In a surge of terror and desperation, Krita instinctively gripped Ardam's powerful forearm. Her fingers trembled, her eyes searching his for one last shred of hope, a silent plea for salvation.
[DING! Intimacy detected. Physical contact: +2 AC.]
The system window flickered in Ardam's mind, but his focus remained locked on the figures at the cave's mouth. Bertram—son of the Great Master Kirmut and a prominent elder of the Dance of Death Sect—stepped inside with an arrogant stride. His lackeys followed, scanning the cave with the predatory eyes of men who already considered themselves the owners of everything within.
"Wow, looks like we have a stowaway!" Bertram sneered, looking at Ardam. "I didn't even notice you were here. Did you kill those Lemus outside? You look capable enough. But you've heard my name—I'm Bertram. I'm in a good mood today, so you can leave Krita here and walk out on your own two feet."
Ardam felt Krita's trembling fingers dig deeper into his arm. He carefully set the stone bowl on the ground. Then, one by one, he pried her fingers from his wrist and stood up slowly. Krita watched him, tears welling in her eyes. She felt betrayed once more, abandoned to a fate worse than death. She didn't say a word; she simply lowered her head in silent defeat.
Ardam began to walk toward the exit with heavy, measured steps.
"Hahaha! Smart kid," Bertram laughed, stepping aside to make a path. "Good choice. Better to run like a coward than die like a dog."
His "hounds" erupted in raucous laughter. Ardam came to a halt right next to Bertram. For a heartbeat, silence claimed the cave. Then, the air grew heavy as a suffocating aura exploded from Ardam's frame.
Before anyone could react, Ardam's hand shot out like a viper, winding firmly into Bertram's long hair. He slammed Bertram's face into the jagged stone floor with such violence that the entire cave shuddered.
[CRACK!]
The stone floor spider-webbed and shattered beneath Bertram's skull. The move was so lightning-fast that neither Bertram nor his men realized what had happened until it was too late. Ardam hauled Bertram up by his hair like a wet rag and hurled him toward the cave entrance with monstrous strength. Bertram's flying body collided with four of his men, and the five of them were sent tumbling out into the lashing rain.
Only three enemies remained inside. Ardam's hands were instantly encased in the dark-charcoal hue of Iron Erta. He blurred, appearing directly in front of the first enemy who was still frozen in shock.
Ardam's right fist lashed out.
The iron-clad fist tore through the man's ribcage like wet parchment. Ardam's hand emerged from his back, drenched in gore. The warrior didn't even have time to scream before his life extinguished. Ardam yanked his hand back and spun toward the second man.
The second lackey tried to throw a panicked punch, but Ardam caught the strike mid-air. He slammed his palm into the man's elbow joint.
[SNAP!]
The elbow inverted, white bone tearing through flesh and skin. A horrific shriek filled the cave. Ardam grabbed him by the throat, pinned him against the wall, and delivered a devastating blow to his face. The man's head was pulverized between Ardam's iron fist and the stone wall like a ripe melon, splashing blood and gray matter across the cave.
The third warrior stood paralyzed with terror, but in a final act of desperation, he gathered a massive amount of Erta into his hands for a last-ditch attack.
"Swift Steps!"
Ardam appeared beside him like a flickering shadow and delivered a brutal, upward kick between the man's legs.
"Aaaaaaaa!"
The man's concentration shattered, his gathered Erta dissipating into the air as he collapsed into a ball of agony. Ardam clamped his hand over the man's head and activated Merdun Lightning.
Green-purple bolts danced across the warrior's skull. The electrical surge melted his brain in seconds. When Ardam released his grip, only a smoking, foul-smelling corpse remained.
Ardam stepped out of the cave into the rain. The entire sequence had happened so fast that Krita, still sitting by the fire, hadn't fully processed the slaughter; she was simply stunned by Ardam's cold-blooded efficiency.
Outside, Bertram pushed himself up from the mud and blood. Red streaks masked his vision, and his veins bulged with murderous rage. He looked at Ardam—his hands stained to the elbows in gore—and realized his companions inside were dead. He descended into a state of absolute frenzy.
"I'll flay the skin from your body!" Bertram roared. He and the four surviving warriors dropped into killing stances.
As Ardam took a step forward, an unknown object tore through the air toward his face with the speed of a bullet. Ardam crossed his Iron Hands in an X-guard to protect his head.
[BOOM!!!]
The impact was so powerful that Ardam's feet skidded through the mud, forcing him back several meters. He looked at his arms—deep cracks had formed in the metallic Erta layer protecting his skin.
Before he could stabilize, the air howled again as a crushing pressure bore down on him. This time, the attack came from multiple directions. Bertram's hands carved complex patterns in the air, and with every flick, the atmosphere condensed into massive Erta fists that launched toward Ardam. These weren't just energy; they were projectiles designed to pulverize everything in their path.
Ardam pushed Swift Steps to its absolute limit, weaving through the projectiles. The stone at the cave's mouth was ground to dust behind him. But Bertram wasn't alone. As Ardam's foot touched the ground, blood-red formation runes flared beneath him.
"Dammit!" Ardam launched himself upward with all his might.
[BOOM!]
A massive explosion turned the ground into a crater several meters deep. Hovering in the air for a fraction of a second, Ardam felt vulnerable. Bertram, anticipating this, unleashed a barrage of a dozen Erta fists. There was nowhere to dodge. Each strike slammed into Ardam's "Steel" defense with a deafening thud, hurling him back to the earth.
Ardam hit the mud hard but didn't stop. He began to sprint in a wide circle around his enemies. Suddenly, an Erta-coated arrow hissed past his ear. As it struck the ground, it exploded into energy threads that coiled around Ardam's legs like strangling vines. His own momentum worked against him; the inertia threw him off balance, sending him crashing through the trees. His body snapped through thick trunks as if they were dry twigs.
When he finally slammed into a massive tree, his lungs burned for air. He spat blood and gritted his teeth. Two setting traps with formations, one archer... and Bertram. He has 8 Erta veins; he's too strong for a direct clash in this state. My Erta is running low... I have to gamble.
Ardam's mind worked with mechanical clarity. He saw the seeking arrows curving through the air toward him. This time, he didn't run away; he smirked. He charged directly at Bertram. Seeing this, Bertram unleashed dozens more Erta fists with a triumphant cackle.
Ardam slid and ducked through the gaps like a serpent. When he was just meters away, he hurled the water flask from his belt at Bertram's face. Bertram, assuming it was another attack, pulverized the flask mid-air with an Erta fist.
But the flask didn't hold water. It held a thick, blue liquid—a terrifying Erta-eating poison Ardam had harvested from four-eared rabbits. The liquid splashed across Bertram's face and chest.
"AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHH!"
Bertram's inhuman scream filled the woods. The poison fed on his defensive Erta, using his own energy as fuel to melt his skin alive. As Bertram writhed in agony, Ardam didn't hesitate.
He lunged at the formation masters. They tried to throw new traps in his path, but Ardam blurred through them, appearing behind the first master. The seeking arrows that had been chasing Ardam couldn't change course in time; they slammed into the unfortunate formation master's chest. The energy threads instantly turned him into a living statue.
The second formation master managed to draw a massive explosive rune beneath Ardam's feet. But Ardam clamped his iron hand around the man's throat and slammed him face-first onto his own formation.
[CRACK!]
The explosion tore the formation master to pieces. Ardam leaped away at the last millisecond, but the blast scorched his leg up to the knee. When he landed, his knee buckled.
In that instant, six arrows slammed into the ground in a circle around him. Energy threads erupted, binding Ardam's limbs and pinning him into absolute immobility.
Bertram, his face a melted, horrific mask of gore, limped toward him. He was no longer human; he was a demon returned from the grave. Four massive, condensed Erta arms sprouted from Bertram's shoulders.
"I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!" Bertram roared.
The Erta arms rained blows upon Ardam. Every hit shattered the remaining layers of his iron defense. Finally, the steel layer broke like glass, falling away. Now, every fist hit Ardam's flesh and bone directly. His vision blurred. His Erta was nearly zero.
If I use Merdun Lightning now, I'll black out instantly... I need another way.
With a final burst of will, Ardam strained against the energy threads until they snapped, rolling away from Bertram's next strike. He began to limp-run toward the dark interior of the forest. Bertram had no intention of letting him go; he pursued like a bloodthirsty predator.
Ardam's injured leg slowed him down. Bertram stayed on his heels, unleashing devastating energy strikes. Finally, Ardam stopped in front of a strange, black pit in the center of the woods.
"It's over, trash! Nowhere left to run!" Bertram shouted in triumph.
Ardam turned. His face held no fear, only a cold certainty. "I wasn't running..." he whispered. He thrust his hand into the pit and, with the last of his Erta, generated a tiny spark of lightning.
A horrific growling and howling erupted from the depths. A second later, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of frenzied Lemus exploded from the pit. This was a Lemus nest. The lightning had woken them and sent them into a killing frenzy. Ardam used his last ounce of strength to leap onto a high branch above.
Lemus always attack the strongest, most radiant energy source first. Bertram's flaring Erta was a lighthouse in the dark. The pack swarmed him.
The ten minutes of carnage that followed filled the forest with screams. Bertram tore through dozens of beasts with his Erta arms, but their numbers were endless. Finally, his Erta ran dry, and his defenses flickered out.
When the dust and mist cleared, Bertram stood among a mountain of Lemus corpses. One arm was missing, his body was chewed to the bone, and his strength was completely spent. Ardam dropped silently from the tree and stood before him.
"If I die... my family... they won't let this go..." Bertram wheezed, his eyes now pleading for life.
Ardam looked down at him with icy indifference. "The secrets of the Blood Forest... remain secret," he said flatly.
He drew the sharp dagger from Bertram's belt and, with one swift motion, severed the man's head from his body. Bertram's lifeless form hit its knees and then slumped into the mud. Ardam tossed the dagger aside and headed back toward the cave.