The river mist clung to the earth like a shroud, muffling sound and cloaking movement. Dawn had only just broken, but the tension was already taut as a bowstring. Sky-Torn crouched on the bank with painted face and heart hammering in his chest. The System's mark burned faintly at his sternum, reminding him that this day—this skirmish—was no accident of fate. It was the fulfillment of prophecy, the first trial in blood that would define the path ahead.
[Quest: First Clash]Objective: Drive back the intruders.Reward: +100 Villain Points. Unlock: Corruption Seed.Failure: Loss of tribal morale. Future quests will bear doubled cost.
The words gleamed across his inner vision, and though no other warrior could see them, Sky-Torn felt the System's decree weighing heavier than the stone-headed war club in his grip.
On the opposite bank, the colonizers stirred their camp. Their tents—stitched of canvas like pale animal hides—squatted in neat rows. The smoke from their cooking fires rose thin and straight into the pale sky. Even at a distance, Sky-Torn could sense their arrogance, the assumption that this land had already bent beneath their boots.
Behind him, the war band shifted. Painted warriors—his kin and allies from clans who had argued bitterly in council—stood united now in silence. Even Wounded Bear, who distrusted Sky-Torn at every turn, had agreed to this strike. Too much game had been hunted from the forests near the camp. Too many trees felled for their strange square houses.
A raven called thrice. That was the signal.
Sky-Torn whispered the chant of ash and blood, pressing a smear of ochre across his brow. The System pulsed.
[Villainy Ritual Detected]Convert ritual into Fate Manipulation?
Yes.
The moment he willed assent, the mist thickened unnaturally. It coiled across the river, a shifting veil that blinded the colonizers and masked the advance of his people. The warriors slipped into the water with barely a ripple, crossing like shadows. Sky-Torn felt the surge of forbidden power and the cold kiss of its cost.
The first clash came sudden. A sentry shouted, musket raised. The thunder of his shot shattered the morning calm. One of the younger warriors fell with a scream, but the others surged forward. Clubs and spears struck before the enemy could reload. Sky-Torn was among them, his war club shattering a wooden stock, his hand wrenching the iron barrel aside.
The colonizers fought back with steel. Their blades caught the sun as it rose, spilling cruel light across the melee. Men shouted in tongues Sky-Torn only half understood, voices sharp with fear and fury.
For every colonizer felled, another pushed forward. But the mist confused them. They struck at shadows, their lines faltering. Sky-Torn seized the chance. He raised his voice, calling not to his warriors but to destiny itself.
"Break them!"
The System flared:
[Villain Point Trigger]Act of Manipulation: Directing Fate through Command.+15 Villain Points.
His warriors surged with unnatural vigor. They struck like wolves unleashed, breaking the thin line of colonizers and scattering them toward the camp. Tents collapsed beneath trampling feet. Fire caught on spilled powder.
The camp burned.
But the victory carried a bitter edge. As Sky-Torn dragged his war club free from a man's broken chest, his eyes met those of a young colonizer barely old enough for a beard. The boy stumbled back, sword quivering in hand, terror naked on his face. Sky-Torn raised his club—then hesitated.
The System whispered:
Mercy is weakness. Corruption grows only through decisive acts.Optional Bonus: Slay the untested. +10 Villain Points.
For a heartbeat, Sky-Torn faltered. Then a musket roared from behind, and one of his kin crumpled into the flames. The boy had fired.
Sky-Torn finished it with a single blow.
[Villain Points +10]
By the time the sun had climbed high enough to burn away the mist, the colonizer camp was ruin. Bodies lay scattered, fires smoldered, and the survivors fled downriver in their boats, shouting promises of vengeance.
The warriors howled their triumph, but Sky-Torn felt the shadow of the System deepen.
[Quest Complete: First Clash]Reward: +100 Villain Points. Unlock: Corruption Seed (Passive).Your influence now seeps subtly into the hearts of allies, bending their loyalty toward your path… at the cost of trust from others.
He stood amid smoke and blood, the smell of charred wood and powder heavy in his nostrils. His people had won, but this was no end. This was only the beginning. The colonizers would return, with more men, more guns, and more hunger.
The First Clash had been written into prophecy, and now it had been fulfilled.
History would mark this day as the spark of war. And the name Sky-Torn, whispered with awe now, would one day curdle into infamy.