The valley trembled with the sounds of preparation. Red Fang warriors worked feverishly, hauling sharpened stakes and etching defensive runes into the earth. Others coated arrows with alchemical mixtures, their scents sharp in the air. The entire camp was alive with nervous energy, every warrior knowing the Hunters' Legion would be upon them soon.
Reid stood atop a rocky outcrop, his cloak whipping in the wind. The shard in his pack pulsed against his back, its beat quickening with the approaching storm. Each pulse sharpened his senses beyond human limits—he could hear the scratch of runes carved miles away and smell the oil burning in the siege torches.
The Bond's voice came as a low murmur, not the usual scream for violence but something unsettlingly calm. "Feel the world bending around you. This is no curse. This is clarity. Use it, and you will stand above them all."
Kaela approached, her steps silent despite the gravel. Her gaze was hard, but there was a trace of worry in her tone. "You're stronger, but you're… colder. If that thing twists you, who will stop you?"
Reid's voice was steady. "No one will need to. I'm still me. I'll use what I must to keep us alive."
Lira dropped from a ledge, twirling her blade and flashing her trademark smirk. "I like this edge. It's dangerous. You're dangerous."
From the shadows, Mara spoke sharply, arms crossed. "Danger cuts both ways."
Reid didn't argue. His eyes returned to the horizon, where faint red glows flickered in the distance. "They're coming."
The Red Fang leader joined them, her presence commanding. "The traps are set. If they breach our defenses, we'll make them bleed for every inch."
System prompt:
[Quest Updated: Defend the Valley at All Costs]
[Optional Objective: Prevent Legion Engines from Deploying]
As dusk fell, the world seemed to hold its breath. Fires burned low, and the usual sounds of the camp were replaced by silence broken only by the whistle of the wind. Scouts returned pale-faced, reporting the Legion's advance. Their description chilled even the bravest warriors: engines glowing with unstable energy, soldiers marching in perfect unison like a single, living machine.
Kaela adjusted her armor, her jaw tight. "This will be worse than before. They won't stop until everything here is ash."
Reid's hand tightened on Veil Rend, feeling the weapon's hum align with the shard's pulse. "Then we make sure they choke on their own fire."
The Bond's voice drifted through his mind, eerily soft. "When they come, let go of restraint. Show them what hunts in the dark."
A faint vibration rolled through the ground, followed by a distant metallic groan. The first Legion horns blared across the valley, their sound unnatural and cold. Red Fang warriors gripped their weapons tighter, hearts pounding.
The leader raised her spear high, voice cutting the night. "Warriors! Tonight we fight for our lives and our freedom! Stand ready!"
The Hunters' Legion appeared over the ridge, black armor gleaming under the moonlight. Their march shook the earth, and the sight of the towering siege engines lit with glowing glyphs stole the breath from the defenders. For a heartbeat, the valley was silent. Then the engines roared.
The first wave of arrows and spears from the Red Fang rained down, finding gaps in the Legion's formation. But the enemy pressed on, unflinching. The barricades shuddered under their assault as glyph-charged weapons struck like hammers.
Reid launched himself into the fray, moving faster than the eye could follow. Veil Rend cut through the first line with brutal precision, his strikes laced with the shard's dark energy. Whispers clawed at his mind, urging him to go further. "Break them. Tear them apart. Leave nothing standing."
Kaela fought beside him, her spear spinning in lethal arcs. Lira's laughter rang out amid the chaos as she darted through enemy ranks, while Mara's arrows flew relentlessly, each one finding a mark.
Then the first engine fired. A blast of searing glyph energy tore through a barricade, scattering warriors like leaves in a storm. The second engine prepared to fire, its runes glowing ominously.
System prompt:
[Objective Updated: Destroy the Siege Engines Before the Walls Fall]
Reid looked at the burning breach, then to the engines. "I'm going after them."
Kaela grabbed his arm. "You'll die out there alone!"
Reid pulled free, eyes blazing. "Then stay behind if you're afraid."
The Bond's tone twisted into a sharp whisper. "Yes, host. Let them fear you. Let them see the storm they unleashed."
With a surge of speed, he vanished into the chaos, heading straight for the first engine.
Reid raced through the chaos, his boots striking the ground in rhythmic bursts that blended with the roar of battle. Legion soldiers tried to close ranks, but he slipped through them like a shadow, each swing of Veil Rend carving paths through their defenses. The shard's energy coursed through his body, amplifying every movement until he felt unstoppable.
The Bond whispered, voice low and almost mocking. "They form walls because they fear what waits beyond. Show them that walls are nothing."
Kaela and Lira pushed after him despite the onslaught, cutting down enemies to keep his path clear. Mara's arrows whistled overhead, precise shots dropping soldiers who tried to surround them.
The first engine towered ahead, its glowing glyphs preparing to fire another devastating blast. Reid's vision narrowed, and he leapt onto its metal frame. Sparks flew as enemy defenders lunged at him, but each was dispatched with ruthless efficiency. The Bond's voice hummed with approval. "Strike the heart."
Veil Rend plunged into the core, ripping through the glyph patterns. A surge of unstable energy erupted, flinging him clear as the engine exploded in a violent plume of fire. He hit the ground hard but rolled to his feet, adrenaline drowning out the pain.
Lira's laughter rang out as she fought her way toward him. "That's one! Think you can keep up this pace, hero?"
The second engine began to charge. Kaela shouted, "They're aiming at the barricades! Move!"
Reid didn't hesitate. He charged headlong through the enemy line, the shard's corruption burning brighter with every step. Soldiers tried to block him, but their blades slowed as the darkness around him seemed to sap their strength. His strikes became blurs of destruction.
The Bond murmured, this time almost tender. "Yes… feed me. Every cut, every scream, it makes us whole."
He reached the engine, clashing with a squad of elite guards. Their glyph weapons sparked violently, forcing him to dodge and counter with relentless precision. Kaela vaulted into the fray beside him, her spear piercing through one guard as Lira took down another. Together, they opened the way.
Reid climbed the machine's side, ignoring the heat radiating from its runes. With a single, focused strike, he pierced its core. The explosion tore the night apart, flames lighting the valley as debris rained down.
System prompt:
[Objective Complete – Two Siege Engines Destroyed]
[Hidden Effect: Shard Influence Intensifies]
Reid staggered, clutching his arm as black veins pulsed visibly beneath the skin. Kaela caught him, her voice urgent. "You're pushing too far!"
He shook free, his voice colder. "I'm not stopping."
The third engine's runes flared dangerously, preparing its most powerful shot yet. Enemy troops rallied around it in a desperate attempt to hold the line.
The Bond's voice rose, layered and resonant. "Finish it. Let them see what true power is."
Reid's grip tightened on Veil Rend. He didn't wait for backup. He sprinted toward the final engine, every step echoing with the storm inside him.
The third siege engine loomed over the battlefield like a towering predator, its runes pulsing erratically as if aware of its imminent destruction. Legion soldiers formed a dense ring around it, their movements sharp and disciplined. Unlike the previous lines, these warriors did not hesitate; they moved as one, creating a wall of steel that shifted to counter every advance.
Reid slowed his pace just enough to analyze their formation. His heartbeat thudded in time with the shard's pulse, and every sense sharpened to unnatural clarity. The Bond's voice emerged not as a shout, but as a chilling whisper. "They know fear. They hide it well, but it drips from them. Peel it away."
He stepped forward, eyes glowing faintly, and the soldiers reacted instantly, closing ranks. Their glyphs shimmered in the air, forming a barrier that pulsed like a living thing. Instead of charging recklessly, Reid circled them, searching for a weakness.
Kaela and Lira appeared on either side of him, battered but unbroken. "You're not taking that thing alone," Kaela said, her voice steady despite the chaos.
Lira twirled her blade with a grin. "Besides, this looks fun."
The commander of the Legion emerged from behind the shield wall, spear raised, his armor scorched from their last encounter. "You should have stayed down, Veylan. This ends here."
Reid smirked faintly. "You keep saying that."
The soldiers advanced in perfect synchronization, their barrier shimmering with reinforced glyphs. Every arrow Mara fired cracked the barrier slightly, and each strike from Kaela's spear widened hairline fractures. Reid waited until the moment the formation shifted—and then he struck.
He moved like a shadow cutting through moonlight, Veil Rend smashing into the barrier with a burst of dark energy. The shield flickered violently, and the Bond's voice surged with an almost giddy undertone. "Good. Again. Break it completely."
Kaela and Lira dove into the gap he created, tearing the formation apart from within. Soldiers faltered, and for the first time, fear gleamed in their eyes. Mara's arrows found exposed joints, toppling defenders one by one. The shield wall collapsed under their combined assault, leaving the third engine exposed.
The Legion commander roared and lunged, spear clashing against Veil Rend in a storm of sparks. Their duel shook the ground, each strike heavier than the last. The commander's movements were precise and unyielding, but Reid's were unpredictable, driven by the shard's energy and the Bond's whispers.
With a feint and a vicious upward slash, Reid shattered the spear, sending the commander sprawling to the ground. He hesitated for a heartbeat, the Bond urging him to finish the kill. "End him. No mercy."
Instead, Reid turned toward the engine. "You'll live to watch me destroy your last hope."
The third engine's core flared, preparing a blast that would obliterate everything in its path. Reid sprinted, leaping onto its structure as Kaela and Lira fought off the last of the defenders. Mara's final volley struck key glyphs, weakening the machine just enough.
Climbing to the top, Reid planted Veil Rend deep into the core. The shard's corruption surged through him, merging with the engine's unstable energy. For a moment, everything went silent as light swallowed the world.
The explosion ripped the night apart, a pillar of fire consuming the engine and sending shockwaves through the valley. Reid was thrown into the dirt, the impact leaving him gasping. The black veins under his skin glowed faintly, the corruption pulsing stronger than ever.
System prompt:
[Objective Complete – All Siege Engines Destroyed]
[Hidden Effect: Corruption Stage Two Achieved]
Kaela rushed to his side, shaking his shoulders. "Reid! Stay with me!"
He forced himself to his feet, his voice steady but distant. "It's done. The engines are gone."
The Bond laughed softly, not with rage but with satisfaction. "See how they fall before us? You are the storm, host. Nothing can stand against you."
The remaining Legion soldiers broke and fled, their morale shattered. Red Fang warriors roared in victory, though their cheers wavered as they stared at the dark glow clinging to their champion.
Reid stood amid the wreckage, the shard's pulse matching his own. For the first time, he wondered who was truly in control.