They traveled beneath an overcast sky, the clouds hanging heavy with quiet tension. The trees around them thinned as they pressed deeper into the shifting frontier lands.
Valerius adjusted the strap of his cloak and muttered, "You said I'd arrive faster if I followed your plan."
Yelleen's voice answered coolly in his mind.
"You would. But you chose company over efficiency. A logical move, considering your stamina—and your fear of death."
Valerius narrowed his eyes. "I'm not afraid. Just... cautious. That thing nearly ripped me apart."
From the front, Zee glanced back with a smirk. "You know, for a place called No Man's Land, it sure has a busy neighborhood. I thought this region was supposed to be empty."
Valerius raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why is there a town out here?"
Zee twirled her dagger as she walked. "It's not a normal town. It's a raider haven. A place for people like us to trade, rest, and not die for a day or two. If you're lucky, someone there might even know how to get to Mazorik."
There was a sudden shift in energy.
Luthar spun around, eyes sharp behind his glasses. "Zee. What the hell are you doing?"
"What?" she shrugged. "He doesn't even know what raiders are. No way he knows about Mazorik."
Valerius blinked. "What's Mazorik?"
Zee pointed dramatically. "See?"
Mira stepped between them, her voice low and firm. "Don't concern yourself with that."
Valerius frowned, but said nothing more.
Mira cracked her neck. "Enough chat. Time to pick up the pace." Without warning, she grabbed Auri like a sack of feathers and took off.
The others followed instantly, their bodies blurring as they surged forward. Valerius sighed and dashed after them, the ground blurring beneath his feet.
After several minutes of high-speed running, the terrain began to change.
In the distance, something emerged from the red haze of the horizon.
A wall—tall, square, and brutal in its simplicity. Watchtowers stood like steel thorns on each corner, manned by distant silhouettes bearing long rifles, heavy crossbows, and rune-scribed gauntlets. Massive beast skulls adorned the outer gates, each one bigger than a horse-drawn cart.
Valerius slowed slightly. "Is that... the town?"
Auri, still in Mira's arms, nodded. "Yes. That is Redmarrow."
Valerius scoffed. "Seriously? Redmarrow?"
Kurgan grunted from behind. "You'll see why."
As they neared, the ground beneath their feet turned a deep crimson. It wasn't paint. It wasn't clay. It was dry blood—countless layers of it, compacted into the soil like a permanent stain.
Valerius slowed further. "Why is the ground... red?"
Zee smiled, a little too wide. "Stained with the blood of beasts. This place gets attacked constantly. Some say the grounds been drinking blood for centuries. It won't go back to brown again."
Valerius glanced around. The wind carried the scent of oil, sweat, and dried gore. His feet crunched over scattered bones and broken tusks.
Then the gates loomed before them.
---
REDMARROW
The town inside was a chaotic masterpiece of brutal survival and organized violence.
Buildings were made from a mix of blacksteel, salvaged beast hide, and stone from ruined battlegrounds. Despite their jagged construction, the streets were neatly gridded. Paths were marked with claw-scratched stone, and glowing runes guided night-time movement.
Loud voices echoed from open-forges. Raiders shouted over open stalls where enchanted items, beast claws, and glowing orbs were being traded like apples. In the center of town, a coliseum of bone and obsidian stood like a monument to death itself.
Above it all, a massive flag waved—a sigil of a bleeding beast skull impaled on a spear.
Valerius scanned everything with wide eyes.
Zee walked beside him, grinning. "This is where we rest. And where the strong eat well."
Valerius asked, "What kind of people live here?"
Kurgan cracked his neck. "Killers. Survivors. Relic-hunters. Monster-wranglers. Some live here forever. Most die fast."
Auri added, "This is where you find the kind of people who smile when the world ends."
---
As the town of Redmarrow loomed ahead, towering with stone and fire, Auri turned slightly in Valerius's direction.
"Just so you know," she said, her voice low but clear, "only raiders are allowed inside."
Valerius blinked. "What? Then… how can I get in?"
Mira stopped walking and stood in front of him, arms crossed, eyes fixed.
"Tell them you'll register as a raider," she said. "It's the only way they'll let you through that gate."
Valerius frowned. "Do I have to?"
Mira shrugged. "If you want in."
He hesitated, glancing back toward the blood-stained ground. It stretched endlessly behind them, hostile and empty.
"If you don't want to register," Mira added, already turning away, "you can always be on your merry way… and end up beast food."
Valerius exhaled and muttered, "Okay. I'll do it."
---
They reached the base of the massive outer wall—fifteen meters high and built from black-red stone, reinforced with thick enchanted steel supports. Beast skulls were mounted above the gate, their empty sockets staring down like judges.
From above, a voice rang out.
"Visitors!"
A tall figure leaned over the battlement, brown-haired and clad in patched armor.
He squinted. "Who are you and what do you want?"
Kurgan stepped forward and barked back, "Raiders. We've come to trade."
"IDs."
Without hesitation, the raiders each pulled a metal badge from their coats and raised them. They shimmered faintly with etched runes—D-Rank Raider licenses.
The man leapt down in a blur and landed with a heavy thud. He examined the badges one by one.
"All D-Rank. Huh." He glanced over at Valerius and frowned. "Why'd you bring a kid? And why's he so small? He doesn't even look Aurellian."
Kurgan stepped forward. "He can more than hold his own."
The man snorted. "Right. And I'm the King of Redmarrow."
He tossed the badges back and turned away. "Go home to your mom, kid."
Valerius's fist clenched. "Hey," he said sharply. "I said I'm here to register."
The man paused.
He turned slowly, squinting. "What did you say?"
"I'm here to register. As a raider."
The man stared at him for a long moment—then vanished.
Valerius caught the slightest flicker of motion and shifted instantly, tilting his head just as the punch sliced past his face.
A near-miss. But not by accident.
He met the man's eyes, unflinching.
The man grinned. "Well… look at that. You're not just some mouthy brat."
He turned toward the wall and shouted, "Open the gate!"
A deep rumble echoed through the stone as the massive gate began to rise. Three Augmenters—each harnessed to thick glowing ropes—heaved with raw force. The stone door weighed hundreds of tons and was enchanted to resist brute force. But the system worked.
Redmarrow was opening its mouth.
---
They walked through the gate and into the city of blood and steel.
The town was alive. Loud. Brutal. Organized chaos pulsed in every corner.
Raiders moved through the wide stone streets—some in gleaming armor, others in tattered cloaks. There were stalls trading rune weapons, cursed relics, and preserved beast parts. Mounted cannons rotated slowly atop lookout towers. Steam vents and smoke stacks hissed beside alchemy pits and glowing sigil shops.
A skeletal beast ribcage hung as an archway near the marketplace. A giant blade was buried in the middle of a square—used as a bench by two laughing Augmenters.
Valerius took it all in with wide eyes.
The gatekeeper smirked. "Walk straight down that road. Raiders' Hall is at the end. That's where you register."
Kurgan turned to Luthar. "Go with him."
Luthar groaned. "What? Why me? You do it."
"Because I said so."
"Fine."
The group split off—Mira, Kurgan, Auri, and Zee heading deeper into the town, while Luthar and Valerius turned toward a long, stone building lined with torches and fluttering banners.
---
Raiders' Hall
They stepped inside.
The hall was alive with noise. Dozens of raiders sat or stood around the stone chamber. Some bartered, some sparred, others drank or slept. Giant swords leaned against the walls beside bloody satchels of monster eyes and claws.
It smelled like sweat, and iron.
A rune screen on one wall displayed bounty postings and current active squads. Beside it was a leader board ranking raiders according to beasts kills. A desk stood at the far end, where a bored-looking woman chewed a twig and flipped through registration books.
Valerius's heart thudded once.
Then—
"Valerius," Yelleen whispered in his mind. "I've changed the Gauge, as you asked. The new gauge system is now active."
He froze.
"Ordinary people rank at 1 Star. Each star marks a massive leap in physical and mana capability. The jump from 5 to 6 stars is far greater than from 1 to 5 combined. The same goes for the difference betweem each star. You current level is 4 stars. I recommend you activate it now. Focus."
Valerius focused.
A faint pulse moved through his vision as stars began to appear—soft glowing markers hovering near each person in the hall.
He scanned the room.
"The lowest is… three stars," he murmured.
Most of the raiders pulsed with three or four. A few stood out—five stars, sharp and heavy, their presence like coiled storms.
Valerius's eyes narrowed.
"Damn," he whispered. "These people are strong."
He stepped forward toward the desk.
Luthar glanced sideways. "If you embarrass me, I'm going to pretend I've never seen you."
Valerius didn't even answer.
The registration woman looked down. "Name?"
Valerius looked up. "Lerius."
"We'll measure your mana capacity now."
Luthar scoffed from beside Valerius. "Don't bother. He doesn't have mana."
Her gaze snapped to Valerius, a flicker of surprise breaking through her bored expression. "You're not a gifted one—and you want to become a raider?" She let out a short, humorless laugh. "That's suicide."
Valerius met her eyes, unflinching. "Don't worry about me," he said evenly. "I'll be just fine."
She studied him for another moment, then shrugged. "Your funeral," she muttered, dipping her quill in ink and scratching notes into the registry. With a flick of her wrist, she reached into a battered iron box and pulled out a small, dark metal card. Intricate runes lined its edges, faintly glowing as they settled.
She held it up between two fingers. "This is your Raider's ID. Your starting rank is F," she said, her voice echoing slightly in the hall's stone chamber. "Everyone starts at F, no matter how strong they think they are. You rise in rank by completing tasks, bringing in trophies, or surviving beast waves. You can even skip ranks if you kill powerful beasts."
She flipped the card into his hand. The metal was cold, surprisingly heavy for its size.
"If you lose that ID, you lose your rights as a raider," she continued. "Replacement costs are… steep. Think more narlins than you've ever seen."
Valerius turned the card over in his palm, the faint glimmer of etched runes reflecting in his eyes. "How do I raise my rank?"
"A beast wave should hit soon," she said, voice flat but eyes glinting. "It'll give you a chance to prove yourself."
He hesitated. "Do I have to pay anything now?"
She shook her head. "No. Registration is free. We always need more raiders. The beasts never stop coming."
Valerius slipped the ID into his pocket, straightened, and offered a curt nod. "Thanks."
She smirked faintly, already turning back to her ledgers. "Don't die too quickly, Lerius."
---
Valerius and Luthar stepped out of the Raiders' Hall and found Auri leaning casually against a rusted lamppost. She straightened as they approached, brushing a stray lock of silver hair from her face.
"I've been waiting for you," she said briskly. "Let's go."
They fell into step together, the cracked stones of Redmarrow's streets crunching beneath their boots. The town around them roared with life—clanging smithies, shouting merchants, the constant howl of distant beasts.
Auri kept her eyes forward but leaned just enough toward Luthar to whisper, "We found an inn."
She paused, glancing at Valerius, then dropped her voice even lower. "And… we found someone who claims to know a way to Mazorik."
Valerius's ears twitched. They thought they were being subtle, but he could hear every word. His gaze hardened slightly.
Luthar shot him an annoyed look, then hissed to Auri, "Loose this kid. I still don't understand why Kurgan let him tag along."
Valerius clenched his jaw but kept quiet, focusing instead on the path ahead.
Suddenly, a shout cracked through the air. Two burly raiders stood squared off in the middle of the street, knives half-drawn.
"You lied to me!" one snarled, spit flying from his lips. "That's not the price we agreed on!"
"Price changed," the other man growled, baring yellowed teeth. "World's changing every damn minute."
Before either could lunge, a third figure stepped between them—a tall woman in dark leathers, a single jagged scar slashing down from brow to chin. "Enough!" she barked, voice like iron striking stone. "Fight outside the walls, or don't fight at all."
Both men hesitated, eyes darting to the watchtowers overhead, then backed away, muttering curses.
The trio continued on, weaving past more arguments, roving packs of armored raiders, and stalls piled high with glistening monster parts.
They soon reached a broad stone building with a cracked wooden sign swinging above the door: ACTION HALL. Inside, the noise hit them like a hammer—loud, raucous laughter, the clatter of mugs, and the low thrum of tense conversations.
The hall was a maze of long tables and roaring fireplaces. Raiders of every size and creed leaned over maps, bragged about kills, or exchanged bloodstained coins for scraps of information.
At a corner table near the back, Kurgan sat with Mira, Zee, and a new face—a broad-shouldered man with a face that looked like it had lost a war. Scars crisscrossed his cheeks, nose, and forehead; one eye was milky white, the other cold and sharp.
As Valerius approached, the man's good eye flicked to him. "So this is the runt you picked up," he rasped, voice low and gravelly.
Kurgan grunted. "He's got spine. More than most."
The scarred man snorted. "Spine's good. But it won't keep you breathing when the beasts come."
Auri slipped into a seat beside Mira, gesturing for Luthar and Valerius to do the same. Zee propped her boots on the table, grinning at Valerius. "Welcome to Redmarrow's finest den of thieves, liars, and monster bait."
Mira leaned forward, her eyes deadly serious. "Listen carefully. This place is where information moves faster than blades. We've got a lead—someone here knows a guide willing to take a caravan north. That could get us closer to Mazorik."
Kurgan rapped his knuckles on the table. "But it's risky. The beasts between here and Mazorik make the monsters you've seen so far look like pets."
The scarred man leaned forward, breath smelling of iron and stale ale. "And there's something else. Word is a beast wave's already building out in the Dead Plains. Could hit Redmarrow any day now."
The table fell silent for a moment, the air heavy with the weight of that possibility.
Valerius spoke up, his voice steady. "Then we fight."
The scarred man's eyebrow rose. "Heh. Maybe you've got more than spine, kid."
Zee let out a short laugh. "Look at you, trying to sound heroic."
Mira shot her a glare. "We should pass through the kingdoms, No Mans Land is too dangerous. we leave tonight or we'll be trapped behind the walls when the wave hits."
Kurgan nodded. "We'll rest here for an hour. Get your gear, eat, and be ready to move."
The table scattered into motion, Kurgan stayed with scared man. The din of the hall growing louder around them—like a storm building on the horizon.
---
To Be Continued...