The ruins were quiet, save for the low hum of insects hidden among the cracks of stone and moss. Perched atop a broken arch, a man in flamboyant clothes adjusted the bow of his violin, his long hair falling like a curtain of gold as he leaned over. At his feet, bunnymen shifted, their long ears twitching at every sound.
Renn muttered under his breath, nervously.
"Why is she taking so long? Every second feels like an eternity… What's holding her back? We should've moved by now, shouldn't we?"
He rubbed One of the bunnymen firry ears, whispering, "The bandits… they'll start soon. What if Lord Lyra is late?"
He muttered, "What am I even supposed to do now? Watch? Intervene? This isn't what I signed up for…"
Suddenly, the orb inside his bag lit up, the bard snapped upright, instantly discarding his playfulness. He fished out a crystal orb, its pale light pulsing. He pressed it to his ear, where a faint lit pulsed on his skin.
"My lady?" he asked softly.
The voice that answered was cold and deliberate, yet brimming with iron resolve.
"It took time to gather the forces and inform the other two," said Lyra, her words clear through the orb. "But we are almost there. You will continue to watch. Do not intervene."
Renn hesitated, his lips twitching as if he wanted to protest. "My lady… the battle is about to start. If the boy loses—"
"Then he loses," Lyra cut him off. "Your task is not to rescue him, Renn. It is to see his worth. Understand?"
The bard exhaled a long breath through his nose, shoulders slumping. "As you command, my lady."
The orb dimmed. Renn tucked it back into his pack and leaned his chin against his violin, staring out across the field. He could already hear the distant cries of men preparing for war.
"Storm's coming," he murmured, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
Kairo stood high on the hastily-built wooden platform,he opened the Command Nexus as it flickered to life, panels spinning and lights cascading across the platform.
[Formation Function Activated]
A cascade of glowing markers traced the battlefield, aligning every kabolt, ghoul, and Theo's position with precision. Kairo's heart raced—his strategy now ready to unfold, rotating and shifting like a constellation of glass. To Shiri, who worked beside him, it must have looked like Kairo was staring into thin air—but Kairo's eyes were locked on streams of data, positioning markers, and glowing runes.
"Formation—activate," Kairo whispered.
At once, the kobolts moved. Fourteen of them shifted into position, wooden shields raised, their bodies forming a sharp arrowhead that jutted out toward the enemy. At the tip stood Onyx, his violet lance humming faintly in his hands, like the heart of the formation.
Behind them, five ghouls slouched forward, their twisted bodies clutching crude clubs. They hung just behind the kobolts' line, ready to surge or retreat at command. Theo stood among them with Flint at his side, his small hands gripping his wooden sword so tight his knuckles turned white.
The boy glanced up at the dark-green kobolt beside him. "You ready, Flint?"
Flint tilts his head and gives a slow, firm nod.
On the far side of the field, the bandits erupted in laughter.
"Look at that!" one jeered. "They're playin' soldiers!"
But even as they mocked, their leader Ardan narrowed his eyes. The precision of the beasts' movements unsettled him.
Zeven frowned. "That's no rabble, leader. He's directing them."
Raghul snorted, swaying slightly on his feet, the stink of ale still heavy on his breath. "Bah, it's just beasts moving around. We'll smash through 'em all the same."
Ardan didn't reply. His gaze remained fixed on the strange figure atop the platform—the so-called lord of this territory.
Both leaders locked eyes across the battlefield.
"Let it begin," Ardan declared.
Kairo's jaw tightened. "Start the battle."
The bandits charged first, a horde of snarling men with rusted swords and battered shields. Their cries echoed like thunder, boots pounding the earth.
"Hold!" Kairo commanded through the Nexus.
The kobolts braced, shields slamming together in a wooden wall. The ghouls crouched low behind them, their muscles coiling.
Then the clash came.
The bandits crashed into the kobolts' arrowhead, blades striking wood. Shields shuddered but held. At Kairo's silent command, the kobolts pushed back in unison, the sharp point of their formation driving deep into the mob like a spear.
"Now!" Kairo urged.
The ghouls leapt over the kobolts' shoulders, clubs swinging. They landed with bone-cracking blows, scattering bandits backward.
Theo's heart hammered as he stumbled into the chaos, Flint beside him. A bandit lunged at him, eyes wild. Flint intercepted, smashing his shield into the man's chest.
"Thanks!" Theo gasped, darting forward to swing his sword. The blade cracked against the bandit's wrist, sending the weapon clattering. The man staggered back, cursing.
Another bandit closed in, blade raised high. Theo froze—until Flint shoved him aside and took the blow on his shield. With a guttural snarl, the kobolt countered, his own strike forcing the man back.
Theo scrambled up, panting, gripping his sword tighter. "We'll fight together, buddy!"
Above the din, Onyx roared, his lance glowing as he swept it in wide arcs, tearing through the press of enemies. His presence at the arrow's tip drove the formation forward, each thrust sending men sprawling.
The bandits, caught off guard by the beasts' discipline, began to falter.
"They're pushing us back!" someone shouted.
Ardan's lips curved into a thin smile. "So… the boy has teeth after all."
Zeven crossed his arms. "He's better than I expected."
Raghul spat into the dirt, eyes wild with eagerness. "Then let me at 'em! I'll crush those freaks myself!"
"Not yet," Ardan said firmly. "They bleed like any other. Push harder."
At his order, the bandits roared and surged again.
This time, the kobolts wavered. One shield cracked under the weight of a heavy axe. A ghoul screamed as a sword pierced its chest, dropping it to the ground. Another followed, cut down before it could retreat.
Kairo's stomach clenched. "No… I lost two already?"
His hands trembled, panels flickering as he tried to adjust the formation.
Shiri, standing beside him, put a steady hand on his arm. "Kairo. War costs lives. If you falter now, you'll lose more than ghouls."
Kairo clenched his jaw, swallowing down the bile rising in his throat. He forced himself to look back at the battle. He couldn't break now.
Meanwhile, Shiri's gaze drifted toward the barracks where the captured bandits were bound. Something about their hushed movements set his teeth on edge. He leaned toward Kairo.
"I'll check the prisoners. Keep focused here."
Kairo nodded distractedly, his eyes locked on the battlefield.
Shiri hurried down from the platform, approaching the prisoners. They sat slumped, ropes tight around their wrists—but as he drew closer, one pair of eyes gleamed with too much sharpness.
"You…" Shiri muttered.
The bandit grinned. In a flash, steel gleamed in his hand—somehow, he'd smuggled a knife.
Before Shiri could react, the blade drove into his arm.
"Gh—!" He gasped, pain exploding as blood welled.
The bandit laughed in his face. "Stupid lizard-shit. Thought ropes could hold me?"
Shiri staggered back, clutching his wounded arm, the knife still buried deep.
High on the platform, Kairo's head snapped around just in time to see it.
"Shiri!"
His cry tore through the battlefield, cutting across the clash of steel and the roars of men.
The battle raged on, but all Kairo could see was his friend crumpling, blood staining the dirt.
to be continued.....