RUNNING THROUGH THE WILDS
The grassy plains stretched endlessly. The wind brushing softly against tall stalks, the sky above an endless sea of stars.
And through it..
Isaac ran.
Silent. Smooth. Effortless.
Behind him, the monster horde still chased.
The massive ogres, their heavy steps shaking the earth.
The ravenous wolves, their snarls cutting through the night.
The flying beasts, their shadowy wings blotting out the moonlight.
Isaac barely paid attention.
Instead, his masked face tilted upward, watching the stars as he ran.
His mind wandered.
Back to an hour ago.
Back to the fortress.
Back to the moment he won.
----------------------------------------
THE DEAL IS MADE
AN HOUR BEFORE.
Garrus stood bloody and exhausted. His grip on his axe unsteady.
Behind him, what remained of the Iron Hounds were battered, bruised, barely holding on.
Their fortress was in ruins.
And in front of them, sitting perfectly unharmed, was Isaac.
His chair still in place. His posture casual. His voice calm.
Garrus growled, spitting blood onto the ground.
“…Fine.”
Isaac tilted his head. “Fine?”
“We agree to your damn bargain.” Garrus snarled. “Take your monsters and get the hell out of my fortress.”
Isaac chuckled. “Smart choice.”
He stood up, stretching his arms.
Then, with practiced ease, he folded his chair, tucked it away into his inventory, and pulled out the rotting-smelling potion.
Without hesitation, he poured it over himself.
The moment the thick liquid touched his cloak...
The monsters stopped fighting.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Dozens of blood-soaked creatures, their eyes once filled with nothing but hunger, suddenly turned.
Turned toward him.
Isaac took a slow step forward.
The monsters took a step with him.
Then another.
Then another.
The Iron Hounds watched in horror.
The same beasts that had been tearing their men apart were now ignoring them completely. Their focus locked entirely on Isaac.
He exhaled, stretching his arms, then glanced back at the Iron Hounds.
“Pleasure doing business.”
Then, he ran.
And the horde followed.
As he vanished into the distance, his voice echoed mockingly through the wind.
“Oh, and don’t call me or else I’ll call you.”
----------------------------------------
THE AFTERMATH
The battle was over.
Fort Blackthorn was in shambles.
Fires still burned, corpses still littered the streets, and the scent of blood, death, and burnt wood clung to the air.
The Iron Hounds were alive.
But only barely.
Garrus sat on a fallen beam, wiping the blood from his forehead.
Drake sat nearby, sharpening a broken dagger.
Lena leaned against the wall, her armor cracked, her breathing heavy.
For a long time, no one spoke.
Then...
Drake muttered, “We lost.”
Lena scoffed. “You think?”
Drake sighed, sheathing his dagger. “No, I mean… we lost to him.”
The three of them fell silent.
Because no matter how they looked at it.
They hadn’t been defeated in battle.
They had been played.
Garrus clenched his jaw. “This isn’t over.”
Lena raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Garrus’s fists tightened.
“He made us look like fools.”
Drake chuckled dryly. “That’s because we were fools.”
Lena smirked. “I gotta admit. There’s something kinda impressive about getting outplayed this hard.”
Garrus scowled.
This wasn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
----------------------------------------
PRESENT. THE REAL GAME BEGINS
Isaac pulled out two more potions.
One, the same monster-attracting liquid he had used before.
The other, the one that made him invisible to monsters.
Though not as effective compared to the one he bought from the elf. The first potion would cover that issue with ease.
He then uncorked them both.
Poured one over himself.
Then threw the other at the horde.
The effect was instant.
The moment the bottle shattered, releasing its foul-smelling mist.
The monsters stopped chasing him.
And turned on each other.
Wolves lunged at ogres.
Trolls swung clubs at swarming insects.
Flying beasts screeched, diving into the chaos.
The massive, united horde collapsed into pure anarchy.
Isaac took a few slow steps backward. Making sure the potion coating him had fully taken effect.
The monsters ignored him.
Perfect.
He pulled out his chair.
Sat down.
And watched.
----------------------------------------
THE TRUE CARNAGE BEGINS
Isaac pulled two more potions from his inventory.
Twirled them between his fingers.
Then..
He threw them into the fray.
The horde exploded in violence.
An ogre backhanded a charging dire wolf, sending it flying into a troll’s gut.
A swarm of cursed wasps descended upon a bear-like beast, tearing into its flesh.
A shadow beast lunged at a towering centipede, the two colliding in a brutal clash of fang and claw.
Isaac leaned back in his chair, one leg crossing over the other.
He had to admit.
This was entertaining.
The Iron Hounds thought they had seen the worst of him.
But this?
This was just for fun.
He pulled out two more potions.
And smiled beneath his mask.
Let the carnage continue.