I was startled awake by a sharp, all-too-familiar voice.
"Rebel Ray, we know you're here!"Hexa's scream cut through the morning stillness like a blade. Both Priya and I leapt to our feet. I rushed to the nearest window and leaned out. There she was—Hexa, flanked by her clan, standing in a loose formation just beyond the village line.
"Rebel's gone!" Priya cried, panic rising in her voice. I pushed her gently behind me and stepped into view.
"Well, if it isn't the little stray," Hexa sneered, blades glinting in her hands. She licked her lips. "Once I'm done with Rebel, I'll run you through next."
"We don't have what you've come for," I said flatly, forcing any fear from my voice. "You're wasting your time."
Hexa stepped forward, nudging a stone with the toe of her boot. "Wasting my time, am I? Maybe we'll do a little raiding while we're here. A bit of payback—for that stolen code."
"That code killed Rebel," I snapped, my voice rising with sudden anger.
Hexa froze for half a second. Then she threw her head back and laughed, sharp and cruel."We'll tear this village apart brick by brick until we find Rebel—and that code."
Behind me, I heard Priya gasp and dash back to the window. Her wide eyes met Hexa's—and Hexa smiled, grotesque delight curling across her face.
"Little wifey, Priya Ray isn't it... Your husband took something I care very much about. I think I will pay him back the favour," She looked to her people, "Bring me that girl," Hexa ordered, her voice oozing confidence. "I want her alive."
Priya stumbled backward in fear.
I didn't hesitate. I climbed out the window and scrambled onto the nearest rooftop. Below me, the village had begun to stir—people were awake now, panicked voices rising with the sun.
"Can anyone here fight?" I called out.
A few hands shot up.
"Good. Grab your weapons. We'll have to defend ourselves."
I crouched low, my hands empty. I had no real weapons. My heart thudded. I listened carefully as Hexa barked commands to her clan.
"Grab the girl. Smash those pathetic huts. And bring me that little Codewright."
Across the rooftops, a small band of defenders began to gather. I spotted Lyric fiddling with a bow.
"Can you shoot?" I asked.
She hesitated. "I could—when I could see properly. But—"
"I know all the clock faces!"The voice came from a boy I hadn't seen before. He looked young—too young. Rebel said there were no children here.
"Lyric," I said, "take the boy. He'll be your eyes."
"Name's Corrin Gig!" the boy grinned, bouncing on his heels.
"Good. Lyric and Corrin—you're a team. Guard Priya's home."
I scanned the growing group and raised my voice. "Anyone who knows how to fight—find a partner. Be each other's eyes and ears."
For a heartbeat, the villagers just looked at each other. Then, in a flurry of motion, they began to pair off. A man with one arm flanked another with a bad leg. Archers grouped together, covering the rooftops. Lyric took position with Corrin beside her.
Hexa didn't notice the shift. She stood lazily among her clan, smug and certain the village would fall.
"Hexa Quell!" I shouted. "This is your final warning. We don't want to hurt your people—but we will if you leave us no choice. Leave now, or face the consequences."
Hexa only laughed—and waved her warriors forward.
I leapt from the roof, landing hard on the ground. My hands were still empty.
"Here!"A villager shoved a knife into my palm. I barely had time to thank them before the battle began. Our ragtag fighters surged forward as arrows whizzed through the air, startling the first wave of Rotcastors.
I caught a glimpse of Hexa through the chaos. Her expression twisted with rage as she spotted me. She charged and slammed me to the ground.
My fingers fumbled for the dagger, but her boot pinned me, crushing the breath from my lungs.
"You made a fool of me," she growled. "And Hexa doesn't like looking like a fool. Now—you die."
I focused on the ground beneath us, forcing it to shift with my mind. The earth buckled, throwing her off balance. She fell—hard—face-first onto me.
Then something wet spread across my chest.
For a moment, I didn't understand. Then I looked down.
My dagger was buried deep in her chest.
She twitched. Her body glowed red, flickering once... twice. Her mouth opened in a silent scream.
Then she vanished.
I lay there, stunned. The wetness was gone—but I remembered it. I remembered the feeling of her blood.
Something trickled into me. A pulse. A surge of power.
My stats jumped—XP flooding in like wildfire.
I had just killed someone.
Hexa Quell had been ruthless. Cruel. Dangerous. But she hadn't deserved to die like that—on top of me, no last words, no mercy.
She was just... gone.
All around me, her warriors began to retreat. The battle was over. I saw her twin daggers lying nearby, along with some food rations and a crumpled map. I scooped them up.
As I turned back toward the village, a cheer rose.
"We did it!" someone cried.
Villagers ran toward me, celebrating. I looked down at my hands—perfectly clean. But I could still feel the blood.
Priya rushed up, eyes wide with relief. "That was brilliant!" She tried to hug me.
I stepped away. "Don't."
The joy didn't reach me. I just wanted to be alone.
I was supposed to be a maker—not a taker.
But now… I would always remember her death mask.