Max stood amidst the foliage that obscured him from his surroundings, he was alone with his thoughts and surrounded by the bodies of their adversaries that now lay in front of him in a small pile, so far, they had successfully neutralized two additional enemy parties, but each victory came without the acquisition of new information, as all were either killed or managed to take their own life before any kind of questioning began.

He had to admit the enemy deserved their respect, choosing death over capture.

Max reflected on one particular adversary who had shown a hint of cleverness by keeping his distance, unlike his comrades who had rushed in as did all before, this one took caution to his approach, however, even this individual ultimately met the same fate as the others, Layla did not break her promise as she pursued him away from the group and killing him moments later, the fresh memory still with him gave him some peace of mind, she is definitely not all talk.

The islands had become a graveyard that night.

Max's contemplation was broken by the voice of one of the elf women, alerting him to Zindah's approach "Zindah is approaching, master," she informed him Max acknowledged the update with a nod, she was one of Layla’s original group, he had yet to learn her name, that thought lingered alongside the setting boredom.

He resumed his position, ready to receive Zindah and the enemy group, a moment later, Zindah emerged from the brush, her toothy grin plastered all over her face as she looked pleased, however, the expressions of her attendants contrasted starkly with her own, they appeared uncomfortable and looked defeated?

As Zindah and her attendants approached Max the rest that were hiding in the fauna came out to greet them as well, Layla and Estelle jumped from the trees above landing just a little in front of Max.

When she got close Zindah was clearly happy, the fresh blood on her hands an indication that she did in fact find the enemy, the detail did not escape anyone's eyes "I did it" she exclaimed sounding happy, flashing a toothy grin clearly directed at Layla.

This declaration, however, was met with a range of responses from the group, Layla and Estelle exchanged looks and Max just kept watch on the scene in front, Layla and Estelle turned back to Zindah with Estelle asking "Did what?".

The two attendants accompanying Zindah were in fact uncomfortable and embarrassed, their shyness and reluctance to look at either Layla or Estelle suggested they might have a clue on what was about to unfold, Max without anyone knowing smiled a little, surprisingly he was enjoying this show.

“I killed them all” Zindah announced proudly “They were no match for me” she finished with a small laugh herself not really realizing the situation, Estelle exasperated, brought her hand and buried her face in it, as Layla continued to stare at her, while Max was behind them with the same unchanging mask looking on.

The tension among the group was rising as Zindah's misunderstanding of her orders became evident, Estelle, trying to maintain a sense of composure despite her growing smile, reminded Zindah of their actual plan "Zindah, you were supposed to bring the enemy here" Estelle said, her tone a mix of annoyance and amusement, as she allowed a small smile to stay.

Zindah's response, however, was amusing to say the least, shaking her head with a smile "Estelle, you idiot, can't even remember an order. I was told to kill them all" she retorted confidently, seemingly convinced of her understanding of the mission assigned to her.

As Zindah turned to Layla, her demeanor changed quickly, Layla's growing anger was unmistakable, and Zindah's earlier confidence faded as she looked into her eyes, her feline features became more pronounced in her reaction as her ears flattened against her head, and she wrapped her tail around her legs.

"I…" Layla began, her voice rising in preparation to scold Zindah, but she was interrupted by a calming hand on her shoulder.

Max's intervention in the tense exchange between Layla and Zindah shifted the group's focus, as he placed his hand on Layla's shoulder, all eyes turned to him, as the group was uncertain how Max would react, especially given his complex situation and recent assumption of leadership.

Zindah, in particular, appeared scared, despite not fully remembering all the instructions people had given her throughout the years, one directive had always been clear to her, echoed by both Layla and her original master "Never disobey ‘our’ master" This command, above all else, was ingrained in her, and she knew it referred to Max, her disobedience, albeit unintentional, has finally settled into her, this was the first time she was given an order by him, and she already failed, this thought alone frighten her to the bone.

As Max approached Zindah, the group watched silently, the tension heavy among them.

But as he raised his hand and Zindah closed her eyes for what was about to come, the tension evaporated in an instant as Max put his hand on her head and began to pet her lightly, the group in shock did not say anything As for a moment they all forgot were they were and in what kind of danger they were in.

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But no one was more surprised than Zindah herself as before she braced herself for a hit or another kind of punishment yet instead, she was now looking up at Max through his fingers and her own hair as he continued to pet her “I’m sure it was a simple mistake, there’s no need to be angry too much” Max said addressing Zindah in a calm soothing voice.

Max then turned to Layla, maintaining his gentle contact with Zindah, and added "As long as they come back, everything else is a bonus, no?" His voice sounded almost happy and amused, that thought hit Layla hard as a rock and for a moment did not respond.

After a couple of seconds Layla, still surprised by Max's reaction, nodded in agreement "Yes" she muttered, her expression softening, This moment as insignificant as it was for Max, meant the world to Layla, who started to see her old master slowly.

Max then addressed the group, shifting focus to their next move "For now, we did enough damage to the enemy, let’s await Marcus and move out" Everyone nodded in agreement and began taking their positions in the canopy around them.

Zindah lingered for a moment, looking at Max's back with a still shocked expression, she could not remember when was the last time she allowed someone to pet her like that, the warm sensation that still lingered on top of her head made her smile again, as she blushed slightly and put on her hood before joining the rest.

After some time, Marcus returned, but like Zindah, he did not bring back any enemy forces instead he arrived with two new injured soldiers, carried by his own men.

They carried them inside the small hiding area as the rest of the group joined them in a circle around the injured men, Marcus began to speak “We found them being tortured by a group north of here, we killed them and took whoever was still alive” he then turned to Layla “you’re not gonna like this” he finished directing it to her.

Layla turned her attention to one of them who looked to be in a better condition though she knew he was also on his last legs “What happened?” she asked him gently.

"We were part of the group sent to the pirate ship" he began, his voice strained with effort and pain, each word was punctuated by bouts of coughing, blood staining his lips "We managed to secure it, but then they… ‘cough cough’ came and slaughtered most of us" he descended into a coughing spree with blood hitting Layla’s’ arms as she held his head.

The soldier paused, gasping for air as he struggled to continue "I’ve never seen that kind of magic... it was as if they were killing us from the inside" The group continued to listen as Zindah in the back looked more confused than anything else.

But it was the soldier's next words that really hit the nail in the coffin for the group about their current situation "He was unstoppable..." As he said that he slowly closed his eyes falling unconscious.

The group absorbed the grim reality of the soldier's account, and the silence that followed was a collective acknowledgment of the seriousness of their situation, Estelle was the first to speak as she exclaimed "They managed to kill an entire squad?" her voice tinged with disbelief.

Marcus spoke up next "He said 'he was unstoppable'" he repeated "It seems there’s someone here who is a much larger threat than these small fries".

Max, piecing together the information, turned to Marcus with a critical question "Was there anyone like that attacking the ship?" he asked.

"Not that I’ve seen, but I’m sure they were commanded by someone, maybe it was him?" Marcus replied.

Max paused for a moment before he turned to the group "Then our hypothesis was correct, there is more than one leader in this group" he said and let the observation sink in for a moment as he continued “I doubt the enemy’s commander was present both at the pirates and your battles”.

As they were discussing this Layla gently placed the soldier's head on the ground, having confirmed his passing, the group's attention refocused on the immediate need to leave the island as quickly as possible, Max addressed Layla, his tone decisive "No more wasting our time, let’s get out of here now" His words were clear and simple.

Layla, meeting Max's gaze, nodded resolutely.

The group's realization of the gravity of their current situation prompted a swift change in their plans, understanding that they were facing a more formidable threat than they had initially anticipated, they decided to expedite their move to their airship, with every passing minute, the situation on the islands was deteriorating, and further delay could result in more casualties.

Layla, who had spearheaded the operation to rescue Max, found herself reflecting on her decision to undertake this mission so unprepared, for the first time, she questioned the impulsiveness of her actions, especially her decision to proceed without consulting the rest of the leadership, but despite these doubts, she was reassured by the fact that they had successfully located and rescued Max just in time, knowing that any deliberation on the matter would have resulted in a fate she did not dare to imagine.

Now, with a new sense of urgency, the group moved quickly, their objective was clear reach their airship as fast as possible, secure any remaining allies, and leave these islands.

Layla led the way, followed closely by Max, Marcus, Estelle, Zindah, and the rest of their companions, they moved quickly… but apparently not quickly enough.

The group's desperate sprint across the island was abruptly interrupted by an unforeseen and catastrophic event, as they felt the ground shake violently beneath their feet, the rumbling felt like the entire island itself was convulsing.

With little time to react, Layla's quick and decisive orders spurred the group into action, they sprinted with all their might, making a daring leap to the safety of a neighboring island, their escape was just in time, as the island they had just vacated underwent a dramatic and terrifying transformation.

From the ground of the island, enormous spikes erupted, glowing with a sinister green hue and adorned with vein-like patterns, they appeared to be on the verge of shattering, their metallic sheen glinting ominously in the light of the moons, the sight was both awe-inspiring and horrifying.

As the group caught their breath, still reeling from the shock of their narrow escape, they became aware of an eerie sound of clapping.

Turning their attention back to the island they had just fled, they saw a hooded figure emerging from behind the newly formed spikes.

The figure, with a palpable sense of excitement in his voice, lifted his head and addressed Max directly.

“I’ve finally found you… Lord commander”.