The Mall Fortress had never been this quiet.
Liam stood at the top of the old food court, leaning against a rusted railing as he stared out across the cracked skylight. Rain dripped through the shattered glass, each drop echoing like a clock counting down. Beyond the ruined roof, storm clouds drifted low, casting everything in gray.
Zone Thirteen pulsed red on his system map.
But Liam's eyes were elsewhere.
The mall was empty.
Not of danger. Not of supplies. Not of ghosts.
Of them.
His wives had been gone for two days.
Rena, stationed at the entrance barricades, commanding the defense like a war goddess.
Elyra, ruling the Siren's Court with charm and veiled threat, unreachable behind her silver eyes.
Vexa, patrolling the stormlands alone, daring any enemy to face her strength.
Kaelith and Kaelithra, hunting in the outer zones, blades gleaming, always moving, never home.
Ice Queen, far to the north, securing Frosthold, sending no messages, only frost.
Sylvara, gone as fast as she had come, running storm patrols with no word since.
Sarya and Kaelyn, deep in ruins, scouting for resources, tracking Horde movements.
9 wives.
Zero here.
Liam clenched his fist, knuckles white.
He wasn't used to silence anymore.
He wasn't used to sleeping alone.
---
> [System Alert]
Bond Rotation: Delay – No Wives Returning Today
Loyalty Sync: 81% – Stable
Mall Fortress – Status: Fortified
Horde Threat Level: Rising
Detected: Horde Movement 3 KM South
Zone Thirteen Signal – Crimson Sands Active
Bond Target: Feral Healer – Status: Watching
Warning: Isolation Effect – Mental Stability Decline Imminent
---
He ran a hand through his hair.
Three days ago, he had ten wives. Ten flames around him, pulling, teasing, demanding.
Now? Silence.
Not just loneliness. Pressure. Responsibility.
He didn't just own bonds. He owned a kingdom.
Footsteps echoed on the upper floor.
Liam tensed... until he saw her.
Kaelyn.
She moved like shadow and silk, her assassin's cloak soaked through from rain, twin daggers at her hips. Her raven hair clung to her face, lips parted, breath fast.
"Zone clear," she said. "But... there's movement. South end. Big."
Liam's jaw clenched.
"Horde?"
She nodded, stepping closer.
"And... something else. Watching. I couldn't get close."
Her hand brushed his chest lightly.
"You're burning up."
He didn't step back.
"I'm fine."
Kaelyn's eyes flicked over his face, reading him like a blade reads skin.
"You're alone too much."
He met her eyes.
"You're the only one here."
Her breath hitched.
"And if I stayed?"
Liam didn't answer.
Because he couldn't lie.
---
> [System Alert]
Rotation Override Available – One Wife May Remain for 24 Hours
Pending: Kaelyn Requesting Assignment
Reward: Loyalty Boost – Assassin Guard Active
---
Kaelyn's fingers brushed the line of his jaw.
"You need someone. Tonight."
He caught her wrist gently.
"And if I call another tomorrow?"
She smiled faintly.
"Then I'll wait my turn. I'm patient."
A roar echoed in the distance.
Low.
Animal.
The Horde.
Kaelyn stepped back.
"Duty first. But later?"
Liam nodded once.
"Later."
---
Crimson Sands
The wasteland burned red.
Liam stood on the ridge overlooking Zone Thirteen, the Crimson Sands, where dunes stretched in every direction, glittering with strange minerals. Sandstorms whipped through the canyon below, but it wasn't the heat or the wind that held his attention.
It was the eyes.
Watching from the ridge.
Low to the ground, crawling, darting between rocks.
Not Horde.
Something... else.
A figure emerged from the dust.
She walked on bare feet, toes silent in the sand, a long cloak trailing behind her. Her skin was sun-bronzed, smooth and scarred, her hair long and wild, streaked with red. Eyes... sharp, glowing, inhuman.
She wasn't just Feral.
She was beautiful.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
She knelt, not in submission, but like a predator watching prey.
"You're the one the system wants," she whispered.
Liam didn't flinch.
"And who are you?"
She smiled. Sharp teeth. Bare lips.
"I heal. I kill. I survive. I don't follow."
Liam stepped forward.
"You will."
She rose, cloak falling back.
Her figure was perfect. Curves hidden under worn leather, toned legs marked with old scars. She was a healer... but a fighter first. Her eyes never left his.
"Catch me, Overlord," she said.
Then she vanished into the storm.
The chase had begun.
And this bond?
Wouldn't come easy.
---
> [System Alert]
Bond Target: Feral Healer – Initiated
Objective: Capture and Tame – Time Limit 12 Hours
Reward: Bloodroot Healing Buff (Passive)
Danger: Horde Convergence Detected
---
Liam exhaled, sword in hand.
No wives. No support.
Only him.
The Horde.
And one feral beauty that didn't want to be caught.
Yet.
The Crimson Sands were alive.
Not with life. With death.
Liam sprinted across a dune ridge, his boots slipping on the crimson dust. Behind him, the sandstorm howled, visibility collapsing to mere feet. The Feral Healer was fast... inhumanly so. She didn't leave tracks. She didn't make noise.
She wanted him to chase her.
And she was leading him deeper.
Into the storm.
---
> [System Alert]
Bond Target: Feral Healer – 85 Meters Ahead
Status: Active Hunt
Horde Presence: Rising – 60 Drones Detected Nearby
Warning: Engaging in Isolation – Risk Level: High
---
A shriek tore through the wind.
The Horde.
Liam spun, sword flashing.
A creature lunged from the dunes... twisted, humanoid, eyes glowing red. Its jaw unhinged as it charged, blackened claws reaching.
Liam struck.
One clean slash sent the thing tumbling back, blood spraying the sand. He didn't pause. Another shriek behind him. Then another. Three more figures surged forward, limbs twitching unnaturally.
He dropped low, slashing again. Fast. Efficient.
The Horde weren't clever.
But they were endless.
His breath came faster, heart pounding.
Where were his wives now?
Where was Rena's sword, Sarya's bolts, Ice Queen's frost?
Gone.
His sword met flesh again.
He fought alone.
---
The storm broke around him, and suddenly... silence.
Liam turned, panting.
She stood there.
The Feral Healer.
Her cloak was gone, revealing her toned frame wrapped in desert leathers, her arms bare, dust-covered, muscles taut. She didn't carry weapons... just a curved bone dagger at her side. Her eyes glowed faintly as she stepped into view.
"You bleed," she said softly.
Liam didn't answer.
"You're not like the others. You chase."
He tightened his grip on the sword.
"And you run."
She circled him slowly, bare feet silent in the sand. Her eyes roamed over him, studying... not like prey. Like something she might keep.
"Why bond with me?" she asked. "I'm not like your others. I don't bow. I heal who I choose. I follow no one."
Liam met her eyes.
"You will follow me."
She stopped just a breath away.
"And if I don't?"
He stepped closer, voice low.
"Then I take you."
Her breath hitched.
The storm screamed around them. The Horde shrieked behind the dunes.
She smiled.
"Then try."
---
> [System Alert]
Bond Trial Triggered – Feral Healer
Objective: Dominate Without Injury
Warning: Horde Swarm Approaching – 2 Minutes
Bonus Reward: Feral Bond Skill – Bloodroot Regeneration
---
She lunged.
Not like prey.
Like a beast.
Liam caught her wrist mid-swing, twisted, forced her back. She flipped, legs wrapping around him, trying to pull him down.
They crashed into the sand.
She snarled, claws flashing, her body slick with sweat and dust.
Liam pinned her.
She fought back.
Hard.
Her breath came fast, her eyes wild.
"You won't break me!"
He didn't flinch.
"I don't break. I bond."
He pressed her into the sand, muscles straining, sword forgotten. This wasn't a battle of weapons.
It was a test of will.
She bucked again.
Failed.
He held her.
Firm.
Breathless.
"You're mine now," he whispered.
Her lips parted.
"I... submit."
The system pulsed... hard.
---
> [System Update]
Bond Secured – Naia, Feral Healer
Buff Gained: Bloodroot Regeneration – Passive Healing
Bond Loyalty: Unstable – Wild Submission
Naia assigned to Crimson Sands Recovery Post (Mobile).
Bond Count: 11/ 99
Loyalty Sync: 80% – Stable
Warning: Horde Swarm Engaged – Run or Fight
---
Naia stood slowly, her breath still quick, her eyes gleaming.
"I follow you," she whispered. "For now."
Liam raised his sword.
The Horde was coming.
Dozens.
Maybe more.
Naia grinned.
"Then let's see if your other bonds can keep up."
They ran... side by side.
The storm behind them. The Horde closing.
But the next bond was his.
And the war was far from over.