A hunting laughter echoed through the pitch black void as the sound of 8 pointed lips crept closer. Chio awoke in a panic, a cold sweat dripping down his forehead. A hand interlocked with his.

“Another nightmare?” Nevala asked.

Chio gripped his jaw with his open hand, taking a few moments before he finally clammed down.

“Yes,” he answered between ragged breaths.

A warm embrace soon surrounded him as Nevala pulled him closer.

“It’s ok. That thing is dead, and we are both still here. I'm sure it will pass, eventually. It did for me, and you handled that situation so much better than I did. I know you can rise past those fears.”

“Thank you. What would I do without you?”

They sat in bed like that for a long time before Nevala finally broke the silence.

“It looks like the sun is already up. We will need to get ready soon,” she said with a sigh.

Chio released his grip on her and nodded, pushing his way out of bed. They got dressed before making their way out of their newly built house. It was a smaller cottage, only containing a kitchen, dining room combo, and a single bedroom. Three weeks had passed since their ordeal out in the woods. They had been lucky the clan had recently moved and were able to sneak Ren’s still-unconscious body into his parents' compound without being noticed. They walked through the newly built village. The market had already reformed, and the clan's merchants went about selling all kinds of items that could be found around their new home. Ignoring all the attempts to sell them things they did not need, the pair made their way towards the part of the village built in the old ruins. In the last three weeks, Chio, Nevala, Ren, and the other children of the large families had all reached their level requirement. The family heads had finally decided today would be the day of their assault. The meeting Chio and Nevala were currently heading to would be the final preparations before the attack began. Chio was still unsure if he agreed with his father's decision to join Ren’s family. While he agreed that what the elder had done allowed Erith and Ray to escape and forcing others to take their place. There was also a part of him that was thankful for that decision. He knew that if Ray had continued hunting at the spots Ray had shown him, then Ray would have made it to level 10 without issue, and then Chio would have been sent out to face the horde. He sighed, shaking his head as he walked.

“Everything alright?” Nevala asked.

“Oh,” he said, snapping out of his thoughts. “Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about today.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe we are going through with this, but I'm sure it will all work out in the end, as long as I'm by your side.”

Chio squeezed her hand, blushing as a smile formed on his face. They made their way into the large building Ren’s family had claimed after the move.

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“Welcome, master Zain and madam Rheihram. Please follow me to the meeting room,” a young woman said, giving the pair a slight bow.

They followed her through the long corridors of the grandiose house to a large pair of wooden doors. A pair of servants quickly opened them and gesturing for them to go inside. Inside the room, Chio saw a large table. He spotted his father and mother on the left side before scanning the rest of the table, his eyes finally coming to rest on Ren’s disfigured face. He winced slightly as he saw what Ren had gone through in the process of saving them, that feeling fading almost completely as he saw the hungry grin on his face. Chio and Nevala made their way into the large room, splitting apart and taking their assigned seats next to their parents. Chio made small talk with his parents while they waited, mostly discussing what level he had made it to and how Nevala and he were doing now that they had gotten their own place. This lasted for another few minutes before the large doors opened again, and a large man Chio recognised as Draven Elborn, Ren’s father, walked into the room. He wore a finely crafted chest plate with a fur cape that swept along the floor behind him.

“Welcome, everyone,” he said, sweeping his arms out to address the gathered crowd as the doors closed behind him. “The day has finally come, the day where we say no more. The day when we rise up and throw off the chains of a flawed system. Today, we take revenge on all those who should still be alive but aren't because of that old man’s foolishness. Even when he had the chance to see the flaws in his system, he didn't. Instead, he chose to save his granddaughter's life and condemn others that aren't related to him.” His voice bellowed out as a contagious anger overtook the room.

Cries for retribution rang out, and even Chio felt a rage building in his chest. He took a moment to compose himself as he realized the feeling was not his own, but a fresh wave of anger crashed into him again, consuming his thoughts and making him another member of the riled-up mob.

“Now, let’s change our clan for the better. Let’s build a brighter tomorrow together,” Draven said, a haunting smile touching his lips.

Status

Name: Draven Elborn

Level 99:

Ascension: 0

Class: Ragebound (Epic)

Mana

Stamina: E 450/450

Stats

Strength D: 10

Endurance D: 10

Dexterity E: 150

Intelligence E: 90

Wisdom E: 500

Available Points: 0

Multipliers

Strength 2

Endurance 2

Dexterity 1

Intelligence 1

Wisdom 2

Skills

Hand to hand proficiency E, Rage E, Bloodlust drive, Wrathful strikes, Fury leech, Mind break chant

Titles

[Ninth threshold], [Low-Grade Stats Collector], [Advanced Incarnate], [Underdog], [High-Grade Stats Collector], [Giant Slayer]