The moon cast a pale glow over the ruins of Dah'Zirath, its shattered towers rising like skeletal remains from the shifting sands. Xel'Varyn crouched on a crumbling ledge, six arms flexing as she watched the enemy encampment below.
Tents lined the ancient stone pathways, torches flickering against the wind. The Veiled King's forces moved with discipline, but there was tension in the air. Even they could feel it.
The relic was waking up.
---
[System Update: Enemy Camp Scouted]
Total Enemy Force: ~150 warriors
Elite Guards Detected: 12 (Cultivators)
Artifact Influence: Increasing—air warping around the ruins.
New Status Effect:
Reality Distortion (Mild) (Your senses waver as you approach. Hallucinations may occur.)
---
The First Strike
Edwin materialized beside her, voice barely a whisper. "The enemy's on edge. Whatever power is down there, it's already affecting them."
Victor cracked his knuckles. "Then we hit hard and fast. No survivors."
Xel'Varyn considered her options. A full assault would be bloody but swift. A shadowed approach could unnerve the enemy before they even knew death had come.
She smirked. "We take them apart from the inside."
With a silent command, her familiars slithered into the camp—wraithlike forms coiling through the shadows, ready to spread confusion and terror.
Then, she moved.
One moment she was on the ledge. The next, she was among them.
A blade whispered across a throat.
A dying gasp was swallowed by the wind.
Then another.
And another.
By the time the first alarm rang out, half the camp was already dead.
And Xel'Varyn was smiling.
---
[System Update: Battle Commenced]
Enemy Forces Remaining: 75%
Fear Spreading: Morale dropping rapidly
Artifact Resonance: 60% (The relic is reacting to the carnage.)
New Trait Acquired:
Phantom Reaper (When attacking from the shadows, enemies struggle to perceive you until it's too late.)
---
The Chains Begin to Break
The sand itself trembled beneath them.
From deep within the ruins, something was stirring.
Something ancient.
Something hungry.
Xel'Varyn paused, golden eyes narrowing. She had come for the relic. But now, the relic was coming for her.
And the real battle was only just beginning.
---
[To Be Continued...]