The Slave Traders' Camp (Midnight)
The moon hangs low, casting long shadows over the slave traders' encampment. Fires burn in a few scattered places, casting an eerie glow on the tents and watchtowers, but the camp is unusually quiet. Aiden and his strike team move silently through the trees, cloaked in the cover of night. He counts the guards, marking their patrol routes, their shifts, and the blind spots. This is no siege—this is infiltration.
Aiden: (whispering to Garret) "Stick to the plan. We take them out quietly. No one raises the alarm.be as stealthy as possible"
Garret nods, his face tense but determined. Behind him, a small group of villagers, those brave or foolish enough to volunteer, hold their makeshift weapons tightly. Kellan is with them too, his hammer slung low to avoid clanking against his armor.
They had prepared for this moment with precision. Every man and woman in the group knew their role—hit fast, hit hard, and disrupt the slavers before they could muster a proper defense.
Aiden watches them for a moment, calculating. The time is now.
Aiden: (whispering) "Move."
They fan out, melting into the shadows
First Kill
Aiden moves like a ghost, slipping through the trees toward the first guard. The man stands by a campfire, yawning, his back turned to the forest. Aiden draws a dagger from his belt, its blade barely reflecting the moonlight, and in one swift, fluid motion, he is upon the guard. The man has no time to react—the dagger plunges into his neck, silencing him before he can cry out.
System:[ Slaver (Level 5) defeated-> +50 XP]
Aiden lowers the body to the ground, his heart pounding in his chest. He signals to Garret, who moves to the next target.
Aiden pressed forward, slashing through the next guard with ruthless efficiency.
System: [Slaver (Level 5) defeated-> +50 XP]
Around him, the villagers followed his lead. They struck quickly, taking down the outer defenses with makeshift weapons and overwhelming numbers. The slavers were caught completely off guard, their silent screams echoing in the dead night as Aiden's forces tore through their camp.
The Tension Builds
Minutes pass, each one feeling like an eternity. The team moves deeper into the camp, their confidence growing with each step. But Aiden's instincts tell him something is wrong. It's too easy. The slavers are sloppy, but not this sloppy. There's a tension in the air, something dark and foreboding.
As they near the heart of the camp, where the slaver chief resides, Aiden feels the shift. The air is thick with an unspoken danger, and his eyes scan the surroundings, looking for signs of a trap.
Garret: (whispering) "We've taken out most of the guards. We're close."
Aiden: (grimly) "Too close. Something's off."
He stops, his mind racing, then turns to the group.
Aiden: "Fall back a few steps, regroup at the edge of the camp."
Garret: "But we're nearly—"
Aiden: (sharply) "Now."
Garret nods, and they begin to retreat—but it's too late. A horn blasts through the air, a sound that makes Aiden's blood run cold. The camp erupts in chaos.
Exposed
Aiden curses under his breath as the slavers scramble out of their tents, weapons drawn. The element of surprise is lost. They've been spotted. The time for subtlety is over.
Aiden: (shouting) "Defensive positions! Form up!"
The villagers scramble to follow his orders as the slavers pour toward them. The air fills with the clash of steel and the shouts of men. Aiden swings his sword with deadly precision, cutting through the slavers who come too close, but they keep coming, more and more of them.
The battle becomes chaotic, bodies clashing in the darkness. The slavers were more numerous than anticipated, and his group wasn't trained for prolonged combat. Several villagers had already fallen, their blood soaking the earth. He couldn't afford to lose too many more.
Aiden: (thinking) "We need to end this quickly."
His eyes locked on the largest tent in the camp—the slaver chief's quarters.If he could cut the head off the snake, the rest might scatter.
Aiden: (shouting to Garret) "I'm going after the chief! Hold them here!"
Garret: "Go! We'll hold the line!"
Aiden cuts his way through the chaos, his eyes fixed on the tent.
Confronting the Chief
Aiden pushed forward, cutting down any slaver in his path. His stamina was wearing thin, but the system's constant stream of experience kept him moving, each kill making him a little stronger, a little faster.
System:[ Slaver (Level 5) defeated-> +50 XP]
He and a few of his best fighters reached the command tent. They burst into the tent, sword raised, and found the slaver chief waiting for him. The man is as imposing as Aiden remembered—tall, muscular, his face scarred from years of battle. Behind him, the spoils of his trade—chained prisoners, women, children, all huddled in fear.
Chief: (grinning) "So, you're the one causing all this trouble. I've been waiting for you."
Aiden doesn't waste time on words. He lunges at the chief, their blades clashing in a flurry of sparks.
Chief:(amused) "You are quite an impatient one."
The chief chuckled darkly, rising from his seat. He is strong, far stronger than the slavers outside, and his strikes are brutal, each one meant to kill.
Aiden:(thinking) "He is somewhat different but what? Could it be–"
There was a hint of hesitation in Aiden's strike , chief sensed it and dealt a fatal blow, Aiden snapped back to reality, he was nearly beheaded
Chief : "Slacking off in the middle of battle . Were those bastards defeated by someone like you? How pathetic!"
Aiden was taken aback by the unnatural physical strength of the chief, he was far stronger than the average human. There was more to him than his raw physical strength and massive build. There was a hint of aura .
Chief: (amused) "Oho have you sensed that?"
"Yes this is what you think!! AURA!!! " he stated arrogantly "The gift of the heavens which is only trained by those arrogant mages and prideful knights! "
Even though the chief was bragging about his own strength and aura, Aiden knew that it was impossible for a mere level 13 to completely possess aura. The chief was a pseudo aura-wielder ,yet to materialize it but was able to strengthen his body to a certain extent.
But Aiden is faster, more precise, even with the lingering effects of the Shadow General's curse weighing him down, making every step heavier than it should be.
They fight, steel ringing in the night, neither giving an inch.
Aiden: (thinking) "I need to finish this. Now."
Using his time distortion skill , he ducks under a swing from the chief and slashes at his side, drawing blood. The chief roars in pain and fury, but he's not done yet.
Chief:(grunting in pain) "KUUGH! You.. You..! Cowardly Asshole…! "
He swings wildly, desperation creeping into his attacks.
Aiden:(playfully) "Do people worry about being a coward while fighting around these parts?"
Chief: (snarling) "You think you can just walk in here and take what's mine?!"
Aiden: "Yes. Why don't you give it a rest? I have already figured out all of your skills."
He moves in for the killing blow, but the chief surprises him, pulling a hidden dagger from his belt and lunging. Aiden dodges, but not fast enough—the blade grazes his side, and he stumbles back.
The chief sees his chance. In a last-ditch effort, the chief turned to flee, stumbling toward the back of the tent.
The Mysterious Figure
Suddenly, the chief's movements stop. A blade bursts through his chest from behind, blood spraying the ground. The slaver chief looks down in shock, his mouth opening and closing, trying to speak, but no words come out.
Behind him stands a figure cloaked in shadow, face hidden beneath a hood. The mysterious figure pulls the blade free.
Chief: "W-What…?"
Stranger: (murmuring)"After all those resources and Aura techniques you can't even handle a mere peasant." the chief falls to the ground, dead.
Aiden watches in stunned silence as the figure steps forward, moving with an eerie grace.
Aiden: (sharply) "Who are you?"
The figure says nothing, only turns to look at Aiden for a brief moment. In the dim light of the tent, Aiden catches a glimpse of something cold in the figure's eyes—and presence that sends a chill down his spine.
Before Aiden can react, the figure moves toward the entrance of the tent, disappearing into the darkness without a word.
Aiden stands there, breathing heavily, his mind racing.
System: [Slaver Chief (Level 13) defeated-> +500 XP.]
[A Hidden Quest Has Been Completed -> All stats will be raised by +2]
[Additional Reward-> Stellar Earrings ]
The chief is dead, the battle outside is winding down—but this wasn't a victory. Not really.
Seeing their chief dead, the remaining slavers ran outside in fear, shouting and informing everyone of the chief's defeat. With this the remaining slavers lost any hope to fight further and ran away for their own life.
As Aiden stares at the body of the chief, the words echo in his mind: "Who was that?"
The mysterious figure had killed the chief, but why? Was he an ally? An enemy? Someone with their own agenda?
The questions swirl in Aiden's mind, unanswered, as the sounds of battle fade into the night. But one thing is clear: this is far from over.
End of Episode 9.