Night settled heavy over the plain.
The Shackled Hounds rested where they had gathered, their dark shapes scattered across the dead grass like fragments. The wind moved softly through the field, stirring brittle stalks that whispered against one another. Above them, the sky had dimmed to deep blue, the last traces of sunset fading away.
At the center of the pack, the largest hound lay still.
Its breathing was slow. Measured. Chains wrapped tightly around its neck, red slave stones embedded into the metal pulsing faintly, rhythmically. It slept not like a beast, but like a weapon set aside—waiting.
Around it, dozens of other hounds lay curled or crouched. Some shifted in their rest. Others rose briefly, pacing short distances before settling again. None strayed far. None made noise beyond the occasional low huff of breath.
They waited.
Beneath the ground, the earth stirred.
A small mound of dirt lifted almost imperceptibly near the edge of the pack. A moment later, a narrow opening formed, just wide enough for a ratman's head to emerge.
The ratman sniffed the air.
Its nose twitched rapidly, whiskers vibrating as it tested the scents above. Wolf. Metal. Old blood.
It froze, listening.
No movement.
Slowly, carefully, it raised its head a little higher. The hounds remained still. Even the ones closest to the opening did not stir.
Inside the tunnel, its tail wagged once.
A signal.
Kairo watched from behind, crouched low in the narrow passage. Torchlight flickered against the packed dirt walls, the flame muted and shielded to prevent light from spilling upward.
(Good. They're asleep.)
He exhaled silently and placed a hand against the earth.
(If this were anyone else, they'd have to go out there to see them.)
He activated the Command Nexus.
A faint shimmer passed across his vision as translucent panels unfolded before his eyes. With a practiced motion, he tapped the interface, switching from surface view to tactical overlay.
(This is just a matter of pressing a button.)
The world transformed.
The plain above was mapped instantly—every heat source, every mass of movement, every living entity marked by faint symbols. Icons bloomed across the display, layered with information.
Entity Scan: Shackled Hound Horde
Count: 198
Tier Breakdown:
Tier 3: 162 (Primary pack members; enslaved canines enhanced by rune chains for endurance and pack coordination.)
Tier 4: 35 (Elite guards; increased strength and sensory range via amplified slave gems.)
Kairo's expression tightened as he filtered the data.
(That many Tier 4s…)
His gaze shifted instinctively toward the heart of the pack.
(Then what's leading them?)
He adjusted the filters.
The display updated.
At the very center of the formation, one marker dwarfed the rest, but the panel flickered, details blurring as if resisted by some unseen force.
Status Plate: Shackled Hound Alpha
Race: Mutated Canine
Tier: 5
Class: [Rank Obscured—Insufficient Access Level]
Skills: [Partial Scan—Chain Dominion (pack control via runes); Multi-Eye Vigil (enhanced detection); Additional details inaccessible due to superior rank.]
Kairo's breath caught.
(A Tier 5… And I can't even see the full picture. The Nexus has limits due to my low rank.)
Cold reality settled in his chest. This wasn't a threat they could confront head-on—not yet. Not without losses he wasn't willing to accept.
(We need a plan. A real one.)
He sent a silent command through the Nexus.
Dig forward. Locate the leader. Do not surface.
The ratmen responded instantly, shifting deeper into the earth. The tunnel extended slowly, carefully, their small claws reinforcing the walls as they moved. Kairo followed at a measured pace, eyes flicking between the live map and the path ahead.
For several minutes, nothing changed.
Then—
The air shifted.
Not violently. Not suddenly.
Just… wrong.
Kairo frowned.
The ratman at the front paused, its body going rigid. Its ears flattened as it sniffed the air again.
Something above moved.
A faint sound followed—soft, almost indistinguishable.
Sniffing.
Kairo's heart skipped.
He glanced toward the earlier opening.
A shadow passed over it.
Then a shape lowered.
A nose pressed close to the hole.
Wide. Black. Wet.
Kairo's blood ran cold.
(That's bad.)
He raised his hand sharply.
Back. Slowly. No sound.
The ratmen began to retreat, claws digging carefully into the earth as they reversed direction.
For a heartbeat, it seemed to work.
Then a single red eye opened above.
It stared down into the darkness.
The Shackled Hound's gaze locked onto the opening, unblinking. Its chains rattled softly as it shifted its weight.
Kairo felt his stomach drop.
(It noticed.)
The eye vanished.
Then teeth appeared.
Massive jaws snapped downward, tearing through dirt and stone as the hound began to dig with brutal force.
"Run!" Kairo hissed.
The tunnel erupted into motion.
Ratmen scattered forward, abandoning stealth as they sprinted through the cramped passage, dropping to all fours when their legs failed them. Kairo ran behind them, boots slipping as the ground shook violently.
Behind them, the hound forced its way inside.
It was smaller than the alpha—but no less terrifying.
A Tier 3 Shackled Hound.
Its body tore through the tunnel, claws shredding supports as it surged forward, jaws snapping, breath hot and foul.
Kairo glanced back.
"It's fast!"
The distance between them closed rapidly.
(We can't all escape like this.)
His thoughts raced.
(One of us would have to slow it down.)
The realization made his chest tighten.
(No.)
He shook his head as he ran.
(They're not expendable. They're alive.)
This wasn't a battlefield. This wasn't war.
There had to be another way.
The tunnel curved sharply ahead, reinforced by wooden supports and packed dirt.
Kairo's eyes widened.
(The supports.)
He slammed his hand against the Nexus, issuing a new command.
Prepare collapse. On my signal.
Two ratmen darted ahead, running towards th nearby reinforced section. The rest pressed forward, scrambling past them.
But they wouldn't make it in time.
The hound was close now.
Too close.
Suddenly—
One ratman stopped.
It turned.
Kairo's breath caught.
The ratman looked at him.
Their eyes met.
There was no fear in the creature's gaze.
Only resolve.
"No—!" Kairo started.
The same ratman who once trembled at Shiri's shadow, fearing those massive jaws would swallow him whole, now stood unflinching.
No quiver in his whiskers. No retreat in his stance.
He met the charging hound's red glare with steady black eyes—small, but burning with quiet devotion.
Claws flexed. Tail stilled.
For Kairo.
He leapt.
It sprang upward, landing on the hound's face, claws raking across its muzzle and eyes. The beast roared, thrashing violently, blood welling from fresh gashes. The ratman clung for a desperate second, then was thrown aside, crushed beneath a snapping jaw with a wet, final crunch.
The hound staggered. Just for a moment.
The ratman's sacrifice worked, the other ratmen had reached the supports.
Kairo didn't hesitate.
"Now!" he shouted.
The ratmen ahead struck the supports with all their strength. Wood cracked. Dirt gave way. The tunnel shuddered violently.
Kairo and the remaining ratmen dove forward as the ceiling collapsed behind them. Earth and stone thundered down, sealing the passage in a roaring wall of debris.
The hound slammed into it a heartbeat later.
The impact shook the tunnel.
Silence followed.
Kairo stumbled forward, then dropped to his knees, breath tearing from his lungs. He stayed there, hands pressed into the dirt, heart hammering.
The ratmen gathered around him, chattering softly—relieved, shaken, alive.
Kairo looked at the map.
The pack remained above.
The alpha still slept.
The information was complete.
He bowed his head.
"…You did well," he said quietly.
He reached out and rested a hand on the nearest ratman's head. "Tomorrow, we have an army."
The tunnel held.
And the tide remained unaware—
for now.
To be continued....