On the most direct route, and pushing both himself and his horses, Billy could make it from Blackwater to Phoenix in less than a day.

But Billy didn’t take the direct route. After the destruction in Blackwater and Eugene "The Hog" Porter’s attempt to have him killed, staying out of sight seemed the wiser choice. With the resources at The Hog’s disposal, Billy wouldn’t be surprised to find men posted at every waystation and watering hole along the road to Phoenix. Taking the well-trodden paths north wasn't something he could afford.

Instead, he struck out west toward the Sacaton Mountains. The route promised limited encounters with people and the advantage of slipping into Phoenix through its west gate, where the chaos of merchants, caravans, and travelers would provide excellent cover. Of course, this detour came with its risks. Leaving the main roads made an encounter with magic beasts far more likely.

“Well could be just the thing to sharpen my spurs” Billy muttered, mostly to reassure himself. He’d get stronger, sure. And more importantly, he’d get home.

The landscape wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. Though it felt like a lifetime ago, Billy had traveled through this part of the state once before, and some landmarks still stood out well enough to guide him. His plan was straightforward, cross the Sacaton Mountains, head toward Ak-Chin land, then turn north until he hit the Gila River. From there, he’d follow the river northwest, skirting the Estrella Mountains, before finally turning east into Phoenix via the Salt River Valley Gate.

The journey between Blackwater and the Sacaton Mountains was uneventful, just as Billy had expected. Magic beasts usually avoided human settlements unless provoked. As he wove his way through the mountain foothills, a few small creatures crossed his path, a pair of cactus-prowlers scuttled by, their spiny legs crunching against the sand, a sun-flare moth glimmered briefly in the light and a cluster of Ashwind Scuttlers skittered over the path. None of them posed a real threat, and Billy picked them off easily from horseback without bothering to dismount.

It was only when he reached the main pass through the Sacaton Mountains that things started to change. The trail was little more than a dirt path carved out years ago. It had been cleared of boulders, making it easier on his horses so Billy let them pick up the pace, their hooves kicking up small clouds of dust as they went.

Ahead, silhouetted against the bright sky, a lone Sand Howler stood at the crest of the pass. Normally, the fur of the large wolf-like creature would allow it to camouflage itself against the sand. This one, however, stood at the peak of the pass with the sky behind it. The wolf-like creature’s bony plates gleamed, protecting its brow, chest, and spine like natural armor. Its fur rippled and shifted, a futile attempt at camouflage against the open sky.

Billy tugged on the reins, halting his horses, and scanned the rocky valley walls. Slight movements betrayed the presence of two more Sand Howlers, but he knew there were more. He knew this setup all too well.

A classic ambush.

The Howler standing ahead was the bait, meant to distract him while the rest flanked from the sides. Without needing confirmation, Billy’s instincts and his [Target Genius] skill combined to map out their positions. Seven in total. Three on each side of the valley, with two trying to slip behind him. Damn clever creatures. Silent hunters. And while it had never been proven, Billy suspected they had a way of communicating silently. Damn difficult to defend against if you didn't see it coming.

But again, Billy saw it coming. Raising both hands, he let [Target genius] guide him as his eyes wouldn’t be able to accurately pick out the impressively camouflage beasts. Before the closest pair could close in from behind, Ice crackled along his fingertips as he loosed two [Ice Shots]. The shimmering projectiles streaked through the air, striking their targets with deadly precision. Upon impact, the shards erupted into jagged bursts of ice, trapping the beasts mid-lunge.

The remaining Sand Howlers sprang into action, abandoning stealth in favor of an all-out assault. Billy was as accurate while using [Guns Akimbo], firing rapid shots from both hands at rapidly moving targets proved a difficult task. One of the creatures faltered as an ice shard caught its flank, freezing it solid. The other darted past, too quick to hit cleanly.

It leaped at him, jaws wide, and knocked him clean off his horse. The world spun as Billy hit the ground hard. Pain flared through his back, but he didn’t stop. Selecting [Metal Shot] in his right hand, he blasted a hole through the creature’s chest before rolling to a kneeling shooters position.

Another Howler was charging straight for him. Yet another circled his horses, its teeth snapping at their legs, but the animals bucked and kicked in terror making themselves far from an easy target. A more primitive part of his brain was making it known that he had lost track of the 3rd Howler and that the primitive part of his brain found this exceedingly concerning. Ignoring the sense of alarm, Billy’s attention remained on the immediate threat. He steadied his aim with both hands and slowed his breathing.

The charging beast was nearly upon him when he let the [Metal Shot] fly. It struck true, dropping the creature mid-stride.

Billy barely had time to register his success before 300 pounds of exceedingly indignant Howler Alpha slammed into him from behind. Pain exploded in his shoulder as the Alpha Howler bit down, its teeth piercing flesh and shattering bone. The force drove Billy face-first into the dirt, pinning him. He cried out, struggling to free himself, but the beast’s weight was crushing.

Desperation set in. With his right arm useless, he clawed for the Howler’s eye with his left but couldn’t reach. Instead, he channeled [Metal Shot] through his free hand, angling it as best he could. He fired.

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The beast yelped and released him, the searing pain forcing it back. Billy rolled onto his back, coughing and spitting dust, and blindly fired again. [Target Genius] guided his shots, and the metallic projectiles struck their mark with a series of sickening thuds.

When the dust settled, the Alpha’s lifeless body slumped to the ground.

Billy pushed himself to his knees, his vision swimming. Blood soaked his torn shirt, and every breath felt like fire. He stumbled toward his horses, only to find the last Howler lying dead, its skull caved in by a well-placed hoof.

The fight was over.

The mental “Dings!” signaling his kills rang in Billy’s head, a cacophony of accomplishment. But he ignored them, focusing instead on something far more important.

Billy stroked his horse’s neck with his good hand, his touch gentle despite the pain radiating through his body. “Sorry for putting you through that, girl. I’ll do better next time. I promise.”

The mare snorted, her ears flicking back as if in reproach.

“Yeah,” Billy said with a resigned chuckle, his voice low and weary. “I’m afraid that, as sure as the sun’ll rise, there’ll be a next time.”

He waited a few minutes, letting [Regeneration] work its magic. Slowly, the shredded tissue of his shoulder began to knit itself back together, the sharp edges of broken bone dulling to an ache. When he could move his arm without wincing, Billy climbed back into the saddle, urging the horse forward along the mountain trail.

The path wound down into the flat, arid expanse west of the Sacaton Mountains. The air grew hotter, drier, and the faint smell of sun-scorched vegetation wafted in the breeze. It was eerily quiet. Too quiet. Billy’s eyes narrowed as unease prickled the back of his neck. The lack of magic beasts in the area felt wrong in a way he couldn’t shake.

Rounding the final outcropping of rock, the reason for the silence revealed itself.

Out in the open desert, dozens of creatures of seemingly endless varieties were locked in vicious combat. Wings beat against scaled tails. Claws clashed against hardened shells. Above, an Ashplume Roc swooped toward a Dunestalker Basilisk, its talons poised for the kill. But the massive lizard struck first, snapping its powerful jaws shut around the bird’s throat, its victory short-lived as a Redstone Guardian barreled into the fray. Nearby, a Crystalhorn Charger rammed its horn into the another Redstone Guardian’s flank, neither able to gain the upper hand.

A Canyon Flame Wyrm screeched as two unlikely allies, a Thunderhoof Stag and a Sundew Titan, joined forces to bring it down. Tendrils lashed from the Titan, tangling the Wyrm mid-flight. Electricity crackled between the stag’s antlers before exploding in a blinding burst of light. The Wyrm shrieked as it plummeted, its body a lifeless heap by the time it hit the ground.

Around the larger monsters lay heaps of lesser beasts, their corpses evidence of the chaos that had been raging here long before Billy arrived.

Billy pulled his horse to a stop, taking in the battlefield. Chaos and death swirled around him, but more than anything, he felt confused. This wasn’t natural. These creatures normally avoided one another, each species staking out its own territory the boundaries of which were enforced by whatever “Kaiser Beast” claimed primacy over the entire area.

And while the situation screamed danger, Billy couldn’t ignore the opportunity it presented. He dismounted, eyes gleaming with determination, and got to work. Picking off distracted beasts from the edges, he let his [Target Genius] skill guide his shots, earning a few easy levels as he worked his way through the chaos.

Hours later, bloody and exhausted, Billy finally emerged from the war zone, stepping into quieter desert stretches. He turned north, scanning the horizon for the Estrella Mountain Range, his next guiding landmark. But something was wrong.

The hills at the mountains’ base seemed…closer. He checked his bearings, aligning them with other familiar landmarks, but the odd perspective persisted.

“Maybe it’s been longer than I thought since I’ve been out this way,” Billy muttered, trying to brush off his unease. “Ah well, just a wrinkle in the saddle. It’ll smooth out.”

It didn’t smooth out.

As he neared the unfamiliar hills, their shapes began to shift, taking on unnatural contours. Billy squinted, and his heart sank. He could make out a snout. Eyes. Teeth. Spines. Legs.

His stomach churned with a sudden, terrible realization.

It wasn’t a hill.

It was a Scorchback Leviathan. Or more accurately, the Scorchback Leviathan. The Kaiser Beast of the entire southwestern Arizona region.

No wonder the other creatures were tearing each other apart, they were vying for dominance, fighting to claim the now-vacant throne.

Billy was dwarfed by the monstrous creature sprawled before him. Even lying prone, its head rose 30 feet into the air, and its shoulders loomed even higher. Each of its scales could have served as a man’s shield, intricate patterns of browns, reds, and golds spiraling along its body. Or rather, what was left of its body.

The leviathan’s left flank was a gaping wound, a massive cavity where flesh and bone had been seared away. As Billy approached cautiously, he noticed the lack of blood, "a wound this size should have left rivers of it" he said trying to organize his thoughts. Instead, the flesh around the cavity was scorched, the blackened edges fusing with the surrounding sand to form jagged igneous rock.

Billy stepped back, his heart pounding as the truth dawned on him. Whatever had killed the Scorchback Leviathan had done so with terrifying speed and power. The creature hadn’t even had time to fully unearth itself before being annihilated.

A sickening thought took root in Billy’s mind. "Whatever did this could be heading for Phoenix. Toward Emma. Toward his girls."

His gut clenched, and without another moment’s hesitation, he swung onto his horse and urged it into a gallop. Speed was dangerous, but caution be damned. He had to get to his family.

Riding hard through the day and well into the night, Billy followed the Salt River, abandoning all pretense of secrecy. He cared nothing for being seen, only for being fast.

Relief flooded him when the walls of the city of Phoenix came into view, still standing firm, unmarred by smoke or ruin. But he didn’t slow. Ignoring the gate checkpoint and the shouting guards, he barreled through the streets, weaving his way to a cramped, shadowed alley.

Dismounting, he tossed a few coins to a street kid, instructing him to water the horses. Without waiting for a response, Billy sprinted down the alley, his boots pounding against the cobblestones. He ducked behind a protruding wall, found the hidden door, and bolted up the narrow stairs beyond.

Bursting into the kitchen of his stash house, he was met with three startled faces.

“Daddy! Daddy! You’re home!” cried his twin daughters in unison. Their auburn curls bounced as they scrambled down from their chairs, their stubby legs pumping furiously as they hurled themselves into his arms.

Billy knelt and pulled them close, tears stinging his eyes.

A gentle hand touched his cheek, guiding his gaze upward. He barely had time to register Emma’s face, her big blue eyes shimmering with emotion, before she kissed him, her lips conveying all the longing and worry she’d held back.

As the kiss broke, Billy exhaled and felt a sense of peace suffuse though him