The first one moved like a shadow peeled from bone — low, fast, and wrong.
Kael barely blinked before it vanished from the clearing and reappeared mid-leap, claws spread wide, maw unhinging into a twisted scream that cracked the air.
"Left!" he shouted, already dodging right.
Leiya spun. Her blade flashed upward, catching the Varnok mid-lunge. Moonveil Laceration cleaved clean through its chest—but instead of dying, it split around the blade like smoke and flesh at once.
Then it reformed behind her.
Kael didn't think—Storm Vault Execution kicked in. He blurred forward, essence compressed beneath his soles, launching like a cannon. His fist met its side before it could strike Leiya again, the impact sounding like a collapsing wall. The creature folded midair, hurled into the gnarled roots of a tree. The trunk snapped.
But two more rose from the mist.
Thin. Twitching. Smiling.
One of them wore a necklace made of human fingers.
Kael's skin crawled.
"They're testing us," he muttered, Sparks dancing across his arms. "Probing before the real assault."
"Then let's disappoint them."
Leiya flicked both blades wide "Gleamstride Avalanche" she shot forward, light trails splitting the air. She passed between the two newcomers in a blink, frost detonating behind her. The area exploded in delayed shatterbursts, freezing the ground and the Varnok's limbs mid-turn.
Kael didn't wait.
"Stormfire Whip Barrage" lashing arcs of flame-charged storm energy into the clearing. They danced like serpents, coiling and striking in unison. Each impact blasted chunks of Essence-soaked earth skyward, catching one of the frozen Varnok mid-thaw and ripping it apart.
Screeches followed.
From the trees. From the ground. From everywhere.
The nest had woken.
A dozen shapes broke from the edges of the forest — some crawling, others leaping, one even flying low with twitching wings stitched from Essence-warped bone. Their hunger was palpable now, searing the air like acid.
Leiya's breath fogged as her body surged with Light and Ice. She planted her heel and slammed both swords into the ground. Dawnpiercer Bloom.
Radiant lilies burst outward in waves, their glow blinding. Each petal landed like a mine, flashing with ice and concussive brilliance. The swarm stalled—just for a second.
Enough for Kael to let go.
He dove in with Maelstrom Overdrive, his limbs wrapped in spiraling Storm and Lightning. Every movement cracked with speed and pressure. He moved too fast to track—cutting down three Varnok in six strikes, then leaping high into a somersaulting cyclone.
The final hit landed with a quake, sending up a stormwave that obliterated the clearing's edge.
But they kept coming.
Some burning. Some missing limbs. But all still moving.
A larger form stepped out from the trees.
This one stood tall—nearly human-shaped, but plated in jagged bone-armor, horns spiraling backward from its temples. A tattered adventurer's cloak hung from one shoulder. Its hands were calm. Its gaze focused.
"Leader," Kael said.
Leiya nodded, bruised but standing. "I'll stall the swarm."
"I'll handle the tall one."
Kael stepped forward. The air around him crackled. His eyes burned with Lightning.
The Humanoid Varnok tilted its head — then spoke.
"You're not ready."
Kael didn't flinch. "Let's find out."