Aiden's Quarters (Nightfall)
The loud crash from outside the window jolts Aiden and Lina. Both freeze, their instincts screaming that something is wrong.
Aiden: "Stay here."
Lina tries to argue, but Aiden has already moved toward the door, grabbing his sword. His mind races, but his body is heavy, still worn down from the status abnormalities the Shadow General left him with. Aiden's hand momentarily hovers over the dormant Base Keeper's Relic, but he shakes his head. There's no time.
Aiden rushes outside, leaving the room in silence.
Fortress Wall (Minutes Later)
At the walls of the fortress, chaos erupts. Villagers and a handful of guards stand in confusion, staring out into the night. Aiden climbs the stairs and looks beyond the gates. His heart sinks. In the dim moonlight, he can see it—a monster stampede heading straight toward them. Dozens of wild, frenzied beasts, their eyes glowing with an unnatural fury, are barreling through the forest, flattening everything in their path.
Garret, already on the wall, turns to Aiden with wide eyes.
Garret: "What the hell is that?!"
Aiden: "A stampede…. Monsters. They're heading right for us."
Garret curses under his breath, fear creeping into his voice.
Garret: "This must be the damn slavers! Those fuckers are driving the monsters here to weaken us!"
Aiden narrows his eyes, watching the approaching horde.
Aiden: (to himself) "No… the slavers wouldn't do this. Not their style."
He can tell by the way the monsters move that they're not being controlled. Something else is driving them mad, something he can't place yet. But there's no time to figure it out. He needs to act.
Aiden: "It doesn't matter who sent them. We need to stop them before they reach the walls."
The guards on the wall exchange nervous glances. They've fought slavers and bandits before, but this is something else entirely.
Kellan arrives at Aiden's side, his hammer slung over his shoulder, face grim.
Kellan: "What's the plan, lad?"
Aiden looks at the oncoming stampede, then back at the fortress. The walls can hold, but not if the gate is breached. And the monsters are too fast to kill all of them before they reach the fort.
Aiden: "We'll hold them off with traps and chokepoints."
He pauses, something clicking in his mind. This is his moment to show them what being the Base Keeper truly means.
Aiden: "We don't need to stop the whole stampede—just slow it down long enough for the villagers to regroup and defend the critical points."
Rallying the Defenses
Aiden's voice booms over the walls as he takes control of the chaotic situation.
Aiden: "All able-bodied men and women, to the gates! We're setting traps. Use anything you have—ropes, oil, spikes—anything that can slow these beasts down!"
The villagers move with uncertainty, but Aiden's commanding presence cuts through the fear. Garret starts barking orders, helping Aiden direct people to specific areas.
Aiden: (to Kellan) "Get your best men to reinforce the gates. I'll buy us some time."
Kellan nods and heads down to the gate.
Aiden turns to the villagers on the wall.
Aiden: "This fortress stands because of all of you! Don't forget that! Together, we'll show these monsters—and anyone who's watching—that this place is not easily broken!"
The villagers' faces harden with determination. The fear hasn't left them, but now it's mixed with resolve. Aiden's words resonate with them, reminding them that they've already fought back before—and won.
The Stampede Hits
Moments later, the first wave of monsters slams into the hastily constructed defenses. Traps trigger, spikes impale the leading creatures, and oil is set alight, creating walls of fire. But the stampede is relentless. Beasts continue to pour in, their numbers seemingly endless.
Aiden takes his position at the gate, where the fighting is thickest. His sword flashes in the firelight as he cuts down a wild beast lunging at the barricade. His reflexes are sharp, his instincts even sharper, but the lingering status abnormalities slow him down just enough that each fight is harder than it should be.
He grits his teeth, pushing through the pain, determined to protect the village.
Kellan: "They're breaking through the second line of defense!"
The news hits hard. They're running out of time.
Aiden: (shouting) "Fall back! Hold them at the gate!"
The defenders pull back, funneling the monsters into a chokepoint in front of the gates. Here, Aiden makes his stand. With the villagers' help, they manage to slow the beasts enough to keep the gate intact, but it's a losing battle.
Soldier: " We're having a hard time getting back into the formation."
Kellan: "Don't give up. We have to try to kill as many as we can!"
Their formation was Crumbling but they refused to give up fighting to take down as many monsters as they could.
The monsters were relentless and As the fighting intensified, Aiden knows they can't keep this up much longer.
Aiden: (thinking) "This is what it means to be a Base Keeper…"
His mind flashes back to the relic, dormant and unresponsive. But this is not the time to think about its power—he needs to use his other skills.
Aiden raises his hand and focuses, activating Time Distortion. The world around him slows, giving him a few precious moments to analyze the battle. He sees where the defenses are weakest, where the monsters are coming in the fastest, and where he needs to place his forces next.
Back at the right gate of the fortress, Kellan and his men were doing their best to hold back the stampede.
Kellan: "So today this old life of mine is going to end Huh? Just when it started going right!"
Suddenly a confused voice rang out from one of the soldiers on the wall alarmed ,Kellan asked if more monsters were approaching .
The stunned soldier reported. "It's a wall! A wall is closing in on us!!"
"It's approaching with staggering force!!"
Both Kellan and soldiers were bewildered how can a wall be advancing like that, unsure whether it was an enemy or an ally.
Kellan(muttering): "What's that a wall?! How in the world is it moving ?! Is it planning to slam into us?!"
Kellan tried to assess the situation to their surprise the wall spoke ordering them to move out of the way. "RUN!!"
Kellan: "So it's our ally…?"
Without second thought he ordered his soldiers to withdraw. "Withdraw!!" Kellan Shouted "Everyone withdraw!! Quickly!!"
As the soldiers began to retreat Aiden received the message now his focus turned to the massive horde of monsters , before they could breach the gate he needed to act quickly using all his speed he created the defensive wall trapping the monster between two barriers and just managed to prevent the walls from colliding the fortress .
System: [You have Leveled UP!! ] (ding)
[You have Leveled UP!! ] (ding)
Continuous system prompts start to pop up as he squashed the monsters between those walls.
Kellan stood in shock as a soldier reported that the charge had wiped out nearly half of the monsters and the troops erupted in cheers.
The Stampede Ends
After what feels like hours, the stampede finally begins to thin. The last few monsters crash against the walls, but their numbers are dwindling. The villagers, exhausted but victorious, cheer as the final beast falls.
But Aiden doesn't join in the celebration. He's already thinking ahead.
Aiden: (to himself) "This wasn't the slavers. Why the hell am I facing all this at a lower level! Is it some kind of a bug in the system "
He knows that the slavers would never use a stampede like this. They prefer direct power, not chaos, it was too much work to overpower some rundown fortress. This was something else. Something unnatural.
But he won't waste the opportunity this crisis has given him.
Rallying the Attack
As the villagers gather to tend to the wounded and assess the damage, Aiden gathers Kellan, Garret, and the village leaders.
Aiden: "We've shown we can defend this fortress, but that's not enough. The slavers will come soon, and they'll be expecting us to be on the defensive."
The others look at him, confused.
Villager: "You're saying we attack?"
Aiden nods.
Aiden: "Yes. We strike first. Tonight."
There's a murmur of surprise, but Aiden cuts through it with his calm, unwavering tone.
Aiden: "If we wait, they'll bring everything they have to our gates. We won't survive another siege, not with our resources and men this low compared to their numbers. But if we take the fight to them—hit them at night, when they're least expecting it—we can cripple them before they even know we're coming."
Kellan: (frowning) "But attacking their stronghold… that's madness."
Aiden: "No. It's a strategy. They'll expect us to defend, not attack. That's why it'll work."
He lets the idea sink in, watching as the others begin to see the logic in his plan.
Aiden: "We'll move under cover of darkness. Hit them where they're weak. If we take out their leadership, the rest will fall apart."
There's a tense silence before Garret finally speaks up.
Garret: "It's a risk. But… it might be our only chance."
Aiden: (nodding) "Exactly. We attack at midnight."
Preparing for Battle
As the sun sets and darkness envelops the fortress, the villagers prepare for the assault. Aiden moves through the camp, checking weapons, making sure everyone knows their role. The adrenaline from the stampede has worn off, replaced by a grim determination.
Lina approaches him as he sharpens his blade.
Lina: "Are you sure about this? Attacking… it feels reckless."
Aiden: "Reckless, maybe. But it's the best option we have."
He pauses, glancing at her.
Aiden: "Besides, they'll come for us either way. Better to strike first."
Lina doesn't argue, though her face betrays her worry.
Aiden: (softly) "Trust me, Lina. We'll win this."
He says it with such quiet certainty that it leaves her no room to doubt. She nods and walks away, leaving Aiden to his preparations.
(Ding)
System: [You have unlocked new ability]
End of Episode 8