Chapter 11

Fight for Survival

William's perspective

My father and I ran through the city, or what's left of it, as pieces of the buildings were scattered around. Maneuvering around the city took a lot of work. Massive chunks of collapsed walls blocked many of the city's roads—the corpses of the people lay bare for all to see.

My heart ached each time I saw a corpse, either of an animal or people, Blight or not. They were all dead. I was grateful that my father was there to snap me out whenever I froze.

However, with each turn we took, a horde of Blightfiends was at the ready. Luckily, my father gave me his storage ring, allowing me to put the rifle away when I needed to use my sword.

I held my rifle up and began firing at the fiends, slowing them down as my father shot them with his bow.

[Blightfiend slain]

[Blightfiend slain]

[Blightfiend slain]

[Blightfiend slain]

I felt a tingling sensation across my mind as the messages appeared in my head and vision, but I blocked them out.

My rifle clicked, telling me I needed to reload. I pulled the magazine out and channeled magic into it, causing it to glow. Slapping it back into the rifle and doing what my father calls racking it, I started to fire once more, killing more Blightfiend.

[Reload Skill increased from Level 1 to Level 2]

Seconds felt like minutes as the sound of the rifle echoed through the collapsed buildings, the air reverberating from each bullet that was flung out of the barrel.

I pushed back the words as a blightfiend swung an axe at me, forcing me to jump back. My father told me to think of the item I wanted from the storage, and he would give it to me. Doing so, I felt the gun vanish from my hands.

[Old Homemade Magic Rifle has been stored in storage]

Reaching behind me, I brought down my sword in time to collide with one of the blights. Sparks flew as our blades clashed. I've gotten used to battling these fiends by now, taking good care of them as I cut off one's leg and then another's head. My father covered my back, making sure no fiend either snuck up on me or charged at me.

[Blightfiend killed]

I spun my blade back around to the fiend that I crippled, finishing it off.

[Blightfiend slain]

[Basic Sword Skill Level increased from 13 to 14]

I had no time to rest as more fiends ran at us. I kept swinging my sword over and over again, decapitating all that got close until more eerie screams filled my ears. I looked to the destroyed building to my sides as more fiends lept out, charging at me.

Bringing my sword over my shoulders, I focused my magic, channeling even more than I had before. Remembering my father's teachings, channeling my magic into my limbs.

My muscles tensed as magic started to spread across my body. As the fiends approached me, I felt power and strength radiate from my arms, legs, and sword. I steeled myself, staring down at the newly arrived fiends. Their eerie snarls and screams would leave anyone scared. But I'm not. I'm ready. This time, I am.

I braced myself, gritting my teeth as I pushed off the ground, ignoring the road cracking beneath my feet. My grip around my sword tightened as I flew at the fiends, the world fading away as my vision narrowed until all I saw was them as I swung my sword as hard as I could. As my vision returned to normal, I saw three of their heads come clean off, while the last one was sent flying, hurling back towards the building.

[Sword Skill: Slash]

[Three Blight Fiends Slain]

Ignoring the notification in my head, I dash past the newly dead bodies, approaching another wave of fiends as my vision becomes narrow once more, focusing on my targets. The world around me shrinks again, leaving only the fiends and the path to them in my sight. I swung widely at them, watching their heads roll in front of me and their blood splatter across the ground. Those who weren't killed were hurled back into the building they came from.

[Sword Skill: Double Slash]

[Four Blight Fiends Slain]

Another horde of fiends approached me as my sword finished cutting down. They all screamed as they rushed at me.

I didn't have time to move myself back into position. My heart slammed into my chest as I felt my face scowl. Gripping my sword tighter, I focused my magic into my arms and sword, feeling my muscles tense and tighten up even more, rippling beneath my skin like steel cords becoming fully taut. It felt like my hand would break the handle of my sword as power surged through my veins; my arms became more dense and filled with magic.

Letting out a bellowing shout, I swung a wide arc around me, using the momentum from my previous attack to guide me. With my enhanced strength, I followed my sword's momentum, taking another leap toward the fiends as they came into range of my attack. I watched as my sword connected with the first fiend. I felt no resistance as my sword cut clean through its body, severing its torso from its legs. Not letting up, I continued to drive my sword through every one of them until I was back where I was before.

[Sword Skill: Cleaver Strike]

[Six Blight Fiends Slain]

[Basic Sword Skill Level increase from 14 to 38]

Fourteen to thirty-eight? That was fast.

I finally let out a long and heavy exhale, my heart throbbing as I felt the adrenaline still pumping through my veins. The magic strength that once flooded my sword and arms slowly dissipated into the rest of my body, achieving equilibrium. This is due to constantly channeling magic throughout my body. My magic usually remains channeled across my body, making it easy to focus it on other parts of my body.

Looking up at the collapsed building, I saw one of the fiends I struck start getting up. Sheathing my sword back into its scabbard on my back, I summoned the rifle that had been stored back in my hand.

[Old Homemade Magic Rifle has been removed from storage]

With the rifle back in my hands, I pressed its stock against my shoulder as I took aim at the fiend and approached, firing at it. Each shot rattled my body, pushing back against my shoulder. I tried to steady my breathing, but I couldn't. Each step I took made it harder to aim at the fiend. But that does not matter.

I got closer and closer, littering the ground with its blood. After getting close enough, I decided to vent off steam by kicking its head, which came off surprisingly easily. Letting out another exhale, I reloaded my rifle, snapping the magazine out and channeling mana into it, then slapping it back into the gun.

"Will! Move!"

I turned quickly at my father's voice, only to be engulfed by a deafening shockwave as yet another building crumbled behind me. The impact was like a physical blow, sending me sprawling across the ground.

When the world finally stopped spinning, I lay still on the ground, my back pressed against the cold concrete. The air was thick with dust and debris, obscuring my view of the street.

Before I could stand up, a wailing sound came farther down the street. It was a fiend charging at me. I crawled back to buy time, but it leaped onto me. Its grotesque form pinned me down, and its decaying flesh filled my nose, making me nauseous as I stared at its deformed face.

My eyes widened as I saw it raise a sword, bringing it down to stab me in the face. I felt my heart skip a beat as I moved my head out of the way as its sword plunged into the ground. Dust from the road sprayed across my face, almost blinding me, as the fiend lunged its face at me.

Out of fear, I threw my arms up to shield my face, only for pain to take place as I felt its disgusting teeth clamp down on my arm.

I howled out in pain, clenching my eyes tightly closed as I tried to fight off waves of pain. Continuing to howl out in pain as my arm is jerked around, the fiend wraps its cold, dead fingers around my arm, dragging me across the floor.

I felt like a chew toy as the fiend savagely gnawed relentlessly at my arm. I tried to regain my balance, but with each attempt, the fiend threw me off.

"Will!" My father shouted.

I looked over to see where my father was, only to see him struggling with his own group of fiends, making him unable to help me.

Gritting my teeth, I smacked the fiend with my other arm, freeing my arm from its nasty, slimy mouth. It recoiled off of me as I watched its teeth fall out of its mouth and onto me.

Despite having no teeth, it lunged right back onto me, snapping at me, but I was able to grab its face. I looked straight into its lifeless pearl eyes as I struggled to hold it back.

I managed to snake up one of my legs, kicking the disgusting fiend off of me. It tumbled backward, smashing into stuff I didn't know existed. Taking the moment, I sat up as fast as possible as I saw the fiend ready to charge at me.

Damn, this thing just doesn't quit!

Before I knew it, I watched a sword slam into the fiend's back. The sword belonged to one of the soldiers who defended the Hearthglen. The soldier wore standard, steel-plated armor, covering every vital organ, while leather armor covered everything else. His steel helmet was impressive and looked like the helmets knights in children's stories would wear. The soldier kicked the now-dead fiend as he rushed over to me.

"Are you bitten? Are you infected?" He yelled out as I gazed up at him.

My heart was still pounding, and my head was dazed from being tossed around. I lifted my arm up, the one that had bite marks. Luckily, the fiend's teeth didn't puncture my shirt, and even more lucky was my skin. Revealing to the soldier that there was no blood, he sighed in relief.

I can't blame him. If my skin was punctured and appeared to have blackened, it would mean I was infected. Which also means he would have to kill me.

As I attempted to catch my breath, I was relieved that the soldier had saved me and didn't have to kill me. Taking advantage of the moment, I looked back to see how my father was doing, only to watch him cut down the last remaining fiends he had been dealing with. Looking back in front of me, the soldier grabbed my hand and pulled me off the ground.

Being pulled off the ground, my legs were incredibly shaky, so much so that I thought my knees would give out. My arms were exhausted as I failed to calm down my breathing. The soldier held me up, supporting me as I tried to stand. My father came over, pulled me into his arms, and held me close.

"Oh, thank Gods, you're ok!" My father said, hugging me tightly.

"I'm fine, Dad. Get off of me," I replied, still gasping for air as I pushed him off of me.

As my father looked me over, ensuring that I was unharmed, a horde of blight fiends suddenly cried out from the other side of the alleyway, running towards us. My father stepped in front of me and the soldier, bringing up his bow, and fired a magic arrow that erupted on the ground, burying the horde and blocking their path to us.

We all sighed in relief, taking the time to recover. The soldier finally turned to us and said, "Mr. Hunter, we could use your help with the evacuation."

I took the moment to regain my composure as my heart started to be steady. It was no longer trying to burst out of my chest but still rapidly beating, and my breathing slowed down enough to relax for the moment.

"No, do; we are heading to the East Gate."

"The evacuation is to the South Gate. Why are you heading east?" The soldier looked at us, stunned, but he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. People throughout the city need help, and we can't help them all. If you are heading to the East Gate, can you assist the citizens you find?"

My father looked at the soldier doubtfully, unsure if we could help. But before he could speak, a dragon suddenly collapsed through the building. We braced, covering our heads, as we all saw the now-dead dragon. Luckily, it was a dead, blighted dragon.

But once we thought it was over, a building was seen flying over in the distance as the Titan continued to assault the city. Moments later, the ground shook beneath us, making us stumble slightly.

Turning to my father, I quickly said, "Father, we should help!" I spoke out of turn. Standing back up, I soon realized what I had said. It wasn't intentional. I just blurted it out like it needed to be said.

Letting out a sigh, my father finally spoke.

"Fine, but only on the way," my father said irritatedly.

I smiled as I finally managed to control my breathing; my heart was no longer pounding.

The soldier nods as he guides us to where the rest of the soldiers are grouping up. "We currently have a blockade for civilians to head to and seek help! But we need time!" the soldier yelled to me and my father. The soldier proceeded to rescue fellow citizens and guide them down south.

As we followed the soldier, I watched more of my city burn in front of me as people ran toward the soldiers. Hearing them cry was heartbreaking.

Before I could feel more for them, more fiends approached us. My father and I took the brunt of the attack as I swung my blade at the fiends, taking their limbs to immobilize the ones running past me, buying time for the citizens to run. I watched as the soldiers protected the civilians.

Watching the soldier's battle was inspiring. I swung my sword even more, killing more fiends as they rushed at me.

Each time a fiend tried to flank me, the soldiers were there to back me up. This allowed me to attack much more frequently and not worry about being overrun, especially when my father's magic arrows took out almost twice as many fiends as I was killing.

My father was our backbone; his arrows thinned out each horde of fiends.

Each minute, as we fought, the soldiers planted a device. But as each minute passes, I watch a few of the soldiers start to fall. Their bodies are being cut down strangely when my body can take the hit.

I ran over to one of the down soldiers, killing whatever fiend got in my way. Kneeling down to the soldier, I took off his helmet, praying for any life that remained in his body. My heart ached as guilt kicked in as I saw his lifeless eyes.

I could've done more. I must do more. I can take a hit from the fiends. Being tossed around like a doll, stroked by a fiend, and left with nothing but a scratch told me so.

Tightening my grip, I lashed out in anger, slicing through fiends' bodies like a hot knife through butter. Ducking underneath the fiend's sword as I cut down its ally's, only to spin back around to take the previous fiend's head.

"Fall back! The device is ready!" A soldier cried out.

I look back to see the so-called device they planted in the middle of the road. It looked like a massive generator. But I looked back down the road to see a few injured soldiers.

Are they planning on leaving them behind?

"Wait!" I yelled back. "We still have injured people out here!"

I leaped towards one of the soldiers whose leg was cut off. I grabbed him and threw him with the inhuman strength I knew I had. His body was flung towards the generator, allowing other soldiers to perform first aid on him.

A soldier's cry pierced the air behind me as my eyes locked on a fiend, dragging him away. "Noooo!" Without hesitation, I dashed towards the fiend, but the ground suddenly shook beneath my feet, propelling me towards the generator. I stumbled forward, landing on my hands.

I turned my head to see my father looking at me as the ground that had dragged me finally stopped. "What are you doing?" I snarled at him, angered that he had prevented me from saving one of the soldiers. "I could've saved him."

Before my father could reprimand me, our attention was pulled to the device as the ground erupted, forming a wall that took down a few of the buildings, blocking the path towards us where the fiends were coming from. I walked over to the wall, touching it, as all I could think of were the soldiers and civilians on the other side.

A hard slap at the back of my head, I turned around to see it was my father. "You couldn't save them." I snarled more at him, knowing he could've helped. "Now, come before the soldiers leave."

I glared at my father as he turned to run up the road with the soldiers who were escorting the civilians. I turned around and pressed my arm against the wall, eventually punching it. My breathing was heavy as guilt was hitting me hard. "I'm sorry."

If only I were a rider, I could've saved them.

Knowing I had a dragon egg at home doesn't mean I was a rider. I don't even know any of the training Barren does.

With the wall now placed, the area was secured, allowing us to move back up the road, where many people were huddled together. I soon realized we had ended up on Main Street.

Main Street was a four-way intersection that led to every gate in Hearthglen. It was central to travel and trade throughout the city. If the Blight Horde had full access to this road, it would be a straight shot to each gate.

The soldier's taking out of a small portion of the southern path will force the Blight to take alternative paths. Buy time for everyone to flee.

"How is the evacuation looking?" My father asked a group of soldiers.

Running over to my father, the highest-ranking soldier spoke out while tending to the wounded: "Not good. Most of the roads were destroyed. Civilians trapped farther down south were lost to the Titan and the Blight. The riders are too busy dealing with the Titan and the Blight Riders."

I got closer, looking at the wounded. I grimace at seeing this horrible sight. Hope faded from me as I saw their blood and missing limbs. Even the civilians were among them.

I saw an elderly woman weakly reach up with her fragile hand, trying to grab hold of something. She was mumbling something very faintly and weakly, making me run over to take her weak, fragile hand into mine.

"It's ok, ma'am; you aren't alone," I stuttered weakly. "You're safe; you're almost at the South Gate." My heart raced, and my stomach twisted at the painful site.

"Samantha?" The elderly woman mumbled weakly. I looked at her, grimacing at her words. "Is that you?"

The weak, frayed woman's hand softened, and her eyes darkened as she exhaled one final time. I gasped out loudly, heartbroken after seeing her death.

Samantha? Was that her granddaughter? Was she killed before she was found, or something?

My thoughts ran to the idea of what could've happened. I gulped, my hand shaking as I let go of hers.

A loud scream echoed throughout the sky as everyone saw a rider fall down and slam into a nearby building. The impact sent debris flying, and shockwaves sent everyone tumbling back.

Catching my breath, I managed to sit up as people started to scream as fiends came down the eastern path. The path my father and I were going to take.

I pulled out my rifle and started shooting down any fiends that tried to come at us. We even saw a few used-to-be-tamed monsters turned into grotesque beasts. The road was riddled with gunfire as every soldier who had a gun fired along the route.

The battle seemed to continue as my father, the soldiers, and I mowed down any foes that came our way. The sky lit up like fireworks as we battled.

Eventually, I brought out my sword and cut down any fiend that got past the gunfire, yelling out in anger as I used more sword skills to thin out the horde.

My father was busy erupting the earth to build a barricade for the eastern path, forcing the fiend to take alternative paths.

Taking a quick glance at the south path, I saw that a good chunk of the streets connected to the main road were blocked off.

Wouldn't that force civilians to take alternative routes, just like the fiends?

More people continue to run for their lives down the southern road, heading to the South Gate. Many soldiers regrouped and formed a line towards the east and western districts, while the remaining soldiers took guard on the southern road, ensuring that the road was clear of any blighted creatures.

It wasn't a perfect plan, but it bought time and safety for everyone along the southern road. As much as I don't like abandoning those who don't make it.

The Titan eventually came into view in the far northwest area of the city, heading towards the western district, where the mountain was.

That Titan really is destroying everything.

The Titan let out a terrorizing roar, sending more buildings flying. I looked up to see the massive debris coming right at us. Soldiers and citizens took off in panic, running away to not get crushed.

A child tripped over before me; luckily, I was there in time. I managed to grab them, tossing them over my shoulder as I ran away from the incoming debris.

With a loud, earthshaking crash, I turned to see the path on the western road being blocked off. The soldiers proceeded to take the wounded and lead the civilians to the South Gate.

Setting the child on the ground, the kid ran to her parents, where they followed the soldiers leading the group.

"Will, we are leaving!" My father yelled out.

"What about the others?" I yelled back.

"The soldiers have them," he answered. "Come on, let's go. We won't get a chance like this again!"

I sighed upsettingly, nodding as I gave the soldiers one last glance.

"We'll take the rest of the citizens from here; if you find anyone else, send them our way! Take this!" The soldier tossed a small square device towards my father. My father caught it without much of an issue. "Use it to block off pathways up the eastern road. We cannot let Main Street be utilized. If the Blight gets full access..."

"They get a clean shot to the South Gate, I know," my father replied, glaring down at the device as he put it in one of his pouches. "Let's go, Will."

Grimacing at what the soldier asked us to do, my father nodded to the soldier as he ran down the eastern road, making me run after him.

Buildings were destroyed everywhere else. Fires bloomed across the area we ran by, and many civilians rushed down towards Main Street. Bodies littered the road as we heard screams down each alleyway.

"Hurry, get to Main Street!" My father bellowed, much to my surprise. "The path to Main Street will be blocked off soon, so head there now!"

With those words echoing throughout the area, many people limped out of hiding and did their best to head down towards Main Street. Even a few soldiers appeared.

But then another horde of fiends attacked us.

I charged at them with my father watching my back, cutting down three of them in a single swing. My father prevented any of them from overwhelming me as I kept dicing them down.

A family came out of hiding and took off towards us. "Over here!" I waved them down as a father held his daughter in his arms. Rushing over to them angrily, I cut down a fiend as it tried to attack them.

I sigh in relief as the father thanks me. I turn back as I decapitate another set of fiends.

Many stray fiends came down at us through either the buildings or alleyways. I kept them back with each swing, kicking one back from lunging at another group of people.

As we finished the remaining fiends, two more erupted from the alleyway, spraying debris and dust clouds everywhere.

One behind me, one in front of me.

I didn't have time, so I took my rifle and aimed at it.

I sprayed into the cloud until a large black tongue lashed out at me, grabbing my rifle.

Before I could react, the rifle was jerked out of my hand. "Gun!" I yelled out accidentally as the tongue disappeared into the cloud of dust, taking my rifle with it.

Soon, another tongue came at me, ducking in time as I brought out my sword. I saw a large reptile-looking fiend the size of a horse. Its body was now twisted and contorted, its once-sleek scales now mottled and decayed, and its limbs elongated into jagged, misshapen appendages with an unsettling hand meant for grabbing. Its mouth opened in a twisted version of a hiss, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth stained with dark, viscous fluid. Its elongated tongue flickered out. It let out a rasped roar as its tongue swung down from its jaw.

I scowled in disgust, but its tongue lashed out at me before I could take in more of its disturbing sight. I swung my sword, deflecting the attack as blood sprayed from its tongue.

Not grabbing me.

Rushing towards it, against my wishes, I roll to the side, evading its mouth as it tries to chomp down at me. Spinning around, I used all of my strength, making a large gash on its neck. The monster hissed out as it swung its massive arm at me. Ducking in time, I proceed to chop off its arm, blood spewing as I leap onto its back.

Channeling my magic, I slammed my sword into its back. I jerked my arms forward, then back, and then forward, treating the sword like a lever as I cut deeper into the monster's dead flesh.

Status magic goes off once more in my head.

[Weapon Art: Impaling Lever]

The monster roared as my sword went deeper into its body, blood oozing as it tried to shake me off. My sword went farther up and down, and I could almost fit my whole arm into the wound now. Eventually, I pulled the sword out and channeled more magic into it, swinging my sword up like an uppercut would.

[Sword Skill: Upper Slash]

I watched as my sword cut through the monster's back, up towards the neck, as it stopped moving. It finally collapsed to the ground as I jumped off of it.

[Blight Lizard has been slain]

"Will! Get this..." My father shouted, annoyed, as he dealt with a massive-looking monster akin to an elephant. It continued to swing its deformed trunk at my father. "Guy! Off My Ass!"

I ran over to him, not caring what the monster looked like, jumping to a wall as I leaped off it. Bringing my sword over my shoulder, I brought it down to the monster's neck. Praying that my strength and sword would go through its hide, just like I did with the bear, my sword made contact. Luckily, my sword went straight through the neck.

The status magic continued to go off with every kill, but I was too busy with everything to care about what it said.

After killing the massive elephant fiend, I finally let out a gasp. I didn't realize I was breathing heavily. I drop to my knees as I try to catch my breath. "How much farther?"

"Couple blocks left," my father answered, helping me onto my feet, noticing he wasn't exhausted, surprising me.

"How are you not tired?"

"Practice," my father chuckled as he led on.

Each building was crumbling, bodies littered the streets, and windows were broken. Screams are crying out as people run to the main road, heading south.

Guilt continues to strike me, wishing I could've done more to help them.

Our attention was drawn to a woman screaming.

"Help!" A woman's cry echoed out in front of us. I soon saw a woman buried underneath the rubble of a collapsed building.

"We're coming!" I shouted out immediately, rushing over towards her.

Leaping over a few huge pieces of debris, I saw the woman trapped under a destroyed building. Some chunks of the ruined building that kept her pin were bigger than me.

The woman sobbed as she took my arm. She must have thought no one was coming to save her.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there," I said, determined to save her.

Panting rapidly, I desperately tried to remove the debris out of the way, letting go of her hand. My father, however, wasn't digging, but was looking out.

"Father! Help me!" I yelled at him as I finally saw a bruised-covered arm.

"We got company!" He yelled back.

I glared down at the debris as I yelled out, moving the debris with even more determination.

Hearing the eerie cries, the woman mumbled in fear. Luckily, my father called out as a few soldiers arrived farther down, assisting my father. This news sparked hope in the woman's eyes.

With the soldiers' timed arrival, my father jumped over to me, helping me move debris out of the way. Eventually, we freed the woman, and she reached up to hug me, thanking me sincerely.

I held her tightly as the soldiers came to take her with them. Sighing in relief, my father grabs me, pulling me away from the soldiers.

"Get back!" My father yells as he pulls out the device, sending the soldiers running back to Main Street with any surviving civilians they had acquired.

My father threw the device to the ground, and it erupted, forming a massive wall in front of us, separating us from the main road. The wall took out a few buildings, blocking side roads and alleyways. Everyone who didn't make it to the other would have to find other routes, including the fiends.

I grimaced over the idea of everyone who fled safety, praying to Omara to keep them safe.

My father grabbed my arm, saying, "Come on, let's go. We are almost there!" Pulling me along with him, we took off farther down the eastern road.

We ran down the road, seeing the gate in sight.

That's when a massive bug-like fiend landed in front of us, blocking our path.

The giant bug looked similar to a praying mantis. Its towering form loomed over us, casting a shadow on the distraught road. Its exoskeleton was disformed, appearing to have been moved away from its vital areas to support its head and limbs. The limbs were elongated and twisted, no longer nimble appendages but twisted weapons, each joint reinforced and bound with the blight-twisted, blackened veins.

My heart skipped a beat as fear kicked in. I wasn't usually afraid of bugs, but I knew I wouldn't be sleeping well for a few nights.

My father and I readied ourselves as the bug approached, flaring its mandibles at us as it charged. Its contorted limbs, moving unnaturally, sent shivers down my spine, making me tightly grip my sword. Each of its joints made a gross crunch, as if the legs struggled to hold up its new contorted form despite its modified body.

As it got closer, I exhaled heavily and fast. Only to see the bug crushed by debris. A loud, thunderous sound came towards us as we covered our faces. Clouds of dust covered the road, and I sighed in relief.

"That was anticlimactic," my father chuckled out.

"Yeah, wooooh," I said, cracking a smile as I chuckled with him. "I know I won't sleep well now."

That was terrifying. I never wanted to see a giant bug zombie, but my father and I laughed it off.

"Good riddance," my father said as he patted my shoulder. "Come, let's find another way around."

I nodded to him as we both turned around to find another route. But then we heard the rubble behind us start to move. We immediately turned around and saw the dust begin to clear up.

My heart plummeted when I saw a lone figure standing by the wreckage, donned in ominous black armor. The tattered kilt draped over the man's form swayed eerily. A chill ran down my spine as my eyes locked with his helmet. A creature stood out behind him.

A dragon stood there, a twisted abomination of its once majestic form. Its deformed body emanated a sickly aura that choked the air with decay. This was no ordinary dragon; it was a Blight Dragon, a monstrous beast corrupted by the Blight, an undead creation.

Dread tightened around me as status magic activated, showing me what I knew to be wrong but was the truth.

[Blight Rider]

The figure clad in black armor was a rider—a Blight Rider, an undead creation of a Drakelene warrior lost to the Blight's power, a soulless husk bound to kill and infect all that exists.

"Oh shit," my father mumbled as we both hunched over, looking up at the dragon that now towered over us. We slowly stepped back as the blight rider and his beast approached us. The dragon wasn't as big as Lady Elrid, but it was big enough.

My heart pounded as I struggled to breathe. I couldn't tell if we were dreaming or not. What stood before us was what I wanted to fight, stop, and kill. But now, I'm unsure if I could kill it.

"I'd rather take the bug," my father mumbled.

"Now is not the time," I responded, my voice faint as I almost choked on my own words.

The rider stepped forward, the air silent as if mocking the world. The chaos in the sky went quiet as all the destruction in Hearthglen vanished. The one actual threat to me and my father stood before us.

Fight

What

Fight!

Who said that?

A voice rang in my head as the status magic activated again, making me wish to wake up soon and leave this nightmare behind.

[New Objective has been assigned]

[Defeat the Blight Rider and its Blight Dragon]