All Chapters of THE RELUCTANT WARBORN: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
70 chapters
Chapter 21 – The Gathering Storm
The information came from an unexpected source.A coded message left at one of the old faction dead drops. No signature, no identification. Just coordinates and a time."It's obviously a trap," Lyra said, studying the paper."Probably," Kael agreed. "But we need intel. We've been reactive for too long. Time to be proactive."The coordinates led to an observation point overlooking the industrial harbor. Kael went alone, despite protests from the others. If it was a trap, no point in risking everyone.He arrived an hour early, scouting the location. Abandoned warehouses, rusted shipping containers, no clear sight lines. Plenty of places for an ambush.But no one was there.He waited.At the designated time, a figure emerged from behind a container. Female, wearing a hood, moving carefully.She pulled back the hood.It was the woman from the neutral ground meeting. The faction representative."You came," she said, sounding relieved."You have information," Kael replied, not lowering his
Chapter 22 – Infiltration
They emerged in a basement storage room filled with filing cabinets and old furniture.Kael closed the hatch carefully behind them. Above, footsteps continued their steady patrol. He counted the rhythm. Guards passed every ninety seconds."We have a minute between patrols," he whispered. "Stay low. Stay quiet."They moved through the basement, avoiding the main corridors. Kael used his power in short bursts, just enough to sense the layout ahead. The energy pulsed out like radar, showing him walls, doors, and people."Two floors up," he said. "That's where the records room should be."They took a service stairwell, moving between guard rotations. The building was massive, and the defensive forces were spread thin inside. Most of them were positioned on the perimeter.Second floor. Empty offices, dusty and forgotten. They crossed quickly.Third floor. This was different. The doors here were reinforced. Electronic locks. Security cameras in the corners."This is it," Rajan said. "Whatev
Chapter 23 – The Hidden Ally
They left the city that night.Kael led them north, into the mountains where the old families used to maintain estates. Most of those places were ruins now, destroyed during the purge. But Garrett had mentioned one location before they parted. A sanctuary that supposedly survived.The coordinates led to a valley hidden between two peaks. Dense forest, no roads, no signs of civilization."You sure about this?" Lyra asked as they hiked through the trees."No," Kael admitted. "But we're out of options."They found the sanctuary at dawn. It wasn't a building. It was carved into the mountain itself. Stone columns marked the entrance, covered in symbols that matched Kael's gauntlet."This is old," Rajan said, touching one of the columns. "Really old."They entered cautiously. Inside, the mountain had been hollowed out into a massive hall. Torches lit themselves as they walked, revealing walls covered in murals.Warriors wielding impossible power. Cities floating in the sky. Battles between
Chapter 24 – Skirmish at Nightfall
They made camp in the forest three miles from the mountain.Kael wanted to keep moving, but Lyra and Rajan were exhausted. Three days of hiking and minimal sleep had taken their toll."We rest here for the night," Kael decided. "Four hour rotations. I'll take my first watch."They set up in a small clearing, well hidden by dense trees. No fire. They ate cold rations and spoke in whispers."Show me the bracer again," Lyra said quietly.Kael extended his left arm. The Warbinder caught moonlight, crystals glowing faintly."It's beautiful," she admitted. "In a dangerous sort of way.""That describes everything about this situation," Rajan muttered.Kael took his position on a fallen log at the clearing's edge. His senses were sharper now with both artifacts. He could feel the forest around him, the life pulsing through it.Hours passed. Nothing moved except small animals.Then, around midnight, the forest went silent.No insects. No birds. Nothing.Kael stood slowly, hand moving to his sw
Chapter 25 – The Betrayer Revealed
The signal led them to an abandoned logging camp two miles north.Kael and Lyra approached before dawn, moving through the shadows like ghosts. The camp looked deserted, but Kael's enhanced senses told him otherwise.Twenty people, maybe more. All positioned around a central building."It's definitely a trap," Lyra whispered."Good. That's what we're counting on." Kael studied the layout. "They'll have Rajan in the main building. Probably tied up, used as bait.""So we don't go through the front door.""Exactly."They circled around to the back, where the forest pressed close to the buildings. Kael used the bracer's power to mask their presence, bending light and sound around them.They reached a window. Inside, Kael could see the main room. Rajan sat in a chair in the center, hands bound. He looked beaten but alive.But he wasn't alone.Someone stood beside him. A woman. She had her back turned, but something about her posture was familiar.She turned around.Kael's blood went cold.
Chapter 26 – The First Siege
They moved Kael to a different location the next morning.An old fortress on the eastern border, built centuries ago and mostly forgotten. Stone walls thirty feet high, defensive towers at each corner, a single main gate."This is where we'll prepare for the ritual," his mother explained as they arrived. "Defensible. Remote. Perfect."Kael studied the fortress carefully. Strong walls, yes. But also trapped. Once inside, getting out would be nearly impossible.They brought Astrid too, still bound and guarded. Lyra walked beside Kael, her weapons confiscated but her eyes alert."We need to move soon," she whispered."I know. But not yet."They were taken to separate rooms. Kael's was in the main tower. Comfortable but clearly a cell. Guard posted outside.He spent the first day exploring what he could. Counting guards. Mapping patrol routes. Looking for weaknesses.There weren't many.His mother visited that evening."You wanted truth," she said. "Let's start with why I left."Kael said
Chapter 27 – Shadows of the Past
They regrouped at a safe house Vincent maintained in the mountains.The alliance was uneasy. Covenant, Order, and independent fighters all crammed into one location. Suspicion hung thick in the air.Kael sat with Lyra and Astrid, away from the main group."Your mother's alive," Astrid said quietly. "I saw her escape right before the collapse. She's wounded but mobile.""Good." Kael's voice was flat. "I have questions for her. Can't ask them if she's dead.""Questions about what?" Lyra asked."Everything. My father. The gate. Why she really betrayed the family." Kael looked at his hands, both artifacts glowing faintly. "She said love was weakness. That my grandfather taught her that. But she also said she killed him. Something doesn't add up."Vincent approached their corner. "We need to talk strategy. The fortress was just one location. Intelligence suggests they have at least three more.""Then we hit them all," Kael said."With what army? We lost thirty people taking that fortress.
Chapter 28 – The Rival Warborn
The attack on the naval base began at dawn.Vincent's forces created diversions at three different entry points. Explosions. Gunfire. Chaos designed to pull defenders away from the main objective.Kael, Lyra, and Astrid went in through the water. Old drainage tunnels that fed into the facility's lower levels. Cold, dark, and barely wide enough to move through.They emerged in a maintenance corridor. Empty. The sounds of battle echoed from above."The crystal," Astrid whispered.Kael pulled it out. It pulsed brighter now, pulling him in a specific direction."This way."They moved quickly through the facility. Most guards had been pulled to defend the perimeter. The few they encountered, Kael disabled with precise strikes.The crystal led them deeper. Down three levels. Into sections that looked more like a laboratory than a prison."This is wrong," Lyra said, looking at the equipment. "This isn't just a holding facility. They're experimenting on people here."Cells lined the corridor.
Chapter 29 – Secrets of the Faction
Kael's father drifted in and out of consciousness for three days.They'd taken him to a secure medical facility Vincent controlled. Doctors worked around the clock, treating decades of damage. Malnutrition. Torture wounds. Experimental enhancements that had been forced into his system."He's stable," the lead doctor reported on the fourth morning. "But his body has been through hell. Recovery will take months, maybe years.""Can he talk?" Kael asked."Briefly. Don't push him."Kael entered the room alone. His father lay in bed, connected to various monitors. But his eyes were open. Clear for the first time."Kael." His voice was stronger. "You've grown.""It's been twenty years, Dad.""I know. I'm sorry. I tried to find you. Tried to..." He coughed. "Your mother. She blocked me at every turn. Fed me false leads. Nearly got me killed a dozen times.""I know. Theron told me."His father's eyes widened. "Theron's alive? That old bastard made it?""Barely. But yeah." Kael sat beside the b
Chapter 30 – The Warborn Awakens Fully
They were halfway to the old stronghold when the ambush happened.Kael's convoy of twenty vehicles moved through mountain roads under cover of darkness. Vincent's intelligence suggested they had a clear path. No enemy activity for fifty miles.Intelligence was wrong.The first vehicle exploded without warning. Then the second. Within seconds, the entire convoy was under attack from all sides."Out! Everyone out!" Kael shouted.They abandoned the vehicles and took cover behind rocks and trees. Gunfire came from elevated positions. Whoever planned this had chosen the location perfectly. High ground. Clear sight lines. No escape routes."How many?" Lyra called from behind a boulder."Too many!" Rajan answered. He'd rejoined them after the fortress, claiming he'd been under mind control. Kael didn't fully trust him, but they needed every fighter.Kael activated his artifacts. Both gauntlet and bracer flared to life, casting blue light across the kill zone."Stay in cover!" he ordered. "I'