The air quivered with the distant clang of metal and the guttural roars of beastmen, guttural and raw, echoing off the canyon walls.
But it wasn't just them. Cain's eyes narrowed as heavier footsteps shook the ground.
'Too light for a stone creature and too heavy for a beast... Definitely giants.'
He took a deep breath, steadying his hands before reaching into his bag and pulling out a small, intricately designed container.
With a flick of his wrist, he released the latch, and a swarm of drone wasps buzzed out, their metallic wings humming in perfect synchronization.
The wasps scattered in every direction, their iridescent shells glinting under the pale sunlight.
They weren't just simple automatons — these were his own creations, forged during his time with Roberta.
His aunt had taught him counter-espionage methods meant for corporate warfare, but he had adapted them for a versatile use.
His drone wasps were designed to hunt down and dismantle mystic wards, disrupt technomancy surveillance, and scramble basic scrying spells.
Each was equipped with a high-definition camera, a thermal sensor, and an energy signature reader, turning every bug into a perfect instrument of detection and disruption.
The insect-like machines flitted through the air with almost organic grace — spreading in the perimeter with mechanical stealth.
His gaze drifted to the distant tremors, where the battle ensued.
Giants — towering figures of unyielding flesh and stone, their forms nearly impervious to damage.
It was common knowledge that destroying their brain or heart did little to stop them.
Their bodies would keep moving, animated by their prana cores — jewel-like organs that pulsed with raw energy.
Scientists theorized that a giant's very soul was anchored to this core, keeping them animated even after catastrophic damage.
Though still unverified, it was enough to send chills down the spine of any soldier who had faced them on the battlefield.
Unlike beastmen, the giants had never adopted human technology.
They viewed mankind as lesser, fragile constructs — a belief grounded in anatomical fact.
Cain's mind spun, tracing the jagged edges of history.
'Giants had never signed an armistice with men. Not once. Their conquests were relentless, unyielding. Their lines never break, they just kept pushing. As for the beastmen? Some of them were bred like livestock, raised for slaughter.'
'Now, how could these guys work with them?'
Cain couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it. A whisper of conspiracy lingered at the edge of his thoughts, but he shook it off.
The world wasn't black and white — it was carved from shades of betrayal and dominance, and he knew better than to assume otherwise.
Cain stepped out from behind the old megastructures, his footsteps unmuted as they scraped against the soil while he approached the ongoing battle.
The two factions, giants and beastmen — didn't stop their assault on the shardlings.
He took a moment to study the creatures, his eyes narrowing. These weren't like the usual iron-and-mud constructs that plagued the outer lands.
No, these Shardlings were pure metal, their bodies gleaming with sharp, angular plating, segmented like living blades.
Their movements were fluid yet mechanical, reminiscent of desert lizards — sleek, agile, and disturbingly efficient.
Their appendages clattered with metallic resonance, claws tearing through stone as if it were loose dirt.
While Cain's imagination wandered, mulling over a proposal, the lion beastman's roar cut through his thoughts.
"Five percent! Take it or leave it!"
The words were harsh, clipped with impatience.
"Wa... Wait a minute, sir."
Cain replied with hesitation, his face flustered as if unsure whether to take the offer — but despite his expression, he had already calculated at least a few moves in advance.
Moving forward, his eyes flickered across the gathering. Four giants loomed over the field, towering monstrosities of flesh and stone hard muscles.
But it was the leader that drew his attention — a hulking figure over six meters tall, scars etched across his rust-like skin.
He held a scourge, its barbed ends crackling faintly with latent energy, swinging it in arcs that cleaved through shardlings with brutal efficiency.
Cain's wasps flew around the perimeter, disrupting the ladybug cameras the beastmen used for surveillance.
His probe spell slithered through the networks, coiling through connections like threads of invisible silk.
But the moment it reached the giant leader, Cain's instincts flared.
The giant's eyes snapped toward the wasp, and before Cain could react, something thin and jagged shot from the giant's maw — like a nail fired from a cannon.
The wasp shattered instantly, fragments of metal scattering through the air.
Cain's visor hid the tension etched across his face, but beneath the layers of his suit, sweat beaded along his back.
He swallowed hard, eyes flicking to the giant leader, whose gaze seemed to sweep over the battlefield with surgical precision.
'That giant is too sensitive, this isn't going to be simple. The battle awareness of this guy's too strong.'
His fingertips brushing the edge of his interface.
The lion beastman turned, raising his eyebrows — silently asking if Cain wanted the deal.
Cain nodded, affirming his stance.
He raised a finger, murmuring the incantation under his breath.
'Flash Beam.'
Light burst forth in focused pulses, scattering across the shardling's sensing crystals.
It was a simple spell — one of the cheapest to cast, but demanding precision.
Mastery over it was a statement, enough to earn respect without drawing suspicion.
The shardlings staggered, metallic limbs twitching as if drunk.
It wasn't much, but it was enough to disorient them. Cain used the momentary chaos to study the field, watching how each beastman moved.
There were seven in total — three rat beastmen, two wolves, the commanding lion, and a towering rhino.
His eyes narrowed as he observed the rats from a distance.
Each wielded different long-range capabilities — one with crackling flames licking at his fingertips, another spraying corrosive poison with lethal accuracy, and the last tossing explosives that detonated in bursts.
Precision, disruption, and raw destruction — a perfect blend.
The two wolves moved in unison, dual-wielding short swords that gleamed under the pale light.
Their attacks were calculated, blades slicing through the air with ruthless efficiency as they targeted the shardling's sensing crystals — surgical strikes meant to cripple.
Cain noted their synchronization, the way they flanked and shifted, a deadly rhythm that carved through metal plating like butter.
And then there was the rhino — it barreled forward with unflinching resolve, absorbing strikes that would have shattered stone.
Its massive frame braced behind twin tower shields, each impact ringing out like a war drum as it absorbed blow after blow from the colossal Shardlings.
Every stomp sent tremors through the ground, its sheer mass defying the assault.
'Pretty good synergy but...'
He couldn't rush this — he didn't trust any of these guys at all.
'These guys weren't in the verified list at all.'