“Rex!” Kealy hissed when they were a few paces from the forest, “We need to hide. They are here.”Nodding in acknowledgement, Rex dashed forward to gain a short distance between himself and the women, and after entering the forest, he placed his second hand on the sword pommel to ready for an attack, darting his eyes as quickly as his brain would register the new environment as possible.Slowing down once he was twenty paces into the forest, Rex took his time to get his bearings. He could see a few snarling teeth and yellow eyes slinking away into the darkness in the far distance, a few what must have been herbivores scurrying away from his domineering presence, some finding holes in the earth, some darting for gaps under felled, old wooden tree trunks. Taking a deep breath in, he noticed something that seemed familiar like he had been in a similar situation before, feeling the certainty of unseen eyes on him. His scanning and thoughts were interrupted by Venya grabbing him by the bic
“It’s been a few hours, it seems like it’s my turn for the next watch,” Rex said, beginning to burrow his hands under Kealy and Venya to try and pry himself away.“Bullshit it is, Venya, you’re up,” Kealy groaned, sliding her hands under Rex’s arm and pulling herself closer.“Someone…needs to hurry…it is so kraznok’s cold out here,” Teema said through gritted teeth, leaning on one knee next to the shallow hole Rex had dug into the earth to help keep them hidden from eyesight.“Sister, you need to stop swearing. I don’t have our bokor, so if we are attacked, I can’t fight them off,” Venya said, reaching out and pushing Kealy away.“Where was that logic when I had to be the first watch?” Teema seethed through her clamped teeth.“Ugh, fine. I’ll go,” Kealy sighed, exhaling loudly when releasing Rex and slowly getting to her feet, “Holy shit, it IS cold out here.”“Remember, no starting any blasted fires no matter how cold you get, it will draw everything here,” Teema said, lowering herse
Rex and his companions had only moved a few hundred paces when two sunken pale-skinned people dropped from a short branch, blocking their current path. Being able to see quite clearly helped Rex see that there were currently another ten hiding further back, either in tree crutches or crouched on branches. “Look, I don’t want to have to kill any of you. Just let us pass peacefully.”One of the men blocking their path snarled and turned to the other and spoke a language Rex didn’t recognise before turning back to them a few minutes later with an evil gap-toothed bleeding gummed smile, “We is takin’ one of ya’s for food.”Sighing loudly, Rex ordered Kealy to watch their backs while he engaged the men who refused to stand aside, “Well fellas, it looks like it’ll be the hard way then.” Clutching the great sword in his hand, he started forward slowly, being sure to show extra vigilance in case there were some hidden cannibals he had not seen or heard.When Rex was only five feet away from t
“Well, that wasn’t scary at all,” Teema said, stepping carefully over the recently made corpses of the cannibals Rex had just finished slaying, squealing when her foot clipped a partially beheaded man’s scalp and the head parted from the neck with a squelching sound. “Just imagine how scary it would have been if Rex hadn’t parted his head from his neck. He may have been the one removing yours to eat your insides,” Venya chimed, patting Teema on the arm gingerly when she caught up and looked down at the cannibal with a grimace. Looking up at Rex, she asked “Can we leave please? This place is already quite smelly now.” “Trust me, with all the blood now on the air, we are leaving right now before bigger predators come to claim this as their food,” Rex said, ushering the women through the mass of bodies and moving further along the trail. “Some people cannot be bargained with,” Venya said, catching up to Rex and squeezing his arm, “I heard you try and reason with them to avoid a massacr
“Depending on what your request is will determine if I agree or not,” Rex replied, unlatching Kiri’s fingers from his arm slowly.“Hm, very well, let it be known I am not a forceful woman. You no doubt heard me communing with another male earlier?” Kiri asked, turning her back to the group and walking a few steps away and gazing back in the direction she had appeared.“Well Rex stopped us because he heard something we did not,” Kealy said with a scowl and a quick shrug of her shoulders.“That was who I was talking about, I have no doubts an alpha hunter like him would pick up on things you lesser, should I even call you three ‘huntresses’ yet?” Kiri said, turning to scowl at Kealy, “He is not quite as adept as me, for I am an elder spirit of the hunt and Rex has only just started on the road of the hunter. I sensed your ambush of the half-orc woman, which I would like to know how her essence disappeared quite suddenly too, and of course, the debased humans that were no match for your
“Ok Kita, how are we going to catch this dorphan? And does it have to still be breathing to cash in the benefits?” Ean asked.“No, it does not. Most of the beast's value is after its death. Rector can use a magic negating ritual circle to prevent the beast from using its earth magic, and then you and I can end its life. Once overwhelmed it is known they can travel at remarkable speeds under the earth and without a tracking spell, would prove almost impossible to catch,” Kita said in a clear commanding voice.Ean turned quizzically to Rector, “Ritual circles? Isn’t that wytchcraft only used by the strangers and mage women from Winterwurm?”“I can only use a select few spells in that department. Protection, healing, those sorts of things,” Rector coughed, “The ones that lean to a darker side of magic, I am unfamiliar with.”“I do not know what these supposed strangers or witches are, but our Illiad’s use ritual magic,” Kita started to say.“We know. The women that are selected provide a
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” Kealy called out, rushing forward, drawing her dagger.Growling loudly, Kiri rose to her feet, releasing Rex and spun to meet Kealy, grabbing her by the scruff of her tunic, lifting her off the ground with one hand, and with her other hand, flicked the dagger free from Kealy’s grip. The assault was so fast Kealy barely had time to let out a breath or react. “We only needed a few more minutes to be finished, you are indeed a selfish little worm,” Kiri growled, her voice rough.“Yeah, finish killing him!” Kealy yelled, struggling against Kiri’s grip.“Kiri, please drop her. She must have gotten the wrong idea, it was more…” Rex said, quickly appearing beside both women, placing a hand atop Kiri’s that holding Kealy aloft.“Oh my god, you were…with her!?” Kealy said, flicking her eyes between Rex and Kiri. She noticed his dishevelled tunic with parts torn at the arms, scores of scratches down his forearms, one on his cheek, and a purple mark that w
Rex’s companions all went open-mouthed seeing how quickly and easily Kiri and Skul both changed their surroundings. Kiri had just finished conjuring a large spit over a quickly lighting roaring fire, while Skul had just finished work on a wooden bar, “If you could please add an attendant,” Skul said with a wry smile looking over to Kiri.“Of course,” she replied, clapping her hands.A few seconds later, a seven-foot fur-covered, heavily muscled half-wolf, half-man entered the clearing from the darkness of the tree line, coming to a stop behind the bar. He had torn pants on that covered his manhood that ended just above the upper joint of his wolf-like hind legs but wore no clothing covering his hairy human-like upper body.“He will not speak but will obey when asked for a drink. I’m afraid with such short notice I can only provide honey ale, or a wine made from forest berries grown in my own garden, my personal favourite,” Kiri said with a smile, placing one hand on the bar Skul had c
The interior of the pavilion defied physical logic. What appeared modest from outside expanded within to a vast chamber, its boundaries lost in shadows that moved with unsettling purpose. No support poles held up the ceiling—instead, the black fabric seemed suspended by an invisible force, rippling occasionally like the surface of dark water.At the centre stood a circular table of obsidian, its surface so polished it reflected their faces with perfect clarity. Seven chairs surrounded it—four on one side, three on the other. The godking had already claimed the central seat on the far side, Chancellor Hellden taking position to his right. The third chair remained empty."Please," the godking said, gesturing to the empty seats. "Make yourselves comfortable."Rex approached cautiously, noting that the floor beneath his feet seemed to shift subtly with each step, as if he walked on something alive rather than solid ground. He chose the chair directly opposite the godking, Marcia and Kiri
Dawn broke over the imperial city with an unnatural clarity, as if the very air had been purified in anticipation of what was to come. Rex stood at the window of his chamber, watching as the first rays of sunlight touched the distant encampment of the godking's forces. The golden bracelet on his wrist pulsed with a steady rhythm, almost like a heartbeat.'He will try to tempt you,' Fafnir's voice whispered in his mind. 'Demons of his kind are masters of deception and desire.'"I know," Rex replied softly. "But I've made my choice."After careful deliberation the previous night, he had selected his three companions for the meeting with the godking. Marcia, with her tactical mind and unwavering resolve; Kiri, whose knowledge might prove crucial against a being as old as the godking; and Dilo, her void-corrupted arm possibly giving her insight into the godking's powers that others lacked.The decision had not been easy. Lacey had argued fiercely for inclusion, citing her combat knowledge
The Citadel's council chamber buzzed with tension as Rex's old companions from Dracoterrum faced his new allies from this realm. What should have been a joyful reunion had quickly transformed into an atmosphere thick with unspoken rivalries and territorial instincts."So let me get this straight," Minet said, pacing the stone floor with her arms crossed. "While we've been desperately searching for you across realms, you've been here making new... connections." Her eyes flickered briefly toward Dilo and Kiri."It wasn't exactly by choice," Rex replied, his voice strained. "I was pulled here against my will, had to survive, and found people I could trust."Lacey, who had remained unusually quiet since their arrival, finally spoke. "We understand that, Rex. But do you understand what we went through to find you? The risks we took? Rowina might be trapped between realms right now because of it."From across the room, Dilo growled low in her throat. "He wasn't
The delegation from the godking's encampment advanced at a deliberate pace across the battle-scarred plains, their progress marked by the fluttering of the white parley flag. At its center rode the imposing figure in black armor – now clearly visible as a woman with pale, almost translucent skin and silver hair that flowed like liquid metal despite the still air."I don’t recognise the envoy," the Lady of Blades said grimly, lowering the spyglass.Rex studied the approaching emissary with growing unease. He could see the person had the figure of a woman and she was not riding a horse, but a massive wolf whose shoulders stood taller than a mounted knight. Its fur was midnight black, with wisps of shadowy vapor rising from its coat with each powerful stride. Flanking her were not soldiers but beasts – creatures with vaguely humanoid forms but bestial features, as if someone had attempted to mold animals into the shape of men and stopped halfway through
The Citadel's western courtyard echoed with the clash of steel as Rex and his companions trained in the afternoon sun. Three concentric circles had been marked on the flagstones with chalk—battle formations designed to maximize their individual strengths.Rex moved through the center circle, golden energy crackling along his sword as he parried attacks from multiple directions. Cassius and Dilo flanked him, their movements synchronized after hours of practice. The purple discoloration had receded from Dilo's arm, though the healers warned the void corruption had left permanent damage—a network of dark veins that glowed faintly whenever she channelled her battle rage.In the second circle, Kealy and Venya darted between training dummies, their blades flashing in complicated patterns designed to target vulnerable points in demonic anatomy, according to the ancient texts the Lady of Blades had provided. Grub moved with surprising grace among them, his strength providing the necessary forc
Rex stood on a balcony overlooking the imperial city as dawn broke over the distant walls. The golden bracelet pulsed gently against his wrist, a reminder of Fafnir's presence within. After yesterday's battle, the dragon had retreated into a restful silence, conserving energy and processing all they had experienced.Below, teams of soldiers cleared the courtyard of the dissolved chimera remains, their movements precise and practiced, evidence of how routine such clean-up operations had become. The void corruption had left blackened scorch marks across the flagstones, impossible to remove completely. A permanent scar on the city's heart."Couldn't sleep either?"Rex turned to find Kiri approaching, her steps nearly silent against the stone. She looked exhausted but alert, her eyes scanning the horizon with careful attention."Too much to process," Rex admitted, turning back to the view. "The prophecy, the godking, these... connections that seem to be forming. It feels like we've steppe
"Cassius, take the left flank with Karinna," Rex commanded, slipping easily into the role of leader. "Dilo, Grub, with me in the center. Kealy, Venya, work the perimeter and watch for stragglers. Kiri—""I'll be where I'm needed," Kiri said with a knowing smile, her hands already beginning to weave complex magical patterns in the air.Rex nodded, then turned his attention to the bracelet. "And you," he murmured, "let's see what we can really do together."As if in response, the golden lizard seemed to shift, its form flowing like liquid metal around his wrist. Rex felt Fafnir's consciousness merge more completely with his own than it had since their reunion—a perfect synchronization of will and power.'Together, then,' Fafnir's voice resonated within him, stronger than ever before.Rex vaulted over the balcony railing, golden light trailing from his hands as he descended to the courtyard below. He landed in a perfect crouch, the impact sending a shockwave of golden energy rippling out
The Lady of Blades led Rex and his companions through the Citadel's grand entrance hall, a cavernous space where sunlight streamed through high stained-glass windows, casting prismatic patterns across the polished stone floor. The hall bore the scars of a fortress long at war—elegant tapestries hung alongside battle maps, and ornate columns were reinforced with practical steel bracings. Guards in gleaming armor stood at attention, their faces betraying flickers of curiosity as they watched the unusual group pass. Rex felt their stares lingering on him in particular, which only added to his growing unease. "I imagine this must be disorienting," the Lady of Blades said, glancing back at him. Her armor made barely a sound as she moved, each plate fitting together with masterful precision. "To arrive at a place you've never been, only to discover people have been expecting you." "That's putting it mildly," Rex replied, studying her carefully. "How exactly did you know we were coming?"
Rex's lungs burned as he sprinted through the crumbling tunnel, dust filling the air with each new tremor that rocked the passageway. The golden lizard bracelet pulsed against his wrist, sending waves of warmth up his arm—a warning, perhaps, or Fafnir urging him forward."Keep moving!" he shouted over his shoulder, making sure everyone was still with him. Grub's heavy footfalls thundered behind, followed by the lighter steps of Kealy and Venya. Cassius moved with his usual grace, a faint blue shimmer still surrounding him like a second skin. Kiri and Dilo flanked the group, weapons drawn against whatever might await them at the tunnel's end.Invictus Myst led the way, Rex noticed her glancing at him every few seconds. Whatever had happened in that crystal realm had shaken her, the confident assassin replaced by someone who seemed just as desperate to escape as the rest of them."There!" Myst shouted, pointing ahead to a circular opening where daylight spilled into the darkness. "The i