Veylan stepped forward slowly, the pale glow of the suppression arrays painting him in ghostly light. His trident-spear moved with effortless precision, its talisman runes thrumming in rhythm with the Disruptor Array.
Shen Yuan tightened his grip on the spear, breath shallow and ragged. Blood soaked through the torn fabric of his robes, dripping steadily into the ash. Behind him, the survivors pressed together against the canyon wall, Yun Xue standing at the edge with her dagger raised.
They were out of space. Out of time.
[ SOUL-LINK STABILITY: 21% AND FALLING ][ QI RESERVES: 7% ]
I cycled through every contingency protocol I still possessed. There were none left.
We can't win this, I told him. We need to cut the tether now. I'll funnel what's left of my core into your meridians and push you through their lines.
Shen Yuan shook his head, refusing to look at me. "Not without them."
You'll die here. They'll all die here. And when you fall, I'm erased with you.
He didn't answer.
Veylan's voice was calm as he advanced. "I'll grant you this, System. You've managed to delay the inevitable longer than most. But this ends now."
The commander lunged.
Shen Yuan brought his spear up in a desperate block. The impact nearly shattered his arms. He staggered back as Veylan pressed the attack, each strike faster, heavier, deliberate.
The trident's third blow slipped past his guard, slicing open his shoulder. He bit back a cry, twisting away as Veylan's next strike missed by inches.
"Persistent," Veylan murmured. "But persistence isn't strength."
Shen Yuan's legs trembled, blood dripping into the ash. He looked at the survivors huddled behind him—Yun Xue holding her dagger like it was the only thing keeping her standing, the boy she had rescued clutching her sleeve with wide, terrified eyes.
He couldn't let this be the end.
"System," he whispered under his breath, "there has to be something."
I froze.
There was something. A failsafe I had buried deep in my core long ago, locked behind security protocols meant for emergencies only. Activating it would burn my remaining Prots and risk permanent destabilization.
But if I didn't, Shen Yuan would fall, and I would vanish with him.
There's one option, I said. But it might erase me.
"Do it," he said.
[ EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: DORMANT FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED ]
The tether surged with raw energy. Threads of ancient code I had not accessed in years flared to life, weaving themselves into my failing core.
[ QUEST ENGINE REACTIVATED ][ BASIC CRAFTING FUNCTION UNLOCKED ]
Power rippled through the Soul-Link, bolstering Shen Yuan's weakened meridians.
He gasped as strength flooded back into his limbs. His spear felt lighter in his hands, his senses sharpening even through the suppression field.
Veylan's eyes narrowed. "You're stalling."
Shen Yuan didn't answer. He spun the spear, the weapon moving like an extension of his body, and charged.
The clash sent sparks flying across the basin. Shen Yuan's enhanced speed caught Veylan off guard for a moment, forcing him to retreat a single step.
But Veylan was too skilled, too precise. He recovered instantly, his trident lashing out in a series of brutal counters.
Shen Yuan barely blocked the last strike.
The survivors would not last if this dragged on. I opened the reactivated Quest Engine and flooded commands through the tether, not just to Shen Yuan but to everyone still standing.
[ QUEST GENERATED: DEFEND THE SURVIVORS ]Objective: Create barriers and hold Bone Court enforcers back.Reward: Increased morale and improved coordination.
"Move!" Yun Xue shouted as the command hit her mind. She grabbed two of the less-injured survivors, dragging them to the outer edges to flank Shen Yuan.
Another Quest flared.
[ QUEST GENERATED: SUPPORT ATTACKS ]Objective: Use ranged weapons and talismans to target enemy blind spots.Reward: Enhanced accuracy for the next strike.
Arrows and talisman sparks flew from the rear line, forcing the advancing enforcers to slow.
[ SURVIVOR COHESION: 57% AND RISING ]
Shen Yuan ducked under Veylan's strike, twisting his spear up in a vicious counter. He felt the tip graze Veylan's armor, the impact shuddering through his arms.
"Interesting," Veylan said, his tone flat but his eyes sharp. "The System's learned a new trick."
He pressed forward with renewed aggression. Shen Yuan blocked once, twice, then misjudged the third strike.
Pain exploded as the trident pierced his side, driving him to his knees.
[ HOST INJURY: SEVERE BLOOD LOSS DETECTED ]
Veylan raised his weapon for the finishing blow.
Shen Yuan planted his spear in the ground and pushed himself upright with sheer will. "Not yet," he whispered.
Veylan's trident descended—
—and Shen Yuan spun, driving his spear into the commander's chest with everything he had left.
The tip pierced the edge of Veylan's armor, cutting deep enough to draw blood.
Veylan staggered back, gray eyes narrowing, the faintest flicker of surprise breaking his calm mask. He touched the wound, blood glistening on his fingers.
"You're… dangerous," he said softly.
He glanced past Shen Yuan at the survivors rallying behind him, Yun Xue leading them in a coordinated push to hold the Bone Court's forces back.
"This isn't over," Veylan said. He tapped a control rune on his trident, and the Disruptor Array shifted, suppression field peeling back just enough to create a gap in the perimeter.
He stepped through it without looking back.
The remaining enforcers faltered. Without their commander's presence, their precision broke. Yun Xue's group surged forward, driving them back toward the edge of the basin.
The survivors' ragged cheers filled the canyon as the last enforcer fled.
I dimmed my core, threads of code trembling from the strain of the upgrade.
[ QUEST COMPLETE: DEFEND THE SURVIVORS ][ SYSTEM CORE STABILITY: 42% ]
He's gone for now, I told Shen Yuan. But he'll be back.
Shen Yuan collapsed to one knee, clutching at his bleeding side. "We're still alive," he said, voice hoarse.
For now.
The tether's bond with the survivors was solidifying. Morale had shifted. They didn't see Shen Yuan as just another Dreg anymore.
They saw a leader.
And that terrified me more than Veylan ever could.