Zoey’s eyes narrowed as the plunderer leader rushed toward her.
Drawing another arrow in one fluid motion, she pulled the string back and released. The projectile shot forward with deadly precision, cutting through the air before striking the man’s leg.
The leader’s eyes widened.
The arrow buried itself into his thigh, causing him to stumble mid-charge. Though the wound wasn’t enough to stop him, it was enough to break his momentum and buy Zoey a precious moment to breathe.
"I’ll finish him!"
The armored hunter immediately seized the opportunity and charged forward, shield raised and axe ready.
Unfortunately, the plunderers weren’t about to let him.
A burly attacker intercepted him halfway and swung a massive axe downward. The armored hunter barely managed to roll aside as the weapon smashed into the sand with explosive force, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
"We can’t hold out much longer!" he shouted while scrambling back to his feet.
The situation was rapidly deteriorating.
The plunderers had them completely surrounded. Every time they managed to push one enemy back, two more immediately stepped forward to fill the gap.
"Keep them off me!"
Adam’s voice echoed across the battlefield.
Blood Rage’s power coursed through his veins as he charged forward with reckless ferocity. His hammer rose high before crashing down onto a nearby plunderer.
The impact was devastating.
The man’s chest caved inward as he was sent flying through the air before collapsing motionless onto the sand.
For a brief moment, hope flickered.
But then three more plunderers rushed him.
"Adam! Watch your back!"
Zoey quickly loosed another arrow.
The projectile struck one attacker in the shoulder, forcing him off balance, but the remaining two continued their assault. Blades flashed from different angles, forcing Adam onto the defensive.
His hammer blocked one strike.
A second cut opened across his arm.
A third nearly pierced his stomach.
The pressure was becoming unbearable.
"Get away from him!"
Zoey’s voice cracked with desperation as she fired arrow after arrow. Some struck true while others were parried, but no matter what she did, the enemy numbers refused to decrease.
Meanwhile, the armored hunter found himself in an equally dire situation.
Several plunderers converged on him at once, attacking from all directions. His shield blocked one strike, then another, but the relentless assault never stopped.
He roared and swung his battle axe in a wide arc.
The weapon crashed into one attacker’s helmet with enough force to send the man stumbling backward. Before he could follow up, however, two more opponents pressed forward.
A spear pierced his shoulder.
A sword cut across his side.
Another strike slammed into his shield hard enough to numb his entire arm.
"Fall back!" he shouted through gritted teeth. "We need to regroup!"
But regrouping was easier said than done.
The battlefield had become a chaotic mess of steel and blood.
Adam was covered in wounds.
The armored hunter was barely holding his ground.
Zoey’s quiver was growing lighter with every passing second.
Fear slowly tightened around her heart.
Still, she refused to give up.
"Come on!" Adam shouted as he swung his hammer once more. "We can’t go down like this!"
The hammer collided with a sword, sending a powerful shock through his already injured arms. Pain shot through his body, but he ignored it and forced himself forward.
"We’re gonna make it!"
Even as he said the words, part of him knew how hopeless they sounded.
The plunderers clearly thought so too.
Several of them laughed openly.
"Just a bunch of rookie kids!"
One of them slammed his weapon toward the armored hunter, who barely managed to evade the attack.
Not far away, the plunderer leader finally recovered from Zoey’s arrow.
He yanked the projectile from his thigh and tossed it aside before turning toward her with an ugly smile.
"Let’s end this, shall we?"
His laughter sent chills down Zoey’s spine.
Before she could react, he lunged again.
The sword thrust toward her chest.
Zoey barely managed to intercept it using her bow, the impact nearly knocking the weapon from her hands.
Her arms trembled.
The leader simply smiled wider.
He was enjoying this.
Every second of it.
Around them, the circle of plunderers slowly tightened.
Like wolves closing in on wounded prey.
Despair began creeping into everyone’s hearts.
Even Adam’s confidence was beginning to crack.
Suddenly... a shrill cry echoed across the desert.
The sound was so sharp and unexpected that the entire battlefield froze.
Every head turned toward the sky.
Something was descending.
A massive shadow swept across the desert floor.
The next moment, Mira appeared.
Her enormous wings spread wide as she descended from above, each flap generating powerful gusts that sent countless tons of sand spiraling into the air.
The battlefield disappeared beneath a storm of dust.
Visibility vanished.
The plunderers immediately stepped back, confusion spreading through their ranks.
"What the hell is that?!"
Nobody answered.
The sandstorm continued raging for several seconds before gradually beginning to settle.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
A silhouette emerged from the swirling dust.
One figure.
Walking forward.
The plunderers unconsciously took several steps back.
Years of fighting and surviving had sharpened their instincts. Those instincts had saved their lives countless times before.
And right now every single instinct they possessed was screaming.
Danger.
Run.
Death.
The dust finally settled.
Kael stood there quietly.
His clothes were covered in sand from the jump. Tiny grains still drifted from his shoulders and hair.
Yet nobody paid attention to that.
What truly drew their attention was his expression.
His eyes.
Cold.
Furious.
The sight of Adam and Zoey covered in blood had ignited a rage within him that he wasn’t even trying to hide.
The pressure radiating from him caused several plunderers to instinctively retreat another step.
Their hearts pounded violently.
One of them finally managed to gather enough courage to speak.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "And why are you interfering in—"
He never finished.
Kael moved.
To the plunderer’s eyes, he simply vanished.
One moment he was standing dozens of meters away.
The next moment he was directly in front of him.
The man’s pupils contracted.
His brain barely had enough time to register what was happening.
Then Kael’s fist arrived.
Boom.
The punch landed like a thunderclap.
The plunderer’s face exploded inward.
His skull cracked apart under the force as blood and shattered bone burst outward.
The man’s body was launched through the air like a broken ragdoll.
He flew several dozen meters before crashing into the desert floor.
By the time his body touched the sand he was already dead.
# #
[AN_ Hey everyone, it’s your author here. Quick question please, what do you guys think of the books current pacing? Should I speed it up or keep it as is? Drop your thoughts in the comments so I can shape the story to fit what you’d enjoy most.]