The battle for the communal hall became a desperate, close-quarters slugfest. With the Brood Mother's direct assault on the floor temporarily stymied by Kenji's Aetheric Dampening Field, the Blighted horde focused its efforts on overwhelming the defenders through sheer numbers, pouring in through the new breach in the wall and hammering at the main doors.
Kenji, propped against a wall, was a battlefield commander with a shattered army. His Aether was still critically low, but his Level 2 SAI, even with limited functionality, was a significant upgrade. It provided him with clearer tactical overlays, faster analysis of Blighted weaknesses, and even highlighted optimal attack vectors for the defenders near him, all with minimal Aether cost for the interface itself.
"Finn!" Kenji called out, his voice weak but clear. "The Elite Skitterer by the overturned cart! Its left forelimb joint is less chitinous! A precise strike there!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SAI - Tactical Overlay/Entity Analysis (Live)]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TARGET: Elite Skitterer #ES007
VULNERABILITY DETECTED: Left Forelimb Joint (Segment 2)
- Chitin Density: 35% Lower than Thorax Average.
- Suggested Attack Vector: Low Thrust (Spear/Short Sword).
- Probability of Crippling Injury (with precise hit): 78%.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finn, trusting the strange pronouncements of the "Architect," ducked under a wild swing and thrust his spear exactly where Kenji indicated. The Skitterer shrieked and stumbled, its limb buckling.
Martha, using her axe with brutal efficiency, was a bulwark against the tide. Kenji's SAI helped her too, identifying momentary weaknesses in the swarm's formation. "Martha! Three Skitterers grouping on your right! A wide, sweeping attack could break their coordination!"
The Aetheric Dampening Field above the Heartstone eventually failed, its 45 seconds an eternity in the heat of battle. The Brood Mother's frustrated roars resumed from beneath the floor, and the ground trembled once more, but the critical moments of its direct breach attempt had passed. It seemed to hesitate, perhaps sensing the cost of another direct assault versus the easier path of simply overwhelming the defenders above.
Slowly, agonizingly, the tide began to turn within the hall. The villagers, inspired by Kenji's seemingly prophetic guidance and the unyielding courage of Martha and Finn, fought with a desperate ferocity. They used the hall's chokepoints, overturned furniture for cover, and every dirty trick they knew.
Hours seemed to pass. Kenji's Aether slowly crept up, aided by Lyra and whatever trace amounts his upgraded SAI could siphon from the ambient, cleaner Aether within the hall. By the time the sun began to set outside, casting long, bloody shadows through the breaches, the last of the Skitterers within the communal hall was finally felled.
An exhausted, wounded, and grief-stricken group of survivors remained. The hall was a wreck, strewn with debris and the black ichor of the Blighted. They had held.
But the silence that followed was ominous. The Brood Mother was still out there.
Then, a new series of tremors began, not the violent shaking of an attack, but a slower, rhythmic receding.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SAI - System Log/APEWS (Earthworm Network) - Live Feed]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MASSIVE BLIGHTED SIGNATURE (Probable Brood Mother): WITHDRAWING.
- Vector: Moving North-West, away from Havenwood perimeter.
- Associated Skitterer Swarms: Also withdrawing, following primary signature.
- Current Aetheric Disturbance: Decreasing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's... it's leaving?" Finn breathed, disbelief in his voice.
Kenji focused his weary mind. "It seems so. Perhaps it expended too much energy. Or... perhaps it achieved something we don't yet understand."
Cautiously, scouts were sent out. They returned with news that the Blighted horde was indeed retreating, leaving a trail of devastation but moving away from Havenwood.
The village had survived. But the cost was high. Nearly a third of Havenwood's defenders had fallen, including some of the Greystone survivors. Many more were wounded. The palisade was breached in multiple places, several homes were destroyed, and the communal hall was a ruin. Their food stores, though largely protected in cellars, would be strained.
As Old Man Hemlock and the women tended to the wounded by the light of flickering lamps, Elara stood with Kenji and Martha amidst the devastation.
"We held," Elara said, her voice heavy with sorrow and weariness. "But this was not a true victory."
Martha nodded, her face grim. "They tested us. And they'll be back. Stronger, maybe."
Kenji looked at his SAI.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SAI - System Log/Post-Conflict Analysis (Preliminary)]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USER: Kenji Tanaka
Internal Aether: 18/100 Units.
SAI Level: 2 (Stable). New functions accessible but require familiarization.
HAVENWOOD STATUS:
- Defensive Integrity: Severely Compromised.
- Resources: Strained.
- Morale: Low but Resilient.
BLIGHT ASSESSMENT (Post-Withdrawal):
- Enemy Tactics: Demonstrated coordination, targeted assault, and
adaptation (focusing on Heartstone).
- Unresolved Anomalies: Reason for Brood Mother's withdrawal unclear.
Potential for feigned retreat or secondary objective.
- Ominous Sign: Lingering, unusually structured Aetheric residue detected
near the Heartstone's chamber (requires further investigation).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There's something... wrong," Kenji said slowly, focusing on the last line of the system report. "The Aether near the Heartstone... it's not just disturbed. It's... structured. Like a faint, corrupted signal."
The victory felt hollow, a temporary reprieve before a more insidious threat. The Blight was more than just a mindless plague. It was learning. And it may have left a parting gift.