Feralium – The Inn Room

  Adrian paced around the bound twins, laughing. Judy and July were bleeding, gagged, and furious.

  “Wow… for heartless assassins, you carry a lot of money,” Adrian sneered, weighing their coin purses.

  “Untie us, Adrian… while you can still speak,” Judy muffled through the gag.

  Adrian slapped her hard across the face. July screamed behind her gag, eyes wide with rage.

  “You bastard… I’ll kill you…” July hissed.

  “I give the orders here, beautiful ladies,” Adrian taunted. He reached out, groping Judy roughly. She spat in his face. He punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

  “You filthy little bitch… Do you know what I’m going to do with you? Sell you as whores. Both of you… daily meals for some degenerate old noble.” He laughed maniacally. “And with the money, I’ll pay my debts and travel far from this cursed land. I’ll never see you again.”

  The air in the room suddenly turned freezing cold. The door creaked open.

  A massive figure clad in black armor stepped in. It was a patchwork of flesh and metal. General Oz.

  “Sigh… Finally… I am… here.”

  Adrian spun around. “Hey… who are you? You don’t belong here.”

  General Oz didn’t speak. He moved instantly, grabbing Adrian by the throat and lifting him off the ground.

  “You… annoy me.”

  “Wait…” Adrian gasped, feet dangling. “Please…”

  “Your spirit… will be judged… and soon you will be a new slave of Lyra…”

  Adrian struggled, clawing at the massive hand.

  “Do not fear… little creature… I will take good care of you… before the Great Revolution.”

  Oz opened his mouth. A vile, glowing green slime poured out, slithering into Adrian’s screaming mouth. Oz dropped him. Adrian fell, convulsing in agony, his skin bubbling. His eyes turned pure white. Then, silence.

  Judy and July shrank back against the wall, terrified.

  Oz touched Adrian’s cooling corpse, reading his fading memories. He smiled. Then, he turned to the twins.

  “Hello, my dears…”

  He waved his hand, and their ropes fell away. They hugged each other, scrambling backward.

  “Shhhhh… don’t be afraid,” Oz rasped, his voice sounding like grinding stones. “I just want to talk… I need a little help.”

  Feralium – The Death Pit - Krag’s Hideout

  “It’s here, Isaac,” Juta whispered.

  They were hiding behind thick bushes, overlooking a cave entrance guarded by Ogres.

  “My family is in there…”

  “This is dangerous,” Isaac noted, checking his gear. “We need to go in quietly. Avoid problems. From here on out… you obey my orders. Understood?”

  “Yes, yes… understood,” Juta panted, trembling.

  Isaac sensed her fear. He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s going to be fine. We will make it.”

  Juta looked at him, tears welling up, and hugged him impulsively. Isaac was surprised but patted her back.

  “Okay… let’s go.”

  They sneaked into the cave, hiding behind crates of stolen goods.

  “Do you know where they are?” Isaac whispered.

  “Yes… right turn… until we find a large red door.”

  “Okay.”

  They moved deeper. Isaac pressed Juta against the wall as a patrol passed. They were close, breathing in sync. Isaac looked at the cave wall ahead. He focused.

  [VISION ACTIVATED]

  His irises glowed a faint blue. The stone became transparent. He saw two guards on the other side.

  “What is it?” Juta whispered.

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  “Two guards ahead.”

  “How do you know?”

  Isaac looked at her. “Just trust me.”

  Juta stared into his unusual eyes. She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Isaac blinked, surprised.

  “Sorry… I… I trust you,” she stammered, blushing furiously.

  “Alright… let’s move.”

  Isaac picked up a rock and threw it down a side tunnel. The Ogres turned to investigate the noise. Isaac signaled Juta. She slipped through the red door.

  Isaac moved behind the guards. He grabbed a heavy sword from a rack.

  SCHLICK.

  He pinned the first Ogre to the wall. The beast groaned and died. The second Ogre turned, raising his club. Isaac grabbed the second sword, parrying the blow, and slashed the Ogre’s stomach open.

  He wiped the blade and followed Juta.

  Inside the cell, Juta was trying to break the locks with a rock. The prisoners — dozens of Goat-kin — were panicking.

  “Stand back.”

  Isaac grabbed the heavy iron padlock. Metal groaned and snapped like a twig in his grip. He opened the cages.

  “Go! Follow me!”

  They rushed up the stairs toward the exit. Freedom was in sight.

  THWACK.

  A sharp pain in his neck. Isaac stumbled, his vision swimming. A dart.

  “Ambush!”

  Nets fell from the ceiling, trapping the prisoners. Guards swarmed them. Isaac tried to fight, but his limbs felt heavy. They slammed his face into the dirt.

  “What a horrible night, isn’t it?”

  Krag, a massive, scarred Ogre-kin, walked among the bodies of his guards.

  “Losing good, loyal sons… it’s like a knife in my chest.”

  He walked over to Isaac, grabbing him by the hair and yanking his head up.

  “I imagine the pain you must be feeling now… it eats you up inside, doesn’t it? That’s how I feel. You took important people from me… and I will make you suffer like never before.”

  Juta struggled against her captors. “Let him go!”

  Krag grabbed her arm, twisting it until she screamed.

  “No… let her go…” Isaac slurred, fighting the toxin.

  Krag laughed, shoving Juta’s crying face in front of Isaac.

  “Sorry, Isaac…” she sobbed.

  “Interesting…” Krag grinned. “Are you the King worth 40 Billion? RENEGADOS! WE ARE STANDING BEFORE A 40 BILLION DRACNA PAYDAY!”

  The bandits cheered.

  “She is beautiful, isn't she?” Krag sneered, ripping Juta’s dress. “Defenseless. Pure.”

  Isaac’s eyes began to glow faintly.

  Krag reached for Juta.

  The glow exploded.

  Isaac roared. The toxin burned away in an instant. He tore free from the guards holding him and slammed his fist into Krag’s jaw with such force that the massive Ogre staggered back, blood spraying from his mouth.

  Krag laughed, wiping the blood. “There you are… the real monster.”

  He charged, swinging his enormous club. Isaac dodged, grabbed a fallen sword, and met the attack head-on.

  CLANG!

  The impact sent sparks flying. He ducked under the next swing and slashed across Krag’s thigh, drawing a deep gash.

  Krag roared in pain and backhanded Isaac, sending him crashing into a wall.

  “Come on, big guy… is that all you got?”

  The other guards charged in to help their leader. Isaac fought on two fronts, parrying Krag while kicking another guard away.

  Krag swung again. Isaac rolled between his legs, came up behind him, and drove the sword into the back of Krag’s knee.

  CRACK.

  The Ogre fell to one knee, screaming in pain.

  Isaac jumped onto Krag’s back, wrapped his arm around the thick neck, and squeezed with everything he had. Krag thrashed wildly, smashing Isaac against walls and pillars, but Isaac held on.

  “Get… off… me!” Krag bellowed, blood dripping from his mouth.

  Isaac’s eyes burned brighter. With a final surge of power, he slammed Krag’s head against the stone wall with brutal force.

  THUD.

  Krag’s massive body slumped to the ground, unconscious, blood pooling beneath him. He was still breathing — barely — but completely out.

  The remaining guards froze for a second, staring at their fallen leader in shock.

  Then chaos erupted.

  “Kill him!” one shouted.

  The guards charged. Isaac fought like a whirlwind, cutting through the last attackers while the prisoners escaped with Juta.

  He burst out of the cave into the night air, exhausted, covered in blood and sweat.

  “Finally…”

  But as he reached the treeline, a dark figure stepped out from the shadows.

  General Oz stood there, flanked by the terrified Judy and July.

  “Hello… Captain.”

  “The Twins…” Isaac squinted. “What do you want?”

  General Oz moved with impossible speed. He grabbed Isaac by the throat, lifting him into the air.

  “Your problem… is not with them. It is with me… Captain.”

  “Who are you?” Isaac choked, kicking uselessly.

  Oz looked disappointed. “You don’t remember?”

  He pointed to a jagged scar on his own neck.

  “I said I don’t know!”

  Oz sighed, dropping his head. Then, he sniffed the air. He smiled — a horrific expression on his patchwork face.

  “I understand… She is here.”

  He looked at Isaac, who was gasping for air.

  “It is your lucky day… revenge is not pleasurable if my greatest enemy… doesn’t truly know me. Your little friend is close. We will meet again soon… Captain.”

  Oz threw Isaac.

  Isaac flew through the air, smashing into a tree. Darkness took him.

  Oz vanished into the shadows with the twins.

  Grimoria – Lord Vilgas’s Private Sanctum

  Lord Vilgas sat on his bronze throne, his chin resting on his hand, deep in thought. The threat of Isaac’s return gnawed at his mind like a parasite. Vilgas needed precision. He needed insurance.

  A servant approached silently, bowing low.

  “My Lord… the connection is ready.”

  Vilgas stood up, his heavy robes rustling against the metal floor. He walked to the Communication Room, a chamber filled with humming crystals and arcane machinery. He sat in a high-backed chair facing a massive obsidian screen.

  The screen flickered, and a shadowy, distorted image appeared. A face concealed by a veil, surrounded by smoke.

  “Oracle…” Vilgas greeted, his voice devoid of its usual arrogance.

  “Great Lord Vilgas…” the Oracle’s voice echoed, sounding like a chorus of whispers. “To what do I owe the honor?”

  “I have work for your children,” Vilgas stated flatly. “Level A Target. 40 Billion Dracnas.”

  The Oracle remained silent for a moment, the smoke swirling faster. “Level A… That is rare.”

  “I want him alive, preferably. But I want it resolved now.” Vilgas leaned forward. “I want Safira and Lican on this job, Send them.”

  “As you wish… Lord Vilgas.”

  Vilgas cut the connection. The screen went black. A cruel smile spread across his face.

  “Run while you can, King…”

  The Sanctuary of Whispers Location: Unknown

  The Oracle sat in a room filled with floating candles. She waved her hand, dismissing the lingering image of the Iron Lord.

  “Bring me Safira and Lican,” she commanded the darkness. “I want to speak with them.”

  Moments later, the heavy doors creaked open. Two figures entered.

  One was a woman with skin pale as moonlight and hair like flowing water — Safira. She moved with a silent, deadly grace. The other was a man, hulking and wild, with yellow eyes that gleamed in the dark — Lican.

  They knelt in unison before the dais.

  “Great Mother!”

  The Oracle smiled beneath her veil, extending her hands.

  “I have work for you, my beloved children…” she laughed softly, a sound that promised death. “A hunt worthy of your talents. A Fallen King.”