The sun sank behind the canyon's jagged silhouette, bleeding fire across the desert sky. Shadows lengthened, and the orange haze dimmed to a muted crimson. James stood atop the central watchtower, arms crossed behind his back, the breeze teasing his dark tunic. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the approaching Skarn force—more than a hundred raiders, armed and hungry for blood.
Below him, the camp was silent. Fires dimmed. Warriors waited behind the stone-reinforced barricades, their weapons glinting faintly in the twilight. These men and women were not soldiers—not yet. But they had trained hard under James' command. They knew the plan.
He raised one hand into the air. A long pause.
Then he dropped it.
The first horn blew.
From the walls, spearmen took aim, and the first volley of sharpened poles flew like a storm of arrows. Half of them missed. But a dozen Skarn were hit, caught off guard as the tribe's new wall defenses rained down steel and stone.
"Hold ranks!" the Skarn leader bellowed.
The desert exploded into chaos.
James leapt from the tower.
The Force flowed around him like an invisible river, slowing his fall. He hit the ground in a crouch and surged forward. The air buzzed with energy as he reached out—his hand clenched.
A boulder the size of a barrel ripped from the sand and flew straight into the charging Skarn front line.
[Force Telekinesis: Level 6 → Level 7]
Bones cracked. Screams erupted. Dust and blood rose.
Then James moved again—faster than any child should. His body shimmered faintly, enhanced by Force Body. A Skarn warrior raised a jagged sword, roaring.
James flicked his wrist.
The sword flew from the attacker's hand, sailing into the air, then impaling him as it reversed course midflight.
[Force Telekinesis (Advanced Control): 21%]
[New Skill Branch Unlocked: Kinetic Grip]
Around him, tribe warriors fought with new confidence. Men hurled spears from elevated positions on wooden towers. Women rained down rocks from slingshots. The Skarn were strong—but they weren't prepared for a battle this organized.
James dove into the fray.
His staff, now reinforced with a layer of metal along its spine, spun in his hands like an extension of thought. He crushed knees, shattered ribs, spun and ducked. Then with another gesture, he ripped three Skarn warriors backward, sending them flying into a pile of jagged rubble he'd prepared days ago.
A roar split the field—the Skarn leader.
He charged, his crimson fur cloak billowing like flame, a massive axe raised above his head.
James exhaled.
He reached both hands forward, open-palmed.
The axe stopped mid-swing—hovered, trembling—and then with a sudden twist of James' wrist, snapped in two.
The Skarn leader's eyes widened in disbelief.
James slammed the man backward with a pulse of invisible force that sent him crashing through two wooden barricades.
[Force Telekinesis: Level 8]
But more Skarn kept coming.
James was a flurry of motion. He lifted two raiders off the ground at once, held them in the air, and slammed them together headfirst. He caught spears mid-flight and redirected them. He hurled chunks of stone with pinpoint precision, each one striking a target.
A young Skarn tried to flank him—knife in hand.
Without turning, James ripped the weapon from his belt and hurled it back, blade-first, dropping the boy.
A scream pierced the air—one of the tribe defenders had been hit. James turned to see a section of the wall breached.
Without thinking, he bolted toward it, sliding to his knees and lifting both arms.
The wall stones, half-collapsed, rose into the air under his command. Dozens of pounds of shattered stone levitated—trembling—and then slammed down like a hammer onto the intruding Skarn raiders.
[Force Telekinesis: Level 9 – Passive unlocked: Levitation Lock]
James panted. His face was slick with sweat. His tunic was torn, blood—his and others'—splattered across it.
The ground around him was strewn with bodies.
But it wasn't over yet.
The Skarn leader staggered back into view, blood trailing from his scalp. His eyes were wild now. Desperate.
"You're no child," he spat. "You're a demon."
James said nothing. He extended one hand—and pulled the man into the air.
The Skarn choked, dangling ten feet above the ground, limbs flailing.
"I warned you," James said. "Now you will be the last."
With a final twist of his fingers, he sent the man crashing to the earth.
His skull cracked on the stone.
Silence.
And then—it was done.
The Skarn raiders, leaderless and broken, fled into the night. But the tribe gave no chase. They didn't have to.
The walls stood.
The towers stood.
And James stood among the ruins, the fires of battle casting long shadows behind him.
Aftermath.
The night grew cold. The tribe gathered the fallen. There were losses—but far fewer than in previous raids.
Final Tally:
Skarn Dead: 67
Skarn Captured: 9
Skarn Fled: 21
Tribe Dead: 12
Tribe Wounded: 25
Tribe Survivors: 138
Weapons were gathered from the corpses—blades, armor fragments, crude bows, and sharpened bone tools. James ordered them cleaned, melted, repurposed. He had plans for them.
He stood over the fallen Skarn leader, face calm, unreadable.
[Force Telekinesis: Level 10 – Skill Mastery Achieved: Lift Limit Expanded. Fine Control Enhanced.]
[Title Earned: 'Warlord of the Dunes]
As dawn broke over the desert, the tribe chanted his name.
He didn't raise his arms in triumph.
He simply turned to the horizon.
For he knew more would come.
And he would be ready.
[STATUS PAGE]
[Age: 10]
[Current Identity: "Flame Survivor" / "Warlord of the Dunes"]
[Affiliation: Tribe of Stone Ridge]
[STATS]
[Strength (Physical): 12]
[Agility (Movement & Reaction Speed): 14]
[Force (Midichlorian Count): 8,000]
[Luck: 7]
[SKILLS]
[Staff Combat: 51%] [Advanced][Foundation skill; opened into subskills like Whirlstrike and Fluid Assault.]
[Pain Resistance: 45%] [Allows to keep fighting while injured. Developed from repeated exposure in training and battle.]
[Tactical Insight: Lv. 1] [Grants limited predictive combat intuition; recognizes enemy stance shifts and weaknesses.]
[Force Body: Lv. 2] [Boosts physical resistance and stamina recovery; triggered through willpower during the first trial.]
[Force Telekinesis: Lv. 10] [Most used Force ability. Can lift, push, and crush enemies mid-combat. Precision is improving. Lift Limit Expanded]
[Combo Chain – Fluid Assault: Lv. 1] [Allows for smoother, uninterrupted chains of attacks during melee.]
[Momentum Skill – Whirlstrike: Lv. 1] [A forceful spinning strike, useful for clearing space or staggering foes.]