The air was thick with the stench of sweat and iron as Lucas was dragged through the forest, his wrists bound by coarse rope that bit into his skin. The blindfold over his eyes blocked everything but slivers of torchlight, and the rhythmic crunch of boots on dirt told him the hunters weren't slowing down. His heart pounded, the System's last message burned into his mind: Escape the Hunters. Reward: 20 Soul Shards. Penalty: Death. The words were a cruel reminder that this wasn't a dream, no matter how much he wished it was.
The woman's voice, cold, commanding, cut through the darkness. "Move faster, Exile. The Lord doesn't like waiting."
Lucas stumbled, his sneakers catching on a root. A rough hand yanked him upright, and he bit back a curse. Resilience, the Aspect he'd unlocked, still hummed faintly in his chest, dulling the pain in his scraped knees and steadying his breathing. But it wasn't enough. Not against these people, whoever they were. Soulforged, the System had called them. The term felt heavy, like it carried a history he didn't understand.
"Who's this Lord?" Lucas rasped, testing his luck. "What's his deal with Exiles?"
A sharp laugh came from one of the hunters. "Ignorant, even for an Exile. Keep your mouth shut, or I'll cut out your tongue before we reach the village."
Lucas clenched his jaw, his mind racing. He needed information, a plan, anything to turn this around. The System's quest was clear, but escaping a group of armed warriors in an alien world felt like a sick joke. He focused on the sounds around him: five sets of footsteps, maybe six. The clink of armor suggested they were well-equipped. The woman's energy wave, whatever that was, had paralyzed him effortlessly. These weren't amateurs.
After what felt like hours, the ground beneath his feet changed from dirt to cobblestone. Voices multiplied, a murmur of curiosity and hostility. The blindfold was ripped off, and Lucas blinked against the glare of torches. He stood in a village square, surrounded by ramshackle wooden buildings and a crowd of gaunt, wary faces. The hunters shoved him toward a platform where a man in ornate armor waited, his presence commanding silence. His eyes, sharp and unyielding, locked onto Lucas, and the rune-like mark on Lucas's arm pulsed painfully, as if reacting to the man's gaze.
"An Exile," the man said, his voice deep and resonant. "Freshly summoned, by the look of it. Unrefined Core, no training. Pathetic."
Lucas's stomach twisted. This had to be the Lord. The crowd muttered, some spitting at the word "Exile." Lucas caught glimpses of their expressions, fear, disgust, and something else. Envy? He didn't have time to dwell on it. The System flickered into view, unprompted.
[Status Update: Soulforged Lord Detected. Tier 3, Aspects Unknown. Caution Advised.]
"Great," Lucas muttered under his breath. Tier 3 sounded bad when he was still Tier 0. He needed to stall, to find a way out before they followed through on the whole "execution" thing.
The Lord stepped closer, his armor glinting with faint runes that matched the mark on Lucas's arm. "You bear the Exile's brand," he said, almost to himself. "A flaw in the System, a glitch that should not exist. Tell me, boy, how did you come to Eryndor?"
Lucas hesitated. The truth, I was taking a calculus exam and fell through reality, sounded insane. But lying might get him killed faster. "I don't know," he said, meeting the Lord's gaze. "One minute I was on Earth, the next I'm here, fighting some overgrown wolf. The System called me an Exile. That's all I've got."
The crowd stirred, whispers of "Earth" and "summoned" rippling through them. The Lord's eyes narrowed. "Earth. Another world, another failure of the System. You are a threat, Exile. Your kind disrupts the balance, sows chaos. The System demands your death."
Lucas's throat tightened, but Resilience kept his voice steady. "If the System wants me dead, why'd it give me a quest to survive? Sounds like it's got mixed feelings."
The Lord's face darkened, and the crowd went silent. The woman hunter, Scarface, Lucas decided to call her, stepped forward, her hand on a sword hilt. "Blasphemy," she hissed. "The System is sacred. Exiles corrupt it."
Before Lucas could respond, a tremor shook the ground. Shouts erupted from the edge of the village, followed by a guttural roar that made Lucas's blood run cold. The crowd scattered, and the Lord turned, his expression shifting from contempt to alertness.
"Beast attack!" a hunter yelled, drawing a blade. "Shadowfangs, Tier 2! They've breached the outer wards!"
The System screen flared in Lucas's vision.
[Emergency Quest: Survive the Beast Attack. Reward: 15 Soul Shards. Penalty: Death.]
[Optional Objective: Assist the Village. Reward: 10 Additional Soul Shards, Increased Reputation.]
Lucas's mind raced. Another quest, stacked on top of the escape mission. But this chaos was an opportunity. The hunters were distracted, their focus on the roars growing louder. He tugged at the ropes binding his wrists, the coarse fibers cutting deeper but loosening slightly.
The Lord barked orders. "Form a perimeter! Protect the Core Shrine at all costs!" He glanced at Lucas, his eyes cold. "Chain him in the holding pit. We'll deal with him after the beasts are culled."
Scarface grabbed Lucas's arm, dragging him toward a stone structure at the square's edge. The roars grew closer, accompanied by screams and the clash of metal. Lucas's heart pounded, but he focused on the ropes, twisting his wrists until they bled. Resilience dulled the pain, letting him push harder. The rope gave way just as Scarface shoved him toward a dark, iron-grated pit.
"Now or never," Lucas muttered. He spun, slamming his shoulder into Scarface's chest. She stumbled, more surprised than hurt, and Lucas bolted toward the chaos at the village's edge. Shouts followed him, but the beast attack had turned the square into a frenzy of fleeing villagers and scrambling hunters.
He ducked behind a cart as a Shadowfang, bigger than the one he'd fought, crashed through a wooden fence, its claws shredding a hunter's armor. Lucas's breath hitched. The System's warning about Tier 2 beasts wasn't kidding. But the pit was worse, locked away, he'd have no chance to escape the Lord's "justice."
The System pinged again.
[Aspect Unlocked: Wrath. Activate? Y/N]
Lucas didn't hesitate, jabbing "Y" in the air. A surge of heat flooded his veins, different from Resilience, sharp, aggressive, like a fire begging to be unleashed. His vision sharpened, and his hands steadied, the fear in his chest replaced by a reckless urge to fight.
He grabbed a fallen spear from the ground, its tip glinting with dried blood. The Shadowfang turned, its ember-like eyes locking onto him. Lucas gripped the spear, Wrath pulsing through him. He didn't know how to fight, not really, but the Aspect made his movements feel instinctive, like he'd been born for this.
The beast charged, and Lucas sidestepped, thrusting the spear into its flank. It roared, blood spraying, but didn't fall. Lucas yanked the spear free, dodging a swipe of its claws. The System flashed.
[Combat Analysis: Shadowfang Weakness - Underbelly. Strike with Force.]
Lucas dove under the beast's next lunge, driving the spear upward. It sank deep, and the Shadowfang collapsed, thrashing. Lucas rolled away, panting, as the System updated.
[Shadowfang Defeated. 8 Soul Shards Gained.]
[Soul Core Refinement: 13/100 Shards to Tier 1.]
He didn't have time to celebrate. More roars echoed, and hunters were regrouping, their eyes scanning for him. Lucas sprinted toward the forest, the spear still in hand. Wrath made his legs feel lighter, faster, but the village was a maze of fire and chaos. He ducked into an alley, only to freeze as a figure stepped from the shadows, a girl, maybe his age, with short black hair and a dagger in each hand. Her clothes were patched, her eyes sharp with suspicion.
"You're the Exile," she said, her voice low. "Keep running, and you're dead. The hunters have Soultrackers. They'll find you."
Lucas tightened his grip on the spear, Wrath urging him to fight, but Resilience kept him grounded. "Who are you? And why should I trust you?"
She smirked, twirling a dagger. "Name's Kael. I'm an Outcast, like you. Exiles aren't the only ones the System screws over. Help me get out of this mess, and I'll show you a way to survive the Lord's hunters."
Lucas hesitated. The roars were closing in, and the System's quest timer ticked in his mind. He didn't know if Kael was an ally or a trap, but he was out of options.
"Fine," he said. "Lead the way."
Kael nodded, darting down the alley. Lucas followed, the spear heavy in his hands. They slipped through the village, dodging hunters and beasts, until they reached a hidden tunnel beneath a collapsed barn. Kael lifted a trapdoor, gesturing for him to enter.
"Move," she whispered. "The Outcasts' hideout is close, but we've got company."
Lucas glanced back. Shadows moved in the firelight, hunters, their weapons glowing with runic energy. But something else caught his eye: the Lord, standing atop the platform, staring directly at him. The mark on Lucas's arm burned, and the System flashed a new message, one that froze his blood.
[System Alert: Exile Mark Resonating. Lord's Aspect Activated - Soulbind. Escape Impossible.]
The Lord raised a hand, and chains of light erupted from the ground, racing toward Lucas. He dove into the tunnel just as they grazed his skin, the pain searing. Kael slammed the trapdoor shut, but the chains rattled against it, relentless.
"Run!" Kael hissed, but Lucas's vision blurred, the Soulbind's power pulling at his Core. The System's voice echoed, colder than before.
[Quest Failure Imminent. Penalty: Death.]