The Heartstone pulsed behind him — stronger now, deeper — but the air carried a sour taste. Something foul crept through the dead woods beyond the barricades. Logan Pierce stood atop the rough platform they'd raised above the shack's shattered bones, his hands tight around the haft of his cracked spear. Beyond the perimeter of sharpened stakes and scavenged stone, the dark forest seemed to seethe with life.
Then the movement. Figures slipped between the blackened trees — too fluid for monsters, too fast for beasts. Human shapes. Armed. Armored. Moving with the brutal, predatory caution of those who had survived too long without kindness.
Garrick Holt crouched behind a reinforced barricade to Logan's right, battered shield ready. Selene Vale stood to the left, her tome open, hovering circles of silver-blue runes spinning lazily around her. Both of them were waiting. Watching.
Logan narrowed his eyes. Five units. Precisely as the System had warned. Five Sovereign Scouts — likely low-tier human or beast hybrids summoned by another Sovereign, sent to test Ashfall's defenses.
A chime flickered into his mind: [Scout Raid Identified.] Affiliation: Hollow Architect (97% Confidence). Objective: Probe Heartstone Defenses, Steal Resources if Successful.
So it was him, Logan thought grimly. The same Sovereign who had messaged him after the Auction. Testing my strength. Testing my will. Fine. Let them see what Ashfall was made of.
Logan raised a clenched fist. Garrick tensed. Selene whispered a string of syllables, her runes flaring brighter.
The enemy scouts crept closer — figures draped in scavenged armor and crimson hoods, their movements sharp and professional. Blades glinted faintly. Crossbows were slung across their backs. Their boots made no sound in the ash. One by one, they began to fan out, seeking weaknesses.
Logan dropped his fist. "Now."
The first rune trap detonated.
A silver explosion of kinetic force flared outward from the ground, slamming the lead scout off his feet and into a waiting cluster of sharpened stakes.
The body jerked once, impaled, and went still.
The others reacted instantly, scattering for cover.
Two dashed toward the east barricade —straight into Garrick's kill zone.
The Fortress Captain rose like a stone golem —shield up, axe swinging with brutal precision.
The first attacker lunged with a serrated blade —Garrick slammed the shield into his gut, driving the breath from his lungs, and split his skull with a single overhead chop.
The second hesitated — just for a heartbeat —and died for it when Garrick's sword drove him backward into a hidden spike trap.
Three down.
Logan's spear vibrated in his hand, the raw instinct to move, kill, and defend singing in his blood.
He saw the last two scouts peel away, retreating toward the south barricade, seeking a gap in the defenses.
Selene raised her hand.
The runes orbiting her tome pulsed —And a wall of ghostly force snapped into existence across the gap.
One scout slammed full speed into the barrier, crumpling in a heap.
The last turned — desperate —only to find Logan dropping from the platform, spear held low.
Their eyes met —Both recognizing, in that single moment, that there would be no mercy.
The scout screamed — half a battle cry, half a curse — and charged.
Logan stepped into the blow.
The scout's dagger raked across his forearm — shallow, but burning —And Logan drove the spear through the man's throat.
The body convulsed.Blood sprayed into the ash.Then stillness.
Silence returned to Ashfall Basin.
The wind stirred the dead trees.The molten rivers rumbled distantly.The Heartstone beat steadily, untouched.
Logan straightened slowly, yanking his spear free.
Blood dripped from the cracked wood, steaming on the cold ground.
Across the clearing, Garrick retrieved his axe from a corpse with a wet, grinding noise.
Selene closed her tome with a soft clap.
The raid was over.
A system notification chimed—a sharper, heavier sound than before:
**[Scout Raid Repelled: Victory.]**
*Heartstone Stability Increased: +5%.
New Resources Acquired: Battle Salvage (30 Iron, 15 Ash Timber).
Intel Gained: Hollow Architect's Forces — Primarily Human Scout Units. Weak against Heavy Defenses.*
*Sovereign Reputation Increased: Minor.*
Logan exhaled slowly and regained his composure. The cut on his arm throbbed—a constant reminder. The ash around him still carried the bitter stench of blood. But they had won. Not just survived—won.
*First blood goes to Ashfall,* he thought grimly. He knew this was only the beginning.
Selene approached, brushing ash from her robes. She surveyed the bodies without showing any emotion.
"Efficient," she remarked. "But scouts are only the beginning. Their masters will follow."
Logan nodded. He understood how the game worked. A Sovereign didn't send scouts without planning a siege afterward. They would test, probe, and raid. Then, when they thought the prey was weak enough—
*They would crush.*
Unless Ashfall became unbreakable first. He turned to Garrick.
"Reinforce the east barricades," Logan instructed. "Prepare fallback points inside the settlement—and make the choke points harder to breach."
Garrick responded with a grim nod and a salute. Logan then looked at Selene.
"We're building the Watchtowers next," he said. "I want elevation, line-of-sight, and overlapping fields of fire."
Selene's eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.
"I can layer defensive runes into the towers," she said. "Stronger shields and enhanced structural regeneration."
"Do it," Logan ordered.
The Heartstone pulsed at Logan's back—stronger now, steadier. It was growing. Ashfall was growing. The next stone was already being laid.