Liam stood in the ruins of Mall Fortress.
The fight was over, but the damage lingered. Smoke still curled from collapsed walls, blood pooled between broken tiles, and the bodies of fallen raiders remained scattered across the courtyard. His sword was stained, his coat torn at the shoulder where a blade had nearly ended him.
But he was still standing.
Barely.
Rena paced near the barricade, checking the perimeter. She moved with focus, her blade clean, her eyes sharp. She hadn't spoken since they finished off the last attacker. She looked enticing, bloody and sweat flushed down her body.
Her skin glistening from presperation.
Liam didn't blame her.
The system pulsed again.
> [System Alert]
Mall Fortress Secured
Territory Status: Stable (Low Integrity)
Ice Queen Bond Progress: 65%
Timer: 66 Hours Remaining
New Bond Target Identified: Zone Four
Target: Sarya – Trap Specialist
Status: Hostile
Distance: 4.8 Kilometers
Liam narrowed his eyes.
The system didn't waste time. One bond trial barely ended, and the next was already in play.
He turned toward the map overlay. Zone Four blinked red... a ruined industrial sector beyond the city's edge, where factories had once churned before the collapse. Now it was silent, lifeless, except for one signal.
Her.
Trap specialist.
System user.
Hostile.
Another bond he had to claim.
Another beauty for him to take...
Rena stepped beside him.
"New target?"
Liam nodded.
"She's in Zone Four. Alone. Armed. Ready."
Rena looked toward the horizon.
"You think she'll run or fight?"
Liam didn't hesitate.
"Oh she'll fight." He just had that feeling...
He closed the map and sheathed his blade.
"We move now."
They took only what they could carry... energy cells, spare weapons, and a single ration pack between them. The fortress was secure for now, but if they waited, others would come. System hunters, rival bonders, and worse.
Liam wouldn't give them the chance.
They moved fast, cutting through the dead city, past scorched streets and shattered buildings. The wind carried the faint scent of ash and oil, drifting from Zone Four ahead.
The landscape shifted as they approached... from broken city blocks to wide, open stretches of concrete. Empty roads gave way to rusted fences, half-collapsed warehouses, and skeletal towers.
The system pinged again.
> [Proximity Alert]
Target Zone Reached
Warning: High Concentration of Traps
Bond Target: Sarya – Nearby
Status: Observing
Liam scanned the area.
No movement. No sound.
Rena kept her voice low.
"Feels like we're being watched."
"We are," Liam said. "She's testing us."
He crouched, examining the ground.
Thin wires. Pressure plates. Old tech, rigged with system energy. Sophisticated. Meant to maim or kill, not just warn.
"She's good," he muttered.
Rena glanced around.
"Too good."
Liam stood slowly.
"She wants us to walk in blind."
Rena drew her sword.
"Let's disappoint her."
They moved carefully, weaving through the trap field. Liam's system highlighted pressure points, but not all of them. Twice, he nearly tripped a hidden line. Rena caught him once, grabbing his arm and pulling him back just in time.
"Focus."
He nodded.
"I'm not dying here."
The system pinged again.
> Bond Target Lock: Acquired
Position: Elevated – Rooftop 30 Meters
Warning: Ambush Imminent
Liam looked up.
She moved like smoke over broken stone, her steps light, deliberate, dangerous. Sarya's beauty wasn't delicate...
It was sharp. Everything about her seemed crafted for precision: high cheekbones, pale skin smudged with oil and dust, and amber eyes that missed nothing. A streak of dark grease cut across her jaw, but it didn't hide the fullness of her lips or the way they curved in quiet amusement whenever someone underestimated her.
Her form was lean, honed...
not just from battle, but from crawling through ruins, setting traps, dismantling enemy lines. Her long black hair was tied back in a rough braid, loose strands clinging to her cheek in the heat. She wore tight, flexible armor, dark leathers reinforced with metal plates, all tailored to her swift, silent style. Her fingers, gloved and deft, never strayed far from the stock of her crossbow.
There was no arrogance in her stance... only confidence, earned and dangerous. Sarya was beautiful the way a tripwire was beautiful: easy to miss, fatal if ignored.
Sarya...
Liam stood on the rooftop, sword raised, breathing hard. This one was gonna give him a run for his money.
Sarya's eyes burned with defiance as she stared up at him. The trap specialist was pinned beneath the weight of his blade, her legs still frozen from Icebind, her hand clutching a small dagger that she had not managed to use.
She was beaten.
But she did not look afraid. She looked defiant.
Liam's hand trembled slightly from the adrenaline. The fight had been fast, brutal. He had nearly been caught twice in her traps. The rooftop was littered with the shattered remains of energy wires, disabled pressure plates, and one still-flickering net bolt that had missed him by inches.
He lowered the sword an inch.
"Yield."
Sarya laughed quietly.
"Is that your line? After storming into my zone, freezing me in place, and almost slicing me open?"
Liam's eyes narrowed.
"This doesn't have to end in blood."
Her smile faded.
"I should kill you."
"You didn't." Smirking while he said it.
A beat of silence passed between them. Her hand dropped the dagger. It clattered against the metal rooftop.
"Fine," she muttered. "You win."
> [System Alert]
Bond Target Subdued
Trial Bond Initiation Triggered
Bond Status: Temporary
Condition: Co-Survival – 48 Hours
Reward: Full Bond / Territory Access
Sarya stood slowly, brushing frost from her legs as the Icebind faded. She moved stiffly, favoring one ankle. Liam watched her carefully, but she made no move to attack again.
He stepped back.
He really wanted to help her... but she seemed like a viper waiting to attack.
The air was tense.
Rena climbed onto the rooftop behind them, sword in hand. Her eyes darted between Liam and Sarya.
"You alive?"
"Yeah," Liam said.
Sarya raised an eyebrow.
"This your first bond?"
Liam ignored the jab.
"What is coming?" he asked.
Sarya glanced toward the distance.
"You triggered a horde beacon. The traps were linked to a dormant zone event."
Liam's grip tightened.
"How many?"
Her lips thinned.
"Dozens. Maybe more. Mutated. Fast."
Rena cursed softly.
Liam looked at the system overlay. A red wave pulsed on the map, closing in.
> [System Alert]
Threat Detected: Zone Four Horde
Estimated Arrival: 30 Minutes
Trial Bond Active – Failure = Bond Loss and System Penalty
Liam turned to Sarya.
"We fight together."
She gave a short nod.
"Fine. But this doesn't mean I like you."
"You don't have to... But you will."
Rena approached.
"What's the plan?"
Liam scanned the rooftop.
"Hold this position. Use her traps. Set every defense we can. Then we kill everything that comes."
Sarya cracked her knuckles.
"You better be worth the trouble."
Liam smiled coldly.
"I am."
The three of them moved quickly. Sarya began resetting her traps with rapid efficiency, placing shock wires and frost mines near the access points. Rena checked the perimeter, while Liam reinforced the rooftop entrance, dragging debris and scrap into a crude barricade.
The system pinged again.
> [System Boost]
Trial Partner Bonus Activated
Icebind Recharge – 1 Extra Use Available
Buff Unlocked: Overwatch
Effect: +10% Damage Resistance for Team – Duration: Trial Period
Liam felt the power surge again, steady and cold.
He looked at Sarya, who knelt beside a tripwire, fingers moving quickly.
"You ready?"
She didn't look up.
"I always am."
Rena joined him, sword glowing faintly.
"We hold this roof."
Liam nodded.
"We survive."
In the distance, the first scream echoed.
The horde had arrived.