Aurelius rose from Sir Gareth's body with blood on his hands and ice in his heart. The quiet knight's eyes stared at nothing. His chest didn't rise or fall anymore. Another man dead because Aurelius had chosen honor over survival. Another failure that would haunt him. Blue words pulsed in his vision like a heartbeat. [CORRUPTION: 1/100] [RAGE ENHANCEMENT ACTIVATED] [COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS: +25%] The system was feeding on his anger. Making him stronger through loss and pain. He should have been disgusted by that fact. Instead, he felt grateful for it. A guard with twin sabers rushed at him while he knelt beside Gareth's corpse. The enchanted blades left trails of silver light as they carved through the air. Beautiful and deadly. Aurelius rolled sideways just as both sabers whistled through the space his head had been. The guard was good. His movements flowed like water, one strike feeding into the next without pause. But Aurelius was better now. Enhanced reflexes let him see th

Gray dawn light crept through the broken warehouse roof. Dust motes danced in the pale beams that cut through shadows and smoke. The smell of blood and burned flesh still hung in the air from their clothes and skin. Aurelius sat on a pile of moldy grain sacks with his back against the wall. His burned chest was already pink with new skin where the fireball had hit him. The pain was almost gone. But the memories of Sir Gareth's death burned worse than any fire. Around him, his knights moved like wounded animals. Sir Roland pressed cloth against his ribs where the saber had cut deep. Blood seeped through the makeshift bandage with each breath he took. Sir Thomas pulled the torn arrow shaft from his shoulder with gritted teeth. Fresh blood ran down his arm as he worked the barbed point free. He bit back a curse when it finally came loose. "Fuck," he muttered. "That one hurt worse coming out." Sir William sat with his leg stretched out, examining the gash on his thigh. The wound wasn

The sun climbed higher while they packed their stolen wealth into rough sacks. Five hundred gold dragons made a heavy load even split between eight men. The enchanted weapons added more weight to their burdens. "We need rest before we move," Sir Garrett said. Dark circles shadowed his eyes from the sleepless night. "Half of us can barely stand." Aurelius looked at his knights. They'd been fighting and running for two straight days. Sir Thomas swayed on his feet despite the healing potion. Sir William's face was pale with exhaustion. "Two hours," he decided. "We sleep in shifts. Four men on watch, four resting." They found corners in the broken warehouse where they could lie down on moldy sacks and cracked wooden crates. It wasn't comfortable but it was better than falling over from exhaustion. Seraphina curled up near Lyanna like a protective sister. The fairy sat with her back against the wall, too afraid to sleep. Every little sound she heard made her jump. "It's safe," S

Enhanced reflexes let him move while the bandits were distracted. He threw his dagger with inhuman speed and accuracy. The blade buried itself in the leader's throat before the man could shout a warning. Blood sprayed across the fallen leaves as he dropped his crossbow and clutched his ruined neck gurgling as he fell. The other bandits panicked. Some tried to shoot while others dove for cover. Their wild shots went wide as Aurelius's knights attacked from multiple directions. Garrett's sword found a bandit's heart while Thomas strangled another with his bare hands. William limped forward on his wounded leg but still managed to drive his blade through an enemy's ribs. His enhanced speed let Aurelius dodge crossbow bolts that should have killed him. He moved like a ghost between the trees, his sword finding throats and hearts with perfect precision. The last bandit tried to grab Lyanna as a hostage. His dirty hands reached for her hair while he pressed a knife to her throat.