The morning air was sharp and cold. Mist clung to the trees and hung heavy over the clearing where the bandits had made their temporary camp. Fires burned low, the embers spitting faint sparks, but most of the men were already on their feet.
Boots stomped dirt into the frost as they began their march.
At the center of the horde, shielded from every side, walked their leader—Arden. He moved with calm, deliberate steps, his sharp eyes fixed on the path ahead. On either side, Raghul and Zeven walked close, as they always did, their figures looming like shadows of loyalty.
Raghul was still clutching a half-empty flask, his steps uneven. He let out a low, content burp and shook his head.
"You're a pig," Zeven muttered, sneering at him. "Snap out of it before the fighting starts. I don't want your sorry drunken ass costing me my glory."
Raghul grinned, sloppy but unbothered. "Glory? Hah. I'll sober up when the blood spills, don't worry. You'll see."
"Just don't get in my way."
"Don't nag me like a jealous wife."
The two bickered, steel against steel in words, but Arden walked on without comment. Their noise was meaningless to him. His mind was on the field ahead—on the mysterious lord who had taken root in ruins that should have belonged to no one.
This wasn't just another raid. He could feel it.
Far away, the ruins had begun to wake.
Kairo's forces lined up before the walls of his territory. Five ghouls stood silent, their boned bodies crackling, their hollow sockets gleaming. Behind them, fifteen dragon-blooded kabolts formed ranks, their green scales shimmering in the pale morning light.
And standing before them like a commander, was Onyx. His black armor gleamed with faint cracks of violet, his single horn glowing like a shard of moonlight. The violet lance in his hand pulsed faintly, alive with power. He said nothing—as he always did—but his presence was a wall of its own.
Theo stood a little behind, shoulders tight, his sword clutched hard enough for his knuckles to pale. His newly assigned partner, the darker-scaled kabolt he had named Flint, loomed beside him.
Theo looked up at the monster that was now his partner, nerves shaking through him. But he forced himself to steady, whispering, "I'm counting on you, Flint. Don't let me down."
The kabolt tilted its head. Then, slowly, it gave a short nod.
Theo froze, then let out a shaky laugh. "Guess you understood that, huh? Alright then. Let's do this… together."
He felt a strange warmth in his chest. Fear lingered, but for the first time, courage was stronger.
On the walls, a rough platform had been built overnight—Shiri's handiwork. Crude but stable, it gave Kairo the height he needed. From there, he could see his entire force, every kabolt and ghoul at attention.
Floating around him were the glowing, shifting panels of the Command Nexus. Symbols twisted like liquid glass, rearranging themselves in bursts of light. None but him could see them. To others, he looked like he was staring into empty air, but to Kairo, the battlefield stretched like a living diagram, every unit a piece on the board.
His fingers flicked across the hovering panels, weaving lines of light between his forces. A formation took shape—patterns of positioning, routes of fallback, angles of attack.
He hesitated, just for a moment. (These aren't beasts this time. They're people. Humans.)
His heart weighed heavy. Could he really cut them down?
"Kairo," Shiri's voice snapped him out of the fog. The naga stood at his side, arms crossed, watching him. "Are you sure about this? About Theo?"
Kairo's eyes flicked down to the boy, who now stood firm beside Flint, shoulders squared even as his legs trembled.
"I'm planning a formation that'll reduce the pressure on him. He won't be on his own." Kairo's voice was steady now. "If things go wrong, I'll pull him back."
Shiri narrowed his eyes. "You sound too calm for this. What's in that head of yours?"
"The start of a plan," Kairo said. Then his eyes lit up, sudden sparks dancing in them. He pressed into the panels, the formation blooming brighter, more intricate. "No… better than that. A way we can win without a single loss."
Shiri blinked at the certainty in his voice. Then a smile spread across his face, sharp and proud. "If you're right, Kairo… you'll be one of the greatest this world has ever seen."
Kairo's heart thudded. For once, he almost believed it.
Not far behind the barracks, the captured bandits sat bound in ropes, guarded by two silent kabolts. They whispered among themselves.
"Did you finish it?" one hissed.
"Almost," another muttered back. "Keep your mouth shut. Don't alert the lizard and the brat."
They glanced nervously toward the walls where Kairo stood, then fell silent, returning to their quiet plotting.
The hours passed until at last, a roar rolled across the land—hundreds of boots striking the dirt.
The bandits had arrived.
Their horde spilled into the clearing before Kairo's walls, weapons gleaming, voices loud with jeers and laughter. Dust rose under their march, a brown fog that made their numbers look even greater.
And at the front came Arden, stepping forward with Raghul and Zeven at his flanks. His gaze swept the wall until it found Kairo. Their eyes locked across the field.
So this was the mysterious lord who dared to build in these ruins. A boy, younger than he had expected, standing calm with strange monsters at his command.
Arden's lips curled into a smile. He raised his voice, deep and carrying, so all his men and Kairo's force could hear.
"Lord!" His tone was mocking, but firm. "I am Arden, master of these men! I have come to capture your territory!"
The bandits behind him cheered and howled, banging their weapons against their shields.
"I hope," Arden continued, his grin widening, "that you will put up a fight worth remembering!"
The horde roared again, ready to charge.
Kairo stood still, breathing deep. The Command Nexus flickered violently, his panels blazing brighter as his formation locked into place. Lines of light wove through his army like veins of fire.
"Here we go," he whispered.
And with a sharp motion, he activated the formation.
The battlefield came alive, trembling under the weight of what was coming.
to be continued.....