Chapter 14 – Dreadmarch
The sky wept ash.
Kael stood at the edge of a broken ridge, cloak tattered, body aching, and Codex pulsing with new strength. Beside him, Vyrmclaw crouched low—still feral but bound tighter with each shared breath. The winds howled through hollowed craters and burnt-out nests, carrying the scent of old wars and new blood.
[Codex Alert: Hybrid swarm approaching — 3.8 km. Estimated Time of Contact: 15 minutes.]
He ran a hand across his brow. Scars throbbed. Each heartbeat felt like a drum announcing war.
"We'll hold here," he muttered.
Vyrmclaw growled, clawing the earth.
The Fang of Ravager hung around Kael's neck. Not just a relic. A promise.
[Trait Enhancement Activated: Feral Resilience — Stamina retention increased by 43% under combat stress.]
Below the ridge, black shadows moved like oil across bone. Dozens. Maybe more.
He had no army. No support. Just a hybrid, a Codex, and vengeance knotting in his spine.
"Then we fight."
Flashback – Hours Earlier
Kael stood before the mouth of an abandoned vault—half-buried in obsidian soil. The codes were still functional, as if waiting for him. The doors opened not with resistance, but welcome.
Inside, he found data shards—fragments of Ravager's last memory.
[Memory Integration Protocol Engaged. Uploading...]
It wasn't just battle. Ravager remembered faces. Other subjects. Other hybrids. Kael saw flashes of children. Of chained beasts. Of corrupted scientists chanting one name over and over:
Maulborn.
Kael's eyes burned.
He exited the vault changed.
And now, the Maulborn marched.
Present – Dreadmarch Ridge
Thunder cracked. The first hybrid burst through the ash veil.
Bulky. Eight-limbed. Covered in black carapace. A stegosaur-arthropod crossbreed, its jaws spiraling like a bone drill.
[Codex Class: Ravex-9. Echo signature: Unknown. Estimated threat: Tier 3.]
Kael didn't wait.
He dove forward, using a burst from the Codex. Light shot through his veins. Vyrmclaw launched beside him.
The clash was seismic.
Kael ducked under the Ravex's swipe, drove his weapon between armored plates, and triggered a pulse. The Codex enhanced his movements, turning instinct into precision. Vyrmclaw pounced, sickle claws raking through exposed muscle.
Blood sprayed. Acid hissed.
The Ravex shrieked.
Kael twisted the blade, screaming, "FOR RAVAGER!"
The beast fell. But more came.
Five. Ten. Fifteen hybrids howled into view.
Vyrmclaw shrieked.
Kael backed into position. Eyes burning. Chest heaving. He activated every stored trait the Codex could offer.
[Stacking Traits Activated: Feral Resilience. Predator Instinct. Reactive Defense. Echo Pulse.]
His body sang with pain—and power.
[Codex Sync Level: 61%... 65%... 68%!]
He moved like stormfire.
Hybrid after hybrid fell. Claws tore at him. Tails cracked his ribs. Poison nicked his skin.
But he did not stop.
Far Above – JiRuun's Watch
A shadow coiled through the clouds.
JiRuun, perched on a column of broken air, watched. His jaws opened, silent. Observing.
Savoring.
Another voice echoed behind him.
"He bleeds for them."
Xenovorax, somewhere within Kael, growled.
"Let him bleed. If he survives this… he becomes us."
Final Clash – Dreadmarch Peak
Kael's breath came in short bursts. Blood matted his hair. The last hybrid—a massive Giganotosaurus-Theraphosa blend—loomed above him.
[Codex Sync: 72%. Critical. System Overload imminent.]
He dropped to one knee.
The beast roared.
Then—a shriek.
Vyrmclaw.
It launched from the rocks, tackling the monster. Screams tore through the dusk. Vyrmclaw dug its claws into the thing's neck, refusing to let go.
Kael, blinking blood from his eyes, saw his opening.
He sprinted.
And leapt.
One final strike. The Codex burned.
A pulse.
Everything went white.
Silence
He woke.
Dawn.
The ash had stopped falling.
Kael sat among corpses. Hybrid and human. His arm was broken. His lips cracked.
Vyrmclaw limped to him. Barely breathing. But alive.
They had won.
For now.
He looked up at the scorched sky.
"This is just the beginning," he rasped.
[Codex Status: Stable. Echo Network expanding. New signatures detected across all sectors. Global Echo Convergence: 3.4%.]
A throne waited.
Not of gold.
But of ash.
Of memory.
Of blood.
And he would take it.
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Chapter 15 – Ash-Crowned King
The world answers to pain. And Kael has screamed loud enough to be heard by gods.
Author's Note:
This is war now. Chapter 14 raised the stakes. But Chapter 15 will crown the wounded. 👑🦖🔥 Stay mutant, EchoWomb fam.
From ash we rise. From genes we conquer.