Lord Arid's eye twitched violently.
Rage bubbled just beneath the surface of his carefully maintained composure. The layers of arrogance he'd worn like impenetrable armor had finally been cracked, shattered by pain, humiliation, and the insult of being matched by someone he'd deemed inferior.
Kael didn't hesitate.
A pulse of opportunity surged through his chest, that battlefield instinct that separated survivors from corpses.
In the space between heartbeats, he summoned his status screen mentally. His eyes darted over the glowing interface that only he could perceive. Without second-guessing, he allocated 3 Blood Points directly into Dexterity.
---
[Blood Points Consumed: 3]
[Dexterity: 21 → 24]
[Remaining BP: 16]
---
Sudden heat blazed through his limbs like liquid fire racing through his veins. The world around him seemed to slow, details sharpening to crystalline clarity. His feet dug into the dirt...
And he shot forward.
Kael vanished from where he stood, appearing behind Lord Arid in a blur that left only disturbed dust in his wake.
Some primal instinct warned the noble. He began turning, ignoring his multiple wounds and the blood streaming from his shattered nose. But it was already too late.
Kael's dagger tore through the air with the speed and inevitability of a falling guillotine blade. A clean, perfect arc.
Steel met flesh.
The sound was sharp and wet, 'thwick', cutting through the oppressive silence.
Lord Arid's expression froze. Not in agony, though that must have been present. No... frozen in pure disbelief, as if his mind couldn't process what had just happened.
His head remained perched on his shoulders for one impossible second longer... then it slowly, almost gracefully, slid sideways from the base of his neck.
It dropped like a stone, hitting the ground with a dull, final 'thud'. The eyes remained wide in shock, locked in that moment of terrible realization. His mouth hung slightly open, as if trying to voice a thought that would never be completed.
His body swayed uncertainly, still technically upright... then toppled forward heavily, utterly lifeless.
The gorge was consumed by absolute silence.
Kael stood there, chest heaving, blood dripping steadily from his dagger's edge to pool in the dirt below.
[DING!]
A clear, crystalline chime rang through the air. A translucent screen flickered to life before his eyes.
---
[SIDE QUEST COMPLETED: THE END OF THE PUPPETEER]
[Objective: Eliminate Lord Arid and shatter the war's foundation.
Status: SUCCESS]
[REWARDS:
1. Stat Increases:
- Constitution +5 [12 → 17]
- Mental Cognition +5 [12 → 17]
2. New Skill Unlocked: Eclipse Step
Merge briefly with surrounding shadows and reappear up to 10 meters away. Can only be tracked during use by opponents above your realm.
3. Bonus Experience: +500 EXP
---
[SYSTEM REWARDS]
[You have acquired primal energy of a Half-Step Primal Adept: Lord Arid (Forgotten Royal)]
[Total Essence Absorbed: +12 EXP]
[Blood Points: +3]
[Experience Points: 581/100 EXP]
[System Level: 4 (281/400) You have advanced to level 4]
[Breakthrough: Level 6 → Level 7 Primal Warrior]
---
Kael barely had time to register the notifications for rewards and a breakthrough before a sharp, distant sound pierced through the stillness of the gorge.
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!"
The scream cut through the air like a blade through silk, desperate, unmistakably human and familiar.
His breath caught in his throat.
The sound had come from the narrow path leading up through the cliffs, the same direction where Sera and Mira had taken the royals to safety.
The scream was faint, carried on wind and distance, barely audible beneath the settling dust and his own labored breathing. But Kael's enhanced hearing caught every nuance.
Terror. Pain. Desperation.
His fingers clenched around his dagger until leather creaked. His heart, still racing from the fight with Arid, began hammering even harder for an entirely different reason he couldn't understand.
He didn't waste time thinking.
Kael sprinted forward, boots pounding against rocky ground. The reward notifications faded from his vision, forgotten, swallowed by urgency.
He vaulted over the scattered remains of shadow constructs that were slowly dissolving. He ducked beneath a jagged stone outcrop that jutted at head height.
Loose stones scattered beneath his feet, one slipped treacherously, nearly twisting his ankle, but he compensated instantly and pushed even faster.
The wind howled through the narrow cliffs like a living thing trying to warn him back.
Another scream rang out, shorter this time, cut off abruptly midway through.
Kael's blood ran cold.
The path narrowed dramatically as he climbed, stone walls pressing in from both sides like closing fists. He forced his legs to move faster despite burning lungs and muscles screaming protest. The dry air, still tainted with lingering smoke from earlier combat, scraped his throat raw.
He rounded a sharp corner, eyes scanning ahead desperately.
There was nothing. No movement or sound.
The world had gone eerily, unnaturally quiet.
Kael slowed his pace slightly, raising his blade into a defensive guard position. Each step forward became cautious now, measured. His enhanced senses stretched to their limits, searching for any hint of danger.
The trail ahead showed faint streaks of blood, still fresh, glistening wetly in the dim light filtering down from above.
Kael's grip tightened until his knuckles went white. His jaw clenched. But he pressed forward, following that crimson trail.
He advanced several more careful meters and entered a small clearing, partially illuminated by a single torch that had been wedged between two stones. The flame guttered and smoked, casting dancing shadows across the space.
The sight before him made his heart plummet into his stomach.
Mira lay crumpled against a rocky spike protruding from her chest, her staff broken in two pieces beside her. Blood pooled down her torso from the wound, her hair matted on one side. Her eyes were closed, chest barely rising and falling shallowly.
Sera was on her knees in the center of the clearing, her bow snapped in half and arrows scattered. Her left arm hung at an unnatural angle, as if broken or burnt. Blood ran down her face from a cut above her eye. But she was conscious, glaring with pure defiance at...
Dorian Valthorne.