Chapter Forty-Eight

  "Among the stars dwell unimaginable monstrosities—beings of immense size, boundless strength, and powers yet to be named. With each progression of the games, new creatures emerge, paving the way for bold discoveries and ventures." – Games Director.

  Trish

  Hours had passed since Nadia’s urgent communication about the mountain awakening. The news spread like wildfire, thanks to Will and Steel picking it up almost immediately. In the command hold, James stood with Elric, the village leader, locked in tense discussions about the next steps. Outside, Zar’Keth was a storm of activity as the village prepared for the unknown. Families frantically gathered, accounting for their loved ones, while workers abandoned their usual tasks to take on new roles, fortifying defenses. In the Guardians' Hold, Frank—now fully integrated into the smithing team—oversaw the frantic preparations with Vix, ensuring the village’s arsenal of weaponry was operational. Despite the chaos, under Elric’s orders, the City Watch held their posts, eyes peeled for any new sign of danger. Will and Steel fought to maintain order, their frustration bubbling beneath the surface as their impatience for action grew.

  The village trusted Nadia and Tuck, but south of the divide, the people of Zar’Keth felt only faint echoes of the previous rumbles. A tremor rippled through the earth, subtle yet unnatural—an anomaly that sent chills through those attuned to the earth affinity. It was a silent warning, a harbinger of something far more significant than an ordinary quake.

  While the village buzzed with activity, Trish was in an unexpected leadership role, joined by an equally unconventional group of collaborators. At the front gates, she directed efforts alongside Sutt, hauling out ancient devices salvaged from the village junkyard. Following closely was Uma, the Weavers' den elder, flanked by her support staff, Ziad and Melra. Uma had risen from her usual spot in the rocking chair, her movements deliberate, and her commanding presence radiated authority as though she had never left her prime.

  Despite initial resistance from skeptical villagers of what they were doing, Sutt and Uma quickly silenced any objections with their sharp tongues and undeniable authority. Each villager foolish enough to question their efforts earned a stern dressing-down, often met with a hidden smirk between the two women as they turned belittling villagers into a competitive sport.

  “Are we even sure these old relics will work?” Ziad asked hesitantly, heaving a hulking, oval-shaped device onto the ground alongside Melra.

  The question prompted twin glares from Sutt and Uma.

  “Watch your tone, boy. Who are you calling a relic?” Sutt barked.

  “These ‘old relics’ taught you everything you know!” Uma snapped, her tone fierce enough to make Ziad’s eyes widen in alarm. He stuttered, his mouth floundering for words.

  “Relax, you two,” Trish interjected, shaking her head. “You’re going to give him a panic attack. He was talking about the Pulse Sentinel, not you. And yes, that thing WAS a relic. But now it’s our best shot. Move it further from the walls—no point keeping it too close.”

  The Pulse Sentinel was just one of the devices flagged for urgent use. Initial scans revealed it was armed with a multitude of metallic drones powered by affinity energy cores. These cores could embed and harness their affinity, firing bursts of energy similar to James’ arrows but in concentrated miniature blasts.

  “Oh, we’re just having fun,” Sutt responded with a mischievous grin across her face. “You’re the real relic, Trish. Who knows the combined age of what you’re wearing?”

  Trish ignored the jab, too focused on preparing for what was coming. The junkyard had proven to be a treasure trove of forgotten tech, and she’d equipped herself with an arsenal of wearable devices, all synced to her OmniBand. Wires and metals adorned her like a suit of armor, each piece ready to activate at a moment’s notice. She wasn’t about to sit back and let her team handle this alone. This fight was hers, too.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  As she worked, an urgent alert pinged on one of her nodes surrounding the village. It wasn’t detailed—it was too far to provide specifics—but it indicated the arrival of a massive energy source nearby. Trish’s voice turned urgent as she opened her comms.

  “James, I just got an alert about an unknown energy—”

  Before she could finish, the world itself seemed to rebel. A seismic shift shook the ground, throwing everyone off balance. It wasn’t just an earthquake; the entire planet had tilted off its axis. Trish hit the ground hard as a plume of debris, dark and volcanic, shot into the sky. Peaks in the northern mountains crumbled, cascading rocks and ash as a deafening roar split the air, piercing all ears like an unstoppable force. The vibrations clawed at her skin, an unnatural irritation that left her gasping as she scrambled upright.

  “James, the alert!” Trish shouted into her comm, her voice strained.

  “I think we’re well aware, Trish! The whole damned village knows!” James snapped back, frustration edging his tone.

  “No, James.” Trish’s voice turned grave. “I’m reading something closer. Just south of the divide. And it’s powerful.”

  James went silent, the weight of her words sinking in. A moment later, his voice came back, calm but commanding. “Rose, you know what to do.”

  ***

  James and Rose

  Rose soared through the skies, her mighty wings cutting through the still, heavy air as she flew north toward the source of the disturbance. The night wrapped around her like a shroud, but her sharp eagle eyes easily pierced through the darkness. Each beat of her wings lifted her higher, granting her a wide, commanding view of the terrain below. The link with James sharpened her focus, and their minds synchronized, providing him with every detail her keen vision captured. Together, they assessed the horizon, scanning for clues.

  The sight was grim. Figures moved sporadically below, their shapes indistinct against the dim backdrop of early morning shadows. The northern mountain loomed ahead, changed, and fractured. Dust and debris still filled the air, floating in slow, ominous spirals. Rose adjusted her trajectory, narrowing her gaze to the mountain's base where faint pinpricks of light flickered. Northerners were moving—some heading toward the mountain’s base, others clustering in groups, desperately attempting to regroup. The unrest was palpable, even from her vantage high above.

  But something deeper stirred, unsettling and strange. Rose turned her piercing gaze toward the northern mountain, focusing on the uncanny motion just beneath its surface. The ground swelled unnaturally, deliberate and foreboding, as though something immense was pushing against the earth from below. Then came the rupture—violent and abrupt. Shards of steel and stone exploded into the air, jagged fragments spiraling outward as the ground split apart.

  From the fractured earth, horns emerged—rounded and immense, flowing upward in sweeping arcs before gracefully curving back into the creature’s enormous head. Their surface shimmered faintly in the dim, smooth, yet solid light, exuding an ancient and unyielding power. The horns were not jagged weapons but mighty structures, like polished ridges formed over centuries, their shape almost reminiscent of curved cliff faces forged by time itself.

  And then, as the dust settled, the creature’s eyes opened. Two burning red orbs glared through the darkness, their size comparable to boulders anchored in place. Their glow cut through the pitch black of the night, flooding the landscape with an unnatural light that seemed to weigh heavily on the air. Malice poured from their gaze, raw and oppressive, sending shivers through Rose's feathers. The sight of the emerging monstrosity filled her with an instinctive unease, her flight faltering as she felt dwarfed by the incomprehensible scale of its awakening.

  James’ voice resounded within Rose’s thoughts, grounding her. “Rose, get to the destination and get back here. Nothing you can do by yourself.”

  Rose steadied herself, shifting her wings to catch the wind as she obeyed. She tore her gaze away from the monstrous sight, angling downward toward the river. At first, there was nothing but stillness below—no figures, no movement, only the quiet rustle of grass and scattered stones. But her instincts urged her to fly closer. As she descended, a faint pulse caught her attention. It radiated from the hillside, faint but unmistakable, a deep blue shimmer that seemed to hum with power.

  Her sharp eyes locked onto the source: a glowing nexus vein pulsing with energy. It rested alone on the hillside, its vivid blue glow starkly out of place against the drab surroundings. Rose knew this wasn’t where it belonged. The vein had been taken north just hours ago, yet now it had somehow returned to this spot as if brought back by unseen hands.

  “Frank, Tuck,” James began, her voice quick and urgent through the comms. “You won’t believe this, but we’ve got an urgent pickup. Grab a cart. The nexus vein has returned.”