't know where to start. But, he immediately zeroed in on the most suspicious items.

There was an unlit fireplace with a stack of dry wood nearby. As well as some conveniently placed tinder and flint on the mantle above the fireplace. A few dry blankets were neatly folded across a table. And, three sets of dry clothes were placed on top of them. 

Then, behind the three large chairs circling the hearth, a humble trolley was stacked with several plates of food, drink, and a piece of paper with a note. 

They were clearly expected. 

Which only caused the alarm bells in Phil's head to ring even louder.

But, otherwise, nothing had gone wrong.

Yet. 

"Ted, I think its-"

THOC-THUNK!

Ted collapsed on the floor behind him.

[[Ted] has gained status effect: Exhaustion 3]

"Exhausted… level… three…", Ted managed to gasp out between breaths. "Gods, everything hurts." 

Phil nodded, "I guess we made it in time… I just hope we don't get killed while we're here."

He walked over and lifted up Karen from the floor. 

"Don't you fucking touch her", Ted hissed and muttered. 

"I'm just going to put her in a chair before I get a fire going."

"Fucking, you don't get touch." Ted muttered again. He could barely move. It hurt him to breathe. And, every muscle screamed at him to stop struggling.

"Relax. Ill leave her alone as soon as she's comfortable."

Ted continued to mutter, but he stopped speaking in any discernible language. He was too tired. 

The fire was remarkably easy to get going. The wood and kindling was remarkably dry. And, merely took a few sparks to roar into a blazing fire.

The entire room filled with warmth and a happy glow. And, the tension, fear, and turmoil that they had felt began to evaporate and dry out. 

After a bit of debate between the two, they decided to change into the prepared clothes. They couldn't immediately tell if anything was wrong with them. And, it was far better than sitting around in soggy clothing. 

After a few moments of rest, Ted had also managed to change Karen. Which was a bit of a challenge with his eyes shut. But, he managed somehow. 

And, Phil volunteered to try some of the food first to determine if it was drugged, enchanted, or poisoned. 

He was pleasantly surprised to find that it was in fact enchanted. 

But, not in the way he had expected.

He felt immediately invigorated from the food. And, the drink seemed to completely warm him up from the chill of the mists. 

The taste was also phenomenal. It wasn't like anything he had ever had. The food was unrecognizable to him. But, the closest he could place it was some form of sweet bread. The drink was some sort of spiced juice, which he also couldn't recognize. 

Phil waited for a few minutes before he finally decided that it was safe to offer it to Ted. 

[[Ted] has lost status effect: Exhaustion 3]

[[Ted] has gained status effect: Exhaustion 2]

[[Ted] has lost status effect: Exhaustion 2]

[[Ted] has gained status effect: Exhaustion 1]

Ted felt much better after eating. Even though it didn't fix everything. He didn't feel like he was going to pass out. But, he was still very tired. And, even a bit drowsy next to the fire. 

In fact, it was as they were both nodding off to sleep that they discovered one fatal error.

The door had disappeared.