Lu Feng’s heart pounded like a drum, his palms slick with sweat.
The faint footsteps echoed through the night—light as a cat’s tread, yet heavy with danger. His eyes darted across the shadowy thickets and trembling treetops, every rustle now suspicious.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAdz9KlXtA70
“Stay still. Something’s off,” Lu Feng whispered urgently to Ai Liya, who trembled in his arms. She closed her eyes, channeling what little divine energy remained, ready to fight.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAFyoz8qM6jr
The warriors around them tensed, weapons drawn. The air thickened with anticipation.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAzh14jgQISC
Tak, his sword gripped like an extension of his arm, scanned the darkness with hawk-like intensity. Raphael, already mapping escape routes in his mind, muttered strategies under his breath.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAaMSF8ZShTK
*Rustle… rustle…*
The noise drew closer, as though unseen eyes lurked in the void.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAJSV3wwoah7
Lu Feng held his breath, straining to parse every sound. His pulse merged with the wind into a dissonant symphony.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAXli4yOLbNV
Then—figures emerged.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAd28B6spnX1
A towering man led the group, his tattered battle robes failing to hide muscles forged in war. His gaze, unyielding as stone, locked onto Lu Feng. Behind him stood a slender youth, a staff glinting in his hand, magic simmering at its tip.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAAcM4TsRYlQ
“Who are you?” Lu Feng demanded, voice low but firm.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAec82YKF4j0
“Tak. A wanderer,” the man replied, steady as bedrock. He nodded to the youth. “Raphael. A strategist.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANASqIXnHF8MJ
Lu Feng’s wariness lingered—too many had betrayed him under sweet words. Yet these two bore no hostility, only exhaustion… and hunger.
218Please respect copyright.PENANA2LzM7DEnnT
“A… guide sent us,” Raphael said carefully. “We seek to join you. To fight the darkness.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANArnkxPmjETB
Lu Feng’s resolve flickered. The @moss simulator had aided him thus far, but the enemies grew stronger. Allies like these—seasoned, sharp—might tip the scales.
218Please respect copyright.PENANA8DhgOM3ePd
“How’d you find me?”
218Please respect copyright.PENANALmUrPALWAx
Tak’s jaw tightened. “The Blood Fiend Sect destroyed my home. I ran… met Raphael, who’d lost just as much.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANABrklTDS0zd
Raphael nodded. “The guide… they knew *you* could end this.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANADuTog27TUO
Lu Feng’s chest burned—rage, grief, resolve colliding. He exhaled slowly, then extended a hand.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAKnITMHlU2M
“Welcome to Dusk Fortress.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANA5o9r4o97mE
Their grips sealed the pact.
218Please respect copyright.PENANA9Yocd77nXs
“A spar,” Lu Feng提议, eyes glinting. “To see what you’re made of.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANAYBHORNfVVh
Tak grinned, fire igniting in his stare. “Try to keep up.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANAKlvOmm5UUd
Raphael twirled his staff. “You’ll need more than brute strength.”
218Please respect copyright.PENANAu6qUI3QLT0
—
218Please respect copyright.PENANAOKnIK6Jmxr
The clash erupted. Tak’s sword thundered, each strike earthquaking the field. Raphael wove spells like a composer, redirecting blows with calculated precision. Lu Feng commanded with tactical brilliance, while Ai Liya’s moonlight magic danced between shadows.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAw66coWP0Jy
By dusk, their movements harmonized—trust forged in sweat and steel.
218Please respect copyright.PENANALsENUz9sCM
Around the campfire, laughter briefly drowned the night. But as embers dimmed, the Shadowmoon Cat at Lu Feng’s feet suddenly bristled, fur standing on end. A guttural growl ripped from its throat, green eyes blazing toward the woods.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAZRXvWiTqyU
Silence fell.
218Please respect copyright.PENANAu0bNGPm1EB
Lu Feng rose slowly, fingers curling around his sword. “Seems dinner’s delivered itself,” he murmured, a feral grin spreading.
218Please respect copyright.PENANA2S4dDhXfvH
The darkness beyond the firelight *shifted*.
ns216.73.216.65da2