The makeshift command post lay just off the ruined bridge: tarps stretched between shrine poles, flickering lanterns, and prayer mats scattered around. The team—seven of them, primary and local guards alike—checked their gear. Ash-thorn bracers glowed faintly; Glacier Thread wrapped Dhani's arm; Vajrapath pulsed at the center table beside the drone core.
Arjun stood before his companions:
Varun – Demolition & Trap Specialist
Dhani – Elementalist & Defensive Anchor
Ravi – Precision Sharpshooter
Meher – Heavy Ordinance & Suppressive Fire
Tapan – Drone Specialist
Suraj – Logistics & Medical Liaison
The Child – Junior Diplomatic Anchor
He exhaled slowly. "Today, the tide comes again. This time it's twice as fierce."
The roar carried across the river—no longer a whisper but a promise of violence.
Before engaging, Arjun opened his interface:
🔹 Level: 13 → 14🔹 Stat Points: +5 (for distribution)🔹 Skill Points: +2🔹 Tier II Skills Available (2 SP each)
He assigned stats:– Strength +2 → 34– Endurance +1 → 29– Awareness +1 → 26– Willpower +1 → 21
He chose Tier II skills:
Earthbreaker Stance (2 SP) – Spear heavy-hits shock the ground, knocking enemies off balance
Aura of Command (Passive, 0 SP) – +15% ally defense briefly after using any skill
He confirmed, feeling the weapon hum stronger: a surge of raw possibility.
Now ritual complete, Arjun turned to his team:
Varun – command of trap circuits on bridge flanks
Dhani – elemental perimeter control
Ravi & Meher – rooftop sharpshooter nexus
Suraj & The Child – frontline medic, evac guidance
Tapan – drone overhead
Tapan's face lit.
"I've got a new skill: Drone Mastery Tier I – each personal level up grants +1 drone capacity, plus a new combat drone: Earth Drone, heavy-damage specialist."He tapped the core—eight drones now with an Earth Drone newly charged.
Arjun nodded. "You're up. Lead the sky."
Across the morning haze, the hunger came back—like dark tide crashing.
🔴 Ravager Horde Detected: 2× Past Strength (~2,000)🔴 Goal: Hold the Bridge at All Costs🛡️ MC Reward: +2,000 AC upon success
A roar shook the bridge. They steadied.
Net charges snapped. Glaciers lurched. Flare-drones lit up the sky. Ravagers fell by the dozens.
More brutal, more hungry. Varun's bracers pulsed with each net trigger. Dhani's chains iced blood in the morning sun. Ravens of bullets cracked. Tapan released the Earth Drone—a low-flying assault craft that crashed into an incoming Ravager, bursting it in molten shock.
With each kill, Arjun felt Earthbreaker reverberate; his stance solidified, pulse rhythmic with Vajrapath's whispers.
The Earth shook.
Ironjaw Ravager Alpha stormed onto the bridge—jawplates clicking, metal plating scorched.
Ravi's shot cracked its ear; Meher's grenade raid peppered its back; Dhani's chains snapped in cooling blasts. Varun detonated flank nets. Tapan's Earth Drone carved its ribs with reinforced strikes.
Arjun stepped forward. He triggered Earthbreaker Stance—the ground quaked as he struck the bridge floor. A shockwave erupted, pushing creatures off balance. He vaulted forward, blade aimed at the Alpha's jaw. The beast roared, turning heavy. Arjun met him with aura summoned strength. Auric shimmer flashed as the shielded bridge line held.
He staggered the Alpha. In unison, his team pressed forward. Dhani's frost spikes pinned its legs. Ravager buckled. Arjun followed with a guardian thrust—Vajrapath through jaw and heart. The monster fell. Silence crushed the tide.
Hushed relief followed dawn.
System Update:– Horde Repelled– +1,500 XP All– MC Only +2,000 Apocalypse Coins (Total AC: 10,050)– Title Awarded: Bridgebreaker Champion– Vajrapath Earthquake Burst Unlocked– Tier II Skills Confirmed
Tapan's grin was wide—drones hovering in salute. Dhani exhaled ice crystals. Varun's bracers glowed. Ravi and Meher touched the Alpha's remains reverently. Suraj gently comforted the child. Arjun placed Vajrapath's butt to the wood—spear planted like a flag.
He looked north.
"The road is clear. Ayodhya awaits. And after that... home."
Their victory served as a hinge point: they would reclaim what was lost. But together.
He raised his hand.
"Move out."
The engines growled. They drove north under the morning's golden promise, carrying the echoes of a bridge saved—and a future earned.