The battlefield was still. The only sounds were the cracking of flames and the distant muted rumble of the ocean.
Kordak's body lay still on the ground, his demonic strength finally laid to rest. His blood mixed with the rain, seeping into the shattered rock beneath him.
Solian panted, his flames feebly flickering around his body. His whole body ached, but he forced himself to stand. He could scarcely credit it.
Kordak was dead.
Ragnor stood a few feet away, his war-axe still gripped in his fist. His chest heaved up and down, his body bruised and battered and slashed. His face was unreadable—half furious, half relieved.
And yet, despite their brutal fight, despite Kordak's fall.
Something felt off.
Solian glanced around. Where was Elric?
The man who had actually weakened Kordak before they fought. The man who had appeared, sliced through their greatest threat with ease, then… vanished.
The memory of Elric's farewell words echoed in Solian's head.
"I'll let you grow first. Let's see if you're worth hunting."
A shiver formed in his gut. He knew what that meant.
Elric hadn't let them live.
He was waiting. Watching.
Vance walked towards him, cracking his neck. "Damn… that was a fight." He kicked Kordak's corpse, exhaling. "That bastard put up one hell of a last stand."
Jorin, his sword still in hand, didn't turn to Kordak. His eyes were scouring the battlefield, as if searching for something. "Something's wrong…"
Kael's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Jorin's grip on his sword haft tightened. "Elric was here. He killed Kordak faster than we could, then just… disappeared. He isn't one to just… leave."
The air thickened.
Solian harbored the same suspicion.
His system notification still flashed in the back of his mind:
Quest Completed: Defeat Kordak!
+15 System Points
New Quest Added: Survive Silent Gale Elric.
Reward:???
"Survive."
That one word sent his blood running cold.
Ragnor was the last to speak, his voice rough. "That bounty hunter… he's not done with us."
Solian glanced at him, his brow furrowed. "You think he'll be back?"
Ragnor exhaled slowly, adjusting his grip on his axe. "No. Not yet."
He met Solian's gaze, and for a second, Solian saw something in his eyes that he had never seen.
Wariness. Maybe fear.
Ragnor spat upon the ground, as if trying to rid himself of the bitter taste of admitting it. "Elric doesn't fight for sport. If he wanted us dead, he would've finished the job already."
Kael's expression darkened. "Then why didn't he?"
Silence.
Solian clenched his fists. He already knew the answer.
Because Elric wanted to see how much stronger they could become.
Vance emitted a dry laugh, scratching the back of his head. "So, we just lived through one of the most insane battles ever… and now we have a guy who could kill all of us in seconds sitting around waiting for us to get stronger?"
Jorin let out a breath. "That's pretty much it."
Solian's flames burned weakly in his hands as he stared out at the ravaged battlefield around them.
They had just managed to survive Kordak. If Elric had truly wanted them dead, there would not have been a fight—a slaughter.
Solian took a deep breath. There was no rest for the weary.
His system quest was straightforward.
Survive.
Which translated to growing stronger.
He turned to his crew. "We're going."
Ragnor's eyes narrowed. "Running already?"
Solian shook his head. "We've won a battle, but the war is still coming. If we stick around here, we're sitting targets. The Marines are already moving. More bounty hunters will be on our tail. Elric's already marked us." His expression turned hard. "If we don't get more powerful now, we're as good as dead."
Ragnor grunted but didn't say anything. He knew it too.
Jorin put his sword away. "Where to?"
Solian looked out towards the docks, his mind already churning over possibilities.
"Somewhere we can train. Somewhere we can become much, much stronger."
For no matter what else, one thing was certain.
Silent Gale Elric would return.
And next time, he wouldn't be just watching.