The bloodlust was thick in the air as the three figures stood poised within the canopy of trees, their crimson eyes glowing brightly through their masks. The forest felt eerily still, as though nature itself feared their presence.
"The target is in the forest, accompanied by three others. Four bodies in total. We move quickly. Silent and clean," Kaelith, one of the individuals, said, his slender frame barely shifting as he spoke. His voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
A soft, sadistic chuckle sounded next. Selira, the feminine figure of the group, twirled a small shard of blood between her fingers like a toy.
"Oh, Kaelith," she purred. "Where's the fun in that? I say we take our sweet time. Especially with him." Her crimson eyes shone as she replayed the image of Atticus from the Nexus in her mind. Her body shuddered, and a low groan escaped her lips. "I want to savor every moment."
"Enough." Draeven's voice was firm, cutting through her laughter like a blade. His bulkier figure exuded authority, and his aura radiated a chilling feeling.
"This isn't a hunt for your amusement, Selira. It's an assignment from a grand elder. We're here to eliminate a threat, not indulge your twisted tendencies." His glare behind the mask was as sharp as the daggers strapped to his belt.
Draeven turned to Kaelith. "You strike first as planned. I'll cover the perimeter. Selira…" He paused, his voice filled with warning. "Control yourself. The grand elder was clear. This incident must not trace back to the vampyros in any way. No mistakes."
Selira smirked, her eyes mocking. "Draeven, you're no fun. Always so serious. Maybe you're scared he's more than we can handle?" Her voice dropped, taunting. "The great blood reaper… scared of a human."
Draeven's gaze snapped toward her, his voice like ice. "Watch your mouth."
The air grew heavier as his presence darkened. "You think I fear that boy? The old man's report was nothing but the ramblings of someone near the end of his life."
His mind replayed the vampyros delegate's recount of Atticus. After his meeting at the human domain, the delegate had returned and relayed everything that had happened.
The blood council and the grand elders had dismissed his story as the ramblings of an old man. They had seen Atticus battle at the Nexus, and although it was truly impressive, what the delegate had explained was overly exaggerated.
At that time, the races knew the power of their apex well. They were as powerful as grandmaster+ ranks; however, it wasn't above this. In fact, the other races expected their apex to lose should they fight a powerful and experienced grandmaster+ rank individual.
The fact that they had selected three very powerful grandmaster+ ranks for the mission of taking care of Atticus spoke volumes as to how much they wanted him dead.
Draeven sneered. "That boy will die today, just like the rest. Stay focused, Selira, or I'll make sure you don't walk away from this mission."
Before Selira could respond, Kaelith raised his hand, his voice cutting through the growing tension. "They're here."
All three assassins stiffened. Their glowing eyes narrowed as they focused on the faint movements ahead.
"Mmm, finally," Selira murmured, her voice filled with anticipation. "This is going to be delicious."
Draeven's aura shifted, becoming an oppressive force that made the air feel like a weighted blanket. The leaves around him trembled as his killing intent seeped into the atmosphere.
"Enough talk." His tone was final. "We strike as planned."
The group's aura transformed. The oppressive lethality they exuded condensed, becoming focused and sharp.
"Move."
No sound was made, but in an instant, they were gone.
…
Atticus and the Resonara scouts moved swiftly through the forest. Atticus hadn't told them what it was that he wanted to do; however, he had given them a rough estimate of where he was headed along with the direction.
Skeptical could not begin to describe how the scouts felt. Where Atticus had directed them was towards the Vampyros domain. The buffer zone, which was the zone between the two domains, was shared equally between the two parties.
Where Atticus wanted to go was dangerously close to the Vampyros side of the buffer zone. Considering the current situation with the Vampyros race, it sounded like a bad idea no matter how much they thought about it.
However, none of them could refuse Atticus's commands, especially when the fortress commander had ordered them to follow his words.
They reached a compromise that, as long as it was safe, they would continue. Atticus had no issues with that. In fact, he welcomed it.
Should he reach his goal, he had to find a way to ditch them in the first place, as Whisker had specified that he go alone.
The run through the forest was eerily silent, and although Atticus was having the time of his life learning the signature of the Resonara sound techniques, it was very awkward for the scouts. The silence was soon broken as Jena turned toward him and spoke,
"Apex Atticus, would you like to hear about the current situation at Fort Echohelm?"
Though no sound was heard within the barrier, her voice reached him clearly, cutting through the stillness.
Atticus thought about it for a second and gave a brief nod. Listening wouldn't disrupt his training.
Jena smiled. "As you know, Fort Echohelm borders the Vampyros domain. In the past, there have hardly been any altercations with them. Our side of the buffer zone has no valuable resources, and they're too prideful to bother with us. But lately, things have changed. They've been crossing the border more frequently. Scouts have gone missing, teams of three or more, gone without a trace. We've even had to reduce the size of our scouting parties to lower the risk of detection."
Her voice paused, and Atticus instantly caught the flicker of fear beneath her composed exterior. This wasn't just a problem. It was a crisis.
'We're hiding in our own domain…' Atticus thought, feeling a wave of emotions. It was a thought so absurd it felt wrong to even say it out loud.
It was utterly insane. They had reduced the scouting teams so they wouldn't be spotted by the Vampyros race? In their own domain?
Atticus shook his head. He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to ask.
"Have the higher-ups been informed?"
A scoff broke the silence. "Useless," Mira muttered from the side, her tone dripping with contempt.
Jena turned, shooting a glare and silencing Mira, who clicked her tongue and looked away. Then, with a sigh, Jena addressed Atticus again. "I apologize for her rudeness, Apex Atticus."
Atticus gestured for Jena to continue, not caring about Mira's actions, and she obliged. "The higher-ups are wary of the political fallout. They're avoiding any action that might give the Vampyros an excuse to declare war on the human domain. Instead, they've ordered us to observe. Nothing more. Meanwhile, our scouts are dying, our people are dying, and they do nothing."