Empire of Blood
The clearing still held the marks of the battle, the disturbed soil, the broken roots, and the subtle indentations left by the Alpha’s movement making it obvious where the fight had unfolded, even as the forest itself began to settle back into place around it.
Jack stood near the remains a moment longer, the Beast Core still in his hand as he turned it slightly, feeling the weight of it, not just physically, but in what it represented.
It wasn’t large.
But it mattered.
Sophie stepped closer, her breathing steadier now, though the earlier strain still showed in the way she rolled her shoulder slightly, testing the lingering discomfort.
“So that’s what we’re actually out here for,” she said.
Jack glanced at her.
“Part of it,” he replied.
She looked around at the clearing, then back at the core.
“…Doesn’t feel like it matches the effort,” she said.
Jack nodded once.
“That’s because it doesn’t,” he said.
There was no frustration in his voice.
That made it worse.
One of the Sisters let out a slow breath as she leaned slightly against a tree, not collapsing, but letting the tension ease now that the fight was over.
“That thing was a lot harder than the others,” she said. “And we only got one of those?”
Jack didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked past the clearing, toward the deeper forest, where movement was less visible, where the terrain grew rougher, and where the density of the trees made it harder to read what was ahead.
Then he looked back at the core again.
“Yes,” he said.
That was the reality.
The group fell quiet after that.
Not because they didn’t have anything to say, but because they were all reaching the same conclusion at slightly different speeds.
Sophie got there first.
“This doesn’t scale,” she said.
Jack glanced at her again.
She gestured lightly toward the clearing.
“We fight something stronger, we take more risk, we work harder… and we get a little more out of it, but not enough to matter long term.”
Jack nodded.
“That’s about right.”
She frowned slightly, not out of frustration, but because she was trying to work through it.
“So what’s the point?” she asked.
Jack turned the Beast Core once more in his hand before closing his fingers around it.
“For now?” he said. “Experience. Practice. Control.”
Sophie didn’t look convinced.
“And later?” she asked.
Jack looked out into the forest again, his attention settling on the deeper sections, where the terrain shifted more dramatically and where the movement of stronger creatures would be harder to predict.
“Something better,” he said.
That was the only answer that mattered.
The group remained where they were for a few more moments, the silence no longer uncomfortable, but thoughtful, each of them processing what they had just experienced in their own way.
Then Sophie straightened.
“So we go deeper?” she asked.
Jack considered it.
He thought about the terrain ahead.
And what they would gain from it.
Then he shook his head.
“Not yet,” he said.
Sophie blinked slightly.
“…Not yet?” she repeated.
Jack turned toward her.
“We could,” he said. “We’d find stronger enemies. Maybe more elites. Maybe something that actually gives us what we’re looking for.”
She nodded slowly.
“That sounds like what we want.”
“It does,” Jack agreed.
He looked back toward the direction of Sanguina, though it was no longer visible through the trees.
“But that’s not the only thing that matters.”
The others shifted slightly, their attention settling more fully on him now.
“Sanguina isn’t stable yet,” he continued. “It’s working. It’s growing. But it’s not self-sufficient.”
Sophie frowned.
“So?” she asked.
Jack met her gaze.
“So if we spend all our time out here chasing better fights,” he said, “we’re building ourselves, not the place that’s supposed to support everything else.”
That landed.
She didn’t argue.
One of the Sisters shifted slightly.
“…You’re saying this isn’t the priority,” she said.
Jack nodded.
“Not right now.”
There was a pause.
Then Sophie exhaled quietly.
“…That’s annoying,” she said.
Jack almost smiled.
“Yeah,” he replied.
It was.
Because fighting was simple.
This wasn’t.
He turned slightly, adjusting his grip on the Beast Core before storing it, his attention already shifting toward what came next instead of what they had just finished.
“We head back,” he said.
No one argued.
That alone told him everything he needed to know.
They understood.
Even if they didn’t like it.
Chapter 65 – The Return on Effort
They didn’t move immediately after the fight ended.
Not because they were unable to.
But because, for the first time since leaving Sanguina, there wasn’t any urgency pushing them forward.
The clearing still held the marks of the battle, the disturbed soil, the broken roots, and the subtle indentations left by the Alpha’s movement making it obvious where the fight had unfolded, even as the forest itself began to settle back into place around it.
Jack stood near the remains a moment longer, the Beast Core still in his hand as he turned it slightly, feeling the weight of it, not just physically, but in what it represented.
It wasn’t large.
It wasn’t dramatic.
But it mattered.
Sophie stepped closer, her breathing steadier now, though the earlier strain still showed in the way she rolled her shoulder slightly, testing the lingering discomfort.
“So that’s what we’re actually out here for,” she said.
Jack glanced at her.
“Part of it,” he replied.
She looked around at the clearing, then back at the core.
“…Doesn’t feel like it matches the effort,” she said.
Jack nodded once.
“That’s because it doesn’t,” he said.
There was no frustration in his voice.
Just observation.
That made it worse.
One of the Sisters let out a slow breath as she leaned slightly against a tree, not collapsing, but letting the tension ease now that the fight was over.
“That thing was a lot harder than the others,” she said. “And we only got one of those?”
Jack didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked past the clearing, toward the deeper forest, where movement was less visible, where the terrain grew rougher, and where the density of the trees made it harder to read what was ahead.
Then he looked back at the core again.
“Yes,” he said.
That was the reality.
The group fell quiet after that.
Not because they didn’t have anything to say, but because they were all reaching the same conclusion at slightly different speeds.
Sophie got there first.
“This doesn’t scale,” she said.
Jack glanced at her again.
She gestured lightly toward the clearing.
“We fight something stronger, we take more risk, we work harder… and we get a little more out of it, but not enough to matter long term.”
Jack nodded.
“That’s about right.”
She frowned slightly, not out of frustration, but because she was trying to work through it.
“So what’s the point?” she asked.
Jack turned the Beast Core once more in his hand before closing his fingers around it.
“For now?” he said. “Experience. Practice. Control.”
Sophie didn’t look convinced.
“And later?” she asked.
Jack looked out into the forest again, his attention settling on the deeper sections, where the terrain shifted more dramatically and where the movement of stronger creatures would be harder to predict.
“Something better,” he said.
That was the only answer that mattered.
The group remained where they were for a few more moments, the silence no longer uncomfortable, but thoughtful, each of them processing what they had just experienced in their own way.
Then Sophie straightened.
“So we go deeper?” she asked.
Jack considered it.
He thought about the terrain ahead.
The density.
The likely increase in difficulty.
The time it would take to find something stronger.
And what they would gain from it.
Then he shook his head.
“Not yet,” he said.
Sophie blinked slightly.
“…Not yet?” she repeated.
Jack turned toward her.
“We could,” he said. “We’d find stronger enemies. Maybe more elites. Maybe something that actually gives us what we’re looking for.”
She nodded slowly.
“That sounds like what we want.”
“It does,” Jack agreed.
He looked back toward the direction of Sanguina, though it was no longer visible through the trees.
“But that’s not the only thing that matters.”
The others shifted slightly, their attention settling more fully on him now.
“Sanguina isn’t stable yet,” he continued. “It’s working. It’s growing. But it’s not self-sufficient.”
Sophie frowned.
“So?” she asked.
Jack met her gaze.
“So if we spend all our time out here chasing better fights,” he said, “we’re building ourselves, not the place that’s supposed to support everything else.”
That landed.
She didn’t argue.
One of the Sisters shifted slightly.
“…You’re saying this isn’t the priority,” she said.
Jack nodded.
“Not right now.”
There was a pause.
Then Sophie exhaled quietly.
“…That’s annoying,” she said.
Jack almost smiled.
“Yeah,” he replied.
It was.
Because fighting was simple.
This wasn’t.
He turned slightly, adjusting his grip on the Beast Core before storing it, his attention already shifting toward what came next instead of what they had just finished.
“We head back,” he said.
No one argued.
That alone told him everything he needed to know.
They understood.
Even if they didn’t like it.
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