The desert night stretched endlessly around Adrian and Nyxaris, the stars like silver wounds in a black canvas. They moved silently across the dunes, the tension of their earlier battle still clinging to the air like mist.Not far from their path, a campfire flickered against the darkness.
Fenrik sat hunched over the flames, his broad werewolf shoulders tense, fur matted with dust. Across from him, a smaller figure in heavy dwarven leathers nursed a battered flask. Galvir, a caravan trader known more for his stubbornness than his wares.
"Nothing is out of the ordinary." Adrien said as he sat down exhausted. Nyarixis layed down his side, panting occasionally. "We must still be vigilant, the bloodsuckers and werewolves are both dangerous and stealthy hunters at night." "We must seach the catacombs and prevent any of them from getting the chalice.
Fenrik rumbled deep in his chest. "Both sides think claiming it will give them the power to rule the desert. And they'll tear apart everything—and everyone—in their way."
Adrian's jaw tightened. He remembered the quest about the blood moon chalice and it's significance to, his destiny, and the desert's survival were about to collide. He turned to Fenrik. "I'll help you defend this place," Adrian said without hesitation. "But I'll need to reach that Chalice first."
Nyxaris's crimson eyes gleamed with silent agreement. Fenrik grinned, savage and relieved all at once. "Good. We could use a godslayer on our side."
Galvir stood, wiping the sand off his coat. "Then move fast, lad. Blood's already being spilled. You'll have maybe a few days before it's all-out war."
The desert wind picked up, scattering embers into the sky like shooting stars. Somewhere beyond the dunes, wolves howled. And farther still, a cold, cruel laughter echoed under the rising blood moon.
....
"We have arrived."
....
The desert was no longer silent. As Adrian raced across the dunes, Nyxaris gliding like a living shadow beside him, he saw it—dark figures moving against the horizon.Two camps.
On one side, banners bearing the sigil of a blood-red moon—a vampire raiding party. On the other, a pack of armored werewolves, snarling and tense. A no man's land stretched between them.
Adrian crouched behind a rock outcrop, surveying the battlefield. Both sides were preparing for a clash. He couldn't afford to get caught between them.
His system chimed softly:
[Quest Update: Blood War Prelude]
Objective: Reach the Chalice ruins undetected OR survive a skirmish against either faction.
Adrian's fingers tightened around the hilt of his short blade. His Umbral Construct skill was still limited, creating only temporary weapons—but he could at least defend himself if needed. "Time to move," Adrian whispered. Nyxaris growled low in agreement.
Adrian chose the middle path—stealth. Through the cover of swirling sands and shadows, he and Nyxaris slipped between the forces, unseen for now. But the scent of blood already tainted the air.
Trouble was inevitable.