The city still smoldered from the last battle, thick with the scent of scorched metal and ash. Fires flickered in collapsed alleys, casting jagged shadows across the walls. The Red Fang secured a loose perimeter, but their voices were tense, whispers passing from one to another. Reid felt their eyes follow him—not with simple respect, but with the wary edge reserved for something they didn't understand.
Kaela moved through the warriors, issuing orders. When she reached him, her voice was low but firm. "They're holding the line, but they're not sure what to think of you. Half of them think you're the reason we're still standing. The other half think you're why the city's falling apart."
Reid's gaze stayed on the distant fires. "They're both right."
The Bond's voice slid into his mind, mocking. "Let them fear, host. Fear is the first step to obedience."
Lira appeared from the shadows, blades lazily spinning in her hands. "You know," she said with a smirk, "when even the enemy runs from you, it's kind of… impressive."
Kaela shot her a look. "Not the time, Lira."
Reid said nothing, but his hand tightened around the black-marked coin in his pocket. Its energy thrummed against his skin, almost as if it were waiting to be used.
The plaza's fires crackled softly as night deepened. The Red Fang began to settle, tending wounds and fortifying their positions. Mara perched on a collapsed archway, scanning the streets with her bow at the ready. "Quiet," she muttered. "Too quiet."
The words had barely left her mouth when the shadows shifted. A ripple of darkness spilled across the ground, coalescing into the cloaked messenger. Their presence seemed to absorb the light around them.
Kaela immediately stepped forward, spear aimed. "You again."
Reid raised a hand. "Let them speak."
The messenger's hood tilted slightly, as though amused. "You've caused more chaos than even we imagined. My master is impressed. Few can shatter a seal and still walk among the living."
Reid's voice was steady. "Your master wants something from me."
The Bond's snarl cut through his thoughts. "Do not listen. This one drips poison with every word."
The messenger spread their hands slowly, chains of black mist slipping between their fingers. "We offer what you need: knowledge. The council's defenses, their traitors, their weaknesses. In return, you open a door for us. A door only you can break."
Kaela's grip tightened. "And what's behind that door?"
A faint smile played on their lips. "Freedom. Power. The end of chains."
Mara leapt down from the archway, her arrow trained on the messenger. "It's a trap. Everything about this reeks of it."
The Bond growled, its tone full of venom. "The girl is right. They will use you as the key to unleash something worse than the heart you freed."
Lira stepped closer to Reid, a teasing edge to her voice despite the tension. "Sounds like they're offering you a better deal than the council ever did."
Kaela glared at her. "Enough."
Reid studied the messenger, his expression unreadable. "What happens if I refuse?"
The messenger's smile sharpened. "Then you will face the council's wrath alone. And they are readying weapons even your flames cannot burn."
The Bond hissed. "Strike them now. End this game before it begins."
But Reid did not raise his blade. "I'll consider it."
The messenger bowed slightly, shadows coiling at their feet. "That is all we ask. When the time comes, the coin will guide you." They dissolved into mist, leaving the air unnaturally cold.
Kaela stepped up to Reid, her voice trembling with controlled anger. "You can't trust them."
He turned the coin over in his hand, feeling the hum of ancient energy. "Trust isn't required to use someone."
The Bond's voice dripped with contempt. "And they think the same of you. This is the dance of liars."
Mara lowered her bow slowly. "We're being pulled into something we don't understand. This ends badly if you're not careful."
Lira leaned on her blades, grinning. "I say we keep the coin. If it opens something fun, I'm all for it."
The distant drumbeats of the council echoed through the city, louder than before. Reid looked toward the horizon, where firelight flickered against the clouds. "We'll use whatever we need to bring them down."
System prompt:
[Quest Updated: Decide the Fate of the Messenger's Offer]
[Optional Objective: Investigate the Coin's Origin]
The wind shifted, carrying the scent of more battles to come. The Red Fang tightened their formation, the city's broken streets groaning under the weight of the approaching storm.
The night sky cracked with distant thunder, though no storm brewed in the clouds. The sound rolled from the east, where the council's armies gathered. Fires on the horizon flickered like warning beacons, painting the shattered city in red and gold.
Kaela scanned the dark streets below. "They're massing outside the eastern wall. This isn't just another skirmish. They're coming in full force."
Mara crouched on a rooftop, her eyes narrowed as she watched the glow of approaching torches. "I see siege weapons. Glyph cannons. They're bringing their heavy arsenal."
Lira stretched her arms, blades twirling lazily. "Finally, some entertainment."
Reid stood at the plaza's center, Veil Rend resting against the ground. The black-marked coin pulsed faintly in his hand, almost in rhythm with the distant drums. He ignored the Bond's constant muttering and focused on the rising tension.
The Bond finally spoke with a tone of cold anticipation. "Let them come. Their chains will be fuel for us."
Kaela shot him a wary glance. "You're too calm. That coin—whatever it's doing to you, keep it out of this fight."
Reid met her eyes, his voice low. "The coin doesn't control me."
The attack came just before dawn. The ground shook as the council's beasts—massive, chain-bound creatures with glowing cores—charged ahead of the infantry. Their howls echoed through the streets as the soldiers followed, shields raised, glyph-lit spears ready.
Kaela's orders rang out. "Archers, aim for the cores! Melee, hold your positions!"
The Red Fang formed defensive lines, their morale frayed but holding. The citizens who hadn't fled cowered in doorways, watching the battle erupt.
Reid stepped forward, relic fire burning along his veins. The unstable magic in the city pulsed like a heartbeat, responding to his presence. When the first beast lunged, he met it head-on, cleaving through its chain bindings with a single strike. The explosion of blue fire lit up the plaza, sending shockwaves through both armies.
The Bond roared in his mind, exhilarated. "More! Feed the fire!"
Kaela fought beside him, cutting through soldiers with precise strikes. "Reid! Don't overextend!"
Lira danced through the chaos, her laughter sharp as her blades. "Tell him that after he's done showing off!"
Mara's arrows rained from above, piercing glowing runes and disrupting enemy formations. "Focus on the beasts! They're the key to this fight!"
The environment turned against both sides. Roads cracked open, releasing bursts of relic energy. Debris floated unnaturally before crashing down at random, forcing warriors to dodge mid-fight. Some council soldiers were torn apart by their own chain constructs as the magic turned unpredictable.
Reid used the chaos, weaving between hazards as if the magic itself guided him. He cut down a second beast, sending shards of burning chains scattering across the battlefield.
Kaela yelled to the Red Fang, "Use the terrain! Force them into the unstable zones!"
The Red Fang adapted, luring council troops into traps formed by the warped city. Each explosion bought them ground.
The council unleashed its strongest weapon: a towering behemoth wrapped in layers of reinforced chains, its body glowing like molten steel. It tore through buildings as it advanced, crushing everything in its path.
Mara's voice was tight. "We can't hold against that thing."
Lira grinned despite the danger. "Then we cut it to pieces."
Reid's corruption flared, the blue-black fire burning brighter than ever. The Bond's voice was almost ecstatic. "Yes! Take its power. Make it yours."
He leapt onto the behemoth's chains, climbing rapidly as the creature thrashed. Each strike of Veil Rend severed glowing bindings, releasing bursts of energy that burned his skin. Kaela and Lira attacked from below, cutting through weak points to destabilize it.
With a roar, Reid drove his blade into the beast's core. The explosion shattered windows for blocks, collapsing parts of the plaza. When the smoke cleared, the behemoth was nothing but smoldering chains.
System prompt:
[Objective Complete – First Wave Repelled]
[Warning: Corruption Surge Detected]
The surviving council troops retreated, leaving the Red Fang bloodied but victorious. The warriors cheered, though their voices were tinged with fear as they looked at Reid standing amid the wreckage, his veins burning like fire.
Kaela approached slowly, her spear lowered. "Reid… you're scaring them. You're scaring me."
Reid met her gaze, expression cold. "Good. Fear will keep them alive."
The Bond hummed in satisfaction. "You finally understand."
Mara landed nearby, scanning the horizon. "That wasn't their full force. They'll be back."
Lira leaned against a wall, smirking through the blood on her cheek. "Let them come. I'm just getting warmed up."
Reid turned the coin in his hand, its energy stronger than before. "Next time, they'll bring everything they have. And so will we."