"Hold tight!" Torren shouted, getting ready for battle.
His Flamevine Wrath flared, pyro-roots lashing a Hound’s flank, flames searing as the Behemorph whimpered and slowed down.
Almost at the same time, Veyra let loose.
Her Thornstrike arrows tore through the night air with speed and power, piercing another’s skull, roots bursting.
Lorn’s Sapflow Healer shielded Soren, whose Emberblade slashed, sparks deflecting venom.
Calm now after listening to Torren’s story, they all reacted and fought at their best, working together like a well-oiled machine, like a team.
Kaelin, reckless, leaped forward with Ashveil Cloak, daggers sinking into a Hound’s side, but a second swiped, venom grazing his chest, forcing Lorn to dive, shielding him with her Aspect.
Behind them, Clayton nocked Regalia’s bow, channeling Embers for root arrows, unleashing a dense and explosive barrage.
Three shots felled two Hounds, roots shredding their cores.
A Hound lunged, but he dodged, Thornshade Dagger slashing, venom neutralizing its Ashfang.
He kept Aphid Network hidden from the team, commanding it via Hive-Sight to hunt stragglers, Thornweave Sentinels reaping Embers.
Torren’s pyro-roots and Veyra’s arrows downed the rest, the chasm crumbling as the stampede surged.
[Behemorphs Slain: 12 Thorn Hounds (Initiate Ember)]
[Aphid Network Losses: 3 Initiate Ember Minions]
[Genesis Embers Acquired: 48 (Team Kill)]
[Genesis Embers Acquired: 200 (Aphid Network Stampede Harvest)]
[Genesis Embers Acquired: 20 (Random Network Hunts)]
[Genesis Embers Total: 2,948/6,000]
[Aspect Strain: Moderate]
’YES!’ Clayton thought.
His gamble was working.
In just a few minutes since the stampede started, his Genesis Embers tally already rose close to 3,000.
Majority of them, 200 came from the stampede harvest, his gamble. The additional 20 were from random hunts earlier that his Aphid Network engaged in, and the system only notified him of them now.
Clayton’s gamble may be paying off, but the risk part of the gamble was still there. He and his teammates’ lives was still in danger.
The team scrambled to higher ground, lava bubbling below.
Clayton’s Hive-Sight confirmed the Aphid Network’s haul, losses a bitter trade.
Torren panted, Flamevine Wrath dimming. "Clayton, you’re a rock in this mess". His respect was ironclad.
When he took Clayton in, all he expected was a competent scout and he was more than satisfied with that. But Clayton already proved that he was far more than just a scout, he was an even more capable warrior.
He was Initiate Ember, but he hit well above his rank in battle.
Clayton smirked in reaction to Torren’s praise, stowing Regalia. "I just don’t like being dog food, boss".
Torren glared at him some more. "Maybe I’ll have to torture you a bit before you stop calling me boss".
Veyra, wiping ash, studied him. "You’re too damn good at this. Trained somewhere, didn’t you?" Her trust grew, but still, questions lingered.
Trust Clayton. Like usual, he had the same set of ready-made replies.
"Streets teach fast," he said, humor dark, deflecting as usual. "Your bow’s no slouch either, sharpshooter".
"So mysterious". She pouted, but then grinned, warmer now. "Keep up, wanderer".
Lorn bandaged Kaelin’s chest, sap-vines fading. "You’re a liability, Kaelin," she snapped, worry sharp. "Stop playing hero".
Kaelin scowled, pain fueling defiance. "I had ’em! We’re wasting chances!" His outburst drew glares, eventually he slumped, muttering. "Thanks, Lorn".
"Don’t just get injured!" She gritted her teeth.
Soren, cleaning his Emberblade, spoke softly. "My brother was like you. He always rushed like that," he raised his head and looked Kaelin in the eye. "He didn’t make it".
Then he shifted his gaze. His gruffness cracked, eyes on Clayton. "You’re steady, Clayton. You’ve been more than we hoped for in this journey".
Clayton just waved a hand dismissively, smiling.
Torren gripped his pager, Mycoglyphs flickering. "Stampede’s still raging. Thorn Crowns aren’t done".
"Let’s just survive the night".
The team nodded, Kaelin’s tension simmering, bonds tightening amidst the chaos.
Hours later, the stampede’s roar persisted, the Earthcore Nexus’s pulse a maddening thrum.
Clayton led the team across a shattered ridge, Shedskin cloaking his Verdant Lord aura, Regalia in bow form, Thornshade Dagger ready.
His Architect Aspect hummed, barely restrained as Torren’s team followed.
The Aphid Network, now 45 minions, hunted the stampede, Spore Crown reaping Genesis Embers, though two more Initiate Ember minions fell.
Territorial Sentience pinged Ashen Covenants’ Ember Witches, their fire rituals clearer, and it also discovered a Scorched Clans Scorchshrine; charred bones and glowing embers, nearby.
A war cry split the night.
Before they could fully understand what happened, a Scorched Clans band comprising ten Initiate Ember warriors led by a Luminous Seed Scorchlady, with Ashveil Shroud ambushed from the ridge, exploiting the stampede.
Torren’s eyes widened, desperate, realizing fast.
Their Scorched Relics, Ashfang Daggers and Pyreaxes flared, aiming to seize the team’s Embers.
It was Clayton’s first real encounter with the Scorched Clans, and it came at the worst time possible, in the middle of a Behemorph stampede.
’Bastards!’ Torren cursed in his mind. He reacted fast.
"Ambush!" Torren roared, Flamevine Wrath igniting as his pyro-roots clashed with a warrior’s Pyreblade.
They expected to catch the team offguard, maybe taking some of them out before the others could react but they were mistaken.
All of them reacted seamlessly, switching gears from dormant to attack mode in nothing but a millisecond.
Veyra was already shooting before the enemies could react.
Her Thornstrike arrows felled one of the Scorched band Awakened, roots bursting.
Lorn shielded Soren, whose Emberblade parried an Ashfang.
Kaelin’s Ashveil Cloak smoked, daggers slashing, but Veylith’s Ashveil Shroud blinded him, an Ashfang grazing his arm.
They had the same Aspect, but Veylith was Luminous Seed. That... was a big difference.
Kaelin groaned in pain, but he won’t be dying anytime soon.
Clayton unleashed Spine Bloom, Architect power slipping... but it was a calculated reveal.
Thorns erupted, pinning two warriors, sap burning.
He nocked Regalia’s roots arrows, three shots shredding a Pyreaxe warrior’s chest. Thornshade Dagger slashed Veylith’s shroud, venom disrupting her ash cloud.
He kept Aphid Network hidden, commanding it to hunt stampede stragglers.
Torren’s pyro-roots and Veyra’s arrows downed five warriors, Soren and Kaelin felling two.
And then, Veylith retreated, snarling. "The Scorchpaths claim all!"
[Enemies Defeated: 9 Scorched Clans Warriors (Initiate Ember), Veylith (Luminous Seed, Escaped)]
[Aphid Network Losses: 2 Initiate Ember Minions]
[Genesis Embers Acquired: 54 (Team Kills)]
[Genesis Embers Acquired: 150 (Aphid Network Stampede Harvest)]
[Genesis Embers Acquired: 25 (Random Network Hunts)]
[Genesis Embers Total: 3,177/6,000]
[Aspect Strain: High]