Tower Climbing is not just a game
Stepping over a portal did not take long; just as long as it took for someone to cross a door. One, or two seconds at most. Just blink and it was over.
But during the time it took her to blink, Zarfa felt something was wrong. The warmth in her hand was gone. And when she turned her head in curiosity, all she could see was Aina, who also looked at her in confusion. Their hands were similarly stretched out grasping into empty air.
"What?"
"Valen?"
They blinked and for a few seconds, just turned left and right to look for the half-druid. As they did, they realized that not only was Valen not there, but they also couldn't find Jin and Fatia who were supposed to be in front of them.
Instinctively, they shifted closer and held their outstretched hands instead. They waited for a while and when Ian, who should be following them after, did not come through the closing portal, they realized they were getting stranded inside the stone tower.