In the bright midday sun, Bilgewater's shadows seemed to retreat reluctantly, though never completely. The scent of salt, blood, and rust filled the air.
Atop the repaired deck of the Leviathan, Sarah Fortune stood with folded arms, her long red coat fluttering in the sea breeze. Behind her, the crew moved about—tense, but orderly. They were waiting.
Duke leaned against a crate, adjusting the new arc cannon strapped to his wrist. It shimmered faintly, Hextech glyphs lighting up in sync with his pulse. Powder crouched nearby, goggles pulled down as she fiddled with a box of unstable reagents.
"I still say we should just blast the Slaughterhouse's front gate," she muttered. "Would make a way louder statement."
Vi grunted, arms crossed. "That'd alert half the harbor. We want to clean them out, not start a turf war."
"Same thing, if you do it right," Powder smirked.
Sarah raised a hand to quiet them. "We won't need brute force. Not yet. The docks are crawling with spies and scavengers. We strike too early, and we lose our advantage."
Just then, a lithe shadow dropped from the mast. She landed with the grace of a cat—silent, poised, eyes gleaming like molten gold.
"Speak of the devil," Duke muttered, eyeing her. "Or perhaps the leopard."
The newcomer straightened. Tawny hair streaked with black stripes framed her face, and her slender figure was clad in flexible armor of stitched leather and scaled hide. Her fingers ended in claw-like extensions, and a tail flicked lazily behind her.
"Name's Farah," she said. "Heard you've got a demon to hunt. I want in."
Vi raised an eyebrow. "You're the one they call Leopard Girl, aren't you?"
Farah grinned, revealing slightly elongated canines. "They call me worse. But yes."
Sarah stepped forward. "And what makes you think you're qualified to join this mission?"
Farah's grin faded. "Because I've tracked Hecarim's scent before. And I've survived it."
The silence that followed was broken only by the creaking of the ship.
"You've fought him?" Duke asked, stepping forward.
"Fought?" Farah snorted. "No. I ran. I watched my packmates get trampled like insects. But I lived. I studied him. And now I want to pay him back."
Powder blinked. "Wait… You have a pack?"
"Had," Farah corrected. "Shadow Isles took them. I survived by becoming something faster, something harder to catch."
Vi frowned. "Sounds like suicide."
Duke, however, was already scanning her with his HUD. Her agility, reflexes, and stamina were all off the charts for a baseline human. Slight mutation signatures in her DNA suggested splicing, possibly Vastayan lineage or Zaunite bio-augmentation.
"She's not bluffing," Duke said. "She'd be an asset in close-quarters recon."
Farah tilted her head. "That a yes?"
Sarah studied her for a moment longer, then nodded. "We leave at dusk. You're in."
Farah's tail flicked again as she stepped back, vanishing into the shadows with unnerving silence.
Powder whistled. "She's spooky. I like her."
Duke smirked. "Don't get any ideas."
The wind shifted. Somewhere in the distance, a low groan echoed over the waves—like a whisper from the grave.
Sarah's voice cut through the silence. "Gear up. This isn't just revenge anymore. It's a cleansing."
Farah's golden eyes gleamed from the shadows. "Let him taste fear."
(End of chapter)
We're still in the early chapters fam! and to everyone who's joined the Patreon, thank you so much! 🙏Your support truly means the world. You're the reason this story keeps growing, chapter by chapter, world by world. I promise to give it my all! more content, more depth, more epic moments, to make sure your support is always worth it. You're part of the foundation that keeps this universe alive.
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters
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