He blinked, and the words lingered for a moment before fading into the night. Confusion tightened his brow. What is this? he thought.
"Sovereign? Dominion Mark?" he muttered under his breath. None of it made sense. The only thing clear was the objective: slay 100 Howlfangs. His gaze shifted to the creatures prowling in the gorge below. Not easy prey by any measure.
But he had more immediate concerns. Varik had taken his crown, his only link to home. His priority was to retrieve it and find a way back. Yet, perhaps this "trial" was connected to his return.
The group staggered along the narrow path carved into the cliffside, the ledge crumbling underfoot. Wind whipped at their faces, carrying the feral growls of the beasts below. Aelric moved with calculated steps, his head low, but his senses sharp.
The guards wore their bravado like ill-fitting armor. Their hands lingered too close to their weapons, their gazes darting to the cliffs and back again. Fear gnawed at them.
Aelric's eyes flicked to the woman in cuffs again. The guards treated her differently from the other prisoners and kept their distance, their hands hovering near their weapons. One of them, a scarred man, flinched slightly when she shifted, though she didn't so much as glance at him.
Unlike the others, she walked without hesitation, her head high and steps deliberate. The tension around her was palpable; the guards glanced at each other nervously whenever she moved. Her bindings weren't the rough ropes most of the prisoners wore. The thick iron cuffs on her wrists looked deliberate, almost ceremonial, etched with faint marks Aelric couldn't make out.
Who is she? he wondered. Whatever it was about her, it had the guards on edge—and that made her dangerous.
The wind carried a low growl, and Aelric's stomach sank.
The guards' voices reached him through the howling wind, their words snatched away in fragments. "Let them... keep pace... no need to hurry," Varik growled to his men. Another muttered reply followed, but Aelric caught enough to chill his blood: "When the beasts rise... chaos does the rest."
He glanced down at the gorge, the Howlfangs moving like shadows with glowing eyes. Their restless circling wasn't random—it mirrored the group's path. With each step forward, the beasts tightened their formation below, steering the captives toward the narrowing ledge ahead. Aelric's gaze darted between the guards and the prowling creatures, piecing the pattern together.
They're not leading us to safety. They're leading us to slaughter.
The realization struck like a hammer blow, but he kept his face neutral, his head low. He couldn't afford to let them see he understood.
His fingers curled tighter around the sharp stone hidden in his palm. He'd been working at his bonds for hours, the rope now barely holding together. This time, they won't get away with it.
**********
The path grew steeper, and the captors' intentions became increasingly clear. Varik murmured instructions to his men, their hands tightening around crossbows and blades. Their faces remained calm—too calm. They knew what was coming.
Varik raised a hand, halting the group. "Stay close," he commanded, his voice a low growl. "No sudden moves."
His men fanned out, taking strategic positions along the ledge. The prisoners huddled together near the edge, their terror palpable. Aelric stood among them, his gaze flicking between the restless Howlfangs below and the captors above.
The air was thick with dread, every breath tasting of fear.
Serenna shoved a frail older woman forward. "Move, or I'll move you myself," she snapped. The woman stumbled, her trembling fingers scrabbling against the rough cliff wall.
Varik chuckled, the sound low and cold. "Careful now. It's a long way down."
A sudden slip shattered the uneasy silence. A young man near the edge lost his footing, his arms flailing as he toppled into the abyss. His scream was short-lived, ending in a sickening crunch as he hit the rocks below. The Howlfangs descended on him instantly, tearing into his body with savage glee.
A woman screamed, her hands clutching her mouth as she stepped back from the edge. Serenna shoved her hard, laughing. "You'll join him if you're not careful!"
This is where it will happen, he thought. The ambush was as inevitable as the Howlfangs' attack. The moment the beasts charged, Varik and his men would let the prisoners take the brunt of the assault, using the chaos to strike.
He glanced at the other prisoners, their faces pale and drawn. None of them seemed to realize what was coming. His eyes moved to the young woman with iron cuffs and a defiant stride. She was still flanked by two hulking guards, but her sharp gaze suggested she understood more than she let on.
Aelric clenched his fists, testing the looseness of the rope. He had cut through most of the strands, leaving them ready to snap with a sharp tug. He exhaled slowly, steadying himself. When the attack begins, I'll make my move.
**********
The Howlfangs surged upward in a wave of muscle and fangs, their snarls echoing through the gorge. Their claws scraped against the rock, a sound sharp enough to send shivers through the gathered prisoners.
A panicked murmur spread among the prisoners like wildfire. "They're coming! They're coming!" a young woman whispered, her voice cracking. One man stumbled backward, nearly losing his footing as he clutched a jagged piece of rock in trembling hands.
"They'll kill us all," muttered an elderly man, his knees buckling. He tried to rise but collapsed again, his breathing ragged. "We're already dead…"
Aelric's gaze swept over the group, his mind racing. Their terror was suffocating, their bodies frozen in place like cornered prey. Even the faintest sign of defiance had been crushed by the captors' earlier displays of violence.
The first beast lunged. Its massive claws swiped through the air, catching a man who tried to run. Blood sprayed in an arc as the prisoner crumpled to the ground. The others screamed, their panic rising to a fever pitch. The sheer force of it was like a crack in a dam—some shoved forward in a desperate attempt to flee, others stumbled and froze, their faces pale and drenched in sweat.
Aelric gritted his teeth. If they panic now, they'll all die.
Nearby, Serenna barked orders to her men, her voice cutting through the chaos like a whip. "Hold your ground! Keep the beasts focused on the bait!"
But her words had little effect. The prisoners scattered in blind panic, some throwing themselves at the captors in a wild bid for survival. One man, sobbing uncontrollably, grabbed at Aelric's arm. "Help me! Please, don't let them—"
The man's grip faltered as another beast leapt forward, its claws slashing downward. Aelric barely had time to pull away before the prisoner was dragged screaming into the gorge.
Aelric inhaled sharply, his mind snapping into focus. Focus
Amid the shrieks and snarls, Aelric shouted above the chaos, "Fight back! If you want to live, fight!" His voice cut through the noise, but the prisoners still cowered, paralyzed by fear.
Then a single prisoner - a hulking man near the center of the group moved first. Without hesitation, he picked up a heavy stone, hefting it like a warhammer. His eyes locked on the nearest guard, and with a guttural roar, he charged. The guard barely had time to react before the rock came down with a sickening crunch, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The prisoners froze, their gazes shifting between the fallen guard and the towering figure who stood over him, unflinching. Aelric seized the moment. "See? They bleed like we do!" he shouted, his voice rising. "Together, we can take them!"
Another prisoner, emboldened, grabbed a branch and swung it at a guard who lunged for him. A cry rang out, half-sob, half-shout, as more captives surged forward. Rocks and fists joined the fray, a chaotic tide of desperation that turned terror into defiance.
The Howlfangs attacked both the enslavers and prisoners indiscriminately. The ledge became a battlefield, the clash of steel and the screams of the dying blending into a cacophony of violence.
Aelric fought his way through the chaos, his eyes fixed on the girl with iron cuffs. She was still guarded by two hulking men, both of whom now stood with swords drawn, fending off the Howlfangs.
One of the guards noticed Aelric's approach. "Stay back!" he snarled.
Aelric feigned retreat, then lunged low, slashing the guard's leg. The man roared, staggering back, but remained standing. The second guard advanced, his blade cutting the air. Aelric dodged the strike, backing toward the edge.
The guard sneered. "Nowhere to run, boy."
Aelric glanced over his shoulder—a narrow outcropping jutted from the cliffside just below. It was risky, but he had no choice.
"Think again," he retorted.
He let himself fall backward, landing hard on the outcropping. The guard peered over the edge in surprise. Aelric seized the moment, sending his dagger flying upward into the man's unprotected armpit. The guard gasped, dropping his sword as he collapsed.
Climbing back up, Aelric retrieved the fallen sword. The first guard was recovering, blood seeping from his leg wound.
"You're going to regret that," the guard growled.
Before he could advance, the girl moved. With her hands still bound, she swung her chains like a whip, striking the guard across the face. He stumbled, and Aelric rushed forward, delivering a swift kick to his chest. The guard teetered, then fell over the edge, his scream fading into the abyss.
The Howlfangs were thinning, their bodies littering the rocky ledge, but the battle was far from over.
Then the air shifted.
A deep, bone-chilling growl echoed through the gorge, silencing the battlefield. It wasn't like the snarls of the other Howlfangs—this was lower, resonating in the chest like the growl of a thunderstorm building in the distance. The remaining beasts froze, their glowing eyes snapping toward the sound as if summoned.
Aelric stopped mid-strike, his pulse racing. He turned toward the source of the sound, and his breath caught.
From the shadows below, a massive figure emerged.
*****
A/N:
Welcome to Chapter 3! Things are heating up—danger has already arrived, but now it's about to escalate even further. Aelric's journey is taking a sharp turn into perilous territory, so brace yourselves for some intense moments ahead. I hope you're ready for the twists and challenges coming his way. Thank you for sticking with the story, and as always, enjoy the ride!