Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile

The monster's hand squeezed hard and fast. Atrox gasped as his bones creaked, feeling as if his ribs would be crushed and his chest burst. His mind went blank in panic, and he did the only thing that came to mind—he used his essence like a hammer, a force of pure brute power, and blasted it outward.

The hand couldn't withstand the sudden flex of energy and tore away, leaving Atrox wheezing on the ground. "Really, what is even happening?"

He glared at the monster's shredded flesh, watching it still twitching as if just a little more power would be enough to reanimate it. He looked around. 'Is that lute-playing bastard gone already?'

A sharp thud, followed by the sound of falling rocks, drew Atrox's attention to where Kade and Garran were fighting the remaining monster. They were cornered with their backs against angled stones jutting out from the wall. Kade kept the monster at bay with periodic bolts of lightning, while Garran leaned against the wall, clutching his bleeding hand.

Atrox understood the situation immediately and weighed his options. 'Should I help them or not? Right now, the tunnel is collapsed, and I can't make a quick getaway. I might not need their help digging later, after some rest.'

'But that monster will come after me when it's finished with them anyway. Not to mention the lute player. I should finish it with Kade now.'

Atrox sighed, checked his core, and began walking toward the monster slowly, his face tightening in a slight frown. 'Now that I'm not under a sudden assault, I know a technique I can attempt. Why didn't I think of this before? Is this the gap between a veteran and a novice?'

He managed a laugh as he raised his right hand as if holding a sword.

Meanwhile, Kade thought he was about to die. Each bolt of lightning he threw grew weaker than the last, and the monster seemed to be toying with him.

Garran was breathing heavily beside him, utterly spent, and even Kade was down to the last dregs of his essence. He couldn't accept that he would die in a cave, hunting fledgling monsters. "A gang leader like me, dying here? How pathetic!"

The monster kept closing the gap, its massive arms swiping closer each time.

Kade smiled bitterly as the next lightning bolt he tried to summon fizzled into sparks on his fingertips. "A shame, truly."

Just then, he heard a hum, and blue-white light bathed the cave. A wave of condensed power erupted behind the monster, which twisted around—but it was too late. A massive sword, taller than the monster, cleaved it from shoulder to torso.

The monster twitched and fell, its innards spilling with a wet splatter as the two halves collapsed.

Kade stared at the towering sword, his mouth agape. It was shaped like a longsword, but its sheer size left him stunned. How much essence had been used to create it? "Was he even trying when we fought earlier?"

Atrox grinned and let the sword dissipate. 'Indeed. A full core shows my true potential. I could create one more sword like that and hold it for a while, though it would leave me nearly drained.'

Kade whistled. "To kill that monster in one strike! You're really powerful, Atrox!"

Atrox shrugged, his eyes scanning the shadows warily for any sign of the lute player. "It's nothing. Are you alright, Garran?"

The man huffed and slid down the wall, still gripping his wounded hand. His face was pale, pulled into a grimace, and his eyes were heavy with exhaustion. "I'll manage... if we get out of here soon."

Atrox nodded and turned toward the collapsed tunnel. Now that the fight was over, fatigue weighed on him, but his eyes gleamed. 'At least I know what I can do with my power.'

'And it's terrifying'

There wasn't much to say after that. Atrox and Kade turned their attention to the tunnel, giving themselves a brief rest before starting to clear the rubble. Their only security against the lute player was the faint hope they would sense any danger. Garran, still trying to hold on, was in no condition to help.

Atrox used concentrated beams of essence to blast the stones into dust, while Kade moved the debris away from the entrance.

After about an hour of backbreaking work, they emerged into the open, relieved to see the sun again. They didn't linger, heading back into the tunnel to retrieve Garran, only to find the man dead.

There were no signs of foul play—he seemed to have succumbed to blood loss. They bundled the body with strips of bloody cloth, gagging at the task, and dragged it back to camp.

Flying monsters attempted to snatch the body on the way, but quick essence spikes from Atrox and Kade knocked them away. They reached the camp in silence. Atrox left the task of reporting to the Nyxori to Kade and returned to his quarters.

All the while, he felt as though unseen eyes were watching him, waiting to strike.

Atrox had thought he left the shadows of his clan behind, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Now, they wanted him dead—and they weren't subtle about it.