The clamor and mixed scents of Wing Shadow Port were quickly left behind. As soon as they left the port town, a starkly different wind assaulted them—harsh with gritty dust and an invisible oppressive force—announcing the arrival of the Rift Wind Plains.
Before them was not the imagined endless flat sea of sand, but a vast wilderness of undulating terrain covered in sparse drought-resistant shrubs and wind-eroded rock pillars. The sky appeared a pale white, scrubbed clean by the wind, with sunlight that was glaring yet not warm. What truly unnerved them was the omnipresent wind—it wasn't a constant roar, but like something alive, sometimes whispering low, sometimes shrieking sharply, unpredictably whipping up dust from all directions, forming streaks of howling yellowish-brown "wind lashes" that scourged the earth and any intruders.
"Activate the 'Rift Wind Walkers'!" "Iron Eye" Jack shouted, his voice distorted in the wind. He skillfully pulled down his windproof goggles and mask from the side pocket of his backpack, smoothly slapping an inconspicuous rune button on the backpack's side. A soft hum sounded, and an invisible force field expanded from the backpack's core. The sand beneath his feet instantly flattened, anchoring him like a nail to the ground. No matter how the gale tore at him, his sleeves flapping noisily, his figure remained unmoved.
Lirian and Gorg quickly activated the gravity stabilizing anchors on their backpacks. Fa, Arya, Yuyuer also immediately followed suit. The moment the gravity stabilizing anchors activated, a steady force surged from beneath their feet, firmly countering the wind pressure that nearly lifted them off the ground. Though their bodies still felt the violent impacts of the wind, at least they could stand firm and move without being completely immobilized.
Tisk, Rex, Kayla, Zhamisi's "Ink Dark Pioneers" backpacks lit up with an extremely faint, nearly transparent halo, like a thin veil, making their figures slightly blurred in the sandstorm.
Jack continued, "Maintain formation! I'll lead the way, Lirian in the middle for sensing, Fa and the others in the center, Kayla and Gorg at the rear! That cat (Salsa), high-altitude vision!" Jack quickly issued orders, his voice piercing through the wind clearly into everyone's ears.
"Meow!" Salsa's mechanical cat body responded, its electronic eyes locking onto the high skies. Almost simultaneously, three shadow falcons, like ghosts merging into the wind, flapped their wings and soared upward, breaking through the low-level sand layer, circling higher to share a broader overhead view of the plains with Salsa.
Under the guidance of the three guides, the team struggled forward against the howling sandstorm. Jack's mechanical prosthetic eye flashed with blue light, constantly scanning the ground ahead and the disturbance patterns in the sand. "Watch left front, thirty degrees! Energy reaction behind the wind-eroded pillar! Something's approaching using the sand as cover!" He growled low, quickly shouldering his "Thunderer" rune rifle, the heat-dissipating runes on the gun beginning to glow faintly.
Lirian closed her eyes,her hands lightly touching the ground, her silver hair dancing in the wind. She emanated a soft aura of life, resonating subtly with this wild and barren land. "...It's Rift Earth Beasts! Three of them! Their auras are chaotic and hungry, lurking beneath the sand!" She opened her eyes, her emerald pupils locking onto the direction Jack indicated, speaking rapidly.
Before the words finished! "Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Three spots of sand less than fifty meters from the team suddenly exploded! Yellow sand erupted like fountains skyward, accompanied by deafening roars, as three massive figures burst from the sand!
Rift Earth Beasts! Their appearance was terrifying: sized like adult giant lizards, covered in thick, rough gray-brown shells resembling rock, with gaps filled with gravel. Their heads were wedge-shaped, without obvious eyes, only a massive mouth occupying most of the head, lined with spiral sharp teeth, now roaring at the team with greed and destructive desire. Their sturdy limbs ended in huge shovel-like claws, clearly experts at digging through soil. Most peculiar were the flickering earthy-yellow crystal cores visible in the gaps of their back shells; as they roared, the surrounding sand seemed invisibly drawn and accelerated, forming small sandstorms swirling around them!
"They're here! Kayla, Gorg! Block their charge! Tisk, intimidate! Rex, drones disrupt! Arya, Yuyuer, ranged suppression! Zhamisi, poison mist ready to delay! Fa, watch for the timing!" Jack roared while already pulling the trigger!
The "Thunderer" emitted a muffled thunderous blast! The muzzle spewed a blazing white energy beam—not pure magic or bullets, but a mix of compressed lightning elements and physical kinetic energy! It targeted straight into the gaping maw of the foremost Rift Earth Beast!
"Roar—!" Kayla could no longer contain her battle intent. Lakas's warning and the bitter training of recent days ignited the wildness in her blood. Facing the horrifying charge of the Rift Earth Beasts, she advanced instead of retreating! A earth-shaking leopard roar erupted from deep in her throat, her bronze skin bulging with muscles like steel cables, blue-white arcs and bone-chilling cold instantly wrapping her arms! "Second Stage · Thunder Claws!"
Boom! Kayla's form swelled in the electric light and cold mist, transforming into a half-human, half-leopard thunder beast! Giant claws covered in ice crystals and lightning tore through the air with a sharp whistle, boldly meeting the leading Rift Earth Beast! She didn't choose a head-on clash of strength; instead, at the moment of contact, the frost power on her thunder claws erupted fiercely!
"Ice Seal · Thunder Claw Heavy Strike!" Crackle—! Bone-chilling cold spread instantly, the Rift Earth Beast's shovel-like foreclaws contacting Kayla's thunder claws, thick shells rapidly forming thick ice layers! The ice spread quickly; though it couldn't fully freeze the massive beast, it stalled its charge momentum sharply, making its movements stiff and slow! Immediately after, Kayla's other thunder claw, carrying thunderous force, smashed viciously into its relatively soft underjaw exposed from roaring!
"Bang!" Lightning exploded, flesh scorched! The Rift Earth Beast let out a pained wail, its massive body staggering backward from the violent force!
Almost simultaneously with Kayla's move, Gorg, the silent beastman giant, acted! His movements lacked Kayla's lightning speed but were filled with mountain-like heaviness and destructive power! "Roar!" A battle cry no less than the Rift Earth Beast's burst from his chest, the two chain-saw war axes on his back already in hand! Buzz—! The piercing chain-saw roar instantly overpowered the wind! The dark red dried substance on the axe blades seemed activated, emitting a scent of sulfur and blood!
He had no fancy techniques, only the most direct, barbaric charge! Heavy footsteps trembled the ground slightly, like a rampaging giant mammoth, meeting another Rift Earth Beast! At the moment of collision, his arm muscles swelled to the extreme, the two roaring chain-saw war axes crossing, carrying mountain-splitting momentum, slashing viciously at the Rift Earth Beast's swinging giant claw!
"Clang—Sizzle!!!" An ear-piercing metal friction and shell-cracking sound exploded! The sharp saw teeth of the chain-saw war axes, driven by immense force, frantically cut and tore the Rift Earth Beast's hard shell! Sparks flew, shell fragments scattered! The Rift Earth Beast's giant claw was brutally hacked open with a huge gash, foul-smelling bodily fluids spurting out! Gorg was also shaken back a step by the recoil, but the ferocity in his eyes intensified; he steadied himself, swung the war axes again, and pounced fiercely, fully trading wounds for wounds, life for life!
"Annoying pests! Taste a dwarf's fury!" Tisk roared, his body erupting with astonishing aura. He didn't charge but planted his feet firmly into the sand (the gravity stabilizing anchor making him steady as a rock), gripping his divine "Lava Core Forged Hammer" with both hands! He raised the war hammer high, dwarven metal magic power surging out, infusing the lava hammer! The hammerhead instantly turned red-hot, emitting lava-like heat waves, dark red light illuminating the surrounding sandstorm!
"Furnace Shock!"
Tisk smashed the lava hammer viciously into the ground at his feet! Not to attack the Rift Earth Beasts, but to shake their very foundation!
Rumble—!
A visible shockwave tinged with lava hues spread fan-like from Tisk as the center! Where the shockwave passed, the sand roiled like boiling water, heaving and cracking! The intense ground tremor and lava force impact made all three Rift Earth Beasts, including the one entangled with Gorg, instantly lose balance, staggering and swaying! Their back earthy-yellow crystal cores flickered violently, and the surrounding sandstorms became utterly chaotic. This strike perfectly disrupted their attack rhythm and control over the sand!
"Nano-swarm! Ion cannon charging!" Rex's cold mechanical voice sounded. The violet glow on his "Leaper" armor flashed behind him, speed surging, instantly teleporting to a safe flank position. Simultaneously, hundreds of silver-gray nano-drones swarmed out like bees from his armor's hidden compartments! These drones, infused with void singularity core energy, had even more erratic and unpredictable flight paths, appearing and disappearing, emitting high-frequency buzzes like annoying venomous bees, densely pouncing on the Rift Earth Beasts' unprotected head areas—the relatively soft skin and sensory pores around their giant mouths! They fired weak energy beams and collided with their bodies; though unable to cause fatal damage, they greatly disrupted the beasts' senses and attention, making them irritably shake their heads and emit angry hisses. Rex's mechanical right arm transformed, the ion cannon muzzle aiming at the crystal core on the back of the most dazed Rift Earth Beast from Tisk's strike, beginning to gather destructive deep blue energy.
"Wind Bind · Flame Arrow!" Arya's voice was clear and steady. She stood in a relatively safe position in the team, the Star Resonance Stone at her neck emitting a warm glow, making her mind exceptionally clear. The Storm Bow was drawn in her hands, the bow body flowing with dual-colored elemental radiance, her elemental affinity reaching new heights after the lava hammer's modification. An arrow wreathed in cyan wind spirals condensed, but the arrowhead compressed highly concentrated orange-red flames! She aimed at the crystal core on the back of the Rift Earth Beast delayed by Kayla's ice claws!
Whoosh—! The wind arrow shot out with a sharp whistle! At the moment of approaching the target, the wind spirals on the arrow expanded fiercely, turning into several tough wind chains—not for direct attack, but cleverly wrapping and pulling the Rift Earth Beast's back crystal core that controlled the sand! At the same time, the compressed flames at the arrowhead erupted explosively! Not a wide-range blast, but like a precise flame drill, under the wind bind's fixation, viciously drilling into the connection between the crystal core and the shell!
"Hiss-Ang—!" The Rift Earth Beast let out a shrill scream, its back crystal core flickering violently, the surrounding sandstorm collapsing by more than half! The connection was scorched black by the high heat!
Yuyuer, meanwhile, was somewhat frustrated. In this dry and violent Rift Wind Plains, his water-based magic was greatly suppressed by the environment. Surging waves were out of the question here. But his eyes narrowed, raising the Dragon Bone Gem Staff, light flowing in the crystal orb. "Hmph, even without water, don't underestimate a fishman's wisdom! Illusion Tide · Sand Shadow Maze!" He infused mental power into the crystal orb, combining his newly learned illusions, targeting the third Rift Earth Beast injured by Gorg and dazed by Tisk's strike.
Strange fluctuations spread out. In that Rift Earth Beast's chaotic senses, the surrounding sand scenery suddenly twisted and transformed! The flat sand seemed to become swirling quicksand vortices, nearby wind-eroded pillars turned into ferocious giant beast shadows, even Gorg's wildly swinging chain-saw war axes morphed into several illusory shadows in its eyes, making it hard to discern the real attack trajectories! This sudden sensory confusion made the already injured Rift Earth Beast even more panicked and disorganized, its attacks and dodges becoming utterly chaotic, allowing Gorg to seize the opportunity and slash viciously into the neck shell gap with an axe, blood gushing like a fountain!
"Poison Blade - Shadow Binding!" Zhamisi shouted, her figure sliding like a ghost to the battlefield's edge. Her waist dual blades "Venom Fangs" now flowed with nearly liquid, flickering dark purple halo venom! She didn't directly attack the Rift Earth Beasts' hard shells but crossed her blades in a swing! The ink-green poison mist was no longer a barrier but skillfully controlled by her, like living venomous snakes, rapidly spreading along the sand, instantly wrapping the three Rift Earth Beasts' relatively vulnerable joints and wounds! This abyss lord venom gland-enhanced poison not only carried strong corrosiveness but also contained the deep sea's heaviness and delaying power! The Rift Earth Beasts' movements visibly slowed and stiffened, wounds emitting sizzling corrosion sounds, roaring in pain.
The entire battle unfolded in a flash! The guides' warnings, the Fa team's tacit coordination and powerful outbursts instantly suppressed the three ferocious Rift Earth Beasts!
"Now! Rex!" Fa called low, the depths of her right eye pupil suddenly accelerating the stars' rotation! An invisible and terrifying fluctuation locked onto the Rift Earth Beast heavily damaged by Arya's wind-fire arrow and wrapped in Zhamisi's venom. She didn't choose wide-range time stagnation—that cost was too great. Instead, she precisely compressed and condensed the power!
"Star Eye · Eternal Instant!" Buzz!
An invisible ripple spread from Fa as the center, but the influence range was extremely small, precisely enveloping only the target Rift Earth Beast's head area! The flow of time in the small space around its head was forcibly stagnated for less than half a second! This half-second felt like eternity to it, its gaping maw, shaking head, even pained expression frozen!
This half-second was enough for Rex!
"Ion Cannon · Pierce!" Rex's cold voice rang out. The already fully charged ion cannon muzzle glowed deep blue to the extreme! A condensed beam only arm-thick yet emanating destructive aura tore through the air with a piercing whistle, precisely shooting into the Rift Earth Beast's maw that couldn't close due to time stagnation! The beam met no resistance, piercing straight through, bursting out from the hard rear skull shell, carrying a plume of scorched flesh, brain matter, and smoke!
Thud! The Rift Earth Beast's massive body collapsed heavily, twitching a few times before going completely still.
Fa grunted, a needle-like sharp pain stabbing her right eye, the edges of her vision flashing countless shattered void noise points. She endured the discomfort, her face slightly pale. This extremely precise localized time stagnation placed a mental load far beyond her estimate. Arya immediately sensed her soul's fluctuation sensitively, glancing at her with concern.
With the leader instantly killed, the remaining two Rift Earth Beasts fell into panic. Kayla and Gorg's pressure eased greatly, their assaults becoming even fiercer. Jack seized the opportunity, the "Thunderer" firing continuous bursts, energy beams precisely blasting into the crack on another Rift Earth Beast's back crystal core! Bang! The crystal core shattered, that Rift Earth Beast's sand control ability completely vanished, wailing as Kayla's violent ice-thunder combos tore open its throat.
The last Rift Earth Beast, confused by Yuyuer's illusions and eroded by Zhamisi's venom, under Gorg's storm-like chain-saw war axe hacks, its massive body soon covered in gruesome wounds, finally bisected by Gorg's powerful heavy slash, collapsing with a boom.
The sandstorm still howled, but the battle's roars and beast cries had subsided. The three Rift Earth Beasts' corpses lay on the sand, quickly covered by the wind. The air was filled with the pungent smells of blood, scorch, and venom.
Jack holstered the smoking "Thunderer," his mechanical prosthetic eye scanning the battlefield, then carefully looking at each member of the Fa team, especially Kayla who had erupted with astonishing power, the terrifyingly precise Rex, and the somewhat pale Fa, his face showing unmasked admiration and surprise: "Beautiful! Clean and efficient! Stronger than most mercenary adventure groups I've led! Especially your coordination—it's like a team honed for ten years! Miss Fa, your time ability... really eye-opening!" He gave Fa a thumbs up.
Lirian also approached, her emerald eyes filled with awe: "Nature has witnessed your strength and courage. Especially Miss Arya's archery, the harmony of wind and fire is so admirable." She nodded friendly at Arya.
Gorg silently rubbed his blood- and brain-splattered chain-saw war axes on the sand, producing grating friction sounds. He looked at Kayla, his grayish face expressionless, but his eyes held a trace of acknowledgment. He raised his sturdy arm, hammered his thick chest with a fist, then pointed at Kayla—this was the highest gesture of recognition among beastman warriors.
Kayla released her second-stage transformation, panting heavily, her bronze skin covered in sweat, fine ice frost, and electric marks. She grinned, revealing sharp canines, and forcefully hammered her own full chest in response. The recent battle seemed to have refined her control over the ice-thunder power within her a bit more.
Tisk leaned on his lava hammer, proudly stroking his beard: "Haha! My earth-shaking wave came just in time, right? These big guys' footing isn't that stable after all!"
Rex recalled the nano-drones, his electronic eyes scanning the Rift Earth Beasts' corpses and crystal core fragments: "Targets eliminated. Rift Earth Beast physiological structure and energy core data recorded. Combat efficiency assessment: Team synergy increased by 17.8%."
Zhamisi flicked the poisonous blood from her curved blades, walking to Yuyuer's side: "Hey, little lizard, that illusion just now was pretty good! Almost scared that big guy to piss itself!" She patted Yuyuer's shoulder.
Yuyuer sighed in relief, stowing his staff, smiling bitterly: "It's too dry here; my water magic's power is greatly reduced. I could only pull off some little tricks." He touched the oilcloth-wrapped "gift" at his waist; the battle hadn't reached the point to use it yet.
Salsa's mechanical cat jumped down from Fa's shoulder, approached the Rift Earth Beast corpses and sniffed, its electronic eyes flickering: "Meow... No high-value materials... Suggest quick departure... Blood scent may attract other predators..."
Fa rubbed her still somewhat stinging right eye, nodding: "Salsa's right. We shouldn't linger here. Jack, how far to the outpost?"
"Not far! Full speed ahead, against the wind, we can reach in an hour!" Jack checked the positioning data on his mechanical prosthetic eye, pointing into the depths of the sandstorm, "Follow me! The 'Wind Control Outpost' is just ahead!"
The team set off again, faster this time. With the recent battle's honing, the trust between them deepened invisibly. Passing through an area filled with huge wind-eroded mushroom rocks, the wind seemed weakened somewhat by these bizarre stones. Cresting a sand dune, a fortress standing in the wilderness suddenly appeared before them!
Wind Control Outpost
As its name suggested, this outpost was itself a marvel fused from technology and magic. Its base was locally sourced massive black rock, rough and sturdy, but covered in metallic armored plates gleaming with sheen. The main body resembled a giant gear and furnace hybrid inverted on the ground, with several thick metal chimneys standing tall, spewing not black smoke but purified hot airflow and faint magical light dust, forming a layer of distorted heat wave barrier above the outpost, effectively dispersing part of the sandstorm. Most eye-catching was the huge ring structure encircling the outpost's top, embedded with dozens of large, steadily glowing orange-red magic crystals and complex rune arrays. These crystals and runes together formed a semi-transparent energy shield flowing with lava-like patterns, enveloping the entire outpost. Outside the shield, sand howled; inside, it was relatively calm.
The outpost's only entrance was a heavy metal gate covered in rivets and defensive turrets. Guards at the door wore mixed leather armor and metal exoskeleton gear, their weapons similarly magic-enchanted firearms or energy blades.
Jack was clearly a familiar face here; he approached and chatted with the guards, pointing at the team behind, especially Gorg. The guards warily eyed Fa and the group, their gazes lingering on Rex's metallic body and Salsa's mechanical cat, then on Gorg, finally nodding and pressing the control lever beside.
Rumble... The heavy metal gate emitted gear-turning roars, slowly opening inward. A wave of heat mixed with steel, machine oil, sweat, baked bread, and some exotic spice scents rushed out.
Stepping into the Wind Control Outpost's energy shield, the constant body-tearing wind pressure and annoying sand instantly vanished. Though the air still carried the outpost's unique murkiness and clamor, this "calm" relaxed their taut nerves.
The outpost's interior was much larger than it appeared from outside, like a massive, multi-layered circular hall. The bottom level was a wide plaza, parked with several rugged, armored, large-wheeled sand vehicles, their bodies also etched with runes. Around the plaza were various shops and stalls: selling weapons and armor, potions, supplies, compressed dry rations and magic-preserved foods, even crude mechanical repair shops and rune engraving stores. Travelers, mercenaries, and merchants of various races shuttled about—humans, dwarves, elves, beastmen, etc.... even a few tightly wrapped figures whose races were unclear. The air was filled with haggling voices, tool clanging, engine test roars, and laughter, curses in various accents.
The upper levels were encircling walkways and platforms, distributed with inn rooms, warehouses, and outpost management offices. Giant gears and drive shafts exposed overhead, slowly turning under steam and magical power, providing energy for the entire outpost.
"Welcome to the heart of the Rift Wind Plains, and the last supply point—Wind Control Outpost!" Jack spread his arms, introducing loudly with a hint of pride, "Here, as long as you have money or rare goods, you can get almost everything needed to cross the plains and the dense forest! Of course, information too."
He pointed to a corner of the plaza at the busiest tavern with the "Roaring Furnace" sign: "Old rules, head there first to settle in, have a drink to drive off the chill, and inquire about news ahead. Gorg, go see if any tribal brothers are around. Lirian, sense the surroundings... especially the 'activity' toward the dense forest."
Gorg grunted in acknowledgment, his massive figure pushing through the crowd, heading toward a few similarly burly beastman mercenaries sitting around a fire pit.
Lirian closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, her brows slightly furrowed: "...The spirits of nature whisper... The miasma of the Ink Dark Dense Forest... is denser than last time I passed... and..." She opened her eyes, a trace of gravity in her emerald pupils, "...Something in the depths of the dense forest is watching here... Not just the dark elves... but those ancient, silent ones..."
Her words made everyone's hearts tighten, recalling Karim's final warning: Beware of those "stones and woods."
Fa looked up at the outpost's top, the energy shield flowing with lava patterns, then at this bizarre fortress filled with steam, magic, and rugged vitality. This was a haven in the storm, the last beacon before stepping into a more shadowy and unpredictable realm.
"Let's go," Fa withdrew her gaze, her eyes regaining firmness, "To the 'Roaring Furnace.' We need information, and rest." She took the lead, striding toward the center of clamor and heat waves. Arya followed closely beside, her warm mental link soothing the lingering pain in Fa's right eye. Kayla flexed her thunder claws, vigilantly scanning the unfamiliar faces around. Tisk curiously eyed the mixed-style weapon stalls. Rex silently recorded the outpost's structures and tech details. Yuyuer and Zhamisi walked side by side, the latter sniffing the food scents in the air with interest. Salsa's mechanical cat nimbly followed at Fa's feet, its amber electronic eyes taking in everything around.
The baptism of the Rift Wind Plains was over, while the shadows of the Ink Dark Dense Forest silently spread from the north. The clamor of the Wind Control Outpost was the last noisy movement before the storm.