**Five days until Marcus arrives**
The attack came at noon, when the sun was high and shadows were short—an intentional choice that suggested Marcus's forces understood how Shadow Hunter defenses worked.
Kaelen was on the merchant hall's roof with Lia, inscribing the final ward arrays, when the alarm crystals screamed. Not the warehouse—the northern safe house, one of their secondary positions.
"Contact!" Ronan's voice crackled through the communication network. "Twenty hostiles, mixed cultists and shadow creatures. They're testing our defenses!"
"On our way," Selene responded immediately. "All mobile units converge on north position. Defenders, hold until reinforcements arrive."
Kaelen and Lia moved without discussion, their weeks of training and combat making coordination automatic. They hit the streets running, Soulrender drawn, Lia's hands already glowing with prepared rune-light.
The northern safe house was three blocks away. They covered the distance in under two minutes, arriving to find a pitched battle already in progress.
The cultists had brought shadow creatures—twisted things that had once been dogs or wolves, now warped by dark magic into predators of nightmare. They swarmed the safe house's defenses while cultist mages bombarded the wards with spells.
"They're coordinated," Lia observed, her diagnostic runes analyzing the attack pattern. "This isn't random. They're probing for weaknesses in our defensive arrays."
"Then let's show them what happens when they find one," Kaelen said.
They entered the fight like a force of nature.
Kaelen had grown significantly in the past weeks—no longer the desperate man barely clinging to control, but a warrior who'd learned to dance with a Forbidden Blade. He moved through the shadow creatures with surgical precision, each strike calculated to disable without requiring excessive power draw from Soulrender.
A creature lunged. Kaelen sidestepped, his blade describing a precise arc that severed its corrupted spine. Another attacked from behind—he spun, using the momentum to carry his counter-strike through the creature's vulnerable skull. Three more rushed him simultaneously—he channeled a thread of shadow energy, creating a barrier that threw them backward long enough for his follow-up strikes.
*Beautiful,* Soulrender purred. *You have learned to fight with us, not just through us. This is artistry.*
Beside him, Lia was equally impressive. Her rune magic had evolved beyond simple barriers and blasts—now she created complex tactical spells that controlled the battlefield. Rune-mines that detonated when shadow creatures crossed them. Binding arrays that locked cultists in place. Amplification circles that boosted the other Shadow Hunters' attacks.
"Left side collapsing!" someone shouted.
Kaelen and Lia moved as one. "Resonance!" he called.
They fell into the familiar pattern—shadow and purification spiraling together, faster now with weeks of practice. The hybrid energy coalesced between them in seconds, a weapon they'd honed to deadly efficiency.
They released it not as a wave but as a focused beam, striking the concentration of cultists attacking the left flank. The hybrid energy tore through shadow magic like it wasn't there, forcing the attackers to scatter or fall.
The creatures, deprived of their mage support, became disorganized. Shadow Hunters capitalized ruthlessly, cutting them down with coordinated strikes.
Within ten minutes of Kaelen and Lia's arrival, the battle was turning. Within fifteen, it was over.
Twenty hostiles had attacked. Eighteen lay dead or captured. Two had escaped, likely to report back to Marcus.
"Casualties?" Selene demanded, appearing from inside the safe house.
"Three wounded, none critical," Ronan reported. "The wards held. Barely. Another hour of bombardment and they would have failed."
"Then they got their intelligence," Selene said grimly. "Now they know how long our defenses can withstand sustained assault."
"But we got intelligence too," Lia countered. She was examining one of the fallen cultists, her diagnostic runes revealing something interesting. "Look at this—recent ritual scarring, shadow corruption at mid-tier levels, standard Cult training. These weren't elite forces. Marcus sent expendable assets."
"A probing attack," Kaelen realized. "He's testing our response time, our tactics, our capabilities before committing his real forces."
"Which means he's being cautious," Ronan said. "That's good. Cautious enemies make fewer mistakes."
"Or it means he's confident enough to waste resources on reconnaissance," Selene countered. "Either way, we now know he's watching. Every move we make is being evaluated."
They secured the safe house and returned to the warehouse for debriefing. The mood was tense but not defeated—they'd won the skirmish, proven their defenses could hold against standard attacks.
But everyone knew Marcus hadn't shown his real power yet.
That evening brought unexpected news. A messenger arrived from Valorian—not through official channels, but through the smuggler's network that Shadow Hunters occasionally used.
Princess Isabella's "lost" weapons shipment had arrived early.
"Fifty enchanted blades, twenty runic shields, ammunition for crossbows, and..." Selene examined the manifest, her eyebrows rising. "Three barrels of concentrated purification elixir? That's military-grade anti-corruption treatment. How did Isabella manage this?"
"She's more resourceful than her father gives her credit for," the messenger—a young woman in merchant's clothing—replied. "The princess believes Marcus represents a threat to all kingdoms, not just Eredor. She's willing to help, even if it must be through unofficial channels."
"Tell her we're grateful," Selene said. "This significantly improves our defensive capabilities."
After the messenger left, they distributed the weapons. Kaelen received one of the enchanted blades—not to replace Soulrender, but as a backup. The steel was inscribed with runes that would resist shadow corruption, useful if he needed to fight without drawing on the Forbidden Blade's power.
"We're getting stronger," Lia observed that night. They were on the roof again—their spot had become habit. "Today's fight showed it. We're not the desperate group barely holding on anymore. We're actually formidable."
"Against standard cultists," Kaelen pointed out. "Marcus himself is a different story."
"So we get even better." Lia leaned against him. "We have four more days. Four days to train, prepare, become strong enough that when Marcus arrives, we're ready."
"You really think we can match two Forbidden Blades?"
"I think we don't have a choice, so we'd better figure out how." She turned to look at him. "That's what we do, right? Face impossible situations and find a way through?"
"That's what we do," Kaelen agreed.
He kissed her, slow and thorough, drawing strength from the contact. When they broke apart, Lia smiled.
"I have an idea," she said. "About the resonance technique. We've been using it as a weapon, but what if we could use it as armor? Create a sustained hybrid energy field that protects us both while we fight?"
"That would require maintaining resonance for extended periods," Kaelen said. "We've only managed thirty seconds sustained."
"So we practice. Push our limits. By the time Marcus arrives, maybe we can manage a minute. Two minutes. Long enough to make a difference in combat."
It was risky. Extended resonance meant more exposure to shadow energy for both of them, more chance of Lia's echo-scars worsening. But it was also potentially game-changing—a defensive technique that could counter even Forbidden Blade attacks.
"Tomorrow," Kaelen decided. "We start training resonance armor tomorrow. Tonight, we rest."
"Deal."
They stayed on the roof until the temperature forced them inside. In four days, Marcus would arrive. In four days, everything would be decided.
But tonight, Kaelen allowed himself to feel something dangerous: hope.
They'd won today's skirmish. Proven they could stand against Marcus's forces. Gained powerful allies and weapons.
Small victories. But victories nonetheless.
*You are learning,* Soulrender observed. *That confidence is not arrogance when backed by skill. You have grown formidable, wielder. We are pleased.*
"High praise from a sword," Kaelen muttered.
*We do not give praise lightly. But you have earned it. Tomorrow brings new challenges. We look forward to facing them together.*
Kaelen settled into bed, exhaustion pulling him toward sleep. Through the wall, he could hear the low murmur of Shadow Hunters talking, planning, preparing.
They were ready.
Not perfectly ready. Not completely ready.
But ready enough to fight.
And sometimes, that had to be enough.
Day two complete.
Four days remaining.
The storm was coming closer.
But they would be ready to meet it.