ã€ŠRevenant Hunterã€‹


 Chapter 1: Revenant

    Davon listened to the sound of groaning wood and waves lapping over each other as he carried the final crate of goods off of his ship. With a grunt, he set the crate onto the dock and wiped the sweat from his brow.

    Compared to the rest of the crew, Davon was physically unimpressive, built more for endurance than strength. But the first mate had taken one look at Davon when he joined the crew and decided that this was the person to trust in carrying the last crates from the ship to the dock, and vice versa.

    ¡°Ever the hard worker! You ought to take a break.¡±

    Before Davon could let the sea breeze wick away his sweat, he suddenly got pulled behind the stack of crates he had just finished. Whirling around, he found himself face to face with Rand, his best friend.

    ¡°And what, get reprimanded by the first mate?¡± Davon retorted as he pressed his back against the crate-stack and slid down. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly the best way to advance in the crew.¡±

    ¡°Oh please, everything¡¯s unloaded already. Let¡¯s catch some shade before the captain decides we need to go back home,¡± Rand countered, leaning against the tallest section of cargo. ¡°Besides, it was a smooth trip, didn¡¯t even see the fins of the fish-men.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, at this point, the Revenants are basically on vacation,¡± Davon agreed, peeking behind the crates to look out over the crowd. Among the busy crew, he couldn¡¯t spot the two imposing Revenant soldiers.

    ¡°Heh. Wish we could take a vacation.¡± Rand shrugged in feigned exasperation. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to settle for the tavern again.¡±

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get thrown out for flirting with the barmaid,¡± Davon teased, nudging Rand with his elbow.

    ¡°Wh- how dare you, that only happened once!¡± Rand shot back, doing his best to sound insulted.

    Davon pressed his verbal offense, grinning smugly at his friend. ¡°Right, of course. I¡¯m sure Old Brun would have nothing to say about that,¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ fine,¡± Rand conceded. ¡°But Brun never liked me in the first place.¡± He crossed his arms and turned towards the sea.

    Davon turned his gaze towards the sea as well, enjoying the sight of waves lazily dancing on its surface. In a more serious tone, he asked, ¡°You think the captain will order an early shove off?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s likely. Wind¡¯s blowing westward. If it continues, it could cut days off the journey back.¡±

    Rand subconsciously started bouncing his leg. Davon glanced at his friend, noting his nervousness.

    ¡°And I take it, as per your superstitious tendencies, you don¡¯t like it?¡± Davon poked, returning his gaze to the sea.

    ¡°It¡¯s bad luck. I mean, think about what happened last time, that storm came out of nowhere.¡±

    Rand stepped away from the crates, motioning dramatically with his arms. Davon opened his mouth to respond, but something caught his attention in the water.

    Just barely in his periphery, Davon saw a dark shape moving through the water towards them. He pushed himself onto his feet to get a better look when the sound of bubbling water back near their boat interrupted him.

    Out of the corner of his eye, Davon saw a nightmarish creature breach the water and fly through the air, landing with a wet thud on the dock, causing the old planks to buckle under its weight. The creature was humanoid in shape, its limbs covered in scales, and it held a wicked looking javelin in its webbed hands. After a quick scan of the docks, it tilted its monstrous head towards the sea and let out a series of gurgling sounds, only rhythmically resembling language.

    Not even a second later, more bubbling disturbed the water around the ship.

    Rand reacted first.

    ¡°Ambush! AMBUSH!¡± he yelled, pulling Davon with him away from the crates. His shouts grabbed the attention of the crew, most of whom had already left the dock.

    Unfortunately, he also got the attention of the fish-man. The creature stopped its call and turned its terrifying gaze towards Rand, its beady eyes narrowing dangerously.

    Time seemed to slow as Davon watched the monster pull its arm back, readying its javelin. At nearly the same time, Davon reached for the short sword dangling from his hip. The usually light and agile weapon seemed to weigh as much as the ship¡¯s mast as it slowly slid from the scabbard.

    In a motion that made its disproportionately long arm almost look like a whip, the fish-man threw its javelin forward. With a terrifying whistle, the weapon streaked through the air and found purchase in its target without difficulty.

    Time sped back up as Rand¡¯s body hit the dock, the javelin sticking out of his throat.

    Davon barely registered the shouts of the gathering crew. His world shrank rapidly. All he could see was the still body of his dead friend, a stream of blood gushing from his mouth.

    At that moment, something shattered within Davon. Like a ship split in half, his heart sank into the depths, swept into the cold current of vengeance.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Davon blinked the shock away. His grip on his sword¡¯s hilt tightened with maddened desperation as he lifted his gaze to the monster, thoughts racing. Adrenaline flooded his system, and time slowed once again. He knew damn well that strength alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to survive this fight, so his mind turned to the environment.

    Eyes locked with the beast, Davon stumbled a few uneasy steps backwards, hoping to lure the fish-man closer. The monster roared at him. Then it leapt through the air directly onto Rand¡¯s body, wrapping its twisted fingers around the javelin.

    Now within arm¡¯s reach of his friend¡¯s murderer, Davon struggled to keep his rising fear in check. The fish-man was stronger than him, or any mortal for that matter. Only the Revenants could fight one of these monsters on equal footing. And Davon was no Revenant.

    To win, he¡¯d have to cheat.

    Time seemed to slow further as Davon aimed his sword away from the fish-man at a gap between the stacked crates. Every millisecond of steel grinding against wood felt like an agonizing eternity in Davon¡¯s mind. Thankfully, the monster¡¯s full attention was focused on prying its weapon from Rand¡¯s body. When the blade slid halfway between the crates, Davon placed the full weight of his desperation on its hilt, using it as a lever to tip over a stack of crates onto the fish-man.

    Just as the crates began to tip over, a crack formed on Davon¡¯s blade. Not enough to break it, but a warning of the mounting pressure. The sound, almost imperceptible, rang in his ears. The fish-man abandoned its javelin and turned around just in time to see Davon¡¯s gambit. Its first instinct wasn¡¯t one of preservation, but instead of trying to attack the human stupid enough to try such a stunt.

    Luck was on Davon¡¯s side. Right as the fish-man reached for him, the crates finally fell, crashing down with all the force of an angry god¡¯s punch. The sound of wood and pottery shattering rang out like divine thunder.

    Davon knew that the crates, heavy as they were, wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill a monster. But he hoped they would be enough to tip the odds of battle. His silent prayers were answered when the debris settled and he saw the monster struggling against the combined weight of the crates pinning one of its legs down.

    Without hesitation, Davon leapt forward and slashed at the monster. His first strike bounced off the monster¡¯s scaly forearms. His second was likewise ineffective as the monster dodged sideways. His third slash, accelerated by a flick of his wrists, got past the monster¡¯s guard and opened a gash on the monster¡¯s abdomen.

    And then it was a slaughter. Davon struck at the monster again, and again, and again, until he could see only gore beneath the debris. When the fish-man¡¯s arms dropped lifeless to the ground, Davon made one final stab down through the monster¡¯s heart and leaned on the hilt of his sword, gasping for breath.

    His triumph, however, rang hollow. As Davon stared down at the dead fish-man, he felt empty. The death of this creature wouldn¡¯t bring back Rand with all of his jokes or fill the hole in Davon¡¯s heart.

    Then, more bubbling in the water. Davon turned just in time to see another two fish-men land on the dock behind him. Frantically, he began tugging on the sword stuck in his fallen foe. He pulled with a strength born of fury, but the weapon refused to budge. Instead, the blade shattered.

    In his desperate state of mind, Davon paid it no mind. He simply raised the broken sword towards his enemy.

    The fish-men almost seemed to relax at the sight, letting out a series of noises which could only be described as gurgling laughs. Then one of them raised its javelin in a strikingly familiar manner. Davon readied himself, adrenaline mixing with rage and sheer will to survive.

    The monster let its weapon fly, and Davon reacted with two maneuvers at the same time. First, he pulled his weight to the side in an attempt to dodge, then he raised what remained of his sword to block. Neither attempt was fully successful.

    Pain overtook Davon¡¯s senses as the javelin pierced his left bicep. He fell to his knees, his broken blade clattering pathetically onto the dock beside him. More gurgling laughter filled the air, and Davon looked up just in time to see the second javelin pull back for a throw.

    Then, with a movement so fast that Davon couldn¡¯t track it in his dazed state, a fanged blade almost the size of a man ripped through the monster holding the javelin. Viscera erupted from the fish-man as its top half flew back into the sea it had come from.

    Wielding the blade with only one hand, a veritable giant of a man loomed over the carcass. Davon recognized him as Grant, one of the ship¡¯s Revenant guardians. Ignoring the half-corpse at his feet, Grant turned to the one remaining fish-man on the dock.

    With a terrified gurgle, the monster scrambled to run away, but Grant palmed the top of its head. Davon watched with satisfaction as the fish-man clawed helplessly at the Revenant¡¯s armored forearm. In an indignant motion, Grant stabbed his weapon into the ground and placed his other hand on the monster¡¯s shoulder. The sickening sound of tearing flesh filled the air as the Revenant pulled the monster¡¯s head off of its body.

    ¡°On your feet, boy.¡± Grant¡¯s hoarse voiced echoed in Davon¡¯s ears as the giant man lifted his great sword back up. With a grunt, Davon pushed himself up to his feet. ¡°Good. Stay close, there are more to mop up.¡±

    When they cleared the stacked crates, Davon bore witness to a slaughter which was still in progress. Bodies littered the ground, both human and fish-man, and blood covered every inch of ground not taken up by flesh.

    Amid the horror, a group of three fish-men were gathered around a tall, cloaked fighter in a wide-brimmed hat, holding a spear seemingly made from some monster¡¯s stinger. Davon recognized the figure as the other Revenant from the ship, Mia.

    Grant lifted his great sword, leaning the flat end of the blade on his shoulder, and strode lazily towards the monsters. He knew the fight was already over, but it would be a bad look not to help his companion. If he got there in time, anyway.

    The fish-men lifted their weapons in unison and tightened the encirclement around Mia. She stood perfectly still, taking note of each of them. Then, with a swift motion, she ran her hand over a rune carved into her spear. The rune flashed, and shadows enveloped Mia. Davon watched as the Revenant disappeared in broad daylight before reappearing behind one of the confused fish-men.

    Mia deftly plunged her spear into the back of the closest fish-man¡¯s skull and pulled it out in almost the same second. Carrying on her momentum, she spun on her heel and thrust her spear into the neck of the next monster. By that point, the final fish-man managed to recover its wits and threw its javelin at the Revenant. Mia countered by spinning her spear around, knocking the javelin away milliseconds before it struck her.

    Grant strolled up to the final fish-man and locked eyes with Mia. Grabbing his weapon with both hands, he brought it up off his shoulder and down onto the monster in one smooth movement, more crushing the fish-man than slicing through it.

    At last, silence settled over the docks. Davon could hear his heart beating between each labored breath. All other sounds faded as each beat became slower and slower. His vision, too, was getting dimmer. He could barely make out the features of the victorious Revenants, standing just a few feet away.

    Grant seemed to be saying something, but Davon couldn¡¯t understand the words. With one final effort, he tried to step closer to the Revenant.

    He felt himself falling as the world turned black.

 Chapter 2: Doctor

    A dull ache greeted Davon on his return to consciousness, pulsing persistently from his left arm and spreading through the rest of his body.

    He wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with this kind of pain. After all, he had spent many days on the ship badly hungover. Last night must have been another wild time in the tavern with Rand¡­ If the captain decided to call for shove off, today was going to be a long day. At least his head wasn¡¯t pounding like it usually did on mornings like these. That was something to be happy about.

    His eyes still closed, Davon groaned and reached instinctively for the water skin he kept on his bedside table. His fingers brushed against something cold and hard. By reflex, he tried to grab whatever this object was, but he only managed to push it farther away.

    Seconds later, the sound of shattering glass echoed in his ears, rapidly waking him up. Realizing what he¡¯d done, Davon immediately spiraled into panic. The last time he¡¯d smashed something like this, the first mate had him scrubbing the deck for three days without a break. But maybe, if he found a decent enough excuse, he could get out of it this time.

    Davon decided that assessing the damage would help in trying to formulate said excuse. He opened his eyes, but his sight was so blurry that he could barely even tell he was in a room. Gradually, as his eyes adjusted, he became aware that the window by his bed was open. Out of habit, he reached to close it.

    He froze as realization struck him. What he was reaching for wasn¡¯t the usual porthole, but a full-sized window.

    His vision cleared further, bringing the whole room into focus. A simple bed and bedside table, a cabinet, and a large empty shelf. What drew his attention in particular were the stone walls and polished wood floor. When had he ever stayed in a tavern like this? It looked far too expensive for a sailor like him.

    This made him even more focused on trying to remember how he¡¯d ended up here. As he racked his mind, Davon pushed himself up into a sitting position. The moment he leaned on his left arm, an ache intensified around his left bicep. Davon looked down at the source of pain and saw a clean, linen rag wrapped around his arm. Inspecting it for a moment, he noticed runes on the rag, glowing a gentle gold.

    It was then that the memories came flooding back.

    Davon buried his head in his hands as he recalled Rand¡¯s death, killing the fish-man, the javelin that almost took his life, being rescued by Grant, and the sudden plunge into blackness. He remembered the fury, the desperation, and the fear he had felt throughout the whole thing.

    When the assault of memories ended, Davon was left sitting in the unknown room, completely spent. He closed his eyes again and tried to wrap his head around his situation, but his mind felt numb.

    Then, out of nowhere, a cold determination gripped him. He would not lose himself in this sea of unfeeling. The dull ache in his body called to him, and he focused on it, using the pain as an anchor to the present moment.

    Returning his attention to his surroundings, Davon realized he could hear the sound of footsteps outside the room. He fixed his eyes on the door, waiting with quiet anticipation. Moments later, the door opened, revealing a robed and masked individual.

    ¡°Ah, what a pleasant surprise,¡± a muffled, masculine voice exclaimed from behind the mask. ¡°Even if it did come with broken glass.¡±

    Davon looked closer at the individual, noting the many bones with runes hanging from his neck by a thick black thread. Talismans. His mask was featureless, aside from two holes for eyes, and his robe was equally simple. Davon had never seen anyone in a getup like this, and he found himself worried for a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have questions.¡± The man stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. ¡°However, before I answer any of them, please allow me to check on your arm.¡±

    Davon blinked in confusion, then nodded his head as calmly as he could manage. At the mention of ¡®questions¡¯, a storm of them had cluttered Davon¡¯s mind, making it difficult to decide which one to ask first. Some extra time to organize his thoughts was more than welcome.

    ¡°To spare you a few questions: you are in the Walden¡¯s Hold Revenant Guild, you were brought here by Grant, and you have been unconscious for three days,¡± the man explained while he carefully unwrapped the rag around Davon¡¯s bicep, revealing a faint scar underneath. ¡°Huh. Healed already? You have taken to the healing spell exceptionally well¡­¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    The man seemed to fall into deep thought for a moment before focusing his attention back on Davon. Without warning, he tapped the scar, causing Davon to flinch and pull his arm away reflexively. ¡°Did that hurt?¡±

    Davon shook his head, confused.

    ¡°Hm. And while you¡¯re sitting still, do you feel any pain?¡±

    Davon nodded. ¡°A dull ache throughout my entire body. Uh, who are you?¡±

    ¡°Doctor Yurren.¡± Taking a step back, the man raised a hand to his chin. ¡°Interesting¡­ fully healed, but the side effects are still present. A sign of amazing aptitude, but not perfect¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, Doctor, but what are you talking about?¡± Davon asked, deciding that a simple approach was the best way to answer all of the questions swirling around his head.

    ¡°Your aptitude for handling Reliquaries,¡± Yurren replied. ¡°I have never seen a patient take to one of my healing spells quite that fast before, and since they¡¯re cast through my Reliquary, aptitude plays a part in their effectiveness.¡±

    Davon was dumbstruck. He had an aptitude for Reliquaries? How had he never realized this?

    Then again, why would he have known? He couldn¡¯t think of a single situation in his life where such an aptitude would matter. After all, only Revenants could wield Reliquaries, and Davon was far from a Revenant. He was just an ordinary sailor.

    ¡°Anyway, the ache is a normal side effect of the accelerated healing process. It¡¯s a little annoying, but it won¡¯t stop you from functioning as usual,¡± Yurren said as he turned for the door. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll find Grant. He¡¯ll want to hear about this.¡±

    Yurren stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Davon utterly baffled. As silence filled the air, however, Davon¡¯s mind drifted to an entirely different subject. He thought of all the times he¡¯d spent laughing with Rand, toiling together under the hot sun to raise or lower the mast. In a single moment, the life he had built and cherished had been destroyed.

    But it wasn¡¯t all lost. If Davon had understood the doctor¡¯s words correctly, there was a hint of an opportunity waiting for him.

    The opportunity to become greater than the monsters that had shattered his life, and to bring retribution to them.

    The opportunity to become a Revenant.

    The more Davon thought about it, the more it made sense. Each spiraling thought was like another cold blast of vengeance, driving away the numbness in Davon¡¯s heart. The pain of losing his best friend and crew crept back, but he didn¡¯t allow it to bring him down. There would be time to mourn later.

    Right now, it was time to grasp any and every chance to strike back at those monsters.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you alive, boy.¡± Grant¡¯s booming voice startled Davon, who had barely heard the man¡¯s heavy gait approaching. ¡°Wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d make the journey.¡±

    He crossed his arms, staring at Davon so intently that the sailor dropped his eyes.

    ¡°The doctor said I had a high Reliquary aptitude,¡± Davon said, looking down at his hands.

    ¡°Yeah, he mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Think I could do it?¡±

    The question seemed to echo in the air. Davon raised his eyes to meet Grant¡¯s again, and the two men stared at each other in silence. Finally, Grant broke the stalemate with a sigh.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The old Revenant¡¯s tone was as serious as his expression. ¡°But it¡¯s not a decision you should make lightly.¡±

    ¡°Well, what else am I going to do, Grant? Can¡¯t go back to the ship, can I?¡± Davon snapped, his tone sharper than he intended it to be.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡± Grant sighed again. ¡°But I can¡¯t let you make this decision without a fair warning.¡±

    Davon stared down the giant man with as much conviction as he could muster. ¡°What warning?¡±

    ¡°Being a Revenant doesn¡¯t come without drawbacks. Every time you die¡­ it takes a toll. Trust me, you¡¯ll never get used to drawing that last breath before death takes you.¡± Grant ran a hand across his neck subconsciously. ¡°Resurrection, even more so. It takes a lot to come back from the dead. Some Revenants can¡¯t handle it, and eventually snap.¡±

    Davon noticed a hint of sadness behind Grant¡¯s gaze as he spoke.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen of you, Davon, you¡¯ve got what it takes. Not a lot of regular people stare down a monster and manage to kill it. Even fewer take a hit from one and live to tell the tale,¡± Grant admitted. ¡°So, if you¡¯re certain you¡¯re ready for this, I¡¯ll vouch for you with the guild.¡±

    Davon took a moment to think. Most stories of Revenants presented them as immortal slayers of monsters. They kept the dangers of the world outside the walls, and thus kept the everyday folk safe, all without the worry of permanent death. He¡¯d never considered that dying might have real consequence for Revenants. It was a sobering thought.

    Then a sudden image of Rand¡¯s laughing face flashed across his mind, and Davon steeled his gaze.

    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, I¡¯m certain.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Grant allowed himself a momentary smile before continuing. ¡°And you¡¯re in luck. We have another two candidates here in Walden¡¯s Hold, both from your home island. I¡¯m sure you three will get on like a house on fire.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Who are they?¡± Davon¡¯s curiosity won out, pushing aside other important questions.

    ¡°The first one¡¯s a boy from the Ulrich family, Kai. I think you¡¯re probably familiar with him,¡± Grant replied.

    Davon raised his eyebrows. While he didn¡¯t know Kai on a personal level, the man was often involved in the same tavern brawls as Rand.

    Grant went on, ¡°Doubt you¡¯d know the other, Lyla. An orphan with a particular talent for spell craft. Either way, you¡¯ll get to know them plenty well during training. For now, get some more rest. We start tomorrow.¡±

    Davon watched the old Revenant leave the room in silence. Once the door was closed, he allowed himself to fall back onto the bed.

    What happened on the docks still hadn¡¯t fully sunk in, and he was happy to let that be the case for a while longer. At least until he was trained and capable enough to bring vengeance down upon as many monsters as he could.

    For the moment, however, he decided to quiet those thoughts and listen to Grant¡¯s advice. As soon as he found a comfortable enough position, sleep came to claim his exhausted mind. He didn¡¯t even try to fight the comfort of this specific blackness.

 Chapter 3: Red Dawn

    Davon rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he stumbled through the Guild House hallways. Not even ten minutes ago, he had been woken up by Grant and told to find his way to the garden, guided only by the pale light of dawn. It wasn¡¯t a situation he was entirely unfamiliar with, as the first mate had always believed that waking up early was the ultimate sign of discipline.

    Looking around as he stepped into the garden, Davon spotted a man lounging on a bench and basking in the gentle morning light. Upon moving closer, Davon recognized the lounging man as Kai. His short black hair and cold blue eyes were accented by the many small scars on his face.

    ¡°Good morning, Kai. Been a while,¡± Davon rasped, his voice still not fully awake.

    ¡°Well, well, Davon.¡± Kai looked up from his seat to meet Davon¡¯s gaze with a cocky smirk. ¡°When Grant told me the third candidate was a familiar face, I never thought it would be you.¡±

    Davon stopped in front of Kai and placed his hands on his hips. ¡°Yeah, and why is that?¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t misunderstand, I don¡¯t mean it as an insult,¡± Kai assured him, leaning forward. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I never expected you of all people to be interested in becoming a Revenant. You were always one to try and talk things out rather than take a swing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ trust me, this wasn¡¯t my first choice,¡± Davon said somberly.

    Kai gave him a confused look. Davon was trying to figure out how to explain when the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

    Turning his head towards the footsteps, Davon saw a petite woman, enveloped in a full-body cloak. Her soft features were framed by shoulder-length, platinum blonde hair, a wonderful contrast to her piercing green eyes. She seemed to be nervous, holding her head low and carrying herself as if trying to be invisible.

    ¡°Ah, Lyla. This is Davon, our final teammate.¡± Kai pointed towards Davon.

    The woman raised her head in response, peering at Davon with a keenly analytical gaze. Davon crossed his arms and stared back, but he failed to discern anything from Lyla¡¯s expression.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you before,¡± Lyla stated bluntly, maintaining her poker face. ¡°At the docks. You are part of the Night Runner¡¯s crew.¡±

    That caught Davon off guard. ¡°I was, yeah,¡± he replied, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He wasn¡¯t fond of strangers knowing more about him than he did about them. ¡°If I may, how did you know?¡±

    ¡°I was a scribe, back in Port Perle,¡± Lyla replied, trying her best to avoid eye contact with Davon. ¡°The port master had me handle the ship manifests.¡±

    Before Davon could ask any more questions, Kai spoke up. ¡°Well, now that we¡¯re all here, we should head to training grounds. We¡¯re supposed to receive our Reliquaries today.¡±

    Kai set off towards his goal without another word. Davon followed in silence, Lyla close behind.

    A sense of foreboding struck Davon as they walked. The idea of getting a Reliquary felt almost surreal. Those were weapons reserved for the strong, and Davon was about to join their ranks.

    A few minutes later, Davon found himself in another open space within the Guild House. This time, however, instead of stepping into a beautiful garden, he set foot into a what could, charitably, be described as a dust pit with a few training dummies and targets spread throughout.

    Davon spotted Grant on the opposite side of the training ground. The old Revenant was leaning against the wall next to a set of double-doors, his eyes trained on the approaching party.

    ¡°Here you are then.¡± Grant raised his voice in mock ceremony. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you. Head on in, the Boneshapers are waiting.¡±

    The sense of foreboding grew in Davon¡¯s heart as he exchanged glances with his two fellow candidates. Then, hesitantly, the group moved towards the door. Intentionally falling a step or two behind, Davon allowed Kai to be the first to step through, scanning over the other man¡¯s shoulder at the room beyond.

    What Davon saw was an armory, filled to the brim with weapons crafted from the remains of slain monsters. Swords of all shapes and sizes, spears of various lengths, glaives and halberds, daggers, and crossbows lined every inch of the walls. And in the middle of the room, two figures in robes similar to those of Doctor Yurren stood behind a simple, spotless table. Their faces were covered by the same style of mask as Yurren, though the cords around their necks bore fewer talismans than the doctor wore.

    ¡°Welcome, candidates,¡± one of the figures said, and Davon couldn¡¯t quite discern whether the voice was feminine or masculine. ¡°Have a walk around the workshop. Inspect the weapons freely.¡±

    After a few seconds of stunned silence, Kai let out a chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s it? No ceremony, or¡­ guidance?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± the second figure replied, their voice almost identical to the first one. ¡°Just have a look and see which one¡­ calls to you.¡±

    Davon narrowed his eyes at the choice of words and took a moment to look the room over again. He knew, of course, that Reliquaries were the source of the Revenants¡¯ inhuman power. However, as far as he understood, that was the extent of the objects¡¯ significance. At the end of the day, Reliquaries were just weapons meant to carry enchantments.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    And yet, the way the Boneshapers spoke made Davon think that there was something deeper to it.

    ¡°A reminder,¡± the first Boneshaper said, interrupting Davon¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Reliquaries are shaped and reshaped, again and again, over the course of a Revenant¡¯s service, but each Revenant only ever binds to one Reliquary. Think carefully before making your choice.¡±

    Davon was the first to move after a brief hesitation, heading directly for the nearest weapon rack. Kai followed him, while Lyla crossed to the opposite wall.

    Spurred on by the Boneshaper¡¯s words, Davon carefully inspected every weapon, one at a time, unsure what to expect. Each was a work of art. He eyed a long sword, carved from bone into a perfectly sharp edge. Hanging next to it was a mace which seemed to be made from a black, glass-like substance, polished to perfection. And then there was a spear made from the talon of some massive bird, whittled into a wicked-looking spiral. None of these weapons, however, particularly drew Davon¡¯s attention.

    While on the ship, Davon had learned some basic sword fighting and archery under Grant¡¯s guidance, and the old Revenant had shown particular interest in Davon¡¯s archery skills. It also meshed well with Davon¡¯s personality. He wasn¡¯t the type to use a spear or mace and win through brute force. He was more the type to use his environment to gather advantages toward victory.

    As if in answer to these thoughts, Davon felt a tug in his gut, drawing him towards a specific spot in the armory. Guided by this feeling, his eyes landed on a dark bow. The bow¡¯s limbs seemed to be shaped like scimitar blades and sharpened to match, connected in the middle by a leather-wrapped handle.

    Compelled, Davon grabbed the bow and lifted it. A strange sense of comfort washed over him instantly. The weapon¡¯s weight felt natural in his hands, almost like it was part of him.

    The bow had no bowstring attached. Two identical runes were carved into the base of both limbs, and there was a small mechanism attached to the center of the hilt. Curious, Davon started fidgeting with the mechanism. When he pressed and turned it, the two limbs of the bow detached from each other, leaving him with two blades.

    With a smirk, Davon reattached the blades and turned to face the Boneshapers.

    One glance at his teammates revealed they had just gone through a similar experience. Kai was holding a massive, fanged axe, while Lyla¡¯s fingers were wrapped tightly around a slender spear with a crystalline tip. Both recruits gazed at the Boneshapers with conviction in their eyes.

    ¡°The choices are made,¡± one of the Boneshapers said. ¡°We look forward to your return, that we may improve your weapons further. Now go, don¡¯t keep your mentor waiting.¡±

    With newfound purpose, Davon followed the other two out of the workshop. Grant was waiting for them, arms crossed and a smile on his face.

    ¡°Keep them close,¡± Grant said, pointing to the weapons in the party¡¯s hands. ¡°They¡¯ll begin to bind to you soon, if they haven¡¯t already. It¡¯ll feel weird, but don¡¯t fight it. At the end of it, you¡¯ll know your weapon as well as you know yourself.¡±

    The three new Revenants nodded.

    ¡°After the binding is done, you will also notice some physical changes. Your sense of pain will dull, and your metabolism will slow. You¡¯ll become stronger and faster than ordinary mortals. Eventually, your sight, hearing, and smell will grow sharper also.¡±

    As Grant spoke, Davon felt a chill crawling up his neck, the kind of creeping sensation someone gets when they think they¡¯re being followed. Instinctively, Davon looked over his shoulder, but couldn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary.

    When Davon turned back towards Grant, he saw the old Revenant watching him with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, the binding process doesn¡¯t feel good, does it?¡±

    He chuckled at Davon¡¯s nod, then continued his instructions.

    ¡°Now, your Reliquaries come with a basic enchantment in addition to the resurrection enchantment. This will be your first taste of real power. Once you get some quests under your belt, the Boneshapers will be more than happy to help you expand the arsenal of tricks your Reliquaries hold.¡±

    ¡°How do we know what these enchantments are?¡± Lyla piped up, her voice tinged with excitement.

    Grant scratched his chin awkwardly before responding. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to explain. When the binding is done, you will know.¡±

    Shivers ran down Davon¡¯s spine as the cold reached the base of his skull. Yet, as the chill continued to climb up through his head, he felt no discomfort. In fact, the grasping cold faded almost immediately, leaving behind a sense of serenity. This strange peace soon vanished also, replaced by a deep understanding that seemed to surge through Davon¡¯s limbs, filling him with new vigor. Davon lifted his weapon again, taking a moment to appreciate the fact that it felt practically weightless.

    Without thinking, Davon reached for the space where the bowstring should be. Energy immediately crackled between his fingers, forming into both a bowstring and a projectile. Effortlessly, Davon tested the draw weight, pulling the bowstring back a few times before allowing it to fizzle out.

    Satisfied, Davon looked up to find Kai and Lyla watching him with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

    ¡°Well, it looks like you¡¯re ready to start your training, Davon,¡± Grant said, a hint of pride apparent in his voice. ¡°Now, we ju¡ª¡±

    Everyone stumbled as the ground shook violently. The quake lasted only a few moments, but it was enough to send waves of fear through Davon. He quickly looked around for any danger.

    The rising sun, which had been bathing the group in gentle golden rays, was now an ominous red. Davon watched in rising panic as the crimson hue spread over the entire horizon. Moments later, an earth-shattering roar echoed from somewhere in the distance.

    The trio exchanged nervous glances.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Grant ordered, his voice harsh with concern. ¡°To the walls.¡±

    Following Grant, the trio ran down the Guild House halls, pushing past a few confused Revenants who were preparing to start the day. When they emerged into the city streets, Davon noted the nearby townsfolk were in varying states of confusion. Some gawked at the crimson sun. Others cried out and rushed into their homes. A few just went about their daily business, only giving the event a cursory glance.

    Yet, as he ran past, Davon heard the same words repeated over and over: Red Dawn.

    A fitting name, he thought, squinting up at the crimson sun peeking over the horizon.

    Grant led the group up onto the walls. Leaning against the battlements, the old Revenant fixed his gaze on the horizon. Davon struggled to catch his breath as he scanned the tree line. The forest¡¯s regular gloom was significantly more ominous when cast in a shade of crimson.

    Davon thought he spotted movement in the forest¡¯s shadows, but only for a second. Then, in his periphery, he caught it again: a humanoid form, with oddly disproportionate limbs, running through the trees.

    Tapping Grant on the arm, Davon pointed. ¡°There. Movement.¡±

    Grant stared at the spot Davon had indicated for a few moments. Then he stepped away from the battlements with a scowl.

    ¡°Stay here. If you see any more, or if they draw closer, come get me.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lyla asked, her voice shrill with anxiety. ¡°What is that thing?¡±

    ¡°Looks like a scout. And if there¡¯s a scout, that means there¡¯s a larger force.¡± The old Revenant¡¯s scowl deepened into a grimace. ¡°I¡¯m going to alert the Guild and set up a patrol. If something¡¯s coming, we need to be ready.¡±

 Chapter 4: Griffin Hunt

    After the Red Dawn first reared its head, the three new Revenants spent most of their time patrolling the city walls. Every day, Davon split his focus between keeping an eye on the horizon and trying to get to know his teammates, with varying amounts of success.

    Kai was easy to get along with initially, but the longer they spent together, the more concerned Davon became. Had they met before the ambush on the docks, Davon would¡¯ve had no issues with the excitable hothead. Now, Davon found that Kai¡¯s boundless optimism and recklessness were getting on his nerves. Not a day went by without Kai expressing his wish to get out of the city and face whatever was happening head-on.

    Davon, meanwhile, wanted to approach the situation with more caution. His ideal strategy would be to scout the problem first, then devise a plan which would put their opponents in a disadvantageous position for the battle.

    He had managed to hold his tongue, mostly in an attempt to avoid unnecessary tension within the group. But he wasn¡¯t certain how many more monologues about ¡®honor in combat¡¯ he could handle before he stuck a fork into Kai¡¯s gut.

    Lyla, on the other hand, was a tough nut to crack. Even during patrols, she spent most of her time in silence, either reading or writing. Davon kept trying to sneak a glance at her books and failed every time.

    When she did take part in their conversations, Davon found her very easy to get along with. Much like Davon, she was more prone to caution and preferred to calculate her moves before taking action. She even found ways to improve on his strategies, forming a bridge between Davon¡¯s cutthroat approach to combat and Kai¡¯s heroics.

    On the third day, as the group finished their patrol of the city walls and made their way to the Revenant Guild¡¯s mess hall they were enjoying a rare moment of peace. The good mood persisted as they collected their food and sat at one of the long tables. Davon and Kai were swapping stories about their many bar fights, while Lyla was working on something in her book.

    Listening to Kai reminisce, Davon¡¯s eyes landed on the Guild¡¯s quest board, a massive stone panel adorned with various enchanted crystals. It had been empty ever since the Red Dawn started, much to Kai¡¯s dismay. Yet now, Davon noticed a dull glow coming from the quest board.

    Feeling the gentle tap of a knuckle against his shoulder, Davon turned to see Mia¡¯s imposing figure looming over him. The Revenant¡¯s usual wide-brimmed hat was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her face was framed by her long silver hair, almost like a veil.

    Ignoring the trio¡¯s surprise, Mia placed a piece of paper on the table and walked away. Davon shared a look of confusion with Kai, then grabbed the paper and read it out loud:

    ¡°Quest board is active again. The Guild wants all of us in the field. Don¡¯t get yourself killed. Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Such a vote of confidence,¡± Davon grumbled as he put the paper back onto the table. ¡°But I suppose we can finally get out th¡ª¡±

    Looking up, he saw that Kai was already rushing to the quest board.

    With a heavy sigh, Davon pushed himself to his feet and caught up to his brash companion, Lyla following close behind. As the trio approached the quest board, the stone slab suddenly lit up with a single quest marked ¡®Novice.¡¯ Davon¡¯s eyes narrowed suspiciously when he read the objective.

    ¡°Griffin hunt¡­ that doesn¡¯t seem very novice to me,¡± Lyla remarked, voicing Davon¡¯s thoughts. She was leaning against her spear, something Davon had noticed her doing when she was nervous.

    ¡°Nah, it may just be just a warm-up for Revenants!¡± Kai replied enthusiastically as he cracked his knuckles. ¡°Or¡­ well, that¡¯s what my brother used to tell me, at least.¡±

    Davon shook his head and reached out towards the quest board. As soon as he touched the stone, the words on it shifted:

    ¡°Tracking hex active. Good hunting.¡±

    The message vanished. Seconds later, Davon swayed as a sudden headache gripped him, blurring his vision. He doubled over, gasping against the pain.

    Then, as quickly as it had arrived, the headache subsided. Davon blinked to clear his vision, noting that Kai and Lyla had also grabbed their heads and were breathing hard.

    ¡°Well, that was uncomfortable,¡± he commented. Straightening up, he noticed a nagging feeling in the back of his head, pushing him towards a specific direction. ¡°Can you two feel that as well?¡±

    His companions nodded solemnly, Lyla leaning heavily on her spear.

    ¡°Then I suppose we have our target.¡± Davon raised a hand to touch the bow strapped to his back. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡ª

    A few hours later, the group found themselves deep in the forest surrounding Walden¡¯s Hold.

    Davon kept a keen eye on his teammates as they traveled, trying to gauge how they were feeling. It was easy to guess that Kai was excited for their first quest. The young man stayed in the lead the whole way, practically skipping ahead of Davon and Lyla. In contrast, Lyla was dragging her feet, using her spear almost as a walking stick. She had brought her books along, of course, but hadn¡¯t looked at them once.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Slowing his step to fall in with her, Davon put on his best attempt at a comforting tone. ¡°Nervous, Lyla?¡±

    The petite woman looked up at him and furrowed her brow. ¡°More like worried. We didn¡¯t receive any training before being sent on this quest.¡±

    Davon considered his next words carefully. ¡°I¡¯m certain they wouldn¡¯t send us to die needlessly. Although I admit some training would have been¡­ preferable, we just need to think this through and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about?¡± Kai scoffed. He turned to face his companions and continued walking backwards, spreading his arms wide. ¡°Just stick them with the pointy end and leave taking the hits to me!¡±

    Davon sighed in exasperation. He was tired of having this same old argument with Kai. ¡°This isn¡¯t a bar fight. Just running at the enemy isn¡¯t going to be enough. If you had any real training, Kai, you would understand the value of a plan.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking yourself in circles, D.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Tell me, then: what will you do if the griffin flies out of your reach?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let it. One good swing, and I¡¯ll take one of its wings off.¡±

    ¡°And if it¡¯s faster?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be. We¡¯re Revenants!¡±

    ¡°Oh, for brine¡¯s sake¡­¡±

    Davon rubbed his temple as the frustration set in fully. It seemed like he couldn¡¯t say anything to sway the hotheaded fool, especially when all the sentences forming in his mind were full of the many colorful words he¡¯d learned from other sailors over the years.

    ¡°Alright, stop,¡± Lyla commanded, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. ¡°We can¡¯t hope to take on this beast if we¡¯re at each other¡¯s throats, especially without any training or experience.¡±

    She slammed the butt of her spear into the ground to emphasize her words, staring down each man in turn.

    ¡±Kai, confidence is good, but what you¡¯re suggesting is plain idiocy. And Davon, a plan is good, but you need to trust in us as well. You are thinking yourself in circles, trying to find a way to fight without relying on your teammates. Let¡¯s find some middle ground instead of arguing until the sun sets¡­ please.¡±

    Davon exchanged a look with Kai.

    ¡°She has a point,¡± Kai admitted, kicking his feet in annoyance.

    ¡°Look, Kai.¡± Davon fought to keep his tone level. ¡°We can do this in a way that plays to all of our strengths, but I need you to promise me you will be at least a little patient.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Kai agreed reluctantly. ¡°That¡¯s a promise. What¡¯s your idea?¡±

    ¡°First things first, we need to make sure it can¡¯t escape,¡± Davon replied. ¡°I suggest we start with a sneak attack. Track the griffin until it lands, surround it, then all move in at once. Aim for the wings first, of course. After that, it¡¯s on you to keep it busy, while Lyla and I strike at its sides.¡±

    Kai took a moment to think, then nodded. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to do it without the sneak attack, but alright. Let¡¯s track this beast do¡ª¡°

    The sound of heavy wingbeats cut off the rest of his sentence.

    Davon rushed for the nearest tree and placed his back against it, eyes locked on the tiny breaks in the canopy. He cursed silently at the sight of a massive shape flying overhead. Why hadn¡¯t they kept their voices down? Now the griffin was hunting them.

    Burying his panic, Davon looked around for his teammates. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted both of them under cover.

    But his relief was short-lived. The next instant, the griffin broke through the canopy and landed almost directly next to Kai. The beast clicked its beak fiercely as it looked around, its wings spread to their full impressive length.

    Davon¡¯s mind went into overdrive. He turned towards Lyla¡¯s hiding place, trying to think of ways to communicate without alerting the griffin.

    Then he heard Kai yell out in rage.

    Time slowed as adrenaline kicked in. Davon turned back towards the griffin just in time to see Kai¡¯s axe collide with its beak¡­ and bounce clean off. Before Davon could do anything, the griffin reared up on its hind legs with a terrible shriek, then brought both of its huge front claws down on Kai.

    At that moment, golden light erupted from Kai¡¯s position, illuminating the forest gloom in a dazzling display. When his eyes refocused, Davon saw the griffin had smashed its claws into a golden barrier emanating from Kai¡¯s axe. Kai was holding the weapon high in both hands, struggling against his enemy¡¯s claws.

    With no time to waste, Davon slung the bow from his back and drew its ethereal bowstring. The crackling of energy echoed through Davon¡¯s ears as he pulled the bowstring back, aiming at the bones in the griffin¡¯s left wing. Davon took a deep breath, steadying his aim, and let loose.

    He watched for what seemed like an eternity as the arrow flew towards the beast. Its aim was true. But then, at the final moment, the beast raised its wings in anger.

    The arrow made contact too low, sinking into the beast¡¯s flesh as the energy dissipated. Davon¡¯s heart sank. A successful hit, but not nearly enough to ground the griffin.

    Angered by the pain, the beast turned and locked eyes with Davon. Memories of facing down the fish-man on the docks echoed through Davon¡¯s mind. Only this time, there was no older Revenant to rely on for backup. He braced himself against the wave of terror that threatened to overwhelm him, woefully aware of his inexperience.

    Then, out of the corner of his eye, Davon spotted a flicker of flame approaching the griffin from the left. Lyla rushed the beast with a ferocity Davon didn¡¯t expect from the petite woman, her spear blazing with enchanted fire. The spear pierced the griffin¡¯s flank, and Davon promptly covered his ears to protect himself from the beast¡¯s bone-chilling shriek.

    The griffin swiped a claw at Lyla. She managed to raise her spear in time to prevent the blow from being lethal, but its force still sent her flying into the foliage.

    A desperate war cry followed as Kai brought his axe down hard on the griffin¡¯s backside, causing the beast to stumble. A second later, the griffin bucked its hind legs, cutting short the young man¡¯s shout of triumph. Davon watched as his second companion was sent crashing into a nearby patch of ferns.

    Stubborn defiance filled Davon¡¯s heart at the sight of his companions being thrown around by the foe. As the beast turned to stare him down once more, Davon unlatched the limbs of his bow and raised the twin swords in preparation.

    The beast reared up and leapt at Davon with terrifying speed. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Davon dropped to the ground in a bid to make the griffin¡¯s leap overshoot him.

    His gambit was almost perfectly successful. Davon¡¯s heartbeat echoed as the beast narrowly flew over him, one of its claws grazing his shoulder. Quickly, he stabbed upward at the griffin¡¯s belly. It was an imperfect strike, but it was enough to send a streak of blood across the ground as the beast bounded away, shrieking in pain.

    Rolling to the side and pushing himself onto his feet, Davon caught a glimpse of the griffin beating its powerful wings. Then it took off, tearing through the treetops.

    Davon slumped to his knees, his mind reeling as adrenaline slowly ebbed.

    They had survived. They had even wounded their quarry.

    But it got away nonetheless.

 Chapter 5: Battle

    For a moment, Davon simply knelt there, breathing heavily. But at the sound of rustling foliage, he shot up with weapons raised, only to see Lyla stumbling through the forest towards him. She was using her spear as a walking stick and looked about as rough as Davon felt.

    The pair locked eyes for a moment, acknowledging each other¡¯s survival with a simple nod. Then Davon calmly reattached his bow, slung it over his back, and made his way towards where he¡¯d seen Kai get launched. A cold anger was building within him at the young man¡¯s rash decision to attack, but it wasn¡¯t reason enough to leave the fool for dead.

    Still, once they were reunited and slumped against a tree together, Davon couldn¡¯t help making his opinion clear.

    ¡°You¡¯re a damn fool, Kai.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re a coward,¡± Kai shot back, his voice deadpan.

    ¡°Stop it, both of you,¡± Lyla hissed. ¡°We still have a quest to finish, like it or not.¡±

    Davon chuckled wearily. ¡°In this state?¡±

    ¡°Yes, in this state,¡± Lyla replied, pushing herself up to her feet. ¡°We¡¯re wounded, but so is the damn griffin. I saw what you did to it.¡±

    ¡°A flesh wound, barely enough to slow it down.¡± Davon leaned forward, rubbing his temples. ¡°Maybe if we¡¯d had a few more moments to get into position¡­¡±

    ¡°What was I supposed to do? It was practically staring me down!¡± Kai snapped.

    ¡°Aim for the wings, like we agreed. Or anywhere other than the beak,¡± Lyla grumbled. ¡°What were you thinking, Kai? That¡¯s the toughest part of a griffin.¡±

    Kai opened his mouth, then closed it.

    Shaking her head, Lyla reached under her cloak. ¡°Now I¡¯ll admit, fire may not have been the best choice either. I think I just made the beast angrier. But I could have used some ranged support from Davon also.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re all to blame, to some extent,¡± Davon admitted, too tired to put up a fight. ¡°But at least we¡¯re all still alive. We still have a chance to do this right. Even if we¡¯re in a bad way, we ¡ª¡±

    Davon¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by the sound of Lyla chanting in a language he didn¡¯t recognize. Looking up, he saw a pulse of warmth ripple out from her spear, bathing the trio in a warm glow. In seconds, all the wounds and scratches on Davon¡¯s body sealed. All that remained was a dull ache, similar to when he first woke up in the Guild House. Even the surrounding vegetation perked up in response to the spell.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. That¡¯s helpful,¡± Kai exclaimed, bounding to his feet with a grin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it.¡± Lyla steadied herself against the tree, visibly winded. ¡°I can only do that once per day. It takes a lot out of me.¡±

    ¡°A useful tool, regardless. Where¡¯d you learn to do that?¡± Davon asked.

    Lyla scoffed. ¡°What did you think I¡¯ve been doing this whole time with my spell book? Or did you think it was a journal?¡±

    Davon decided to change the subject.

    ¡°Feels like the thing didn¡¯t go too far,¡± he stated, focusing on the nagging sensation of the tracking hex as he got to his feet. ¡°Maybe we can still wrap this up before sundown.¡±

    Raising his eyes to the canopy, Davon glimpsed the faint hints of a red tinted sky. He frowned. The Red Dawn had completely thrown off his ability to tell time.

    Shaking his head to clear both the sudden doubt and the lingering ache, he looked at his companions.

    ¡°This time, we strike together, or not at all. Agreed?¡±

    Both nodded. Satisfied for the moment, Davon turned towards the direction of the tracking hex.

    The trek continued in uneasy silence. No one wanted to run the risk of alerting their prey, or any other monster that might be lurking in the forest. They also seemed to have an unspoken agreement to avoid the argument that had led to their ambush.

    Davon knew this wouldn¡¯t be the last time they would argue about tactics, or have their plans fall apart, or face defeat at the hands of a powerful opponent. He could only try to learn from the experience, and hope the other two would as well. For the moment, he was content to accept the tentative truce.

    After another half-hour of trekking through the forest, a burst of red in the foliage caught Davon¡¯s attention. He raised his hand, signaling the others to stop, then approached to inspect further.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    It was a fresh spray of blood, just enough to be from the griffin¡¯s wound. Looking further, it wasn¡¯t hard to find the trail of broken, bloodstained foliage, heading in the same direction the hex was pointing them.

    Davon dropped his voice to a whisper. ¡°We must be close. I doubt it would land if it wasn¡¯t preparing to rest.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we got lucky and it bled out?¡± Lyla suggested.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it,¡± Davon replied. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving for now and see what exactly we¡¯re dealing with.¡±

    Continuing further into the forest, the trio soon found themselves at the edge of a clearing. The ground rose gently on the opposite side. There, set in the rise of ground, Davon spotted a small cave.

    ¡°Looks like we found the nest,¡± he whispered, ducking down into the foliage. ¡°I have a plan. And Kai, I think you¡¯re going to like it.¡±

    Kai raised his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°I need you to draw the griffin out, while Lyla and I wait outside to ambush it.¡±

    This drew a furious glance from Lyla. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just trying to get him killed?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Kai exclaimed, smiling broadly. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a direct confrontation this entire time!¡±

    ¡°What?! No!¡± Lyla hissed, trying to keep her voice down. ¡°You got thrown around like a ragdoll last time! We both did! What makes you think this time will be any different?¡±

    Kai rolled his shoulders, smirking. ¡°Last time, I wasn¡¯t prepared.¡±

    With a sigh, Lyla turned towards Davon. ¡°You¡¯re using his overconfidence for your own gain.¡±

    Davon simply shrugged. She wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, but their options were slim. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to hear a better idea.¡±

    Lyla didn¡¯t respond, but she gazed at Davon with such fury, he thought she might be trying to disintegrate him.

    ¡°Look, Kai, I don¡¯t want you to take any unnecessary risks,¡± Davon clarified. ¡°Focus on defense, and let us whittle it down from the sides. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Kai nodded unconvincingly. Davon was almost certain the young hothead would try to finish off the griffin the first chance he got. A glance at Lyla showed she was thinking the same thing, but she just huffed and looked away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get into position,¡± Davon whispered. ¡°Wait for my signal.¡±

    Creeping carefully through the foliage, Davon made his way around to the other side of the clearing. Once there, he waved towards his companions.

    The next instant, Kai stepped boldly into the clearing, axe held in both hands.

    Watching the young man, Davon had to admit that Lyla was right, perhaps even more right than she realized. Yes, he was using Kai¡¯s overconfidence to advance their plans, and no, he didn¡¯t particularly care if the man got hurt because of it. When all was said and done, even if Kai died in this combat, he would resurrect. He was a Revenant, after all.

    A cold decision, Davon realized, but cold and calculated decisions were the surest path to success. Or, at least, according to his new way of thinking.

    Ever since that day on the docks, when Rand was cut down in front of him, Davon had found himself slipping further and further into this new ¡®rational thinking.¡¯ His goal was simple: avenge Rand by cutting down as many monsters as possible. Every moment was an opportunity to move closer to his goal, or further away. Any risk of casualty had to be weighed against the potential reward.

    In this case, should things go wrong, Kai was an acceptable casualty. It was only rational.

    Davon readied his bow, quieting his thoughts as Kai reached the entrance of the cave.

    The young man peered inside the dark cave entrance, then quickly stumbled backwards. Davon caught a glimpse of surprise and fear on Kai¡¯s face. Finally, with another roll of his shoulders, Kai took a few cautious steps into the cave and disappeared from sight.

    Left in silence, Davon felt his nerves twisting with anticipation. He pulled the bowstring taut and aimed for the mouth of the cave, ready to take a shot at the first thing that moved. Well, the first thing that wasn¡¯t Kai.

    Thankfully, Davon didn¡¯t have to wait too long.

    A pained shriek erupted from inside the cave. But rather than fear, Davon¡¯s mind filled with excitement. He closed his eyes, briefly picturing Rand¡¯s face.

    Revenge.

    Opening his eyes, Davon saw Kai leap out of the cave. Adrenaline immediately shot through Davon¡¯s veins, warping his perception of time. He watched, almost in slow-motion, as Kai spun on his heel and slammed his axe into the ground. Just like before, a wave of golden light erupted from the axe, enveloping Kai in a barrier.

    Not half a second later, the griffin burst from the cave entrance with a shriek. Tearing through the air, the beast landed with its front paws on top of the barrier. A terrible cracking sound echoed through the clearing, and Davon could see a spiderweb of cracks forming in the golden light-shield around Kai.

    Then, Davon noticed an ugly scorched gash on the griffin¡¯s side.

    As luck would have it, Davon had a perfect shot at the wound left by Lyla¡¯s flaming spear in the previous battle. Davon smiled as he readjusted his aim and let an arrow loose. Still smiling, he watched the arrow fly towards the beast, finally striking its mark.

    The griffin roared. Caught off guard by the sudden surge of pain, it stumbled off of Kai¡¯s barrier.

    Then, with another ear-piercing shriek, the beast swiped a claw towards the barrier, slamming against the cracks it had already formed. A sound like shattering glass filled the air as the griffin¡¯s claw pierced the light-shield.

    Kai swung his axe in an upwards arc, effectively parrying the attack. Carrying on the momentum, Kai spun on his heel and brought his axe into another upwards swing, directly into the beast¡¯s face. Davon watched with satisfaction as the griffin reeled backwards.

    Suddenly, even as it stumbled, the beast swiped its claws manically in front of it. Kai raised his axe to block, preparing for the full force of a cornered griffin to be unleashed on him.

    As Davon nocked another arrow, an arc of electricity flashed from the other side of the clearing. Lyla struck the griffin dead-on. The next moment, Davon took his shot, aiming at the same open wound he had attacked previously. The griffin¡¯s shriek became a strangled croak as the second arrow found its mark.

    The foe stumbled clumsily away from Kai with all the desperation of a cornered, exhausted creature. Davon felt no pity. He allowed himself another grim smile of satisfaction as Kai raised his axe to deliver the final blow.

    With all his strength, Kai brought his axe down on the griffin¡¯s neck. The beast went limp, falling to the ground. In the same instant, the nagging sensation in the back of Davon¡¯s head finally dissipated, signaling the end of their hunt.

    The trio gathered around the fallen beast. But before Davon could congratulate them on their teamwork, a realization struck him. He sighed wearily.

    ¡°Now¡­ we have to bring it back to Walden¡¯s Hold.¡±

 Chapter 6: Upgrade

    With a combined heave, Kai and Davon let go of the dead griffin, allowing the body to flop down unceremoniously in front the Guild House¡¯s front gate.

    After three hours of dragging the damn thing through forest thickets and over small hills, Davon was completely exhausted. He sat on the griffin¡¯s backside to catch his breath, paying no attention to the weird looks they were attracting from the gate guards. Kai took a seat next to Davon, while Lyla remained standing, immersed in a book.

    The scent of sweat and blood mixed in Davon¡¯s nose, creating the perfect concoction of disgust to make his well-earned break unenjoyable. Davon tried to distract himself by tracking the local populace, keeping them in his peripheral vision. Most people, he noticed, stopped to have a look at the dead monster, and to gaze admiringly at the heroes who had felled it.

    Despite the ongoing stench, Davon felt a small smile creeping onto his face.

    ¡°Well, well, what do we have here?¡± boomed a familiar, gruff voice. ¡°You even managed to bring back the body. I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    Davon turned to see Grant strolling up to them.

    ¡°You were expecting us to fail, then?¡± he asked the old Revenant.

    ¡°Not expecting, no, but the odds weren¡¯t exactly in your favor.¡± Grant halted by the body, looking over the monster with a keenly assessing gaze. ¡°Ordinarily, before a hunt like this, you would¡¯ve gone through at least a week of training. Refining combat skills, building teamwork, getting used to your Reliquaries¡­ You can understand why the thought of your failure crossed my mind.¡±

    Davon couldn¡¯t help shuddering. None of them had realized how truly unprepared they were to face their first hunt.

    And yet, here they were, with their quarry in tow and all of their lives intact. Was their success the result of talent, or pure dumb luck?

    Probably both, he thought.

    ¡°Regardless, here you are,¡± Grant exclaimed, as if reading Davon¡¯s thoughts. He pointed to the dead griffin. ¡°Come, let¡¯s see what the Boneshapers can do with this beast. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take it. You¡¯ve carried the thing enough for one day.¡±

    Without complaint, Kai and Davon stood up and moved away from the body. Grant grabbed the griffin by one of its front legs and slung it over his back effortlessly. The trio fell in step with the old Revenant, following him into the Guild house.

    Before crossing the threshold, Davon looked at the sky, noting that the red hue was too dark for a normal sunset. He narrowed his eyes. Since the Red Dawn, he had almost become accustomed to the constant red tint the world was now bathed in during the day. Even so, this sunset made him nervous for reasons he couldn¡¯t quite name.

    A tap on the shoulder brought Davon back to reality. Turning towards the door, he saw Lyla staring at him expectantly.

    ¡°This is hardly the time for daydreaming, Davon.¡±

    Davon cleared his throat. Muttering an apology, he hurried to catch up with Grant and Kai.

    At first, the group made their way through the Guild House in silence. Then Lyla voiced the question uppermost in Davon¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Any news about the Red Dawn, Grant?¡±

    ¡°Nothing concrete,¡± the old Revenant replied. ¡°Some reports of new monsters spotted in the wild, mostly attacking supply convoys. Quest board has been full of requests to track down and eliminate these bands. If you haven¡¯t thought about what you¡¯re doing next, I¡¯d recommend a look.¡±

    Before Davon could point out that they still hadn¡¯t received any training, Grant continued, ¡°There¡¯s also been some rumors of attacks on fringe cities. The news is unreliable, but from what I hear, the talk says mostly small groups, barely able to scratch at the walls.¡±

    These words sent a chill down Davon¡¯s spine. Attacking isolated supply convoys was one thing, but raids on cities? That was a whole other, and much more disturbing, matter.

    ¡°What about our forces?¡± Kai asked eagerly. ¡°Revenants, I mean.¡±

    Grant scratched his chin. ¡°Well, from the local teams, Mia is currently heading an expedition with the Green Trackers. Searching for any signs of these new monsters around Walden¡¯s Hold.¡±

    The Green Trackers. Davon was familiar with that name. They were a group of Revenant rangers, highly skilled in survival, tracking, and covering their own tracks. While Davon didn¡¯t have many personal interactions with the group, he knew they were responsible for getting shipments of goods moved between port cities and whichever mainland city needed them.

    ¡°The Stalwarts are doing what they do best: fortification,¡± Grant went on. ¡°They¡¯re helping maintain the walls around Walden¡¯s Hold, as well as supporting the garrison. Although¡­¡±

    He paused long enough to draw a curious glance from Kai. When the old Revenant continued, his voice was tinged with barely concealed worry.

    ¡°Their leader Franz left on a solo expedition two days before the Red Dawn started. He hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡±

    Davon didn¡¯t blame Grant for being worried. Franz Steel-Heart was a legendary Revenant. Even Davon knew the stories of his conquests over monsters. In fact, Davon couldn¡¯t name a single monster Franz hadn¡¯t triumphed over. The Steel-Heart had once eliminated an entire den of dragons, singlehandedly. If something out there related to the Red Dawn had actually bested Franz, then everyone in Walden¡¯s Hold and beyond had real reason to fear.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    His concern only deepened when Grant quickly changed the subject.

    ¡°And, of course, assortments of Revenant teams are spread throughout the territories. Doing odd jobs here and there, keeping the peace, the usual. As always, there are a few daredevils who seem to think they can solve the situation all on their own.¡±

    To Davon¡¯s surprise, Grant chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s even been some rumors that the Emperor¡¯s Hand has been mobilized. I¡¯ll believe it when I see it. Those lazy bastards have had it good for far too long.¡±

    The Emperor¡¯s Hand was a name that provoked awe in most people who knew anything about Revenants. They were an elite squad of three, based out of the capital city and hand-picked by the emperor himself to serve every one of his whims with total loyalty. Although this service mostly came down to guarding the emperor and his treasury, these Revenants had a fearsome reputation. If even they were getting involved, then the situation further into the mainland must have been truly dire.

    Davon¡¯s stomach twisted, all Grant¡¯s information only made him more uneasy. Several important and powerful factions were seemingly on the move, but next to no progress had been made towards resolving the main problem. It sounded like no one still had any clue about what the Red Dawn was, let alone how to stop it.

    On top of that, if cities were being attacked¡­

    ¡°Be honest, Grant.¡± His mind filling with visions of mysterious foes, Davon didn¡¯t even try to mask his anxiety. ¡°If Walden¡¯s Hold were to be attacked, what are our chances?¡±

    Grant sighed. ¡°Well, we have the Stalwarts, and sturdy walls. We have enough resources to last through an extended siege. But what we need are more Revenants.¡±

    Lyla raised her eyebrows. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°If the rumors are true, these new monsters are quite powerful,¡± Grant explained. ¡°The humans couldn¡¯t hold them back, and the local Stalwart force isn¡¯t big enough to hold off a siege on their own. So, we need more loose Revenants to gather here and patrol the walls. But the Guild¡¯s got them running errands constantly, trying to get to the bottom of the Red Dawn.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t the answer Davon was hoping for. As they continued through the maze of hallways, he felt his heart sinking lower and lower.

    He had become a Revenant to exact vengeance on monsters. He didn¡¯t want anyone else to experience the loss and terror he had encountered on the docks. But would he even be around to defend Walden¡¯s Hold if it were attacked? Or would he and his teammates be out in the wilderness, doing something completely unrelated while the city was being ravaged?

    ¡°Ah, but you shouldn¡¯t worry yourself with these things,¡± Grant exclaimed, putting on a jovial tone which did nothing to quiet Davon¡¯s fears. ¡°Not for today, at least. You just completed your first quest, and you should reap the rewards.¡±

    Davon had been so engrossed in the conversation that he didn¡¯t notice they had arrived at the Boneshapers¡¯ workshop. With movements so practiced they looked like second nature, Grant pushed open the doors to the workshop and slung the griffin carcass onto the table.

    The Boneshapers were ready. Though their faces were covered with those blank masks, Davon could hear the excitement in the pair¡¯s voices as they hovered over the body,

    ¡°Ah, what a wonderful specimen,¡± one said.

    The other nodded in agreement, then lifted his head to the trio. ¡°Not enough to directly strengthen your weapons, but we can work some more tools into your repertoire.¡±

    With surgical efficiency and eerie silence, the two Boneshapers dismantled the griffin¡¯s body in mere minutes, leaving behind only the bloodied bones, talons, and beak.

    ¡°Now, put your weapons on the table,¡± one of the Boneshapers urged.

    The party hesitated. Davon wondered if his companions, like himself, were taken aback by the sheer precision of butchery they had just witnessed.

    But the Boneshapers were waiting, motionless and expectant.

    After only a few moments, Davon¡¯s bow was on the table, between Kai¡¯s axe and Lyla¡¯s spear. Immediately taking positions on either side of the table, the Boneshapers began chanting in a language Davon didn¡¯t even recognize, let alone understand.

    A movement in the corner of Davon¡¯s eye caught his attention. The griffin¡¯s dismembered beak was shaking. Next to it, a bone rattled. Soon all the assorted griffin parts were trembling on the table, spurred on by the chanting. Then a glow enveloped the materials, bathing the workshop in gentle light. Davon felt a bit of the tension in his fingertips relax as the golden glow washed over him.

    Raising their voices higher, the robed figures continued chanting. In response, the materials on the table seemed to fold into themselves, leaving behind six globules of what Davon could only describe as liquid light.

    Finally, and ever so gently, the Boneshapers picked up Lyla¡¯s spear and carefully touched its tip to one of the globules. The globule burst into a dazzling array of sparks, which were instantly absorbed by the spear.

    After administering the same treatment to Kai¡¯s axe and Davon¡¯s bow, the Boneshapers stepped back, dusting themselves off.

    ¡°Your upgrades are completed. The details of each will be revealed to you, in time, by the weapon itself,¡± one of the the robed figures explained.

    ¡°We look forward to whatever you bring us next time,¡± the other agreed. ¡°Happy hunting.¡±

    Davon picked up his bow and inspected it closely. Right next to the runes he had first noticed on the weapon, there were now two additional markings. But these marks were simple squares, with no rune work whatsoever. He could only guess this was because the weapon hadn¡¯t yet decided to reveal what the exact upgrades were.

    Glancing over at his teammates, Davon saw they were both as confused as he was. He also sensed they shared his growing discomfort. It was unsettling to stand there in the mysterious workshop, the two Boneshapers staring at them silently with their expressionless masks. There was also no sign of Grant.

    The trio shared a look, silently deciding it was time to leave.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m beat,¡± Kai exclaimed as soon as the workshop doors were closed safely behind them. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some rest, and I¡¯d recommend you two do the same.¡±

    With a casual wave, Kai departed for his dorm room, leaving his teammates behind in the crimson sunset.

    ¡°Why do I get the feeling things are only going to get more complicated from here, for all of us?¡± Lyla mused as she looked over her spear. Davon noticed that, instead of any new markings along the spear tip, Lyla¡¯s Reliquary had gained a couple peculiar strings wrapped around the shaft. Hanging from each string was a small bone square.

    ¡°Because nothing is ever easy, right?¡± Davon replied, slinging his bow over his back. ¡°But that¡¯s a problem for tomorrow.¡±

    Davon and Lyla bid each other good night before heading in different directions within the Guild House. Davon found it peculiar how the building itself seemed so unimposing from the outside, and yet was a veritable labyrinth on the inside. Were all Revenant barracks designed similarly? Was there a tactical reason for this layout? If so, what was it?

    To his surprise, this thought train was interrupted by the memory of Kai¡¯s voice, echoing suddenly in his mind:

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking yourself in circles, D.¡±

    Davon shook his head, smiling in spite of himself.

    Maybe Kai is right, he thought. At the very least, he was right about one thing. We all need some rest.

    The weight of the day was settling deeper and deeper in Davon¡¯s limbs with every step, crashing into him fully when he reached his room and fell into bed. Despite the many thoughts whirling around in his brain, he found it difficult to resist the allure of sleep.

 Chapter 7: Unknown Foes

    Driven entirely by routine, Davon woke up at sunrise the following day. This routine, however, failed to comfort him like it usually did.

    It was hard to appreciate a new day¡¯s warmth when that new day included the crimson tint of the Red Dawn.

    Trying not to dwell on it, Davon made his way to the Guild¡¯s mess hall. Only a few people were gathered there so early in the morning. He had plenty of options for places to sit, but before he could choose, he felt himself being drawn towards the quest board.

    The stone slab on the wall displayed a long list of tasks for his perusal, which surprised Davon. Compared to the previous day¡¯s offer of only one quest, the array of choices was almost overwhelming. He found everything from simple tasks like tracking and killing monsters, to escorting merchants, to research expeditions into various¡­ interesting subjects.

    After scanning the list for several minutes, he found his eyes returning again and again to one specific quest. It was one he¡¯d dismissed at first, thinking it was yet another basic ¡®search and destroy¡¯ mission. And while, in essence, the quest was to search and destroy, the subject was undoubtedly intriguing.

    ¡®Unknown invasion forces¡¯: that was what this quest wanted dead. Equally intriguing, the quest was marked with an ¡®unknown¡¯ difficulty rating.

    Davon was so intent on these mysterious words that he didn¡¯t notice someone approaching until a voice sounded in his ear.

    ¡°Already busy, Davon?¡±

    Startled, Davon jumped and turned on his heel. His hand was halfway to his weapon before he recognized his spellbook-loving teammate.

    ¡°For brine¡¯s sake, Lyla, don¡¯t sneak up on me like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± A devilish grin spread across Lyla¡¯s face. ¡°Didn¡¯t realize you were a scaredy cat.¡±

    Davon scoffed, turning back towards the quest board. ¡°Yes, already busy. There are a lot of new quests. This one looks interesting.¡±

    He tapped his finger gently on the board. Lyla took a moment to look over the quest, her face swiftly returning to its customary neutral expression.

    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, that does look interesting,¡± Lyla said.

    Davon contemplated accepting the quest right then and there. He doubted that Kai would have any qualms about it, seeing as the young man was more than keen to rush into danger at a moment¡¯s notice. But in the end, he decided to wait for the third member of their party to show up before making any decisions that would affect the whole group.

    However eager they all were to get out there, caution was always a better strategy.

    They lingered by the quest board, waiting for Kai. Lyla pulled out one of her books and was soon lost in its pages. Davon, meanwhile, was equally lost in thought.

    ¡®Unknown invasion forces¡¯¡­ what does that even mean?

    Before he could follow even one of the many thought-trails this question provoked, Lyla¡¯s voice sounded again in his ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious, Davon.¡±

    He just managed to stop himself from jumping again at her voice. Instead, he looked at her, raising his eyebrow.

    The petite blonde woman held her book open in one hand, leaning heavily on her spear. ¡°Grant mentioned some rumors about small-scale attacks on cities further inland, so I¡¯m curious¡­ how familiar are you with warfare strategies?¡±

    She locked eyes with Davon, scrutinizing him.

    ¡°Familiar enough to recognize probing attacks when I see them,¡± he replied.

    Lyla held his gaze one more moment before slowly nodding in agreement. ¡°Then we¡¯re on the same page.¡±

    Kai showed up a few minutes later, greeting his teammates with his usual optimism. It took an even shorter time for the bold young man to agree to the ¡®unknown invasion forces¡¯ quest. Flanked by his teammates, Davon reached out his hand and touched the quest board.

    It was time for the trio to set off once again.

    ¡ª

    Unlike their griffin hunt, this quest didn¡¯t come with the convenience of a tracking hex already on the target. Instead, the three new Revenants were given a general location and some vague ¡®Good hunting!¡¯ well-wishes.

    Thankfully, under Lyla¡¯s careful guidance, reading maps wasn¡¯t an issue. By midday, the team found themselves beside one of the many streams in the forests surrounding Walden¡¯s Hold.

    Davon kept his eyes peeled on the nearby foliage and other vegetation, looking for any sign of passage that wasn¡¯t an animal, but with no luck. It wasn¡¯t long before Kai recommended splitting up to cover a larger area. Unable to think of any better options, Davon and Lyla agreed.

    What followed was an agonizing hour of searching, each of them doing their best to inspect every single detail of their surroundings. By the end of hour two, Davon began to feel desperate. He was keeping his whole body poised, ready for sudden battle, and his muscles ached from the constant tension.

    Halfway through hour three, he called the group together.

    ¡°I have an idea, but I need you to trust me,¡± he said, scanning his teammates for their reactions.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°After using Kai as bait last time?¡± Lyla retorted. ¡°You want me to trust you?¡±

    Davon smiled weakly. ¡°Yes. But this time, it would be all three of us as the bait.¡±

    ¡°Hah, sounds like my kind of plan!¡± Kai put in enthusiastically, though his smile faded when Lyla shot him a furious look.

    ¡°Look, we¡¯re not exactly making much progress looking for these things the old-fashioned way,¡± Davon pointed out. ¡°So, we can try the same thing that provoked that griffin in the first place.¡±

    Both Lyla and Kai just looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°Think about it. If these ¡®unknown invasion forces¡¯ really are some sort of advance scouts, as the guild seems to suspect, then they will want to learn where their enemies are,¡± Davon explained. ¡°If we make a lot of noise, they might be compelled to come and look, just in case they find something. We hide until they show themselves. Then, we ambush them.¡±

    To Davon¡¯s surprise, Kai didn¡¯t object to the sneak-attack strategy. In fact, he was practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of an actual battle with ¡®unknown invasion forces.¡¯

    Lyla, on the other hand, took a few moments to consider.

    ¡°Well¡­ I suppose that makes sense,¡± she finally conceded. Then her expression brightened. ¡°As a matter of fact, I think I could help. Find some cover.¡±

    Davon and Kai didn¡¯t argue. Immediately, they ducked into the nearby foliage to hide.

    Once she was certain her teammates were hidden, Lyla raised her spear towards the sky and chanted a few words. Enchanted flames appeared along the weapon. With one sharp motion, Lyla thrust the spear upward. All the flames surged to the spear¡¯s tip and burst up into the sky, creating a makeshift flare.

    Then Lyla herself dashed for a nearby hiding spot, and the trio began to wait.

    A minute passed, then five, then ten.

    Just as Davon was beginning to consider leaving his hiding spot, he caught a foul smell. The mixed scent of rot and sulfur heralded the arrival of the targets long before Davon could see them.

    And when he finally did lay eyes on the enemy, Davon¡¯s heart grew cold with fear.

    One by one, five small humanoid entities emerged from the surrounding forest. Calling them ¡®humanoid¡¯ was probably too generous. Though the creatures¡¯ heads and torsos were covered in black armor, Davon could tell they were heavily disfigured. The tallest was roughly half Davon¡¯s height. Their exposed limbs were disproportionately long and twisted at odd angles. Every bit of skin he saw appeared to be burned.

    Quieting the anxious thoughts screaming for his attention, Davon tried to focus on the task at hand. He considered his options. There was no way of knowing whether his bow would be strong enough to pierce the armor, and he wasn¡¯t willing to test it. So, his only real targets were the monster¡¯s exposed limbs.

    Quietly as he could, Davon nocked an arrow and prepared for things to kick off.

    The creatures drew closer and closer. Anxiety crept back into Davon¡¯s mind. Why hadn¡¯t he arranged a signal with his teammates? Were Kai and Lyla ready? What if the creatures found one of them before the trio could attack?

    Then, even as he was preparing to launch into the ambush himself, Davon saw Kai crash through the foliage with his axe at the ready.

    Kai swung his axe in a low, sweeping motion, directly into the unprotected legs of one of the creatures. Davon watched as the axe effortlessly cut through the thing¡¯s flesh, severing both legs right from under it. Kai continued, using the momentum of his strike in an attempt to bring his axe down on the thing¡¯s chest, but he was interrupted when the rest of the creatures swarmed him with unnatural speed.

    Kai was tackled by four different creatures and brought onto the ground. Davon could no longer see Kai beneath the pile of bodies, only hear the man¡¯s grunts of pain. Davon raised his bow and aimed at the creature on the top of the pile. He couldn¡¯t get a clear shot at the unprotected limbs, so he aimed at the monster¡¯s torso and hoped it would be enough to do something at least.

    His perception of time slowing in the familiar rush of adrenaline, Davon watched his arrow fly¡­ and bounce off the armor. Thankfully, the blow still had enough force to push the creature off of the pile, but the monster remained unharmed.

    From somewhere on his left, Davon heard the crackle of electricity. The next instant, another creature was blasted off of the pile by Lyla. Davon readied his bow again, but before he could shoot, a sharp pain in his left thigh made him cry out. Looking down, he saw the creature he had knocked off the pile snarling at his feet. The monster must have crawled over. Still on the ground, it had dug its disfigured nails into Davon¡¯s thigh.

    Compelled by unnatural instinct, Davon unlatched his bow¡¯s mechanism and invoked one of the new runes. Immediately, his blades released a dull, amber glow, and he swung without hesitation at the creature clawing at his thigh. One blade, then the other, each blow taking a segment of the thing¡¯s arms. Davon continued to swing, again and again, until he was slicing into the creature¡¯s torso. His blades found no resistance, even against the armor.

    Before Davon was fully aware of his actions, all that remained of the creature was a pile of blood, flesh, and bone.

    The glow on his blades faded. As he stood there, panting and covered in gore, Davon felt knowledge course through him from his connection to the Reliquary. He knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to invoke that particular power again for a while, but it had saved his life.

    A sudden flash of golden light brought Davon back to the present moment. He looked over to see the familiar golden barrier wrapped around Kai, who was still lying on the ground. Two creatures were repeatedly smashing their limbs against the barrier.

    Realizing that Kai would be fine for a few moments, Davon turned his attention to Lyla ¡ª just in time to see a creature leap towards her.

    Once again, time slowed for Davon. An unpleasant flashback to that day at the docks flared across his mind.

    In one smooth motion, Davon reattached the limbs of his bow and nocked an arrow. As he aimed at the creature, still mid-leap, he spotted his opportunity: the monster¡¯s armpits weren¡¯t armored.

    That was when Davon made a calculated risk.

    With his bow raised and ready, he waited for the creature to tackle Lyla to the ground. Then, just as the thing raised its arm to strike, he let his arrow fly. An agonizing eternity passed for Davon as he watched the arrow race against the creature¡¯s arm, which was already in a downwards arc and headed directly for Lyla¡¯s head.

    The arrow won.

    The sound of tearing flesh filled Davon¡¯s ears as the arrow impacted the creature, throwing its arm off of its intended trajectory. A pit opened in Davon¡¯s stomach as the thing¡¯s arm still slammed downward, but it hit the ground instead and left a miniature crater.

    ¡°The armpit is unprotected!¡± Davon shouted towards Lyla, then watched as she brought her spear up directly into the creature¡¯s vulnerable part. It collapsed on top of her, limp and motionless.

    The sound of shattering glass drew Davon¡¯s gaze back towards Kai. The sight left Davon speechless. Covered in cuts and bruises, Kai stood before his foes like a feral beast, his face twisted in a grimace of pure rage.

    Then Davon spotted a new glowing rune on Kai¡¯s axe.

    In a movement almost too fast for Davon to follow, Kai both raised and dropped his axe down into one of the creatures, cutting the monster in half. The next instant, the final creature leapt at Kai, wrapping itself around the man¡¯s torso and dragging its claws across his back. In a show of brutality Davon had only seen once before, Kai simply grabbed his enemy by the top of its head with one arm, and the base of the neck with the other, and pulled. A fountain of gore showered Kai as the creature fell to the ground in pieces.

    For a moment, the two men just stared at each other, each covered in the blood of their foes.

    ¡°Well, that was a bit too close for comfort,¡± Davon finally stated, watching his teammate closely.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, you could say that again.¡± Kai was breathing hard, his face still a mask of animalistic rage. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the young man¡¯s fury subsided. He grinned broadly at Davon. ¡°But we lived, right?¡±

    Lyla¡¯s muffled cry drew the attention of the two men, sending them rushing to her aid.

    ¡°Please help me, I¡¯m stuck under this damn thing!¡±

 Chapter 8: Patrol

    Passersby looked on in silence as the three young Revenants carried the remains of their foes through the city. Davon was struck by the difference in the citizens¡¯ expressions from the day before. Most of them had been impressed when the trio brought in the griffin. Now, though, every face he saw showed only shock or deep concern.

    It was a different story when the group entered the Revenants¡¯ Guild House. There, everyone was remarkably interested in the monsters¡¯ mangled bodies, reminding Davon that this was the first encounter with the invaders anyone in Walden¡¯s Hold had experienced. A sense of pride welled up in his heart, giving him strength to struggle forward through the maze of hallways.

    It had been a grueling journey. Though the creatures were all half Davon¡¯s size, the armor made their bodies heavy. The trio didn¡¯t complain, but Davon knew all three of them were glad to reach the workshop and lower the corpses onto the Boneshapers¡¯ table.

    ¡°These creatures are¡­ fascinating.¡±

    The two Boneshapers spoke in eerie unison as they circled the table. Taking up their positions on opposite sides, they raised their hands. Immediately, several of the talismans around each of their necks lit up.

    ¡°This is unprecedented,¡± said one.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± said the other. ¡°For such small creatures, the quality is on par with some of the¡­¡±

    The Boneshaper trailed off, then turned to the trio. ¡°These materials could be used to improve your weapons by several tiers.¡±

    Davon narrowed his eyes. He didn¡¯t know much about how Revenants advanced, but this seemed too convenient to be true. Sure, the fight had been difficult, but did it really merit a significant advancement?

    Kai scratched the back of his head, apparently sharing Davon¡¯s confusion. ¡°Is that¡­ normal?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the Boneshapers said, again in unison. Then one continued, ¡°Usually, Revenants are lucky to have their weapon advance half a tier after imbuement. At least this early in their career.¡±

    The other Boneshaper took up the thread. ¡°Your weapons are currently classified as tier zero, like all fresh Reliquaries. With these materials, we could upgrade them to tier three.¡±

    ¡°However¡­ these are new creatures. We have not seen anything like them before,¡± the first Boneshaper explained, turning their gaze towards the group. ¡°Would it be agreeable to give you equivalent materials, so we may use these bodies for research?¡±

    Davon shared a look with his teammates, getting a shrug from Kai and an exhausted nod from Lyla. Turning back to the Boneshapers, he nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ that sounds fair.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. Please, wait here a moment.¡±

    With startling strength, the pair of Boneshapers lifted all five bodies. Then they carried their prize into a back room, closing the door behind them.

    The workshop was left in silence, only occasionally broken by birdsong coming from outside. Davon looked through the wide open doors, taking in the training grounds bathed in crimson light as his thoughts wandered.

    ¡°What do you think they are, really?¡± he wondered aloud, gaze still fixed on the red-tinted training ground.

    ¡°The Boneshapers?¡± Kai asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Davon pointed to the door through which the bodies had been carried. ¡°Those¡­ things we fought.¡±

    Kai leaned against the wall beside Davon. ¡°Does it matter?¡±

    ¡°Of course it does,¡± Lyla said firmly. ¡°The more we know about our enemies, the more effectively we can fight them.¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡± Kai sounded doubtful. ¡°But¡­ why overthink it? We just need to kill them before they can kill us. That¡¯s the main point, right?¡±

    Davon opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the Boneshapers emerged from the back room.

    ¡°Apologies for the wait,¡± one of the robed figures said as they approached. ¡°Please, place your weapons on the table.¡±

    The group carefully laid their weapons on the workshop table, and the Boneshapers immediately began arranging a collection of strange bones around them. Davon focused on their work, trying to discern any meaning in the placement of the bones, but the significance remained shrouded in mystery.

    With the bones arranged in a circle around the Reliquaries, the two Boneshapers nodded at each other, then began chanting. It sounded different from the chant that had accompanied the griffin parts, slower and somehow more weighty. Davon watched as the bones gradually disintegrated into a glowing dust. Slowly, the dust rose from the table and drifted onto the weapons, coating them completely. Moments later, the glowing dust seeped into the Reliquaries, and the chanting stopped.

    At a nod from the Boneshapers, Davon reached out and grabbed his bow, inspecting it closely. He noticed a new sharpness to the bow¡¯s limbs. Summoning the ethereal bowstring, he tested the draw weight. Whereas before, he could pull the string back effortlessly, now there was a noticeable pull against his hand.

    A smile crept onto his face as he thought about the increase in power this would bring. Maybe he could now pierce the armor the monsters were wearing.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Take these, as an added bonus.¡± The Boneshapers interrupted Davon¡¯s musings, placing three bags onto the table. ¡°They¡¯re enchanted to be massive on the inside. Very useful for bringing back materials.¡±

    The trio exchanged a look. Davon knew they were all thinking of how helpful these bags would have been only a few hours before¡­

    But they couldn¡¯t voice that to the Boneshapers, of course. Instead, they each grabbed one of the bags, thanked the mysterious robed figures, and left the workshop.

    ¡°Ah, there you are.¡±

    A familiar voice grabbed Davon¡¯s attention as soon as he stepped outside. Looking up, he saw Grant entering the training grounds.

    ¡°We have news from neighboring cities,¡± Grant went on, before Davon could even return the greeting. ¡°Patrols of strange creatures have been creeping closer and closer to their walls. So I want you outside, now. You¡¯ll be patrolling around our city walls until sunset. You spot anything, you kill it and bring it to the gate. The guards will handle the rest.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Stalwarts¡¯ job?¡± Lyla asked, exhaustion and annoyance plain in her voice.

    ¡°They don¡¯t care about anything beyond the city walls,¡± Grant scoffed. ¡°Your job is to keep the area around the walls clear. Now, get going.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, Grant turned to leave, his gruff tone leaving no room for argument.

    Davon shared his teammates¡¯ annoyance, but he pushed it down with well-practiced ease. This was one of the most useful skills he had picked up on the ship, one he¡¯d called upon quite often when dealing with the first mate¡¯s requests.

    Limiting his protests to a heavy sigh, Davon turned to his companions. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s get this done.¡±

    ¡ª

    Kai offered to take the lead during the patrol, and Davon was more than happy to let him. The party walked slowly through the forest outside the city, following the wall while keeping a solid distance from it, their senses alert for movement on either side.

    After an hour, Davon estimated they had walked a quarter of the city wall¡¯s total length. He also realized there were still five hours of patrol left until sunset. The boredom he¡¯d been fighting set in fully, and his mind began to wander. To his surprise, the old favorite dreams of warm meals and a comfortable bed kept giving way to thoughts of his Reliquary, and to the one remaining blank rune.

    Then a motion in his periphery cut all wonderings short.

    Stopping in his tracks, Davon peered through the forest gloom. The ominous red sunlight made the shadows among the trees much darker, and it took Davon¡¯s full focus to pierce through them. His efforts were rewarded when he glimpsed the shape of a humanoid weaving through the trees. After another moment of silent watching, he realized the shape was moving alongside Kai, stalking its way towards the group.

    ¡°Heads up,¡± Davon hissed as quietly as he could, drawing his teammates¡¯ attention. He tipped his head slightly towards the shape. ¡°Something in the woods.¡±

    Tension filled the air as the group readied their weapons. Repositioning themselves into a more tactically sound formation, Davon took a few steps back while Kai stepped forward. Lyla fell back even further, outside of Davon¡¯s vision.

    Kai turned towards Davon, his voice a grim whisper. ¡°Are you sure you saw something?¡±

    Davon nodded calmly, and Kai flashed him a grin.

    ¡°Alright. Watch my back, then.¡±

    Momentarily confused, Davon watched as Kai raised his axe and then slammed it down into the ground. A flash of golden light enveloped Kai, turning him into a beacon against the forest¡¯s gloom.

    It took a few seconds for Davon¡¯s eyes to adjust, but when he recovered, he saw figures in the forest struggling against the sudden burst of light.

    Five humanoids, wearing the same black armor as the creatures the group had fought earlier in the day. These creatures, however, were a lot closer to regular humanoids. They were all nearly as tall as Davon. Their limbs were the right proportions. Their armor was complete, covering them from head to toe. Davon spotted spears in their hands and swords hanging from their belts.

    Davon¡¯s mind quickly caught up, and he raised his bow. Making the most of the enemies¡¯ disorientation, he aimed at the closest creature and let an arrow fly. The spectral arrow found its mark in the monster¡¯s chest, collapsing the armor inward. Gasping, the creature tilted its armored head down to look at its chest, then crumbled into a heap.

    As one of them fell, the other four creatures seemed to shake off the surprise caused by Kai¡¯s gambit. Spears raised, they charged forward in unison, surrounding Kai with surprising speed. Two stood in front of the young Revenant, facing him, while the two behind him turned towards Davon.

    Davon found this move foolish. Smirking, he pulled back the ethereal string, summoning another arrow.

    Then understanding struck: if he missed, or if his foe dodged, he would instead strike Kai¡¯s barrier, possibly Kai himself if the arrow pierced it.

    Davon hesitated, calculating the risks. Then he let the arrow go slack. Training his eyes on his foes, he waited for his moment.

    Suddenly, the sound of wind picked up behind Davon. Before he could react, he felt the force of wind pass him by. It hurtled into one of the creatures between him and Kai and sent the monster stumbling to the side.

    Without thinking, Davon readjusted his aim and loosed the arrow. He watched the missile fly true, piercing the creature¡¯s skull with a sickening crack. The sound echoed in his head, followed closely by a loud thud.

    Almost simultaneously, the two creatures facing off with Kai suddenly stabbed towards him, one low and one high, only to be stopped by his barrier. Davon expected to hear the familiar sound of the barrier cracking, but no such noise reached his ears.

    Nonchalantly, Kai raised his axe and swung it horizontally at his opponents. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the surrounding woods. One of the creatures raised its weapon to parry, but he couldn¡¯t stop the vicious assault. Kai buried his axe into the first creature, cutting almost halfway through its torso.

    The two remaining enemies watched as their ally went limp, still stuck on Kai¡¯s axe, and decided to make a desperate attempt to break through Kai¡¯s defenses. As one, they stabbed their spears into either side of the barrier. This time, the barrier collapsed with the sound of breaking glass, but it was a useless endeavor. Kai pulled back his axe, blocking one of the attacks by using the body stuck on his weapon as a shield. With his other hand, he grabbed the spear aimed at his back.

    A sudden whizzing sound caught Davon¡¯s attention, and he turned just in time to see Lyla¡¯s spear flying through the air with unnatural speed. For an instant, Davon was convinced the spear was going to land in Kai¡¯s back. At the last moment, however, it arced as if carried by wind and circumvented Kai, hitting one of the two remaining enemies squarely in the head.

    The final foe, their spear still firmly held by Kai, let go of their weapon and ran for their life.

    Davon was almost insulted by the attempt. He savored the crackling of energy as he raised his bow, took aim, and fired. The arrow lit up the trees and foliage it passed in its flight, before burying itself in the back of the creature¡¯s skull.

    The thud of their final enemy hitting the ground echoed in triumph through Davon¡¯s ears, and he felt a potent wave of confidence building in his chest.

    Maybe all his doubts were unwarranted. Maybe, just maybe, there was no reason to worry.

    ¡°All done, and not a scratch on us,¡± Davon said, making no attempt to conceal the pride in his voice. ¡°Let¡¯s get these bodies to the gate.¡±

 Chapter 9: Encampment

    Morning light bathed the Guild¡¯s mess hall in shades of gold and dark, ominous red. But despite the menacing crimson tint, Davon enjoyed the moment of peace with his teammates.

    Only the three of them and a couple other teams were in the room, reminding him of his days on the ship. Even if his appetite was shrinking with each passing day, Davon still appreciated the chance to sit down with the ¡®crew¡¯ over a meal.

    As usual, Kai was the first to break the silence.

    ¡°Did either of you check the quest board yet?¡±

    ¡°No work before breakfast,¡± Davon retorted, pointing his fork at Kai. ¡°New rule. So no, I haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s something very interesting there today,¡± Kai exclaimed with a grin. ¡°Scouts came across an encampment. Guild wants it cleared.¡±

    Lyla¡¯s head snapped up, her gaze fixed on Kai. ¡°Encampment? How close to the city?¡±

    ¡°Three miles eastward, towards the hills.¡± Kai leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s marked ¡®Intermediate.¡¯ How do you two feel about stepping out of ¡®Novice¡¯ quests?¡±

    Davon shared a look with Lyla. Confidence had been brewing in his heart since they decimated the creatures during their patrol the day before. Seeing his own eagerness reflected in the petite woman¡¯s piercing green eyes, he knew he was not alone.

    ¡°I reckon it¡¯s about time,¡± he said, returning Kai¡¯s grin.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Kai stood up as he clapped his hands together, drawing the attention of every other person in the room. ¡°Then let¡¯s gear up and get going!¡±

    ¡ª

    An hour later, the trio were deep into the forests east of Walden¡¯s Hold. The farther they got from the city, the denser the foliage and undergrowth became. Thinking back, Davon was amused at how much time he had spent trekking through forests since becoming a Revenant.

    All that talk of immortality and slaying monsters, he thought, picking his way around yet another patch of thorn bushes. The job description didn¡¯t say anything about endless nature walks.

    ¡°We should be close now,¡± Lyla muttered from the back of the group. ¡°If I¡¯m reading this map correctly, anyway¡­¡±

    For a fleeting moment, Davon felt anxious at the prospect of becoming lost in the forest. He¡¯d spent so long on a ship, he wasn¡¯t sure how to find his way on land.

    Thankfully, his worries were quickly buried as a familiar scent caught his attention: rot and sulfur. His companions both covered their noses, apparently noticing the smell.

    The trio looked at each other. Sharing an unspoken agreement, they slowed their advance, taking extra care to move silently through the forest.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Davon spotted a clearing ahead, with a glimpse of patchwork walls beyond the tree line.

    ¡°Hey, Lyla,¡± Davon whispered, looking over his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got something explosive in that spellbook?¡±

    Lyla shook her head. ¡°That kind of magic was kept under lock and key back home, and I haven¡¯t had the chance to search the Guild¡¯s library yet.¡±

    ¡°We could always approach it head-on,¡± Kai interjected, unable to hide his excitement. ¡°Or I can be a distraction again. Worked out well enough with the griffin.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s in there. Too risky.¡± Davon crept closer to the tree line, thinking hard. ¡°What about that wind spell? Any chance you could lift one of us?¡±

    ¡°I could theoretically launch one of us, but I can¡¯t guarantee how far,¡± Lyla replied, clutching at the book under her cloak.

    As they drew closer to the tree line, Davon noticed an entrance into the encampment. Within, he could see two of the larger creatures standing guard, both fully covered by the familiar black armor. Beyond the entrance, he saw a few tents, made from what seemed to be gray leather.

    Davon strained his ears, but he was too far away to hear anything other than vague noises from inside the encampment.

    ¡°Then I suppose we take it slow.¡± He gestured towards the guards. ¡°Take them out one by one¡­ or two by two.¡±

    ¡°Or we take the whole camp head-on,¡± Kai suggested again. ¡°The ones we fought yesterday weren¡¯t exactly tough.¡±

    ¡°Why not a compromise?¡± Lyla countered. ¡°We take out as many as we can before they notice us, then fight in the open.¡±

    After a moment of consideration, Kai nodded. ¡°Yeah. That works.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Lyla, you take the one on the left,¡± Davon commanded. ¡°I¡¯ll take the other.¡±

    He raised his bow, dropping his voice to a deadly whisper.

    ¡°Three¡­¡±

    Davon took careful aim, the soft crackle of energy filling his ears.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Two¡­¡±

    The world seemed to narrow as he pulled the string, leaving only his target in his vision.

    ¡°One!¡±

    The word came out a little louder than Davon intended as he let his arrow fly. With his focus fully on his target, he barely noticed Lyla¡¯s spear soar by him. The two projectiles struck the guards almost simultaneously. One body fell to the ground with a thud, while the other went limp, hanging by the tip of Lyla¡¯s spear.

    Lyla recalled her weapon with a peculiar twist of her hand, and Davon watched in mild amusement as the floating spear dragged the creature¡¯s body to them. The trio waited, listening for any signs of retaliation.

    One minute passed, then two, then five.

    Unchallenged, they crept slowly towards the encampment, finally reaching the entrance. Slowly, cautiously, Davon peered around the edge of the patchwork wall.

    The first thing he spotted was a massive fire pit at the center of the camp, surrounded by three tents. The tent flaps were open, each revealing a table and crates within. The tables were covered in papers, while the crates were all carefully sealed shut.

    Davon noted only three living creatures within the camp itself. They were all gathered around the fire pit and seemed to be trying to start a fire.

    Watching them, Davon noticed a brief flicker the corner of his eye, like there was movement at the edge of camp. But when he focused his attention on the spot, he saw nothing.

    You¡¯re getting paranoid, he chided himself. Now is not the time for nerves.

    Davon shared a look with his teammates, quickly making a series of gestures to relay his plan of attack, then raised his bow. In his periphery, he watched Kai raise three fingers, beginning the silent countdown. When the third finger lowered, Davon let his arrow fly at the same moment Lyla loosed her spear. Two of the creatures fell dead with little fanfare. The third, caught off-guard, spun around just in time to see Kai¡¯s axe coming down on his head.

    As the final body fell to the ground with a loud CLANK of armor, Davon didn¡¯t allow himself to relax. Bow raised, he stepped into the encampment, eyes scanning for any possible hiding spots. Once he was certain no more enemies were present, he lowered his guard and turned to his teammates.

    Kai had already set about dismembering the bodies and storing them in his enchanted material bag, while Lyla was examining a set of papers in one of the tents.

    ¡°Anything useful?¡± Davon asked, joining her.

    ¡°Maps.¡± Her eyes were glued to the papers. ¡°Covering everything from Walden¡¯s Hold to the capital. All the roads used for supply routes have been marked.¡±

    Anxiety crept back into Davon¡¯s mind. ¡°Supply routes¡­ we need to get this back to the Guild.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Fully. Come, let¡¯s ch¡ª¡°

    Lyla was uninterrupted by a painfully familiar sound: arrows whizzing through the air.

    Davon ducked out of reflex, barely reacting in time. A sharp pain burst against the side of his head as he fell to his knees. He felt a warm liquid flowing down his cheek.

    Kai¡¯s cry of agony cut through Davon¡¯s shock. Looking up, Davon saw several arrows sticking out of Kai¡¯s back. Crimson rivulets marred the warrior¡¯s coat.

    Seemingly unbothered by this, Kai spun around, drawing Davon¡¯s eyes in the same direction.

    An imposing figure loomed at the camp¡¯s entrance. Standing a head taller than Kai, it was adorned in crimson-trimmed black armor. The helmet bore the visage of a screaming face with protruding fangs, and two long horns curled backwards from the forehead. In its hands, the figure held a long, slender blade, glistening in the crimson sunlight.

    Cold sweat covered Davon¡¯s forehead as he stood back up, eyes locked on the new enemy. The creature raised its free hand with an ominous chuckle. The air within the camp seemed to shimmer in response to the gesture.

    When the shimmer dissipated, Davon came to the realization that they were greatly outnumbered.

    Now that whatever magic had been hiding them was dispelled, Davon counted at least twenty more soldiers within the camp. Another dozen stood beside who Davon assumed was the leader.

    The anxiety he¡¯d been quieting in the back of his mind roared to life, gripping his heart with icy fear.

    Davon wasn¡¯t the first to act. With a thunderous roar, Kai raised his axe and swung at the nearest foe. Before his axe could make contact, however, the enemy leader dashed towards Kai and parried his blow effortlessly.

    Anger twisted Kai¡¯s face as he carried the axe into another attack, using the new momentum against the enemy leader. In an attempt to help, Davon raised his bow and quickly shot an arrow towards the same target. Even in his panicked state, Davon¡¯s aim was true.

    But his brief spark of hope was quickly extinguished when his arrow bounced harmlessly off the leader¡¯s armor. Kai¡¯s momentum was likewise cut short as the giant figure grabbed the blade of his axe, stopping his attack cold.

    ¡°Fool.¡±

    A deep, distorted voice echoed through the camp as the leader finally retaliated. Moving so fast that Davon could barely track it, the armor-clad figure kicked Kai¡¯s weapon out of his hands and simultaneously drove its own blade into the young Revenant¡¯s gut.

    Time slowed. Davon¡¯s world narrowed as his mind immediately returned to the docks. Lyla was screaming, but the sound was muffled by the fear rising to flood his senses.

    Fear turned into panic as his eyes darted from enemy to enemy. At least a dozen archers were raising their weapons towards him and Lyla.

    Something deep within Davon snapped, hardening his panic into a desperate will to survive.

    Riding the surge of adrenaline, Davon lifted his bow, and his mind instantly connected with it. A glow emanated from the blank rune as he pulled the string, and a silvery sound cut through the air as he let go.

    When the arrow reached its target, it splintered into a thousand sharp slivers, covering a group of archers before they could react.

    Scattershot, he thought, his lips twisting into the briefest of smiles. So that¡¯s what that rune does.

    A yelp of pain from Kai cut off Davon¡¯s satisfaction in his bow¡¯s new abilities. Turning, Davon saw the creatures¡¯ leader twisting its blade further into Kai¡¯s gut.

    Davon felt, more than saw, Lyla fly by him. Carried by a strong current of wind, she¡¯d launched herself at the leader, spear poised to strike. Her cape fluttering around her, Lyla collided with the creatures¡¯ leader. A loud scraping sound followed as her spear failed to pierce the armor.

    The creature looked down at the desperate youth. It let out a low chuckle, then struck her with a backhand, sending her to the ground as her weapon flew out of her grasp.

    Kai roared in anger, the blade in his gut not enough to stop him as he swung his arms with all of his might. His fists made contact with the creature¡¯s helmet again and again, sliding off helplessly each time.

    ¡°Die,¡± the creature said, disdain clear in its voice.

    It pulled the blade out of Kai, letting him fall onto his knees. Then, with one swift movement, it cut across the young man¡¯s neck. Despair gripped Davon¡¯s heart well and truly as he watched Kai¡¯s head roll off of his shoulders.

    Anguish shot through Davon¡¯s veins, freezing him in place. He watched, helpless, as Lyla tried to crawl towards her spear, only to be stopped by the terrifying creature planting its foot on her back. With another dry chuckle, the thing then slid its blade down and through Lyla¡¯s head, leaving her lifeless on the ground.

    Still, Davon couldn¡¯t move. He stared at the archers as they drew back their bows, aiming straight at him.

    How ironic, he thought, as one of the many arrows shot in his direction headed directly for one of his eyes.

 Chapter 10: Imbuement Chamber

    When he woke up, all Davon could remember was darkness. Quiet, cold, still, and never-ending. Then his lungs subconsciously drew breath again.

    That was when the pain started.

    Every breath burned as if he¡¯d inhaled embers. Davon tried to scream, but he couldn¡¯t open his mouth. He tried to move, to curl into a ball, but his limbs didn¡¯t listen. He couldn¡¯t even open his eyes. The only movement he could muster was a twitch of his fingers.

    Panic gripped him. He was trapped in his own body, inhaling pain with each breath, feeling every agonizing millisecond of it until¡­

    He heard his heart beat. A slow, drawn-out beat, echoing in his head. The movement felt as painful in his chest as the breath in his lungs. But with each anguished pump, the agony began to subside.

    The change was miniscule, at first. The pain seemed reluctant to leave. And as it faded, Davon found no answers to the questions bouncing around his frightened mind.

    How much time had passed while he was stuck inside his body? Where had he been before this? What horrors were awaiting him after?

    Finally, when the pain had faded to a dull ache that was all too familiar, Davon¡¯s eyes shot open.

    Regret immediately surged through him as his left eye erupted in a different kind of pain. He reached out instinctively to rub the pain away, but as soon as his finger made contact with the eyelid, another wave of agony flooded through his body. Gritting his teeth, Davon waited for this new tide of anguish to recede.

    But this time, when the pain faded, it left new clarity in its wake. Slowly, Davon¡¯s memories began shifting into place.

    Memories of his death.

    At first, he could only remember the moment directly before he died. The arrowhead drawing and closer to his head was the first image his dazed mind conjured into being. Soon, he remembered more and more, rapidly recovering his memory of the past few days, then further and further back.

    But there was something else. Layered in with pictures from his own life were flashes of strange imagery which he couldn¡¯t place. They were vague, almost dreamy, like memories of memories¡­

    With a shudder, Davon opened his eyes again.

    He was lying in a bed, in a room built in the same style as the Guild House. The familiarity put him at ease. Looking around, he saw there were two other beds in the room, both occupied. Relief washed over him as he recognized the beds¡¯ occupants as Kai and Lyla.

    Davon sat up, cautiously stretching his limbs. He felt sluggish, and each movement brought with it more of that familiar dull ache.

    Blinking hard, he tried to focus on inspecting his companions, relieved to find no immediate trace of their previous deaths. He frowned when he spotted their fingers twitching, realizing they were going through the same painful process he¡¯d just completed. Still, he was glad to know they were back with him.

    Under all these feelings, however, Davon was aware of something else. Like a shadow beneath the waves, doubt lingered in his heart. It was an unnatural weight, pressing on his chest in an attempt to keep him down, to drag him back to the blackness of death.

    He remembered Grant¡¯s warning, when he was first invited to become a Revenant.

    ¡®Every time you die¡­ it takes a toll. Resurrection, even more so.¡¯

    Davon thought he was beginning to understand.

    His pondering was cut short when Kai suddenly sat up in bed, face buried in his hands. The young man was breathing heavily, clearly in a panic.

    ¡°Kai?¡± Davon called out, his voice nearly unrecognizable. The word stung as he realized just how dry his throat was.

    Kai turned to look at Davon. His face was contorted with fear, but he calmed visibly as he quickly scanned the room.

    Finally, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

    ¡°Well¡­ that was utterly harrowing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Davon agreed. ¡°Yeah it was.¡±

    Kai continued to breathe deeply, and Davon¡¯s eyes wandered to the bow leaning against his bed. His Reliquary was glowing ever so faintly. Feeling a tug in his gut, almost like the bow was calling to him, Davon reached for his weapon.

    As soon as he wrapped his fingers around the bow¡¯s handle, the weight on his chest lessened. He took a moment to inspect the runes on its side, noting that the final one had taken shape.

    Not a moment later, Lyla stirred in her bed, gently pushing herself up into a sitting position. She seemed to be having a different experience from her companions. More than anything, she looked drowsy, as if she¡¯d just woken from a dream rather than undergoing resurrection.

    ¡°Lyla!¡± Kai exclaimed.

    Lyla jumped, shocked out of her drowsiness. ¡°Oh. We¡¯re all here,¡± she noted, looking anxiously around the room. ¡°And so are our Reliquaries.¡±

    Davon watched as Lyla picked up her spear, placing it in her lap. Her expression grew calm as soon as the weapon was safely within her grasp.

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    Looking down at the bow in his hands, Davon savored his own growing sense of peace. He felt himself smiling as he ran his fingers gently along the bony surface of the weapon¡¯s limbs.

    Suddenly, the door to the room opened. A familiar masked figure stepped through, halting when he realized the trio was awake.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally up.¡± Doctor Yurren¡¯s keen gaze swept over the trio as he held the door open behind him. ¡°Took you long enough.¡±

    The group shared confused looks before Davon spoke up.

    ¡°What do you mean? How long were we¡­ gone?¡±

    ¡°Just shy of three weeks, boy,¡± the doctor replied. ¡°But you¡¯re awake now, and you seem to be fully recovered. Physically, anyway. So, please leave this room. Other patients have need of it.¡±

    With that, Doctor Yurren turned and left, before the bewildered Revenants could ask any more questions.

    Lyla and Kai looked at each other, then at Davon. As one, they shrugged. Then they gathered their weapons and left the room.

    One look around confirmed that they were back in Walden¡¯s Hold. In fact, they were in the Guild House. Leaving the infirmary, they soon found themselves in the garden where they had first met that bright summer day.

    Compared to that morning, the garden had lost some of its luster.

    The many assorted flowers were wilting. Their colors seemed muted, though Davon couldn¡¯t tell if that was simply because the crimson sunlight cast everything in the same dull shade of red. Then he turned his attention to the tree which was the centerpiece of the garden. Unease coiled through his stomach as Doctor Yurren¡¯s words finally sank in.

    That¡¯s why the plants look unhealthy.

    Looking at his teammates, he saw they were having the same realization.

    Autumn had arrived.

    ¡°That¡­ that can¡¯t be right.¡± Davon said, his mind fighting against the truth. ¡°Did our resurrection really take that long?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ the Revenants in my family did mention it could take some time.¡± Kai¡¯s voice was heavy with defeat. ¡°But I always thought they meant a day or two, not this¡­¡±

    Lyla remained silent for a while. When she did speak, her tone was determinedly even. ¡°Going forward, we need to think things through more carefully.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ each death will cost us much more than I initially thought,¡± Davon affirmed, thinking about all the time they had lost. ¡°We were foolish to assume the enemy couldn¡¯t use magic as well.¡±

    ¡°We were foolish to assume we would measure up to whatever was in that encampment.¡± Lyla searched through her cloak, letting out a sigh of relief when she found her book. ¡°It was overconfidence that killed us, more so than the monsters we faced.¡±

    Kai slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. ¡°We need to get stronger!¡±

    ¡°Even when we do, we can¡¯t allow ourselves to underestimate our enemies,¡± Davon retorted, staring down the young warrior.

    ¡°Sounds like you have learned a valuable lesson in death.¡±

    Grant¡¯s voice startled the trio. Turning, they saw the old Revenant standing at the entrance to the Guild House, arms crossed.

    ¡°And you¡¯re right,¡± he said gruffly. ¡°You need to grow stronger. I think it¡¯s about time I showed you how.¡±

    Grant turned to leave, gesturing for the group to follow him deeper into the Guild House.

    ¡°While we walk, there are things you should know,¡± Grant began, his tone unusually serious. ¡°One of the neighboring cities, Heinburg, has fallen.¡±

    The words fell on Davon¡¯s ears like hammers, sending a shudder down his spine as Grant continued:

    ¡°A week ago, a considerable force of Crimson Reavers laid siege to the city. Yes, the Guild finally decided on a name for these monsters. The siege lasted only three days.¡±

    ¡°Heinburg is gone?¡± Lyla asked, her voice hollow with shock.

    ¡°Presumably occupied. But¡­ no survivors ever made it out of the city.¡± Grant¡¯s broad shoulders sagged. ¡°We can only guess, but everyone who lived there is likely dead.¡±

    ¡°What of their Revenants?¡± Kai asked in bewilderment. ¡°Heinburg had a contingent of Stalwarts larger than the one here.¡±

    Grant¡¯s answer confirmed Davon¡¯s fears.

    ¡°Dead, the whole lot of them. They reformed here. We¡¯re waiting on their resurrections to get details out of them.¡±

    ¡°Please tell me the Stalwarts here are taking things more seriously now,¡± Lyla pleaded.

    ¡°They claim we¡¯ll be safe.¡± Grant shook his head in annoyance. ¡°They¡¯re convinced we won¡¯t be attacked because we¡¯re not further inland from Heinburg. They¡¯re treating this as a simple war, when we¡¯re dealing with otherworldly invaders.¡±

    ¡°Maybe when the rest of the Stalwarts resurrect, they can convince the local ones they¡¯re wrong,¡± Kai suggested.

    ¡°Aye, but enough about that for now. We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Grant stopped before a set of ornate stone doors. ¡°The Imbuement Chamber. Where your growth really begins.¡±

    The trio shot Grant questioning looks in unison, but Grant ignored them and pushed the doors open. Davon strained his eyes. He couldn¡¯t discern anything beyond the chamber¡¯s darkness.

    Stepping back, Grant indicated that the group should enter. They obeyed after a slight hesitation. As soon as they were inside, Grant closed the door behind them, leaving them completely in the dark.

    Anxiety gripped Davon as he continued to walk forwards, gently feeling around for¡­ well, anything. He tried calling out for his teammates, but his voice seemed to get absorbed into the darkness around him. Unpleasant memories of his resurrection surfaced in his mind. He gripped his bow, fighting off a sense of weight pushing down on his chest.

    Thankfully, these reminiscences were cut short when a voiced echoed all around him.

    ¡°Revenant found. Beginning assessment.¡± Without any visible source, the voice seemed to speak directly into Davon¡¯s mind. ¡°Rating physical capabilities: Strength three, Endurance five, Agility four. Rating magical capabilities: Resonance two, Aptitude eight.¡±

    Incredibly confused, Davon felt his mind racing. What did all these numbers even mean? And how did they compare to other Revenants?

    ¡°Results: Average Novice,¡± the voice stated. Davon felt somewhat insulted. ¡°Compatible materials detected within chamber. Commence Imbuement?¡±

    The sudden question sent Davon¡¯s mind scrambling for useful context. Imbuement was a good thing¡­ right? He remembered the Boneshapers using the term when they made his Reliquary stronger.

    ¡°Uh¡­ yes,¡± Davon sputtered.

    ¡°Commencing Imbuement.¡±

    A strange feeling washed over Davon as soon as the voice made its announcement. It was like a thousand pins and needles had suddenly been pushed into his skin all at once. Then they pushed deeper, into his bones. He expected pain, but never felt it.

    After a few awkward minutes of silence, the voice finally exclaimed: ¡°Imbuement complete. Capabilities improved: Endurance six, Agility eight, Resonance five, Aptitude twenty.¡±

    Davon was surprised to hear how much the process had seemed to strengthen him, even if it was only represented by numbers at this point. In particular, the jump in aptitude caught him off guard. He wasn¡¯t sure how much an increase of twelve points would do, but it sounded like a lot.

    And as if to answer his question, the voice spoke again: ¡°New results: Powerful Novice. Process complete, releasing Revenant.¡±

    Before he could process these words, Davon was startled by the sound of stone doors sliding open behind him, bathing him in light. Taking this as a sign that he should leave, he walked towards the open doorway and stepped outside, back into the hallway where his companions and Grant were waiting for him.

    ¡°You probably won¡¯t notice the difference immediately,¡± Grant said, smiling at the apparent confusion lingering on their faces. ¡°But trust me, out in the field, this will make quite the difference.¡±

    The trio shared a look. Davon saw his own strange mixture of apprehension and anticipation brewing in his teammates¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°Oh, and before you ask, no one knows who decided the Chamber should speak,¡± Grant added, a hint of irritation in his voice. ¡°And if you ever find out, do let me know. I¡¯d like a word.¡±

 Chapter 11: Convoy

    After the team¡¯s first resurrection and visit to the Imbuement Chamber, Davon thought they could use a low-stress mission to get back into the swing of things. To that end, he accepted a scouting run from the quest board. The only goal was to check on a rumored sighting of Crimson Reaver forces. Simple enough.

    Even so, as they prepared to set out in the eerie red light of early morning, Kai announced he was staying behind in Walden¡¯s Hold.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just blow your cover if you need to sneak,¡± he said, attempting a casual grin. ¡°I¡¯d better sit this one out.¡±

    The other two didn¡¯t argue. But the truth was painfully obvious to Davon, and he assumed Lyla had reached the same conclusion. Resurrection had hit Kai the hardest. All of his usual optimism was gone. He spent most of his time moping.

    Still, there wasn¡¯t much Davon or Lyla could do. They just said goodbye and set off into the forest, leaving Kai to wander back towards the barracks.

    Davon lifted his head as they walked. A gentle breeze caressed his face, bringing a familiar comfort with it. Even without the smell of brine, the morning air reminded him of simpler times.

    He cast a quick glance behind him to confirm that Lyla was still keeping up. Her face was twisted with concern, her eyes staring at the ground in front of her without seeing it. She had been more distracted than usual since their resurrection. She was even neglecting her normal habit of reading at any given opportunity.

    Slowing down until he was walking beside her, Davon broke the silence.

    ¡°How are you holding up?¡±

    Lyla turned to him, unable to hide the surprise on her face, then took a moment before replying.

    ¡°Better than it might seem. I¡¯m just¡­ concerned for Kai, among other things.¡±

    ¡°Kai will be fine. People like him don¡¯t stay down for long,¡± Davon said, trying to sound confident. Then he narrowed his eyes. ¡°But¡­ what other things?¡±

    Lyla¡¯s expression grew carefully blank.

    ¡°Before you woke up¡­ from the resurrection, I mean¡­¡± She stopped walking, then looked directly into Davon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did you see anything?¡±

    The question caught Davon off guard. He paused to collect his thoughts, recalling the strange memories that had flashed through his mind moments before awakening.

    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± he replied slowly. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what exactly it was. Now that I think back, I can¡¯t even recall any details. It was more¡­ echoes of memories than anything solid.¡±

    Lyla nodded as she started walking again. ¡°Yes. I saw the same thing. Only¡­ I remember some of it.¡±

    Davon shot her an interested glance, waiting for more.

    ¡°Voices, writing, flashes of the night sky,¡± Lyla began, her voice shaking with uncertainty. ¡°I don¡¯t know what any of it meant. But it¡¯s been repeating in my mind since.¡±

    It was then that Davon caught the sound of wheels rolling down the road towards them.

    ¡°A mystery for later, I suppose,¡± he whispered, pointing ahead. ¡°We have company.¡±

    As they moved closer to the sound, a familiar smell reached out to envelop Davon, making his stomach churn.

    Rot and sulfur.

    ¡°Hide!¡± Davon growled as quietly as he could before dashing towards the nearby trees. It took Lyla only a second to catch up with him.

    Davon kept his eyes glued to the road, anxiety welling up in his gut. He could feel his heart beating faster and faster as the first Crimson Reaver walked into sight. It was a human-sized, fully armored soldier, just like the group the trio had fought while on patrol. Then another appeared, then another. A whole troop of the creatures came marching down the road, pulling on a myriad of chains connected to a massive cart.

    The cart was carrying a strange collection of materials. Some pieces seemed to be made of flesh. Others looked like bits of carapace held together with pieces of black metal.

    After a moment, Davon realized exactly what he was looking at.

    War machines.

    Ballistae, catapults, pieces of a trebuchet. He¡¯d seen them enough times at Port Perle to recognize them immediately.

    All at once, Davon remembered what Grant had told them about the city of Heinburg. The anxiety in Davon¡¯s mind exploded into panic. Every urge told him to turn and run, to get back to Walden¡¯s Hold and warn them of the incoming invasion.

    He took a deep breath, forcing those urges down. It wasn¡¯t enough to know the enemy was on the way. To help Walden¡¯s Hold, he needed to wait and learn as much as possible about the incoming force.

    So, he waited. He watched as dozens upon dozens of Crimson Reaver soldiers marched slowly past them. Davon thanked the skies above that this war procession was moving slowly. If the invasion force kept to their current pace, Davon and Lyla could take a shortcut through the forest and beat them to Walden¡¯s Hold by at least half a day.

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    Then a guttural shout echoed through the forest. The convoy halted. Reflexively, Davon ducked further under cover, almost crashing into Lyla. They both froze for a few terrified seconds. But as the sound of more voices rose from the convoy¡¯s direction, Davon swallowed his fear and peeked out again.

    Standing on the road beside the convoy was a massive figure in crimson-trimmed black armor. At first sight, Davon thought it was the leader who had killed him and his teammates at the enemy encampment. But this beast wore a different helmet, with three horns instead of two.

    The monster was barking something in a language Davon couldn¡¯t understand. As it spoke, more and more soldiers gathered around it, keeping a respectful distance.

    ¡°That must be their leader,¡± Lyla hissed, peeking out from behind Davon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Or one of them, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Helmet¡¯s different than the last one,¡± Davon replied, furrowing his brow. ¡°Chances are there¡¯s multiple of those beasts coming to the siege. Wonderful.¡±

    They were both silent for a moment, as if picturing a flood of the imposing figures swarming over Walden¡¯s Hold.

    When Lyla spoke, her voice was tight with fear.

    ¡°We should head back and warn the city.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Davon shook his head. ¡°We need to get the full scope of their forces first.¡±

    The pair continued watching. Moments later, three Crimson Reavers stepped out from the group and drew close to the leader. While their armor was the same as the other soldiers wore, Davon noted these three had decorative capes around their shoulders.

    Silently, Davon directed Lyla¡¯s attention to the caped trio. In that same moment, the three Crimson Reavers saluted the leader and split off, shouting orders to the regular soldiers around them.

    As the convoy resumed its movement, Davon¡¯s nerves finally got to him. Surely they couldn¡¯t wait any longer. But just as he turned to Lyla to suggest they get moving, the end of the convoy finally rolled into view.

    Davon inhaled sharply at the sight.

    The final cart held a gigantic cage. Within it were two massive creatures covered partially in black armor. Each of them was roughly twelve feet tall, and as wide as three men standing beside each other. Their arms and legs were disproportionately small compared to their torsos, but every bit of ashen gray flesh Davon could see was nothing but muscle.

    To top off this intimidating image, helmets covered their faces completely. The only visible feature was a massive horn protruding from the middle of their heads.

    Davon looked at Lyla.

    ¡°Time to go?¡± she asked shakily.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡ª

    ¡°Open the gates!¡± Davon shouted as the pair finally reached Walden¡¯s Hold.

    A guard peeked over the ramparts. After a brief exchange of shouts, the gates began to raise.

    Davon didn¡¯t wait for the gates to open fully. Instead, he slid under them as soon as he could fit through and ran up to the nearest guard.

    ¡°Who¡­ who is in charge of the Stalwarts?¡± Davon asked, doubling over and squeezing his words in between breaths.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Knight Franz still isn¡¯t ¡ª¡°

    ¡°I know Franz isn¡¯t here, damn it! There¡¯s an army coming! We need to warn the Stalwarts!¡±

    The guard stumbled, as if driven backwards by the shock. Quickly recovering himself, he gestured for the pair to follow him.

    ¡°Alright. This way.¡±

    Davon¡¯s muscles were aching with exhaustion, but he still found it hard not to push forward as the guard led them towards the nearby barracks. Anxiety was racing like wildfire through his veins. He kept glancing towards the city walls, scanning the ramparts. There were only a few guards up there. None of them were Revenants.

    Cold sweat formed on his brow. How many Revenants were even in the city? How many were out on quests?

    Once they reached the barracks, the guard led them up a set of stairs and into a moderately sized room. A large table dominated the space, surrounded by chairs. At the opposite side of the room stood a heavily armored figure with its back turned to the door. From where he stood, Davon could only make out a blond ponytail and a blue shawl draped around the figure¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Sir Meyer, some scouts here to see you,¡± the guard announced with a quick bow. Then he left the room, closing the door behind him.

    Meyer turned to face them. The red sunshine pouring through a single large window cast his handsome face in an ominous light as he stared at them intently. His piercing blue eyes seemed to bore directly into Davon¡¯s soul.

    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Grant¡¯s latest prot¨¦g¨¦s, lacking one member.¡± Meyer¡¯s voice dripped with condescension. ¡°What news do you bring?¡±

    His haughty tone immediately tugged at something deep within Davon, sending waves of anger through him. Davon grit his teeth. He hadn¡¯t experienced this strong of a reaction in a while. Before, it had been exclusive to the second mate, whenever the idiot was pretending he knew how to run a ship.

    Davon cleared his throat and managed to calm himself before speaking.

    ¡°Sir, we found a Crimson Reaver convoy headed for the city. They¡¯ll be here by sun fall.¡±

    Meyer sighed, clearly unimpressed. His gaze dropped to the map laid out on the table in front of him.

    ¡°By my count, there were at least two hundred soldiers,¡± Davon continued, swallowing down the bubbling anger in his gut. ¡°They had siege engines in tow, and cages containing some kind of massive beast.¡±

    ¡°Whatever they bring, it will break against our walls.¡± Meyer waved his hand dismissively. ¡°We are prepared.¡±

    ¡°With all due respect, sir, I disagree. I ¡ª¡°

    Davon was interrupted by the sound of Meyer¡¯s fist slamming down onto the table.

    ¡°You what?¡± Meyer growled. ¡°Do you even know what siege engines look like? And how dare you lecture me about beasts? Have you ever seen monsters, all the way back on that island you call home?¡±

    Fury overflowed in his chest. Davon barely held himself back from shouting at the acting commander of the Stalwarts.

    Somehow, he held his tongue. Picking a fight here wouldn¡¯t help.

    ¡°As. I. Said. They won¡¯t make it past the walls,¡± Meyer continued, straightening his posture. ¡°And remember: I won¡¯t have some islander tell me how to defend MY city.¡±

    The final sentence told Davon everything he needed to know. Wordlessly, he turned and walked out of the room, quickening his pace until he was out of the barracks. He heard light footsteps hurrying after him.

    ¡°Davon! Slow down!¡± Lyla¡¯s voice reached his ears, halting his step. He turned to look at her, reading the worry on her face. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    It took Davon a moment to pull his thoughts free from the torrent of rage in his head.

    ¡°The Stalwarts don¡¯t want to hear us out, so we should warn the Guild,¡± he finally ground out. ¡°We need to find Kai¡­ and Grant, or Mia.¡±

    Lyla nodded in agreement, falling in step beside Davon as he set off for the Guild House. ¡°Mia only shows up when she wants to be found. Kai is probably hanging around the mess¡­ and Grant is usually near the warehouse.¡±

    The pair picked up their pace, running down the city streets. Davon paid little attention to the curious glares they attracted. They had no time to be careful. Even a moment¡¯s delay could make all the difference.

    When they turned into the street which housed the Revenant¡¯s Guild, Davon immediately spotted Kai at the gates, chatting with one of the guards.

    ¡°Kai!¡± Davon called out, getting the warrior¡¯s attention. ¡°Where¡¯s Grant?¡±

    Kai looked the pair up and down as they approached, Lyla panting in an attempt to catch her breath.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Crimson Reaver army,¡± Davon explained, making no effort to hide the desperation in his tone. ¡°We need to find Grant. NOW.¡±

    Kai¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Okay, then. Follow me.¡±

    Chapter 11: Convoy

 Chapter 12: Invasion

    Kai led the way down the many hallways of the Guild House, running as fast as he could and barely avoiding several collisions. The team shouted warnings at everyone they passed. Most people simply looked back at them in shock, but Davon couldn¡¯t stop long enough to explain further.

    They didn¡¯t have time.

    When the team finally burst through the doors of the Guild¡¯s warehouse, they saw five Revenants gathered inside. All five heads turned towards them, eyebrows raised and awaiting an explanation. Davon quickly scanned the group and ran up to the one figure he sought.

    ¡°Grant!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, boy?¡± Grant crossed his arms, his voice stern. ¡°Running through the Guild House like this¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an army¡­ on its way,¡± Davon managed between gasps of air. ¡°Siege engines and all. They¡¯ll arrive any minute.¡±

    ¡°We tried to warn the Stalwarts,¡± Lyla added, already at his side. ¡°But Meyer just¡­ brushed us off.¡±

    ¡°Army?¡± Grant chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not the only scouts we¡¯ve sent out, you know. No one came back with reports of an army.¡±

    ¡°What reason do we have to lie, Grant?¡± Davon demanded, frustration nearly choking him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but without ¡ª¡±

    Grant¡¯s retort was cut off by the unmistakable sound of war horns in the distance. Three harsh, discordant calls, the universal sign of impending danger.

    The room was silent for a moment as reality sank in. Then Grant turned to the other four Revenants around him.

    ¡°Jacob, to the bell tower. Sound it thrice,¡± he ordered. One of the Revenants nodded quickly before running off. ¡°The rest of you, to the walls.¡±

    A momentary relief washed over Davon¡¯s heart as the other Revenants hurried away. At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t be completely unprepared.

    Grant turned back to the trio. ¡°The three of you, head to the walls as well, but warn anyone you see along the way. Try to get as many civilians inside as you can.¡±

    With a quick nod, the group set off back along the way they had come, a renewed purpose guiding their step. As they rushed through the Guild House, they noticed the previously calm halls were now alive with activity.

    Both confusion and excitement were palpable in the air. Dozens of Revenants were gathering in the halls and heading out in groups of two or three. Davon even spotted several robed and masked figures, whom he had learned to recognize as the Guild¡¯s mages and healers, scrambling to get to the walls.

    The scale of preparation buzzing around them made Davon extremely nervous. There hadn¡¯t been time yet to process the severity of what was happening. Now, as the reality of the situation finally sank in, his felt the grip of fear¡¯s steely vice around his heart.

    He had accepted the idea of living with danger since he¡¯d first signed on as a sailor, but surviving a siege would be a whole other level.

    Before he could think more about the foreseeable future, the trio stepped outside, and Davon was dragged back to the present. The streets had already been cleared, the city¡¯s populace retreating into their homes. This emptiness left Davon even more unsettled than the grim activity within the Guild House.

    The vice around his heart tightened as the team ran towards the city gates.

    Then the war horns sounded again. Twice, quickly: the signal of immediate danger. Cursing beneath his breath, Davon sped up.

    The enemy was faster than he thought.

    Upon arriving at the gates, the group was ushered onto the ramparts by a guard captain. They were immediately split up and sent to cover different sections of the wall. As soon as he reached his post, Davon looked outward and gasped.

    The convoy he and Lyla had seen on the road must have been only one of many. Emerging from the forests surrounding Walden¡¯s Hold were hundreds of Crimson Reaver soldiers, each contingent dragging a cart of war supplies.

    ¡°Warriors, man the ballistae!¡± A familiar voice echoed along the ramparts. After a second, Davon recognized the speaker to be the acting leader of the Stalwarts, Sir Meyer. ¡°Archers, fire at will!¡±

    Reluctant as he was to listen to Meyer, Davon swallowed his pride and raised his bow. The sound of flying arrows buzzed in his ears as his fellow archers loosed their projectiles, but Davon waited. He fought against his nerves in order to find that perfect shot.

    It soon became clear, however, that his care was useless. The enemy ranks were too thick. They kept pushing through the forest like a grisly tide, barely slowed by the defenders¡¯ hail of arrows. Most projectiles simply bounced off of the Crimson Reavers¡¯ armor. Common weapons weren¡¯t strong enough, after all, and Walden Hold¡¯s common guards outnumbered the Revenants ten to one.

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    Waiting for perfection would cost Davon much more than pulling the bowstring back one more time.

    He settled instead for quantity over quality. He loosed an arrow, not waiting to see where it landed before he pulled another. No need to worry about missing. There were simply too many enemies for that to be a possibility.

    With each breath, Davon made another attack. Every inhale was the draw of a bowstring. Every exhale marked the flight of an arrow.

    But as the fifth row of Crimson Reavers emerged from the trees, the enemy deployed their barricades. All along the front line appeared seven-foot-tall slabs of what looked like carapace, wide enough to cover three soldiers a piece, with a tiny slit cut into the middle.

    Davon and the other archers did all they could to slow the deployment of these defenses, but the sea of enemies was simply too vast. It wasn¡¯t long before the barricades covered the front line of Crimson Reavers, leaving only small gaps here and there.

    The rain of arrows slowed. Davon took a moment to look at the siege defenses on the city¡¯s walls. Walden¡¯s Hold had several ballistae placed on top of towers, and small catapults on lower platforms. Davon could see projectiles loaded into the ballistae. He even spotted Kai turning one of them.

    Uneasy silence fell over the battlefield as each side waited for the other to make a move. Davon pulled back another arrow, preparing himself to attack as needed. The crackling of the ethereal bowstring only somewhat settled his nerves. Besides him, he could hear the other archers scuffling their boots anxiously.

    As the tension dragged on, Davon found himself wondering why the city¡¯s siege engines weren¡¯t firing. One well-placed blow from a catapult or ballista would be enough to break the Crimson Reavers¡¯ front line.

    What is Meyer doing? Davon thought, fighting down a wave of frustration. He must have some reason to keep the siege engines holding¡­

    Then a guttural shout broke the silence, echoing all around Davon and cutting off his musings. The cry was followed by a cacophony of roars from the enemy, so loud and bloodthirsty that it left Davon¡¯s ears ringing. He held his aim even as his hands started to tremble.

    Looking around, Davon could tell the soldiers around him were similarly shaken, but none of them had time to dwell on their fear. The enemy was already on the move again. From behind their barricades, groups of Crimson Reavers stepped out, pushing along some sort of contraption.

    At first glance, it looked like a wedge of barricades on wheels, with several free-floating barricades to cover the soldiers pushing it. On closer inspection, Davon saw that it was an armored cart¡­ with ladders inside. He cursed under his breath and prepared himself mentally for close quarters combat.

    Meyer¡¯s voice rang out from the ramparts.

    ¡°Engines, target their ladders!¡±

    Davon heard nearly a dozen siege engines firing simultaneously. He could barely track the nearest ballista bolt as it flew towards the cart. The bolt pierced the armored plating on the cart¡¯s side, making Davon¡¯s heart leap.

    His celebration was short-lived, however, as he realized the shot didn¡¯t destroy the cart. It didn¡¯t even slow the damn thing. Frustration welled up again within Davon as he aimed his bow at the cart, looking for any opening to shoot at the soldiers pushing it along.

    Then, out of the corner of his eye, Davon saw a massive rock flying towards the enemy lines. His fury had made him forget the catapults mounted on the ramparts.

    He watched as the rock flew about a foot over the cart, smashing into a line of barricades on the opposite side. The barricade crumpled like paper. Catching the opportunity, Davon held his breath and invoked the ¡®Scattershot¡¯ rune engraved on his Reliquary.

    Davon¡¯s perception of time slowed as he loosed his arrow. The missile flew straight towards the break in the enemy¡¯s defenses, splitting when it was about six feet away and covering the exposed ranks with deadly projectiles.

    A well-placed burst, Davon thought, watching gleefully as at least a dozen creatures dropped dead.

    But the tide of soldiers shifted to fill the gap, replacing the broken barricade in seconds. Davon¡¯s heart sank. What was the point of every kill he¡¯d made thus far? It was like trying to drain the ocean by taking one bucket at a time.

    Hopelessness gripped Davon, but only for a moment. He buried it with savage desperation.

    If he let those thoughts claim his mind, he was already as good as dead.

    Looking to the sides, Davon saw similar situations along the wall. More carts creeping closer to the walls, more boulders being flung towards them, more death and destruction. The worst part was the inconsistent impact of the defenses. He watched a cart get smashed to pieces further down the ramparts, then turned to see a poorly aimed boulder collide with a tree.

    How long had it been since the defenders actually had to use their siege engines?

    ¡°Archers! Heads down!¡±

    Meyer¡¯s voice rang out once again, directing Davon¡¯s attention to the battlefield. From the gaps between the trees and through barrier slits, he saw enemy archers taking aim. He had only a second to react, dropping to his knees behind the battlements.

    Screams and grunts of pain surrounded Davon. Something heavy fell onto his shoulders. Looking to his side, he saw the body of a soldier, an arrow protruding from his neck. Shuddering, Davon let the body slide off of his shoulder onto the rampart.

    A brief glance to either side showed Davon several other members of the common guard dead all around him. He didn¡¯t know how many soldiers were stationed in Walden¡¯s Hold, but he was certain the number was smaller than the enemy forces.

    The sound of crashing boulders echoed through the air once again, and Davon instinctively covered his head, still hiding behind the battlement. When he peeked out, he saw another ladder-cart smashed to pieces.

    A spark of hope ignited in him. If they could prevent the enemy from reaching the walls, then maybe, just maybe, they could hold them off. On the other hand, if the Crimson Reavers managed to successfully get onto the ramparts, their sheer numbers would guarantee victory.

    Another hail of arrows erupted from enemy lines, forcing Davon to duck back under cover. In that moment, Davon nervously tracked the noise of rolling wheels drawing closer and closer to the walls.

    ¡°Mages! Barriers up!¡± Meyer commanded.

    A soft hum filled the air as golden light covered the battlefield. Gathering his courage, Davon looked beyond his cover to see a massive shield of energy flare up between the wall and the enemy¡¯s siege engines.

    Uneasy silence reigned once again. The two sides of the conflict settled into a stalemate.

    Davon allowed himself a sigh of relief, but he knew this break in the combat was temporary. His conversations with Lyla had taught him that magic needed energy, and a lot of it. Meyer¡¯s order was a desperate measure.

    It could only give the defenders some time to prepare for the worst.

 Chapter 13: Siege Engines

    Raindrops fell onto the battlefield, breaking the stillness. Each gentle tap echoed soothingly in Davon¡¯s weary mind as he strained to hold his bow in position.

    ¡°Healers, tend to the wounded!¡± Meyer ordered, sending the defenders into a scramble.

    Davon took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He couldn¡¯t relax. This was just a stalemate, and it wouldn¡¯t last long.

    Blinking rain out of his eyes, Davon stared at the ranks of Crimson Reavers, unsure what he was looking for. A few moments later, the sound of heavy stomping drew his attention towards the back of their formation. His thoughts raced as he remembered the massive creatures he and Lyla had spotted at the rear of the convoy.

    Guttural shouts rang out from behind enemy lines, in a rhythm Davon thought to be a chant. The Crimson Reaver soldiers echoed a part of it, stomping their feet and slamming their weapons against their chests. Then they stepped around the barricades and began pushing forward.

    As the enemy surged closer, Davon''s eyes caught movement in the forest¡¯s gloom. Accompanied by the groan of falling trees, a line of the massive, single-horned creatures emerged into the open. Each one had chains wrapped around its arms. As the creatures pulled themselves forward, Davon realized they were connected to siege engines.

    A chill spread down Davon¡¯s spine.

    While the defenders were recovering from the initial assault, the enemy was taking the chance to move their forces into a more advantageous position.

    Davon scanned the array of siege weaponry they were towing. The chill worked its way up to his brain as he counted a dozen catapults.

    From his experience fighting alongside Kai, Davon knew that magical barriers could only take so much of a beating before being destroyed. He hoped, then, that the barrier surrounding the city could withstand a barrage of boulders.

    ¡°Ballistae! Take aim at their siege engines!¡± Meyer barked, prompting the defenders¡¯ own siege engines to move.

    Watching quietly as the Crimson Reavers loaded their catapults, Davon remembered the warning he and Lyla had tried to give Meyer. Would things have turned out any differently if the acting commander of the Stalwarts had listened? If the city had just those few minutes more to prepare?

    Anger bubbled up within his heart, but he cast those thoughts aside. He couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted.

    ¡°Brace!¡±

    A shout rang out from the walls as the enemy catapults fired their projectiles. Reflexively, Davon ducked and covered his head. The sound of cracking glass set all of his nerves on edge.

    The barrier was breaking. He grit his teeth in anticipation of the shattering that was sure to follow when the magical shield fell.

    But that shattering never came. Instead, another sound caught his attention: the steady rumble of hooves against earth.

    Curiosity won over fear. He raised his head, peeking over the battlements towards the main road leading into Walden¡¯s Hold.

    A surge of hope ran through Davon.

    Revenants, more than he could count at a glance, were charging down the road on horses. Green capes fluttered behind them, the sign of the Green Trackers.

    Walden¡¯s Hold did not have to stand alone.

    Turning his attention back to the Crimson Reavers, Davon watched their battle lines shrink as they repositioned half of their force to face the incoming reinforcements. They even abandoned their ladders, monstrous soldiers rushing to bolster the line of defense.

    Davon felt a broad smile spread over his face.

    Then he took aim, preparing himself for the moment the barrier went down. Reinvigorated, the archers around him followed suit.

    ¡°Infantry Revenants, to the gates!¡± Meyer shouted over the shrieks and roars of the Crimson Reavers. ¡°Prepare to charge!¡±

    The Crimson Reavers¡¯ war beasts shrugged off their chains, turning towards the newly arrived Revenants. In response, the riders split off into many small groups, each headed for one of the massive beasts.

    ¡°Barrier down, now! Archers, fire at will!¡± Meyer commanded.

    Not a second later, the golden barrier disintegrated, vanishing into thin air.

    Davon¡¯s ears were suddenly filled with the sound of whizzing arrows. He held his own bow steady. He was aiming for one of the war beasts, though he felt his frustration growing while the thing thrashed around.

    As the riders drew closer, Davon¡¯s nerves got the better of him. He invoked the Scattershot rune and let an arrow fly.

    The arrow glowed with an intense blue light that illuminated the ground beneath it as it flew. Davon watched it clear the lines of soldiers, smiling as it became apparent his attack would strike true. The arrow splintered a few feet before reaching its target, each projectile sinking into the giant war beast¡¯s hide.

    The creature roared in pain. Its thrashing redoubled as it blundered around, looking for the source of the missiles. Davon¡¯s heart swelled with delight at every moment of the monster¡¯s agony.

    ¡°Charge! Drive them back!¡± Meyer¡¯s order was followed closely by the war cries of fellow Revenants. Davon turned to watch as the warriors sallied out. He spotted Grant leading the charge, sword held high.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Raising his bow in anticipation of the clash, Davon noticed Crimson Reaver archers stepping out from behind the barricades. Adjusting his aim, he invoked the Scattershot rune again, loosing a shot towards the now exposed archers. His shot caught the attention of his enemies. A few of them reacted quickly enough to duck back under cover, but several were pierced by the fragmented missiles.

    Before Davon could savor this shot, a movement in his periphery made him turn. The archers had retaliated. A barrage of arrows was coming his way.

    A flash of his first death echoed through his mind as he ducked behind the battlement, a split second too slow. One of the arrows landed squarely in his shoulder. He cried out reflexively, but when he focused, he realized the pain wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as he¡¯d expected.

    The sound of horses whinnying in terror drew his attention. Davon poked his head above the battlements just in time to see the Green Trackers dismount their horses. The panicked beasts immediately turned and ran into the woods. For a moment, Davon was afraid this would cripple the reinforcements, but what followed was a spectacle.

    Davon stared, mouth agape, as each of the Green Trackers melted into shadow the instant their feet hit the ground. His eyes couldn¡¯t track the Revenants as they flashed between their targets. He would catch the gleam of a blade, the glow of a rune, or the brief image of a green cloak before dozens of Crimson Reavers fell dead.

    The display of prowess was almost overwhelming. Davon felt something deep within him start to shudder. Still, he couldn¡¯t look away.

    In seconds, the Green Trackers cut a swathe through the center of the Crimson Reaver battle lines, thinning them out. Roars of pain and fear echoed through the air, intensifying when Grant¡¯s force crashed into their enemies.

    As Grant and his warriors created a wedge in the battle lines, the Crimson Reavers moved to surround the Revenants. But then, as the mass of enemy soldiers swarmed, Green Trackers appeared to extend the Revenants¡¯ reach and outflank the monsters. Whenever an enemy slipped through the ranks, Davon and his fellow archers would remove the threat.

    As the tides of combat continued to shift, Davon gave up on trying to follow every detail of what was happening in the mass of bodies. Instead, he focused on his bow, settling into the archer¡¯s tempo.

    Inhale. Draw. Exhale. Loose.

    Monstrous shouting echoed over the mayhem. In response, the Crimson Reaver battle line moved backwards, reforming a shield wall beyond the ongoing clash.

    ¡°Engines, destroy their war machines!¡± Meyer commanded, throwing the defenders on the wall back into the action.

    In the confusion, the enemy had abandoned their siege equipment. While agreeing with Meyer left a sour taste in his mouth, Davon knew this was the perfect opportunity to destroy the Crimson Reavers¡¯ catapults and trebuchets.

    Steady bombardment from the ramparts only added to the ongoing chaos, and Davon found it hard to stay focused on the combat. He sank further into the archer¡¯s rhythm, releasing an arrow with each breath. Between shots, he watched boulder and after boulder smash into Crimson Reaver siege engines. With each shattered contraption, he allowed himself a moment of relief.

    Then Meyer¡¯s voice rose above the noise: ¡°Infantry, fall back and regroup! Archers, cover the retreat!¡±

    Davon barely registered the order, entirely committed to the tempo. As the Crimson Reaver battle line reformed, most of Davon¡¯s shots landed in shields or barricades, yet he didn¡¯t stop. When he spotted a break in the shield wall, he drew on his Reliquary again, attempting to invoke the Scattershot rune one more time. But instead of imbuing his next strike, he doubled over as his left arm lit up with pain.

    Pulled out of his battle focus, Davon looked down to see a web of blue light covering his arm. Seconds later, the pain faded as quickly as it had appeared, taking the strange light with it. Lyla¡¯s warning echoed through his head:

    All magic needs energy, and pulling too much can have disastrous consequences.

    Refocusing, Davon realized the battlefield was all but silent. The catapult bombardment from both sides had come to a close. He heard only the sound of boots against the ground, and the occasional crash of a siege boulder in the distance.

    Peeking out, Davon saw both sides of the conflict slowly backing off. The Crimson Reavers were hiding behind their shield wall, and the Revenants¡¯ retreat was covered by a golden barrier, projected by a Revenant Davon didn¡¯t recognize.

    With eyes peeled for enemy archers, Davon held his breath. He kept his bow high as both sides continued their retreat. Adrenaline coursed through his nerves, eased only slightly by the gentle tapping of raindrops against the rampart.

    When the gates slammed shut, Davon didn¡¯t drop his guard, expecting the enemy to have some trick planned. Yet the Crimson Reavers retreated behind their barricades, drawing all the way back to the tree line. Total silence claimed the battlefield.

    Still, Davon kept watching, for what felt like an eternity.

    It wasn¡¯t until he heard the war horn sound off a singular, steady blow that Davon allowed himself to relax. He slumped against the battlement, exhaustion sinking in after the extended combat. His body ached. He became painfully aware of the arrow stuck in his shoulder.

    Annoyed, he ripped the weapon out, wincing in pain. Blood mingled with rain as it trickled down his arm. He stared at the wound, wondering numbly what he should be doing with it.

    Suddenly, a figure in the same garb as Doctor Yurren knelt down beside Davon. Relief washed over him as the healer began tending to his wound.

    Struggling against the dull weariness seeping into his muscles, Davon looked around. He watched silently as a few other doctors helped the other soldiers on the ramparts. He saw other robed figures carrying away the bodies of fallen soldiers.

    A deep sadness overtook Davon, like a cold undercurrent pulling his heart deeper into the ocean. He watched the dead soldiers, regular soldiers, being carried away, and vowed to himself that he would claim revenge. No matter what it took, he would end this invasion, for the fallen who wouldn¡¯t get a second chance.

    For his fellow soldiers. For his fallen crew.

    For Rand.

    "All Revenants, to the barracks!¡± Meyer commanded, just as the doctor finished wrapping Davon¡¯s wound in runed bandages.

    With a heavy sigh, Davon pushed himself to his feet. Exhaustion dragged at his limbs as he stumbled down the ramparts and into the city streets.

    As soon as he made it to the bottom of the stairs, he spotted Kai, apparently waiting. The young Revenant was covered in red smears. Rivulets of blood and rain ran down his armor.

    ¡°I do hope that isn¡¯t your blood,¡± Davon called out.

    Kai shrugged, a half-smile stretching across his face. ¡°Most of it isn¡¯t. Glad to see you got through the fight.¡±

    The pair shared a nod before Davon asked, ¡°Have you seen Lyla anywhere?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Kai¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure where she was posted for the fight.¡±

    "I hope she wasn¡¯t caught by the archers,¡± Davon said, unable to keep anxiety from creeping into his voice.

    Almost immediately, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, raising his bow, only to see Lyla looking up at him.

    ¡°Was that genuine concern I just heard?¡± Lyla asked playfully.

    Davon took a moment to let his heartbeat calm down. Then he looked her directly in the eye.

    ¡°Yes, it was. I¡¯d rather not have either of you dying. Again.¡±

    Lyla¡¯s playful grin vanished. She dropped her gaze. ¡°Oh, well¡­ that¡¯s fair.¡±

    ¡°I am also glad the two of you survived,¡± Kai announced, a little too loudly. ¡°Now, there¡¯s a siege going on. Shall we see what Meyer wants?¡±

    He looked more flustered than Davon had ever seen him. Kai had no trouble leaping into battle, but apparently, the slightest display of actual friendship made the young warrior nervous.

    Trying to hide a smile, Davon nodded.

    ¡°Yeah, that would be for the best. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 14: Strike First

    Every Revenant in Walden¡¯s Hold was gathered in front of the guard barracks. Three figures stood at the center of the circle: Meyer, Grant, and a woman Davon recognized as Emma, leader of the local Green Trackers. He had known Emma for a long time. She was usually with the group of Trackers who escorted the Night Runner¡¯s shipments.

    Murmurs spread throughout the crowd of Revenants, drawing Davon¡¯s attention every which way. His mind was scattered between trying to organize his thoughts and attempting to listen to the words of his fellows. Still exhausted from the rush of combat, he failed to do either.

    ¡°Alright, quiet down.¡± Grant clapped his hands to get everyone¡¯s full attention. ¡°Listen up, if you want to survive what comes next.¡±

    ¡°We managed to destroy most of the Crimson Reavers¡¯ siege engines, but we can¡¯t rest yet,¡± Meyer declared, his voice rising imperiously over the crowd. ¡°We must not risk the enemy making another attempt at our walls. So, we strike first and break the siege.¡±

    Uneasy murmuring echoed through the circled Revenants, but was cut short by Grant.

    ¡°I know, it sounds too simple, but sometimes the simplest solution is the best. With the Green Trackers here, we have the numbers to put up a fight, even without our abilities.¡± Grant nodded towards Emma with a grin. ¡°I know most of you are drained after that final push, but our enemy is shaken. The time to strike is now.¡±

    ¡°The Stalwarts and all infantry Revenants will make a direct charge.¡± Meyer stood tall and proud, but Davon thought he detected a trace of uncertainty in the acting commander¡¯s voice. ¡°All spellcaster Revenants will join me in circling around the enemy¡¯s right flank, while Emma will lead the archers in circling around the left flank. With enough speed, we will thin their ranks significantly, hopefully pushing the enemy into a full rout.¡±

    Meyer finished his explanation by slamming a fist against his chest. ¡°Now, take a breather, but keep it short. We will begin the assault soon.¡±

    Davon exchanged troubled glances with his two companions. Their expressions made it clear that they shared Davon¡¯s doubts about Meyer.

    Once the crowd of Revenants dispersed, the trio found their own spot out of the rain to sit down. As soon as they were settled, Kai spoke up.

    ¡°This plan sounds¡­ shoddy, at best. At worst¡­ well, considering the numbers¡­¡±

    ¡°Suicidal?¡± Lyla asked pointedly.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ suicidal.¡± Kai shrugged with a nonchalance that seemed unsuited to the conversation. ¡°But I suppose it¡¯s better than waiting around for those brutes to attack.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, with the Trackers here, I¡¯d say we stand a chance,¡± Davon said. ¡°If they have any magic left to pull on, anyway.¡±

    The sound of rain tapping gently against the awning above them filled the silence that followed. Davon closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, savoring the quiet as his exhaustion slowly faded.

    He was pulled out of his short meditation only moments later when he heard pages rustling beside him. Looking over, he saw Lyla pull out a book and quill from somewhere beneath her cloak. She flipped through the book until she found an empty page. With a sigh, she placed her quill on it. To Davon¡¯s surprise, even without a source of ink, the quill left a mark on the page.

    Davon watched as Lyla filled the page with intricate drawings which made his mind spin. He recognized a few sections as runes, but his very basic knowledge of magic was not nearly enough to glean any meaning from the writings. However, it struck him as significant that Lyla hadn¡¯t tried to hide the book beneath her cloak before writing this time.

    A close-lipped smile crept onto his face. Maybe the intensely private woman had finally gotten more comfortable around him and Kai.

    Their moment of peace didn¡¯t last long.

    ¡°Gather round!¡± Grant¡¯s shout rang out from the barracks. ¡°It¡¯s time to move.¡±

    Within the next few minutes, the trio was split and sorted into different groups. Davon followed his fellow archers to the gate. Anxiety welled up inside him, more for Lyla and Kai than for himself.

    Before his fears could get the best of him, he thought back to all he had lost since that day on the docks. He focused on his desire for revenge, trying to force his anxiety to harden into grim resolve.

    The sound of Grant¡¯s gruff voice pulled him out of his inner spiraling.

    ¡°Remember your positions, follow your leaders, and you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Grant reassured the gathered Revenants. ¡°Let¡¯s move out.¡±

    Grant slammed his fist against the gate twice. The gates lurched, then began to open, ever so slowly. Davon settled into the rear of his group, holding his bow in a white-knuckle grip.

    The tension was palpable as the warband walked slowly out of the city, weapons raised and ready to fight. No response sounded from the Crimson Reaver forces, gathered only a few hundred feet away along the tree line. Their enemy hadn¡¯t realized what was happening yet, but Davon was filled with anticipation for the moment the clash began. His heartbeat sped up at the thought of facing an army of Crimson Reavers head-on, without the guaranteed safety of cover to hide behind.

    From the front of the group, Emma gestured for the archers to split off.

    Reflexively, Davon placed his hand against the ethereal bowstring, conjuring an arrow. He prodded the mental connection with his Reliquary, testing if his weapon was ready to invoke its runes again. He wasn¡¯t certain how he knew to do this. No one had trained him to communicate with his Reliquary. Even so, he found the act as natural as breathing.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Davon allowed himself a sigh of relief when the Scattershot rune connected with his mind and no pain followed. With renewed confidence, he marched alongside his fellow Revenants, ready to face what was to come.

    The rainfall grew heavier, pelting the tightly packed earth as the archers circled cautiously around the left side of the battlefield. The sound stirred an old fear within Davon. While light rain was calming to him, more intense downpours reminded him of the storms he had weathered on the Night Runner, fighting against nature¡¯s efforts to sink the ship.

    Davon¡¯s reminiscence was interrupted by a monstrous roar emanating from the forest. Slipping immediately into combat mode, Davon raised his bow and looked towards the source of the sound. He saw one of the Crimson Reavers¡¯ war beasts among the trees, its trunk-like arms raised as it gave another roar.

    ¡°Spread out! Find your marks!¡± Emma shouted, causing the group of archers to disperse into a loose formation.

    Davon fell into place and took aim. He wasted no time on hesitation. With the Scattershot rune still invoked, he took a confident shot at the beast. His shot was the first, clearing his comrades and flying true. For a moment, a rain of splinters banished the crimson gloom, scattering into the beast¡¯s belly and forcing it to stagger backwards.

    ¡°RUN THEM DOWN!¡± Grant¡¯s voice carried across the battlefield, followed closely by the war cries of the infantry Revenants.

    Seemingly caught unawares, the Crimson Reaver forces started pouring onto the battlefield in total disarray. Davon watched gleefully as the stumbling soldiers practically tripped over each other. Raising his bow, he synced his breathing with his weapon and slipped into a battle trance yet again.

    Each draw of the bowstring felt serene. The crackling of energy only fueled Davon¡¯s determination. Every arrow he loosed sent delight surging through him as blood sprayed from his target¡¯s wounds.

    Pausing briefly to glance at the rest of the battlefield, Davon watched Grant¡¯s forces crash into the disorganized enemy battle line. Even the war beast didn¡¯t give the Revenants pause. One by one, the monsters went down under a series of repeated blows.

    Flashes of various spells from the far flank caught Davon¡¯s gaze. In that moment, he discovered an appreciation for the beauty of destruction. He relished the sight of each Crimson Reaver soldier falling to the ground. Their death screams satisfied his need for revenge, if only by a little bit.

    Returning his focus to the battle in front of him, though, Davon realized there was no time to savor the death of his enemies. The Crimson Reavers were rallying as the initial shock wore off. They had managed to form some semblance of a shield wall, limiting the effectiveness of Davon¡¯s group.

    Annoyed, Davon pulled his bowstring taut, scanning the enemy shields for any weakness. Then a bright flash in his periphery drew his attention. He turned to see Emma, longbow raised, holding a glowing arrow against an ethereal bowstring.

    Energy gathered in Emma¡¯s weapon, illuminating the area around her with bright light. When she let her arrow fly, Davon was left momentarily blinded by the flash. An explosion like thunder sounded in his ears.

    Blinking away the pain in his eyes, Davon was shocked by the sight before him. There was a massive gap in the enemy¡¯s shield wall. A trail of fire spread from Emma¡¯s feet to the back of the monsters¡¯ battle line. Even as he looked, several Crimson Reavers fell to the ground, half-disintegrated.

    In all his time spent travelling alongside the woman in the past, Davon had never imagined she was capable of such devastation.

    With newfound respect, Davon redirected his attention to the Crimson Reavers and continued harassing them with a hail of arrows. Only seconds later, though, he paused again.

    Something strange was happening behind enemy lines.

    A group of Crimson Reavers, red cloth wrapped around their armor, had gathered in a circle behind the soldiers. Davon narrowed his eyes, but before he could make out more details, the red-robed Crimson Reavers simultaneously raised their hands.

    Anxiety crept into the back of Davon¡¯s mind as words began echoing in his thoughts. The whispering was low and guttural, in a language he didn¡¯t recognize, and it had no visible source.

    Suddenly gripped by fear, Davon scanned his surroundings, noting that other Revenants around him were doing the same.

    Crimson light flashed behind the enemy battle lines. From the midst of the red-robed Crimson Reavers, an orb of pure energy rose into the air. The whispers in Davon¡¯s mind intensified as this glowing red orb grew larger and larger.

    The orb grew into the size of a siege boulder. Its light intensified, casting the battlefield in a terrifying crimson. Davon felt panic take root in his gut. The whispering voices drowned out everything, even the faint echoes of shouting all around him. His thoughts turned to escape, but he couldn¡¯t move his feet.

    Suddenly, something yanked Davon by the arm. He turned to see one of the Revenant archers from his group, shaking Davon and screaming.

    ¡°Are you deaf?! Emma called for retreat! Go!¡±

    The Revenant¡¯s voice broke through the haze covering Davon¡¯s mind. He shook his head to clear the lingering whispers. Looking around, he saw other Revenants running back towards the city.

    Davon didn¡¯t even respond to his fellow Revenant. He just turned and ran, falling into a dead sprint towards the gates. From behind him, the light continued growing brighter.

    Like another Red Dawn, Davon thought, his panic rising again.

    Then the heat started. At first, it was only an uncomfortable warmth against his back, but it quickly became unbearable. Davon felt sweat forming on his skin. Only a moment later, he caught the scent of smoke.

    He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the battlefield go up in flames.

    Those Revenants unlucky enough to be close to the glowing, floating orb ignited almost immediately. The fire spread in a steadily growing radius around the orb, heedless of the pouring rain as it devoured everything in its path.

    Davon tore his gaze away and put on an extra burst of speed. He was almost at the gate, but he could feel himself boiling beneath his clothes.

    ¡°Open the gates!¡± Davon shouted between panicked breaths. ¡°OPEN THE DAMN GATES!¡±

    The stench of smoke and burning flesh reached Davon, combined with the terrified screams of those who couldn¡¯t escape the fire. His panic devolved further into utter desperation. Reaching the gates, he failed to stop in time and slammed full-force into them.

    As other Revenants reached the wall, the gates began to open with a lurch. Every second spent waiting was agony. The gates moved with terrifying slowness. More and more Revenants piled into the space, pushing through before the opening was truly wide enough to admit them.

    Davon ducked behind the city¡¯s wall as soon as he made it inside and sank down to the ground. The screams from beyond the wall slowly dissipated, taking Davon¡¯s panic with them. His breathing began to regulate.

    Then he thought of his companions, and a surge of terror rose up to choke him.

    ¡°Lyla? Kai?¡± Davon called out, his voice dripping with desperation. ¡°LYLA! KAI!¡±

    Pushing himself back onto his feet, Davon stumbled through the reeling crowd, looking for his companions.

    ¡°Davon, here!¡±

    Lyla¡¯s voice reached Davon¡¯s ears, sending a wave of relief through his exhausted mind. The relief vanished when he turned to see Lyla staggering towards him, dragging a heavily wounded Kai along the ground. Her words came out in a shriek.

    ¡°Help me!¡±

 Chapter 15: Stealth

    Davon nearly crashed into several other Revenants as he ran towards his companions. He managed to catch Kai just as the young man slipped from Lyla¡¯s grasp.

    ¡°Set him down gently.¡± Lyla struggled to speak between exhausted breaths. ¡°And try to get that armor off of him.¡±

    Following her instructions, Davon slowly put Kai on the ground. The young man seemed to be unconscious. Davon¡¯s keen eyes swept over Kai¡¯s wounds, shocked at the char marks that covered the warrior¡¯s body.

    ¡°How close was he to¡­ whatever that was?¡± Davon asked, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

    Lyla pulled out her book and started flipping through the pages frantically. ¡°He was on fire when I found him. If I¡¯d gotten there a second later, he¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it,¡± Davon demanded as he inspected Kai¡¯s armor. ¡°No time for ¡®what if¡¯s now.¡±

    Davon tugged gently at the leather straps connecting the plating of Kai¡¯s armor. Then, deciding speed was more important than preserving the armor, he grabbed his bow and used the bladed limbs to cut the straps instead.

    ¡°Okay¡­ here we go,¡± Lyla muttered, apparently having found the page she was looking for. ¡°Get that melted plating off of him. I¡¯d rather it didn¡¯t fuse into the flesh.¡±

    Davon grasped the edges of the metal plating and pulled. He felt a tug, as if he was pulling something along with the plate.

    ¡°Lyla¡­¡± Davon closed his eyes. ¡°Please tell me that isn¡¯t flesh.¡±

    ¡°Just a strap you missed,¡± she assured him. Pulling out a dagger, she made quick work of the remaining strap. ¡°Okay.¡±

    It took a few minutes for Davon to remove all of Kai¡¯s armor, tossing each piece into a heap next to them. When he was done, he noticed they¡¯d attracted the attention of a small crowd of other Revenants, all in varying states of injury.

    As soon as Kai¡¯s armor was off, Lyla stood up and started chanting. Davon recognized the incantation from their first mission together. A wave of warm energy pulsed out from Lyla when she finished her incantation, and Davon watched as Kai¡¯s wounds healed in seconds. The energy also washed over Davon, healing his own cuts, bruises, and blisters.

    But it didn¡¯t stop. The energy continued to ripple outward, enveloping most of the gathered Revenants. Davon noted a few of them, a mixture of Green Trackers and Stalwarts, inspected themselves in shock as their wounds healed.

    Surprised murmurs spread throughout the crowd, but Davon didn¡¯t try to pick out anything that was said. Instead, he focused on his unconscious teammate.

    Kai¡¯s eyes fluttered open, then squeezed shut. He raised a hand to his head with a groan.

    ¡°Where¡­?¡±

    ¡°Back in the city,¡± Lyla replied, sighing audibly with relief.

    Davon helped Kai up onto his feet. The warrior looked around, his eyes landing on the pile of warped metal beside them.

    ¡°Ah, right, had to dismantle your armor,¡± Davon explained. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Kai just shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m starting to think armor is overrated. Oh, and¡­ thank you.¡±

    The distant crackling of fire combined with the bright glow of the Crimson Reavers¡¯ magic cast the scene in a truly apocalyptic light as the commotion settled.

    ¡°That¡¯s some powerful healing for a novice, girl.¡± Grant¡¯s voice drew the group¡¯s attention. ¡°Your aptitude is impressive. I don¡¯t suppose you could do that again?¡±

    Davon inspected the old Revenant as he approached. Grant seemed unbothered by the cuts and burns all across his body, carrying himself as he normally would.

    Lyla shook her head. ¡°Not for at least a few hours, unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°Well, we have to wait anyway.¡± Grant sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can charge into¡­ that.¡±

    ¡°How many did we lose?¡± Davon asked, his tone turning grim.

    The crowd shifted nervously. Grant glanced around, taking a moment to think carefully before he replied, ¡°About a quarter. We took out half of their forces, and nearly all of the big beasts, but it¡¯s not a trade I¡¯d make again.¡±

    At that moment, the bright light coming from beyond the walls vanished. The noise of roaring flames dissipated quickly, leaving only the sound of steadily falling rain.

    ¡°Well¡­ take our blessings as they come, I suppose,¡± Grant said gruffly. ¡°Everyone take a rest. We need to think up a new plan.¡±

    ¡°We already have one, Grant.¡± Emma¡¯s voice carried over the crowd, turning everyone¡¯s attention to her. ¡°We strike when night falls. Those of us familiar with stealth tactics go first, targeting those mages. When we¡¯re certain they¡¯re all dead, we¡¯ll send the rest a signal to charge.¡±

    Grant nodded, then clapped his hands to dismiss the crowd. ¡°Sounds good enough to me. Now, at ease, and rest.¡±

    The gathered Revenants murmured as they started to drift away, their mood a combination of approval and uncertainty. Davon looked to his companions. In silent agreement, the trio returned to the same spot they had been sitting in before the charge.

    ¡°Almost died twice in as many hours,¡± Davon observed, smiling as he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t like this habit we¡¯re forming.¡±

    ¡°At least it¡¯s only almost,¡± Kai retorted. ¡°Thank you again.¡±

    Lyla wrapped her cloak around herself more tightly. ¡°Oh, no bother. But I really would prefer if you didn¡¯t do it again.¡±

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    The trio shared a chuckle, then relaxed into a comfortable silence. Davon strained his ears, listening for the sounds of fire, yet heard only the rain. Internally, he thanked the rain, knowing full well that the situation could be much worse if the fire had spread.

    Leaning into his seat as comfortably as he could, Davon settled in for the wait. He decided to close his eyes for just a moment.

    Then sleep claimed his exhausted mind.

    ¡ª

    Davon¡¯s rest was interrupted by someone shaking his shoulder. Briefly stuck between dream and reality, Davon pushed himself onto his feet, blinking rapidly and reaching for his bow.

    When his eyes focused, Davon saw Kai standing beside him, backlit by a nearby torch. Night had fallen. All around them, Revenants were getting ready to step through the gate.

    ¡°Is it time already?¡± Davon asked, glancing around for Lyla and failing to spot her. ¡°Where¡¯s Lyla?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been helping with the wounded. Apparently, her healing capabilities are something special.¡± Kai turned towards the gate. ¡°Come on, Emma wants us with the stealthy team.¡±

    ¡°Worried about the sneaking part, Kai?¡± Davon asked, noting a thread of anxiety in the young man¡¯s tone.

    ¡°Like I told you before all this started, I¡¯m not a very good sneak,¡± Kai admitted. Then, suddenly, he gave Davon a wry smile. ¡°Strange to think that was this morning.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Yeah, feels like it¡¯s been a week.¡± Davon clapped Kai on the back. ¡°You¡¯ll do fine. Just watch where you step.¡±

    The pair joined the crowd of Revenants gathered around Grant, Emma, and Meyer at the front gate. The tension in the air was palpable. While Grant and Emma were carrying themselves with stoicism, Davon noticed Meyer looked visibly shaken.

    ¡°We¡¯re all here then? Good,¡± Grant said, keeping his voice calm. ¡°Those of you chosen to go with Emma, step forward.¡±

    Fifteen Revenants stepped towards the gate, including Davon and Kai. In his periphery, Davon saw Lyla split off from the crowd and sidle up to them. The trio exchanged brief nods as they gathered around Emma.

    ¡°Remember: look for the flare,¡± Emma called to Grant, apparently ignoring Meyer. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s head out.¡±

    The gates lurched into motion. As they opened, Davon beheld the aftermath of their previous assault, eerily illuminated by moonlight.

    Charred bodies dotted an ash-covered landscape. The tree line, previously only a few hundred feet from the walls, was now at least half a mile away. The sheer scale of destruction left Davon reeling.

    Then Davon¡¯s eyes landed on what could only be the Crimson Reavers¡¯ camp. Far enough to be out of siege engine reach, layers of carapace-like barricades were stacked on top of each other to create walls, with only one way in or out. A few soldiers patrolled the outside perimeter, carrying torches burning with distinctly crimson flame.

    ¡°Stay close to me,¡± Emma commanded quietly. She ran her fingers over a rune on her bow, causing it to light up. A moment later, unnatural chills ran down Davon¡¯s spine as everyone around him turned transparent. He looked down at his hands, realizing the magic had affected him as well.

    Between the ash padding their footsteps and this new near-invisibility, the Revenants continued their march forward with confidence. Even Kai¡¯s shoulders lost some of their tension.

    As they continued their approach, Davon couldn¡¯t help but look down at the charred bodies they passed. Both Revenants and Crimson Reavers lay dead and discarded, covered in a thin layer of ash. He resisted the urge to shudder.

    It¡¯s just more reason for revenge, he told himself firmly. More reason to make these monsters pay.

    When the group was roughly a hundred feet from the enemy camp, Emma halted and turned to them.

    ¡°Thanks to our scouts¡¯ efforts, we know the enemy mages gather in the large central tent,¡± she whispered. ¡°We will sneak in there, kill them, and fire off a flare to signal for the main force to attack. If we¡¯re spotted, just run for the tent. Kill those mages at any cost.¡±

    Davon felt his anxiety returning at these words. He found it strange that since the siege began, the Crimson Reaver with a three-horned helmet was nowhere to be found. Davon had assumed that figure to be a leader. If he was present here, then it would make sense for him to be inside the biggest tent.

    But Davon didn¡¯t have time to think about this much. The patrolling guards had completed a loop and were walking away from the camp¡¯s entrance.

    It was time to act.

    At Emma¡¯s command, the group scatted into formation and rushed for the camp. The two guards standing directly at the entrance fell dead, arrows sticking from their necks, before Davon could even notice who fired the shots.

    Once inside, Davon saw one massive tent in the middle, surrounded by several circles of smaller tents. Crimson Reaver soldiers were milling around the encampment, seemingly on patrol and still unaware of the intruders.

    Emma whispered commands as they proceeded. Splitting the group into small teams, she left them behind at strategic points to wait and take out any soldiers who might stumble too close to their escape path.

    When they reached the command tent, it was only Davon¡¯s team, Emma, and a Stalwart Revenant remaining.

    ¡°On my count.¡± Emma turned to the group. ¡°Three, two, one¡­ go!¡±

    Davon jumped into the tent, bow raised. The first thing he noticed was a table with nine figures gathered around it. There were eight of the decorated soldiers he recognized as mages, and one figure wearing a three-horned helmet.

    The next thing he noticed was that Emma¡¯s invisibility had worn off as soon as he entered the tent.

    Reflexively, Davon invoked his Scattershot rune and fired a shot while still mid-run, aimed loosely towards the nearest mage. He felt the familiar slowing of time as he watched the arrow fly, adrenaline rushing through his system.

    Just as the arrow split, the mage raised a hand, conjuring a red barrier fractions of a second before impact. The sound of shattering filled the air. A few splinters pierced the barrier and landed directly in the mage¡¯s chest, sending the robed figure backwards.

    The remaining mages recovered from their shock almost immediately. They stepped away from the table and formed a line between the Revenants and their leader. Moving as one, they drew the swords hanging from their hips and took an identical stance.

    Kai dashed past Davon with a roar, axe at the ready. In his periphery, Davon saw Lyla slam the butt of her spear into the ground, hand outstretched towards Kai. A rune lit up on her spear, and a half-second later, Kai¡¯s axe was wrapped in flames. Without breaking his stride, Kai brought the axe down onto the nearest enemy, crushing the weak attempt at a parry and bisecting the mage.

    From the far side of the table, the figure in the three-horned helmet growled something at the mages, then turned towards the other side of the tent.

    Only then did Davon notice that this tent had two entrances.

    A massive arrow flew by him from behind, spearing another of the mages. He turned just in time to see Emma pull her bowstring back for another shot.

    As the leader continued striding towards the other entrance, the remaining five mages readjusted into a circle around Kai, thrusting their weapons at him simultaneously. Kai raised his axe in response, conjuring a barrier to protect himself.

    Davon raised his bow, aiming for the head of one of the mages behind Kai. He let the arrow fly, and almost simultaneously, another shot from behind flew by him. Both of the mages behind Kai fell dead, hitting the ground with unceremonious clangs.

    In response, the final three dashed backwards and raised their hands in unison. A jet of crimson flame formed from each of their palms, gathering into a torrent of destruction.

    The next instant, Davon saw a rune light up on Kai¡¯s axe. A war cry echoed above the noise of fire as the crimson flames surged. Davon raised a hand to his face, shielding his eyes against the sudden burst.

    He could only guess what happened in that moment. He only knew that when he lowered his hand, he saw Kai facing only two mages. The young man held his axe in one hand and a head in the other.

    ¡°The leader is escaping!¡±

    Emma¡¯s cry directed Davon¡¯s attention to the back of the tent, where the Crimson Reaver leader had just vanished through the other entrance.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wrap up here! You three, chase him!¡± Emma commanded.

    Davon didn¡¯t need to glance at Kai or Lyla. He just took off running, knowing they were with him every step of the way.

 Chapter 16: The Captain

    Davon was the fastest runner in the group. He left Lyla and Kai slightly behind as he ran through the encampment, keeping his eyes locked on the fleeing three-horned helmet. Meanwhile, enemy soldiers were stirring all around him, roused from their tents by the sound of combat.

    Suddenly, three Crimson Reavers jumped into Davon¡¯s path and forced him to stop. Davon cursed beneath his breath. Then he split his bow into swords and prepared to fight, waiting for his foes to make the first move.

    The three soldiers lunged towards him from different directions, all swinging their weapons at once.

    Davon¡¯s perception of time slowed as he thought about his options. Taking a risk, he ducked to the left, just barely evading the combined attack. As a blade swung an inch from his face, he carried his momentum into a strike, driving a blade into the gut of the leftmost soldier. Davon carved through the creature with unusual ease, cutting it almost in half.

    As the first soldier fell to the ground, the other two readjusted around Davon, maintaining the flank. The two soldiers swung their weapons in symmetrical, upward arcs. Thinking quickly, Davon brought both of his blades down to parry one of the strikes, simultaneously dodging the same direction. His blades knocked one strike aside while his momentum carried him safely away from the other.

    Preparing himself to attack again, Davon turned on his heel just in time to see Kai crash into one of the Crimson Reavers. The young warrior moved so fast that Davon could barely track it. The next moment, the enemy soldier landed on the ground with a thud, stunned.

    The final standing Crimson Reaver wavered, stepping slowly away from Kai. Then, apparently deciding this fight wasn¡¯t worth it, the soldier turned and ran.

    Before Davon could react, a spear flew by him. The Crimson Reaver fell with the weapon impaled in its back. Turning, Davon saw Lyla recall her spear with a wave of the hand.

    ¡°Come on, we need to find that leader,¡± Davon demanded, whirling around in search of their quarry. He could no longer see the three-horned helmet, but he spotted a set of tracks in the thin layer of ash.

    Davon dropped into a sprint as he followed the tracks. Then a noise like thunder erupted from somewhere behind him. Startled, he glanced back over his shoulder.

    A beacon of light rose from inside the largest tent, briefly lighting up the night sky. Davon recognized the ability Emma had demonstrated in their previous battle.

    That must be the flare, he thought. She¡¯s signaling Grant and the rest to attack.

    Part of him wanted to stay and help. He didn¡¯t want to miss the chance to kill as many Crimson Reavers as possible. But then Emma¡¯s command echoed in his mind, and he forced himself to turn away.

    They had been given a task, and he would see it through to the end.

    With Kai and Lyla close behind, Davon continued following the tracks out of the encampment. The trail took them to the forest-covered road leading away from Walden¡¯s Hold. Then, suddenly, the tracks vanished.

    Stopping at the edge of the road, Lyla muttered something under her breath. Her spear burst into magical flames. With the help of Lyla¡¯s light, Davon looked for signs of their enemy, but failed to find any.

    ¡°Damn it, where now?¡± he muttered in frustration.

    ¡°Leave this to me.¡± Kai crouched near the place where the tracks stopped. After a few moments, he paused, peering at something on the ground. ¡°This way.¡±

    Curious, Davon asked, ¡°Where¡¯d you learn to track?¡±

    ¡°Family tradition,¡± Kai replied as the group set off again. ¡°A warrior needs to know how to find his prey, my father used to claim.¡±

    Now guided by Kai, the group continued down the road, eventually taking a turn into the forest.

    Every so often, Kai called a halt. He would take a few moments to inspect their surroundings. Then he would point out a piece of broken foliage, an unusual mark on a tree, or a footprint the other two had missed, and they would set off in that direction.

    Davon was thoroughly impressed by Kai¡¯s tracking abilities. He wondered briefly why the warrior hadn''t taken the lead in their previous missions, but decided this was not the time to ask.

    An hour into the chase, Kai froze.

    ¡°Tracks are getting closer and closer together,¡± he whispered, concern plastered on his face. ¡°It slowed down. We might be getting closer.¡±

    Davon recognized Kai¡¯s anxiety, as his own was bubbling beneath the surface. The last time they faced an enemy like this, they had found themselves completely outmatched and overpowered.

    But then, Davon thought to himself, last time, I wasn¡¯t capable of cutting a Crimson Reaver in half.

    He calmed his nerves, remembering the improvements he had gained within the Imbuement Chamber. The thought of testing his abilities against a powerful enemy didn¡¯t have to be fearful.

    In fact, it was exciting.

    They continued on for another half-hour before an all too familiar scent caught Davon¡¯s attention. The trio halted as one. Sharing a look of silent understanding, they readied their weapons. Then, Kai in the lead, they crept to the edge of a small clearing.

    Davon could see their target through the break in the trees. The Crimson Reaver leader was standing calmly in the center of the clearing, back turned to the group.

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    ¡°Does this feel like a trap to anyone else?¡± Davon whispered.

    Before either of his companions could answer, a guttural voice echoed from the clearing.

    ¡°Persistent. Good. Come, face me. I am eager to test myself against you.¡±

    The voice grated against Davon¡¯s ears, causing him to wince. The way the creature spoke was inhuman, more like a growl.

    How does it know our language? Davon thought, but he quickly remembered their first encounter with a similar Crimson Reaver. It had also spoken in the common tongue, although only a few words.

    Unsure how to proceed, the group held their positions. Lyla extinguished the flame on her spear with a whisper, leaving the moon as their only source of light.

    ¡°Still you hide?¡± the Crimson Reaver mocked. He turned towards the trio with hands outstretched, showing himself to be unarmed. ¡°Come! I¡¯ll allow you the first strike!¡±

    The waxing moon above them shone brightly into the clearing, allowing Davon to scrutinize the figure. He couldn¡¯t spot any weapons on the Crimson Reaver, but that only made him more nervous.

    ¡°Come! I hold no deceptions!¡± The figure took a few steps towards the group. ¡°My sergeants fell like chaff against your blades! I, Captain Aelius, challenge you to a fair fight!¡±

    ¡°What a showman,¡± Davon scoffed, his words dripping with contempt. ¡°We should spread out, surround ¡ª Kai?¡±

    Kai was getting to his feet, interrupting Davon¡¯s attempt at strategizing.

    ¡°He issued a fair challenge,¡± the young warrior stated. ¡°That¡¯s not something I can deny, as an Ulrich son.¡±

    ¡°What are you ¡ª Kai! That thing is a monstrous invader!¡± Davon snarled. ¡°What rules say you have to treat it with honor?!¡±

    Kai looked at Davon, eyes steely with determination. ¡°Whatever it is, or wherever it came from, it issued a warrior¡¯s challenge.¡±

    Lyla opened her mouth to speak, but Kai had already turned away and was striding into the clearing.

    ¡°Damn it, Kai!¡± Lyla hissed as she hurried after the young warrior. ¡°Come on, before he gets himself killed!¡±

    The trio stepped onto the clearing, prompting satisfied laughter from the Crimson Reaver.

    ¡°At last! Out in the open, and away from the cutthroat theater of war!¡± Aelius raised his hands in mock celebration. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this!¡±

    ¡°Enough talking,¡± Kai commanded. His voice was calm as he approached their foe. ¡°You wanted a fight? You''re getting one.¡±

    ¡°So eager!¡± Aelius made no attempt to conceal the glee in his voice. ¡°How I wish the general would allow me to do this more often!¡±

    Davon¡¯s ears perked up at the Crimson Reaver¡¯s words, questions floating to the surface of his thoughts.

    ¡°But very well!¡± Aelius concluded, lowering his arms into a fighting stance. ¡°Let us fight.¡±

    Before Davon could think of a way to coax more information out of Captain Aelius, Kai bellowed a war cry and ran at their foe. Using his forward momentum, Kai raised his axe above his head and brought it down in a wide arc.

    Aelius stepped to the side gracefully and dodged the attack. The earth shook with the force of Kai¡¯s blow, a small crater forming as evidence of his raw strength. Still, the Crimson Reaver didn¡¯t miss a beat. Aelius ran his armored fist into Kai¡¯s chest with two quick jabs, setting the Revenant off-balance.

    Davon dashed around to the captain¡¯s flank, calculating his aim as he ran. But by the time he found a clean shot and drew his bowstring, Aelius had already sent a swift and powerful kick into Kai¡¯s side. The young warrior stumbled directly between Aelius and Davon¡¯s raised bow.

    He¡¯s smart, Davon admitted to himself grudgingly. I¡¯ll need to be smarter.

    Davon dashed around again, trying to put Aelius directly between Kai and himself.

    While Davon was repositioning, he kept his eyes peeled on the ongoing fight. Enraged by the captain¡¯s assault, Kai brought his axe up suddenly in an attempt to strike Aelius with the blunt side. Aelius realized the Revenant¡¯s gambit just in time to jump backwards.

    Safely out of the way, the captain threw a haymaker, aimed at Kai¡¯s chin. But Kai had expected a follow-up. He invoked his barrier rune just in time to prevent the fist from reaching him. For just a moment, the clearing filled with golden light.

    Then the barrier shattered from the force of Aelius¡¯ blow.

    Finally in position, Davon raised his weapon and waited. The crackling of the arrow and bowstring sent waves of anticipation through him, but he needed the perfect shot. He wasn¡¯t looking for a chance to strike at the captain directly. This fight couldn¡¯t be won by a single decisive strike.

    Instead, Davon would be a distraction.

    On the far side of the clearing, Davon saw Lyla raise her spear and take aim. When she flung her weapon forward, carried by conjured wind, Davon let loose his own attack. Aelius, focused on the incoming spear, failed to notice the arrow flying towards him from behind.

    Davon¡¯s arrow struck Aelius¡¯ left leg, making the captain stagger. Unable to dodge, Aelius could only watch as the spear flew towards him and struck him in the chest. A vicious shriek echoed through the air as Aelius stumbled backwards.

    Roaring with fury, Aelius raised both of his arms. The crimson trim of his armor began glowing intensely. He then brought his fists down on Kai in a slam.

    A crimson shockwave rocked the earth, emanating from the point of impact. Kai had hunkered down and raised his axe, bracing for the blow, but he crumpled beneath the force of his foe¡¯s rage. For a moment, Aelius reveled in his victory, gloating as the young warrior squirmed in pain.

    Realizing the opportunity, Davon invoked the Scattershot rune and loosed his second arrow. Aelius didn¡¯t realize he was being attacked until a shower of arrow splinters struck his back. Davon saw the fragments sink into his foe¡¯s armor, followed by rivulets of blood.

    Yet Aelius seemed unbothered. His movements were casual as he ripped Lyla¡¯s spear out of his own chest and threw it towards Davon.

    Barely able to react, Davon rolled out of the way. He felt a rush of wind as the spear flew by. A moment later, he heard a tree fall behind him.

    Then the sound of thunder erupted over the clearing.

    Davon looked up. Lyla was standing tall, holding her spellbook in one hand while the other was outstretched towards Aelius. As Davon watched, a torrent of electricity flowed from Lyla¡¯s fingers and struck their enemy in the chest.

    Despite the constant flow of electricity, Aelius maintained his posture, walking slowly towards Lyla. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Davon noticed the air around Lyla turn crimson, and let out a sigh of relief when she jumped forwards. A second later, the ground where she had been standing exploded in crimson flame.

    Guttural laughter rose above the unfolding chaos.

    ¡°Is this all you have to offer?¡± Aelius mocked, hands outstretched once again. ¡°Is this really the best ¡ª¡±

    Aelius never got to finish his sentence. Davon watched in surprise as Kai suddenly reached out an arm and grabbed the arrogant Crimson Reaver by the ankle. With a roar, he pulled Aelius¡¯ leg from under him, forcing him to fall to the ground.

    The captain rolled onto his back as Kai loomed over him. A look of pure rage marred the young warrior¡¯s face as he raised his axe and brought it down with a shriek.

    Silence fell over the clearing.

    ¡°Your challenge has been met,¡± Kai announced almost ritualistically as he stumbled away, leaving his axe stuck in Aelius¡¯ body. ¡°And you have been found wanting.¡±

    Davon hurried over to his companion, but his eyes were glued to the twitching body pinned by the young warrior¡¯s axe.

    ¡°Well, what a surprise¡­¡± Aelius mumbled through a dry chuckle. ¡°Maybe the general will meet his match yet.¡±

    Then the captain¡¯s body went limp, leaving the trio to ponder his dying words.

    It was Lyla who broke the silence, looking uneasily in the direction Aelius had been running.

    ¡°He was heading towards Heinburg. Do you think that¡¯s where this general is?¡±

    ¡°A question for later.¡± Davon nudged Aelius¡¯ body with his foot. ¡°For now, let¡¯s enjoy our victory.¡±

 Chapter 17: Get Stronger

    The trio quickly retraced their steps through the forest back to Walden¡¯s Hold. Even before breaching the tree line, Davon could hear the sound of saws and hammers.

    Peeking through the foliage, he saw a group of Walden¡¯s Hold guards hard at work dismantling the Crimson Reaver encampment. There were also a few Revenants milling around, harvesting the bones of their fallen foes.

    A weight lifted off Davon¡¯s shoulders. While the sight of all the piled bodies in the moonlight was unsettling, at least Walden¡¯s Hold had successfully broken the siege.

    ¡°Oi, over here!¡± An unfamiliar Revenant wrapped in a Green Tracker cloak hailed the group as they entered the encampment. ¡°Emma¡¯s lookin¡¯ for you! She¡¯s around the big tent¡­ somewhere.¡±

    The trio thanked the Revenant before setting off toward the big tent. As they moved further into the camp, Davon kept looking around, marveling at the remnants of carnage on every side. They had apparently missed quite a battle.

    ¡°Ah, there you are.¡± Emma suddenly stepped into the group¡¯s path, startling them. ¡°You got him, then?¡±

    ¡°It was close, but yes,¡± Kai confirmed enthusiastically. Digging through his material bag, he fished out the three-horned helmet Aelius had worn.

    ¡°Good, hold on to that.¡± Emma clapped Kai on the shoulder. ¡°And good work out there. I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    Beaming with pride, Kai put the helmet back into the enchanted bag.

    ¡°Now go get some rest, you deserve it. Oh, but¡­¡± Emma hesitated for a second, then added, ¡°Davon, could I talk to you for a second?¡±

    Davon raised his eyebrows and exchanged glances with his companions. ¡°Uh, yeah, sure.¡±

    Leaving Kai and Lyla to wait, Davon followed Emma to a quieter corner by a stack of dismantled tents.

    She turned to face him, her gaze solemn. ¡°Now that we have a moment, kid, I feel obligated to talk to you.¡±

    Suddenly nervous, Davon tried and failed to maintain eye contact with the Green Tracker leader. ¡°Why so? Sure, in the middle of a siege isn¡¯t a good time for a reunion, but we made it out okay.¡±

    Emma chuckled, but her expression quickly turned serious. ¡°Grant told me about the Night Runner, kiddo.¡±

    They locked eyes for a moment as grim silence fell between them.

    Davon didn¡¯t know how to react. He hadn¡¯t talked to anyone about what happened on the docks. He wasn¡¯t sure he could yet.

    ¡°I¡­ well, I know grieving can take a while, and most people grieve in different ways,¡± she said gently. ¡°But if you ever want to talk about it, with someone who knew the crew as well as you did¡­¡±

    Emma paused, both letting the words sink in and formulating her next sentence. Then she continued with a wry smile. ¡°Well, Mia¡¯s a mute and Grant isn¡¯t good with feelings. So, if you ever do need to talk, come find me.¡±

    Davon still didn¡¯t know what to do. A torrent of emotions was swirling inside his heart. Sadness, anger, burning defiance, all churning together in a messy soup. Would he ever be ready to sort through it all?

    He looked up at the Green Tracker, trying to maintain a poker face. ¡°Thank you, Emma. I will.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Emma nodded as she turned to leave. ¡°Go on now, don¡¯t keep those two waiting.¡±

    Davon walked slowly back to Kai and Lyla. Ever since that horrible day on the docks, he¡¯d done his best to keep his thoughts from dwelling on the past. There was simply too much going on in the present. He couldn¡¯t risk falling apart.

    Today was no different, so he tried to empty his mind before rejoining his companions.

    ¡°You alright, D?¡± Kai asked as Davon approached.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Davon¡¯s quivering voice failed to convince even himself. Forcing a smile, he managed a steadier tone as he continued, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get back to the city.¡±

    Neither Kai nor Lyla pushed Davon on his obvious lie as they returned to Walden¡¯s Hold. He was grateful. The short walk in the moonlight helped him calm down, but he feared that even the tiniest push would be enough to send him back into a spiral.

    A pair of Stalwarts was standing guard in front of the city¡¯s open gates. As the trio passed through, Davon noticed the two Revenants giving them sidelong glances. Further into the city, whenever a patrolling Stalwart passed by, they would stare the group down without even trying to hide it.

    Strange, Davon thought to himself. What did we ever do to them?

    Davon found he was too tired to care. Choosing to ignore the mysterious glances, he focused instead on getting some rest as quickly as possible.

    Lyla and Kai seemed to be in a similar mood. The trio¡¯s farewells were brief when they reached the Guild House. Davon headed for his room immediately and threw himself on the bed.

    An instant later, he was out cold.

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    ¡ª

    Davon woke up the following morning at the break of dawn. Though rejuvenated by a mostly dreamless night of sleep, he found that his unquiet thoughts hadn¡¯t calmed during the night.

    With a sigh, he sat up in bed, reaching automatically for his Reliquary. The comfort of the weapon in his hand gave him an idea. He still couldn¡¯t bring himself to face all his grief directly, but he could distract himself by addressing another of his current weaknesses: the limitations of his arsenal.

    Just as the sun peeked over the horizon to paint the training yard in gentle crimson light, Davon arrived at the Boneshapers¡¯ workshop. He pushed the doors open and stepped inside. Only one Boneshaper was there, in the process of sorting the weapon racks.

    ¡°Ah, good morning Davon,¡± the Boneshaper said, returning a dagger to its place. ¡°How can we help you today?¡±

    ¡°I need more runes.¡± Davon placed his material pouch onto the table. After their victory over the Crimson Reaver captain, the trio had split its body evenly, and Davon was counting on this harvest to expand his capabilities. ¡°How many can those bones get me?¡±

    The Boneshaper inspected the material bag, carefully removing each bone and examining it closely.

    ¡°High quality. We can work these into ten runes, if you wish.¡±

    ¡°Five will do. Thank, you Boneshaper.¡± Davon placed his bow on the table. ¡°Oh, and another question. Could you¡­ shape the runes into a specific ability?¡±

    ¡°Oh, have you not¡­?¡± the Boneshaper began, then interrupted themself with a dry chuckle. ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t. The Red Dawn stopped you.¡±

    Davon gave the Boneshaper a confused look. The robed figure started placing the bones in a circle around Davon¡¯s bow, working in silence for a few moments before continuing: ¡°Once the runes are embedded, it falls on you to speak with your Reliquary to shape them. You can even remake the old runes, if you wish.¡±

    ¡°Speak to it?¡± Davon asked, his eyes dropping to his weapon.

    ¡°Yes. When next you find a quiet moment, meditate on those strings that bind you with your Reliquary,¡± the Boneshaper explained as they finished arranging the bones. ¡°Follow them. See where they take you.¡±

    Davon pondered this idea as the Boneshaper began chanting. As before, the chanted words transformed the materials into globules of light, then guided the light slowly into Davon¡¯s bow. Moments later, the light vanished, having carved five blank squares into the bow¡¯s limbs.

    ¡°It is done.¡± The Boneshaper spoke with satisfaction, clasping their hands in front of them. ¡°We eagerly await your next visit.¡±

    Davon retrieved his bow and material pouch in silence, then left the workshop. He inspected his bow closely. What exactly had the Boneshaper meant?

    There was only one way to find out. Unfortunately, it was not a way Davon could take at the moment. While his curiosity was strong, he knew darn well he couldn¡¯t do any sort of meditation with his thoughts still in disarray.

    Instead, he walked back into the Guild House, sighing as he made his way towards the Imbuement Chamber.

    On his way through the maze of hallways, Davon again noticed passing Stalwarts giving him aggressive side-eyes. He briefly considered confronting them, but decided against it. They weren¡¯t worth the effort.

    When he pushed the doors to the Imbuement Chamber open, Davon paused. If he and his companions hadn¡¯t visited the Chamber before fighting Aelius, how badly would they have been beaten? And what about this next jump in power? Would it be enough to face whatever new horrors the Crimson Reavers had in store?

    He tried to push these thoughts aside, but he felt even more unsettled as the doors closed behind him.

    Almost immediately, the Chamber¡¯s voice echoed in his mind.

    ¡°Current status: Strength three, Endurance six, Agility eight, Resonance five, Aptitude twenty. Results: Powerful Novice. Compatible materials detected within chamber. Commence Imbuement?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Davon replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

    ¡°Commencing Imbuement.¡±

    The same strange feeling he remembered from his previous visit ran through his body. This time, however, Davon found it strangely pleasant. Whether it was because he¡¯d gotten used to it, or because he knew he would come out of the Chamber stronger, he couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°Imbuement complete. Capabilities improved: Strength ten, Endurance fifteen, Agility twenty, Resonance ten, Aptitude forty. New results: Average Journeyman.¡±

    The jump in his ratings surprised him. Davon found a sense of excitement building within him again. Suddenly, he was eager to test himself, to see exactly how much stronger he¡¯d become.

    ¡°Process complete. Releasing Revenant.¡±

    The stone doors behind him slid open, filling the room with room with light. Davon exited with renewed confidence. When he stepped out of the chamber, he noticed a slight change in the world around him.

    No, the world hadn¡¯t changed. It was his perception of the world that was different.

    His movements felt more fluid. His steps felt lighter. Every action seemed to take a little less effort. The experience was strange at first, but Davon found himself getting used to it rapidly.

    ¡°Thought we¡¯d find you here.¡± Davon was startled to attention by a familiar voice. He looked around to see Kai walking up to him. ¡°So eager to make yourself stronger, eh?¡±

    Davon straightened his posture. ¡°After that last fight? Absolutely.¡±

    Kai let out a hearty laugh, leaning against a nearby windowsill. ¡°Yeah, me too. My back still hurts from that slam, you know?¡±

    The two shared a chuckle, then Kai¡¯s expression turned unusually serious.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been invited to a war meeting.¡±

    Davon raised his eyebrows, and the young warrior went on, ¡°Grant and Emma are pushing for a counteroffensive. They want to take back Heinburg.¡±

    Davon rubbed his chin, contemplating the news. ¡°I suppose that makes sense. We just annihilated one of the Crimson Reavers¡¯ armies. Carrying the momentum does sound like the best move.¡±

    ¡°I find it hard to disagree, but¡­¡± Kai rubbed the back of his right hand nervously. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about that general, D?¡±

    Davon shrugged. ¡°Of course I am. I can only imagine how powerful a general is compared to the captains. Still, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be fighting the damn thing alone.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± Kai conceded, but Davon saw his brow furrow with worry. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ well, from what I overheard, the news from the other fronts isn¡¯t good.¡±

    Davon shot Kai a questioning look.

    ¡°It¡¯s just what I heard, of course, and I guess we¡¯ll get the details at the meeting.¡± Kai¡¯s expression turned more serious with every word. ¡°But¡­ there¡¯s talk that the western front, other side of the continent, already faced one of these generals.¡±

    ¡°And what happened?¡±

    Kai¡¯s gaze dropped to the floor. ¡°They got decimated. Three hundred Revenants, gone. All dead.¡±

    They were both silent for a long moment.

    ¡°Just rumors, I¡¯m sure,¡± Davon said finally. He kept his voice light, but Kai¡¯s words were already burning into his mind. ¡°We can¡¯t know for sure, not unless something comes out at this war meeting.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And speaking of¡­¡± Kai suddenly straightened up, drastically changing his tone. ¡°I should wrap things up here, and then we should head there, no?¡±

    With an awkward chuckle, Kai clapped Davon on the shoulder and pushed open the Imbuement Chamber doors.

    Left with his own thoughts again, Davon found himself increasingly uneasy. What might the future hold for him and his companions?

    He took a deep breath. Adding more worries to the chaotic mess in his head would be bad news, for him and everyone around him.

    Instead, he pushed the anxious thoughts down as far as he could into his subconscious. Then he fixed his eyes on the doors, waiting patiently for Kai to exit the Imbuement Chamber.

    For now, all they could do was get stronger.

 Chapter 18: The Vanguard

    Davon was stunned by the splendor of the Guild¡¯s war room. A giant map of the entire continent covered a massive table in the center of the space. The tapestries on the left and right walls were actually more maps, detailing each individual section of the continent.

    Gathered around the large table were quite a few familiar faces. Emma and Grant stood on the far side, deep in discussion, while Meyer looked over their shoulders quietly. Opposite them, Lyla stood alone, a look of contemplation on her face as she stared down at the map. All around the table, Davon saw many of the Revenants he had fought alongside during the siege.

    Kai and Davon quietly joined the crowd gathered around the table, taking spots by Lyla. She greeted them silently.

    ¡°We¡¯re all here now,¡± Grant announced, nodding at the new arrivals. ¡°We can begin.¡±

    ¡°The situation around the continent is chaotic, to say the least.¡± Meyer waved his hand over the central map, and several spots lit up with a soft glow. ¡°Three forts and a city lost in the north, two cities lost in the west, and one fort lost in the south. Here in the east, Heinburg is the only lost settlement, thanks to our efforts yesterday.¡±

    ¡°All fronts are now holding a stalemate. This presents us with an opportunity,¡± Emma continued, her eyes glued to Heinburg¡¯s spot on the map. ¡°Without the need to reinforce other fronts, we are in a position to launch a counteroffensive: an attempt to retake Heinburg.¡±

    Grant looked around intently at the gathered Revenants. ¡°To that end, we are forming a new Revenant faction: the Vanguard.¡±

    This announcement sent murmurs rippling through the crowd. To Davon¡¯s knowledge, it had been years since a faction was last formed.

    ¡°This faction will contain mostly the Guild Revenants currently present in this Guild House, supported by the Green Trackers.¡± Grant pointed at various places on the map as he spoke. ¡°The plan will proceed in three stages. First, those of us gathered today will create a forward base as close to Heinburg as is safe. Second, when the Revenants lost in Heinburg resurrect, they will be sent to reinforce us, at which point we will clear a path towards the city. Finally, reinforced a final time by the resurrection of the Revenants lost in yesterday''s siege, we will make a push for the city walls. From there, we will have to adapt.¡±

    Grant stepped away from the map and crossed his arms. ¡°Any questions?¡±

    Several hours of discussion followed to work out the details of this plan. Davon lost track of most of it. His mind was spinning at the idea of participating in another siege, and on the other side of a city wall. Kai had to shake him out of his mental haze when the meeting concluded.

    ¡°Now, the lot of you go get prepared,¡± Grant ordered, dismissing the crowd. ¡°We¡¯re setting off tomorrow at the break of dawn.¡±

    ¡ª

    Davon spent most of the preparation day in his room, lost in thought. He hadn¡¯t expected the most difficult fight of his life would turn out to be grappling with his own mind. Yet there he was, struggling to balance himself amidst uncertainty, determination, and a need for vengeance.

    He found it infinitely more difficult than the fight with Aelius.

    The following morning went by in a daze as well. Davon was more or less dragged by Kai down to the gates, packed into the back of a cart alongside his two companions and a load of supplies, and sent off towards Heinburg.

    Sitting in the back of that cart, Davon took a moment to study his companions. Kai had passed out almost immediately after the cart started rolling, arms crossed and head bowed. Lyla was, as ever, busy with her spellbook. She was managing to work with her quill, somehow preventing it from smearing on the page as the cart bounced along.

    Davon¡¯s swirling thoughts began to slow down. He looked at Kai, remembering how troubled the young warrior had been after their first resurrection. Yet the siege of Walden¡¯s Hold seemed to have reawakened something in Kai. He seemed much more like his old self, eager and confident about the battle ahead.

    Davon let his eyes drift to Lyla. Her expression was still carefully blank, but she had opened up so much since that first meeting in the courtyard. Again and again, she had demonstrated fierce care for her teammates. She was going to have his back, and Kai¡¯s, no matter what.

    For the first time, it sank in for Davon that he wouldn¡¯t be facing any trials alone. All his troubles seemed so much more surmountable when he imagined these two by his side.

    Out of nowhere, he realized he was smiling.

    Lyla¡¯s hand paused, quill still pressed to paper. Suddenly, she looked up at Davon, causing him to look away awkwardly. It still surprised him just how much presence the petite blonde commanded.

    ¡°Davon?¡± She spoke quietly to avoid waking Kai. ¡°Could I ask you something?¡±

    Davon looked back at her, stammering as he replied, ¡°Uh, yeah. What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember, on the morning of the siege, I mentioned that¡­ during my resurrection, I saw something and remembered it?¡±

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    Davon narrowed his eyes, failing as usual to discern anything from Lyla''s neutral expression.

    ¡°Yeah, I do, now that you mention it. Writing and voices, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and flashes of the night sky. ¡± Lyla looked down at her spellbook. Davon noticed she was bouncing her leg. ¡°It all slipped my mind during the siege, but now that we¡¯ve had some time to rest, it¡¯s been¡­¡±

    Lyla struggled to find her next words, something Davon had never seen her do before.

    ¡°Bothering isn¡¯t the right word,¡± she finally continued with a faint scowl. ¡°Haunting me, more like.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Davon prodded, leaning forward.

    ¡°I¡­ the more I think about it, the more I think I see a pattern.¡± Lyla set down her quill and took her spellbook in both hands. ¡°A connection between the stars and the writing. A- a¡­ pattern.¡±

    Concern crept into the back of Davon¡¯s mind as he watched Lyla struggle to explain her predicament. The more she tried, the more frustrated she became.

    ¡°B-but when I put it to paper, it makes no sense,¡± Lyla growled, gritting her teeth. ¡°It has been driving me insane.¡±

    ¡°Lyla, slow down a moment.¡± Davon reached out and placed his hand on Lyla¡¯s shoulder. She seemed to startle at the gesture. ¡°Breathe.¡±

    Following Davon¡¯s advice, Lyla closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then another. Davon watched her expression slowly turn from utter frustration to her usual, neutral self. Even her leg stopped bouncing and went still.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lyla whispered, and Davon leaned back into his seat. ¡°I¡¯m okay now, I think.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now, I don¡¯t know much about magic, but I do know a bit about obsessions,¡± Davon admitted. ¡°And the best way to deal with something like that? Take a step back, and let it sit for a while.¡±

    Lyla looked at Davon, her piercing eyes scrutinizing his expression. After a few moments, she sighed.

    ¡°Yes. That might be for the best.¡±

    ¡°That said¡­ if you think talking it through would help, I¡¯m happy to listen,¡± Davon offered with a friendly smile. ¡°When you¡¯re ready to come back to it, I mean.¡±

    Lyla wrapped her cloak tightly around herself. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that, when the time comes.¡±

    She closed her eyes. Settling back into the relative calm of a moving cart, Davon let his thoughts wander, enjoying the break from the ongoing battle in his head.

    Whatever lay ahead for him, or for Lyla, or for Kai, they would face it together.

    ¡ª

    Three days of travel later, Davon found himself wondering if the forest would ever end. He had started to glimpse rolling hills through the trees, replacing the mostly even landscape around Walden¡¯s Hold, but that was the only change. The Vanguard expedition was still surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees.

    Davon recognized that a boring journey was a good thing, overall. Preserving their strength for the upcoming conquest would be helpful in the long run. But it was hard to keep from wishing that something would happen.

    In an attempt both to stay prepared and to stave away boredom, Davon followed the Boneshaper¡¯s advice and tried to meditate. He would close his eyes, tug at the mental strings between him and his Reliquary, and wait for a response. Most of the time, none came. But occasionally, he could swear he felt¡­ something coming from his Reliquary. A vague impression, or the ghost of an idea. He wondered if that could be counted as ¡®talking¡¯ with his Reliquary.

    These attempts didn¡¯t really provide sufficient distraction from the monotonous landscape. Davon was so bored that when he began seeing things in the shadows around them, he assumed it was just his own mind trying to entertain itself. Then he thought the strange shapes or sudden movement might be a trick of the crimson shades in the forest gloom. Regardless, every time he focused on what he saw, it turned to be something completely mundane.

    On the third day of travel, however, Davon spotted something very real. Here and there in the forest, trees and other foliage were petrified. Leaves, twigs, and all.

    Davon pointed out the unsettling discovery to his companions.

    ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s weird,¡± Kai muttered, eyes locked on a nearby petrified tree. ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    Davon rubbed his hands together nervously. ¡°Nothing good.¡±

    ¡°Look, over on the other side.¡± Lyla pointed towards a petrified bush. ¡°And there¡¯s more, deeper into the forest.¡±

    As they traveled onward, the group noticed several of these petrified plants in the forest around them. Eventually, they came across an entire grove, fully petrified.

    ¡°Do you think it could be caused by the Crimson Reavers somehow?¡± Kai asked, subconsciously shifting the axe in his lap.

    Lyla¡¯s face was carefully blank. ¡°More than likely, I¡¯d say. We¡¯re getting closer to Heinburg. The city¡¯s been occupied by them for a while now. They might be doing something to the surrounding area.¡±

    ¡°Or this sort of thing just happens around them after a while,¡± Davon suggested. He stared at a petrified patch of moss with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which option is more terrifying.¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Kai suddenly sat up further, his eyes wide. ¡°Now that I think about it, have you heard any wildlife recently?¡±

    Kai¡¯s question seemed to open a pit in Davon¡¯s gut. When he thought about it, he realized there was a distinct lack of any animal activity, even birdsong. Even worse, he couldn¡¯t pin down when exactly it had started.

    Davon took a second to look around them. Their cart was roughly in the middle of the Vanguard¡¯s convoy, leaving them comfortably surrounded by friendlies. Yet Davon couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy at the unnatural atmosphere in the forest.

    Suddenly on edge, he reached for his bow and placed it in his lap.

    Just in case, he told himself.

    When the Vanguard convoy eventually stopped to make camp for the night, the trio decided they would take separate watch shifts. Previously, they had taken the same shift, feeling more confident in each other¡¯s presence. But the recent changes in their surroundings made them agree that it would be best if they didn¡¯t all sleep at the same time.

    Come morning, the convoy finally broke through the tree line. The grass beyond the forest was gray and dying. Roughly a mile away, the barren ground rose into a large hill, which was all that now lay between the Vanguard and their destination.

    Davon grew anxious, thinking about the complete lack of life in the surrounding landscape. Sure, it was nearly winter, but this kind of desolation was unnatural. His mind ran wild. If the terrain around the city was doing this badly, what kind of state would Heinburg itself be in?

    Apprehension gripped Davon as their cart moved ever closer to the crest of this hill. He noticed his companions seemed to be equally nervous, eyes locked on the road ahead.

    When they finally crested the hill, Davon¡¯s heart sank.

    He stared outward at a charred landscape, pockmarked with Crimson Reaver encampments. The city in the distance lay silent. Carapace-like buildings had been erected on top of the already existing stonework like some kind of parasitic growth.

    Judging by the sheer number of encampments surround the city, the Vanguard had their work cut out for them. Davon doubted they could even make a dent in the enemy¡¯s forces, at least before the first wave of reinforcements arrived.

    Davon gripped his bow, squaring his shoulders grimly.

    Looks like we¡¯ll be stuck here for a long while.

 Chapter 19: Crimson Patrol

    The Vanguard returned to the tree line and set up their base at the edge of the forest, keeping the large hill between themselves and the occupied city. Davon and his two companions were put to work carrying whatever was needed to wherever it needed to be. For over an hour, they hurried back and forth, transporting tents and supply boxes and even the occasional large piece of metal or wood.

    While carrying the final round of supply boxes, the trio noticed a gathering of Vanguard mages around the edges of the encampment. Davon stopped, curious, as the mages chanted for a while. Then the mages raised their hands in unison, and a mass of trees sprang forth from the ground to form a living wall for the Vanguard camp.

    Well, isn¡¯t that something, Davon thought, taking a moment to admire the solid barricade.

    After delivering the supply boxes to their intended location, the trio found a relatively quiet corner to take a breather.

    ¡°Less glorious than I imagined, this,¡± Kai exclaimed, sitting gingerly on an empty crate as it creaked under his weight.

    ¡°The siege hasn¡¯t even started, Kai. You¡¯re already disappointed?¡± Davon asked playfully.

    ¡°No, no. I just thought we¡¯d be given¡­ I don¡¯t know, scout duty?¡± Kai gestured with his arms as he spoke. ¡°Or at least guard duty, instead of being¡­ couriers.¡±

    Lyla already had her spellbook and quill out. ¡°Have a little patience. We won¡¯t be seeing any large-scale combat before the first wave of reinforcements arrives.¡±

    Kai groaned.

    ¡°Enjoy the calm while it lasts, Kai,¡± Lyla insisted. ¡°Who knows when we¡¯ll get a chance to relax after the fighting starts?¡±

    ¡°Or¡­¡± Kai sat up, his face brightening. ¡°Hear me out. We could ask Emma for scout duty!¡±

    His enthusiasm withered quickly when faced with Lyla¡¯s scornful frown. Then all three jumped at the sound of Emma¡¯s voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s your lucky day, Kai.¡± The Green Tracker leader gave the group a grim smile. ¡°You won¡¯t have to ask. You¡¯re being assigned to look for enemy patrols near our camp.¡±

    ¡°Oh, perfect!¡± Kai leapt to his feet, ready to move.

    ¡°But, please: do pick your fights carefully,¡± Emma added, more seriously. ¡°We can¡¯t risk losing anyone until the first reinforcements arrive.¡±

    ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll keep him in line.¡± Lyla glared pointedly at Kai. ¡°Or at least make sure he learns his lesson.¡±

    Emma chuckled, shaking her head. ¡°Good. Now gear up and get going. Report to me directly when you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll be at the command tent.¡±

    As Emma walked away, Davon found a bit of excitement stirring in his heart. He had been itching to get back into action for a while. Even if they were instructed to avoid danger, he was eager for the slightest chance of killing some more Crimson Reavers.

    He pushed himself to his feet. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going then.¡±

    Without any further conversation, the trio made their way out of the camp. Crossing the mile of barren ground with care, they passed over the hill and into the fields around Heinburg.

    From a distance, the charred terrain around the city made Davon anxious. Up close, it brought back unpleasant memories from the Walden¡¯s Hold siege.

    There was no ash on the ground here, but all plant life had been seared charcoal black: grass, bushes, even the occasional burned-out tree stump. It was as though the Crimson Reavers wanted to scour every sign of life from the city¡¯s surroundings, and they seemed to have succeeded. The only real features that remained in the fields were massive rocks dotted around the landscape.

    Turning to the right, the trio started their trek around the Vanguard camp perimeter. Kai led the way, excitedly bounding ahead of the other two. Davon¡¯s attention, however, was glued to the enemy encampments arranged around the city in the distance.

    While generally the same shape as the encampment the Crimson Reavers had made outside of Walden¡¯s Hold, these camps felt more established. Each included at least two guard towers. Davon also glimpsed the tops of other buildings within the walls, instead of simple tents.

    More outposts than camps, at this point, he mused. I wonder if each of them has a captain in it?

    The thought both excited and terrified him. While the trio had managed to take down Aelius, Davon recognized it was entirely thanks to the captain¡¯s own arrogance. Had Aelius not underestimated Kai and dropped his guard, there was no telling who would¡¯ve won that fight. Especially considering the raw strength Aelius displayed, Davon wasn¡¯t certain if he or Lyla could have survived a direct hit.

    Making a wide loop around the hill, they turned back towards the Vanguard camp, continuing their perimeter check. Davon felt some his unease lift as the hill blocked their view of the enemy encampments. Still, whatever forces those ¡®outposts¡¯ contained, the Vanguard would have to deal with them soon.

    ¡°Hey, look over there,¡± Kai called out, grabbing Davon¡¯s attention.

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    Davon looked where Kai was pointing and spotted a group of armored creatures cresting the hill, far away but shambling towards them.

    ¡°Get down, don¡¯t let them spot you!¡± Davon commanded as he ran to a nearby rock. His companions ducked behind the same rock, hunkering down as much as they could.

    The patrol drew closer, moving generally in their direction. Judging by the enemy¡¯s attire, Davon counted four soldiers, two sergeants, and a creature he had never seen before.

    Standing roughly a head taller than the rest of the Crimson Reavers, this new creature wore armor decorated with many pieces of crimson cloth. The figure was vaguely feminine in shape, and their helmet was decorated with a long plume. On their back, Davon spotted a slender blade which was as about as long as a regular Crimson Reaver soldier was tall.

    ¡°That thing looks like trouble,¡± Davon commented, trying to discern anything else about the creature. Even at a distance, he could see the figure moved with a grace he wasn¡¯t used to seeing in other Crimson Reavers.

    ¡°Looks like just another Crimson Reaver to me.¡± Kai¡¯s hands were reaching subconsciously for his axe. ¡°Taller, sure, but all the same.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Aelius looked like just another Crimson Reaver as well, save for the helmet,¡± Davon shot back. ¡°And I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to remind you what he could do.¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± Kai admitted. ¡°I still reckon we could take them.¡±

    Davon was about to reply when he noticed another figure crest the hill behind the patrol.

    ¡°Wait, eyes up,¡± he warned. His companions joined him in peering around the edges of the rock to take in the latest threat.

    The new arrival was a massive thing, about the size of a standard cart, stalking forward on all fours. Each of its limbs ended with sharp claws. Black chainmail covered the long, slender torso and the head, ending with a veil over the face.

    The beast¡¯s neck was long and moved in craning arches. A long, thick tail dragged behind the beast, remaining almost motionless as the beast lumbered forward.

    Lyla ducked back behind the rock with a sharp hiss. ¡°Still feeling confident, Kai?¡±

    ¡°No, no I¡¯m not,¡± Kai replied, also falling back into cover. ¡°Whatever that thing is, I don¡¯t want anything to do with it.¡±

    Davon continued peering over the rock, watching the patrol as it stopped. The soldiers and sergeants spread out slightly and gazed at the landscape. The massive beast stalked in circles around the figure with the plumed helmet, almost like a needy cat circling its owner¡¯s feet.

    The plumed figure seemed to keep its eyes on the horizon, giving their surroundings a lazy scan. After a few minutes, the patrol fell back into formation and turned back the way they had come.

    ¡°They¡¯re leaving,¡± Davon informed the other two, ducking back into cover himself. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until they¡¯re on the other side of the hill.¡±

    Kai raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re not planning to head back already, are you?¡±

    ¡°Emma sent us to look for enemy patrols. We found one.¡± Davon shrugged. ¡°Besides, she¡¯ll want to know about these new¡­ things.¡±

    Lyla had been deep in thought. When she spoke, her voice was tinged with anxiety. ¡°The Crimson Reavers seem to have put down roots in Heinburg, so it¡¯s safe to assume these new units are more elite.¡±

    Davon thought for a second before adding to Lyla¡¯s observation. ¡°Yeah, and we can assume they will be included in all of their patrols around here.¡±

    Taking the chance to peek out again, Davon made sure the coast was clear before gesturing for the other two to follow him.

    The trio started moving carefully towards the Vanguard base camp, rushing as much as they could. Davon remained vigilant, keeping his eyes peeled for any other Crimson Reavers between them and their destination.

    Thankfully, their journey back was uninterrupted. As soon as they were within a few hundred feet of the encampment, the trio broke into a sprint. Running past the perimeter guards, they wove their way around tents and boxes, making their way to the center.

    When the group burst into the command tent, both Emma and Grant jumped to attention, drawing their weapons with practiced precision.

    ¡°For brine¡¯s sake, boy, what¡¯s the rush?¡± Grant asked, leaning his sword against the table next to him with a scowl.

    ¡°We found something,¡± Davon explained. ¡°Something you¡¯ll want to hear about.¡±

    The group described their encounter with the Crimson Patrol, detailing the new Crimson Reaver units and their distance from the Vanguard camp. Davon added in his observations about the enemy outposts. Emma and Grant listened to their report attentively, their faces carefully blank as they took in every piece of information.

    ¡°Well, that is¡­ concerning,¡± Grant admitted after the trio finished. ¡°We were prepared for new units, but we didn¡¯t expect anything quite so monstrous.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t dealt with worse monsters, Grant.¡± Emma gripped her bow, her eyes steely with resolve. ¡°We¡¯ll overcome this, as we have everything else.¡±

    ¡°Aye, true enough. Whatever those things are, I doubt they will compare to dragons, ¡± Grant replied casually.

    Davon struggled to conceal his surprise. He knew Grant had been through a lot, but he never thought the old Revenant had slain dragons.

    ¡°Regardless, well done,¡± Emma said, turning to the trio with a smile. ¡°We have planning to do. You three get some rest in the meantime.¡±

    Unsure how to feel about their success, Davon led the trio out of the command tent. He was stuck between a sense of accomplishment and a distinct feeling of failure at not picking a fight with the Crimson Reavers.

    The group retired to their own tent and settled in for a rest. Placing their weapons on a rack, they relaxed into their seats, soaking in the relative peace.

    It was Kai who suddenly broke the silence.

    ¡°Do you think we could¡¯ve killed those things?¡± he asked, arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair.

    Davon considered his companion for a moment before replying. ¡°If we ambushed them, maybe. But it¡¯s hard to guess when we have no information about their capabilities.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with Davon on this one,¡± Lyla piped up from her own seat as she wrapped herself more tightly in her cloak. ¡°For all we know, that plumed thing could cast some powerful magic, and the massive beast could be stronger than the captains.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, erring on the side of caution and all that, I get it,¡± Kai grumbled. ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t know. It feels wrong, walking away from a fight like that.¡±

    ¡°Patience, Kai,¡± Lyla urged, staring the warrior down. ¡°Remember what we agreed on after our resurrection?¡±

    ¡°We must never underestimate our enemies or assume they can¡¯t use magic too. I know.¡± Kai threw his hands up in defeat. ¡°Alright, I concede.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I don¡¯t feel good about it either.¡± Davon couldn¡¯t keep the frustration out of his voice. ¡°We had the perfect opportunity to ambush them. Any other situation, and I would¡¯ve been all for it. But we were too far from any backup, and too close to an enemy outpost.¡±

    ¡°And we were on a scouting mission,¡± Lyla pointed out. ¡°The information was too valuable. We couldn¡¯t take unnecessary risks.¡±

    Silence reclaimed the inside of the tent as they each retreated into their own thoughts. Tension and mixed feelings were palpable in the air, spiraling the group¡¯s mood ever downwards.

    ¡°Ah, it doesn¡¯t matter now, what¡¯s done is done,¡± Kai waved his hands as if swatting something away. ¡°Let¡¯s just get some rest. We¡¯ll probably get called on again soon.¡±

 Chapter 20: Outpost Assault

    Davon spent his down time trying to meditate with his Reliquary. Placing the bow in his lap, he closed his eyes and tugged at the strings connecting him with his weapon, waiting expectantly for any sort of response.

    Much like every time before, Davon only received occasional hints of feedback. He gritted his teeth in frustration, wondering if he would ever figure out how to do this by himself. Internally, he cursed the cryptic Boneshaper for not giving him more information.

    Then he sighed. Frustration won¡¯t get me anywhere, he thought.

    Davon took a deep breath and calmed himself. That was when an idea struck him: maybe he¡¯d been approaching the process from the wrong angle.

    As gently as he could, he touched the mental strings again. This time, though, he didn¡¯t wait for a response. Instead, he tried to invoke the string, as if he were invoking a rune.

    A light flared in the back of his consciousness. Imagery began flashing through his mind, as if he had suddenly unearthed a memory from years ago.

    Just as Davon was beginning to comprehend the series of images, his meditation was interrupted by the sound of a bell echoing through the camp. Startled, he jumped up in his seat, clutching his bow instinctively.

    Kai and Lyla had also grabbed their weapons and were on the alert. The trio stood there, frozen, for a few seconds while the bell continued to ring.

    Then Lyla inhaled sharply.

    ¡°The bell isn¡¯t a call to arms, remember?¡± she said, easing her grip on her spear. ¡°It¡¯s a gathering bell. It means all Revenants in the camp should go to the command tent.¡±

    Scowling, Davon slung his bow onto his back. ¡°I would like a word with whoever decided that was a good way to call a gathering,¡± he grumbled.

    Recovering from the moment of alarm, the trio made their way to the command tent, joining the crowd of gathered Revenants inside. Every Revenant not currently out on patrol was there, leaving very little space for anyone to move.

    ¡°Listen up, everyone!¡± Grant clapped his hands sharply to silence the murmuring crowd. ¡°We finished constructing the in-camp Imbuement Chamber.¡±

    Excited whispers spread through the tent, forcing Grant to clap his hands once again before continuing. ¡°This means that any casualties out there will be resurrected here,¡± he announced. ¡°And THAT means we can finally make a push against the Crimson Reavers around Heinburg! Today, we will be doing just that. Emma?¡±

    ¡°There are two Crimson Reaver outposts near our camp that could do with a good reckoning,¡± Emma explained. ¡°We will be sending three teams to each, while the rest stay back to guard the camp. The assault teams have already been chosen, and will be called to arms after this meeting. The plan is to have each team assault one of the outposts from a different angle, to split the enemy¡¯s forces and make them easier to deal with. Any questions?¡±

    Taking the crowd¡¯s silence as a ¡®no¡¯, Emma nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Then the meeting is concluded. The following Revenants, please stay here¡­¡±

    As Emma read through the list of names, Davon was somewhat surprised to find that he, along with his teammates, had been selected.

    I suppose we did kill Aelius, he thought as he watched most of the gathered Revenants disperse.

    ¡°Good. Now, assault teams, gear up and meet at the gate,¡± Grant commanded, looking over each of the remaining Revenants in turn. ¡°The assault begins as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡ª

    Half an hour later, Davon found himself ducking behind a particularly large rocky outcrop, just on the outskirts of a Crimson Reaver outpost. The approach to the outpost had gone off without problem, aided by Emma¡¯s invisibility spell. But now, the spell had worn off, and Davon was anxious that any movement he made would draw the enemy¡¯s attention.

    Emma had sent the trio to the far side of the outpost, right by one of the entrances. Yet, despite having to cover more ground than the other two teams, they were somehow the first to get into position. All they could do now was wait for a signal from the other two teams to begin their assault.

    Suddenly, the sound of a war horn tore through the air around them. The group exchanged confused looks. That was not the signal they had agreed on with the other teams.

    ¡°They got spotted!¡± Lyla exclaimed, pointing to one of the guard towers. Davon could see archers turning to face away from them, arrows drawn.

    ¡°Damn it, come on!¡± he called, leaping to his feet. ¡°Now or never!¡±

    Davon rushed out of his cover, nocking an arrow as he ran. Relying on Kai and Lyla to deal with the soldier standing guard beside the gate, Davon invoked the Scattershot rune, sending a hail of projectiles towards the archers up on the guard tower.

    Davon watched with satisfaction as the archers, unaware of the incoming projectiles, fell off the tower one by one.

    Making use of the enemy¡¯s surprise, Lyla threw her spear towards one of the gate guards, skewering him before he could react. The second guard was so distracted by the death of his comrade that he failed to react as Kai ran towards him at full speed. The young warrior brought his axe down in an overhead strike, killing the guard instantly.

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    The momentum of their initial success immediately stalled as a massive shape leapt over the outpost walls, landing in the middle of the group with an earth-shaking thud.

    Suddenly, Davon was face-to-face with the chainmail veil of one of the large quadrupedal beasts. So up close and personal, he had the opportunity to appreciate the raw power of the beast¡¯s unarmored limbs. Its arm was half as thick as Davon¡¯s chest, and covered with rippling muscles.

    Davon¡¯s breath caught in his throat. In a moment of pure instinct, he threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding a clawed hand. The earth where he had just been standing cracked beneath the force of the blow.

    Overcoming the initial shock of their enemy¡¯s assault, Davon felt the familiar adrenaline coursing through his veins, slowing the passage of time. He disengaged the mechanism on his bow¡¯s handle and split the weapon into two swords while invoking his Sharpness rune. The blades lit up with golden light, and he swung both in a combined cut at the beast¡¯s joints.

    Seconds passed like agonizing minutes as Davon watched the beast react to his strike, moving its arm out of the way at the last second.

    Carried by the momentum of his missed swing, Davon pirouetted backwards, moving away from the creature. The beast¡¯s crimson eyes, barely hidden behind the chainmail veil, met with his. Behind those eyes, Davon saw intelligence befitting humans.

    A thrill of anxiety muddied the adrenaline surging through Davon¡¯s body. This was no ordinary beast.

    Suddenly, a ball of fire struck the creature in its side, sending it into a stumble. Glancing over, Davon saw Lyla standing off to the right. Her spear was back in her hands and pointed towards the beast.

    The monster craned its neck towards Lyla with a low growl. In a sudden movement, it whipped its tail towards Davon. Failing to react in time, he caught the blow on his shoulder and was sent flying.

    Davon¡¯s world spun as he hurtled through the air, crashing and then rolling along the ground. When he came to a stop, he couldn¡¯t tell where the pain was coming from. He just knew was that he was in pain, all over.

    He pushed the pain aside and forced himself upright, grabbing his swords as he did so. A glance around the battlefield showed him Kai holding the entrance to the camp. Crimson Reaver bodies were piled at the young Revenant¡¯s feet. Lyla was facing off against the giant beast, the pair circling each other slowly.

    With fury in his heart, Davon invoked the connection with his Reliquary. Images began flooding his mind in response. Through this link, Davon commanded the weapon, willing a rune to form in one of the blank slots. His Reliquary shuddered in his hands, and when Davon looked down, he saw a brand-new rune inscribed on his blades.

    Davon returned his attention to the battlefield just in time to see Lyla sidestep a slam of the beast¡¯s claw. Wind gathered around her, allowing her to dash swiftly to the side and come to a stop gracefully.

    Walking slowly towards the combat, Davon flourished his swords and invoked his new rune. His vision blurred for a moment. Then, in a split second, he appeared directly beside the beast.

    He had successfully activated ¡®Shadow-step.¡¯

    Before the thing could react, Davon swung both of the blades at its neck. His swords slid against the armor covering the beast¡¯s neck, largely ineffective, but the blow shocked the thing into retreating.

    Davon¡¯s gambit paid off, buying Lyla enough time to make distance from their foe. The beast stalked slowly in a circle around Davon. He matched the creature¡¯s pace, eyes locked with his opponent as he circled in the opposite direction,

    In his periphery, Davon noticed a burning arrow soar into the air, coming from the guard tower: the agreed signal that the outpost had been cleared of Crimson Reavers.

    Not done yet, he thought, but good to know.

    The staring contest between beast and Revenant was interrupted when something else flickered into Davon¡¯s periphery. Too focused on the beast in front of him, Davon only caught the brief image of a hand before it slammed into his chest. He braced for the pain, but none followed.

    Instead, in the blink of an eye, Davon found himself in a different location. Looking around, he saw he was standing in a small, circular patch of red ground, almost like an arena. The walls were lost in a haze of moving shadows. The silence in this realm was deafening.

    On the far side of this arena stood one of the Crimson Reavers wearing a plumed helmet. The Crimson Reaver held her weapon in a reverse grip, partially hidden behind her back. Davon could only see the slightly curved tip of the blade, made of a black metal and decorated with crimson grooves.

    ¡°You are an interesting one.¡± The Crimson Reaver¡¯s voice was a low growl. ¡°Do you fight as well as you carry yourself, Dead Man?¡±

    Davon narrowed his eyes, starting to circle his enemy as he flourished his blades. The Crimson Reaver circled in the opposite direction.

    Breaking the silence, Davon swung his left hand in an uppercut, a probing blow. In one graceful move, the Crimson Reaver reversed her grip, parrying the blow with her own blade.

    Sparks flew as their blades slid against each other, showering both of the participants. Before this clash had a chance to finish, Davon invoked his Shadow-step rune. The force of the Crimson Reaver¡¯s push carried her momentum forward just as Davon disappeared. With no obstacle to push against, she was thrown off-balance.

    Davon appeared on the other side of his target and stabbed towards where he imagined her ribs would be, pulling on the Sharpness rune once again. An unearthly shriek shook the realm around the duelists as Davon¡¯s blade sank through the Crimson Reaver¡¯s armor. Before he could continue his assault, the Crimson Reaver grabbed his hand and pulled him forwards, forcing him to stumble with his back exposed.

    Turning on his heel, Davon saw his foe¡¯s blade coming down towards his head. Carried by instinct, Davon Shadow-stepped backwards, out of the way of the blow. He felt the mental connection to his Reliquary ache, warning him not to pull any more power through it.

    The two duelists stared each other down, both panting from exertion. Then suddenly, the Crimson Reaver let out a raucous laugh.

    ¡°You are a worthy foe, Dead Man,¡± she growled, pulling the blade from her side. ¡°We will meet again.¡±

    She threw Davon his weapon. As he grabbed it from the air, the world around him blurred. Suddenly, he was once again standing outside the Crimson Reaver outpost. He looked around quickly, orienting himself.

    He saw Kai on the ground, axe raised against the claw of the massive beast in a struggle to keep the monster at bay. Behind him, Lyla was taking aim with her spear.

    Before any of them could attack, however, the beast suddenly leapt backwards. The Crimson Reaver duelist Davon had just fought was sitting on the beast¡¯s back, holding what seemed to be reins in one hand. The other hand clutched at her side.

    For a moment, the Crimson Reaver looked in Davon¡¯s direction. Then she pulled on the reins, commanding the beast to bound away.

    Silence fell over the battlefield. Davon took a deep, shuddering breath.

    The Revenants had won¡­ barely.

 Chapter 21: Scouting Mission

    ¡°She ran away?¡± Grant asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

    After reuniting with the other two assault teams, the trio had made their way back to the Vanguard camp to report their success, partial as it was.

    Davon nodded, wincing slightly at the ache still pulsing through his entire body. ¡°She mounted that¡­ beast, and ran. But, really, you aren¡¯t more concerned that Crimson Reavers can speak common?¡±

    ¡°I agree, that¡¯s concerning, but I don¡¯t see why she would just run when the beast alone had you on the back foot.¡± Grant rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°A tactical retreat, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­ you mentioned this one you fought had a plume?¡± Emma interjected.

    Davon nodded again. ¡°Yeah, same as the first one we saw with the patrol.¡±

    Emma looked puzzled. ¡°The assault team at the other outpost encountered some of these ¡®Duelists¡¯ as well, but they had no plumes on their helmets. Perhaps you fought a Duelist captain.¡±

    Slightly taken aback, Davon didn¡¯t reply. He couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the fact that he, alone, had severely wounded an elite among elites.

    ¡°So we¡¯re calling them Duelists, then?¡± Lyla groaned, clutching her side.

    ¡°That seems to be their technique. Those encountered by the other assault team could also abduct their targets into¡­ whatever that arena is,¡± Emma replied. She exchanged a short glance with Grant, then turned back to the trio briskly. ¡°But for now, you three should get some rest. You¡¯re being sent into the city tomorrow to scout. Dismissed.¡±

    The news of their next assignment sent Davon¡¯s mind reeling, but he wasn¡¯t going to argue with the opportunity to rest. The trio went straight to their tent. Davon sank into his chair with a heavy groan, finally acknowledging the full weight of the bruises across his body.

    ¡°Hey L, I don¡¯t suppose you can cast that healing spell yet?¡± he asked between shallow breaths.

    Lyla lowered herself slowly into her seat. ¡°Not for another few hours, at least. Ran myself dry back there.¡±

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s not be so down!¡± Kai exclaimed, stretching as he stood in the middle of the tent. ¡°We fought our strongest opponents yet, and almost won! That¡¯s something to celebrate.¡±

    ¡°That thing knocked you around thrice as much as Davon and me,¡± Lyla pointed out with a weary sigh. ¡°How are you still standing, let alone capable of celebrating?¡±

    Davon managed a smile through the pain. ¡°Kai does have a point. We do have something to celebrate. I¡¯d just rather celebrate by resting.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair,¡± Kai grumbled. Then he threw himself into his own chair, falling silent so his teammates could rest.

    In the relative quiet, Davon¡¯s thoughts turned to their upcoming assignment. Attacking the Crimson Reaver outpost had been nerve-wracking enough. The thought of sneaking behind enemy lines and into the very heart of their war machine terrified him.

    Almost subconsciously, he turned to look at his teammates.

    Lyla, utterly drained by the day¡¯s fighting, had curled herself up in her cloak and promptly passed out. From where he sat, Davon could only see a strand of platinum blonde hair peeking from beneath the cloak. Lyla¡¯s continual advancements in the magical arts surprised Davon time and again. He realized he could trust her to pull out a new trick almost every combat.

    Kai, on the other hand, was busy wrapping bandages around his arms. Ever since the Walden¡¯s Hold siege, Kai had foregone wearing armor, relying instead on his speed and skill with the axe to survive combat. Somehow, since setting aside his armor, Kai had become even more confident with each passing day. While not graceful, he carried himself with a sense of purpose and strength. Davon knew he could count on the warrior to hold the line.

    Once again, the presence of his companions soothed Davon¡¯s mounting anxiety. He wouldn¡¯t be scouting enemy territory alone. Whatever challenges the next day held, he would face them alongside his teammates.

    Reassured, Davon closed his eyes and made himself comfortable. It was only moments later that his exhaustion claimed him.

    ¡ª

    Davon was pulled from his sleep by a tapping on his shoulder. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Kai standing over him.

    ¡°Emma¡¯s calling for us.¡± The young warrior¡¯s expression was serious. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time to get going.¡±

    Realizing his pain had faded, Davon briefly inspected himself. All of his scratches and bruises were gone. He looked over at Lyla, assuming she had healed him while he slept.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Lyla stowed her spellbook in her cloak and gripped her spear. ¡°We all need to be in top shape today.¡±

    Pushing himself up, Davon slung his bow over his shoulder and led the way out of the tent.

    When the trio reached central command, they found Emma and Grant leaning over a map, caught up in a quiet discussion. As soon as Davon set foot in their tent, though, they both stopped talking and looked at him in unison.

    ¡°I hope you lot had a good rest.¡± Grant straightened up and crossed his arms. ¡°I have to admit, I don¡¯t envy you for being in the field today.¡±

    ¡°Not fond of scouting, Grant?¡± Emma asked, grinning at the old Revenant.

    Grant shrugged. ¡°I am not fond of being behind enemy lines.¡±

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    Emma shook her head, then turned to face the trio. ¡°Your objective today is to infiltrate the city of Heinburg and discover the full scope of the enemy¡¯s forces. If possible, identify their leader.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be the only team out there,¡± Grant added, staring Kai down. ¡°So do try to avoid combat.¡±

    ¡°Here, this should last until you¡¯re inside the city.¡± Emma raised her hand to her bow. As soon as she touched it, a rune lit up on its surface, and Davon watched his own body turn transparent.

    The Green Tracker nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Good hunting, you three.¡±

    Not wanting to waste a second of their invisibility, the trio hurried out of the Vanguard camp and set off towards Heinburg.

    ¡ª

    Thanks to Emma, the group successfully avoided the attention of the Crimson Reavers, slipping around outposts and patrols without issue. As they made it close to the walls, Davon found it strange that there wasn¡¯t more of an enemy presence near the city. While the outposts and surrounding areas were crawling with patrols, the city itself appeared to be mostly unguarded.

    The trio was only sixty feet away from the walls when Emma¡¯s invisibility wore off. Ducking behind behind a line of Crimson Reaver barricades left behind after the siege, they looked up at the city. Davon noticed soldiers walking along the walls, but only a few.

    He also noticed that the walls themselves seemed to have been left unrepaired after the siege. Even the gatehouse, which had a piece of its roof missing, had been left untouched.

    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to care much about the city walls,¡± Davon whispered to his companions.

    ¡°Why would they? The ring of outposts around the city is a daunting enough challenge,¡± Lyla retorted. ¡°Without clearing the outposts, a direct push on the walls is suicidal.¡±

    Davon nodded his agreement, then returned his attention to the walls. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you have rope?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Kai sounded baffled by the question. ¡°One should never leave camp without at least fifty feet of rope in their pack!¡±

    Davon gave Kai a curious look, but decided this was a conversation for a later date.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I can Shadow-step up there, then set up the rope for you two,¡± Davon explained, pointing up at the ramparts. ¡°I can take out one or two guards to cover us. We need to be quick about it, though.¡±

    Kai rummaged through his pack, pulled out a coil of hempen rope, and handed it to Davon. Looping his arm through the rope, Davon let the coil hang from his shoulder. Then he stared at the walls, waiting for a moment when the few roving guards were furthest apart.

    ¡°Alright¡­ on my mark.¡± Nervously, Davon split his bow into blades, trying to prepare himself mentally for the gambit. ¡°Three, two, one¡­ now!¡±

    As Kai and Lyla sprinted towards the wall, Davon invoked his Shadow-step run. His sight turned blurry for a moment, then his feet touched down softly on stone.

    Davon landed directly behind a guard, blades poised to strike. In one swift movement, he placed his blades on either side of the Crimson Reaver¡¯s neck and cut effortlessly into the soldier¡¯s flesh, beheading him before he could realize what was happening. In an instant, Davon reattached the limbs of his bow and took aim at another guard walking back towards the gatehouse. The arrow struck the guard¡¯s neck and sent him tumbling over the edge.

    With no time to spare, Davon slung the rope from his shoulder and fastened it to the rampart behind him, throwing the rest over the side. Time seemed to pass with agonizing slowness as Kai and Lyla climbed the rope. Davon nocked another arrow and kept watch while his companions made their way up.

    Looking into the city, Davon¡¯s heart sank. He saw hundreds upon hundreds of Crimson Reavers moving through the streets. Soldiers, Duelists and their mounts, sergeants, and war beasts all milled about with other creatures Davon didn¡¯t recognize. From his vantage, he could see only a fraction of the army. He shuddered to think about the full size of it.

    Lyla pulled herself over the battlement first, with Kai following only a second after. As soon as he landed, Kai pulled up the rope and coiled it around his arm while Davon nudged the first guard¡¯s body over the edge. With the evidence of their ingress sloppily removed, the group rushed down from the wall and ducked into one of Heinburg¡¯s many small alleys, not even taking time to check their corners.

    Their impatience was punished almost immediately. Dashing into the alley, the trio ran directly into a band of Crimson Reader soldiers, headed by a sergeant.

    With an unspoken understanding, the three leapt into action. Davon invoked his Scattershot rune, firing over Kai¡¯s shoulder as the warrior rushed towards their foes.

    The sergeant raised his hand to conjure a barrier, blocking most of the splintered arrows, while the four soldiers fell into position in front of him. Swords drawn, the soldiers braced for Kai¡¯s charge.

    Kai swung his axe in an upward arc as he ran, using his momentum to put more force into the swing. One of the soldiers stepped forward and raised his sword in an attempt to block the attack. Kai¡¯s axe cleaved straight through both the soldier¡¯s weapon and body, bisecting him as the young warrior lunged away.

    Hidden behind his soldiers, the sergeant again raised his arm to the sky. Before any of the Revenants could react, a bright red flash erupted from his hand.

    Davon¡¯s attention was grabbed by a sudden gust of wind as Lyla flew over him. At the apex of her jump, Lyla threw her spear with all her strength. Davon watched as the spear¡¯s tip lit up with blue energy mid-flight. Landing among the Crimson Reavers, the spear erupted with a wave of cold, freezing all the enemy soldiers and their sergeant almost instantaneously.

    Carried by the momentum of her flight, Lyla landed beside her spear. She pulled it casually from the ground. The sound of shattering ice filled the air as the entire Crimson Reaver band fell to pieces around her.

    Recovering from the terrifying display of power, Davon realized that the flare sent up by the Crimson Reaver sergeant was still burning in the sky.

    ¡°We need to move, now!¡± Davon commanded. Then he rushed down the alley, counting on his teammates to keep pace.

    Having learned from his mistakes, Davon took the time to make sure their path was clear before turning into the next alleyway. But before they could make any further progress into the city, the trio halted at the sound of lumbering footsteps, up ahead and getting closer.

    Looking around wildly for cover, Kai seemed to decide the simplest solution was best. He rammed his shoulder into a nearby door, inviting himself and his teammates into what was once a family home.

    Davon ducked inside and took up a position beside the window. Moments later, a massive shape appeared in the alley, almost shutting out the faint crimson sunlight.

    A vaguely draconic creature loomed outside the window, covered from head to tail in scarred black armor. The simple helmet hiding its face had been fitted to allow the creature¡¯s gnarled horns to protrude. The thing was huge, almost as wide as the alleyway and half as tall as the surrounding buildings. Its wings, a mass of tattered gray leather and sharp bones, cast the alleyway into shadow.

    Davon¡¯s breath caught in his throat as he watched the beast stalk down the alleyway.

    If anything could be a general for the Crimson Reavers, he thought, THAT is it.

    ¡°What mice infest the streets of my domain?¡± the general growled in amusement, craning his long neck into the next alley. The voice sent shivers of fear down Davon¡¯s spine, but he couldn¡¯t look away. ¡°Oh? And what¡¯s this?¡±

    Davon heard the sound of scraping, coming from the direction where they had taken out the Crimson Reaver band.

    ¡°It would seem these mice have bite,¡± the general chuckled mockingly, turning back into the alley where the trio hid. ¡°How interesting.¡±

    As the general¡¯s head turned towards the doors in the alley, Davon reflexively ducked below the windowsill, his pulse hammering in his temple.

    ¡°A game of cat and mouse it shall be, then,¡± the general purred as it stalked down the alley. ¡°I will find you eventually, little mice. Wherever you may hide.¡±

    With a powerful flap of its tattered wings, the general leapt onto a nearby building and roared. The ferocious sound shook the earth, echoing into the distance as the general bounded away across the rooftops.

    The trio exchanged terrified looks.

    ¡°Well, that was terrifying,¡± Davon stated, trying to keep his voice from shaking. ¡°I reckon we need to think things through before we continue.¡±

 Chapter 22: The General

    Several moments after the echo of wingbeats faded, the trio of Revenants were still huddled beneath the windowsill.

    ¡°Am I the only one who thinks that thing was the general? The one Aelius mentioned?¡± Davon placed his bow in his lap, finding some comfort in the weapon¡¯s nearness. ¡°He did say this was ¡®his domain.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s probably a safe bet,¡± Lyla whispered. ¡°I admit¡­ now that he knows we¡¯re here, I think we should call off the mission. Head back and report.¡±

    ¡°But we have a chance to do something great here,¡± Kai countered, the uncertainty in his voice fading with each word. ¡°I mean, imagine if we managed to kill him?¡±

    ¡°And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that Kai?¡± Lyla snapped. ¡°If you didn¡¯t notice, that thing might as well be a dragon!¡±

    ¡°Probably worse, considering what else we¡¯ve encountered in the Crimson Reaver army,¡± Davon added, running his fingers nervously across his bow.

    ¡°Oh come on, you always manage to form a plan for everything.¡± Kai slammed a fist against his thigh. ¡°Surely we can do something to tip the scales!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting overconfident again,¡± Lyla warned. ¡°Remember how that ended last time?¡±

    ¡°No, I think he has a point.¡± Davon¡¯s interjection drew a furious gaze from Lyla, but he pressed on. ¡°Remember our mission? ¡®If possible, identify the enemy leader.¡¯¡±

    Kai nodded enthusiastically. ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t go back yet. We need to figure out exactly what that thing is.¡±

    ¡°Even if we don¡¯t kill it, we could set a trap,¡± Davon continued. ¡°Hurt it enough to get some more information. Maybe even force it to retreat, and follow it.¡±

    Davon¡¯s mind started spinning with ideas. He considered the damaged buildings, the tiny alley, the beast¡¯s seeming eagerness for a hunt¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to act as bait again!¡± Kai declared proudly. ¡°I¡¯m good as bait!¡±

    Lyla sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. ¡°Kai, that¡¯s not something you should be proud of. It¡¯s just going to get you in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately for our brave warrior, I think he would fit a different role much better,¡± Davon said slowly. ¡°I have a plan that just might work. This time, I¡¯ll be the bait.¡±

    Lyla narrowed her eyes at Davon. ¡°What are you thinking now, D?¡±

    ¡°We use the environment against the creature,¡± Davon replied. ¡°Really, it¡¯s as simple as that.¡±

    Davon walked his companions through every detail of his plan. Kai was immediately onboard. By the end of the explanation, even Lyla nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s worth a try, at least,¡± she agreed, tightening her grip on her spear.

    ¡°Good.¡± Davon pushed himself to his feet. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±

    ¡ª

    Roughly twenty minutes later, Davon was standing in an empty alleyway, all alone. He tapped one of his blades anxiously against the gravel path as he leaned against the wall.

    Turning his attention to one of the second story windows above him, Davon spotted Lyla peeking out of it. She gave him a single nod.

    Davon gathered his courage and stepped into the middle of the alley. Reattaching his blades into a bow, he aimed the weapon directly at the sky, invoking the Scattershot rune.

    Nerves halted his movements for three long seconds. He took a deep breath.

    Then he let his shot fly.

    The arrow flew directly up, scattering into specks of pale blue light as it reached its apex. Caught in gravity¡¯s pull, the splinters began to fall back down, dissipating in mid-air.

    A proud announcement of Davon¡¯s location to the entirety of Heinburg.

    The silence that followed was deafening. Davon held his breath. When the echo of powerful wingbeats finally reached him, Davon unlocked his bow and took a blade in each hand.

    Moments later, a massive shadow blocked out the sunlight as the massive beast landed in the alley, only a few feet away from Davon. The creature lowered its head with a low growl. Davon saw the pale gray glow of eyes behind the visor as the monster loomed over him.

    Heartbeat quickening in fear, Davon grasped his swords with the force of a madman. It was all he could do to stop his instincts from sending him into a full sprint away from this adversary.

    ¡°Giving up the game already, little mouse?¡± the beast purred.

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    Swallowing his fear, Davon stood his ground. He recognized the cruel look in the creature¡¯s eyes: the gaze of a predator playing with his prey.

    Forcing a smile, Davon replied, ¡°A rather boring game, hide-and-seek.¡±

    The ground rumbled with the sound of the beast¡¯s laughter. ¡°So you would dare a direct confrontation, here and now? With all of my men mere minutes away?¡±

    ¡°And you would have me believe that a monster like you would let his soldiers steal the fun?¡±  Davon prodded, putting on his best act of fearlessness.

    The beast scrutinized Davon for several seconds, letting the silence linger.

    ¡°You stand before General Tenebris. You may scream the name as you are crushed underfoot.¡± The general drew himself up to his full height. ¡°What is your name, mouse? I would know whom I slay.¡±

    It was Davon¡¯s turn to let the silence linger as he stared down his adversary.

    ¡°Davon,¡± the Revenant declared, flourishing his blades before reattaching them in one smooth movement. ¡°Here to deliver your reckoning.¡±

    The sound of shattering glass echoed through the alley. In that moment, adrenaline surged through Davon, slowing his perception of time. Seconds stretched into minutes as he watched Kai jump from the window of a nearby building, axe in hand.

    Before Tenebris could react, Davon invoked his Shadow-step rune, rapidly moving away from the general as he aimed his bow at the beast¡¯s head.

    Carried by gravity, Kai swung his axe downwards just as he landed on Tenebris¡¯ back. The warrior¡¯s axe collided with the general¡¯s armor. A thundering CRACK resounded through the alley, and a shower of sparks obscured Kai from Davon¡¯s view.

    Lyla didn¡¯t miss a beat. As Tenebris staggered slightly under the weight of Kai¡¯s blow, fiery explosions rocked the buildings on either side. A shower of small debris started hurtling down towards the general.

    Davon was smiling freely as he invoked his Scattershot rune and loosed a quick shot towards Tenebris¡¯ head. Seemingly overwhelmed by the ambush, the general failed to react in time. His face was showered with arrow splinters. But most of the projectiles bounced harmlessly against the general¡¯s armor, sending a wave of fear through Davon¡¯s being.

    Davon forced the fear aside. The purpose of his shot wasn¡¯t to harm, but to distract.

    Leaping off the general¡¯s back, Kai landed beside Davon just as the shower of debris hit the beast. A cloud of dust and dirt burst into the air, obscuring Tenebris from view.

    Lyla conjured a wind and floated down to stand with her companions. The trio looked on in anticipation as the cloud dissipated, weapons held high, ready to fight a wounded general.

    Yet, even before the dust settled, amused laughter shook the earth.

    ¡°Do you really call this a reckoning?¡± Tenebris mocked as he pushed himself back to his feet, sending a cavalcade of debris sliding off his back. ¡°Rocks and cheap tricks?¡±

    Tenebris flapped his wings once, sending all the dust and dirt back into the air. Davon raised his arms to shield his face as the flying detritus slammed into him, carried by the force of the general¡¯s wings. Struggling to maintain his balance, Davon stumbled a few steps backwards.

    When the air cleared, Davon watched in horror as Tenebris rose onto his hind legs. The general grabbed a whole section of nearby building with both of his clawed hands.

    ¡°Let me show you true reckoning, Davon,¡± Tenebris growled, ripping the chunk of building away.

    ¡°SCATTER!¡± Davon shouted.

    He invoked his Shadowstep rune once again and leapt onto Tenebris¡¯ back. Clutching onto the general¡¯s armor plating, Davon was able to maintain his balance, but regret filled him almost immediately

    He now had the perfect view of the general¡¯s attack on his companions.

    Tenebris whipped his arms towards Lyla and Kai. Distorting the air with the force of the throw, he sent massive fragments of debris towards them. Every second seemed to last for an hour as the boulders flew towards Davon¡¯s teammates.

    Reacting in time, Lyla conjured a gust of wind and threw herself directly into the air, just barely dodging the boulder meant to crush her.

    Kai, on the other hand, raised his axe and conjured a barrier. Davon watched in shocked silence as the boulder collided with Kai¡¯s barrier and smashed it. Without slowing down, the boulder slammed into Kai, carrying him with it as it crashed into a building at the alley¡¯s end.

    Davon had only an instant to process the red smear left behind by the impact. Then Tenebris bucked and sent Davon flying into the air. Before he could realize what was happening, a clawed hand wrapped itself around Davon¡¯s torso, holding him in a vice grip.

    ¡°THIS is true reckoning, Davon!¡± Tenebris roared at the Revenant in his hand, his voice echoing for all of Heinburg to hear.

    Davon felt the pressure of the general¡¯s fingers and realized Tenebris was about to crush him like an insect. With fractions of a second to spare, Davon Shadow-stepped to the balcony of a nearby building, collapsing onto his knees as soon his feet touched the ground.

    The realization of Kai¡¯s second death struck Davon like lightning. He realized, in that moment, just how severely they had underestimated their enemy.

    Again.

    Hopelessness overwhelmed him, well and truly, without even a trace of determination or defiance left to push him forward.

    The sound of light footsteps right beside him yanked Davon out of his thoughts. Lyla hooked her hand under his arm, dragging him up to his feet and screaming in his ear.

    ¡°We need to RUN, Davon!¡±

    The pair dashed into the building, looking for another way out. But when they reached a window facing another alley, Tenebris landed right in front of it.

    ¡°This is MY domain, little mice!¡± Tenebris called mockingly. ¡°There is no escape!¡±

    The pair turned around, but before they could run, the floor beneath them collapsed. Lyla¡¯s hand was torn from Davon¡¯s as they fell several feet to the ground below. The building crumbled around them, covering them both in piles of rubble.

    As soon as the dust settled, Davon strained against the rocks covering him. After a frantic struggle, he managed to crawl out from under the debris. He staggered to his feet and looked around wildly. Panic surged anew as he spotted Tenebris stalking towards him. Then his eyes landed on Lyla, squirming under a large pile of rocks a few feet away.

    Davon ran to her and began pushing the rocks away. But just as he managed to pull most of her torso out of the rubble, his vision went white with pain.

    When his sight cleared, Davon had his back to a wall. He found that he was unable to move his legs. He could only watch as Tenebris plucked Lyla from the rubble. The poor girl struggled against her captor, kicking the beast¡¯s claws helplessly as the general lifted her high, blocking Davon¡¯s view of the sun.

    Then Tenebris squeezed his claw. Davon could only see Lyla¡¯s silhouette as it went limp, blood dripping onto the ground below.

    The general let go of Lyla¡¯s body. She dropped to the floor unceremoniously.

    ¡°Do you understand now, Davon?¡± Tenebris purred as he stalked towards the broken Revenant. ¡°Your fate was sealed the moment you stepped into my domain.¡±

    The last thing Davon saw was Tenebris raising a clawed fist.

    Then he closed his eyes, embracing his death.

 Chapter 23: Boneshaper

    When Davon regained awareness, he found himself adrift in a state without thought. Imagery flashed through his head, but it slipped through his mental fingers effortlessly. He didn¡¯t bother to define or remember it. Guided by pure feeling, he floated in a sea of black, free from any stress or pain.

    For the first time in a long while, Davon was completely content.

    Time lost its hold on him as he reveled in this feeling. He didn¡¯t know where he was. He didn¡¯t want to know, or to think at all. His whole consciousness was wrapped up in this rare sensation of peace, and the desire to stay there forever.

    Until one particularly vivid image flashed in his mind: a massive, clawed fist poised to strike him.

    A storm of fear shattered his serenity, sending him into an anxious spiral. Davon mentally reached for his Reliquary. Spurred on by his sudden panic, a wave of pain surged outwards from his chest. It was like a siege boulder had crashed into him. Davon could feel his ribcage collapsing under the force, fragments of shattered bones piercing into other organs ¡ª

    Davon¡¯s eyes shot open as he gasped for air. The pain in his chest was so intense that he couldn¡¯t breathe. His brain struggled to catch up as Davon choked on nothing.

    A desperate need to survive snapped Davon out of his panic, allowing him to focus on just drawing breath. The pain in his chest eased slightly as the first rush of air filled his lungs. With the next breath, the pain was suddenly gone, vanishing almost as instantly as it appeared. Only a dull ache remained in its place.

    Through labored breaths, Davon slowly raised his head. He was lying on his bedroll back in the Vanguard camp. Without thinking, he reached for his Reliquary. His spiraling thoughts calmed when his hand brushed against his bow.

    Clutching the weapon to his chest, Davon closed his eyes and focused again on breathing.

    Inhale, exhale, repeat.

    Inhale, exhale, repeat.

    His rhythm was interrupted by a hand gently grabbing his shoulder. Davon opened his eyes to find himself looking up at Kai¡¯s concerned face.

    ¡°Good morning, Kai. Did I sleep in?¡± Davon quipped, trying to mask his recent panic.

    Kai tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I guess you could say that. Lyla was beginning to think you weren¡¯t going to wake up.¡±

    Ignoring the fact that Kai had completely missed the joke, Davon pushed himself up into a sitting position. ¡°Yeah? Why so?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been half a day since the two of us woke up. We were starting to get worried.¡±

    Anxiety spiked again in Davon¡¯s mind. Half a day? Why did it take so much longer for me this time?

    Fighting down another panic spiral with a deep breath, Davon looked around the tent. Lyla was nowhere to be seen.

    Kai was still staring at Davon. His expression shifted from confusion to concern. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how painful your death must¡¯ve been. I barely felt it, this time.¡±

    Davon raised a hand to his forehead and rubbed his brow as the memories of his death slowly trickled back to him.

    ¡°Heh. Actually, I didn¡¯t feel anything this time. Not until I woke up, anyway. Where IS Lyla?¡±

    ¡°Probably wrapping up her report to Emma about now,¡± Kai replied. ¡°We should head over there, actually. Grant wants to catch us up on what happened while we were dead.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.¡± Davon slowly got to his feet, stretching the last remnants of pain out of his body. ¡°Oh, and Kai?¡±

    Kai turned to his companion with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°I know we both agreed on that plan. We¡¯re both responsible for it. But from now on¡­ the next time Lyla insists we avoid a fight?¡± Davon held the young warrior¡¯s gaze, his voice solemn. ¡°We avoid the fight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah.¡± Kai nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson.¡±

    As the pair walked towards the command tent, Davon paid close attention to his companion. He expected Kai to be demoralized, like after their first death, but the young warrior was still holding his head high and moving with purpose.

    ¡°You seem to be taking the resurrection a lot better this time, Kai,¡± Davon observed.

    Kai gave a dry chuckle. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a lot easier when death is near-instant, I guess. The first time, I was¡­ aware for a good bit after my head left my shoulder.¡±

    Davon shuddered, not even wanting to imagine that experience.

    ¡°This time, if anything, it just made me more determined¡­. and angry.¡± Kai¡¯s tone slowly transitioned into a growl. ¡°I just want to give Tenebris the death he deserves.¡±

    Something stirred within Davon at Kai¡¯s words. As he reflected on the fight with the draconic Crimson Reaver general, a simmering rage built within him, sparked and fueled by his own need for vengeance. He agreed with Kai. The beast needed to be killed.

    Then the image of the general¡¯s claw flashed across his mind again, and Davon swallowed a curse.

    His fury had to wait. He and his teammates were nowhere near ready to face Tenebris again.

    Attempting to distract himself, Davon took time to look around the camp as they walked. He noticed quite a few more Revenants milling around, including some who wore colors he didn¡¯t recognize. Then white flakes slowly drifted across his vision, drawing his eyes to the sky.

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    Snow. Autumn had passed into winter.

    It struck him, then, that he couldn''t feel the cold.

    Of course, he thought, staring around at the snow. Grant did say we¡¯d experience some physical changes after becoming a Revenant.

    Apparently, those changes included a resistance to extreme temperatures.

    ¡°¡­ two thousand at least, judging by the quick look we got,¡± Lyla concluded just as Kai and Davon pushed into the tent. Glancing towards them, Lyla gave a quick nod before returning her attention to Grant and Emma.

    The tent fell into uneasy silence. The two Vanguard leaders looked at each other, and then at the map spread out in front of them, deep in thought.

    ¡°Nothing more than we expected.¡± Grant frowned at the map. ¡°But the fact that there are more creatures we haven¡¯t faced yet, and units we haven¡¯t even seen¡­ that is concerning.¡±

    ¡°Tenebris is concerning,¡± Emma replied. ¡°A beast that powerful means we have to proceed with extra care. Luckily, it seems as though he isn¡¯t willing to leave the city walls, for now at least.¡±

    She waved a hand over the map table. In response, the map seemed to shift, reforming into a detailed view of Heinburg and its surroundings. Davon could see marks indicating the Vanguard camp and what looked to be every Crimson Reaver outpost surrounding the outer city walls.

    ¡°Our first wave of reinforcements has arrived, and the second is on the way,¡± Grant remarked. Davon realized the unfamiliar Revenants he had seen in the camp were those lost in Heinburg¡¯s siege, now resurrected. ¡°I don''t feel comfortable attacking the walls, not without our full force here, but clearing a path and moving our base closer is now a feasible option.¡±

    Several markings on the map lit up with red light, indicating outposts too close to the direct path between the Vanguard and the outer walls of Heinburg.

    ¡°Unfortunately, our scouts report that the Crimson Reavers are pulling their forces together,¡± Emma interjected, pointing to the outpost closest to the city. ¡°They know we¡¯re here. They won¡¯t let us carve a path so easily.¡±

    Grant tapped his knuckles firmly against the map table. ¡°Then we will show them our fist. We will push against them, carving a path to a spot just outside the range of siege engines. There, we will set up camp.¡±

    ¡°What if Tenebris shows up?¡± Davon asked.

    The two Vanguard leaders looked at him sharply, as if suddenly remembering they were not alone.

    ¡°Not to be pessimistic,¡± Davon went on, ¡°but I don¡¯t think most of us would survive his intervention.¡±

    Grant crossed his arms. ¡°Tenebris is not the first great beast we have faced, boy. We have tools to deal with threats such as him, and we will bring them to bear.¡±

    ¡°We have to make this push now,¡± Emma added, a crack of concern marring her usual mask of quiet confidence. ¡°The other fronts need to be reinforced. Dealing with the Crimson Reavers here will allow us to do just that.¡±

    Davon raised his eyebrows, waiting expectantly for Emma to continue.

    ¡°Our front only has to deal with one army,¡± she explained, gesturing towards the map. ¡°In the north, another city fell to the Crimson Reavers. The west only just managed to reclaim one city, and the south is maintaining stalemate¡­ for now. Thus, the best course of action is to be decisive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Grant agreed. ¡°We will be making a combined push further into enemy territory tomorrow. For now, you three go get some rest.¡±

    The team nodded silently and turned to leave.

    ¡°Oh, and before I forget,¡± Emma called out, ¡°stop by the Boneshaper¡¯s tent. I arranged for some materials to be given to you. Consider it a reward for the assignment.¡±

    As he pushed open the tent flaps, Davon noted that the light snowfall had intensified. The ground and tents were already covered in a thin layer of white, and snow was still coming down steadily.

    "Glad to see you up, Davon,¡± Lyla said with a slight smile as the trio turned towards the Boneshaper¡¯s tent. ¡°You had me worried.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you know how hard it is to wake up from a long nap,¡± Davon replied, forcing a smile. The fact that his resurrection had taken so much longer than Kai¡¯s or Lyla¡¯s was still troubling him. Even in the command tent, his thoughts kept circling back to that question: why had he taken so long to awaken?

    He dreaded the implications of the answer.

    ¡°And here I thought the Night Runner is known for her disciplined crew,¡± Lyla shot back playfully.

    Davon fell silent. It suddenly occurred to him that he had never told Kai and Lyla how he¡¯d ended up becoming a Revenant. If Grant hadn¡¯t told them about the ambush, then neither of them knew of the ship¡¯s fate. They didn¡¯t know about that day on the docks.

    Well, if they don¡¯t know, maybe I shouldn¡¯t tell them while we¡¯re in the middle of a siege, he thought.

    Keeping his face carefully blank, he just shrugged and changed the subject.

    When they arrived at the Boneshaper¡¯s tent, Davon bit back a gasp. The robed figure standing beside the large wooden table had its hood down. Even more remarkably, it wore no mask.

    The Boneshaper was a tall man, his face so covered with scars that it was hard to make out his exact features. The long black hair that framed his face contrasted sharply with the pure white of his eyes.

    The trio exchanged a glance, then slowly approached the table. To Davon¡¯s surprise, the man¡¯s face turned towards them, seeming to scan each of their faces in turn. Davon had assumed he was blind.

    ¡°You three ¡®ere for the materials?¡± the Boneshaper asked, his voice a combination of gravel and crackling flame.

    Davon nodded. ¡°Yes, we were sent by Emma.¡±

    ¡°Awright. You three must be something special. These bones are mighty rare. Came from a drake." The man dusted off his robe as he reached for one of the many crates stacked behind him. ¡°Put yer weapons on the table, an¡¯ tell me what kinda improvements you¡¯d like.¡±

    The trio put their weapons down and made their requests. Kai asked for a simple tier upgrade, as did Davon, while Lyla asked for more runes. The man regarded the weapons on his table as he pried the crate open.

    ¡°Fine make, these,¡± the Boneshaper commented with a grin. ¡°Made by the Walden¡¯s Hold twins, I assume?¡±

    ¡°Spot on,¡± Kai confirmed, watching the Boneshaper arrange bones in a circle around the weapons. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±

    The Boneshaper chuckled. ¡°They¡¯ve got a style to ¡®em, those two. Simple and brutal, that¡¯s how they make their weapons. Effective, with a touch of wickedness. Heh¡­ Lunatics, the both of ¡®em.¡±

    Having pronounced this opinion, the Boneshaper dropped immediately into the familiar chant.

    The trio waited patiently. Davon used the time to scrutinize the robed figure in front of him. He was extremely curious. Davon¡¯s knowledge about Boneshapers came entirely from the two in Walden¡¯s Hold, along with a few rumors he¡¯d overheard from other Revenants. He expected all Boneshapers to be mysteriously eccentric, yet this man seemed open and straightforward.

    Studying the chanting man¡¯s face, Davon wondered whether the white eyes and scars were caused by the process used by Boneshapers to bind with their Reliquaries. Most of the rumors Davon had heard about Boneshapers centered on that secret event. Briefly, he considered asking the man, but decided against it.

    Instead, after the ritual was complete, he picked up his bow and gave it a quick inspection. He didn¡¯t notice any striking differences. The only change at all was the color, which had shifted a few shades darker.

    Kai picked up his axe, but his eyes were still trained on the Boneshaper. ¡°Why do you think the Walden¡¯s Hold twins are lunatics? They seem fine to me.¡±

    ¡°A story for another time, kid,¡± the Boneshaper replied through another chuckle. ¡°Tell you what, you bring me some bones next time you swing around, and I¡¯ll tell it.¡±

    Kai contemplated the man a few moments longer before nodding. ¡°Fair, it¡¯s a deal.¡±

    ¡°Good lad.¡± The Boneshaper turned back towards the crates. ¡°Now get. I got things to do.¡±

    ¡°So do we,¡± Lyla reminded Kai and Davon as they left the tent. ¡°You heard Grant and Emma. We¡¯re starting a major push tomorrow.¡±

    Davon slung his bow over his shoulders, letting the familiar weight settle onto his back. He found comfort in that weight. It was a reminder that his weapon was with him. That he was not helpless.

    That he could fight back.

    A smile spread over his features as he turned to his teammates.

    ¡°I guess we should rest up before tomorrow, then.¡±

 Chapter 24: Direct Clash

    The following morning, Davon left the group¡¯s tent to find the thin layer of snow had grown by a few feet. Snow was still falling, but more lightly than the day before.

    Well, at least it I¡¯ll be able to see my targets, he thought wearily. The cold didn¡¯t bother him, thanks to his Revenant abilities, but he was already exhausted at the thought of fighting in the snow.

    He started to wonder what would happen if the Crimson Reavers summoned another firestorm, but buried the thought immediately. The Vanguard would simply shut the enemy¡¯s attempt down¡­ or die trying.

    Kai pushed out of the tent behind Davon with a yawn.

    ¡°What a day for combat, eh?¡± the young warrior mumbled, stretching the sleep away.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Davon stared grimly at the snow. ¡°Let¡¯s hope the fight ends quickly.¡±

    Just as Davon finished his sentence, the gathering bell rang through the camp, calling all Revenants to the command tent.

    Lyla emerged a moment later, and the trio walked together to the center of camp. Grant and Emma were standing just outside the command tent with a massive group of Revenants already gathered around them. Once the whole force was assembled, Grant clapped his hands to draw everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Brothers and sisters in arms!¡± he shouted. ¡°Our scouts report that the Crimson Reavers have consolidated their outpost forces into one mass, standing between us and the city. Today, there will be no complicated plans. No, today is the day we show them our raw strength!¡±

    Grant raised his fist to the sky as he spoke, provoking cheers from the gathered Revenants. ¡°We will hit them with the simplest of strategies. A direct clash!¡±

    Another round of cheers erupted from the crowd, but Davon didn¡¯t join them. His thoughts kept wandering to the ongoing snowfall. What if it turned into a blizzard? While Davon was growing ever more confident in his ability to hit his marks, he wasn¡¯t certain he could hit something without being able to see it.

    Emma quieted the cheers with a single raised hand. ¡°Now gather at the camp entrance,¡± she ordered the crowd. ¡°We will launch our assault soon.¡±

    The gathered Revenants dispersed into smaller groups and surged towards the encampment¡¯s entrance, the trio among them.

    It was then that a nagging uncertainty gripped the back of Davon¡¯s mind. There was something foreign about the sensation, as if it came from a source that wasn¡¯t him.

    Confused, Davon looked over his shoulder. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. The next moment, as quickly as it had appeared, the feeling vanished.

    Briefly, Davon considered mentioning this to his companions, but decided against it. The moment had been so fleeting. It also seemed like a bad idea to draw focus away from the upcoming battle.

    This decision was solidified by the sound of Crimson Reaver war horns echoing in the distance, followed closely by roars and guttural shouting.

    ¡°Sounds like they¡¯re ready for us,¡± Davon remarked, unable to keep exhaustion from slipping into his voice.

    ¡°It sounds like they think they¡¯re ready for us,¡± Kai retorted. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to prove them wrong.¡±

    Davon waited for Lyla to interject, but no witty response came. He glanced over at his companion. Her usually neutral expression was gone, replaced by a look of dejection.

    He nudged her shoulder gently. ¡°You alright?¡±

    Startled, she looked up, managing a faint smile. ¡°Yeah, just¡­¡± Then her mask crumbled, and she sighed. ¡°This resurrection hit me pretty hard, to be honest. But I don¡¯t want to talk about it now. We¡¯ll have time for that after the battle.¡±

    Davon nodded, giving her arm an encouraging pat.

    The trio fell in line with the other Revenants and continued through the camp¡¯s entrance. In the distance, Davon could make out a massive line of Crimson Reaver soldiers. The sight sent memories of the Walden¡¯s Hold siege through his mind.

    A surge of anger crashed into Davon.

    Gripping his bow, he found himself wondering how his new upgrade would manifest. Then he cast the thought aside. What mattered was that today would be a day of vengeance. Together, he and his Reliquary would make the enemy pay.

    Before long, most of the Vanguard were gathered in front of their encampment. Davon spotted Grant pushing through the crowd, his great sword proudly displayed on his back.

    ¡°Into formation!¡± Grant shouted. ¡°Infantry, three lines, front and flanks! Mages, square formation in the center! Archers take the rear!¡±

    Grant¡¯s orders sent the gathered crowd into a flurry of organized motion. Exchanging a solemn nod, the trio split to take their respective positions: Kai up front with the infantry, Lyla with the mages in the center, and Davon at the rear.

    Out of habit, Davon grabbed his bow and tested the string. To his surprise, when the ethereal bowstring formed between his fingers, it seemed to glow more brightly than usual. He pulled the bowstring back. The arrow that formed between his fingers was brighter also, crackling with more energy than he was used to. Impressed, Davon relaxed the bowstring slowly, allowing the energy to fizzle out.

    As the Revenants fell into formation, the Crimson Reavers sounded their war horn once again. Davon scanned the enemy ranks. He couldn''t make out much from his position at the Vanguard¡¯s rear, but he could see war beasts assembling behind the closest line of foes.

    ¡°Forward march!¡± Grant bellowed.

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    The Vanguard obeyed, trudging through the snow with their weapons at the ready.

    Growing anticipation filled Davon¡¯s mind in waves, awakening the familiar itch for revenge. Both sensations intensified steadily as the two armies drew closer and closer together.

    The Vanguard¡¯s path led between two Crimson Reaver outposts. When they were roughly a few hundred feet away from these enemy camps, Grant raised his arm and called for a halt. The formation stopped marching while Grant spoke with someone in the front.

    In the blink of an eye, two Revenants wearing Green Tracker cloaks split off from the formation, one towards each outpost. Uneasy silence fell across the Vanguard as they waited.

    Meanwhile, Davon watched the Crimson Reaver army draw steadily closer. He couldn¡¯t see any trace of the Duelists or their mounts, but he knew damn well they would show up sooner or later.

    It was only a minute before the Green Trackers returned to the formation, shouting their all-clears. But rather than ordering the Vanguard to move forward, Grant raised his arm again.

    ¡°Hold!¡± he commanded. ¡°Archers, fire at will!¡±

    Davon raised his bow eagerly. Arrows whizzed through the air around him as he calculated the trajectory of his shot. Invoking the Scattershot rune, he fired, managing to track his arrow¡¯s path despite the ongoing snowfall.

    The Crimson Reavers had halted, their front line forming a shield wall. Davon watched as his arrow splintered just before reaching the enemy line. It showered the Crimson Reavers in deadly projectiles, opening a gap in their wall.

    Davon stared at his bow in wonder. Unlike the previous siege, his missile was able to pierce through the Crimson Reaver¡¯s shields.

    The Boneshaper was right, he thought with a grim smile of satisfaction. Drake bones make for a special upgrade.

    Davon wasn¡¯t the only one pulling power from his Reliquary. Shortly after his scattershot landed, the Crimson Reavers were bombarded with various enchanted arrows. One pierced the chest of a war beast and detonated a second later, sending chunks of grey meat and bone scattering across the battlefield. Another ignited as it was about to land, enveloping a section of the shield wall in a brief blaze and slowing the enemy¡¯s advance.

    The rain of arrows continued, but the Crimson Reavers kept pushing forward. They seemed to rely on their sheer numbers to fill the gaps left behind by their dead comrades.

    Davon took time to pick his shots, aiming for the war beasts as they moved into his range. He realized quickly that he didn¡¯t need to worry about the weather. His heightened Revenant senses allowed him to see his targets just as keenly as on a clear day.

    Settling into the archer''s rhythm, he sent arrow after arrow at the mass of enemies in front of him. Missiles struck the creatures in their legs, bellies, and arms, sinking through their armor. When Davon alone brought down his fourth war beast, he took note of the fact that only a few remained.

    Dead before the clash even began, he thought.

    ¡°Archers, hold fire!¡± Grant commanded, bringing the hail of arrows to an end. Davon realized why a moment later when a volley of missiles erupted from behind Crimson Reaver lines. ¡°Mages, raise barrier!¡±

    Golden light illuminated the atmosphere. The sound of arrows tapping against the barrier broke the silence like raindrops on a quiet night. Davon watched the enemy ranks readjust their formation, noting with another grim smile that their numbers were already thinned.

    Then he heard the thumping of massive feet, followed instantly by the sharp noise of cracking glass. A pit formed in Davon¡¯s stomach.

    The barrier was splintering.

    He looked to his left just in time to see five massive creatures pull away from the cracked barrier. These beasts were smaller than the one ridden by the Duelist captain, but no less terrifying. A Duelist sat upon the back of each creature. Looking to the other side of the Vanguard formation, Davon saw another five mounted Duelists, preparing to push against the barrier once again.

    ¡°Infantry, circle formation!¡± Grant commanded.

    The Vanguard infantry quickly positioned themselves defensively around the archers and mages. Both the archer and mage formations clumped together, safe behind their brothers and sisters in arms, for the moment.

    Then the Duelists¡¯ mounts struck the barrier again, and it collapsed.

    Davon cursed under his breath. He didn¡¯t have the space to raise his bow. Detaching the weapon into twin blades, he waited for his moment.

    The Duelists spurred their mounts onward and crashed into the group of Revenants from both sides, the beasts tearing through the front lines with terrifying speed. The Revenants retaliated instantly. Working in groups, they surrounded each of the beasts and cornered them.

    Davon spotted Grant in one of these kill-circles. The old Revenant raised his weapon and brought it down with a roar, decapitating a Duelist¡¯s mount in one powerful blow. Following the momentum created by his dying mount, the Duelist slid down, arm outstretched towards Grant.

    In a split second, Davon recognized the Duelist was trying to pull Grant into an arena and take him out of the fight. He reflexively invoked his Shadow-step rune, putting himself between Grant and the Duelist.

    The world around Davon turned to chaos, but he quickly regained his senses when he realized he was in the Duelist¡¯s arena.

    ¡°Insolent fool!¡± The Duelist growled at Davon, brandishing his blade. ¡°Now, you will d-¡±

    Davon didn¡¯t wait for the Crimson Reaver to finish his sentence. He invoked both his Shadow-step and Sharpness runes simultaneously, appearing beside the Duelist with his blades glowing. His connection with his Reliquary strained noticeably under the exertion. Ignoring the tension, Davon unleashed his fury with a cross-cut aimed at the Duelist¡¯s mid-section.

    The world blurred around Davon once again as the Duelist¡¯s body fell to the ground in two pieces. When he reoriented himself, Davon found that he was outside the Vanguard formation. He looked over just in time to watch as the final Duelist was dismounted.

    But Davon didn¡¯t allow himself to celebrate. There was a significant gap in the Vanguard¡¯s infantry, and Revenant bodies lay scattered around the dying beasts. Davon spotted more than one Duelist still active. To add to their problems, the approaching line of Crimson Reaver soldiers had almost reached them.

    Davon reattached his blades with a pained sigh and invoked his Scattershot rune. For a split second, the nagging feeling he¡¯d felt before the battle returned to Davon. It was like a voice in the back of his head, whispering a warning:

    Don¡¯t push.

    Davon ignored it.

    As a hail of arrows erupted again from the Crimson Reaver lines, Davon loosed a shot in retaliation. And then another, and another, and another, on and on and on in a relentless, lethal rhythm.

    The threads of connection between Davon and his Reliquary screamed in pain as his arms erupted with pale blue light. Davon was too consumed by the archer¡¯s tempo to notice. He simply continued barraging the enemy¡¯s archer formation, smiling in satisfaction at the growing pile of Crimson Reaver bodies on the field.

    A war horn resounded in the distance. The line of Crimson Reavers began to fall back.

    Davon winced in pain as he lowered his bow. His connection with his Reliquary felt ragged and worn, but he pushed the agony aside and returned his attention to the Vanguard ranks. The Duelists had killed several Revenants, most likely by abducting them into their private arenas. But now Davon watched the last few Duelists fall, one by one, helpless against the combined might of the Vanguard.

    ¡°Hold your ground!¡± Grant commanded. The remaining Revenants instantly reformed their ranks. ¡°We hold here until the area is fortified!¡±

    Davon watched the enemy fall back. Barely able to focus through the rising pain, he spotted a massive beast, stalking far behind the other Crimson Reavers. Atop it sat the Duelist captain he had fought previously, plume dancing in the wind, watching the Vanguard from a distance.

    Davon tried to raise his bow, but his arms remained slack at his side. He glanced down to see intense blue light shining from the exposed skin on his arms. There was a pattern in the light, almost like a spiderweb of cracks across his skin.

    A chill ran down his spine. His head snapped up, eyes searching for the Duelist captain, but she was gone.

    Though battered and broken, the Vanguard had managed to claim a victory.

 Chapter 25: Recovery

    As the Vanguard rapidly rebuilt their forward base around him, Davon paid no attention to the noise. He even paid minimal attention to Lyla¡¯s chiding. He simply stared at the pattern of blue light shining through his skin on his arms.

    Feeling was gradually returning. Ever so gently, he balled his hands into fists, then slowly relaxed them. He savored the dull ache spreading all the way up to his shoulders.

    For a terrifying moment, he¡¯d thought he would never be able to use his arms again. The fear abated quickly as feeling returned to his limbs, but it left behind a mental haze Davon wasn¡¯t used to.

    ¡°¡­ are you even listening?¡± Lyla¡¯s voice broke through the fog clouding Davon¡¯s mind. ¡°Davon? Hello?¡±

    Davon looked up to find her glaring at him with a mix of fury and genuine concern.

    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, sorry. I was¡­¡± Davon¡¯s eyes darted around nervously, unable to meet Lyla¡¯s gaze. ¡°¡­ distracted.¡±

    With a heavy sigh, Lyla knelt by the crate Davon was sitting on. ¡°Let me see your arms.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Davon nodded towards his limbs. ¡°I¡¯d move them, but¡­ frankly, I¡¯m scared of what would happen.¡±

    Lyla examined Davon¡¯s arms carefully, tracing a finger across the visible lines of energy which still marked his skin. Her expression remained neutral through the entire process. Behind her, Kai was pacing back and forth with his own arms tightly crossed.

    ¡°You just couldn¡¯t let anyone else have the glory, eh?¡± Standing, Lyla fetched her spellbook from somewhere underneath her cloak. ¡°You don¡¯t even realize how close to death you were, do you?¡±

    Davon blinked. ¡°Uh, no, I can¡¯t say I do.¡±

    ¡°One more cast, Davon.¡± Lyla sat beside him on the crate and began flipping through pages in her spellbook. ¡°One more, and you would¡¯ve gone up in flames like a thunder-struck tree.¡±

    Kai stopped pacing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he would¡¯ve WHAT?!¡±

    ¡°He would¡¯ve caught fire,¡± Lyla replied calmly, finally landing on the page she was looking for. ¡°From the inside out.¡±

    Davon fell silent, not quite able to wrap his ahead around that.

    ¡°It¡¯s what happens when you pull too much energy through your body too quickly,¡± Lyla explained, her voice still bewilderingly calm. ¡°I could go into details, but I doubt any of us want that right now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ no, thank you.¡± Kai shook his head and resumed his pacing.

    ¡°And you know the worst part?¡± Lyla pointed to a page in her spellbook. ¡°I can¡¯t even help you with a healing spell. Filling you with MORE magic would make the condition worse.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m out of commission for now, then?¡± Davon asked, a pit opening in his stomach.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re through the worst of it. Give it a few hours, and you will be able to move your arms properly again.¡± Lyla patted Davon on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll ache for days, though, and your ability to pull on magic will be limited.¡±

    Davon scowled. ¡°As long as I can fight.¡±

    Lyla opened her mouth, then closed it. The trio settled into an uneasy quiet.

    Their rest didn¡¯t last long. Only a few minutes later, the gathering bell echoed through the hastily constructed camp. With a sigh, Davon pushed himself up onto his feet.

    When the team arrived at the new command tent, Davon noted how much smaller the crowd was. Roughly a quarter of their forces had been lost in the day¡¯s fighting, and the rest had taken a hit to their morale. There would be no celebration of today¡¯s victory.

    Grant¡¯s voice was unusually subdued as he addressed the gathered Revenants.

    ¡°Brothers and sisters in arms. Today has been both a victory, and a humbling defeat. We have secured a more advantageous position for pushing into enemy territory¡­ but our losses were great.¡±

    He paused, bowing his head. The crowd stayed silent.

    After a moment, Grant looked up and raised an arm to indicate the magically grown camp walls. ¡°For now, we will hold our position here, focused on defense, while waiting on the second wave of reinforcements to arrive. In the meantime, we will reevaluate our strategies, beginning with priority targets.¡±

    Emma took over, her tone a tad sharper than usual. ¡°There are still many targets outside the walls we can strike to weaken our enemy''s position. We will be picking out teams to deploy to these targets, so expect to see some assignments by day¡¯s end.¡±

    Her keen gaze swept over the crowd, and then she nodded curtly. ¡°That is all. Dismissed.¡±

    The Revenants dispersed instantly. Splitting off from the crowd, the trio found their way to their newly assigned tent. Davon walked up to his usual sitting corner and reflexively tried to take his bow off his back. Then he winced in pain and frustration, realizing he couldn¡¯t bend his arm more than a few degrees.

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    ¡°Hey, Kai, could you¡­?¡± Davon asked, pointing to his bow with a jerk of the head. ¡°Please.¡±

    Wordlessly, Kai pulled Davon¡¯s bow out of the half-holster on his back and placed it against Davon¡¯s chair.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Davon mumbled as he slumped into his seat.

    Almost as soon as Davon sat down, the day¡¯s fatigue caught up with him. His entire body started aching, down to the bone, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

    ¡°Think we¡¯ll be chosen to hit a target?¡± Davon asked, still trying to find a semblance of comfort in his seat.

    Lyla lowered herself into her own chair with an exasperated sigh. ¡°As much as I hope not, we probably will be.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they seem to enjoy sending us on the sneaky missions,¡± Kai grumbled, pacing as he unwrapped the bandages around his arm. ¡°But, as long as we get to kill some Crimson Reavers, I¡¯m happy.¡±

    A brief silence ensued as Davon considered his teammates. Kai had been acting completely normal since the combat ended. Maybe a bit more pacing than Davon was used to seeing from the young warrior, but nothing worrisome.

    Lyla, on the other hand, seemed to be stuck on something. She usually spent every spare moment writing things into either her spellbook or one of her notebooks. Now, she kept pulling a book out, placing her quill against the paper, and then remaining motionless for several minutes at a time.

    Growing concern crept into Davon¡¯s mind after watching a few rounds of this.

    Lyla never runs out of ideas, he thought as she began anxiously bouncing her leg, her quill resting against an empty page.

    ¡°Did either of you see that Duelist Captain today?¡± Kai¡¯s voice interrupted Davon¡¯s train of thought. ¡°I find it strange that she wasn¡¯t involved in the fight.¡±

    ¡°I did, actually,¡± Davon replied, leaning forward in his chair. ¡°She was¡­ in the distance, by the city walls. Left as soon as the Crimson Reavers started retreating.¡±

    Kai raised an eyebrow. ¡°She just¡­ left? Again?¡±

    Davon simply nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like that one,¡± Kai stated as he finished unwrapping the bandages around his arms. He threw himself into his chair with a frown. ¡°She¡¯s plotting something.¡±

    Davon nodded again in silent agreement. Then he leaned back into his own chair, moving his arms with agonizing slowness until they were crossed over his chest.

    A few hours passed in relative peace as the trio rested. More and more feeling was coming back into Davon¡¯s arms. Just as he was testing his range of motion, the tent¡¯s silence was broken by Grant¡¯s voice coming from just outside.

    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything,¡± Grant called, just loud enough to be heard. ¡°May I come in?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Kai responded, jumping up from his seat.

    Chunks of snow fell off the old Revenant¡¯s boots as he stomped through the tent flap. Even hunched over to fit, he still took up an imposing chunk of space in the tent.

    ¡°I come with your assignment,¡± Grant said gruffly. ¡°You are to hit a forge on Heinburg¡¯s outskirts, just inside the walls.¡±

    Davon shared a concerned look with his companions. He knew all three of them were apprehensive at the idea of stepping inside the city walls again.

    ¡°A quick in and out. Ideally, you don¡¯t even get spotted,¡± Grant explained. ¡°You¡¯ll be given some explosives to use. When you¡¯re ready, go see Taz at the Boneshaper¡¯s tent. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°How long do we have for this?¡± Davon asked, thinking nervously of his mostly useless limbs.

    Grant looked down at Davon¡¯s arms. ¡°There¡¯s no rush, if that¡¯s what you''re wondering. We won¡¯t be making another significant push until those who died today resurrect, so you¡¯ll have time to recover.¡±

    Relief washed over Davon at those words, and he nodded at the old Revenant.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Grant waited for a few moments, looking among the three. ¡°No? Good. I¡¯ll leave you to your rest, then.¡±

    Uneasy silence filled the tent upon the old Revenant¡¯s departure. The tension in the air was palpable. No one wanted to say what everyone was thinking.

    Finally, Davon sighed. ¡°Well, no use beating around the bush, eh? We¡¯re going to need a solid escape plan for this."

    ¡°What about the entry plan?¡± Kai asked, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

    ¡°Same as last time,¡± Davon replied, subconsciously rubbing his forearms. ¡°I Shadow-step up, throw down some rope, and we¡¯re in.¡±

    Lyla¡¯s eyes flashed fiercely. ¡°Do you really intend to pull from your Reliquary in that state?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. We¡¯re going to rest up first, properly.¡± Davon gave Lyla a reassuring smile. ¡°But, back to the problem at hand. How do we escape once Tenebris hears the explosion?¡±

    ¡°We could just hide,¡± Lyla offered, turning her eyes back to her book. ¡°We hid from him once. We can do it again.¡±

    ¡°Or, we could ask¡­ Taz? To extend the fuses on the explosives,¡± Kai suggested, rubbing his chin. ¡°Set the explosives and run, hopefully be far away by the time they blow.¡±

    ¡°Too much risk there,¡± Lyla objected. ¡°What if some Crimson Reavers spot the explosives after we run?¡±

    ¡°Maybe we could set the explosives off from a distance?¡± Davon mused, wondering if he could muster up some sort of fire rune. ¡°With a burning arrow, or something similar?¡±

    Lyla shook her head. ¡°That still leaves us open to having the explosives discovered.¡± She glanced up from her book long enough to roll her eyes. ¡°If only we could bring a ballista with us, we could tie the explosive to the bolt.¡±

    While he knew Lyla was joking, Davon¡¯s mind ran with the possibility. ¡°That could work.¡±

    ¡°And how, pray tell, do you plan to bring a ballista into the city?¡± Lyla asked, narrowing her eyes at Davon. ¡°Kai may be strong, but he¡¯s not that strong.¡±

    ¡°Grant mentioned this forge was on the outskirts.¡± Davon reflexively gestured with his hands as he spoke, then grimaced as the movement sent aching ripples through his arms. ¡°If it¡¯s in view of the ramparts, we could turn Heinburg¡¯s ballistae towards it.¡±

    ¡°Not to burst your bubble, but ballistae don¡¯t turn that far on their mounts,¡± Kai explained. ¡°Also, that¡¯s a pretty big if.¡±

    ¡°Think of it as a ¡®just in case.¡¯ A possibility to make our lives easier,¡± Davon countered. ¡°And besides, you mean to tell me you couldn''t rip one of those things off of its mount?¡±

    Kai scoffed. ¡°Is that a challenge?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s up to you, Kai,¡± Davon prodded playfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s a challenge.¡± Kai nodded with a smile on his face, provoking another eye roll from Lyra.

    Davon chuckled. ¡°Regardless, we can think about this more in the morning.¡± His eyes fell on his bedroll, and weariness settled over him like a cloak. ¡°For now, let¡¯s get some rest.¡±

    His companions nodded. Without another word, the trio of Revenants settled into their bedrolls, and silence claimed the tent yet again.

    Despite his exhaustion, though, it took some time for Davon to fall sleep. In the quiet, he realized that he couldn¡¯t feel the connection between himself and his bow as strongly as he did before.

    Fighting down a wave of anxiety, Davon waited for sleep. Hopefully, the connection with his Reliquary would be restored through rest.

 Chapter 26: The Necromancer

    Davon was wrenched from his sleep by a splash of water on his face. Confused and furious, he pushed himself up onto his feet, ready to give whoever had woken him a piece of his mind.

    Yet, when his eyes focused, Davon found himself in a strange and unfamiliar space. He was standing beneath a massive petrified tree on a tiny island of blue sand. Water surrounded him on all sides and continued as far as the eye could see, reflecting the starry sky above and gently caressing the ground he stood on. Looking up, Davon could see stars and constellations both familiar and unfamiliar, completely unobscured.

    The sound of waves against the shore and the smell of brine hit Davon like thunder out of the blue, flooding his mind with pleasant memories.

    He was so awestruck that he barely noticed the strings of silk wrapped around his arms.

    Once he did see them, he realized they were connected to the bone tree beside him. He inspected the strings closely. Caressing the soft silk wrapped around his arms, he noticed the frayed remnants of broken strings. Their rough edges matched other ragged strands hanging from the tree, as if Davon had torn them when he stood up. The loose ends floated gently in the sea breeze.

    Before Davon could even begin to question what the strands meant or where he was, he heard a sound in the distance. It was similar to a war horn, but distorted. The sound seemed to bend and warp further as it continued. Turning to the source, Davon¡¯s stomach dropped.

    A massive wave was rushing towards him from the distant horizon. It moved closer and closer with terrifying speed, seemingly spurred on by the ever louder, distorted war horn. Shades of crimson swirled through water as it hurtled towards the island.

    Fear surged up within Davon and rooted him to the spot. There was nothing he could do but watch. He¡¯d been a sailor for long enough to know that trying to escape a wave that big was useless, even on a ship.

    As the noise of water finally drowned out the blaring war horn, Davon closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

    He was prepared to meet what the sea had in store for him.

    ¡ª

    Davon shot up from his bed roll, breathing heavily. It took him a moment to reorient himself. Slowly, he realized he was still in the tent with his companions, where he¡¯d fallen asleep.

    Really Davon, nightmares? You¡¯re slipping, he scolded himself.

    He sat back down and buried his head in his hands. Ever so slowly, the dull ache in his arms returned, further confirming that he was back in reality.

    Looking around, Davon saw both of his companions were still fast asleep. Lyla was curled up on her bedroll. Kai had passed out in his chair, axe resting against his shoulder. In the quiet of night, everything seemed so serene.

    Until the serenity was broken by the sound of a war horn echoing through the Vanguard camp.

    Davon grabbed his bow and jumped to his feet as Kai and Lyla startled awake. The war horn sounded thrice, three steady blows.

    Danger, Davon thought grimly.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Kai grumbled, axe in hand but still half-asleep.

    ¡°Lookouts sounded danger,¡± Davon replied. ¡°Maybe the Crimson Reavers launched a counterattack?¡±

    ¡°No time to waste then.¡± Lyla was already at the tent flap. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The trio rushed out of their tent and headed towards the camp entrance. The clouds above had completely covered the moon, leaving torches as the only sources of light. Lyla enchanted her spear with fire and used it as a torch as they joined the throng of Revenants rushing through the camp.

    When they arrived at the gate, Davon peered out into the surrounding snowfield. He strained his eyes but couldn¡¯t make out anything in the dim torchlight.

    An unfamiliar Green Tracker stepped up beside him. Digging through his pack, the Revenant pulled out a small stone orb, covered in runes. He twisted it until Davon heard a click, then pulled his arm back and threw it full-force out of the camp.

    Davon watched as the object flew into the sky. It suddenly came to a stop in mid-air and lit up with bright white light, illuminating what remained of the battlefield around the Vanguard encampment.

    A single figure was standing amidst the Crimson Reaver bodies.

    The figure was clad in a long robe, open in the front to reveal sleek black armor. A gleaming helmet sat on their head. They held a grey leatherbound book open in one hand, tracing a finger against the page with the other.

    Davon raised his bow, but his arms felt limp and weak. They trembled, shaking his aim. He cursed himself internally for pushing so hard the previous day.

    Another few Revenant archers stepped up beside Davon and raised their weapons. Davon forced his arms to hold steady long enough take aim. Together, the group fired a barrage at the lone figure.

    Davon watched the volley soar through the air. When the projectiles were mere feet from the intended target, each one was slapped away by what looked like shadowy limbs. The missiles fell to the ground, useless.

    Annoyed, Davon tried to invoke his Scattershot rune, pulling on his Reliquary. The strand of connection lit up with pain. Dizziness struck Davon like a rogue wave, sending him off-balance for a moment.

    When he refocused, Davon heard a wheezy chuckle coming from the robed figure¡¯s direction. Davon raised his eyes just in time to see the figure close the grey leatherbound book. Crimson light enveloped the surrounding bodies, and Davon felt a growing pit in his stomach as the sound of cracking bones filled the air.

    The Crimson Reaver corpses, partially buried in the snow, were being contorted by some vile force. The familiar stench of rot and sulfur assaulted Davon¡¯s nostrils.

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    Davon froze. He hadn¡¯t smelled that vile aroma since the siege of Walden¡¯s Hold. None of the Crimson Reavers he had faced since then seemed to possess that particular feature.

    But there was no time to ponder this revelation. Bodies all over the battlefield were standing up, supported by malformed limbs. Davon immediately recognized their distorted shapes. He thought back to his team¡¯s first encounter with Crimson Reavers, before the invaders even had a name.

    The gathered Revenants watched in stunned silence as more and more bodies got up from the ground, given new life.

    ¡°Great, they have Necromancers now.¡± Kai stepped in front of the camp entrance, axe raised. ¡°No matter, we¡¯ll just kill them again!¡±

    As if in response to Kai¡¯s remark, the Necromancer gave another laugh. Shadows swirled around him, grasping at his robe like living things. He shouted something in a language Davon couldn¡¯t understand. The shadows enveloped the figure, and when they dissipated, the Necromancer was gone from view.

    Then the undead soldiers began their assault, dozens upon dozens of twisted Crimson Reavers rushing towards the Vanguard camp.

    Running on pure instinct, Davon pulled back his bowstring. Anxiety flared as the ache in his arms rapidly intensified. And yet, true panic only set in when he realized that each successful shot didn¡¯t even slow the enemy down. The undead soldiers simply continued their rush, dragging their malformed limbs across the ground, making no sound other than the crunch of snow beneath their feet.

    ¡°Hold steady!¡± Grant¡¯s voice echoed behind Davon, shaking him from his panic. The old Revenant pushed past Davon and planted his sword in the camp¡¯s entrance. A golden barrier formed, originating from the sword and filling the entranceway.

    Another familiar voice reached Davon as Emma shouted, ¡°I TOLD you we should clean those bodies!¡±

    ¡°We hardly had the time,¡± Grant retorted as the undead crashed against his barrier with loud thuds.

    Moments later, the undead Crimson Reavers stopped their pointless effort to break down Grant¡¯s barrier. They shambled over to the camp wall and began piling themselves up against it, climbing over each other to get higher and higher.

    It took seconds for the undead to start pouring over the camp walls, falling carelessly to the ground below. Davon and the other archers fired shots at the creatures as soon as they appeared, but the enemy didn¡¯t seem to care. They just scrambled to their feet and threw themselves at the gathered Revenants.

    Beside Davon, Kai stepped out and took the lead, swinging his axe at a creature as it flew towards him. The young warrior¡¯s blade caught the undead in the center of its chest. Carrying the movement, Kai slammed the creature into the ground with a resounding crack.

    Not even a second later, the creature was moving again, struggling against the weight of Kai¡¯s axe.

    Realizing that it was useless to block the gate, Grant pulled his sword up and brought it down in a slash, bisecting one of the creatures as two others grasped for his armor. Davon noted that the bisected beast stopped moving as soon as its head was split.

    Now that¡¯s an idea, he thought.

    Willing to test the new theory, Davon raised his bow again, but his attention was caught by the sight of an undead crawling onto Kai¡¯s back.

    Time seemed to slow as Davon adjusted his aim, loosing a shot only once he was sure he wouldn¡¯t hit Kai. Seconds ticked by painfully while the arrow flew. The enemy wrapped its arms around Kai¡¯s neck, squeezing in an attempt to break it.

    Then the arrow struck the creature directly in the head. It fell limply to the ground¡­ and didn¡¯t move again.

    ¡°THEIR HEADS!¡± Davon bellowed, his theory confirmed. ¡°CRUSH THEIR HEADS!¡±

    Free from the monster on his back, Kai followed Davon¡¯s instruction and stomped the head of the undead stuck under his axe. After a few stomps, the creature stopped struggling and went limp.

    But the undead kept coming. More and more of the creatures poured over the walls and swarmed around the Revenants gathered at the gate. Some, however, had other ideas. Six undead soldiers shambled right past the gate and headed further into the camp.

    ¡°Davon!¡± Grant¡¯s voice echoed over the sound of combat. ¡°Take Kai and Lyla, and protect the Boneshaper! Without him, we¡¯ll be crippled!¡±

    Lyla was already there. She had never left Davon¡¯s side. Davon loosed a shot, putting down another undead trying to grab onto Kai. The young warrior dashed away from the melee, and together, the trio ran after the six undead.

    Davon cursed as they ran. The monsters were moving so fast, he could barely keep up with them. Even worse, the undead seemed to be heading straight for the Boneshaper¡¯s tent by the most direct route.

    The trio arrived at their destination just in time to see the Boneshaper conjure a barrier around his tent. As the undead soldiers crashed into the barrier and fell backwards, Davon¡¯s eyes landed on a robed figure with a grey leatherbound book, standing still in the middle of the chaos.

    The Necromancer had returned.

    Kai was the first to act. He rushed forward with his axe held high. A rune lit up on the axe as Kai swung, enveloping the weapon in bright orange light. Kai smashed the glowing axe into one of the undead. As soon as the blade pierced the thing¡¯s flesh, the orange light flowed into the creature, quickly disintegrating the body.

    Instantly, the remaining five creatures swarmed all over Kai. The young warrior¡¯s legs failed under the weight of the monsters, and he fell to the floor.

    Both Davon and Lyla raised their weapons, aiming to knock the beasts off of their companion. But before he could fire, Davon heard a finger snap from the direction of the Necromancer. A moment later, shadowy tendrils wrapped around Lyla and Davon, yanking them off balance and binding their arms tightly.

    Davon could only watch helplessly as the undead tore into Kai, striking him repeatedly with clawed hands. In mere moments, the ground around the Revenant and his attackers was covered in blood and bits of flesh.

    Vengeful rage filled Davon. He struggled wildly against the magic bindings, but in his weakened state, he couldn¡¯t break them.

    A sudden gust of wind nearly knocked Davon off his feet. He turned in time to see Lyla break free from her bindings, carried by conjured wind. Several runes lit up on Lyla¡¯s spear as she hovered in mid-air. Then she whipped her arm back and threw the weapon, launching it at the pile of undead who were still busy beating Kai¡¯s body.

    The spear sparked with electricity as it struck one of the creatures in the chest. Lightning jumped from undead to undead, leaving them stunned. A moment after the electricity faded, flames erupted around the spear, utterly consuming the stunned Crimson Reavers.

    Lyla landed amidst the charred remains of their foes and companion. Davon could see a look of determined fury in the woman¡¯s eyes as she grabbed her spear and aimed it towards the Necromancer, still carried by the momentum of her leap.

    The Necromancer raised a finger casually. A shadowy barrier instantly formed between him and the point of Lyla¡¯s spear.

    In a display of skill Davon wasn¡¯t used to seeing from the spellcaster, Lyla repeatedly thrust her spear towards the Necromancer. Using her left hand as an anchor, she used her right to push and pull the weapon with devastating speed. However, each blow was blocked by the shadow barrier. The Necromancer chuckled at her wasted effort.

    At that moment, Davon¡¯s shackles dissipated. He detached his bow¡¯s limbs without hesitation and ran towards his foe.

    Using his momentum, Davon brought both of his blades to his left, swinging them in an arc at the Necromancer¡¯s back. Too focused on the girl in front of him, the Necromancer didn¡¯t react, allowing Davon to land his slash.

    Even without the Sharpness rune, Davon¡¯s blades cut through the thing¡¯s robes and armor, drawing blood. The Necromancer¡¯s shadowy barrier faltered as he stumbled briefly. Lyla continued her assault, this time landing blow after blow in her enemy¡¯s chest.

    But Lyla¡¯s rage left her careless.

    Spinning around to deliver another blow, Davon saw the Necromancer push through the assault and grab Lyla by the throat. Shadows enveloped the Crimson Reaver¡¯s hand, and Lyla¡¯s vitality seemed to drain in seconds.

    With a desperate shout, Davon stabbed both of his blades towards his foe¡¯s spine. He felt bones crack under his blades. Following up with a kick to the thing¡¯s back, he sent the monster sprawling to the ground.

    Lyla slipped from the Necromancer¡¯s grasp, both of them falling in unison.

    Stillness claimed the battle field as Davon¡¯s eyes landed on Lyla¡¯s withered face. Sorrow and desperation filled his heart, and he fell to his knees.

    He had claimed victory for them, but it rang oh so hollow.

 Chapter 27: Alone

    Sitting on a crate outside the group¡¯s tent, Davon watched the sun rise, staring gloomily at the crimson hues. His mind was a mess. Repeated images of his companions dying in front of him intermingled with thoughts of what he could¡¯ve done differently.

    How would things have turned out if he had been able to use his runes? Or if he had acted more quickly? If he¡¯d been faster with his bow, maybe he could¡¯ve saved Kai. Or if he¡¯d been better with his blades, he could¡¯ve at least prevented Lyla¡¯s death.

    Furious with himself and the situation, Davon did his best to stop thinking about ¡®what-if¡¯s.

    What happened, happened, he thought grimly. Thinking about it won¡¯t change a thing.

    Davon¡¯s mind turned to the assignment they had been given, to take out the forge in Heinburg¡¯s outskirts. A ridiculous idea struck him. His rage battled briefly with a wave of fear as he debated with himself.

    Rage won.

    At that moment, Davon decided he would accomplish the task alone.

    In his current state, he was likely to get himself killed. He accepted this fact. His arms were still physically weak, and he still couldn¡¯t draw on his Reliquary. But he couldn''t just sit around the Vanguard camp, seething with anger and waiting for his companions to resurrect.

    His fury clarified into a simmering defiance as he thought about it more and more. Success meant satisfying his need for revenge, at least a little bit, and advancing the war effort. Failure meant he would be reunited with his companions faster.

    Davon stood up and started for the command tent. As he walked, he braced himself for an argument with Grant and Emma. He knew damn well neither of them would be willing to send him into what was essentially a suicide mission.

    But he was going. He had made up his mind.

    Once he reached the command tent, he steeled his resolve and pushed his way inside. Grant was leaning over the map table while Emma was sitting off to the left, inspecting her bow.

    ¡°Davon!¡± Grant exclaimed, straightening up. ¡°What are you doing here this early?¡±

    ¡°Here to let you know I¡¯ll proceed with that forge assignment.¡± Davon crossed his arms and locked eyes with the old Revenant. ¡°Alone.¡±

    Grant furrowed his brows. ¡°That¡¯s suicide, Davon.¡±

    ¡°I know. But I¡¯m going anyway.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t allow ¡ª¡±

    ¡°Grant, hold,¡± Emma interrupted. She looked up at the old Revenant with a stern expression, then turned to Davon with the same look. ¡°I only want to ask you one thing. Do you think this will help you?¡±

    ¡°Of course, weakening the enemy will ¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, kiddo, that¡¯s not what I asked.¡± Emma held Davon¡¯s gaze grimly. ¡°Do you think this will help you?¡±

    Davon took a moment to consider Emma¡¯s words, sorting through the chaos in his mind. Eventually, he decided to give the most honest answer.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I hope it will.¡±

    Emma held his gaze for a few more seconds before her expression softened. ¡°Good. Then go ahead.¡±

    Having said her piece, Emma returned her attention to her bow. Grant looked at her in bewilderment, but when she showed no sign of speaking further, he turned to Davon with a sigh.

    ¡°I still think this is a bad idea, but if you insist, I won¡¯t stop you. When you¡¯re ready, go to the Boneshaper, Taz. He¡¯ll supply you the explosives.¡±

    With a quick nod, Davon turned to leave.

    ¡°Oh, Davon?¡± Emma called, a tinge of anger seeping into her tone. ¡°Give them hell for me.¡±

    ¡°Gladly.¡±

    With that, Davon set off for the Boneshaper¡¯s tent.

    Memories of the previous night kept surfacing as he retraced the familiar route. And with the memories came questions.

    Why were these undead Crimson Reavers so challenging to fight? When the group had faced them before, they¡¯d been nothing but cannon fodder. And the trio had grown significantly more powerful since then. What had changed about the enemy to make them such lethal opponents?

    Lost in thought, Davon barely realized that he¡¯d arrived at the Boneshaper¡¯s tent. Only the sound of Taz clearing his throat pulled Davon out of his own mind.

    ¡°Thank ye for the intervention last night, friend,¡± Taz said, leaning his elbows against the table. ¡°But I assume ye didn¡¯t come ¡®ere for praise. How can I help ye?¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°I need explosives,¡± Davon stated flatly. ¡°To destroy a Crimson Reaver forge. Emma¡¯s orders.¡±

    Taz nodded and turned to the stacks of crates behind him. Swiftly rearranging the crates, the Boneshaper dug out a smaller one from the pile and placed it on the table.

    The object was half a foot tall and two foot in both width and length, with no obvious markings or distinguishing features. Davon undid the latches on the crate¡¯s sides and lifted the lid. Within were five cylindrical objects, seemingly carved from bone and covered in runes.

    ¡°Those¡¯ll level just about anythin¡¯ you need ¡®em to,¡± Taz explained. Lifting one of the objects, he showed Davon a small, circular wooden cap on top. ¡°Just place ¡®em where ye need, push the button on top, and they¡¯ll make a connection with ye. When ye¡¯re a safe enough distance away, tug on that connection like ye¡¯re activatin¡¯ a rune on yer Reliquary. Then, pray to whatever ye pray to that ye¡¯re far enough.¡±

    ¡°Out of curiosity, what is a ¡®safe distance¡¯ in this scenario?¡± Davon asked, watching Taz place the explosives back in the crate.

    The question provoked an amused chuckle from the Boneshaper. ¡°Couple hundred feet will do ye for the initial explosion. The debris? Anythin¡¯ less than a mile¡­ if ye don¡¯t have cover, ye might catch some.¡±

    Satisfied, Davon closed the lid on the explosives crate and stuffed it into his enchanted material bag. He had a sudden worry that the explosives might somehow go off while in his pack, but he pushed those thoughts away.

    They can¡¯t go off without my direct command, he reminded himself. Hopefully.

    With the explosives safely stowed, Davon headed for the camp¡¯s exit. He tried to prepare himself mentally for the task ahead, but as soon as he left the camp, he found himself growing jittery with nerves.

    Gently, he tugged at the connection between himself and his Reliquary. When he received a familiar feeling in response, he let out an audible sigh of relief. Despite everything that had happened in the fast few days, he could at least be glad that his connection to the Reliquary was finally restored.

    He reached out to one of the blank rune slots, trying to shape it with his mind as he had done with the Shadow-step rune.

    The weapon on his back shuddered as Davon finished the process. Davon¡¯s relief increased as he tried invoking his new rune and met no resistance in the connection. He smiled to himself as he watched his body turn transparent.

    I don¡¯t have to rely on Emma for that particular trick anymore, he thought. That¡¯s something.

    Nearly invisible, he strode towards Heinburg¡¯s walls, pondering what other tools he could add to his arsenal.

    ¡ª

    Halfway through Davon¡¯s trek, snow began falling once again. It was a moderate snow, just enough for him to feel even more confident in not being seen. Davon was thankful. He needed every turn of luck he could get.

    His chosen entry point was the exact same spot he and his companions had used when scouting the city. He made his way there without incident. It was just a bit to the side of the gates, far enough not to be suspicious, but close enough for him to get eyes on the guards.

    Davon waited for the right moment, when the two guards patrolling the ramparts were farthest from each other, before Shadow-stepping up onto the wall. He felt a slight burn in the back of his head, but his Invisibility wasn¡¯t broken by the action. Davon allowed himself a slight smile.

    Making a note to be careful with his expenditure of energy, he stuck to the shadows as he entered Heinburg proper. He tried to move faster. His information from the Vanguard scouts gave him the general direction he needed to go, but it would still be a chore to locate the forge¡¯s exact position.

    After roughly an hour of weaving through enemy patrols and slinking down alleys, Davon finally laid eyes on the forge. The Crimson Reavers had constructed it when they took the city. It was a relatively small, open-fronted building with walls made of the same carapace-like material the Crimson Reavers seemed to use for all of their construction.

    Within, Davon could see a Crimson Reaver soldier working the forge, hammering away at something. There were three other soldiers standing guard around the forge.

    Davon cursed internally. He would need to remove these soldiers before continuing with his plan. Though he could place the explosives while invisible, he couldn¡¯t risk them being found while he retreated to a safe distance.

    He observed the Crimson Reavers for a while, considering his options. Two of the guards stood by the forge. The other constantly patrolled up and down the street.

    Davon tried to formulate a plan, but he threw each idea away almost as soon as he came up with it. They all contained too much risk. If he made a single mistake, the guards would bring in reinforcements, and he would have to retreat.

    Davon realized at that point how much he¡¯d begun to rely on Kai and Lyla. Every hole in his skillset and defenses was filled neatly by the other two. He knew he could count on them to pick up the slack when he made a mistake. With that safety gone, Davon found himself hesitant to act.

    At the same time, though, he knew that if he waited for the perfect moment and a perfect plan, he would be waiting until the sun set.

    So, instead, he decided to take a page out of Kai¡¯s book.

    He always did claim the simplest solutions were the best, Davon thought as he raised his bow, waiting for the patrolling guard to be as far away as possible.

    Taking careful aim, Davon slowly pulled back the bowstring, testing his strength. He allowed himself another grim smile. The dull ache in his arms remained, but there was no sign of the weakness he¡¯d felt in the past few days. With renewed confidence, Davon let his arrow fly.

    It found its mark in the back of the patrolling soldier¡¯s head.

    The Crimson Reaver fell dead with a loud clang, attracting the attention of the other three. Davon cursed himself for not considering this. He¡¯d been fighting too long on muddy surfaces which absorbed such noises.

    After a brief exchange of words, one of the guards stepped away from the forge to inspect the sound, while the other continued standing guard. The soldier at the forge also stopped working, grabbed his weapon, and stepped outside.

    Realizing this might be his only chance, Davon dashed out of cover, still invisible He detached his bow¡¯s limbs as he ran. The two guards didn¡¯t even see him coming.

    Davon struck with both blades from the same side, dragging them across a guard¡¯s stomach. Blood and guts spilled from the wound as Davon¡¯s blades effortlessly cut through the soldier¡¯s armor.

    The effort cut off Davon¡¯s Invisibility, but the other guard was so shocked by the sudden assault that he failed to react in time. Davon stabbed upwards with both of his blades, piercing one through the soldier¡¯s neck and the other up through his jaw.

    Pulling the blades free, Davon let his foe¡¯s body fall unceremoniously to the ground. He reattached his weapon as swiftly as he could, but by the time he raised the bow, a war horn was echoing through the city streets. Annoyed, Davon loosed a shot at the remaining guard, cutting short his call for alarm.

    But the damage had been done. Even as Davon reached for the explosives in his pack, he heard the unmistakable sound of a massive creature bounding across the rooftops in his direction.

    With a curse under his breath, he invoked the rune of Invisibility and made a run for it.

 Chapter 28: The Forge

    From his position on the roof of a bell tower, several hundred feet away from what he¡¯d decided to call ¡®Forge Street¡¯, Davon watched as Tenebris leapt through the city. The general landed by the forge with a snarl. His draconic head turned slowly from side to side, inspecting the scene.

    A Crimson Reaver patrol arrived not long after. They spread out into the street, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Tenebris continued to gaze at the bodies Davon had left behind.

    Roughly ten minutes later, Tenebris turned and leapt away from the scene, bounding deeper into the city. Davon waited until he saw the draconic beast disappear behind the city¡¯s inner walls before he finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.

    Returning his attention to Forge Street, Davon continued his observation. While he couldn¡¯t make out exact details at this distance, he made an effort to measure the response of the Crimson Reaver army to such an alarm being raised.

    First, he counted the enemies that responded to the call. A dozen regular soldiers, two sergeants, and a Duelist missing their mount showed up. They milled about the scene for roughly half an hour before carrying away the bodies, leaving behind four soldiers to replace the ones Davon had killed.

    He noted everything down, even pulling a notebook from his pack to make physical notes, something he hadn¡¯t done since the very first days on the Night Runner.

    This will be useful for future infiltrations, he thought, already pondering ambush strategies.

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to pull off an ambush on that many Crimson Reavers alone. Even though he¡¯d grown significantly in power since the first encounter with them, he recognized that strength in numbers was also something to worry about, especially when he couldn¡¯t rely on runes too heavily.

    As time went on, Davon cast his gaze to other surrounding streets, looking for other Crimson Reaver patrols. He only saw two from his perch. His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, though, when he spotted a Necromancer leading one of the patrols.

    If only I could spare the time¡­

    Davon briefly considered making a detour to kill the Crimson Reaver, but he managed to push the idea away. Instead, he poured all his need for vengeance into tracking the two patrols¡¯ movements. A plan began to form in his head. After observing the patrols for an hour, memorizing every turn they made, Davon confirmed to himself that they always followed their routes with uncanny precision.

    This meant his plan could work.

    Davon pushed himself onto his feet and climbed down the building. Dropping onto street level, he immediately set off running, still cloaked by the Invisibility rune.

    Having memorized the patrol routes, Davon knew his path would be clear of enemies as long as he kept pace. He turned each corner with confidence until he reached the spot he¡¯d designated in his planning.

    Once there, he reached into his pack and pulled out the crate of explosives. He carefully removed one of the cylinders. Following Taz¡¯s instructions, Davon pressed the wooden button cap and felt a strand of connection form between himself and the explosive. Moving with even greater care, he placed the thing on the ground and covered it with some nearby debris.

    Davon took a step back to inspect his work, nodding in satisfaction. If I didn¡¯t know what to look for, I wouldn¡¯t notice it. With this step done, he rushed down the street towards the route of the second patrol.

    He repeated the process in a different spot, activating and disguising the explosive. Davon dusted off his hands and took a second to breathe. A smile spread across his face at the thought of how much he had changed since becoming a Revenant. His old self would¡¯ve been left winded not even halfway through this plan.

    With excitement brewing in his heart, Davon took off running again. Once he reached Forge Street, he Shadow-stepped up onto the roof of a small tower poking out from one of the interconnected townhouses. From this vantage, he could see both Crimson Reaver patrols currently in the area.

    Then he settled down on his perch, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

    While he waited, Davon went over the details of his plan again and again. After taking out the two patrols, he would kill any remaining soldiers at the forge, set the explosives, and run away before reinforcements arrived. He¡¯d memorized an escape path. He¡¯d even chosen a spot along the way where he could see the forge, so he could confirm the destruction of his target.

    Then would come both the easiest and most terrifying part of his plan: getting out.

    While Tenebris had reacted with relative disinterest to the initial scuffle, Davon was certain that the forge¡¯s destruction would infuriate the Crimson Reaver general. And Davon was not certain that his Invisibility rune would be enough to protect him from Tenebris¡¯ fury.

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    As the two Crimson Reaver patrols came into view, he pushed his concerns aside.

    Problems for the rapidly approaching future, he thought.

    Watching the two Crimson Reaver patrols get closer to the traps he¡¯d set, Davon frowned with dissatisfaction. He had misplaced one of the explosives. The patrol led by the Necromancer would reach their trap too late.

    But he didn¡¯t have the time to correct his mistake. When the closer patrol reached the trap, Davon tugged at the mental string connecting him to the cylinders. Almost immediately, the ground shook with the awe-inspiring force of the Vanguard¡¯s explosives.

    Davon watched in stunned silence as the buildings next to the traps collapsed, falling onto whatever remained of the closer patrol after the initial blast. He couldn¡¯t linger there, however. Davon wrenched his attention back to the forge, where the group of guards left behind to protect it were gathering in response to the blast.

    After what seemed to be a brief conversation, two of the guards split off, heading for the blast sites. Distant wingbeats sent chills down Davon¡¯s spine, but he shook his head.

    At least Tenebris was predictable.

    Ignoring the fear creeping into his heart, Davon slid from his perch and landed gracefully on the street far below. A couple months ago, a fall like that would¡¯ve killed me, he noted, appreciating the fact that he could now jump from the top of three-story buildings without so much as a hint of pain.

    He quickly scanned the street. The two remaining guards were standing beside the forge¡¯s entrance, swords drawn and waiting. In one swift motion, Davon slung the bow from his back and detached its limbs. Easier to kill both of them in close quarters, he reasoned. Before they can react.

    With the fresh snow padding his footsteps, Davon reached the unaware guards in near-total silence. He swung both blades at the first soldier¡¯s neck and decapitated him almost instantly.

    His Invisibility gone, Davon dug his heel into the fresh snow and slid to a stop. He pulled back his arm and prepared a throw just as the second soldier reached for a war horn hanging on his hip. Davon whipped his arm forward the next instant, throwing the blade with all his strength.

    The soldier¡¯s war horn hit the ground before his body collapsed onto the ground, Davon¡¯s blade sticking out of his neck.

    Poor bastards, Davon thought. Then he pulled the blade free and turned away.

    Davon took a moment to inspect the forge. Both the anvil and the forge itself were covered, top to bottom, with strange runes. During his time with the Guild, Vanguard, and most of all Lyla, Davon had become accustomed to rune work. Not enough to make sense of it, but enough to recognize arcana when he saw it.

    But the runes covering the forge and anvil were completely alien to him. He was used to sleek rune symbols, placed in circular formations and interconnected with various lines. These runes were sharp and jagged in shape, arrayed in square formations and only vaguely connected.

    Still, with the sheer amount of carving required, he imagined the creation of the forge must¡¯ve taken months. And that was without factoring in the process of enchanting the damn thing.

    Suddenly Davon understood why a forge, of all things, was considered valuable enough to deploy a team of Revenants to destroy it. He¡¯d been confused about the mission before, but no longer. It was unlikely the Crimson Reavers would get the chance to create another forge during the siege.

    Shaking his head, Davon set about arming the explosives. He placed one directly on top of the anvil, and one on either side of the forge. Then he cloaked himself with the Invisibility rune again and peeked out into the street. Once he was certain no more Crimson Reavers were present, he sprinted towards his chosen vantage point.

    Soon Davon was once again sitting at the edge of a roof, within full view of Forge Street. He glanced towards one of the blast sites, noting that Tenebris was still sniffing around the debris with two soldiers at his feet.

    Davon took a deep breath, braced himself, and triggered the explosives.

    The explosion shook the city¡¯s foundation as a massive fireball erupted from the forge. Davon watched with a wicked grin .

    Almost immediately, Tenebris leapt towards the explosion, landing almost directly in the residual fire and smoke. The general reared on his hind legs and flapped his massive wings with all his might. The smoke quickly cleared, blown away by the general¡¯s efforts, revealing the shattered fragments of a destroyed forge.

    Tenebris turned his head to the sky and unleashed an ear-shattering roar, filled with enough fury to melt a glacier. Raising a clawed fist, he slammed it into the ground, creating a huge crater. Davon clenched his teeth at the sight.

    The General shouted out commands in the Crimson Reavers¡¯ strange, guttural language, his voice loud enough to force Davon to cover his ears. In the distance, Davon saw hundreds of Crimson Reavers scramble into the network of alleys, all making their way towards their General.

    Deciding this was his cue to leave, Davon ran to the opposite side of the roof and dropped into the streets. He took off running as soon as his feet touched the ground. Carried by the winds of panic, he scrambled along his planned escape route, reaching the outer walls in record time.

    Davon Shadow-stepped up onto the wall. He had decided beforehand that wasting time on stairs when enemy forces were flooding into the nearby city wasn¡¯t a good idea.

    When his sight refocused, Davon realized he had landed directly next to a Crimson Reaver soldier. Thinking on his feet, Davon slung the bow from his back and, without detaching the limbs, simply drove the pointy end of a bow limb into the soldier¡¯s neck. The body slid off his bow and tumbled over the ramparts.

    Davon decided after only a moment¡¯s thought to chance a jump from the ramparts. No time to take the descent slowly and carefully. His stomach twisted in fear during the fall, but he landed softly into the freshly gathered snow.

    The second he realized he was completely fine, Davon took off running once again, thinking only with his feet. He didn¡¯t stop until he was back at the Vanguard camp. There, he shed his Invisibility and doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

    The two Revenant guards posted at the camp¡¯s entrance jumped as Davon appeared in front of him.

    Once his breathing began to slow, the realization of his success struck Davon like a thunderbolt. He started laughing, lightly at first but louder with every passing second, drawing confused looks from the two guards and other passing Revenants.

    ¡°Did¡­ you¡­ see that?¡± Davon gasped, gesturing behind himself towards the smoke rising from the city. ¡°I did that. Heh.¡±

 Chapter 29: Infiltration

    ¡°Well, color me thoroughly impressed, boy,¡± Grant chuckled as Davon pushed into the command tent. ¡°Fine work indeed.¡±

    Emma gave Davon a proud smile. ¡°We heard the explosion from here. Well, the explosion and Tenebris¡¯ fury.¡±

    ¡°Be glad you weren¡¯t near him for that,¡± Davon joked, approaching the Vanguard leaders. ¡°My ears are still ringing.¡±

    The three shared a laugh. Caught in the high of his success, Davon realized this was the clearest his mind had been since he first became a Revenant. On his own, he had successfully completed a strike that truly wounded the enemy. Even better, for the first time, his need for revenge had abated.

    ¡°Once again, well done.¡± Grant clapped a massive hand onto Davon¡¯s shoulder, sending him off-balance for a moment. ¡°That will buy us some breathing room while Mia gets here with the final wave of reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s where she¡¯s been. Feel like it¡¯s been years since I last saw her,¡± Davon remarked.

    ¡°Mia¡¯s been on the front lines of scouting ever since the invasion started,¡± Emma explained. ¡°By herself. She¡¯s been covering our flank ever since the siege of Walden¡¯s Hold.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the only reason we can be certain there aren¡¯t any other Crimson Reavers here in the east,¡± Grant added, turning to look at the map. ¡°She¡¯ll likely set out again as soon as the reinforcements arrive.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± Davon asked, still riding the high of victory.

    Grant¡¯s reply was blunt. ¡°Next, we wait. A few more teams are out there, doing sabotage work. We have to wait for reinforcements before our next big move.¡±

    ¡°We can always use more scouts in the field,¡± Emma offered, giving Davon a knowing look. ¡°Especially those willing to stay in the city for longer periods.¡±

    Davon nodded, barely able to keep the excitement out of his voice. ¡°Yeah, that sounds excellent.¡±

    ¡°Good, then get some rest and get going,¡± Emma replied. ¡°We¡¯ll send you a contact every few days to pick up your report and bring some supplies.¡±

    Davon turned to leave, itching to get back into action. ¡°I¡¯ll rest when I¡¯m there.¡±

    ¡°Slow down now, Davon,¡± Emma called, speaking through a chuckle. ¡°Taz has something for you. See him before you set off.¡±

    With an even more enthusiastic nod, Davon said goodbye to the Revenant leaders and headed immediately towards the Boneshaper¡¯s tent. He made plans as he walked, preparing himself to stay long-term behind enemy lines. Even before he left central command, he had made up his mind.

    He wouldn¡¯t return to the Vanguard camp until Kai and Lyla resurrected.

    Arriving at the Boneshaper¡¯s tent, Davon exchanged friendly nods with Taz. ¡°Emma tells me you¡¯ve got something for me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, one moment.¡± Taz turned to his pile of crates. ¡°Since ye saved me an¡¯ all, thought I¡¯d do ye a favor.¡±

    Davon watched as Taz picked out a crate, roughly the same size as the one used to store explosives, and placed it on the table in front of him.

    ¡°Went ahead and cleaned up that Necromancer for ye,¡± Taz explained, tapping the crate with his index finger. ¡°That¡¯s one third of ¡®im. The rest will be waitin¡¯ for the other two.¡±

    Eagerly, Davon took the crate and put it in his pack, then pulled out the empty explosives crate and handed it back to the Boneshaper.

    ¡°Thank you, Taz,¡± Davon said sincerely. ¡°I¡¯ll put this to good use in the Imbuement Chamber.¡±

    Taz nodded as he put away the empty crate. ¡°Of course. And remember to tell that brawny one I owe ¡®im a story, when he wakes.¡±

    With a friendly nod, Davon turned to leave, this time heading for the camp¡¯s Imbuement Chamber. He was thankful to be able to improve himself again before heading back into the city.

    The whole Crimson Reaver army will be on high alert, no doubt, he mused. That¡¯ll make things interesting.

    When he reached the Imbuement Chamber, Davon took a moment to look at the small, dome-like stone structure. It was the only real building in the entire camp. The entire thing appeared to have been carved from one piece of stone, with two stone doors added to its front.

    He pushed the stone doors open and walked inside, paying no mind when the doors closed behind him on their own.

    ¡°Current status: Strength ten, Endurance fifteen, Agility twenty, Resonance ten, Aptitude forty. Results: Average Journeyman,¡± the Chamber¡¯s voice announced, breaking the total silence. ¡°Compatible materials detected within chamber. Commence Imbuement?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Davon replied instantly, excitement building within him.

    ¡°Commencing Imbuement.¡±

    Having grown accustomed to the experience, Davon found he could enjoy the strange sensations that always accompanied Imbuement. Feels almost like swimming in a hot spring, he thought to himself, dredging up pleasant memories from his Night Runner days.

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    ¡°Imbuement complete. Capabilities improved: Strength fifteen, Endurance twenty-five, Agility forty, Resonance fifteen, Aptitude sixty. New results: Powerful Journeyman.¡±

    Satisfied, Davon smiled to himself and waited for the Chamber to let him leave.

    ¡°Process complete, releasing Revenant.¡±

    Stepping back out into the Vanguard camp, Davon noticed that his movements felt much more fluid than before. But unlike the previous Imbuement, the improvement felt¡­ natural. It was as if the world was no longer holding him back, and he could finally move how he was supposed to.

    Davon savored this new ease as he set off for the camp¡¯s entrance. He felt ready and eager to get started on his new assignment. Yet, beneath all his confident enthusiasm, Davon was aware of a lurking sadness.

    He wished he could share his success with his companions.

    No¡­ not companions, not anymore, he corrected himself. Friends.

    Davon smiled at that thought.

    Once he reached the camp¡¯s entrance, Davon stopped and looked outward toward Heinburg. He frowned as he spotted three Crimson Reaver patrols making their way through the snowy field between the city walls and the Vanguard camp.

    Well, I suppose Tenebris is royally pissed off, Davon mused.

    To his surprise, the thought of the general seething with anger didn¡¯t scare him like it used to. In fact, he felt a wicked grin spread over his face. He looked forward to giving Tenebris even more grief.

    Putting away thoughts of revenge for the moment, Davon invoked his Invisibility rune and prepared to leave the safety of the camp.

    Then he paused. Maybe, just maybe, heading right into the beast¡¯s den barely an hour after destroying one of its most valuable assets was a bad idea.

    The doubt lasted only a moment. Davon shook his head and refocused, deciding he would stick to his convictions. Besides, he¡¯d already given Grant and Emma his plan, so it was too late to back down.

    Mind even more firmly made up, Davon walked out into the field.

    It wasn¡¯t long before he came across the first Crimson Reaver patrol. Davon slowed down and dropped low, ducking behind a nearby boulder for cover. He peeked from behind the rock to inspect his enemies as they passed by. Moving to keep the boulder between himself and the patrol, Davon counted a dozen soldiers and several sergeants being led by a Necromancer.

    Not only are they sending more people, they¡¯re sending the more powerful ones, Davon observed.

    He waited until the patrol was at least sixty feet away from him before he moved out of cover.

    Only then did he remember that his Invisibility rune was still active.

    Looking down at his transparent self, Davon let out an annoyed sigh. Old habits¡­ he grumbled. Then he shook his invisible head and kept moving.

    After another few brushes with similarly-sized patrols, Davon found himself once again by the same rock near the gates of Heinburg. Checking the locations of the guards, he waited until it was safe, then Shadow-stepped onto the wall.

    He took a few moments to study the city streets. Even from the ramparts, he could see double the number of patrols compared to that morning. And that wasn¡¯t the worst of it. While previously, most of the patrols had been led by sergeants, now each had either a Duelist or Necromancer at its head.

    Davon toyed with the idea of an ambush, but quickly tossed it aside. Causing more trouble so soon would end only one way, and he knew that damn well. Taking the high road would be a much better idea. Literally.

    Davon turned his attention to the skyline.

    Shadow-stepping onto a nearby roof, he felt the strain of abusing his runic powers beginning to catch up to him. A burning sensation at the base of his skull warned him to slow down the usage of his abilities.

    Rather than being worried, though, Davon was curious about this feeling. He could feel it much more clearly than before, and if he focused, he could follow the exact thread of connection that caused it. He wondered whether the increase in Aptitude from that morning had something to do with his newfound awareness.

    Pushing those thoughts away, he focused on the task at hand.

    Davon took his time travelling over the rooftops, careful not to slip or make noise. He kept a close eye on the Crimson Reaver patrols moving through the streets below him. While the alleys were still left mostly abandoned, he did notice a few patrols combing through them. The enemy soldiers even moved into several buildings, presumably searching through them for any infiltrators.

    As he drew closer to the city¡¯s inner walls, Davon noted a significant increase in Crimson Reaver forces moving about. He stopped to observe them for a while. Most were carrying panels of carapace-like materials through the streets. He tried to piece together where they might be taking these materials, but eventually decided they must be taking them all over the city.

    With that in mind, Davon settled down on his current rooftop and looked around. He hadn¡¯t noticed them before, but more and more buildings made of the carapace-like panels had popped up all over Heinburg. Some were even placed on top of existing city buildings.

    Davon moved on slowly, keeping his eyes on the streets. Crimson Reaver construction became increasingly dense as he approached inner Heinburg. Barricades and towers had been erected on every corner, with soldiers carefully keeping watch.

    He looked down at his transparent form with a surge of gratitude. Without Invisibility, infiltration would be impossible.

    Crouching at the edge of a roof, Davon watched for a while as the soldiers below him built layer after layer of barricades, with standing towers behind each layer. The carapace panels were fascinating. They seemed to root themselves to the ground after being placed, using what Davon could only describe as fleshy tendrils to dig into the cobblestones.

    Davon furrowed his brows. They¡¯re preparing for our siege, and they¡¯re making it as annoying as possible, he thought.

    He remembered what Grant had said about the Revenants having ¡®tools to deal with threats such as Tenebris.¡¯ Davon wondered if these ¡®tools¡¯ included something to break through line upon line of rooted barricades. Come to think of it, how far would the barricades extend? What if the Crimson Reavers pushed their fortifications all the way to the outer walls?

    Worry crept into Davon¡¯s heart at the thought of the coming siege. The Revenants were powerful, but if they couldn¡¯t find a way to break past these barricades quickly, the Vanguard¡¯s assault would be all but doomed.

    That¡¯s why scouting is so important, he told himself firmly, pushing himself to move on. Every piece of intelligence we gather increases our advantage.

    Finally, Davon spotted the location he was heading towards: the bell tower he had taken refuge in after his initial attack on the forge failed. It was the tallest building in that section of the city, so he thought it would make an excellent hideaway and the perfect vantage point to begin his scouting.

    First, however, he needed to make sure it was safe. Upon arriving at the belltower¡¯s roof, he took the time to clear each floor, from top to bottom. He found some traces of recent footsteps in the dust, but no living creature.

    Once he was certain no Crimson Reavers were still inside the building, he made his way back up to the top floor and scaled the ladder leading to the belltower. He then used his blades to hack the ladder into pieces, hiding the remains in his enchanted material bag. That would cut off easy access to the tower. He could always use Shadow-step.

    Davon climbed the stairs to the roof. Standing atop the belltower, looked around the city one more time, preparing himself mentally to spend a few weeks there alone.

    Not a bad view, excepting the Crimson Reaver buildings, he thought with a grim smile.

 Chapter 30: The Inner City

    Over the next hour or so, Davon made himself comfortable in the belltower. It was a small circular room with a staircase leading up to the belfry itself.

    Davon decided to set up ¡®camp¡¯ under the stairs. He used the empty explosives crate from Taz as a seat, placing his bedroll over it for padding. Tucking his pack into a corner, he sat down and looked around his hideout.

    Bare-bones, but livable, he thought.

    Next came a short rest. Davon knew he needed it, but it was hard to sit there idly. He tried to make good use of the time by focusing on his Reliquary. Holding the bow in his lap, he stared at the remaining three blank rune slots.

    Expanding my options would be a good idea, he concluded.

    Davon tried to consider his choices carefully. The Boneshapers in Walden¡¯s Hold had told him he could change the runes at will, but he still felt nervous about carving the runes himself. He went back and forth for a while, debating various courses of action.

    ¡®You¡¯re thinking yourself in circles, D.¡¯

    Kai¡¯s voice echoed in Davon¡¯s memory, bringing a sudden smile to his face.

    Kai was right. Davon¡¯s instincts had served him well over the past day¡¯s events. Why stop trusting them now?

    Thinking over the morning¡¯s success gave Davon an idea. He could use his remaining runes to lean into the art of the ambush.

    Finally ready to begin, Davon called upon his connection with his Reliquary.

    First, inspired by the Vanguard¡¯s explosives, he carved a Trap rune into his bow. He imagined conjuring a rune onto a surface, something he could leave behind as a ¡®present¡¯ for unsuspecting foes.

    Davon felt his Reliquary shudder in his hands, followed immediately by a strange sensation at the very edge of his awareness. When he focused on it, he felt as if something was tickling the back of his mind. A few moments later, the feeling transformed into something other: an all too familiar thread, connecting Davon with his weapon.

    Well¡­ that was new, Davon thought, unsure how to feel about the experience. Or has it been like that every time, and I was just now able to sense it?

    Driven by both need and curiosity, Davon pulled on the mental threads once again, connecting with a second blank rune. This time, he visualized a simple illusory trick: conjuring the image of an object or person.

    As his weapon shuddered in his hands yet again, Davon turned his attention inward, eagerly waiting for the strange sensation to arise. When it did, he followed the process in its entirety, consciously aware of every moment until another thread formed.

    Davon looked down at his Reliquary, watching the new rune materialize on its side.

    It seems our connection is growing stronger, Davon thought. He gazed at the bow in awe. And to think I once looked at it as just a weapon.

    Davon decided to leave the final rune blank for the time being, just in case he needed to improvise. Then he pushed himself onto his feet and climbed the stairs into the belfry.

    It was time to get back to work.

    While his assignment was only as specific as ¡®scouting the city¡¯, Davon had his own goal. He intended to discover where Tenebris spent most of his time and learn more about the Crimson Reaver general.

    Davon knew he would have to be extremely careful around Tenebris. Dragons had some rather terrifying capabilities. Most concerning for Davon was the draconic ability to see through invisibility and most other illusions. And while Davon had no proof to confirm that Tenebris WAS a dragon, he decided it would be best not to try his luck.

    Davon needed to work under the assumption that the general did, indeed, possess the full range of draconic abilities. Approaching the situation in any other way left Davon open to unpleasant surprises.

    Davon spent about half an hour in the belfry, tracking the movements of nearby patrols. The Crimson Reavers had changed their routes drastically since that morning. They had also tripled the number of patrols in the area surrounding the ruined forge.

    Once he was confident he knew the enemy¡¯s new routes, Davon set off towards the city¡¯s inner walls. He invoked his Invisibility rune and hopped carefully from rooftop to rooftop, relying on Shadow-step when he thought he couldn¡¯t make the jump.

    Paying attention to the city below him, Davon noticed a concentration of Crimson Reaver presence on the large street which connected the outer wall gates to the inner wall gates. The Duke¡¯s Road, if Davon remembered correctly. It seemed as though the Crimson Reavers were putting all of their efforts into reinforcing that street, while mostly ignoring the rest of the city.

    Thinking this could be valuable information for the siege, Davon decided to explore around the outer city more before moving on. He changed course, moving parallel to the inner walls instead of directly towards them.

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    Sure enough, the farther he moved from the Duke¡¯s Road, the less Davon ran into Crimson Reavers. There were still patrols, but they were significantly smaller compared to the ones near the Duke¡¯s Road, and far more spread out.

    Pausing, Davon thought through the benefits of finding a suitable spot for a hideout here, compared to the belfry. On one hand, finding a new hideout deeper in the city would decrease his chances of being discovered. On the other, if he stayed beneath the belfry, it would be easier to keep an eye on the area the Crimson Reavers were actively reinforcing.

    After a few minutes, he decided on a compromise. He would keep his hideout beneath the belfry for now, but if he was ever discovered, he would move further from the Duke¡¯s Road. If he managed to run away successfully, anyway.

    Davon turned back towards the inner walls and continued moving forward. Traveling over rooftops, it didn¡¯t take him long to reach the massive inner walls of the city. He chose the tallest nearby rooftop he could find and tried to take it all in.

    Even in their dilapidated state, the inner walls of Heinburg were a sight to behold. They were taller than the outer walls, so tall that Davon could barely see the ramparts from his vantage point.

    Davon was once again thankful for his enhanced Revenant senses. Using his powerfully keen eyesight, he could just make out several Crimson Reaver soldiers patrolling along the inner wall. This was no surprise.

    What did surprise Davon, however, was the sight of a familiar red-plumed helmet.

    The Red Plume, as Davon decided to call her in that moment, was strolling casually down the rampart. A Necromancer walked beside her, head turned towards the Duelist as if they were listening to her speak.

    Curious, Davon hopped from roof to roof until he was close enough to Shadow-step onto the inner wall ramparts. Taking a second to look around when his vision refocused, he was surprised to see that the inner walls only had about as many guards on them as the outer walls.

    Davon then cast his eyes on inner Heinburg. This was where the well-to-do and nobility lived. Compared to the packed buildings of the outer city, the inner city¡¯s villas and manors seemed almost wasteful. Even in their abandoned state, the opulence of these homes was apparent at a glance, marred only by the presence of Crimson Reavers.

    The inner city was crawling with the enemy¡¯s elite. Davon spotted Duelists, Necromancers, and several other officers in attire he didn¡¯t recognize. They were all striding brazenly around the snow-covered statues, fountains, and leafless hedges of inner Heinburg. Davon also counted at least five captains in similar armor to what Aelius had worn, each with their own unique helmet.

    And yet, he saw no sign of Tenebris.

    Davon turned his attention to the very center of Heinburg. A relatively small castle stood directly in the middle of the city. From his position, Davon could see a massive hole on the castle¡¯s top.

    Maybe that¡¯s where the general is, he thought, pulse quickening with both fear and rage.

    Forcing his mind back to the current moment, Davon crept along the inner wall ramparts towards the Red Plume and the Necromancer.

    When he was close enough to hear their voices, Davon cursed internally. The two were speaking in the Crimson Reaver language. Still, he continued to stalk them, hoping to glean some insight from observation.

    Just as Davon was ready to move on, the Necromancer raised his voice. The pair halted. The Necromancer took an aggressive stance, pointing an accusatory finger at the other¡¯s chin.

    Without a word, the Red Plume grabbed the Necromancer by the throat and lifted them effortlessly off the ground. She pushed the robed figure against the ramparts until half the poor thing¡¯s body was hanging off the edge.

    The Red Plume growled something. The Necromancer gasped out a response, provoking the Red Plume to push them further over the edge.

    Infighting¡­ Davon thought, watching the altercation closely. Now THAT is an interesting development.

    So far, the Crimson Reavers had shown a completely unified front, so this exchange definitely piqued Davon¡¯s curiosity.

    Before anything else could happen, however, the thunderous sound of heavy footsteps drew Davon¡¯s attention back towards the city center. He was just in time to see Tenebris crawl out of the hole in the top of the castle. The general lifted his head and began to roar out a message to his soldiers.

    Fear gripped Davon, and he quickly threw himself off of the rampart on the inner city side. While still in mid-air, he Shadow-stepped onto the balcony of a nearby villa and ducked under the awning that covered it.

    Tenebris¡¯ words, spoken in the Crimson Reaver language, echoed harshly through the inner city. Davon covered his hands with his ears and gritted his teeth.

    Only when the voice ceased did Davon lift his head and start to look around. A glance at the castle showed him that the general had vanished back into the hole. Meanwhile, every Crimson Reaver in the area had stopped whatever they were doing. They were all now walking towards the castle.

    Turning back towards the ramparts, Davon saw that the Necromancer was still being held by the Red Plume, dangling dangerously over the edge. Only moments later, the Red Plume let go of the other Crimson Reaver. The robed figure fell to the ground below, landing with a loud crash about a dozen feet away from Davon¡¯s hiding spot.

    Davon¡¯s eyes darted back up to the ramparts. Dusting herself off, the Red Plume walked calmly to the nearest staircase and down into the inner city.

    Once she was out of sight, Davon rapidly Shadow-stepped up to the ramparts and back into the outer city. Then he took off, hopping from rooftop to rooftop as fast as he could.

    He ignored the burning at the base of his skull. He didn¡¯t stop to look around at what the Crimson Reavers in the outer city were doing. He just ran all the way back to his hideout, only slowing down a couple hundred feet away from the belfry to make sure he wasn¡¯t being followed.

    When he arrived at the belltower, Davon collapsed into his improvised seat under the stairs, breathing heavily. Only once he stopped moving did he realize how fast his heart was beating. Too much had happened all at once. He needed time to wrap his head around all of it.

    Tenebris¡¯ location. Infighting within the Crimson Reaver ranks. The sheer number of powerful units gathered in the inner city. The barricades¡­ Davon found himself overwhelmed.

    Trying to calm down, he reached into his pack and pulled out a notebook, quill, and a bottle of ink. Then, rapidly, he began marking down everything he had seen. Not only would this organize all the new information for the Vanguard, but putting his thoughts to paper also helped sort out the mess in his mind.

    By the time he finished writing about the Crimson Reavers¡¯ defenses, Davon¡¯s heartbeat had slowed. He was able to think straight again.

    Looking over the many pages he had filled in the notebook, Davon shook his head.

    Hell of a day, he thought. Heh, I hope not every day here will be as packed as this.

    Returning the notebook to his pack, Davon spread out his bedroll under the stairs and lay down. If he wanted to be ready for whatever came next, he was going to need some rest.

    He had probably risked his neck enough for one day.

 Chapter 31: Solitary Scout

    The first few days of Davon¡¯s scouting expedition went by without incident. He moved back and forth between the inner and outer city, keeping an eye on the Duke¡¯s Road and trying to figure out Tenebris¡¯ routine.

    While in the outer city, Davon found himself constantly tempted to set traps for the Crimson Reavers along the Duke¡¯s Road. A rune here, a rune there, he mused, imagining a group of soldiers stepping onto the traps and swiftly meeting their demise. But he knew better than to draw attention to himself when he was in it for the long haul.

    On the other side of the walls, Davon spent his time rushing from manor to manor, villa to villa, looking for a better vantage on the castle in the middle of the inner city. But he wasn¡¯t just waiting for Tenebris to make a move. As he examined the castle from a variety of angles, Davon thought about different attack strategies, debating between force or infiltration.

    The castle itself was surrounded by a massive moat, frozen in the mid-autumn cold. The ice would provide easy access on foot for smaller groups. That could be the perfect opportunity for infiltration. For once, Davon found himself thankful about the mainland¡¯s tendency to turn bitterly cold in autumn.

    During one of his forays into the inner city, Davon discovered a massive Crimson Reaper stable, built into the ruins of several buildings. His Invisibility rune enabled him to give the stable a close inspection. He counted nearly fifty ¡®bounders¡¯, the name he¡¯d given the Duelists¡¯ mounts, and as many war beasts. All were neatly separated into their own cages.

    He pondered whether that meant that there were only fifty or so Duelists left in Tenebris¡¯ army, but he dismissed the thought as unlikely.

    There are probably many more Duelists without mounts, he thought. Or there are other stables, with more bounders.

    Making a mental note to search the inner city for more stables, Davon withdrew to his belltower hideout to record his findings.

    On the fourth day, Davon was stalking the inner ramparts when a giant explosion rocked the walls under his feet. Turning towards the source of the commotion, he spotted a massive fireball rising into the air above the Duke¡¯s Road. The shape of the explosion was very familiar to Davon. It looked similar to the destruction he¡¯d caused at the forge.

    Cursing under his breath, Davon threw himself off of the inner walls and down into the outer city streets. He landed in a roll and used the momentum to sprint towards the Duke¡¯s Road. Merely a moment later, the sound of powerful wingbeats announced Tenebris¡¯ presence.

    Before Davon had time to react, a gigantic shape blocked the sun from his view as the ground shook once again. Tenebris had landed directly on top of the building next to Davon.

    A wave of fear washed over him. What if Tenebris really does have draconic senses? he thought wildly. What if he can see through my Invisibility?

    In a moment of panic, Davon threw himself bodily through a window into another building. A moment later, he scolded himself internally for the rash decision. Tenebris leapt from the rooftop and landed on the street with a crash, his shadow looming over the window Davon had just leapt through.

    Davon tucked himself underneath the window sill and held his breath as Tenebris¡¯ head poked in through the window. The general seemed to extend the entirety of his long neck into the room, examining every detail.

    Davon¡¯s eyes were wide in shock. He couldn¡¯t move. Memories of his last encounter with the general flooded through his mind, freezing his muscles in terror. His heart was beating frantically, as if trying to escape his chest.

    Tenebris craned his neck down, turning to look almost directly at Davon.

    This is the end.

    Davon reflexively reached for his weapon, grabbing the bow with the full force of his desperation. But then he froze again.

    Tenebris¡¯ neck was lifting. He continued to scan the room, apparently unaware of Davon¡¯s presence under the window sill.

    No true sight, and he can¡¯t hear my heartbeat, Davon concluded, his mind spinning in several different directions.

    The general withdrew his head from the room with a growl of frustration. Davon stayed frozen, not even daring to breathe, for another few moments. Only when he heard the general bounding away towards the Duke¡¯s Road did Davon finally exhale.

    Whatever that explosion was, it can wait until I catch my damn breath, he thought, slumping to the floor with a sigh of relief.

    Davon waited until he heard the sound of Tenebris making his way back into the inner city before he moved. Shadow-stepping onto a nearby roof, he looked towards the smoke plume left behind from the explosion. One of the newly constructed Crimson Reaver buildings had been torn apart.

    Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Davon got a closer look. Shards of that strange carapace material and pieces of broken weaponry were scattered all over the ground, along with bits of Crimson Reaver bodies.

    Davon smiled to himself, appreciating the carnage. He was glad to see Vanguard sabotages were still ongoing. Not only was it a blow against their monstrous foes, but it meant he wasn¡¯t alone behind enemy lines.

    For a little while, at least.

    ¡ª

    The next week passed by without any major developments. Davon continued spying on the construction along the Duke¡¯s Road, meeting up with another Vanguard scout at the outer walls every few days to deliver his reports.

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    By that point, the Duke¡¯s Road had been made into a fortress of its own. Layers of towers and barricades divided the wide street into ten equal sections. The alleyways leading into the street from the sides were blocked off with massive carapace walls as tall as the city¡¯s buildings, preventing all entry. Anyone trying to get to the inner gate was forced to pass along the Duke¡¯s Road.

    Davon theorized that the Crimson Reavers didn¡¯t have enough forces to watch every part of the city, so they¡¯d created a funnel leading from the outer gate to the inner gate. The Vanguard couldn¡¯t simply destroy a different wall section and flood the city. They would have to face the newly built Crimson Reaver battlements to reach the inner gates.

    The inner city, meanwhile, didn¡¯t need reinforcements. The Crimson Reaver elites and their general could defend those walls easily.

    At least the inner ramparts don¡¯t have many siege emplacements, Davon mused, sitting by one of the few ballistae mounted on the inner wall.

    The Crimson Reaver elites were gathering once again in the inner city below him. He watched as they began moving towards the castle, responding to yet another call from the general. Specifically, his eyes landed on the Red Plume. The Duelist was walking with a captain wearing a familiar, two-horned helmet.

    The captain who had sent Davon and his friends into death''s embrace for the first time.

    Davon subconsciously balled his hands into fists as rage flared in his chest. Ideas of revenge began coursing through his mind, image after image of the suffering he could inflict on the helmeted monster¡­

    Suddenly, a different feeling tugged at the back of his mind. It was the same nagging sensation he¡¯d experienced before overloading himself in the snowfield battle. Only, this time he could pinpoint the source of the feeling. It was pouring forth unmistakably along the threads of connection between him and his Reliquary.

    Also unmistakable was the feeling¡¯s message. It was a warning, as sincere as it could be, against doing anything rash or stupid.

    As if trying to communicate with him, the feeling conjured its own images and ideas, sending them into his head to combat the rage-fueled haze.

    The sense of panic when his arms failed¡­

    That helpless moment when he¡¯d watched his friends die¡­

    His own blood-covered body lying in the snow¡­

    Fine, fine, I get it, he thought, directing the words through the mental link. I won¡¯t attack the captain. Not yet.

    The flurry of wordless communication calmed as Davon returned his attention to his real target. Tenebris was perched on top of his castle, roaring to summon his elites. He gave one final howl, then gracelessly leapt back inside.

    Ever since the explosion the previous week, Tenebris had been calling the Crimson Reaver elites together daily. While curious, Davon didn¡¯t dare try to sneak into one of these gatherings. He could only imagine what sorts of defenses they¡¯d conjured in the castle, and he wasn¡¯t willing to discover the reality. Not when he was alone.

    But the sight of the captain had stoked the fire of revenge in Davon¡¯s heart. It was smoldering at the moment, pushed down by the forceful warning from his Reliquary, but it wouldn¡¯t stay quiet forever.

    Davon returned to his hideout, trying to reason with himself.

    There will be a time for vengeance, but it¡¯s not now, he argued. Wait until your team is back. Wait until you have Kai and Lyla at your side.

    He repeated it over and over to himself like a mantra as he lay down to rest, letting the words lull his heart into a calmer rhythm.

    Wait until you¡¯re not alone. Then you¡¯ll make the monsters pay.

    Every last one of them.

    ¡ª

    Another week later, Davon sat in his hideout, preparing for his regular meeting with the Vanguard contact. His notebook was full of information to pass on. More fortifications had popped up on the Duke¡¯s Road, and Davon had made note of them all. The inner city, on the other hand, remained mostly unchanged.

    Davon inspected his weapon closely, recalling the way it had tried to communicate with him the previous week. Curious, he tugged at the mental threads, asking wordlessly for the Reliquary to show itself to him. His call went unanswered.

    Frowning, Davon slumped in his chair.

    I¡¯ve been alone for a while, he thought. If I¡¯m trying this hard to talk to a weapon¡­

    Suddenly, Davon realized it had been almost three weeks since he began his scouting assignment. Reminding himself to ask the Vanguard contact if Kai and Lyla had resurrected, he pushed himself to his feet and headed towards the usual rendezvous outside the city wall.

    On the way there, he noticed that the Crimson Reavers on the Duke¡¯s Road seemed to be done with their construction. He couldn¡¯t spot a single soldier hauling materials down the street. Every Crimson Reaver he could see was simply standing guard instead.

    Done building? Strange timing, he observed before moving on.

    Making his way to the ramparts, Davon noted that there were more guards than usual patrolling the walls. Feeling grateful that he was fully recovered from his mistakes a few weeks back, Davon chained a few Shadow-steps together. He landed moments later outside the city wall, behind the same rock he always used for cover.

    When his eyes refocused, Davon spotted a Green Tracker, wrapped tightly in their cloak and hiding their face behind a cloth mask.

    Dropping out of invisibility, Davon greeted the figure with a nod as he reached for his pack. It was mostly empty, since he left the majority of his supplies in the hideout. He was searching for his notebook when the Green Tracker raised a hand to interrupt him.

    ¡°No need, this time,¡± the Green Tracker said.

    Davon shot the Revenant a curious look, pausing with his hand already gripping the notebook.

    ¡°You¡¯re being called back. Team¡¯s resurrected,¡± the Revenant explained, leaning against the rock.

    Davon stood up straight, pulse quickening with excitement. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ back?¡±

    The Green Tracker nodded. ¡°I¡¯m replacing you behind enemy lines. Going to need a few details before I let you go.¡±

    After a brief conversation about the location of Davon¡¯s hideout and what to look out for, Davon parted from the Green Tracker. He cloaked himself again with Invisibility and broke into a mad sprint towards the Vanguard base.

    Davon wove his way through the snow field, expertly dodging Crimson Reaver patrols on his way back to camp. He only paid as much attention as it took to avoid the enemy. It was hard to think about anything other than returning to his friends.

    Since his expedition started, Davon had mostly avoided thinking about Kai and Lyla. He¡¯d tried not to think about the fact that he was alone, outside of strategizing. Now that the news of their resurrection reached him, he realized just how much he missed his two companions.

    It took him roughly ten minutes to cross the snowfield. He dropped his Invisibility about a hundred feet before reaching the Vanguard¡¯s entrance so he wouldn¡¯t spook the guards. Then he dashed through the camp with terrifying speed, making his way to the group¡¯s tent in seconds.

    When Davon pushed into the tent, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of his two friends sitting in their usual places. He smiled from ear to ear and stepped inside, his posture instantly relaxing.

    ¡°You two have no idea how nice it is to see you again.¡±

    ¡°D-Davon? Is that you? Are you feeling well?¡± Lyla stammered as she stood up, seemingly caught off-guard by Davon¡¯s expression of raw emotions. She placed her hand on Davon¡¯s forehead to check his temperature.

    ¡°Yeah, you seem a little¡­ out of it,¡± Kai added.

    Davon just shook his head, still grinning. ¡°Oh, do I have some stories to tell you both¡­ well, as soon as I report to Grant and Emma.¡±

 Chapter 32: Simplicity

    ¡°You did all of that alone?¡± Kai asked, astounded by Davon¡¯s story.

    Davon¡¯s friends had followed along while he made his report to Grant and Emma. They decided it would be much easier for Davon to explain it all only once.

    ¡°Surprisingly, yes.¡± Davon shot Kai a grin. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°Valuable information, as always, Davon,¡± Grant interrupted before Kai could retort.

    ¡°A heavily fortified funnel, right down the main street,¡± Emma murmured to herself, seemingly staring at nothing. ¡°That could still work. We can use the surrounding city to our advantage, even without siege engines.¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Grant asked.

    ¡°Archers on high, a few explosives¡­¡± Emma gestured vaguely with her hands as she spoke. ¡°We¡¯ll figure out the details later. Alone.¡±

    Grant nodded, then turned towards the trio. ¡°You three, go see Taz and ask him about specialist supplies. Then you can join the rest of our forces in the field to help clear out enemy patrols. We are preparing for a push on the walls, so eliminating all enemy forces on the outside is now a priority.¡±

    Davon tried to hide his excitement. After weeks of hiding and forcing himself to avoid any conflict, he was itching to get into an actual fight.

    ¡°Understood,¡± he said, keeping his voice calm.

    The trio exchanged nods with Grant and Emma, then turned and pushed out of the command tent into the Vanguard encampment.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been busy while we were gone.¡± Lyla looked at Davon as they headed for the Boneshaper¡¯s tent, her face wearing its usual neutral expression. ¡°You¡¯re braver than I.¡±

    ¡°Hardly. Just a lot more reckless,¡± Davon quipped.

    ¡°Well, can¡¯t deny that.¡± Kai shook his head. ¡°Stalking Tenebris was certainly a choice.¡±

    Davon shrugged. ¡°Not my smartest moment, sure, but it did yield useful information.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how it¡¯s as ¡®useful¡¯ as you seem to think, D,¡± Kai shot back. ¡°He¡¯s still a massive, dragon-like beast, more than capable of killing all of us in seconds.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but he can be tricked. It gives us more options for dealing with him,¡± Davon argued.

    Before he could explain further, the trio reached their destination.

    They waited patiently while Taz finished working on the weapons of a different group of Revenants. Davon didn¡¯t recognize any of them. He figured they were all part of the second wave of reinforcements.

    I wonder if Mia is still here, Davon pondered. Probably not.

    He felt a pang of regret. She had mentioned, if he ever wanted to talk about the Night Runner¡­

    He dismissed the thought with a shrug as the unfamiliar Revenants walked away.

    ¡°Ah, how nice to see ye three back together,¡± Taz exclaimed, giving the trio a friendly smile.

    Kai stepped up to the Boneshaper¡¯s table. ¡°Grant mentioned some specialist supplies. And I believe you owe us a story about the Walden¡¯s Hold twins.¡±

    ¡°Aye, I suppose I do.¡± Taz chuckled as he turned to the crates behind him. ¡°In the meantime, start thinkin¡¯ what you want done with yer weapons next time you come by. Got some Necromancer bones waitin¡¯ for ya.¡±

    Davon watched the Boneshaper pull out different crates from the stack, his curiosity reemerging at Kai¡¯s request. He¡¯d all but forgotten that Taz had promised to tell them more about the pair of Boneshapers in Walden¡¯s Hold.

    ¡°Now, there¡¯s a little somethin¡¯ ye need to know about Boneshapers before I tell ye this story,¡± Taz began. ¡°We Boneshapers, we need to make our first Reliquary and bind to it before we take on that title. It¡¯s a long process, learning to do it all from scratch before you¡¯ve ever even held a Reliquary, and it¡¯s a path typically walked alone.

    ¡°The twins, though¡­ they walked that path together, workin¡¯ on the same Reliquary as their first. That was the one and only time this was allowed, an¡¯ I¡¯m not sure why. Regardless, they made a beautiful piece: double-headed sword-staff, with a splitting mechanism in the middle. Not unlike Davon¡¯s.

    ¡°Having passed their test, everyone at the time expected ¡®em to make a second one before they completed their binding. But instead, the twins bound themselves to the same Reliquary. That¡¯s when their eccentricities started. The entire Guild had its eyes on ¡®em. Everyone wondered what the effect would be, having two souls bound to one Reliquary. What would happen if only one died? Would that one even resurrect? Would they come back as some sort of abomination?

    ¡°As is custom, the twins set out to hunt some monsters, to gather the materials for their next work. ¡¯Twas then people realized they seemed to be¡­ in each other''s heads, both in and out of combat. They didn¡¯t need to speak to communicate, and their coordination was somethin¡¯ else.

    ¡°They never died,  y¡¯know. They carved a path through the continent, huntin¡¯ every beast they came across. Made all of ¡®em into brutal tools of war. They threw style by the wayside and focused on makin¡¯ each piece as deadly as it could be, believin¡¯ in the power of simplicity. Complexity and flare make tools weaker, they claimed. To this day, when they make weapons, they have only killin¡¯ in mind.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Hope that satisfies yer curiosity,¡± Taz concluded, lifting one final crate onto the table.

    ¡°Wait¡­ they¡¯ve never died?¡± Kai asked in astonishment.

    Taz nodded and crossed his arms, smiling. ¡°Not once. I know they might not look like it, and they refuse to brag, but the twins are livin¡¯ legends. They gave up fightin¡¯ a couple decades back to focus on their art. But back in the day, even the Emperor¡¯s Hand gave ¡®em praise.¡±

    Davon raised his eyebrows in shock. The Emperor¡¯s Hand were rarely even seen, so the group ¡®giving praise¡¯ was unheard of.

    The trio fell into contemplative silence for a moment. Thoughts swirled in Davon¡¯s head. He tried to imagine how it would feel to live with another person constantly in your mind. Mostly, he was impressed at the sheer skill the twins must possess to go on a hunting trip around the continent without a single death.

    He had gained a lot more respect for the strange pair of Boneshapers, and made a note to treat them accordingly the next time he was in Walden¡¯s Hold.

    Davon had been so completely engrossed in the story, he didn¡¯t notice the stack of crates on the Boneshaper¡¯s table until Taz clapped his hands to get their attention.

    ¡°Now, take yer pick. Elementally infused throwing knives, axes, javelins, flasks. Remote explosives, like the ones ye used for the forge. Poisons and oils to apply to yer weapons. If ye have any questions, ask. Oh, and only one crate per Revenant, unless ye can provide the materials to make more.¡±

    The trio took their turns inspecting the equipment, asking for details along the way. A few minutes later, they each chose a crate of supplies and tucked them gently into their packs.

    Davon decided on a pack of fire-infused throwing knives. Taz had explained their enchantment was meant to release a ball of fire into whatever they hit.

    Sounds effective, Davon thought grimly. He took a second to pick a few of the knives from the crate and stuff them into his belt.

    Bidding a quick goodbye to Taz, the trio headed for the camp¡¯s exit, intent on beginning their new assignment.

    While they walked, Davon grabbed his Reliquary and gave it a once over. He noted with new appreciation just how expertly the weapon was crafted. Previously, he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the bow¡¯s appearance, but now he could tell it had been made with no thought for aesthetics. Only intention governed the weapon¡¯s design.

    This simplicity contained a beauty of its own, Davon realized. The Reliquary held a singular purpose, untarnished by vanity. Unlike ceremonial weaponry, meant to impress and astound, this Reliquary didn¡¯t try to hide any of its deadliness.

    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that people as legendary as those two would be in a backwater like Walden¡¯s Hold,¡± Kai remarked as the trio made it to the camp¡¯s exit. ¡°I mean really, before the Red Dawn, the city had nothing going for it other than an unusually high number of griffins in the area.¡±

    ¡°And a steady supply of trade from the eastern islands.¡± Slinging his weapon onto his back, Davon looked at Kai. ¡°I can see why they would want to settle there, if their focus was entirely on their craft.¡±

    ¡°Well, it also serves as a gateway for any islander Revenant candidates coming to the continent. Honestly, it¡¯s an almost perfect choice,¡± Lyla added, her usually blank face wearing a thoughtful expression.

    They had reached the gate at this point. Davon felt a shudder of anticipation run through him at the sight of the snowfield outside the camp.

    ¡°We should focus on the task at hand,¡± he said, turning to his companions with a broad grin. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡ª

    Roughly an hour later, the trio were stalking a Crimson Reaver patrol through the snowfield. They followed the group of soldiers for a while, waiting for the right moment to strike.

    First, they needed to make out the enemy¡¯s exact numbers. Aided by Davon¡¯s Invisibility, the three Revenants were able to get quite close to the Crimson Reavers. Davon counted fifteen enemies total: a dozen soldiers, two sergeants, and a captain in the lead.

    Looking closely at the captain, Davon determined this wasn¡¯t the one they had faced previously. Rather than two horns, his helmet was adorned with a crown-like arrangement of spikes.

    One day we¡¯ll get our revenge on that bastard, Davon thought in frustration, savoring the thought of putting an arrow between those two horns.

    Then he shook his head, forcing his attention back to the present moment.

    ¡°Right, this seems about as good a spot as any,¡± Davon whispered, pulling his weapon off of his back.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Kai lifted his axe as he stood to his full height. ¡°Leave the captain to me. I¡¯ve been wanting to try this ever since resurrection.¡±

    Trusting in Kai to handle the captain, Davon raised his bow, invoking his Scattershot rune as he took careful aim.

    ¡°Lyla, can you handle the sergeants?¡±

    ¡°Of course I can,¡± Lyla replied, her voice betraying a hint of excitement.

    With a quick countdown, the group leapt into action. Almost simultaneously, Davon released his projectile towards the center of the enemy¡¯s formation and Lyla sent her spear towards one of the sergeants.

    Davon watched with satisfaction as his perfectly placed Scattershot pierced through the Crimson Reaver soldiers. Eight of them fell to the ground, blood seeping through the many holes in their armor. Turning his attention to the front of the group, he watched one of the sergeants fly into the snow, impaled by Lyla¡¯s attack.

    Dashing through the confused Crimson Reavers, Kai dropped into a shoulder charge. Watching curiously, Davon noticed a rune light up on the warrior¡¯s axe as his shoulder was enveloped with golden light.

    The Crimson Reavers had barely turned towards the trio of Revenants when Kai drove his shoulder into the captain¡¯s gut. The force of the blow sent a shockwave outward from the point of impact, golden light briefly banishing the crimson gloom. The captain hurtled through the air, landing ten feet away from where he¡¯d been standing.

    The four remaining soldiers drew their swords in a panic, swinging wildly at Kai¡¯s. Each strike landed squarely on the young warrior¡¯s back, but the weapons just slid off, leaving only small scratches that were barely visible through Kai¡¯s clothes.

    Unbothered by the ineffective attempts to harm him, Kai spun on his heel and swung his axe in a low arc. Before any of the remaining soldiers could react to the sudden turn, each of them was bisected, only fractions of a second apart.

    The soldier¡¯s bodies fell heavily onto the snow as the captain struggled to his feet, cradling his torso. Davon noticed the captain¡¯s armor was caved inwards at the spot Kai had landed his blow.

    Terrified, the remaining sergeant took a step away from Kai, sword raised. He raised his arm towards the Revenant and began to chant.

    Just as the sergeant¡¯s arm lit up with crimson fire, Davon raised his bow and took a shot without hesitation. The arrow landed squarely in the sergeant¡¯s neck, silencing his chant. Davon smiled as he watched the magical fire fizzle out.

    The trio¡¯s attention then landed fully on the stumbling captain. Davon watched the Crimson Reaver raise his arms to the sky, as if in prayer.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take you all with me then!¡± the captain growled. A bright crimson orb formed above his head, and his body began smoking.

    Almost instinctively, Davon reached for one of the knives on his belt, drawing it and flinging it towards the captain in one smooth motion. He held his breath. The knife flew towards his target and buried itself in the captain¡¯s forehead.

    The captain stumbled backwards. The instant his focus was broken, the orb and smoke dissipated.

    Then flames burst from every hole in his helmet as the knife unleashed its fireball inside the Crimson Reaver¡¯s skull. It took only a few seconds for the flames to devour the figure, leaving a charred husk on the snowy ground.

    Satisfied with their total victory, Davon put away his weapon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s grab some materials and head back.¡±

 Chapter 33: Ambush

    The trio harvested what useful materials they could from their fallen enemies, then headed back to the Vanguard encampment. After reporting their success to Grant and Emma, they were told to stand by and await further orders.

    They found a relatively quiet spot near the command tent to have a short rest. Sitting down on some crates covered by cloth awnings, the trio settled into their usual habits.

    Davon smiled at his companions. ¡°We¡¯ve come a long way since that griffin, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ we have,¡± Kai replied with a proud smile of his own, leaning his weapon against his chest. ¡°But what makes you say that all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°The way we handled that patrol. I mean, think back to the last time we fought a captain. Aelius almost killed us. And that one today? He barely got to do anything,¡± Davon pointed out.

    ¡°Yes, but let¡¯s try to keep the excitement down this time,¡± Lyla warned, maintaining her poker face. ¡°Overconfidence has gotten us killed twice already. I¡¯d like to avoid repeating that mistake a third time.¡±

    Davon crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Yeah. We can agree on that.¡±

    The trio continued their rest in silence. Davon watched the Vanguard members moving past them in the meantime. Several more groups entered the command tent to make their report, then also found spots to wait nearby after exiting.

    The Vanguard is gathering again, Davon observed as yet another group of Revenants, a trio he recognized from Walden¡¯s Hold, took up their position on some boxes a few feet away. We¡¯re getting closer to assaulting the wall.

    Excitement brewed in his heart at the idea of bringing the fight to the enemy in their stolen home. His thoughts turned to his time alone in Heinburg, how he had been forced to avoid any and all conflict. Three weeks of hiding had left him metaphorically starved for revenge. Eliminating the patrol earlier that day had only whetted his appetite.

    Suddenly, that nagging feeling arose in the back of his mind. His enthusiasm for slaughter was slightly dulled as the feeling dredged up the worst memories of the Walden¡¯s Hold siege. It brought with it the fear of incoming siege weapon projectiles, the idea of a slow push while under constant attack, and finally the destructive power of the Crimson Reavers¡¯ conjured firestorm.

    Alright, I get it, you can stop now, Davon thought.

    Gradually, the connection between him and his Reliquary calmed down and went silent.

    He found himself wondering about this link. As the connection grew stronger, would his Reliquary be able to communicate with him more clearly? What would that mean for him in combat? The weapon didn¡¯t seem to like it when Davon took too many risks.

    Davon was grateful for his Reliquary¡¯s incredible abilities. But if it tried to hinder him in his quest for revenge¡­

    Before his ponderings could continue, the sound of the calling bell snapped Davon back to reality. Sharing a quick glance with his friends, Davon pushed himself up to his feet, straightened his posture, and joined the crowd gathering around the command tent.

    Focusing on the whispers of the Revenants around him, Davon could make out several conversations going on at the same time. To his left, a pair of Green Trackers were excitedly discussing tactics, barely able to contain themselves at the thought of taking the fight to the enemy. To his right, a trio of Heinburg Revenants shared their doubts to each other. They were reflecting gravely on the first siege of Heinburg, when the Crimson Reavers had claimed the city.

    The conversation unfolding behind Davon was even more somber. A large group of Revenants seemed worried about the Vanguard¡¯s numbers. They wondered if they would even have enough forces left to push into the city by the time they reached the walls.

    All conversation ceased the moment Grant and Emma emerged from the command tent.

    Grant swept his gaze over the assembled Revenants, his expression solemn.

    ¡°Brothers and sisters in arms, the moment we have all been waiting for has finally come. Today, we shall bring the fight to the enemy where they think themselves safe. Today, we shall storm their walls and reclaim the streets of Heinburg. Today, the Crimson Reaver scourge in the east of our beautiful empire will be eliminated.¡±

    ¡°All of you, gather at the camp¡¯s entrance for your orders and assignments,¡± Emma commanded. ¡°Prepare well, if you haven¡¯t already. Once the siege begins, we likely won¡¯t get a chance to rest until the fighting is done.¡±

    The gathered crowd slowly dispersed as Revenants filtered out in groups of twos and threes. Davon found himself thinking of the previous Vanguard gathering, when they had pushed their camp forward into the snowfield. Memories of that fight flooded back to him, and he shivered slightly with nerves.

    Then he remembered watching the Red Plume drop the Necromancer off the inner walls. Maybe the Duelists won¡¯t even show up, he considered. This helped his nerves settle, though he recognized quickly that it was a foolish hope.

    Davon took a deep breath, steeling his resolve.

    Enemy infighting or not, we¡¯ll need to be ready, he concluded. Ready for anything.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The trio joined the rest of the Vanguard, making their way to the camp¡¯s entrance. Compared to the usual chatting present at Vanguard gatherings, all Revenants were completely silent. The whispered conversations from outside the command tent were not resumed. Everyone simply stood at attention and awaited orders, anxiety palpable in the air.

    The trio was soon engaged by a few of the Vanguard¡¯s support staff, a group of robed engineers, and taken to help carry siege engine components outside the camp. Davon found some peace in the activity. It reminded him of the simple days back on the Night Runner, carrying crates from ship to dock and vice versa.

    With every box he carried out of the camp, Davon examined the siege equipment, marveling at the technology. The Vanguard¡¯s engineers quickly put together a line of trebuchets and catapults before moving onto battering rams and siege towers. Each machine was made of a wooden framework and reinforced with metal plating on the front, meant to protect against minor attacks.

    After about an hour of carrying components, the trio finally got a moment to sit down, taking advantage of the many empty crates. Davon watched as the final siege weapons were constructed in front of them. He counted five trebuchets, a dozen catapults, eight siege towers, and three battering rams. He wondered why the Vanguard needed three battering rams, considering Heinburg only had one gate.

    Probably spares, in case the first gets destroyed, he reasoned.

    An engineer approached the party a few minutes later and told them to take a position by one of the siege towers. They had been chosen to push the tower to the walls, alongside another trio of Vanguard Revenants.

    Up close to their assigned tower, Davon was even more impressed by the craftsmanship. He particularly appreciated the heavy armor plating on the tower¡¯s front. Looks like it could soak up some ballista bolts, he noted. The towers had four handle bars on its side, with simple wooden barricades in front of them. The barricades were covered with steel plating and contained only one small slit to look through.

    Davon inspected the plating on the barricades, satisfied that they would protect against a ballista bolt or two as well, before taking his spot by one of the handle bars.

    Lucky we¡¯re all Revenants here, he mused. It would take twenty normal humans to get this thing moving.

    The sound of a war horn echoed from behind the Vanguard¡¯s battle lines, sending the gathered forces scrambling into positions. A group of Revenants took a spot behind each of the siege towers and one of the battering rams, while smaller teams assembled by the trebuchets and catapults. Finally, a massive group of three hundred or so Revenants formed layered ranks at the front of the formation, carrying barricades in front of them.

    Grant¡¯s voice rose over the battle lines. ¡°Now, push forward, brothers and sisters in arms! May glory ever be on our side!¡±

    With a heave, Davon put his full weight against the handle bar. He felt a shift as the massive war machine lurched and began to roll slowly forward through the snow. Peeking through the slit in the barricade in front of him, Davon watched as the gates of Heinburg slowly opened. A wave of Crimson Reavers rushed outside, forming line after line of soldiers.

    ¡°Enemy is sallying out! Stay on guard!¡± Grant¡¯s voiced echoed in Davon¡¯s ears as he continued pushing.

    The two battle lines crawled towards each other as the gates shut again, leaving the mass of soldiers locked outside. Looking closer, Davon observed that only regular Crimson Reaver soldiers had been sent to meet the Vanguard¡¯s approach.

    Cannon fodder. They¡¯re trying to weaken us,

    Suddenly, his Reliquary sent a nagging feeling into the back of his mind, a warning Davon didn¡¯t dare to ignore.

    No¡­ a diversion, he realized, looking around frantically.

    Then he heard the sound of a finger snap.

    For a moment, Davon relived his first death. He was back in that Crimson Reaver encampment, watching enemy soldiers materialize out of thin air on every side at a snap of the two-horned captain¡¯s fingers¡­

    Davon¡¯s Reliquary hummed in his mind, pulling him back into the present. He had fractions of a second to react as Crimson Reavers appeared all around the siege tower, seemingly out of nowhere. Out of the corner of his eye, Davon spotted more enemies around the other siege engines. The air was full of the noise of combat.

    What grabbed Davon¡¯s full attention, however, was the Crimson Reaver captain standing directly behind him. Two horns, the visage of a screaming face, sword raised and ready to strike at Davon.

    Reflexively, Davon dropped to his knees, just barely avoiding the blow aimed at his torso. The captain¡¯s sword pierced the wood of the siege tower with a dull thud, sinking a few inches into the war machine.

    Time seemed to slow as Davon reached for his weapon and detached the two blades, rage filling his heart.

    ¡°PROTECT THE ENGINES!¡± Grant shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

    Davon¡¯s brain finally caught up to the full situation at hand. He noted at least a dozen Crimson Reaver sergeants in his periphery. Trusting his friends to deal with the sergeants, Davon Shadow-stepped to the captain¡¯s side and swung his blades in a low arc.

    The two-horned captain sidestepped Davon¡¯s attack, forcing Davon to turn on his heel with the momentum. While Davon was still mid-turn, the captain brought his blade up, aiming to stab it into Davon¡¯s gut.

    Only able to catch the incoming attack thanks to the mental warning of his Reliquary, Davon reflexively swung a blade to his side, parrying the captain¡¯s sword at the final moment.

    The two combatants locked eyes. Sparks flew as their blades slid against each other.

    Sudden movement in his periphery caught Davon¡¯s attention. Kai and a Revenant Davon didn¡¯t recognize were working together to eviscerate several sergeants.

    Using this moment of distraction, the captain kicked Davon in the chest, sending the Revenant into a stagger.

    Davon dug one foot into the snow-covered dirt to catch himself, then swung back at the captain with an attack he knew was too obvious to land. The captain raised his own blade to parry the blow.

    With a wicked grin, Davon invoked his Sharpness rune just as their blades were about to meet. The gambit paid off in full. Davon¡¯s blade cut cleanly through the captain¡¯s weapon.

    Pushing on with the momentum, Davon cleaved through the Captain¡¯s torso in one swift motion, his blade passing through armor and flesh with no resistance.

    As the top half of the Captain¡¯s body fell to the ground, followed swiftly by the lower half, Davon straightened his posture and flicked the blood off of his blades with a flourish. He took a moment to savor his victory over the trio¡¯s nemesis. Finally, the one who had delivered death upon them for the first time lay dead at his feet.

    Snapping himself back to reality, Davon turned his attention to the rest of the battlefield just in time to see Lyla impale a Crimson Reaver on her spear. Both the spear and the body that was stuck on it erupted into a fiery blaze.

    A glance around showed Davon that the fighting had mostly subsided. Several of the Vanguard¡¯s war machines were destroyed, but all of them were surrounded by Crimson Reaver bodies.

    Davon allowed himself a grim smile. The ambush had been repelled almost as quickly as it was launched. Even though they had lost some of their siege engines, Davon could tell the Vanguard was emboldened by the swift victory.

    Now they had to carry that momentum forward into the rest of the siege.

 Chapter 34: Crimson Reaver Cavalry

    The Vanguard swiftly resumed their push towards Heinburg¡¯s outer walls. Even from a distance, Davon¡¯s keen senses allowed him to watch as the city¡¯s wall-mounted ballistae slowly turned to aim at the Vanguard¡¯s battle lines.

    We¡¯re still well out of range, Davon noted gratefully.

    Still, anxiety brewed in the back of his mind. He grew more and more apprehensive as they drew closer to Heinburg. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from imagining what a ballista bolt would do to him, should a hit land.

    Calm down. You can see those things coming from a mile away. You could just Shadow-step to safety.

    Davon tried to reason with himself and push down his worries. But it was futile. His anxiety increased with every step they took towards the city.

    In an effort to calm his fears, Davon looked at the layered lines of Crimson Reaver soldiers standing between the Vanguard and Heinburg. That was a far less intimidating prospect. With the ambush beaten back, these soldiers were just cannon fodder, thrown out to slow the Vanguard down. Davon almost felt bad for them.

    ¡°Trebuchets, fire at the battle lines! Carry crews, be on standby!¡± Grant commanded.

    Looking over his shoulder, Davon watched as the groups of Revenants who had been pushing the trebuchets along halted. The Vanguard engineers leapt forward to load the impressive war machines.

    When the trebuchet nearest to him finally launched its first projectile, Davon couldn¡¯t help but flinch. The launched boulder flew through the air towards the Crimson Reavers with a terrifying whoosh and landed almost in the middle of the formation. The projectile¡¯s impact echoed like divine thunder.

    Davon watched through the slit in the barrier in front of him as a whole section of the Crimson Reaver battle lines was obliterated.

    A war horn sounded from Heinburg¡¯s walls, and the Crimson Reavers began their retreat in a panic. Before they could escape, however, several more boulders fell upon their formation, decimating them.

    ¡°Cease bombardment!¡± Grant¡¯s voice carried over the Vanguard¡¯s steady march. ¡°Move the trebuchets into position for firing on the ramparts!¡±

    While the Crimson Reavers retreated back into Heinburg, the Vanguard continued pushing slowly towards the walls. Just as Davon was estimating that the Vanguard frontline was about to enter the range of Heinburg siege engines, the city¡¯s first ballista bolts came hurtling towards the Revenants.

    Thankfully, only six ballistae were mounted on the city¡¯s walls. Still, when the bolts came flying towards the Vanguard, Davon heart froze in terror. He watched, helpless, as the projectile flew straight towards him¡­ and was intercepted at the last moment by a golden barrier.

    The bolt bounced off of the Vanguard¡¯s conjured defenses, landing in the snow. Moments later, a whole group of bolts collided with the barrier and fell to the ground, thwarted.

    ¡°Trebuchets, take those ballistae out! Fire at will!¡± Grant commanded as the trebuchets slid into position.

    The Vanguard were able to maintain the barrier without slowing their approach. But the ballista bolts were not completely ineffective. Davon felt the barrier shudder with every subsequent volley from the city walls. Each impact sent a new line of cracks across the barrier¡¯s golden surface.

    By the time the first trebuchet launched its projectile at the city walls, Davon thought the Vanguard¡¯s barrier was going to fail any second. His attention was caught by the flying boulder, however, as it flew almost directly at the nearest ballista.

    The boulder collided with the wall, causing chunks of worked stone to fall to the ground. The ballista¡¯s platform slid out of place and began tilting dangerously. It appeared to have been suffering from lack of maintenance since the Crimson Reavers took the city. Soon the entire contraption, along with the Crimson Reavers manning it, fell to the ground outside the walls with a thunderous crash.

    In sequence, the rest of the Vanguard¡¯s trebuchets launched their projectiles as well. Two missed, leaving massive craters in the side of Heinburg¡¯s outer walls, while another two landed squarely on their targets.

    Davon looked on as the Crimson Reavers, panicked, loaded more ballista shots. There was still a good chance that the Vanguard would see serious losses before the trebuchets were reloaded.

    Only then did Davon realize just how close to the walls the Vanguard¡¯s frontline had gotten. Before the remaining ballistae could fire again, the Revenants leading the charge set down the barricades they were carrying. Ducking behind these barricades for cover, they shifted their formation, allowing the gathered archers to take point.

    In response, the Crimson Reaver soldiers standing on the ramparts drew their own bows, loosing a volley of arrows towards the Vanguard¡¯s battle line. Most of these enemy missiles fell to the ground, repelled easily by the conjured barrier. But then the ballistae fired again.

    The barrier shattered.

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    Now, the Vanguard warriors had only their barricades for cover.

    At that moment, a second volley of boulders was launched by the Vanguard¡¯s trebuchets, obliterating another two ballistae as well as a building beyond the walls.

    Through all of the chaos, Davon and his team continued pushing their siege tower towards the walls. They drew closer and closer to the frontlines, moving towards strategic holes in the wall of barricades left there specifically for the siege towers to pass through.

    Davon counted his blessings when he realized that the enemy¡¯s sole remaining ballista was on the far side of the battlefield. He took a deep breath, letting his anxiety fade into the background.

    At least we won¡¯t be getting shot at by siege engines. That¡¯s one less thing to worry about.

    ¡°Towers, hold!¡± Grant commanded, causing the siege tower teams to halt. ¡°Catapults, thin the ramparts!¡±

    A volley of smaller boulders was launched at the Crimson Reavers on the walls. The enemy¡¯s barrage of arrows ceased as they ducked down to take cover, but for most of them, this was a futile effort. The Vanguard¡¯s boulders made short work of the city¡¯s merlons, leaving exposed areas along the walls. With his cursory knowledge of warfare, Davon guessed those areas were the points where the siege towers would be installed when they pushed to claim the walls.

    Suddenly, the sound of a war horn echoed from within the city. It was a long, drawn-out wail unlike any war horn Davon had ever heard. Even before those echoes faded, Davon picked up on the noise of many massive feet running across the ground.

    A whole line of mounted Duelists hopped onto the rampart.

    At the exact same moment, the Revenants launched another volley of catapult boulders towards the walls.

    The boulders crashed directly into some of the Duelists¡¯ leaping mounts, catching them off-guard. With painful wails, those beasts were sent back into the city, either dead or severely wounded from the impact.

    But the rest of the Duelists were undeterred. They urged their mounts forward and off the ramparts, leaping from the walls to land on the battlefield far below.

    Well, so much for them not showing up, Davon sighed.

    He focused on preparing himself for the battle to come. As much as he¡¯d hoped to avoid fighting those things again, some part of him had wished for a rematch with the Red Plume. If nothing else, he wanted to prove to himself that he was able to best her.

    However, as Davon scanned the group of Crimson Reaver cavalry, he didn¡¯t see her among them. He frowned. Though her absence was a good thing for the Vanguard, he was disappointed to miss out on such a worthy opponent.

    Count your blessings, fool, Davon chided internally. You will have more than a worthy opponent when Tenebris joins the fight.

    ¡°Brace! Tower teams, reinforce the flanks!¡±

    Grant¡¯s command sent Davon and the rest of his team into action as they moved to take position with the Vanguard¡¯s main force.

    While running, Davon scanned the Crimson Reaver cavalry again. He counted fifty of the massive beasts, each with a Duelist on top.

    Seconds before the cavalry crashed into the Vanguard, the beasts leapt over the lines of barricades, landing only feet behind the frontline of Revenants. The Duelists dismounted their beasts, blades poised to strike.

    Davon raised his bow as the battlefield descended into chaos. With a line of the Duelists¡¯ beasts between him and the Vanguard frontline, he couldn¡¯t tell how the fight was unfolding.

    Trying to focus, Davon invoked the Scattershot rune and loosed a shot in the general direction of the Duelists¡¯ mounts. There were enough of them that he didn¡¯t concern himself with taking precise aim, opting instead to hit as many foes as possible.

    Davon¡¯s shot landed squarely in the back of one beast, piercing its armor and sinking into flesh. Barely visible rivulets of blood trickled down the thing¡¯s armor. Growling savagely, it turned to face its assailant.

    As Davon braced for the creature¡¯s attack, Kai stepped in front of him, axe raised in a defensive manner.

    ¡°One beast at a time, D!¡± Kai shouted over the noise of battle.

    With a roar, the beast bounded towards the two Revenants. But before it could reach them, a spear flew towards it at astounding speed. The weapon pierced through the beast¡¯s chest and exited on the other side, taking part of the creature¡¯s spine with it.

    Carried by the momentum of its leap, the beast¡¯s body fell to the ground and slid towards Kai. The warrior raised his foot, placing it against the thing¡¯s shoulder to bring it to a stop.

    Davon glanced over at Lyla just as her spear returned to her hands. Almost nonchalantly, she flicked the bits of spine from her spear and prepared herself for another throw.

    Returning his attention to the unfolding battle, Davon spotted one of the beasts with a Revenant held in its mouth. He raised his bow, taking careful aim while the creature thrashed its head, then loosed his shot.

    Davon watched as the arrow flew straight, striking the beast¡¯s neck at the point where it connected to its shoulder. Staggering, the creature let go of the poor Revenant it had been thrashing about. Then it fell to the ground with a pathetic groan.

    Davon swept his gaze over the rest of the battlefield. Quite a few Revenants lay on the ground. A few were motionless, but most of them were just squirming in pain. The Crimson Reavers¡¯ beasts and Duelists lay dead all around them.

    Since the initial combat started only a short time ago, almost half of the Crimson Reaver cavalry lay dead on the battlefield. Davon smiled with no small amount of satisfaction at the sight, but his celebration was short-lived as he spotted a volley of arrows bearing down from Heinburg¡¯s walls.

    ¡°Behind me, now!¡± Kai called out.

    Davon, Lyla, and several other nearby Revenants rushed to obey. Fractions of a second before the arrows impacted them, Kai raised his axe. A rune lit up on the weapon, conjuring a smaller version of the barrier the Vanguard had used previously.

    From the safety of Kai¡¯s golden barrier, Davon kept an eye on the Crimson Reavers still on the battlefield. Then the war horn sounded again, a much shorter call this time. Almost immediately, the Crimson Reaver cavalry split off, the beasts bounding away as their riders seemed to teleport into the saddles.

    It was then that Davon spotted the Red Plume stalking along the ramparts. He could barely make out her movements, but he did manage to note that she had just tucked a war horn into her belt.

    Before anyone in the Vanguard could react, the Crimson Reaver cavalry made a swift retreat towards the city, gathering at the walls beneath the Red Plume.

    Leaping onto her own mount, the Red Plume lifted her voice, calling across the city and the battlefield alike:

    ¡°We will not die for your pointless conquest, Tenebris!¡±

    With that, the Red Plume spurred her mount to jump off the walls, landing among her fellow Duelists. The whole cavalry turned and rode away from the city and the Vanguard ranks, leaving the conflict behind.

    Well¡­ that¡¯s a change of pace, Davon mused. I guess their infighting was worse than I thought.

    Then Grant¡¯s bellowed command sent Davon and his team hurrying to resume their position by the siege tower.

    ¡°Brothers and sisters in arms, prepare to push for the walls!¡±

 Chapter 35: Outer Walls

    While the Vanguard¡¯s mood had previously been split between anxiety and excitement, now the anxiety was nowhere to be found.

    The Revenants pushed forward, bolstered by the sudden retreat of the Crimson Reaver cavalry. Grant assigned a third team of Revenants to push and defend each siege tower. One last volley from the trebuchets removed the final wall-mounted ballista. Then the Vanguard¡¯s war machines ceased their assault, allowing the siege towers to approach the walls in relative safety.

    Yet still, Davon couldn¡¯t calm his thoughts. The siege seemed too easy thus far.

    He also found the sudden retreat of the Crimson Reaver cavalry both suspicious and disappointing. On one hand, fewer powerful enemies were standing in their way now. But on the other, he worried about an ambush later in the siege.

    Davon also couldn¡¯t shake the selfish disappointment he¡¯d felt watching the Red Plume ride away. He had been looking forward to a rematch with her ever since they first crossed blades.

    Staring up at the walls, more troubling thoughts occurred to him. So far, aside from the cavalry rush, the Vanguard had encountered minimal enemy resistance. Only simple soldiers and sergeants, easily overcome.

    Then there were the walls themselves. Even if the Vanguard claimed the outer walls with ease, they still had to fight their way through the heavily reinforced Duke¡¯s Road, and then conquer the inner walls as well.

    Davon knew damn well that there were more powerful Crimson Reavers within those walls. He feared the moment they would show themselves. And of course, there was always the looming threat of Tenebris and when he might choose to join the battle.

    Looking over his shoulder at the rest of the Vanguard, Davon spotted both Grant and Emma escorting a siege engine of their own. This war machine, being pushed along by six other Revenants, was a massive cylindrical metal structure, every inch of it covered in runic script.

    Davon remembered Grant mentioning the Guild had ways to deal with threats such as Tenebris. Was this machine one of those ¡®tools¡¯? Or was it simply a type of siege engine Davon wasn¡¯t familiar with?

    The sound of arrows hitting metal snapped Davon¡¯s attention back to the front. He realized quickly that the arrows were aimed at the siege tower he and his team were pushing. Dozens of small projectiles bounced off of the tower¡¯s armor plating, landing pitifully in the snow.

    Spurred on by the attack, Davon refocused his efforts on pushing the siege tower along. The sound of rolling wheels and groaning wood had become so deeply embedded in his ears that the noise of arrows whizzing through the air was barely audible to him.

    When an arrow struck the ground at his feet, just barely clearing the gap between the ground and the barricade in front of Davon, he almost jumped. A string of smoke rose from the point of impact.

    Fire arrows¡­ that¡¯s not good.

    Davon turned his gaze to the slit in his barricade. From the extremely limited point of view, Davon could see Crimson Reaver archers standing boldly atop the ramparts, weapons raised. With the catapult bombardment ceased, the enemy had free rein of the walls again, and they were using this to its full potential.

    Davon watched each Crimson Reaver nock an arrow. As they pulled their bowstrings back, those arrows lit up with crimson flame. Most of the enemy archers took aim at the barricades, but a few fired directly at the Vanguard¡¯s siege towers.

    That fire is useless, so long as the armor plating holds, Davon assured himself.

    He continued pushing and moved his head away from the slit. There was a slight chance that a stray arrow could make it through that slit and hit him. He wasn¡¯t willing to take that risk, no matter how small it was.

    As the siege tower crossed the line of barricades, Grant¡¯s voice echoed again over the battlefield.

    ¡°Archers, retaliate!¡±

    Davon glanced over his shoulder, wishing he could join in the retaliation. He watched the archer Revenants split off from the battle lines and launch a volley against the Crimson Reavers. The Vanguard¡¯s catapult attack had destroyed the merlons on large swaths of the ramparts. Davon found some satisfaction in watching the enemy soldiers who stood on these wall sections fall off the ramparts, arrows sticking out of their armor.

    As the exchange between Vanguard and Crimson Reaver archers continued, the siege towers drew ever closer to the walls. Roughly halfway between the battle line and the walls, Davon picked up on guttural shouting inside the city.

    Davon¡¯s Reliquary piped up with a warning, sending calls for caution through their mental link. Davon no longer had any qualms about these warnings. The last few minutes alone had given him plenty of reasons to trust his Reliquary without hesitation. Heeding the weapon, Davon peeked out at the walls again, just in time to see a new contingent of Crimson Reavers step onto the ramparts.

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    These were Crimson Reavers he had never seen before, even in his three weeks of scouting behind enemy lines. They wore armor much heavier than even the captains. Each was equipped with a tower shield and longsword. Davon could only imagine how difficult it would be to get past their guard.

    Well¡­ I¡¯ll have to figure out how to do that very quickly, he thought with an exasperated sigh.

    Heavily armored units in a small space would already be difficult to deal with. Heavily armored units with tower shields to boot were a whole other layer of difficulty to overcome, especially for someone who specialized in ranged combat.

    Davon began to strategize about how to deal with the ¡®Heavies¡¯, as he decided to call them in that moment, then quickly realized he was out of time. The siege tower was about to be in position. He would have to form a strategy in the few minutes it took to climb up the ladder and onto the wall.

    ¡°Towers, anchor in place!¡± Grant commanded.

    Davon reached towards a mechanism near the base of the tower. Flipping a hooked bit onto the segmented wheel, he locked it in place.

    ¡°Now, make for the walls!¡± Grant shouted, and the Vanguard obeyed.

    Swiftly moving from the side of the tower to its back, Davon grabbed onto one of three ladders in the interior. He only had time to notice Kai and a Revenant in Heinburg colors leaping onto the other two ladders before he began his ascent.

    Reaching the tower¡¯s top first, Davon grabbed the release lever and waited for his siblings-in-arms to catch up. Kai was only seconds behind, followed swiftly by the Heinburg Revenant. Kai gave Davon a nod.

    Exhaling quickly to calm his nerves, Davon pulled the release lever. The siege tower¡¯s massive walkway dropped onto the ramparts with a thunderous crash. Almost as soon as the walkway dropped, Davon saw two Heavies step into position on the other end, placing their shields side by side to block the path.

    Before Davon could act, Kai rushed past him, axe held high.

    As a rune lit up on his weapon, Kai slammed the axe down onto one of the shields. Golden energy enveloped the warrior¡¯s axe at the moment of impact. The energy quickly surged from the axe to Kai¡¯s target. Both the shield and its bearer disintegrated into a fine ash in a matter of seconds.

    Without wasting time, Kai moved to take the place of the soldier he¡¯d just killed. However, this left him wide open to the archers lining the wall behind him.

    Even as a few arrows landed in Kai¡¯s back, making the young warrior stagger, Davon reached for the enchanted knives in his belt. With only a second to aim, Davon flicked his hand forward, launching the enchanted blade towards the unprotected archers.

    His perception of time slowed as the blade flew. Then Davon smiled as his shot landed in the chest of an enemy archer, erupting into a massive fireball immediately after. Several other archers were sent flying off the wall by the blast.

    More explosive than it was against the captain¡­ his armor must have contained it, Davon observed with another smile.

    He returned his attention to Kai just in time to see the other Heavy lean bodily into their shield, slamming it into the young warrior. Kai stepped to the side deftly, toeing the edge of the rampart as he repositioned behind his adversary.

    Kai aimed a slash at the massive Crimson Reaver¡¯s knee. Still carried by the momentum of their own recent attack, the Heavy couldn¡¯t react in time. They could only cry out in pain as Kai¡¯s axe bit into the back of their knee, sinking a few inches into flesh.

    With a furious roar, the Crimson Reaver dropped onto one knee, using their shield to cover their front. Then Davon spotted another group of archers, now from the other side, taking aim again at Kai¡¯s back.

    As the arrows flew, the young warrior turned on his heel and conjured a golden barrier. The arrows bounced off of his defenses weakly, without even making a mark.

    Davon raised his bow, invoking his Scattershot rune as he prepared a shot for this second group of archers. But the moment he loosed his shot, more Heavies stepped onto the ramparts, one of them placing a shield between Davon and his target. Davon scowled with frustration as the Scattershot projectiles crashed ineffectively against the Crimson Reaver¡¯s shield.

    More Revenants were making their way up the tower behind Davon. He studied the ramparts, considering his options carefully and rapidly.

    A moment was all it took to realize the gap made by Kai was rapidly closing. Davon decided that, for once, taking a risk was warranted.

    Quickly detaching his bow into blades, he Shadow-stepped towards the Heavy still blocking the walkway. Davon landed in a crouching position on the Crimson Reaver¡¯s shoulders. In one smooth motion, Davon placed his blades against the Heavy¡¯s neck and jumped backwards, using the force to decapitate the Crimson Reaver. As soon as his feet touched the ramparts, Davon spun on his heel, landing a kick to the headless soldier¡¯s side and sending him off the ramparts.

    In the time it took Davon to straighten himself up, an explosion of pain erupted from his left shoulder. He spun around to find several Crimson Reaver Heavies arrayed behind him, with an archer taking aim between two of their shields.

    Infuriated, Davon prepared himself to fight back. But before he could act, a spear pierced the archer from the side. It only took a glance for Davon to recognize Lyla¡¯s spear as it flew back in the direction it had come from.

    The newly arrived Heavies moved to fill the gap opened by Kai¡¯s and Davon¡¯s combined assault, but it was too late. More and more Vanguard Revenants flooded onto the ramparts, pushing past Davon to bring the fight to their enemy.

    As the heavily armored Crimson Reavers turned towards the invading Revenants, they left themselves exposed to the Vanguard¡¯s archers on the ground. Though the Heavies proved capable of shrugging off a few arrows, the persistent volley proved to be too much for them.

    But even in this moment of triumph, watching the Vanguard storm the walls, Davon couldn¡¯t relax. It all still felt far too easy. The enemy hadn¡¯t even tried to deploy their firestorm yet¡­ and there was still no sigh of Tenebris.

    An arrow whistled by Davon¡¯s ear from an enemy archer, forcing his attention back to the fight.

    His suspicions would have to wait.

    Falling into the archer¡¯s tempo as he had so many times before, Davon returned to the siege tower¡¯s walkway and took his time eliminating enemy archers. Occasionally, he would cast a glance at the main clash to see Kai gleefully chopping away at the Crimson Reavers¡¯ defenses.

    Within a few minutes, a shrill war horn sounded from deeper in the city, causing the Crimson Reavers on the walls to retreat. Davon gazed around, panting heavily. His troubled thoughts roared back into life as the noise of combat faded around him.

    The Vanguard had claimed the outer walls, but Davon knew the siege was far from over.

 Chapter 36: Clearing the Path

    After clearing the walls of any opposition, the advance Vanguard teams quickly made their way to the gatehouse and opened the city gates for the main force.

    Davon, in the meantime, took a second to look through the gatehouse¡¯s windows at the streets below. The Duke¡¯s Road was just as he remembered it from his scouting expedition, with one major difference.

    Every inch of the street was taken up with Crimson Reavers. Heavies clogged holes in the barricades, with spearmen eagerly waiting behind them. The regular soldiers pointed their spears through the tiny gaps between the Heavies¡¯ tower shields. Archers held position in the towers, bows raised.

    The massive wall-like barricades on either side of the street were manned with archers, as well as new Crimson Reaver units. These brutes wore the same armor as the Heavies, but held massive crossbows in their hands. A single glance at those weapons told Davon that he didn¡¯t want to find himself on the business end of one of them.

    But he almost certainly would. And soon.

    ¡°Half of you archers, stay with the main force!¡± Grant commanded. ¡°The rest of you, make for the roofs!¡±

    Davon shared a quick look and a nod with Kai and Lyla, then started for the gatehouse¡¯s exit.

    Picking his position carefully, Davon Shadow-stepped onto a nearby roof. He landed on the side that was out of sight of the Duke¡¯s Road. As soon as his vision cleared, he reached for his pack and pulled out a long hempen rope, smiling as he repeated Kai¡¯s words in his mind..

    Never leave camp without at least fifty feet of rope¡­

    Swiftly anchoring the rope to the building¡¯s chimney, Davon threw the loose end to the Vanguard archers still on the walls. Davon waited only until he was certain they had the rope safely anchored on their end before moving to the other side of the roof.

    He peeked over the edge slowly, looking down at the improvised carapace walls. The oversized barricades were almost as tall as the building he was on. They seemed rather flimsy, but they did their job.

    As best as Davon could tell, the point of these barricades was to prevent the Vanguard¡¯s siege engines from being able to approach the inner wall gates, except by way of the Duke¡¯s Road. If the Vanguard knocked the barricades down to get to the side streets, the rubble would be enough to prevent the siege engines from advancing that way, regardless.

    The fact that the Crimson Reavers could use these thrown-together walls to give their archers and crossbowmen high ground was only an added bonus.

    Those crossbows look like they could do some real damage, Davon observed.

    He considered his options to deal with these enemies quickly. Every plan he thought of, though, involved a lot of spellcasting. Davon still wasn¡¯t sure what the exact limit was before he would overload himself with magic.

    Setting aside the idea of a daring attack, Davon waited for the rest of the Vanguard¡¯s archers to catch up to him. He explained the situation as fast as possible. Putting their heads together, the gathered Revenants agreed on a strategy.

    Roughly half of the group moved to the other side of the street with Davon. Some traveled via Shadow-step or similar magic, others through abilities which allowed them to jump much farther than humans should be able to.

    Once each half of the group was in place on either side of the street, Davon gave the signal to launch the attack.

    On both sides of the street, Revenant archers fired down on the barricades. Of the seven Crimson Reavers lining the improvised wall below them, five were Crossbowmen. The two normal enemy archers fell immediately. The Crossbowmen, though wounded, turned on their attackers and raised their weapons.

    Most of the Vanguard¡¯s archers reacted quickly enough to dip behind cover in time. A few, however, were struck by the massive crossbow bolts. Davon looked on in horror as a Green Tracker fell onto the roof beside him, a bolt sticking out of his throat. The body slowly slid off of the roof and fell to the side street below with a dull thud.

    Peeking behind cover with his weapon raised, Davon realized the Crossbowmen were still reloading their weapons. He shared a look with the Revenants on the roof across the street and gave the signal to fire again.

    Davon drew his bow and prepared his own shot. He took his time, carefully aiming for the one gap in his enemy¡¯s armor: the throat.

    Just as the nearest Crossbowman raised his weapon, ready to fire another shot, Davon spotted his opportunity. He loosed a shot when the Crimson Reaver looked up at him.

    Davon didn¡¯t wait to see whether his shot landed. He ducked back under cover immediately. The sound of the enemy gurgling blood and the crash of metal armor against carapace was all the confirmation Davon needed.

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    The small victory was quickly overshadowed by another Revenant falling, dead, to the street below.

    This isn¡¯t good. But if we leave them alive, it¡¯ll go even worse for the main force.

    Davon peeked from his cover to see only one Crossbowman left standing. With a swiftly aimed shot, Davon put an arrow in the soldier¡¯s throat, ending the brief combat for this section of the wall.

    Great, now for another ten or so, he thought, already exasperated.

    Davon looked across the street. The other group of Vanguard archers had dealt with their Crossbowmen as well, but they had suffered more casualties.

    Frustration welled up within Davon, echoed swiftly by his Reliquary. If this continued, they would soon face losses too severe to realistically continue the fight.

    Some risks have to be taken, I suppose, he thought, directing the idea to his Reliquary more than to himself.

    Surprisingly, the weapon sent him a feeling of affirmation, contrary to its usual caution. Davon nodded as a sense of peace settled over his mind.

    Then we¡¯re in agreement.

    He leapt across the side street to the next roof, splitting his bow into blades.

    Peeking down at the improvised wall, he clocked the same formation as before: two archers, five Crossbowmen.

    Davon put together a swift plan. With a quick exhale to calm his nerves, he clutched his blades in a white-knuckle grip and jumped down into the Crimson Reaver formation.

    Landing directly beside one of the normal archers, Davon sank his blades through its shoulders and into its chest, leaving it dead on the spot. Then, in a swift but sloppy movement, he pulled his blades out of his first victim and launched into a series of slashes against the next.

    Taking advantage of the enemy¡¯s surprise, Davon positioned himself to use the Crossbowman as cover against its allies. Then he struck with both blades to the Crimson Reaver¡¯s side, leaving two long gashes in its armor.

    Davon used his momentum to spin on his heel for another double slash, failing to notice the Crimson Reaver raising their crossbow in a defensive manner. Davon¡¯s blades made contact with the crossbow, shredding the loading bolt into pieces but failing to injure the Crimson Reaver further.

    With Davon¡¯s blades stopped by the crossbow, the enemy brought the stock of their weapon up in a swift motion, catching Davon on the chin and sending him into a stagger.

    Davon recovered just in time to see the crossbow stock come down on him again. He stumbled forward in an attempt to dodge. The blow instead caught him in the small of the back, causing Davon to cry out.

    Pushing through the pain, Davon raised his blades, aiming for the gashes he had made in his initial attack. His blades slid momentarily before finding purchase in the damaged armor, sinking into the monster¡¯s flesh.

    Davon let his enemy¡¯s body slide off of him onto the carapace-like walkway, standing to his full height. As he rose, however, he came face to bolt with another crossbow, pointed directly at his forehead.

    Davon instantly dropped into a crouch, only barely dodging the massive bolt. He swung his blades in an upwards arc as he straightened up, catching the next Crossbowman in the armpit. The blow slashed through most of the soldier¡¯s arm, leaving it to fall limp at their side.

    It was then that the Vanguard archers caught up. Raining arrows down on the distracted Crimson Reavers, they killed the lot in a few continuous volleys.

    Alright¡­ fighting alone and without abilities is difficult, Davon thought ruefully, giving a thumbs-up to the rest of the group.

    As the Vanguard archers continued their crawl up the Duke¡¯s Road, Davon asked if any of the present Revenants were capable of melee combat. Only a few replied positively, but that was enough for Davon. The next ambush would be much easier with a few extra hands to aid him.

    He gave them a quick pitch of his plan. First, Davon and the other Revenants capable of fighting in melee would leap down amidst their enemies, hopefully taking out at least a few. Then the rest of the group would rain arrows down on the opposition.

    The Revenants set into action. Aiming for one of the Crossbowmen, Davon jumped with his blades poised to strike as before. Aided by gravity, the force of his attack was enough to pierce through the soldier¡¯s heavy armor, bringing them down with one strike.

    The other Revenants found similar success, with only one of them failing to kill the target. Before the Crimson Reavers could retaliate, the archers brought down their fury, cleaning up the rest.

    Morale surged within the Vanguard¡¯s assault group. Turning his attention to the other side of the street, however, Davon noticed they weren¡¯t doing quite as well. They were still fighting at the second wall segment. Not only had they already lost almost half of their Revenants, but they had also attracted the attention of the main force down in the street.

    Quickly, the Crimson Reavers raised the alarm, forcing both Vanguard groups to fall back. Davon¡¯s group retreated towards the outer walls. They halted on a series of rooftops near the gates even as a shout went up from below them.

    The Vanguard¡¯s main force had finally pushed into the city.

    Davon was not surprised to see the charge was led by Grant himself. The old Revenant and a few other heavily armored Vanguard walked fearlessly towards the frontline of Heavy Crimson Reavers, weapons at the ready.

    Grant raised his great sword and brought it down with all his might. The earth shook as he cleaved straight through one of the Heavy Crimson Reavers, shield and all, bisecting them vertically.

    A wave of noise erupted from the city¡¯s gates as every Vanguard Revenant joined the fight. While the main force was stuck at the gate, ever so slowly pushing against the mass of Crimson Reavers, more Revenants descended from the walls, striking at the enemy¡¯s flank.

    Crimson Reaver archers and Crossbowmen, seated in hastily constructed towers on the street, released their projectiles towards the Vanguard. Davon winced as several Revenants caught bolts and arrows. Their bodies fell to the ground, immediately lost in the churn of combat.

    From the outer walls, Vanguard retaliation came in the form of various elemental spells. The Revenant mages joined the fight with a powerful impression, thinning the mass of Crimson Reaver soldiers from a distance.

    Davon stood to his full height and raised his bow.

    ¡°Archers, attack!¡±

    Other Vanguard took up their spots beside Davon, and they rained arrows down on the enemy.

    Choosing to conserve his energy, Davon didn¡¯t bother taking precise aim. He just loosed shot after shot into the sea of Crimson Reavers. As on many previous occasions, there were far too many foes for him to miss.

    Suddenly, Davon¡¯s tempo was interrupted by a roar in the distance. Fear filled his heart. He turned towards the inner walls just in time to see Tenebris land on the ramparts, wings fully unfurled.

    ¡°The real battle is about to begin,¡± Davon murmured to himself, drawing his bowstring once again.

 Chapter 37: Assassins

    Tenebris stood atop the ramparts, seemingly content to watch the battle unfold. The general¡¯s presence unnerved Davon. He found himself hesitating, unsure whether to continue firing upon the gathered Crimson Reavers or keep his eyes on the massive beast.

    Davon remembered his team¡¯s fight with Tenebris all too well. Though they had grown stronger and more confident since then, Davon doubted it would be enough to match the monstrous general.

    Then again, in that previous fight, Davon and his companions had been alone. Now they had an army at their back.

    Steeling his resolve, Davon focused his attention on the Duke¡¯s Road. Grant was pushing steadily into the city with the main Vanguard force. Most of the street leading up to the first set of barricades had been cleared, but Davon knew this was nothing to celebrate just yet. The Vanguard was steadily bleeding numbers. And while each fallen Revenant took a dozen Crimson Reavers with them, the losses stung.

    Davon raised his bow. Invoking his Scattershot rune, he took careful aim towards the first street tower. Adrenaline coursed through him as he loosed his shot, slowing his perception of time.

    Yet he didn¡¯t waste a moment. Even while tracking the projectile, he drew back the bowstring again to prepare the next shot. By the time the first arrow split into fragments, he had another ready.

    The pieces of his first shot sank into the back of a Crossbowman. The combined volley was enough to bring the heavily armored creature to their knees. Before the enemy could stand back up, Davon fired again. His follow-up shot struck one of the holes in the armor made by the Scattershot volley. The Crossbowman¡¯s body fell into the street below, landing on top of another Crimson Reaver.

    The sudden assault drew the attention of the soldiers waiting in towers further down the street. Realizing this at the last moment, Davon ducked behind the roof for cover.

    Davon held his breath as the arrows and bolts flew over his head. His heart was racing in both anticipation and dread.

    When would Tenebris join the fight? What terrifying abilities would the draconic general display?

    Davon was returning his attention to the Duke¡¯s Road when he caught a flash of movement in his periphery. He looked around, peering into the shadows where he thought he¡¯d seen this movement, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

    Convinced he was just becoming more paranoid, Davon was about to give up when he picked up on the movement again.

    Only this time, it was headed directly for him.

    Reacting at the last possible moment, Davon raised his bow to intercept whatever was coming. Sparks covered Davon¡¯s torso as his bow¡¯s limb clashed with a wicked-looking dagger.

    When the movement ceased, Davon saw a menacing figure standing above him, clad in leather armor. Rather than a helmet, this foe had a veil covering the top half of their face. The only feature Davon could make out was a fanged grin.

    Despite how many of them he¡¯d killed, this was the first time Davon had seen any part of a Crimson Reaver¡¯s face. Their helmets gave no hint of the visages hidden behind the twisted masks. Davon had always been glad for this. It allowed him to think of his enemies as the monsters they were, rather than sentient beings like himself.

    Yet now, face-to-face with an unmasked Crimson Reaver, Davon knew he didn¡¯t need the helmets. The thing standing over him was nothing but a monster. Its sharp features twisted as it snarled at him, revealing even sharper teeth.

    Davon jabbed his knee into the Crimson Reaver¡¯s chest, using the momentum to roll along the roof with his assailant. When they came to a stop, Davon was now on top, pressing the bladed edges of his bow against the enemy¡¯s dagger.

    The Crimson Reaver¡¯s veil fell backwards, revealing the rest of their face. Their gaunt features were unusually proportioned. Two sunken crimson eyes stared back at Davon.

    The Crimson Reaver gave a shrill shriek and drove its dagger upwards against the bow, trying to push Davon off. Davon didn¡¯t even blink. He pressed down with all his strength, slowly pushing the enemy¡¯s arms back down to its chest. Then, with a sudden movement, Davon slid the bow¡¯s limbs upwards.

    Caught beneath Davon¡¯s weight, the Crimson Reaver couldn¡¯t react in time. The sharp edge of Davon¡¯s bow slashed the thing across the throat, leaving it limp on the roof. Seconds later, the skin of its face began to petrify. The sharp features crumbled and turned to ash, drifting away with the wind.

    Davon shuddered. He had never seen that happen to a fallen Crimson Reaver before¡­ then again, the enemies he¡¯d killed always wore helmets that covered their features. Did all Crimson Reavers lose their faces when they died?

    It made Davon think of the Necromancer, and of dead enemy soldiers twitching and shambling back to life. Then he remembered the petrified landscape the Vanguard had passed through on their way to Heinburg, and that sickening aroma of sulfur and rot that had marked his first encounter with the Crimson Reavers¡­

    Suppressing another shudder, Davon closed his eyes.

    How they die doesn¡¯t matter, he reasoned firmly with himself. All that matters is that they¡¯re dead.

    Still shaken, Davon opened his eyes. The first things he saw were more of these veiled figures, leaping nimbly from rooftop to rooftop towards the Revenant archers.

    ¡°Ambush! On your guards!¡± Davon shouted immediately, grabbing the attention of the nearby Vanguard troops.

    The rooftops of Heinburg quickly descended into chaos as each Revenant was beset by one of the dagger-wielding creatures.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    They¡¯re like assassins¡­ Davon thought, splitting his bow into blades. As fitting a name as any.

    Davon Shadow-stepped to the nearest Vanguard member, who was currently locking blades with another Crimson Reaver Assassin.

    As the Revenant struggled against her attacker, Davon used the opportunity to stick a blade sideways into the Assassin¡¯s chest, pushing the enemy off of the Revenant and killing them in the same movement.

    Suddenly pushing against nothing, the Vanguard member stumbled forward but caught herself before falling. Davon gave the Revenant a nod as he let the body of his enemy fall to the ground unceremoniously. Then he reattached his bow and raised it towards the next enemy.

    Joined by the Revenant he saved, Davon loosed shot after shot into the backs of Crimson Reaver Assassins. But the enemy had moved with deadly speed. Even with the Vanguard¡¯s swift retaliation, only seven Revenants were left standing when the last Assassin went down.

    Davon gazed at the streams of blood covering the roof, his eyes lingering on the bodies of dead Revenants.

    He knew most of the Vanguard archers were below with the main force. These losses weren¡¯t crippling for the Revenants, strategically speaking. He knew even these slain Vanguard weren¡¯t lost forever. Their bodies would soon crumble away and reform in the nearest Imbuement Chamber, ready to resurrect in a matter of weeks.

    He knew all these things. Yet he could not stop the wave of sorrow that washed over him, nor could he keep another spike of rage from rooting in his heart, awakening his need for vengeance once again.

    Davon swore a silent oath to avenge his fallen comrades. Then he tore his eyes away from the grisly scene and rushed back to the roof¡¯s peak to rejoin the main fight.

    Looking down from the roof, Davon saw Grant had brought the Vanguard¡¯s main force up to the third section of barricades on the Duke¡¯s Road. The Vanguard¡¯s numbers had definitely thinned. Still, Davon managed a smile when he noticed Kai on the frontlines, mostly unharmed.

    A group of the Vanguard¡¯s Revenants had gathered some twenty feet behind the main force. Davon could tell at a glance that they were mages. Among them, he spotted Lyla quickly flipping through her spell book, her spear tucked under her arm.

    Even further back, the remainder of the Vanguard¡¯s archers were gathered on the walls, some of them slowly moving onto the nearby roofs. Davon breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that his formation would soon be reinforced by more bow-wielding Revenants.

    As the battle lines continued moving forward, Grant¡¯s voice suddenly rang out across the chaos: ¡°Prepare the Godslayer!¡±

    Davon¡¯s mouth fell open. He stared at the strange cylindrical contraption being pushed through the city gates by a team of Revenants.

    THAT¡¯S the Godslayer?

    He¡¯d heard the stories all his life, ever since he was a child running along the docks of port Perle. Tales of how, eras ago, humanity grew tired of the old gods¡¯ oppression. How a group of powerful mages had created enchanted ¡®Godslayer¡¯ weapons to rid the world of the old gods and their tyrannical rule.

    A strange doubt crept its way into Davon¡¯s mind as the stories flooded back to him. Humanity¡¯s conquest against the gods was a long and bloody one, in which death and innovation worked hand in hand.

    Supposedly, the Godslayer engine had been constructed and used successfully against the God of Strife, killing him in a single shot. From the dead god¡¯s bones, humanity had crafted the first Reliquaries, which were now wielded by the Emperor¡¯s Hand. The rest of the gods had been slaughtered using selective use of the Godslayer engine, as well as in direct combat with the first Revenants.

    Davon had always thought those were just stories, meant to teach children about humility. The tales were reminders that even the greatest of creatures can be brought low. He didn¡¯t even know the names of most of the old gods. For as long as he could remember, people had prayed only to Wind, Brine, and Sun.

    But if that rune-covered machine really was a Godslayer¡­ maybe all those stories were true.

    The Godslayer engine edged forward, flanked by Vanguard mages. Davon also spotted Emma following closely behind the contraption. She held a longsword in each hand. Her bow was on her back, many runes lit up along its surface.

    ¡°Prime the weapon, but hold fire until my mark! Vanguard, keep pushing!¡± Grant commanded, shouting in between swings of his giant sword.

    So this was the ¡®tool¡¯ Grant had mentioned, the one supposedly able to deal with Tenebris. Davon tried to resist the strange doubt still lurking in the back of his mind. If the enchanted war machine was capable of wounding gods, then it was sure to make short work of Tenebris.

    Then again, the gods had died so long ago¡­

    The first Revenants were capable of killing the gods shortly after binding to their Reliquaries, Davon mused, his heart sinking. Were those first Reliquaries really all that special? Or were the gods just not as powerful as you¡¯d think?

    To make things more complicated, the old stories spoke of the Godslayer engine as a weapon which could only be used sparingly, as it took days to recharge. Tenebris was a fast target. The possibility of missing that crucial shot was all too real.

    Davon raised his weapon and readied a shot, pushing down the doubts and anxiety. He would find out how effective the Godslayer was when Grant gave the order to fire. There was no point to thinking himself in circles before then.

    Heh¡­ Davon smiled to himself. Thinking myself in circles¡­ thanks, Kai.

    Testing the mental link with his Reliquary for any fraying, Davon pulled on his Scattershot rune. He fired three empowered shots towards the mass of enemies gathered in front of the Vanguard.

    As his projectiles rained havoc upon the enemy lines, Davon felt his connection to his Reliquary was still holding strong, but a feeling of fatigue did steal across his mind. He switched to normal shots and continued firing.

    Better to save my strength for when the big bastard joins the fight, he reasoned, adjusting his aim towards the more valuable targets.

    Then guttural laughter shook the ground, forcing Davon to stop firing and focus on staying upright.

    ¡°Do you think assaulting my domain is so simple, dead fools?¡± Tenebris mocked from his perch.

    The general reared up on his hind legs, standing to his full height before unleashing an ear-splitting roar.

    Davon closed his eyes and covered his ears, overwhelmed by the sudden outburst of noise from the general. The roar continued for a solid ten seconds. Halfway through it, Davon looked up at the battlefield, pushing through the pain.

    He could see from the roof that the majority of the Vanguard was also stunned by the noise, but the Crimson Reavers were not. No, the enemy seemed to be invigorated by the display.

    Tenebris finally fell silent. The sun grew dim, coating the world in an ever more ominous shade of red. Even from his position on the roof, Davon could see that the Crimson Reavers¡¯ eyes glowing more intensely behind their helmets.

    As Tenebris settled back into his perch, the Crimson Reaver army began to chant. They slammed their weapons against their chests in rhythm with their voices. Then, in unison, the Crimson Reavers began pushing back against the Vanguard.

    Through a terrifying display of sheer power, the Crimson Reavers surged forward, shrugging off attacks that had been deadly to them moments before. The enemy continued advancing in rhythm: step, stab, step, stab.

    Slowly, inexorably, the Vanguard was driven back along the Duke¡¯s Road. Several Revenants fell to the sudden assault before Grant thrust his great sword into the ground, conjuring a massive golden barrier that covered the street from edge to edge.

    The Crimson Reavers halted. Their red eyes burned through the slits in their helmets as they waited, leering at the Revenants through the golden barrier.

    Davon looked desperately down at Grant. The battle had turned so suddenly, he felt for a moment like the ground was still shaking under his feet. A single question sounded over and over in his mind, pulsing in rhythm with the Crimson Reavers¡¯ ongoing chant:

    What now?

 Chapter 38: The Pattern

    Silence fell over the battlefield after Grant put up his barrier. Even the Crimson Reaver chanting fell silent as both sides got a chance to breathe.

    At least, down on the street level. Up on the roofs, Davon was busy keeping an eye out for more Assassins.

    Before the dust could settle between the two sides of the conflict, mocking laughter erupted from atop the inner walls.

    ¡°Yes, cower before your betters like the vermin you are!¡± Tenebris growled viciously. ¡°Take your time, dead fools. You are only delaying the inevitable. We will wait, patient as the tide.¡±

    The general¡¯s voice was still echoing in his ears when Davon spotted Lyla. Carried by conjured winds, she floated up from the street below and hopped down onto his rooftop.

    ¡°Awfully cocky, isn¡¯t he?¡± she remarked, walking towards Davon.

    Davon grimaced. ¡°Considering how badly he beat us last time? I¡¯d say he earned it. Not that it makes me any less angry at the bastard.¡±

    A momentary silence filled the air as the two sat down on the roof.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Kai?¡± Davon asked.

    ¡°He insisted on staying at the front, in case the enemies decide to attack,¡± Lyla explained, reaching into her cloak. ¡°To be honest, if Grant hadn¡¯t ordered the mages to the roofs, I would¡¯ve stayed down there as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why¡¯s that?¡±

    Lyla began flipping through her spellbook.¡°Because, between the two of you, Kai is much more likely to do something stupid and need immediate healing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment,¡± Davon said with a smile.

    He let the silence filter in again, occasionally checking over the roof¡¯s peak to make sure the situation hadn¡¯t changed.

    A few minutes later, the rustling pages went still.

    ¡°I know this might not be the best time but¡­¡± Lyla sighed. ¡°Do you remember, after our first death, how I mentioned having some¡­ memories?¡±

    ¡°Patterns and voices? Yeah, I remember. Why do you ask?¡±

    Lyla took a while before responding. ¡°Because¡­ every subsequent death we¡¯ve experienced has brought more clarity with it.¡±

    Davon furrowed his brows. He watched as Lyla placed her quill on the paper, her normally perfect balance disrupted by her shaking hand.

    Before he could say anything, she went on: ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been taking our deaths worse and worse. As it clarified, the pattern has become ingrained in my mind. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s been driving me crazy, quite frankly. I feel like I¡¯m at the very edge of understanding what it is, but every time I try to note it down, it becomes jumbled in my head. It¡¯s like it wants me to know it, but doesn¡¯t want to be known¡­ and I realize that makes no sense.¡±

    ¡°Could it be some sort of message from your Reliquary?¡± Davon suggested.

    Lyla looked quickly at Davon. ¡°Have you been speaking to yours too?¡±

    ¡°Speaking is a strong word for it.¡± Davon paused. ¡°It¡¯s more like¡­ sharing feelings and ideas. Mutual understanding, rather than an actual conversation. It recognizes my thoughts, though.¡±

    Lyla¡¯s face scrunched up in concentration. ¡°Interesting. Yes¡­ that¡¯s what it felt like to communicate with mine, before our second round in the Imbuement Chamber.¡±

    ¡°So do you think that¡¯s it? Maybe you¡¯re picking up on the Reliquary¡¯s thoughts?¡± Davon prodded.

    ¡°No¡­ no it¡¯s different. I¡¯m certain of that.¡± Lyla shook her head firmly, then sighed again. ¡°Anyway, I have a favor to ask of you.¡±

    Davon raised a curious eyebrow and waited.

    ¡°Distract me,¡± Lyla demanded. Keeping her quill pressed against the spellbook, she locked eyes with Davon. The shaking of her hand suddenly ceased. ¡°Talk to me.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°About anything. Just¡­ keep me distracted.¡±

    Davon regarded his friend for a moment. Then he nodded slowly.

    ¡°Yeah, alright. I can do that.¡±

    Pulling on good memories, Davon launched into an account of his time on the Night Runner. He told Lyla about the many times he and Rand got in trouble on the ship for all manner of things, from slacking off to pranking the other sailors.

    He reminisced about the quiet days at sea, then all the times storms did their best to drown the whole crew. The long nights in port taverns getting drunk. His first bar fight, when he fought alongside Kai and Rand. How poorly that night ended for the three men, retching on the Port Perle walkways.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Davon recalled the day when Grant and Mia first came aboard the Night Runner, hired to guard some high-value goods. His first meeting with Emma on the mainland. The day when Grant offered to teach him some basic sword-work, and how that transitioned into Davon¡¯s first lessons with a bow.

    Lyla was enraptured by his story. Her eyes stayed locked on his. Yet, the whole time, her hand never stopped writing in her spellbook.

    When she looked down at what she had written, her eyes widened.

    ¡°It¡­ it worked,¡± she whispered. Then, more loudly: ¡°It worked!¡±

    She turned the spellbook towards Davon, shoving it giddily in his face. ¡°Look! It worked!¡±

    Davon did his best to understand the writing, but as usual, his cursory understanding of magic left him thoroughly baffled.

    Gently, he placed his hand over Lyla¡¯s and pushed the book away. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it, Lyla, but that means nothing to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the pattern! Or¡­ part of it, at least.¡± Lyla glanced down at the pages, her brow furrowing again. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ arcana, of some sort. But it¡¯s unlike any of the spell work I¡¯m used to seeing. These runes are all wrong. Even if I compare them to the closest possible runes, the structure is¡­ well, again, all wrong. It makes no sense. What if¡­¡±

    Lyla reached into her cloak and pulled out a notebook, rapidly flipping through it. When she landed on a page, she took several minutes to compare something between the two books, her expression changing from confusion to excitement and back again.

    ¡°No¡­ even comparing it to the most ancient records of spell-crafting, it still makes no sense. But, at the bones of it, this IS some form of spell.¡±

    Davon watched Lyla carefully. Though he could barely follow what she was saying, he was glad to see her so invested in something.

    But the gladness was tinted with concern. He knew Lyla well enough by now to know how fixated she could become on these topics. The middle of a battle was not a good time to be obsessing over arcane knowledge.

    Finally, to his relief, she closed both of her books.

    ¡°I¡­ need some more time with this.¡± She looked up at him with a rare smile. ¡°Thank you, kindly, for helping me out. This is a breakthrough the likes of which I hadn¡¯t dared to hope for.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re exaggerating. You would¡¯ve cracked it sooner or later. But, you¡¯re welcome.¡± Davon returned her smile, then glanced wearily over the roof¡¯s edge. ¡°I wonder what the Crimson Reavers are planning.¡±

    At streel level, not much had changed. Vanguard forces stood beside the barrier, forming a three-layered line of defense. A sea of Crimson Reavers waited on the other side. Davon spotted Grant and Emma talking beside the Godslayer engine. On the other side of the field, Tenebris lounged atop the gatehouse of the inner wall.

    Vanguard mages were busy amidst the bodies in the street. From the Crimson Reavers, they harvested what they could and burned the rest. The bodies of fallen Revenants were gathered into neat rows and then left in the snow.

    While he knew it was all the Vanguard could do with their fallen siblings-in-arms, and that it ultimately wouldn¡¯t matter in three weeks'' time, it still irked Davon that the bodies weren¡¯t treated with more reverence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re planning anything at the moment,¡± Lyla replied, her expression carefully neutral once again. ¡°Each and every one of them seems arrogant to the point of stupidity.¡±

    Davon settled back into a sitting position. ¡°Can¡¯t deny that. Aelius, Tenebris, even the Red plume to an extent¡­¡±

    Lyla raised an eyebrow. ¡°The Red Plume? You mean that Duelist captain?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry, I started calling her that during my scouting expedition,¡± Davon explained. ¡°Her last words to Tenebris were¡­ bold.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Lyla asked, stowing her spellbook away in her cloak.

    ¡°Let¡¯s entertain the very real possibility that we fail here,¡± Davon began. Ignoring Lyla¡¯s brief scowl, he pressed on: ¡°What do you think is the first thing a creature as arrogant and conceited as Tenebris would do? Especially to someone who had proudly renounced his conquest?¡±

    ¡°Hunt down and execute the traitor himself,¡± Lyla replied calmly.

    ¡°Exactly. And the Red Plume either didn¡¯t consider that as a possibility, or she believes herself to be capable of avoiding or besting Tenebris.¡± Davon shrugged. ¡°Either way, some amount of arrogance was involved.¡±

    The duo considered this for a few moments before Lyla broke the silence.

    ¡°Their arrogance really is the Crimson Reavers¡¯ biggest weakness.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Davon glanced towards the hulking figure of the draconic general. ¡°I wonder how Tenebris will change his tune when the Godslayer is fired.¡±

    Lyla sighed wistfully, her eyes sparkling. ¡°The pinnacle of arcane engineering. So ancient, yet still unsurpassed¡­ what I¡¯d give to be able to study it.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe when we finish this fight, you¡¯ll get a chance to,¡± Davon offered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you realize how big of an ask that is,¡± Lyla shot back. ¡°That would be like a deck hand, fresh from their first voyage, asking to captain a galleon.¡±

    Davon shrugged again. ¡°Fresh deck hands don¡¯t end historic invasions.¡±

    ¡°Well, if we don¡¯t kill Tenebris, it will be a moot point anyway,¡± Lyla said flatly. ¡°Speaking of¡­ how long do you think Grant will wait before ordering us to continue the siege?¡±

    Before Davon could reply, a familiar Vanguard war horn sounded, calling all present Revenants to attention.

    ¡°Guess that¡¯s our cue,¡± Davon said through a groan, pushing himself up to his feet.

    The pair, as well as other Revenants nearby, stepped up to the roof¡¯s peak to look down at the street below. The Vanguard had finished clearing the street of all dead Crimson Reavers. Davon could see a smoke stack beyond the walls.

    Burning the bodies so the Necromancers can¡¯t use them, he noted. Good.

    The main Vanguard force, made up entirely of melee Revenants, had once again gathered by Grant¡¯s barrier. The old Revenant was looking around at his soldiers, seemingly counting them in his head.

    Davon could see fury and defiance in the eyes of all the gathered Revenants. His own heart leapt in response, stirred with the desire for vengeance. Though the day hadn¡¯t gone nearly their way, the Vanguard was ready to continue the fight.

    Grant¡¯s face was grim as he placed a hand on the great sword he¡¯d stuck in the ground. For a brief moment, the barrier shone even more brightly.

    ¡°My siblings-in-arms,¡± Grant called, drawing the attention of each and every Revenant. ¡°The day will yet be ours!¡±

    With his free hand, Grant raised a fist to the sky, provoking raucous cheers from the Vanguard¡¯s soldiers.

    ¡°Show our enemy that we do not fear death! For we are the first and last line of defense for humanity. And WE. WILL. NOT. BE. STOPPED!¡±

    A wave of golden light erupted from Grant¡¯s position, bathing all gathered Revenants in its warmth.

    When the wave of energy hit Davon, he felt reinvigorated. The defiance in his heart grew tenfold, and he felt a surge of strength rush through him.

    Now it was time to push once again.

 Chapter 39: Godslayer

    Raucous war cries erupted from the Vanguard¡¯s ranks, each and every Revenant standing in defiance of the odds. Even Davon, usually subdued in these displays, found it hard to suppress a cheer.

    On the other side of Grant¡¯s barrier, the Crimson Reavers shifted uneasily. Tenebris merely laughed.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± he growled, his mocking voice echoing over both sides of the battlefield. ¡°The vermin still have fight left in them.¡±

    ¡°Now, my Vanguard!¡± Grant¡¯s shout rang in Davon¡¯s ears. ¡°Deliver them our wrath!¡±

    Grant pulled his Reliquary from the ground, shattering the barrier he¡¯d conjured. In the absence of its golden light, the world was once again cast into shades of ominous red.

    But the Vanguard were not daunted. The enchantment of Grant¡¯s words was still thrumming through their veins, bolstering them to meet the heightened challenge of their foes. The Revenants showed no restraint as they charged madly into the enemy.

    Blades clashed, shields shattered, and enemy soldiers fell to the ground. Watching from above, Davon raised his bow and began adding his projectiles to the unfolding chaos in the streets. Each of his shots took a Crimson Reaver with it, adding more bodies to the mess quickly forming under the feet of the combatants.

    ¡°MARCH FORWARD!¡± Tenebris roared. ¡°PUSH THEM BACK!¡±

    Following their general¡¯s command, the Crimson Reavers surged to fill the space left by their fallen comrades. Both sides suffered losses. Still, the Vanguard was steadily pushing the enemy back. For every fallen Revenant, dozens of Crimson Reavers fell, and not only regular soldiers. Sergeants, Heavies, and Crossbowmen numbered among the slain.

    Movement by the inner wall caught Davon¡¯s attention. The gates to the inner city were opening to admit a large group of war beasts. The hulking Crimson Reavers stepped through and strode onward, moving towards the front lines.

    Davon smiled. Reinforcements¡­ good. That means they¡¯re sweating.

    His smile faded as the beasts turned the tide yet again in the enemy¡¯s favor. With the Crimson Reavers pushing forward, the Vanguard ceased their forward momentum, forced to focus on holding their ground. Now, however, each hole they made in the enemy¡¯s lines was filled almost immediately.

    Davon¡¯s heart began to sink. He recognized this was an exercise in futility that could only end one way. Even though the Vanguard outmatched the Crimson Reavers in almost every way, the sheer amount of foes would be enough to wear the Revenants down eventually.

    Davon tried to do his part. He loosed Scattershot after Scattershot until he felt the strings connecting him to his Reliquary begin to strain. Cursing under his breath, he reached for one of the enchanted knives tucked into his belt.

    The Vanguard archers around him continued to barrage the Crimson Reavers with arrows and simple magic, but Davon took his time. He aimed carefully. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the knife into the middle of the Crimson Reavers¡¯ formation.

    The resulting explosion engulfed a dozen Crimson Reavers, leaving only ash in its wake. But before Davon could feel any satisfaction, a dozen more enemies stepped forward. He had merely cleared the way for them.

    Grant¡¯s voice rose above the battlefield as he wielded his giant sword, cleaving several Crimson Reavers in half with each swing.

    ¡°Give them your all, Vanguard!¡±

    Spurred on by the command, the Revenants on the rooftops unleashed a bombardment of magical abilities. Explosions of various elements shook the earth and raised a cloud of smoke, briefly halting combat.

    When the smoke cleared, Davon smiled grimly at the sight of dozens upon dozens of fallen Crimson Reavers in the street.

    It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t do that more often, he lamented, as another tide of enemies flooded into the space.

    While this barrage of powerful magic tipped the scales slightly in the Vanguard¡¯s favor, there were still hundreds of Crimson Reavers left. And Davon knew that if the Revenants blew all their strength on the cannon fodder, the more powerful enemies waiting in the inner city would have an easy time sweeping the Vanguard away.

    Shaking his head, he raised his bow and settled into the archer¡¯s tempo.

    All he could do was keep fighting.

    The bloody conflict continued, bodies piling high beneath the combatants¡¯ feet. Glancing down, Davon saw that the main clash had moved vertically upward. The piled slain now reached half the height of the barricades.

    ¡°I grow bored of this,¡± Tenebris suddenly growled. The general reared up on his hind legs. Taking huge pieces of the ramparts in both claws as he raised them, he prepared his own attack.

    ¡°BRACE!¡± Grant commanded.

    A scattering of Revenants combined their magic to create one massive golden barrier.

    Davon¡¯s sinking heart leapt into his throat. He knew how this clash would go. He¡¯d seen it when he faced the general alongside Kai and Lyla.

    Tenebris pulled back one arm, wielding a massive boulder in his claw. Then he cast it forward with a terrifying roar.

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    The boulder flew in a direct trajectory towards the Vanguard. To Davon¡¯s surprise, the projectile shattered against the Revenants¡¯ barrier and scattered into stone shrapnel. The force of the impact was enough to send the shrapnel back into the Crimson Reaver formation with deadly force.

    But the blow had left a web of cracks along the Vanguard¡¯s barrier. It was painfully obvious to Davon what another attack would do.

    Growling with frustration, Tenebris pulled back his other hand and loosed a second boulder.

    Time seemed to slow. The sound of shattering glass rang in Davon¡¯s ears as the barrier fell. He watched in horror as the boulder, too, was broken into pieces by the impact. Only this time, without the barrier to bounce the fragments back, the stone shrapnel fell upon the remaining Vanguard soldiers. Nearly a dozen Revenants were reduced to bloody smears in an instant.

    Laughing heartily, Tenebris leaned down and ripped more stone from the inner walls, preparing for another attack.

    ¡°EMMA, NOW!¡± Grant bellowed over the chaos. ¡°VANGUARD, RETREAT TO THE SIDES!¡±

    The urgency of Grant¡¯s command both confused and stirred the remaining warriors to action. The Vanguard formation immediately split into two halves, each hugging the sides of the Duke¡¯s Road. Davon and the rest of the ranged Vanguard continued their assault on the enemy to cover the main force¡¯s retreat.

    The roof beneath Davon¡¯s feet shook as the earth rumbled. A strange feeling washed over Davon, as if his energy was being pulled towards the outer gate. Looking in that direction, he saw Emma standing by the Godslayer engine, her hand on a lever. She was repositioning the massive cylinder to aim at Tenebris.

    Davon struggled to maintain balance as the rune-work covering the Godslayer continued pulling energy from its surroundings, shaking the earth ever more violently. A nagging instinct at the back of Davon¡¯s mind told him to take cover.

    He listened to it without hesitation.

    Grabbing Lyla by the arm, Davon dove to the other side of the roof. He braced his feet to prevent them both from sliding over the edge, then reflexively covered Lyla while raising one hand to protect his own head.

    The earth shook hard enough to nearly knock them off of the roof. Even behind his closed eyelids, Davon¡¯s world went white. He didn¡¯t hear the blast. Not really. His ears exploded with tinnitus, blocking out any other sound.

    Blinded and deafened, Davon panicked. His entire body spasmed with pain as the massive discharge of energy almost pushed him into overload. He clutched onto the roof like a madman, pulling the wooden shingles off without even realizing it.

    Slowly, the ringing in Davon¡¯s ears subsided, and darkness returned to his closed eyes. When he finally dared to open them, stinging pain forced him to close them again instantly. Davon took a deep, shuddering breath. Forcing his eyes open, he blinked away the pain and looked towards Lyla.

    The poor girl still had her hands over her ears, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. As he watched, her eyes fluttered open, meeting his concerned gaze.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Davon asked.

    Lyla nodded slowly. ¡°Shaken, but fine.¡±

    Leaning against each other, the two Revenants stood up and staggered to the other side of the roof. They looked down together at the street below them.

    Davon was filled with a mixture of horror and amazement.

    All of the snow in the street had melted. The piles of bodies were gone, disintegrated by the blast. The ground was covered in a mix of blood, ash and water, the slurry gently drifting down the slight slope of the Duke¡¯s Road.

    No Crimson Reavers remained on street level. Davon could only assume they were the ash gently drifting to the ground like a grim snow. Dazed Revenants were trying to stumble back into formation, barely able to lift their weapons.

    Above everything, a trail of bright blue energy was still visible, little wisps occasionally splitting off of the gathered mass.

    Davon turned his attention to the inner walls. The gates themselves still stood, but the stone building above them was gone. Only the Godslayer¡¯s bright trail filled the space where the gatehouse had once stood.

    Peering closely, Davon then saw Tenebris, sprawled out over the ramparts on his back. A long trail of blood snaked its way down the wall from the general¡¯s left shoulder.

    Yet, the great beast was not still. Davon could see the enemy leader¡¯s chest slowly rising and falling.

    A few moments later, Tenebris stirred, Slowly, he rolled onto his side. Even more slowly, he pushed himself up onto his feet. Davon saw blood pouring from a stump on the general¡¯s back.

    The Crimson Reaver general was missing one of his wings.

    Wordlessly, Tenebris surveyed the battlefield. Ash was still drifting down, settling on what little remained of the barricades and towers set up by the Crimson Reavers.

    Davon raised his bow weakly towards Tenebris, ready to die in defense of his comrades should the general decide to attack.

    Instead, Tenebris turned away without so much as a sound. Davon watched as the Crimson Reaver general began to slither down the inner walls, leaving the battlefield behind.

    As the immediate threat of the general disappeared into the inner city, Davon suddenly thought of his friends in the street below. If the Godslayer had wrought so much destruction on everything in its path¡­

    Panic seized him, and he gripped Lyla¡¯s arm.

    ¡°We need to find Kai and Grant.¡±

    Still wobbly on his feet, Davon allowed himself to slide off of the roof and all the way to the ground, barely sticking the landing. He was dimly aware of Lyla floating down after him as he quickly scanned the remaining Revenants. It didn¡¯t take him long to spot the hulking figure of Grant. The old Revenant was busy trying to gather the remaining Vanguard members around him.

    ¡°Grant!¡± Davon called, stumbling towards the giant of a man as Lyla landed behind him with a grunt.

    Grant looked the pair up and down before chuckling weakly.

    ¡°Battered, beaten, and still able to stand,¡± Grant commented. ¡°You three continue to impress.¡±

    ¡°Us three? Is Kai here?¡± Davon asked between labored breaths. While the pain was fading, every nerve and muscle in his body still felt frayed, as if on the verge of overloading.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Kai announced as he pushed his way through the crowd, using his axe as a walking stick. ¡°What a shock, eh?¡±

    Relief surged through Davon. Reunited once again, the trio exchanged weary smiles before turning to Grant.

    ¡°So¡­ what now?¡± Davon asked.

    ¡°Now, we hunker down and try to rest,¡± Grant stated simply. ¡°I don¡¯t imagine anyone on either side of this conflict is willing or able to fight after the Godslayer shot.¡±

    Lyla¡¯s eyes were still wide. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we worry about Tenebris recovering while we rest?¡±

    ¡°That was the Godslayer engine he was struck by.¡± Grant shook his head with another chuckle. ¡°It will be years before that wound heals.¡±

    ¡°What about healing magic?¡± Kai pointed out, leaning against his axe for support. ¡°Won¡¯t that speed up the process?¡±

    Grant clapped a massive hand on Kai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That weapon was designed to kill gods, my boy. Disruption of healing magic, or any magic really, is part of its deadly charm. Any attempt to heal those wounds will cause them to deteriorate further. Now come on, let¡¯s find a place to fortify. We need to be ready for our enemies to retaliate.¡±

    Grant¡¯s words brought little relief to Davon. The Godslayer had failed to kill the general. Even if Tenebris was weakened, the Vanguard still had the rest of the Crimson Reaver army to worry about. As long as Tenebris lived, the Crimson Reavers would fight on.

    And Davon knew damn well that the remainder of their army was bound to be stronger than what the Revenants had faced so far.

 Chapter 40: The Final Rune

    The Vanguard¡¯s morale remained in a nebulous state. Everyone could feel that firing the Godslayer marked a shift in the conflict, but nobody could quite tell in which direction the scales had moved.

    Still, even with most of them dazed, injured, or both, the Vanguard set to work strengthening their position. They quickly dismantled what remained of the Crimson Reavers defenses on the Duke¡¯s Road and used the materials to reinforce several buildings. After the final barricades were put into place and guard shifts were organized, most of the Revenants ducked inside the newly reinforced buildings to rest and recover.

    Finally given the ¡®at ease¡¯ after helping set up the defenses, the trio tucked into a quiet corner in one of the fortified buildings, eager to rest up after the battle. While they settled into their makeshift seats, Davon spotted Grant making the rounds through the room. The gruff old Revenant seemed to be chatting with each group of Vanguard.

    Thinking of their previous conversation about the Godslayer, Davon nudged Lyla.

    ¡°Still eager to study that thing up close?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Lyla replied, in her usual neutral tone. ¡°That level of destruction¡­ I could learn a lot.¡±

    Davon¡¯s eyes followed Grant intently. ¡°I hope you realize just how terrifying you sound when you say things like that.¡±

    ¡°Terrifying is what we need right now,¡± Kai stated.

    The young warrior was fully slumped in his seat. It was obvious to Davon that the Godslayer engine¡¯s collateral effect hit Kai much harder than him or Lyla.

    ¡°Won¡¯t deny that,¡± Davon conceded as he rubbed his right forearm. He still ached from the near-overload, and the pain didn¡¯t show any signs of subsiding.

    Makes me wonder how the Crimson Reavers are doing, he thought.

    From what Davon saw during the fortification process, roughly two hundred Revenants remained. This was a concern. He remembered from his scouting trip that about five hundred Crimson Reaver elites were stationed within the inner city.

    Looking through a nearby window, Davon noted that the sky remained the same muted red color it had shifted to after Tenebris¡¯ empowering roar. That probably meant the magical effect was still active. Any Crimson Reaver they faced would be driven by the general¡¯s strengthening magic.

    Davon frowned. That¡¯s not good. Direct confrontation would end terribly.

    Returning his gaze to his friends, Davon noticed Kai shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Kai winced in pain with almost every movement.

    Davon didn¡¯t even try to hide the concern in his voice. ¡°How are you feeling, Kai?¡±

    ¡°Bad,¡± Kai replied bluntly, still trying to find a comfortable position to sit in. ¡°You know I can¡¯t cast as much as either of you, and that shot went right above me. I¡¯m lucky I didn¡¯t combust, or¡­ whatever happens when you overload.¡±

    ¡°It depends, actually.¡± Lyla looked up from her spellbook. ¡°I did some research into Revenant overload, back when we first joined. Some people burst into ghostly flame. Others explode. There¡¯s even a few cases of overloaded people falling apart like shattered glass.¡±

    Both Kai and Davon looked at Lyla in stunned silence.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ terrifying. AND not helping,¡± Kai muttered.

    Lyla just shrugged and refocused on her spellbook.

    As relative silence laid claim to the room, exhaustion crept its way through Davon¡¯s mind. He realized that, since the siege started, he¡¯d barely had a moment to catch his breath. The constant pressure of the last few hours suddenly caught up with him. He felt drained, both mentally and physically.

    Davon shook his head in an attempt to stave away the exhaustion, but found it difficult to keep his eyes open.

    Maybe this is an effect of the near-overload? he wondered. It feels different from the normal exhaustion of battle.

    Before Davon could think about it too deeply, Grant¡¯s voice shook him from his train of thought.

    ¡°How are you three holding up?¡± the old Revenant asked, towering over the trio.

    ¡°Alive. Not as bad as it could be,¡± Kai answered through a pained chuckle. ¡°Not by much, but we take what we can.¡±

    ¡°Moreso curious about what our plan is now,¡± Davon interjected.

    ¡°The plan is to change our approach.¡± Grant¡¯s eyes wandered over the room. ¡°Emma will be taking over the majority of planning from here on out.¡±

    Lyla looked up from her spellbook in surprise. ¡°Oh? Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Direct assault is my only specialty. With the state of our forces right now, that¡¯s hardly a viable option.¡± Grant sighed. ¡°We need to readjust our strategies to focus on thinning the enemy forces. Ambushes, hit-and-runs, that kind of thing. Fortunately, that¡¯s the Green Tracker¡¯s preferred way of combat, so I¡¯m stepping back to let Emma take charge. I¡¯ll just stay here and make sure we don¡¯t lose our foothold.¡±

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    Davon¡¯s ears perked up at the mention of ambushes. Ever since he decided to lean toward ambushing skills in his Reliquary runes, he hadn¡¯t gotten much chance to use them. The prospect of finally getting to test out these abilities excited him to the point of forgetting about his exhaustion.

    ¡°But, for the moment, we all need rest,¡± Grant stated. ¡°That Godslayer shot will have left both sides of the conflict unable to fight, so take the time to recover.¡±

    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we push while they¡¯re exhausted? Strike while the iron¡¯s hot and all that?¡± Kai asked, wincing as he leaned forward.

    ¡°Look at yourself, boy.¡± Grant nodded towards Kai. ¡°You can barely move without pain. Taking action now will only lead to further losses. Besides, Taz is leading the support crew into the city as we speak. They¡¯re trying to set up a makeshift Imbuement Chamber within the walls.¡±

    Davon raised his eyebrows. He hadn¡¯t expected the Boneshaper to get so close to the fight. Still, access to Imbuement would shift the scales in favor of the Vanguard. At that point, any advantage they could get their hands on was welcome.

    ¡°Take a rest,¡± Grant repeated. His tone made it clear there was no room for argument. ¡°Emma will come get you when she has something for you to do.¡±

    With those words, the old Revenant turned and left the group to their rest.

    Davon was still excited at the thought of Imbuement and ambushes, but Kai seemed to sink deeper into sulking. The young warrior crossed his arms, grumbling more to himself than his friends.

    ¡°We should be out there pushing the offensive¡­¡±

    ¡°Frankly, that would be stupid, Kai,¡± Lyla countered. ¡°Grant is right. We¡¯re already so close to being overloaded. Pushing our luck will either leave us weakened further or dead.¡±

    ¡°Yes but ¡ª¡±

    ¡°No buts. We need rest.¡± Lyla shut her spellbook dramatically with the final word. ¡°The last thing we need right now is to be brazen or impatient. Trust in our leaders.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, trust Lyla. Like we agreed.¡± Davon gave Kai a pointed look.

    ¡°Alright, fine,¡± Kai conceded with a sigh.

    In the following silence, Davon¡¯s exhaustion quickly overwhelmed his lingering excitement. He fell asleep almost immediately.

    ¡ª

    Davon¡¯s rest was troubled by nightmares. Every scene that played in his mind involved fighting Crimson Reavers and failing horribly. They all ended with him and his friends getting killed in a myriad of ways. One particular nightmare troubled him more than the others: Tenebris, unbothered by the Godslayer shot, bearing down on the Vanguard¡¯s hideout.

    Startling awake, Davon¡¯s hand reflexively landed on his Reliquary. He scanned his surroundings quickly and realized he was safe in the hideout. Sinking back into his seat, Davon let out a drawn-out, exasperated sigh.

    Nightmares are the last thing I need with every else going on, Davon thought, frustration building in his chest. He lifted his bow and placed it in his lap, the weight and feel of the weapon bringing him a familiar comfort.

    Taking a moment to inspect himself, Davon realized that the effects of nearly overloading were all but gone. The pain had been reduced to a simple ache. Exhaustion no longer troubled him. When he tested the mental threads between him and his Reliquary, they seemed intact.

    With both of his friends soundly asleep beside him, and feeling much better about his chances in the coming fight, Davon tried to return to his own rest. He settled comfortably into the seat, closed his eyes, and did his best to quiet his thoughts.

    But further rest eluded him. His mind was too wired up from the nightmares to let him fall asleep again. Every time he would get close to dozing off, a stray thought would startle him right back into wakefulness.

    Giving up, Davon turned his attention to his Reliquary. He traced the runes on its side gently, thinking back to the times each one had saved his life, and the two that haven¡¯t been used yet.

    Maybe I¡¯ll finally get to use them, he thought, with another thrill of anticipation. Now that open combat is out of the question.

    Then his eyes landed on the final empty slot. He started thinking about what kind of ability would be most useful to him in the current situation. If there was ever a time to acquire a powerful new skill, it was now.

    Yet, as Davon¡¯s mind worked to imagine such an ability, a thread of connection lit between him and his Reliquary. One simple, wordless message was sent through it, cutting Davon¡¯s thought process short.

    His weapon was making an offer. A rune which would bring Davon incredible power when invoked: the strength he needed to turn the tide of a desperate battle and come out victorious. But it would come at a dire price, once the combat ended.

    What exactly do you mean by all that? Davon asked, sending his thoughts through the link.

    A flurry of images followed. Davon, weapon in hand, standing on a mountain of Crimson Reaver corpses. He was facing off against Tenebris. A short fight against the general, in which Davon managed to land a fatal blow. The general¡¯s dead body under his foot. Then¡­ Davon¡¯s own body disintegrating due to overload.

    So¡­ a brief period of increased strength, but at the end, I die?

    The Reliquary¡¯s only response was a feeling of confirmation.

    Davon fell into deep thought as he considered the offer. He found it, at the same time, both incredibly tempting and incredibly terrifying.

    But, the more he mulled it over, the more he realized how good it could be. A way to overpower his enemies in a spectacular way and end the conflict, in exchange for a few weeks waiting for resurrection after the fact? It sounded almost too good to be true.

    Of course, if he mistimed it, or made a stupid mistake and got himself killed anyway, it would all go to waste.

    Still, that was a risk Davon was willing to take.

    Davon gripped his Reliquary. Alright. I accept.

    A second later, he felt the weapon shudder in his grasp. When he looked down at the previously empty slot, he saw a rune so intricate, it made his mind spin.

    This one rune was more complicated in its design than all the others carved into the bow, combined. Davon appreciated the complexity of the arcana, but quickly moved on, painfully aware of his shortcomings when it came to understanding that sort of thing. Lyla might¡¯ve made some sense of it, but Davon felt just as confused as he did when he occasionally snuck a peek at her spellbook.

    With the new rune manifested, Davon¡¯s Reliquary sent one final message of appreciation. Then it fell silent.

    Surrounded by sleeping Revenants, Davon pondered the change of heart his Reliquary seemed to have gone through.

    Previously, it had warned him of danger and urged him to be more careful whenever it could. Now it was giving him the ultimate tool for revenge that would guarantee his own death by the end of its effect.

    Davon¡¯s brow furrowed in thought.

    Maybe the Reliquary wanted revenge on the Crimson Reavers and all monster-kind as much as he did. Maybe that was why it had been so focused on keeping him out of danger before. It was simply waiting for the right moment to give him this, so he could deliver the ultimate coup de grace to the invasion.

    Davon didn¡¯t know how to feel about the fact that his Reliquary seemed to be just as calculating as he was. But then he smiled, deciding that it didn¡¯t really matter.

    They were going to deliver righteous vengeance upon the Crimson Reavers, and nothing would stop them.

 Chapter 41: Thinning the Ranks

    Davon¡¯s restless thoughts wouldn¡¯t let him sit still. He offered to take a guard shift from the Revenant currently on duty. When his offer was happily accepted, Davon stepped outside and peered over the small cover set up for the lookouts.

    Fixing his eyes on the distant inner wall ramparts, Davon looked for any signs of movement. He found nothing but the remains of the previous day¡¯s battle.

    A sense of awe filled Davon as he looked at the inner wall. With the gate house obliterated, the two gates had fallen onto the street below, leaving an unguarded opening into the inner city.

    Davon found it strange that the Crimson Reavers hadn¡¯t reinforced the hole in their defenses, even just with a layer of simple barricades.

    Maybe they were hit by the Godslayer¡¯s collateral effects even harder than we were, he mused.

    He remembered one of Lyla¡¯s many lectures of magic and casting. She had mentioned that non-Revenants were much more susceptible to magical overloading. Furthermore, the consequences of the overload itself were significantly more catastrophic for those who did not follow the path of the Revenant.

    Davon wanted to think that the Crimson Reavers must still be recovering from the overloading impact of the Godslayer. It was a reasonable explanation for why they had abandoned the gates.

    Yet it didn¡¯t sit quite right with him. Everything about the gate felt like a trap to Davon, like their enemy had left such an obvious opening to lure the Vanguard into the inner city.

    Davon bit his lip, trying to quiet his churning thoughts. Was the enemy truly weakened, to the point of being unable to put up new defenses? Or were they just trying to be clever? And, most importantly, what was the best strategic response?

    Then Davon¡¯s eyes landed on the massive bloodstain left behind by Tenebris. The general had bled enough to paint an entire section of the wall in red.

    A wicked smile crept up onto Davon¡¯s face. His growing anxiety eased as he imagined the pain inflicted on their greatest enemy.

    Before he could return to his musings about the suspiciously undefended gates, Davon felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned in surprise to find Emma standing behind him.

    ¡°Your teammates are awake,¡± she informed him. ¡°Come. It¡¯s time we jumped back into action.¡±

    Davon nodded and followed Emma back into the hideout, eager to do anything rather than sit there and fret.

    As soon as they stepped inside, Emma motioned for Kai and Lyla to join them.

    ¡°Good to see you three made it through the first assault.¡± Emma smiled proudly at the trio. ¡°Now, we need to push to end this fight. And the first step is to thin the ranks of the enemy further. While our main force is recovering, the scouts we left behind at camp have been busy scouring the inner city. Our enemy isn¡¯t doing much better than we are, but they still outnumber us three to one.¡±

    Davon exchanged a worried glance with Kai and Lyla.

    Emma sighed before continuing. ¡°To make matters worse, whatever enchantment Tenebris placed on the sun to embolden the Crimson Reavers still holds. The general himself should be pretty beat up right about now, courtesy of the Godslayer, but his forces are the worrisome part.¡±

    The Revenant commander paused, looking at each one of them in turn.

    ¡°So, you three, as well as a lot of other small teams, will strike the enemy where they are weakest. Hit them where it hurts. Take out as many of them as you can before the rest of the army shows up. Remember, the goal isn¡¯t to take them all out, but to thin their forces enough to make a direct assault viable again.¡±

    Davon knew the situation was grave, but he couldn¡¯t stop the excitement brimming in his heart. He fought to hold back a grin at the thought of attacking the Crimson Reavers while they were down.

    ¡°What does ¡®hit them where it hurts¡¯ mean at this moment, exactly?¡± Lyla asked, obviously more concerned than excited.

    ¡°The remaining Crimson Reavers are mostly their elites,¡± Emma explained. ¡°They move primarily in large groups, but there are smaller groups that patrol through the inner city. Your goal will be to wipe out those smaller groups, preferably before getting noticed by the larger assembly.¡±

    Lyla nodded thoughtfully.

    Kai spoke up next. ¡°What if Tenebris calls for them to gather, or they push for a counterattack?¡±

    ¡°Tenebris hasn¡¯t left the central castle since he was hit by the Godslayer,¡± Emma replied, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what that thing does to ancient dragons. Trust me, Tenebris won¡¯t be rejoining the main combat any time soon.¡±

    Davon¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Do you really think he¡¯s out of the fight?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± Emma shook her head. ¡°He ¡®s still dangerous. He will still be plenty capable of defending himself. But¡­ let me put it this way. He will only be able to use about a fifth of his strength now. So, for the moment, we are focusing mainly on his forces.¡±

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    Over the next ten minutes, Emma gave the trio directions as to where exactly in the inner city they would be going, and what to expect from the enemies they would encounter.

    By the end of the briefing, Davon¡¯s excitement had reached new heights. He had prepared himself for so many different hit-and-run tactics during his previous solo foray into the city. Now, faced with the possibility of finally using them, he could barely contain himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve got for you,¡± Emma concluded at the end of the briefing. ¡°Good luck, and may the Wind be ever at your back.¡±

    Giving only a nod to Emma, Davon headed directly for the door, trusting that Lyla and Kai would be close behind him.

    Once they were outside, he drew his weapon. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you two, but I¡¯m ready to kill some more Crimson Reavers.¡±

    ¡°I would contain that excitement if I were you, D,¡± Lyla warned, narrowing her eyes. ¡°We should be careful with how we approach this. Recklessness could get us killed very easily.¡±

    ¡°Of course, caution first. Always.¡±

    Davon nodded vigorously, but Lyla just sighed in exasperation.

    ¡°I really wish I believed the warning was understood,¡± she said, leaning on her spear.

    Kai stepped past the two and headed directly for the inner wall gates. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point dilly-dallying. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Not so fast, Kai,¡± Davon called, interrupting Kai¡¯s bold approach. ¡°I may be excited about this, but I did mean it when I said caution first. Both of you, come here. I¡¯ve got some tools that can help us.¡±

    When his friends drew close, Davon called upon his Invisibility rune, cloaking the three of them. He couldn¡¯t sustain it for all three of them very long, but it would help them reach their appointed spot safely. Then they could take cover and make a plan.

    The trio set out towards the inner city, ready to continue the fight.

    ¡ª

    Roughly half an hour later, the three Revenants were hiding in one of the many gardens in the inner city, waiting for their prey. According to the information given to them by Emma, an enemy patrol would walk past this garden regularly, making it the perfect spot for an ambush.

    Davon had laid some traps as soon as they arrived. Invoking his Trap rune, he¡¯d used the point of his bow to etch three runes into the cobblestone pathway. The three runes formed a triangle, right in the middle of the street where the patrol usually walked.

    The trio had been lying in wait behind a small, sturdy fence for only a few minutes when their patience was rewarded. A group of two Heavies, a Necromancer, and two Duelists turned into the street, walking slowly towards the hidden Revenants.

    ¡°Looks like not all of the Duelists abandoned the fight,¡± Kai commented, eyes fixed on the approaching figures.

    ¡°I suppose that makes sense. Powerful as she is, I doubt the Red Plume would command as much respect as Tenebris,¡± Davon replied. ¡°I imagine most Crimson Reavers would be afraid of the general¡¯s retribution, even if they wanted to break away from the conflict.¡±

    ¡°Does it really matter?¡± Lyla interjected. ¡°They stayed to fight, so they die.¡±

    The belligerence in her voice caught Davon off-guard. The next moment, though, he found himself smiling grimly.

    Lyla understands, he thought. She¡¯s wants vengeance on these brutes as much as I do.

    Davon detached the bow¡¯s limbs and gripped the blades tightly. After the grueling, ranged fight for the Duke¡¯s Road, he was eager to deal with some enemies up close and personal.

    As the Crimson Reavers drew nearer to the trap laid for them, Davon found himself holding his breath in anticipation. He tracked every step of the Heavies leading the group. When they were just about to step onto the traps, adrenaline surged through Davon¡¯s body.

    Time seemed to slow as an armored boot stepped onto one of the dimly glowing runes. The fraction of a second between the footfall and the following explosion passed like an eternity in Davon¡¯s mind.

    The blast was as sudden as a summer squall. Caught entirely unawares, the two Heavies leading the group were blown to pieces and scattered across the street. The remaining three Crimson Reavers stopped in their tracks, raising their weapons in confusion.

    Before the enemy could recover from the shock, Kai jumped over the fence and charged directly at them.

    Golden light enveloped Kai¡¯s axe as he closed the distance, an attack Davon had grown to appreciate since the first time his warrior friend used it. Kai brought his axe down on the Necromancer with all of the fury he could muster.

    Aided by the momentum of his charge, Kai¡¯s attack broke through the shadowy barrier conjured by the Necromancer at the last moment. While the strike itself slid against the Crimson Reaver¡¯s armor, the infused enchantment broke through, transferring the golden energy from the axe to its victim.

    Davon didn¡¯t waste time watching the Necromancer disintegrate. Instead, he launched his own attack against the Crimson Reavers by Shadow-stepping directly behind one of the Duelists.

    Even before his vision cleared, Davon swung both of his blades towards the small of the Duelist¡¯s back. The blow left two gashes in the enemy¡¯s armor. Before Davon could continue his assault, the Duelist retaliated with an elbow strike, aimed at the Revenant¡¯s head. Davon dodged at the last moment. Dashing to the side, he used the momentum to prepare his next attack.

    Then Lyla¡¯s spear pierced through the Duelist¡¯s gut, cutting the engagement short. The Crimson Reaver stumbled and dropped his blade as he placed both hands on the spear, attempting to pull it out.

    The Duelist¡¯s attempt was useless, however. The spear suddenly erupted with electricity, effectively frying the Crimson Reaver from the inside out.

    But Davon could not savor the moment. The final Crimson Reaver reached out a hand, aiming to grab Davon by the head. Davon attempted to dash out of the way, but the enemy¡¯s fingers still made contact with the Revenant¡¯s chest.

    The world around Davon fell into chaos as he was transported into the Duelist¡¯s arena: the Crimson Reaver¡¯s final desperate attempt to salvage the situation.

    Facing off with the Duelist alone, Davon spared not even a second before beginning his assault. He launched a cross-strike aimed at the Duelist¡¯s chest. It was a flashy attack, though seemingly ineffective. The Duelist blocked it easily by raising his blade in front of him to catch both Davon¡¯s blades.

    Except the cross-strike wasn¡¯t meant to kill. It was meant to goad the enemy into making a mistake.

    Falling entirely for Davon¡¯s gambit, the Duelist placed his free hand against the dull side of his blade and pushed against Davon, trying to break through the Revenant¡¯s guard.

    With a smile, Davon waited for his enemy to put his full force into the struggle, then Shadow-stepped behind the Crimson Reaver. Suddenly pushing against nothing, the Duelist stumbled forward, wide open.

    Davon instantly spun on his heel, swinging his blades and invoking his Sharpness rune. He felt the blades cut through armor and flesh as he dug his heel into the ground to stop his momentum. Blood sprayed from the Crimson Reaver¡¯s back, staining Davon¡¯s clothes in gory red.

    As the world around him returned to normal, Davon flicked the blood off of his blades, then turned to his teammates.

    ¡°Ready for more?¡±

 Chapter 42: Hunterâ€™s Instinct

    The conflict had been noisy, but the trio knew they could put that to good use. Kai and Lyla jumped back over the fence to take cover. Davon stalled behind, preparing some more traps for any foes who would come to investigate the sounds of battle.

    As he placed the first trap, Davon felt a strain on his mental strings, followed quickly by a note of caution from his Reliquary. Shaking his head in exasperation, he turned and joined his friends in their hiding place.

    ¡°Won¡¯t be able to do the trap thing much anymore,¡± Davon warned. ¡°They¡¯re pretty draining. I guess I¡¯ve been pushing myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We are still plenty capable of killing some Crimson Reavers,¡± Kai replied, pounding a fist against his chest.

    Lyla sighed. ¡°Just please be careful, Kai. I won¡¯t be able to patch us up too many times, either. The Godslayer hit me¡­ particularly hard.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering about that.¡± Davon searched her face. ¡°How are you holding up?¡±

    ¡°Still recovering, but not as fast as I¡¯d like,¡± Lyla admitted as she clutched her spear close. ¡°I¡¯ll live, don¡¯t worry about me. I just need to not push myself too hard.¡±

    Davon nodded. ¡°Fair enough. I think we all need to be careful.¡±

    Davon waited for Kai¡¯s reluctant nod of agreement. Then the trio gave their full attention to the road.

    Silence suffused the atmosphere, causing anxiety to rise in Davon¡¯s chest. Ever since the Crimson Reaver Assassins attacked the Vanguard archers on the rooftops, he couldn¡¯t help feeling like they might attack again at any moment. They could be lurking in the shadows even now, waiting for just the right quiet moment to strike¡­

    Grimacing with frustration, Davon shrugged off his anxiety and refocused himself on the task at hand. He expected the Crimson Reavers to send a larger group to investigate the explosion made by his traps. It was important to be ready.

    As the wait dragged on, though, Davon¡¯s brain started to turn in a different direction. From his experiences as a solo scout behind enemy lines, Davon knew Tenebris was more than willing to pop out at any minor noise in the streets of Heinburg. But now there was combat in the inner city, as close to his lair as the Vanguard had ever gotten, and the general hadn¡¯t so much as poked his head out.

    That Godslayer shot must¡¯ve really hurt him, Davon reasoned, feeling a surge of glee wash over him at the thought.

    Grant did claim the Godslayer would weaken the general, but Davon had been doubtful about the extent of that damage. If Tenebris was unwilling even to peek out of his hiding place, then the blow must have been significant.

    Davon¡¯s rumination was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Kai with a serious expression on his face. The young warrior nodded towards the road. Davon followed his gaze and spotted a new group of Crimson Reavers approaching their location.

    Proving Davon¡¯s gut instinct correct, the group walking down the street was nearly double what they had just faced. Four Heavies, four Duelists, but still only one Necromancer. The Heavies also bore different weapons. Two of them carried massive great swords, while the other two wielded a long sword in each hand.

    A mix of excitement and cautious confidence bubbled in Davon¡¯s chest as he prepared his blades. He was ready for action.

    With each combat the trio went through, Davon had found a sort of hunter¡¯s instinct settling deeper and deeper into his subconscious. He knew he could trust it. So long as he didn¡¯t get carried away, this instinct would pull him through.

    When one of the great sword-wielding Heavies stepped onto Davon¡¯s trap, the explosion echoed throughout the inner city. Yet, the Crimson Reaver that stepped onto it seemed to be only slightly hurt. Davon could see damage on the soldier¡¯s leg armor and blood dripping from tiny wounds, but otherwise, the beast was only taken off-balance.

    Davon knew they couldn¡¯t give the enemy any time to recover. Thinking on his feet, he decided the Necromancer was the most dangerous of the group. Davon immediately Shadow-stepped and placed both swords against the Necromancer¡¯s neck.

    Taking no risk, Davon invoked the Sharpness rune and pressed the blades into his foe¡¯s skin. He took the Necromancer¡¯s head off his shoulders with no difficulty, sending spatters of blood into the air.

    His attack had landed him in the middle of the group, surrounded by Crimson Reavers. They raised their weapons to strike at him. But before any hit could land, Davon invoked his Shadow-step rune again, placing the Crimson Reaver group between himself and his friends.

    A pang of sharp pain pierced Davon¡¯s head as soon as his vision cleared. The mental threads he used to invoke his abilities strained against his efforts, threatening to fray.

    You¡¯re pushing too hard, Davon, he scolded himself.

    He couldn¡¯t move. He could barely keep his balance under the onslaught of pain.

    While Davon was struggling to stay on his feet, he could feel the Crimson Reavers¡¯ full attention on him. But he wasn¡¯t worried. He knew that his friends would have his back¡­ or front, in this case.

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    Kai and Lyla exploited the enemy¡¯s distraction to its fullest. Before anyone could react, a spear pierced through the neck of one of the great sword Heavies.

    The Crimson Reaver fell to his knees with a gurgle. When Lyla recalled her spear, the Heavy fell forward, dead.

    Almost at the same second, Kai charged into the enemy formation, shouting in rage as he swung his axe at another Heavy. The soldier raised his two long swords an instant too late. Kai¡¯s axe bit into the enemy¡¯s torso, sending him into a stumble.

    The remaining great sword Heavy retaliated by swinging his weapon at Kai¡¯s chest. Without skipping a beat, Kai let go of his axe and ducked the swing. As the great sword went over him, Kai shot back up and grabbed the blade with a gloved hand, pushing it into the soldier he¡¯d left his axe in.

    Still stunned by the pain, the wounded Crimson Reaver stood no chance. Kai redirected the blade towards his enemy¡¯s neck and, carried both by the initial momentum of the swing and Kai¡¯s own force, the attack decapitated the foe with terrifying efficiency.

    The four Duelists dashed into action. They surrounded Kai, each preparing a strike. Just as the enemies¡¯ blades were about to pierce into him, Kai grabbed the hilt of his axe and conjured a barrier, stopping every attack in its tracks. The sound of cracking glass echoed in Davon¡¯s ears as a spiderweb of cracks formed on the barrier. It shattered almost instantly.

    A look of fury came over Kai¡¯s face as another rune lit up on his axe. He placed his other hand on the axe and pulled it from the dead Crimson Reaver¡¯s torso. Before the body could even hit the ground, Kai was spinning on his heel, axe outstretched.

    Three of the Duelists reacted in time to move out of the way, but the fourth was met with the full force of Kai¡¯s anger. The soldier fell to the ground in two pieces, bisected at the hip.

    With the Duelists retreating, the two remaining Heavies stepped into their place. The great sword wielder braced his weapon defensively and intercepted Kai¡¯s spinning slash. Sparks erupted from the point of impact, showering the two combatants as their weapons locked. Meanwhile, the second Heavy prepared both of his long swords and swung at Kai¡¯s torso, aiming to put a quick end to the Revenant.

    Before the blades could connect, the ground shifted beneath the attacking Crimson Reaver¡¯s feet. Davon raised his eyes towards Lyla. The young woman had her spellbook in hand and was chanting feverishly.

    Lyla stretched out her hand toward the remaining dual sword Heavy, launching a bolt of condensed energy at her target.

    Still off-balance, the Crimson Reaver couldn¡¯t react in time. Lyla¡¯s attack struck him directly in the chest. The blow pierced straight through him, leaving a plate-sized hole in his torso. The Heavy dropped to the ground with little fanfare.

    The rune on his axe was still glowing as Kai looked at the final Heavy. The young warrior¡¯s pure rage overflowed in the form of a bloodthirsty war cry. Kai let go of his weapon, allowing it to fall unceremoniously to the ground with a heavy clang. Then he drove a knee into the flat side of the soldier¡¯s great sword.

    Golden energy erupted from the point of impact as the weapon shattered under the force of Kai¡¯s onslaught.

    Stunned by the Revenant¡¯s sudden and brash attack, the Heavy couldn¡¯t react in time. Kai sent fist after fist into the soldier¡¯s chest, caving his armor in further and further with each energy-infused blow.

    When the Crimson Reaver¡¯s ribcage cracked, the sickening crunch echoing through the battlefield, Kai turned towards the three remaining Crimson Reavers with murderous intent in his eyes.

    Davon hadn¡¯t moved, still stunned by the pain piercing his head, but he could see that the final three enemies were wavering. Their hesitation lost them the opportunity to strike at Kai with another pincer attack. Instead, only one of the Duelists moved towards Kai, holding their weapon with both hands and swinging in a wide arc.

    Kai simply caught the blade with his hand and squeezed. Golden energy emanated from the point of contact. Then the blade shattered into pieces, leaving both sides of the confrontation stunned by Kai¡¯s display of raw power.

    Following up on this show of force, Kai launched a flurry of jabs into the Duelist¡¯s chest, the cracking of bone echoing with every landed strike. He finished his flurry with a haymaker that sent the Crimson Reaver¡¯s body flying several dozen feet backwards.

    For a moment, Davon was afraid the body would hit him. Pain still had him in its grip, preventing him from moving out of the way. He let out a sigh of relief as the body flew by.

    Of the two remaining Duelists, one reached for a war horn hanging from his belt, while the other moved to block Kai from reaching the first. But he needn¡¯t have worried. Kai, absorbed by his rage and focused entirely on the nearest enemy, didn¡¯t even try to prevent the first Duelist from sounding the alarm.

    The pain in Davon¡¯s head finally dulled as the war horn¡¯s shrill cry echoed around them. Davon reattached his blades and raised his bow, aiming at the war horn Duelist. He put an arrow through the distracted Crimson Reaver¡¯s neck with little effort, cutting the horn¡¯s call short.

    With a furious howl, Kai grabbed the only remaining enemy by the head and dragged him downwards while throwing his knee upwards. A terrifying and sickening crack rang out as Kai caved the Duelist¡¯s helmet inward, killing him instantly.

    Then silence claimed the battlefield, broken only by Davon and Kai¡¯s heavy breathing. With his enchantment fading, Kai stumbled backwards, visibly exhausted.

    ¡°Heh. I don¡¯t think I can do that too much,¡± Kai admitted between heavy breaths.

    Davon laughed wearily. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I¡¯m spent as well.¡±

    ¡°I hate to interrupt you boys¡¯ discussion, but we should move,¡± Lyla whispered urgently, leaning heavily on her spear. ¡°That call will surely bring down more than we can handle.¡±

    In the distance, further into the inner city, Davon heard the echo of another war horn.

    ¡°Fair point. Let¡¯s move,¡± Davon agreed.

    But as he turned away, Lyla put a hand on his arm.

    ¡°Hear me out. I have a bit of a¡­ risky idea,¡± she offered, provoking a curious look from Davon. ¡°Let¡¯s move towards the place where the response came from and duck into a building. We can gauge their forces when they pass and possibly ambush them when they return.¡±

    Davon didn¡¯t have to think long before deciding the plan was genius.

    ¡°With little surprise, your ideas are always great.¡± He grinned at Lyla. ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    The trio quickly moved further into the inner city, looking for a suitable hiding spot. They found it in the form a small manor. The building was humbly sized, though too richly decorated for Davon¡¯s taste. Still, the attic windows gave a good view of the street below.

    Posting up by these windows, the trio waited patiently for their enemies to walk by. Several long minutes passed.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re a ways away,¡± Davon observed idly, eyes glued to the empty street outside.

    ¡°No complaints here. It gives us the chance to catch our breath,¡± Kai countered, settling into a mess of sheets he¡¯d turned into a makeshift chair. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take a quick rest while we wait.¡±