The city hadn't calmed since the council's retreat. Smoke curled from half-collapsed towers, streets cracked under the weight of unstable magic, and the air shimmered where relic energy lingered like a fever. Every corner seemed to hum with tension, and the Red Fang worked tirelessly to stabilize their defenses.
Kaela coordinated the rebuilding, but every shout of order was met with wary glances from warriors who had witnessed Reid's growing power. Their respect was shadowed by fear.
Reid stood apart, the black-marked coin glinting faintly in his hand. Its pulse had grown stronger since the last battle, almost as if it reacted to the city's chaos. The Bond's voice crawled through his mind. "The coin calls to what is already inside you. Use it, and you will know what you've become."
Mara approached, bow in hand. "You've been staring at that thing for hours. It's not just a coin, is it?"
Reid closed his fingers around it. "It's a key. The question is… to what?"
Scouts returned from the outskirts with grim faces. "The council's regrouping. They're not just massing soldiers—they're digging up something beneath their stronghold. Something old."
Kaela's frown deepened. "Another weapon?"
Lira leaned casually on her blades. "Whatever it is, I say we smash it before they finish."
The Bond's tone was low, almost pleased. "Old things awaken when chains break. They dig up their doom."
Reid looked toward the distant horizon, where faint glows marked the council's territory. "If they want to unearth old nightmares, we'll be there to bury them again—or use them."
That night, the coin pulsed so strongly it woke him from restless sleep. Shadows coiled around the room, and from them stepped the messenger once more. Their voice was smooth, almost amused. "You hesitate. Why?"
Reid rose slowly, Veil Rend at his side. "Because I don't trust you."
The messenger tilted their head. "You don't need to trust us. You need only decide if you wish to keep fighting with broken weapons while your enemy sharpens their blades."
Kaela, awakened by the shift in air, grabbed her spear and stepped between them. "Get out. Whatever you're offering, we're not taking it."
The messenger ignored her. "The council prepares to unleash what they cannot control. When they do, it will burn everything—including you. My master can help you claim it before they do."
The Bond growled, a dangerous rumble. "Lies, host. They want what lies beneath, not for you, but for themselves."
Reid studied the messenger's shadowed face. "What does your master want in return?"
The messenger's smile was a blade. "Only what you have already promised to break."
With that, they melted into the dark, leaving the coin pulsing violently in Reid's palm.
The following day, the Red Fang began readying their forces. Siege defenses were reinforced, and traps were laid in the warped streets. Reid moved among them, silent but commanding. Whispers followed him—praise and fear in equal measure.
Kaela approached, wiping sweat from her brow. "You're keeping too many secrets. If you keep this up, even the Red Fang will turn on you."
Reid met her eyes. "Then they can try."
Lira stepped in with a teasing smile. "Don't look at me. I'm not leaving. You're too interesting to walk away from."
Mara's voice was sharp. "This isn't a game, Lira."
Lira only winked. "Who said it was?"
System prompt:
[Quest Updated: Intercept the Council's Dig Site]
[Optional Objective: Decide Whether to Use the Messenger's Guidance]
Reid clenched the coin until its edges bit into his skin. "Whatever they're digging up, we'll get to it first."
The Red Fang moved under cover of night, slipping through the fractured streets toward the outskirts where the council's excavation churned up the earth. The air thickened with relic energy the closer they came, and the ground trembled as if something massive stirred below.
Kaela crouched behind a collapsed wall, scanning the dig site. "They've fortified it. Glyph cannons on the ridges, sentries at every approach."
Mara knelt beside her, bowstring drawn. "And that's not all. Look there—" She pointed to a pit in the center, where chains snaked into the darkness. Workers—half soldiers, half mages—poured power into glowing runes.
Lira smirked. "Guess they're waking up something nasty."
The Bond whispered with a mixture of fear and hunger. "The thing below has teeth older than their council. Host, if they wake it, the city will drown in its shadow."
Reid's grip tightened on Veil Rend. "Then we don't let them finish."
The Red Fang split into squads, Kaela leading one flank, Lira slipping through the shadows, Mara covering from above. Reid strode openly toward the pit, his presence enough to draw the attention of the guards. The first volley of arrows hissed through the air, only to burn away as relic fire surged around him.
Kaela's spear shattered a glyph cannon's core, sending shards raining down. Lira cut through a line of mages with a grin, vanishing before their spells struck. Mara's arrows pierced the sentries on the ridges, each shot precise.
Reid advanced without slowing, every step burning the ground faintly beneath him. The Bond's voice coiled around his thoughts. "Yes, host, break them before they break you."
The council's commander emerged from the pit, clad in blackened armor streaked with glowing chains. His voice carried across the battlefield. "You dare interfere with what you don't understand!"
Reid's eyes burned. "I understand enough."
The commander raised his hand, and the runes around the pit flared violently. From below came a deafening roar, and the ground split open. A massive form rose from the depths—an ancient chain-beast, its body fused with relic fragments, eyes blazing with cold light.
The Bond screamed in Reid's head. "Host! Kill it before it remembers what it was!"
System prompt:
[Major Threat Detected – Ancient Chain-Beast Awakened]
[Optional Objective: Prevent the Beast from Breaking Containment]
The beast lunged, chains snapping like whips. Reid dodged, countering with a strike that seared a glowing scar across its hide. Kaela drove her spear into its flank, anchoring herself as the creature thrashed. Lira vaulted onto its back, cutting deep into its bindings while laughing wildly. Mara's arrows struck its eyes, forcing it to stagger.
The commander fought with deadly precision, his blade striking with bursts of rune energy. Reid parried, their weapons clashing in a storm of sparks and shadow. The Bond urged him on, voice almost desperate. "More! Burn them all, host! Do not hold back!"
As the beast roared again, the pit erupted with unstable magic, warping the battlefield. Runes exploded, debris floated, and the air tore with energy. Reid felt the relic fire surge to a dangerous level, whispering promises of absolute power.
The ancient chain-beast's roar shattered the night, a sound so deep it made the ground quake and the sky tremble. The remnants of the council's forces scattered in terror, but the creature's glowing eyes fixed on Reid and the Red Fang. Its massive body radiated waves of relic energy that warped the air around it, bending light and twisting sound.
Kaela shouted over the chaos. "Reid! We need to bring it down before it breaks free completely!"
Reid stood his ground, the relic flames burning hotter along his veins. "Then we end this now."
The Bond's voice surged with manic urgency. "Host, this thing remembers gods. It remembers killing them. Strike first or be devoured!"
The beast charged, its chains lashing out in a deadly storm. Reid met its first strike with Veil Rend, the clash releasing a shockwave that flung debris across the battlefield. Kaela speared a whipping chain, anchoring it to the ground just long enough for Lira to slice through it, sending the beast howling.
Mara fired arrow after arrow, her shots guided by instinct, piercing the runes that glowed along its spine. "The runes! They're controlling its power—break them!"
Reid vaulted onto the beast's back, cutting through glowing links that sparked with violent energy. The creature bucked wildly, shaking the earth with every movement. The Bond roared in his head, "Yes! Tear it apart link by link!"
The council commander reappeared, his armor cracked, wielding a blade overflowing with rune energy. "You will not take it from us!" He charged Reid with feral intensity, each strike burning the air.
Reid clashed with him atop the thrashing beast, sparks and flames lighting the night. "It's not yours to keep." With a final surge of relic fire, Reid shattered the commander's weapon and drove him from the beast, sending him crashing into the pit below.
The beast reared, roaring in rage as its bindings unraveled.
Kaela called out, "Reid! Now!"
He channeled every ounce of energy into Veil Rend, the blade blazing with a storm of blue-black fire. The Bond's voice screamed—not in fear, but in triumph. "Finish it, host! Show them your strength!"
With one final strike, Reid cut through the beast's core rune. The explosion of light was blinding, tearing through the dig site and sending shockwaves far across the city. The ancient creature let out a final roar before collapsing into a storm of disintegrating chains and fading light.
System prompt:
[Major Threat Eliminated – Ancient Chain-Beast Destroyed]
[Hidden Effect: Residual Essence Absorbed]
When the light faded, the battlefield was silent. The pit lay in ruins, the council's forces scattered or dead. The Red Fang regrouped, bloodied but alive. Whispers ran through the survivors as they watched Reid standing amid the wreckage, flames still burning faintly along his veins.
Kaela approached, her voice hoarse. "It's over… for now."
Reid looked at the faintly pulsing coin in his hand, its glow stronger than ever. "No. This was just the beginning."
The Bond purred with satisfaction. "You grow, host. You are becoming what they fear."
Mara scanned the horizon, unease plain on her face. "The council won't forgive this. They'll come back stronger."
Lira leaned on her blades, smirking despite the exhaustion. "Good. I was starting to get bored."
Reid turned toward the distant lights of the council's stronghold. "Let them come. We're not done yet."