2025-04-18 01:44:40The mountain wind howled through the cave’s entrance as the first echoes rolled in—a low, guttural growl that made the very rock beneath Ethan’s boots tremble.
Celestia had already unsheathed her claws.
“They’re not just hunting,” she said, her voice cold. “They’re communicating.”
Ethan tightened his grip on the Void-Cleaving Blade. “Multiple signatures. Five, maybe six. That’s not a rogue. That’s a pride.”
They moved to higher ground, scaling the cliffs above the ravine. From there, they saw it—beneath the haze of a mist-covered moon, a pride of chimeras roamed the valley floor. Not just one, but at least four fully-grown beasts and two juveniles, each with lion heads, scaled tails, and deformed wings twitching with anticipation.
Ethan let out a low whistle. “This isn’t a fight. It’s a siege.”
“Then let’s win it with strategy,” Celestia replied.
They began the ambush from the cliffs. Ethan launched a barrage of enchanted arrows from his pouch’s hidden quiver system, each one charged with elemental glyphs. The first exploded in a burst of fire, scattering the chimera pack.
Celestia descended like a comet. Her new Darkmoon Armor flared with lunar energy, and illusion runes shimmered as she sprinted through their ranks, confusing their senses. Her wings created phantom afterimages that darted in opposite directions.
The lead chimera—the alpha—roared, its three heads snapping in different directions.
Ethan dropped into the fray behind her. He focused his detection aura to predict the creature’s movement. An arrow launched at the perfect second struck the beast’s left eye.
It howled.
Celestia used the moment to blindside the next chimera, wrapping her flames into a spear of shadow and launching it point-blank into the beast’s chest. It staggered—but another chimera rushed her flank.
Ethan activated the pouch’s dimensional shift. A phantom wall sprang up just in time to deflect a gaping jaw.
“Appreciate the save,” she muttered.
“Next one’s gonna cost you,” Ethan replied, ducking a swipe.
They fought together as if fused by instinct. Ethan’s Void-Tear Edge slashed through sinew and scale alike, while Celestia’s shadow-infused breath attacks corroded armor-like hide.
Two of the juveniles tried to circle behind them. Ethan spun and pulled a trap orb from the pouch—one of Eileen’s newest additions. He slammed it into the ground.
A burst of vines, tipped with glowing sigils, erupted like a net and locked the juveniles in place.
Celestia leapt off a boulder and slammed both feet into a chimera’s back, sending it crashing to the dirt. Before it could rise, Ethan struck downward, blade piercing its heart.
The alpha charged.
Both of them turned.
Ethan launched a grappling chain tipped with void energy—looping around the beast’s forward leg. Celestia conjured a blast of shadowfire, blasting its eyes.
It screamed.
“NOW!” Ethan shouted.
Celestia flew upward and came down in a spinning dive, her claws glowing with runes. Ethan ran low and slid beneath the creature, his sword flashing in a sweeping arc.
Two strikes. One from below, one from above.
The alpha hit the earth with a quake.
Silence returned to the mountain.
Ethan leaned on his sword, breathing heavily. “You okay?”
Celestia, bloodied and scratched, nodded. “I think... that was all of them.”
They took a moment to gather the spoils—fangs, armored scales, venom sacs, and most importantly, intact chimera hearts glowing faintly with mana.
“Eileen said these parts were insanely rare,” Ethan muttered, tucking the largest horn into the pouch’s reinforced compartment.
Celestia turned one of the talons in her hand. “There’s enough here to buy passage to an entire region. Or fund half a guild.”
They glanced at the horizon. Dawn was breaking. The cave they’d slept in was still in view, but it felt like a world away.
“We’ll need a contact,” Ethan said. “Someone who can get us fair trade value for all this.”
Celestia’s ears perked. “Dasi had a merchant who mentioned the Crimson Caravan.”
“A trade network,” Ethan nodded. “They deal in rare beast parts and magical reagents.”
As they turned to leave, Ethan looked over his shoulder.
The battlefield was quiet. But in the center where the alpha had fallen, a black sigil was burned into the earth. It hadn’t been there before.
Celestia saw it too.
“That... wasn’t us.”
A cold wind swept the canyon.
And far above, a shimmer of red eyes blinked once—then vanished into the trees.
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CHAPTER 154: Hope Rekindled
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CHAPTER 153: Lone Pair
By dusk, Lucianna and Tyriel staggered through Avelline City’s towering gates. The setting sun painted the winter sky in blood-orange hues, and the city’s torches flickered to life one by one. Lucianna’s cloak was torn, and Tyriel leaned heavily on his spear with each step. Dirt, sweat, and blood smeared them both. They had escaped one nightmare only to find themselves in another.Avelline City was supposed to be neutral ground – a place where no blade would be drawn against emissaries. But as the two elves limped into the bustling streets, they met not sympathy but a wall of cold stares and muttered suspicion.Whispers followed in their wake. Townsfolk darted into alleyways or slammed shutters at the mere sight of Lucianna’s leaf-embroidered cloak and Tyriel’s silver armor. A mother scooped up her toddler and rushed away, ca
CHAPTER 152: Deceit
In Avelline City’s opulent great hall, Duke Malric of Avelline lounged upon his gilded chair that afternoon, swirling a goblet of spiced wine in one hand. The hall’s stained-glass windows cast distorted rainbows across marble floors, but the atmosphere felt brittle with tension. Before Malric stood an unusual ally – the enigmatic outsider known only as Theros. Clad in a travel-worn black cloak, Theros regarded the Duke with a faint, mirthless smile. Between his fingers he idly rolled a small wooden figurine carved in the likeness of an elf maiden.“So,” Malric drawled, tapping one bejeweled finger against his wine goblet, “you managed to acquire one of our elusive guests.” News of the forest ambush had already reached him: one elf captured, two fled. Malric’s jaw tightened in irritation. “My men
CHAPTER 151: Elven Lament (2)
“War? Exactly what we’re tryin’ to avoid, lady,” sneered a tall, scar-faced man whose black cloak bore a crude serpent insignia. In his hands he held a curious contraption – a metal staff ending in a wide-mouthed cone studded with glowing runes. He leveled it at Lucianna and Aetherlyn. “Orders are to take you alive, if possible.”Before Lucianna could react, the device emitted a thunderous pulse. A shockwave of null-magic energy blasted through the air. She gasped as her magical connection to the vines abruptly severed – the plants fell limp. Across from her, Tyriel staggered, momentarily weakened as the protective enchantments in his armor flickered.In that instant, a hulking slaver barreled through the dissipating sound barri
CHAPTER 150: Elven Lament (1)
Bright morning sun filtered through the canopy as the elven envoys made their way along an old forest road. Though Lucianna’s outward composure remained unshaken, her mind replayed Queen Aelinsira’s final counsel from the eve of their departure. In a moonlit glade beneath the World Tree, the Queen had revealed a disturbing truth that weighed on them all:“More and more of our Songweavers have gone missing in human cities,” Queen Aelinsira had said, her melodious voice edged with steel. The only sounds had been the rustle of ancient leaves and the sharp intake of breath from the envoys. “These bards are not mere minstrels. They are keepers of our culture, the bearers of our memories. If we cannot protect them, we risk losing a part of ourselves.”Lucianna had bowed her head that night, a knot of resolve tightening in her chest
CHAPTER 149: Legends and Songs
At the very center of the continent stood the World Tree, a colossal tree whose crown pierced the clouds. Beneath its sacred branches lay Ilianfiel, the hidden kingdom of the High Elves, protected from mortal eyes by a powerful enchantment. Within this timeless sanctuary, the High Elves lived in eternal harmony – guardians of ancient knowledge, magic, and art – untouched by the conflicts of the outside world.But beyond their borders, the world was changing.The rise of the Three Kingdoms Federation – Carosso, Yanling, and Shuanglin – had not gone unnoticed. Lands once sundered by war were now united under the banner of the Dragon Emperor Ethan, forging an alliance of peace and prosperity. The songs of mortal bards carried tales of how a war-torn realm had been reshaped into an era
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