Three Hours Ago...
Northern Zone of the Gregorian Empire
Province of Germunia, Thirío Forest
In a secluded spot between the mountains, an incredibly vast plain remained hidden among the snow-capped peaks.
A gentle wind blew over the green meadows, where a flock of sheep grazed peacefully, moving like a living mantle beneath the sun.
Their shepherds were giant wolves.
Among them, one figure recognized the carts approaching from the horizon.
Her ears perked up, and as soon as she distinguished who was guiding them, she ran at full speed, roaring in jubilation in her ancient tongue:
—"NYOOOOOOON, YOU'VE RETURNED!!!"
She lunged at him with such force that she nearly knocked him over. Nyon growled, clutching his injured side.
Nyon: —"Sister Nisha, you're hurting me..."
Nisha: —"Sorry, older brother, but... YOU WERE GONE FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK!!Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
Nyon: —"I'm sorry…" (Why are younger sisters so terrifying when they're angry?)
Nisha: —"Hmph... Anyway, I see your last hunt went well."
Nyon: —"How is our father doing?"
Nisha: —"He's long surpassed the average life expectancy for our kind... He doesn't have much left, brother."
Nyon: —"I understand... then, Kyont..."
Nisha: —"Yes. He's been appointed as the new clan leader."
Nyon: —"Then I'll go meet him." (I was hoping to be chosen... seems I was wrong.)
Nisha: —"I'll accompany you."
The two siblings, along with the caravan of carts, continued across the plains.
In the distance, leather and bone tents began to take shape under the sky.
It was the beastmen tribe:
The White Fang Clan.
One by one, the carts stopped next to the great central bonfire.
The hunters' families ran to greet them with laughter and howls of joy.
The hunt had been good.
Then, from the main tent, a large white wolf emerged, imposing, with two blue marks in the sockets of its eyes.
Its fur gleamed in the firelight.
As it approached the central circle, its shape began to shift.
Its body elongated, and before everyone, it took on a human form: silver hair, a powerful physique, and those same blue eyes that seemed to pierce the darkness.
Silence fell over the village.
All present transformed as well into humans and bowed before him.
He was the new clan leader.
Kyont: —"You've brought back an excellent hunt, Nyang."
Nyon: —"I was lucky enough to lead great hunters." (This bastard, he said that on purpose... he's been calling me that since the clan competition... besides, it's been a while since I saw Kathy.)
Kyont: —"You're too humble, but you're right...EVERYONE, LET'S CELEBRATE THE SUCCESS OF THE FINAL HUNT OF THE YEAR WITH A BANQUET FIT FOR THE ENTIRE CLAN!!"
A roar of joy spread across the tribe.
The central fire flared, and freshly hunted meats began to roast over the flames.
The air filled with laughter, drum music, and the scent of victory.
The final hunt of the year had ended,and the night of the White Fang Clan had only just begun.
******
Meanwhile, as operations were underway in the other clans...
In the vast Thírni Forest, Under the intense glow of the moon...
The silhouettes of multiple ships sped through the sky, sliding above the trees like metallic shadows.
Among them, was Hamul's ship: The Bullian.
The crew on deck appeared eager.
The scent of oil, metal, and compressed magic filled the air.
The hunt was about to begin.
On one of the ships, a veteran instructed the younger crew members, his deep voice blending with the roar of the wind.
Nazer: —"Remember, rookies: the first thing you need to do to prevent the beastmen from transforming is cut their tails.If you don't... you'll face a beast ten times stronger than their human form."
Balzu: —"But, captain... how do we cut their tails if they're awake?"
The squad leader approached, his stride firm, and spoke with the calm of someone who had repeated these orders countless times.
Selectus: —"We've learned enough in this business to know their festivities.We don't attack a specific one... that would put them on guard.We only strike when we get a major contract."
Anar: —"Got it. Thanks, team leader."
Meanwhile, the captains of the various ships tested the communicators by the helm.Voices echoed across the link frequencies, one after another:
Ship Barzak: —«Captain Ostis Cumpell, transport ship, over.»
Ship Ulmion: —«Captain Darla Pomula, attack ship, over.»
Ship Quatio: —«Captain Orban Qintalk, attack ship, over.»
Ship Sorlop: —«Captain Yusma Serlop, attack ship, over.»
Ship Bullian: —«Captain Hamul Stran, transport ship, over.»
Ship Scarking: —«Captain Scaulet Keino, main attack ship, over.»
A brief pause.
The hum of the engines resonated through the mountains.
Ship Barzak: —«Good to hear you all... especially you, Hamul.»
Ship Sorlop: —«Yeah, how long has it been since the last time?»
Ship Bullian: —«Twelve years...»
Ship Ulmion: —«I always say it, but the contracts from the Kemet Kingdom are the juiciest. They love beast slaves.»
Ship Scarking: —«The first sixteen ships have advanced toward the other three clans' locations. Hurry up and speed up the pace.»
*****
Thírni Forest...
In the plain between the mountains
The banquet had ended.
The music, the fire, and the laughter had faded.
The village slept soundly under the moon's silence.
The six ships descended stealthily, hidden in the shadows.
The capture teams dropped down without a sound, moving like specters between the tents.
Two transport ships landed near the center and opened their hatches.
The air filled with the magical hum of the airlocks and the sparkling dust from the bags the hunters tossed into the tents.A special dust... that dulled the senses.
Tent by tent, the teams selected the most physically gifted individuals.They marked the tents with a symbol and moved on.
Then, they entered the marked tents and extracted the selected individuals, cutting off their tails to ensure their safety.
The unconscious bodies were carried to the transport ships, one by one, as the counters logged the haul.
Selectus: —"We have seven hundred twenty-four high-grade slaves, three hundred twenty-nine second-tier, and four hundred thirty-nine third-tier...A total of one thousand four hundred ninety-two."
Anar: —"That'll do. Let's go."
The protocol was followed with military precision.
The troops returned to their positions, the hatches closed, and the transport ships began to lift off.
Then...
An explosion rumbled through the mountains.
The sky turned red.
The Ulmion ship was struck by an energy projectile and erupted in flames.
A second explosion shook the air, causing the trees to tremble.
The ship fell, engulfed in fire, crashing into the plains.
The captains screamed over the comms, searching for the attacker.Then they saw it.
Amidst the smoke and clouds, a massive ship rose above the rest.Its dark hull gleamed with ancient emblems.
It was one of the Comforts.
****
Five Minutes Earlier...
Pov Noelle:
I had searched everywhere for the old locations of my clan, but couldn't find them.
To the slave traders, the clan had always been forced to move again and again.
The routes changed. The traces were erased.
Only memories remained, lost in the mist of the mountains.
It was then that I spoke to the voice commanding the ship.
Noelle: —"Guide the ship toward the mountains." (If I remember correctly, there was a large plain there...)
[Executing commands... heading to new location.]
The ship accelerated again, slicing through the air with a roar.
In less than two minutes, the mountains grew before my eyes, towering under the moon.
I recognized them... the contours, the shadows, the cracks in the rocks.
I wasn't far from the plain.
My heart tightened.
I didn't know why, but something inside me was pressing on my chest.
I felt like I was getting closer to home... and yet, something was terribly wrong.
Finally, in the distance, I saw my home.
I rushed to the ship's bow, heart racing.
I needed to see them, hear their voices, feel that everything was the same.
But as the ship approached, I saw them.
Other ships.
And in the metallic shine of their emblems, I recognized the symbol.
I shut my eyes, hoping it was a bad dream.
But no.
It was the same emblem of the slave traders.
"Those damned..."
My breath faltered.
They were taking my people again.A hot fury surged through my veins and I screamed at the magical voice:
Noelle: —"Hurry, they're taking mine!"
[Proceeding with rescue. Analyzing...]
[Detecting four potentially hostile ships.]
[Initiating counterattack. Emitting alert signal to autonomous Raptor G1000 ships.]
The voice finished its report, and before I could process it, I saw it.
One of the ships was struck twice, with chilling accuracy, and fell engulfed in flames.
The others tried to respond, firing toward my direction, but they were shot down one by one.
The explosions set the green plains on fire, turning the grass into a red hell.
My village's people stumbled out, dazed from the explosion, gazing at the sky in confusion.
Then, the voice spoke again:
[Deploying Tank-700 models.]
From the ship began to fall metal mannequins, huge, their blue eyes glowing like embers.
They hit the ground heavily, creating craters in the earth.And before I could stop them, they began the massacre.
The slave traders were annihilated without mercy.
The iron mannequins moved with perfect, cold, unstoppable coordination.
My people —my clan, my brothers, my blood— upon recovering from the effects of the Esis Dust, saw the scene and reacted instinctively.
They transformed. They roared. They attacked.
And what I witnessed was something I would never forget.
The terrifying combat ability of those automatons... was monstrous.
Even beastmen in their full form were easily subdued.
Fear crawled down my spine.I feared they would harm them, that my own ally would destroy them.
Noelle: —"Please, stop! That's my clan!"
[Stopping once hostile targets cease to attack.]
Her response was as cold as it was logical.
And as I looked down, seeing the altitude of the ship, I knew what I had to do.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes...and decided to transform.
I had to stop the battle myself.
****
Thírni Forest.
In the plain between the mountains
Patriarch's Tent
I awoke, my heart pounding.
The rumble of explosions echoed throughout the village, vibrating the air like a metallic roar.
Something grave was happening.
But there was something else: a strange sensation coursed through my body.
My senses were disoriented, my hearing buzzing, my smell failing.And yet, I recognized that sensation.
It was the same as five years ago...
The last time the slave traders attacked our clan.
The memory pierced me like a spear, and adrenaline pushed me into action.
Struggling, I stood up and decided to undergo the first transformation.
The change was immediate: the bones stretched, the skin tightened, the breath became deep and ragged.When I stepped out of my tent, I saw it.
The horizon of the plains was burning.
The fire stained the sky red, and among the flames moved metallic creatures, killing the humans of the parked ships without mercy.
Their movements were precise, inhuman... as if they were executing an unbreakable pattern.
The danger was so tangible that my blood boiled in my veins.
I felt my senses sharpening again, as if my instincts were bringing back the clarity I had lost.
Then I gathered a few wolves and led them into battle.
The first clash revealed the truth: those things were monstrously strong.
Every blow they landed was like the impact of a rock.
One by one, my companions were struck down.
The ground filled with bodies, the air with the scent of burning metal and blood.
I saw we wouldn't last much longer.
So, without hesitation, I invoked the power of my bloodline.
The air grew cold, the flames trembled.
And with a roar, I froze several of those creatures in a burst of frost.
But in the next instant, a powerful wind pushed me back, breaking the freeze.
A massive presence descended in front of me.
Through the smoke and embers appeared the figure of a large gray wolf, with the same two white marks in the sockets of its eyes that I bore.
Its fur gleamed under the moon, and its gaze was fierce, yet human.
And then I knew.I recognized it without a doubt.
It was my younger sister.
The other one who inherited the power of our bloodline.
Noelle.
The same one who had been captured five years ago by the slave traders.
She growled loudly, a sound that was not a threat, but an order.And her voice —though deep, wild— sounded clear in the wind:
Noelle: —"STOP!"
Her tone was enough.
I raised a hand and gave the order.
All of ours stopped, panting, covered in dust and blood.
Silence fell suddenly over the fiery plain.
She approached, breathing heavily, and slowly transformed back.
The moonlight outlined her figure as her eyes —those same eyes as before— looked at me with tenderness and strength.
And then she spoke, in human tongue:
Noelle: —"Brothers... I've returned."