Chapter 7 – The Breakout of Saltspire
Saltspire's underbelly stank of sweat, blood, and machinery. A place where lives were bartered like scraps. Kael had seen enough.
Days passed since the acquisition of the twenty-one hybrids. Serrin worked tirelessly to stabilize their bodies while Kael plotted something far riskier than rescue—rebirth.
The hideout's stone chamber pulsed with energy as Codex conduits glowed faintly. Drakeclaw stood near Kael, now walking upright without assistance. His gaze was sharp, even if his body still bore the evidence of a hundred wars.
"Some of them won't survive," Serrin warned.
"They survive," Kael said. "Or we make it mean something."
That night, scouts reported Writ Hunters combing the outer sectors of Saltspire. Word had spread. Someone had stolen living property. Kael moved fast.
They escaped at dawn.
The group, battered and loosely armed, moved through the ruins east of Saltspire. But Kael had anticipated pursuit—and traps. They encountered a hunter group first. Five Writ Enforcers with shock lances and Codex-bonded hybrids.
Kael struck first.
The skirmish was brutal. Serrin threw gas charges. Drakeclaw disarmed a hybrid brute with a single shoulder slam. One of the broken, a quiet hybrid with twin spike-arms, rammed a Writ Enforcer through his armor.
Two of Kael's rescued fell.
And one—RASK—was nearly torn in half saving another.
"Rask's down!" Serrin called. "Bleeding bad!"
Kael moved on instinct. He activated his Codex and transferred a stored upgrade—the one meant for emergency revival. Rask's Codex surged, stabilizing. He was alive, but unconscious.
"Get him out of here," Kael barked.
They pushed through collapsed alleyways and bone-choked crevices. Saltspire's eastern wall was broken from a past siege, and beyond it lay the old harbor ruins—long since picked clean.
But Kael had a lead.
They reached an abandoned Codex cache buried beneath a collapsed shrine. Inside, crates lined with hybrid-compatible weapons shimmered beneath tarps: pulse scythes, reinforced vambraces, and a gene-locked shieldpack.
Kael grinned. "Arm them."
Drakeclaw and a few others geared up quickly. Serrin calibrated the syncs while Kael stood sentinel.
Outside, more hunters were closing in. Time was running out.
Kael turned to three of the broken—those who had fought with uncanny resilience. One had shielded three others with his bare body, another tore through a metal gate to save the injured, and the third moved like smoke and spoke only once—before driving her claws into an enforcer's eyes.
He pointed.
"You three. Step forward."
They did.
Drakeclaw saluted with his bloodied fist.
The shield-bearer spoke first, voice deep but composed. "Don't care what you call me. I'll stand where I'm needed."
Kael nodded. "Ironmark."
The silent one bowed. "Name's earned," she whispered.
Kael replied, "You've earned it. Whisper-Vow."
The last stood tall, breathing like a beast.
"Dreadmaw," Kael said. "Because you made them fear."
They accepted their names without question.
The storm hit moments later.
Kael led the charge. Whisper-Vow moved like a phantom, slashing silently. Ironmark stood firm, shielding two others from a rail shot. Dreadmaw bit down on a hybrid's throat and shattered its spine with a single motion.
They broke free.
When they returned to the hideout, the air was still thick with smoke and blood. But Kael walked tall, dragging a new gene-lock rifle over his shoulder.
Rask lay stabilized. Drakeclaw stood guard.
Kael looked at the survivors.
"You fought. You endured. Now you rise."
They cheered—not with voices—but in silence. Eyes alive with purpose.
[Codex File: Dreadmaw – Reborn Vanguard]
Classification: Hybrid Class-Beta
Genetic Base: Allosaurus / Gorilla / African Wild Dog (Reconstructed)
Designation Status: Upgraded
New Traits: Burst Piston Forelimbs, Synthbone-Fused Jaw System
Notes: Received Echo-grade enhancements. Officially recognized among Kael's elite as the foremost brawler. Exhibits fierce loyalty and combat adaptability.
[Codex File: Ironmark – Bulwark Commander]
Classification: Hybrid Class-Beta
Genetic Base: Ankylosaurus / Pachycephalosaurus / Human Variant
Designation Status: Upgraded
New Traits: Magnetic Shield Array, Shock Displacement Gland
Notes: Coordinates unit defense maneuvers with high efficiency. Now capable of tanking hybrid-class assaults. Often seen acting as frontline wall for Kael's forces.
[Codex File: Whisper-Vow – Phantom of the Ash Crown]
Classification: Hybrid Class-Beta
Genetic Base: Deinonychus / Python / Night Gecko
Designation Status: Upgraded
New Traits: Neuro-Shadow Cloak, Reflex Enhancer Webbing
Notes: Utilized for infiltration and silent kill missions. Unmatched in silent mobility. Displays unnerving reverence to Kael; functions as both scout and guardian.
Author's Note:
Not all victories are loud. Some are forged in alleyways, under flickering neon, by those the world forgot.
Kael's army grows—not through conquest, but belief.
From ash we rise. From genes we conquer.
— EchoWomb