The wind had shifted.
Beyond the outer ring of the druid village, past woven walls of thorns and whispering roots, the forest bent slightly. Quietly. Like it knew something was wrong.
A low hum rippled through the trees.
Not birds.
Not insects.
Engines.
Low and silent, like a predator breathing.
A ship descended above the canopy, sleek, segmented, built to vanish in the dark. Its hull bore a faded white insignia...
Unit R-163: Pale Servants
The newest Exterminator squad.
Young, but already terrifying. Known for unpredictability, cruelty, and surgical devastation. Wherever they went, silence followed.
Five stepped out.
Each wearing a suit crafted for one thing... domination.
Squad Leader: Drexxon-04
Suit: NS-04 "Grave Tyrant" — Bulky, ridged armor plated with a mineral compound harvested from voidstone, absorbing light. Helmet resembled a scowling mask with no eye slits, only a pulsing slit of red across the brow.
Weapon: "Gravemaul" — A heavy warhammer with kinetic disruption cores that detonate on impact.
Ability: "Silent Verdict" — When standing still, he becomes nearly untrackable by thermal or sound for up to 15 seconds, ideal for ambush strikes.
He spoke nothing as he emerged. He didn't need to.
Second-in-Command: Halrix-88
Suit: FS-88 "Lurking Coil" — Streamlined and organic-looking, with faintly glowing tendrils around the limbs that react to movement.
Weapon: "Venomlace" — Chain-sickles laced with paralytic neuro-flux that can numb even armored nerves.
Ability: "Pulse Echo" — Sends out a vibration every few seconds that marks heartbeats within a 15-meter radius—perfect for tracking hidden foes.
He cracked the sickles against a tree as he passed, and a druid carving exploded into splinters.
Sniper: Vorn-17
Suit: SS-17 "Pale Gale" — Pale-gray chameleon plating with feather-like hex-nodes for adaptive cloaking. Minimal sound profile.
Weapon: "Cryolance" — A cryo-sniper capable of flash-freezing internal organs without leaving surface burns.
Ability: "Frozen Veil" — For five seconds, nullifies all external wind, temperature, and movement around him, allowing him to snipe without interference.
High in the branches, Vorn had already taken position. His visor zoomed in—pulse locked, breath stilled.
Assassin: Sylessa-02
Suit: RG-02 "Needle Widow" — Black velvet matte with crystalline segments that extended like spider limbs when moving at speed.
Weapon: "Silkfangs" — Needle-thin throwing blades that inject corrosive acids and slice silently.
Ability: "Wraithdrop" — Can descend from any height in total silence, no matter the surface or armor weight.
She slithered between trees, already behind the children before they even noticed.
Rogue: Mekk-59
Suit: VN-59 "Flicker Fiend" — Angular, gleaming with unstable arc-light, powered by stolen magical cores.
Weapon: "Grindgleam" — Electrified dual tonfa-swords that build charge the longer they're spun.
Ability: "Echo Phase" — Can leave behind a short-lived illusion clone while dodging, confusing enemies and drawing attacks.
He crouched low, head twitching side to side, muttering a lullaby in static tones through his modulator.
The four druid children stood frozen.
Drexxon took one step forward. "Where is your village?"
No answer.
Halrix's chain-sickles hissed, dragging through the dirt like living snakes.
Sylessa vanished and reappeared behind a child, blades glinting at their neck.
Still, no response.
"Speak Monster," Drexxon said flatly. "where is your village no monster get to live free."
Vorn's cryolance charged.
Mekk giggled softly. "Ooooh, brave little monsters. Let's see how brave when your magic snaps."
Meanwhile…
Axel sat perched in the arms of a living tree, helmet sealed. His eyes scanned the peaceful village below.
Kyra ran between two giant roots, laughing with the other children as lights flickered at her fingertips.
Brakka drilled Korrak on footwork in the sparring ring, grumbling whenever his form slipped. "Too heavy with your back foot! Shift!"
Sylthea sat with robed elders, ink swirling in midair as they debated the finer points of ritual purity.
And in his helm, Axel spoke.
"Still with me?"
"Where else would I go?" the Black Wolf replied.
"You've gotten quieter." Axel said still looking down.
"You've gotten less stupid." Black Wolf replied.
Axel snorted. "That almost sounded like a compliment."
"Don't get used to it." A Black Wolf paused. "Do you still trust me?"
"I trust you more than more than humans."Axel replied.
Another silence.
"I thought binding to a human would consume me." Black Wolf's voice was lower, reflective. "Instead, I've learned. Rage isn't the only power worth wielding."
Axel nodded slightly. "Kyra taught you that?"
"You both did."
They sat together in stillness. Demon and man.
Then...
"Something's wrong." Said as Black Wolf sensors picked up something.
Axel tensed.
"What and where?"
"East. Beyond the ridge. Four life-signs. Small. Afraid. Surrounded by five others. Suits… not from this village." Black Wolf responded.
"Enhance me." Alex gaze became serious.
"Sensory limiters off." Black Wolf spoke with purpose.
The world opened.
Sight tunneled through branches.
And he saw it.
Five pale suits.
Druid children. Trapped.
Exterminators.
Axel rose on the branch, back straight, visor gleaming.
"Black Wolf," he said calmly, voice like a blade.
"Ready," the demon replied.
"Activate Lightning Rune."
The suit responded instantly.
... CRACK ...
A golden current tore through the matte-black armor. Veins across Axel's limbs surged bright gold, casting eerie reflections through the forest canopy. His chestplate pulsed, elemental circuits flaring. Lightning spiraled around his limbs like living serpents.
The tree branch beneath him hissed with scorched bark.
Then he vanished in a blinding flash of gold.
At the edge of the forest...
The Gravemaul rose.
Drexxon loomed over one of the druid children, their wide eyes shimmering with terrified tears.
"Goodbye, little monster," he intoned.
The maul came down...
BOOM!
A streak of gold and black tore through the clearing, and in less than a heartbeat...
CRACK!
Axel appeared directly between the hammer and the child. His armored fist met Drexxon's chest with thunderous force.
The squad leader flew backward like a meteor, crashing through two trees and slamming into a mossy boulder with a deep THRUM that made birds scream and scatter.
The druid children gasped.
One fell to their knees in relief.
"It's the Black Wolf…"
"We're saved!"
Axel stood protectively in front of them, lightning still coursing along his limbs like chained fury. His visor burned bright red. His greatsword hadn't even left his back yet.
"Don't worry," he said, voice calm and cold. "They won't lay another finger on you."
The kids stared at him in awe, eyes filled with trust and wonder. One stared at his armoured back, trembling. Another whispered, "He's even scarier than the stories…"
Axel didn't move.
He didn't need to.
Drexxon groaned, lifting himself from the shattered stone, his chest armor cracked. "If it isn't the legendary Black Wolf…"
Sylessa, already crouched in a tree, whispered, "We kill him and we're set for life."
Halrix spun one sickle. "Dead or alive, his head's worth more than diamonds."
Vorn adjusted his sniper scope. "I've waited to see that armor bleed."
Mekk licked his teeth behind the visor. "Finally. A real fight. Let's carve our names into history."
They began to fan out.
Black Wolf's voice growled low in Axel's mind. "Five-on-one odds. Tactically unwise."
Axel's fingers flexed, and lightning sparked at his knuckles. "For them."
Axel's voice was calm. "You rookies don't even know who I am. But you think killing me'll make you famous."
Drexxon stepped forward, dragging his maul with a seismic rumble. "No, Black Wolf. We know exactly who you are."
Sylessa's voice whispered from above. "The defected hound."
Vorn's scope locked in. "The butcher of Blood Reign."
Halrix licked his teeth. "The one who betrayed humanity."
Mekk spun his tonfas. "Our golden ticket."
Axel glanced back once at the kids. "Stay behind me."
The children nodded, frozen but brave.
Then Axel turned, flexing both hands.
"I don't care what you call me," he said.
Then his voice lowered.
"But you won't leave this forest alive."