It was them. There was no room for doubt anymore.
I turned imdiately, already moving.
Narg and Thok are following.
"Where are the others?" Narg asked.
"They're outside the gate," Thok said. "They went ahead to confront them."
Before he could say anything else, I activated warp, reappearing atop one of the twin towers that flanked the gate, and as I looked ahead, the scene lay itself bare in a way that made my chest tighten.
Zarah stood at the forefront, bow already in hand, her posture calm but coiled, with Gobbo and Dribb slightly ahead of the others like living shields, while Zonk, Snob, Krish, Zox, Gork, Nira, Zivra, and Ariel ford a loose but deliberate line behind them, every single one of them facing outward, eyes locked forward, ready for battle.
And ahead of them, spread out in a wide, oppressive arc that blocked the forest path entirely, were dozens of Varkuun Howlers, their dark forms perched on rocks, tree trunks, and roots, bodies hunched and tense, eyes gleaming with restrained violence as though they were predators waiting for a signal rather than mindless beasts rushing in.
I warped again, this ti appearing directly beside the group with Narg and Thok, my presence snapping the tension like a pulled string.
The mont they saw , the shift was imdiate.
Relief rippled through them, subtle but unmistakable.
"Chief…"
"Chief…"
Voices overlapped, steadying, grounding.
I turned slightly and caught Ariel glancing at before clicking her tongue and looking away, her tail flicking sharply behind her.
What was her problem?
"Where did you go?" she asked, irritation leaking into her voice.
But I didn't respond.
Instead, I walked past her and moved straight to the front, stopping beside Zarah and letting my gaze sweep across the enemy line once more.
"Have they done anything?" I asked.
"No," Gork replied after a mont, his grip tightening on his weapon. "They're just standing there, like they're waiting for sothing. Orders, maybe."
"What are they?" Zarah asked quietly, without taking her eyes off the howlers.
I narrowed my eyes and turned slightly toward Gork.
"Shouldn't you know?" I said. "It seems they've got history with Jael."
Gork frowned, genuine confusion crossing his features as he shook his head.
"Know them?" he said slowly. "I've never seen creatures like that in my life."
He didn't look like he was lying.
I turned toward Nira and Zivra next, searching their faces for any hint of recognition or hidden knowledge, but they looked just as lost as Gork had, their expressions tight with unease rather than guilt.
"I t their leader and a few of them in the forest," I said, keeping my voice level. "It claid Jael destroyed its ho, wiped out its people. They're here for revenge?"
Zarah's grip on her bow tightened almost imperceptibly as she turned her head toward Gork, then Nira, then Zivra, her eyes sharp and cold.
"So it's their fault, then," she said, the accusation heavy in her tone.
Gork answered calmly, though I could see tension creeping into his shoulders.
"I am not Jael."
"You were his dog, were you not?" Zarah shot back without hesitation.
Gork blinked, stunned, his brows knitting together.
"Dog?"
"A pet that lives for its master," Zarah said sharply, her voice cutting. "As a Chosen, shouldn't you know the aning?"
Gork's expression darkened instantly, sothing ugly flashing across his face as his jaw clenched, and for a mont it looked like he was about to say sothing, but I cut in, my voice firm, leaving no room for argunt:
"That's enough! It doesn't matter whose fault this was. What matters is that it involves us now."
Zarah clicked her tongue in irritation and looked away, clearly displeased but saying nothing more.
"I'll go talk to them," I said, stepping forward. "See if this can be settled without blood."
"What?!" Ariel blurted out. "Since when did you start being diplomatic?"
I did not respond.
Gork turned toward imdiately, his expression tightening.
"What about their leader?" he asked. "You said you t him."
"Yes," I replied.
"And…?" he pressed.
I glanced back at him. "What do you think?" I said plainly. "He's dead."
Gork's face twisted, the color draining slightly as the implication sank in.
"Chief," he said, lowering his voice, "don't tell you're thinking of letting this turn into a full fight. They're higher level than us. If this breaks out, we'll be wiped out."
I didn't answer him right away.
Instead, I looked over my shoulder at Gobbo and Dribb standing like immovable walls, at Zarah with her bow already half-raised, at Narg whose very presence seed to warp the air around him.
Then I turned back to Gork.
"I doubt that," I said quietly.
Before he could respond, I turned away from the group.
"Wait for my signal," I said over my shoulder.
And then I started walking alone toward the line of Varkuun Howlers.
As I studied them more carefully, I realized it would be a mistake to let them make the first move, because if dozens of howlers unleashed their sonic abilities at once, the damage would ripple far beyond a simple clash.
The clan fence was reinforced, yes, but it wasn't designed to withstand layered shockwaves that hit with the force of collapsing air, especially not when those waves stacked and resonated like detonations.
As I walked forward, I activated [Analyze], letting the system feed their levels.
Most of them were standard Varkuun Howlers, clustered around levels thirty to thirty-five, nurous but individually manageable.
Mixed among them were elites at level forty-five, heavier, denser in presence, their auras sharper and more disciplined. And then there was the queen.
[Queen Varkuun Howler | Level 49]
Lower than the alpha I had killed, but still close enough to be dangerous if underestimated.
I slowed to a stop at a distance that wouldn't trigger an imdiate response, making sure my posture was relaxed but unmistakably firm, and then raised my voice so it carried across the clearing.
"Your...
User Comments
0 comments from readers