The Last Legendary System

Rolling hills and scattered trees filled the landscape. The battlefield shrank behind Benign and Zina with every step through the trees.

Benign stayed low, weaving through rocks and y’all grasses while Zina’s hurried footsteps came behind him.

Another twig snapped. Benign stopped without looking back. He crouched beside the broken branch and brushed the leaves into place with two fingers.

"Step where I step," he whispered, waiting until she nodded before moving again.

They continued their pace. A shallow hill overlooked a small camp with hundreds of tents stretching across the valley below.

Wounded soldiers lay beneath makeshift shelters waiting for treatment. The first basic aid had been administered.

Benign’s eyes lingered on the stretchers instead of the guards. An idea came to mind. Beside him, Zina shifted to peek, but loose stones rolled under her boots.

"Hey—"

Benign caught her sleeve before she stumbled any farther. A finger hurried to his lips. "Shush!"

He pulled her upward, and both of them lay flat on the ground as a patrol’s lantern swept across that hillside. The light drifted on. Benign released her arm with a quiet sigh. "This is exactly why I didn’t want company."

She lowered her head. "Sorry."

"That doesn’t cut it. Just stay close."

An unconscious soldier groaned as two medics abandoned his stretcher near the edge of the camp before hurrying toward another casualty.

’Who did this to them?’

Benign watched them disappear into the crowd, then glanced toward the sackcloth draped over the injured. "I’ve got an idea. One you’re probably going to hate."

The Firewing remained behind them.

Benign gave it a sign. A small chirp echoed back before it flew to the air, staying by the trees to avoid notice.

"Let’s go." Benign sprinted off first. Every few seconds, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Zina was still there.

She wasn’t. She reached him after a few seconds.

"I wanted stealth, Zina."

"I am trying."

"Are you?"

Benign gestured for her to crouch lower before leading the way again. This time she stayed close enough to copy his movements.

The camp slowly grew larger. Benign stopped behind a tent. "They’re organized," he whispered. "This will be easier than I thought."

Zina carefully peeked from behind the building. Her eyes narrowed at the soldiers drinking. "Monsters."

"They are soldiers."

She looked at him. "Is there a difference?"

Benign shook his head. His eyes narrowed at somewhere inside the camp. "There."

Zina followed his pointed head. She frowned. "The infirmary?"

"The easiest place to disappear."

She looked again before slowly nodding.

Benign scanned the patrol routes first. Guards circled the outer camp in pairs while the healers moved freely between the tents without being questioned.

"Wait here."

Before Zina could protest, the soldier slipped away.

Hiding in the shadows between stacked crates, he reached the edge of the medical tent.

An unconscious soldier rested outside beneath a rough sackcloth blanket while another man checked his pulse before hurrying away. Benign waited for ten seconds. No one returned.

He bent beside the unconscious soldier and studied the uniform. The fabric matched every injured man nearby, so he quietly removed the outer sackcloth and exchanged it with his own cloak. Then he dragged the body under the wagon.

A minute later, Zina crawled beside him. "That actually worked."

"So far." The soldier adjusted the sleeves on his arms. "You weren’t supposed to move."

"No one saw me."

"So far," he repeated, earning a frown from Zina.

His eyes moved around before the next movement. The patrols changed every few minutes, with the guards watching outward rather than inward. Either too confident or too tired to expect anyone sneaking in.

Footsteps approached. Benign barely moved his lips. "Someone’s coming. Stay calm."

A young woman carrying a wooden tray stepped inside the shelter. Glass bottles clinked together beside folded bandages while she quietly checked each patient’s condition one after another.

Benign watched her routine. She handled the left side first.

The routine wasn’t different from what he had shown Zina and her friend earlier. His eyes drifted toward the blind corner behind the supply shelves. He leaned closer to Zina.

"When she reaches that corner..." He tapped his head. "You knock her out."

Zina almost sat upright. "What? I could kill her."

"Then hold back. I’ll show you where to hit. This is your very important contribution."

The young woman stepped closer after only three patients remained.

Benign pointed at the base of his neck. Zina swallowed. The woman disappeared behind the shelves, humming a song while she searched. Zina rushed in.

A muffled thump echoed behind the shelves, followed by complete silence. Several wounded soldiers looked over before returning to their conversations without another thought.

Moments later, Zina emerged wearing the woman’s medical overcoat and carrying the tray with both trembling hands.

Benign almost laughed. "You look terrified." He whispered when she reached him.

She rolled her eyes before kneeling beside him, pretending to check his injuries.

Around them, two recovering soldiers lowered their voices. "Three dead... General won’t care... more wounded."

The two could barely make out what was said. Benign rolled towards the men noiselessly. He kept a hand over his face. Zina followed, dusting a clean rag.

"I still don’t understand why the General is so obsessed with that little training outpost," The soldier said with a sigh. "She already ordered another assault before sunrise."

The other soldier snorted. "Because one survivor today becomes a commander tomorrow. I agree with her."

"Nonsense. They are just Karnak rejects."

"If you were there during the Seventh War, you’ll know how scary those rejects can be."

Zina snapped her head toward Benign. "Before Sunrise? The portal wouldn’t be ready by then."

Meanwhile, Benign remembered when the Seventh War had happened in the original book. ’Right. After Ashold Creeve returned Karnak to existence... there was a war between...’

An important memory flashed through his mind.

"Yes." His eyes widened. "Another realm had replaced Karnak."

He looked around the enemy camp again.

"These fuckers... they were really from a lost realm."