They finally emerged from the forest.
In front of them, their house. Broken, silent, familiar. The black sky was barely starting to turn a timid shade of blue. But behind them...
— Dean... the Werewolves are coming, Lior murmured, his voice cold as ice.
No sooner had he spoken than a horde of goblins appeared between them and the house. Armed to the teeth, their eyes gleaming with hatred. But Dean didn't hesitate. He rushed at them like a shadow demon, his blades and his shadow twin dancing around him. He cut them down without mercy.
Lior, meanwhile, groped around and grabbed a sword fallen from a goblin. But a window opened in his mind:
> [System]: Incompatible weapon. You do not possess the required affinity to wield a metal sword.
He grimaced and threw it away.
— Dean! They're less than fifty meters away! he shouted.
Dean grabbed his hand. They ran toward the house. Lior, barefoot to amplify his Telluric Condition, raised spikes or pits beneath the goblins' feet. The shadow twin silently intercepted each arrow.
— The door! yelled Lior. Take me to the kitchen! Cut the gas pipe, quickly!
Dean obeyed without question.
When he returned, the kitchen was swarming with goblins. But seeing Lior's smile, he understood. He lunged, blade first, and cut them down without hesitation. Lior listened intently. A wounded goblin was already fleeing.
— He's going to alert the others! Dean shouted.
And outside, the Werewolves had just left the forest. The Alpha was leading the charge.
— Dean! The flour! And drive the car into the living room!
— What?! Dean choked.
— Do it!
Dean ran, got in the car, and crashed it through the living room wall. Gas was already spreading everywhere. The air grew heavy, suffocating.
— I've got the lighter! Dean shouted as he came back.
— Come, spread the flour with me! Lior responded.
The house became a trap. Every room booby-trapped, every corner saturated with gas and powder. Dean, panting, saw Lior stop.
— Go upstairs. Light the fire. Then come down. Carry me and head for the window.
Dean obeyed. When he rejoined him, the drums of war thundered: goblins, by the hundreds, were banging their weapons on the ground. The Werewolves, on the other side, howled at the moon.
Lior raised his hand. Dean wanted to flee.
— Wait!
He closed his eyes. The earth vibrated. Where the car was… it was heating up.
— Now!
Dean grabbed him, and they jumped through the window.
The explosion was immediate.
The house went up in a series of infernal detonations. Fire devoured walls, wood, and flesh. The goblins, trapped, screamed. The Werewolves, caught off guard, were engulfed.
Dean, pinned to the ground, shouted:
— Why don't we have any notification?!
Lior, silent, got up.
And there, the sun.
— We survived… Dean whispered, tears in his eyes.
Lior held out his hand.
— A weapon.
Dean handed him a broken arrow.
Lior gripped it. Stood up on his own.
— Don't touch me. I need to prove I can walk alone.
He moved forward, slowly. Debris surrounded him. The smoke was clearing.
And in the charred ruins, the Alpha Werewolf stood there. On his knees. Burned. But alive.
— Your last words? Lior asked calmly.
The Alpha, staring at the crimson sky:
— I lived for my pack. Until the end. No regrets.
Lior said nothing. He drove the arrow into its throat.
> [System]: You have gained +8 levels.
Current level: 9
Contribution points: +37
Congratulations. You are the first to trigger the legendary option. You are now part of legend.