The mission board flickered above the lower district headquarters.
Most requests were routine: Scout sightings. Minor breaches. Supply escorts.
One alert blinked amber.
INDUSTRIAL SECTOR 9 — MULTIPLE SIGNATURES DETECTED
Kael stood in front of it. Mando is beside him.
MANDO Multiple?
KAEL Pack behavior. That's new.
Mando felt the shift immediately. Monsters didn't usually organize. They roamed. Hunted. Reacted.
Packs meant intention.
Sector 9 smelled like oil and rain.
Metal walkways stretched across old refinery towers. Steam leaked from cracked pipes. The air vibrated faintly with distant movement.
Mando walked ahead this time.
Not recklessly.
Just… less unsure.
The rod was strapped to his back.
His summoned weapon rested unformed.
Kael observed quietly.
KAEL What do you feel?
Mando closed his eyes briefly.
Vibration.Air shift.Breathing not his own.
MANDO Three. Maybe four.
Kael gave a slight nod.
Correct.
They came from different angles.
Low-tier but coordinated elongated limbs, narrow skulls, and scaled torsos that scraped against metal.
Mando didn't summon immediately.
The first creature lunged.
He stepped inside its arc, rod striking its knee joint. A clean, sharp impact. It staggered.
Second creature from behind.
Now he summoned.
The weapon formed smaller this time, compact, controlled.
He fired a dense round into the ground beside him.
The impact wasn't explosive; it destabilized the surface. The third creature slipped mid-charge.
Kael watched closely.
No wasted motion.
No panic.
But
A fourth presence.
Above.
It dropped from a tower beam larger, armored spine glowing faintly red.
Mid-tier variant.
Mando reacted fast.
But not fast enough.
The creature's claw grazed his shoulder, tearing fabric and skin.
Pain flared.
For a split second
His weapon destabilized.
The creature roared.
Kael stepped forward
But stopped.
Mando steadied.
Breathing slowed.
Weapon reformed.
This time, the barrel shifted shape, narrower, elongated, tuned for penetration instead of spread.
One shot.
Clean.
Through the glowing spine.
The creature collapsed.
Silence returned.
Blood ran down Mando's arm.
He didn't notice at first.
Kael approached.
KAEL You almost lost focus.
Mando nodded.
MANDO Yeah.
A pause.
MANDO But I didn't.
Kael held his gaze for a long second.
Then:
KAEL No. You didn't.
Back in the city, emergency broadcasts flickered across public screens.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to rising irregular activity, the upcoming Regional Combat Evaluation may be moved up to allow early registration.
People gathered, murmuring.
Some excited.
Some afraid.
The words repeated:
"Evaluation."
Not a tournament.
Yet.
That night, Aysh stitched Mando's shoulder in silence.
Her hands were steady.
Too steady.
AYSH You're getting used to this.
It wasn't a question.
MANDO I don't think I have a choice.
She tied the final knot.
Her eyes lingered on him longer than usual.
AYSH There's always a choice.
But sometimes…
Her communicator vibrated softly in her pocket.
She ignored it.
Across the city skyline, Liora stood atop a government tower, watching the public reaction to the broadcast.
An assistant approached.
ASSISTANT The Evaluation Committee wants your input. If irregular signatures continue, they'll accelerate qualification trials.
Liora's eyes glowed faintly gold.
LIORA Good.
She looked toward the district where Mando lived.
LIORA (softly) Let's see how he handles attention.
Far beyond the industrial outskirts
Deep underground
Mass shifted.
Not a scout.
Not a mid-tier.
Something vast.
A deep voice echoed through stone chambers.
"The Forge-blood grows."
And chains cracked.
End of Chapter 14