Crouched behind a thick patch of brush, Fayde waited in tense silence alongside Allein and Nes. They were close now, close enough to the monsters that even the wind carried the faint rustle of movement. Somewhere in the woods ahead, the raiding party they were sent to lure was on the move.
"Do you see them?" Fayde whispered to Nes.
Even in daylight, visibility inside the forest was limited. Trees clustered tightly together, and dense underbrush made it hard to spot anything more than a few meters ahead. Fayde couldn't see or hear a thing, but Dragonkin senses were sharper.
Nes kept his eyes fixed ahead and answered without looking back. "There's too much in the way to see clearly, but I can hear movement not far ahead. We're close. We draw them here, then fall back."
"Maybe a little light show to get their attention?" Fayde suggested.
Allein nodded, already focusing her mana. Crackling energy built in her palm as she muttered a short chant. Fayde raised his hands and summoned two spheres of black Void Flame, one for each hand. A beat later, Allein fired her lightning spell. The bolt cracked through the forest and struck a nearby tree, the sound echoing like a war drum.
"That should do it," Fayde muttered.
They crouched in silence, tense and ready. Fayde heard it first, a crash of underbrush, then guttural snarls. The monsters were coming.
A group of Kobolds burst through the trees, charging toward the site of the lightning strike. Fayde hurled his Void Flames at the first two, incinerating them mid-sprint. Allein followed up with a volley of sharp Ice Shards, impaling several more.
That was their cue.
"Go!" Fayde shouted, and the three of them turned and bolted.
The chase began immediately. Snarls and barks echoed behind them as more Kobolds poured into the woods, spurred on by the cries of their fallen kin. Allein fired back intermittently, throwing spells behind them to slow their advance. Some of the Kobolds responded by hurling spears and crude arrows, but the forest offered plenty of cover. Most of the attacks missed or thudded uselessly into tree trunks.
The ambush site was still a distance away, far enough to keep the fighting from reaching the Foxkin village, but close enough to be reached in a sprint. They'd have to keep the monsters close the whole way without letting them catch up.
Kobolds were faster than expected. Fayde was already tiring from the nonstop running, and despite Allein's support, some of the monsters were closing the gap.
A javelin hissed past Fayde's ear, close enough to ruffle his hair. He barely had time to register it when something slammed into his back, an arrow, rough and splintered, punching through muscle with brutal force. His vision blurred as white hot pain shot down his arm. He stumbled, breath catching, legs nearly buckling beneath him.
"Fayde!" Allein shouted.
Nes caught him before he fell, and together they kept running. Blood trickled down Fayde's back, and every step sent a fresh spike of pain through his shoulder. But the clearing was close, he could see the light ahead breaking through the trees.
"Almost there," he gritted out.
They broke through the treeline a moment later, skidding into the clearing. The Kobolds, still howling with fury, surged after them. Dozens poured into the open space, blind with rage and unaware of what waited above.
"Now!" Fayde shouted.
From the trees, the Foxkin ambush began.
Reia's Fireball lit up the sky, slamming into the center of the pack with a thunderous roar. Flames engulfed several of the monsters, and moments later a rain of elemental magic followed. Lightning, wind, and fire rained down from the canopy, catching the Kobolds off guard.
Fayde dropped to the ground near a tree as Allein rushed to his side, immediately examining the wound.
"The arrow's in deep," she said, hesitating.
"Then pull it out!" he growled through clenched teeth.
"I don't want to—"
"Just do it!"
With a sharp tug, the arrow came free. The pain was intense, but Allein was already casting a healing spell. Cool energy flowed into his shoulder, and the wound slowly began to close.
Fayde breathed hard, his chest heaving, but the pain dulled quickly. "Thanks… and sorry for yelling."
Allein gave him a smirk. "You're lucky I like you."
The battle was still raging. Monsters screamed in confusion and panic as magic rained down on them. Some tried to climb the trees, but the Foxkin warriors cut them down before they could reach the upper branches.
"Up," Allein said, offering her hand. "We're not done yet."
Fayde took her hand and stood. With fresh Void Flames swirling around his arm and his blade drawn, he nodded. "Let's finish this."
The three of them charged back into the fray, cutting down the disoriented Kobolds that hadn't yet fled or been struck down by magic. The ground was already littered with corpses.
Then, from the treeline, a deeper growl sounded.
Two lizardmen burst into the clearing, larger and more heavily armed than the Kobolds. These were commanders.
Fayde didn't wait. He raised his flaming arm to block the first strike, parried with his blade, and leapt back. One lizardman charged again, but Allein hit it with Ice Shards while Nes skewered the second with a flurry of spear thrusts.
Fayde finished the first with a blast of Void Flame to the ribs. Allein's follow-up spell made sure it stayed down.
Fayde searched the clearing wildly, the adrenaline pumping through his body, but no enemies remained alive. The battlefield had gone quiet.
"They're dead," Allein said gently. "It's over."
Reia dropped from the trees and rushed over. She began searching his body anxiously for any wounds. "Fayde! Are you okay? I saw you get hit—"
"I'm fine," he said, waving her off. "Allein took care of it."
Reia turned to Allein and offered a genuine nod. "Thank you."
Allein crossed her arms smugly. "Of course. I'd never let anything happen to Fayde. He's mine, remember?"
Reia said nothing, but the look on her face could have peeled bark off a tree.
Fayde wisely didn't intervene.
Foxkin warriors climbed down from the trees, the battle finished. The clearing was scorched and littered with corpses, the lingering residue of elemental magic painting a vivid reminder of the chaos that had unfolded. Fayde made a quick round, drawing in the dark matter from the fallen monsters, feeling the familiar surge of power course through him. He was stronger now, he could feel it in his bones, in the weight of his steps, in the quiet hum beneath his skin.
Turning to the others, he gave a quick nod. "Reia and I will head to Enrain to warn the town. Allein, Nes, stay with the warriors. Track the monster army if you can. But don't get spotted."
"Tch, like we'd let that happen," Allein scoffed.
Nes slammed his spear into the dirt and frowned. "You underestimate us."
Fayde raised his hands. "Alright, alright, I trust you. Just be careful."
With that settled, he and Reia left the battlefield, hurrying toward Enrain as fast as they could.
There wasn't a moment to lose.
_____________________________________________________
"Grrr! So they failed? I can't believe this!" The man slammed his fist against the table, the wood creaking under the force.
"I told you it wouldn't be so simple," his companion replied, her tone calm despite his fury.
"Tch... he just got lucky. If it weren't for those damned beasts, he'd be dead by now. We'll need to deal with them eventually." He exhaled through clenched teeth, his anger slowly giving way to calculation.
"That may be true," the woman said, arms crossed. "But we've lost most of our strength. What do we do now? We only have a handful of operatives left."
He grimaced at her words. "He survived because of those animals. That's all it was. We'll wait until he returns to the town. He'll be vulnerable there."
The woman rested her elbow in her palm and tapped her cheek with one finger. "It could work. We still have a few assassins in place. But if they fail again..."
"They won't," he cut in sharply. "They can't. We know where he's staying. We'll strike before he even realizes we're coming."
His grin widened into something cruel, and she looked away.
She didn't particularly enjoy killing someone in their sleep. She didn't like the idea. But liking it was never part of the job.
_______________________________________________________
Reia and Fayde traveled through the night without rest, pushing themselves until they finally reached the town of Enrain. Both were utterly exhausted, but every moment counted. The sooner they delivered the warning, the more time the town would have to prepare for the approaching monster army. Their first destination was the Adventurer's Guild. They had no direct means of contacting the local lord, and it was questionable whether their word would carry enough weight with him, so informing Orban took priority.
As they made their way through the streets toward the Guild, the town looked as peaceful and lively as ever. People filled the marketplace, unaware of the danger creeping ever closer. Women were outside hanging laundry on ropes to dry. Children ran around with wooden swords, laughing and playing games. Life in Enrain carried on as though nothing were wrong.
"It looks like the monsters managed to avoid the scouts by sticking to the forest," Fayde muttered, mostly to himself. "But how would they even come up with a plan like that?"
Reia responded, her voice low. "Most monsters are dumb, they act on instinct. But some are smarter. There are rumors among adventurers that something's guiding them, directing their movements. Nobody's been able to prove it, though."
He considered her words as they pushed their way through the crowds. There was no time to stop or explain anything to the people around them. Eventually, they reached the Guild, which was more crowded than usual. Dozens of adventurers filled the main hall, eating, drinking, and exchanging stories about quests.
Wasting no time, Reia and Fayde hurried to the front desk and asked the receptionist to fetch Orban, explaining that it was urgent. The receptionist quickly took action, and within minutes, Orban appeared and ushered them into his office.
The room wasn't anything extravagant. Small, dim, and sparsely furnished, it felt more like a glorified storage room than the workspace of the Guild's second-in-command. Orban gestured for them to sit at a plain wooden table.
"Take a moment to catch your breath," he said.
Once they had calmed their breathing, Orban leaned forward. "Alright. What's going on?"
Fayde didn't waste time. "There's an army of monsters heading for Enrain. They've been traveling through the forest to avoid detection. We don't know exactly when they'll arrive, but if they keep moving at their current pace, I'd estimate a day and a half at most."
Orban's expression hardened. "Are you sure? Did you see the army yourself?"
"We didn't see the main force," Fayde admitted. "But we fought one of the raiding parties. There were kobolds led by lizardmen, and they definitely broke off from a larger group."
Reia added, "It was our scouts who discovered the main force. My kin are certain there are at least a couple thousand monsters, and all signs point to Enrain as their target."
Orban leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh and rubbed his bald head, closing his eyes as he thought. After a long moment, he nodded slowly.
"Alright. I'll go straight to the lord and report this. He'll probably want to confirm it with his own scouts, but if he takes it seriously, he'll start mobilizing the town's forces right away. I'll begin organizing the adventurers here in the Guild."
He looked back at them and offered a tired smile. "You both look like hell. Go get some rest."
Fayde exhaled deeply, releasing some of the pressure he'd been holding in. He was still worried, but they'd done everything they could.
"Don't worry too much," Orban said, perhaps sensing his unease. "We've got decent defenses. The town has strong walls, and our mages can reinforce them with spells. If there really are only a couple thousand monsters, we should be able to hold."
His words helped ease Fayde's nerves a little. The thought of magically reinforced defenses intrigued him. Maybe that was why they hadn't bothered to build full stone walls, magic could do the job just as well, maybe even better. It made sense from a cost perspective, and it had strategic advantages too. He was curious to see how it worked in practice.
"Well, that's all we can do for now," Fayde said. "I assume you'll want us to fight when the time comes?"
Orban nodded. "It's expected in these situations, but first, get some rest. Both of you."
"Let's go, Fayde." Reia stood, and the three of them left Orban's office.
Orban gave his farewells and went off to inform the local lord of the impending danger.
"Time to check my status, and then I'm going to sleep until tomorrow," Fayde said, yawning.
He and Reia walked together to the divination room where he could finally get a proper read on his current stats. It had been a while since he'd last checked, and after everything that happened, he was curious to see just how much he had grown.
[Status Update]
Level: -1 EXP: 0/0
HP: 33/33 Health Regen: 0.05/min | 1/min while resting
VP: 120/120Void Threshold: 125 | Next Level: 180 Void Regen: 0.25/min | 5/min while resting
Strength: 11 (Represents your attack power and physical strength.)
Dexterity: 11 (Represents reflexes, agility, and evasion.)
Constitution: (12 Represents resilience, and affects HP and regen.)
Charisma: 10 (Represents how others perceive your appearance, personality, and social skills.)
Intelligence: 138 (Impacts spell effectiveness and skill growth.)
Wisdom: 175 (Reflects accumulated life experience and judgment.)
Acquired Proficiencies:
Sword (Level 4/10 – Intermediate)
Evasion (Level 3/10 – Intermediate)
Tactics (Level 3/10 – Intermediate)
Leadership (Level 2/10 – Beginner)Endurance (Level 2/10 – Beginner)
Blessings: Blessing of the Void (?)
Special Ability: Molecular Absorption
Absorbs dark matter contamination, strengthening host.
Inherent Status: Immortality
You are ageless. Your body and soul no longer age.
Affinities: Void
Your innate magical element.
Void Element:
Void Flame (Strengthened) 8VP to activate, 2VP/min to maintain. Manipulate intense flames from the Void for both offense and defense.
Fayde let out a slow breath, nodding to himself.
He could feel it. The change wasn't just in the numbers, there was a tangible strength within him now, a deeper current of power flowing through his body. In just a few weeks, he had come a long way. And this was only the beginning.
With quiet satisfaction and a small smile, he turned and headed back to get some much needed sleep.
He'd rest, because soon, he'd be fighting for more than just survival.