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Victor, swallowing hard, managed, "Three more platoons are stationed nearby."

Liam\'s brow furrowed as he silently calculated. "With the troops they brought here, and if our intelligence hasn\'t failed us, we\'re looking at roughly 3,000 soldiers. left."

He then inquired, "Why were you sent ahead?"

Victor\'s eyes darted with a touch of resentment. "We were dispatched for reconnaissance."

Raising an eyebrow, Liam pressed on, "Sending nearly half your army just for scouting? That\'s unusual. Tell me about the other Ascended. Do you have knowledge of their capabilities?"

Victor hesitated but finally divulged, "I don\'t have all the specifics, but of the other three Ascended; one manipulates fire with terrifying proficiency, another excels in hand-to-hand combat, displaying unmatched brute strength. The last one... he\'s the trickiest of the lot, disappearing and reappearing at will. I suspect his power is tied to the shadows or some form of darkness."

Liam leaned in, "Is there another battalion besides yours? Any backup forces we should be wary of?"

Victor shifted uncomfortably, "I\'m not privy to the entire army\'s movements. For that, you\'d have to interrogate our leader."

Growing more intrigued, Liam prodded, "And your leader? How formidable is he? What abilities does he possess?"

Victor\'s eyes shifted uneasily, darting between Liam\'s piercing gaze and Irys\' poised greatsword. A droplet of sweat traced down his temple, "He is... formidable. A force to be reckoned with. As for his abilities..." Victor hesitated for a brief second, the weight of revealing such crucial information making him visibly uncomfortable.

At that very moment, Isolya, despite the dire circumstances, mustered a defiant glare towards Victor. "Not a word more, Victor! Remember your loyalty!"

Ignoring Isolya\'s outburst, Liam fired a warning shot close to Victor, the burning energy just missing its mark. "The next won\'t miss," Liam threatened, his tone icy, "Now, speak."

Before Victor could offer any further revelations, an abrupt drop in temperature drew their focus to Isolya. Her eyes, driven by desperation and fanaticism, glowed intensely as she channeled her power.

In a tactical move, she encased herself in a dense cocoon of ice while also causing a rapid freeze on Irys\' greatsword, momentarily halting any movement from the weapon. As seconds felt like an eternity, Isolya then summoned a barrage of razor-sharp ice spikes, all aimed with deadly intent at Victor.

Irys quickly responded; with a swift and forceful motion, she broke free from the icy shackles binding her weapon and severed Isolya\'s head from her shoulders with a swift, brutal arc. Yet, the ice spikes she had released were already in mid-flight…

Just as the ice spikes closed in on Victor, a whip unfurled with astonishing speed, knocking several aside. Simultaneously, Liam acted, firing with his Talonstrike and obliterating several more. The remaining spikes veered off target, some misguidedly striking their own troops, causing chaos within the enemy ranks.

Victor narrowly avoided a chilling end and snapped with wide eyes, "You insane woman!" Emerging from the shadows, Zalya revealed herself, having been silently standing near Victor all along,  always prepared for an ambush opportunity, which proved to be the right choice.

With a commanding presence, Zalya stepped forward, her voice echoing with authority, "Those who surrender will be treated fairly as military prisoners. We will not harm you unnecessarily. If you wish to surrender, drop your weapons and raise your hands."

The shouts of "We surrender!" reverberated among the soldiers. Given the heavy losses from the unexpected mine ambush, where more than 80% of their comrades had fallen, With numerous injured and Isolya\'s unforeseen act adding salt to their wounds, the morale of the surviving soldiers was thoroughly crushed. Choosing between further conflict or a chance at mercy, the choice was obvious.

Liam couldn\'t help but feel a surge of satisfaction surveying the battlefield. They had successfully repelled the advancing troops and managed to take many of them prisoner. The first phase of their plan had been executed to perfection. Liam then walks to Victor.

Amid the chaos, Zalya started attending to the injured enemy soldiers. She glanced at Irys and called, "Irys, lend me a hand here?"

Irys shot her a skeptical look, her voice thick with suspicion. "Help the enemy?"

"They can still serve a purpose," Zalya retorted calmly.

Irys, her gaze sweeping across the havoc and destruction around them, sighed in exasperation. "Look at this mess, Zalya. We can\'t possibly tend to them all, especially with our pressing priorities."

Zalya took a deep breath, contemplating the situation. Suddenly, she summoned a swarm of tiny, razor-sharp metal spikes that floated ominously around her. "Listen up! If you\'ve still got strength, attend to your injured mates. Pull any tricks, and it\'ll be the last thing you ever do," she warned sternly.

The enemy soldiers, understanding the implicit threat, quickly complied. They began helping their injured friends, and Zalya kept a watchful eye on them, ensuring no underhanded tactics were attempted.

As Liam approached Victor, the edge of his Talonstrike blade began to glow a vivid orange, intending to cut through the exoskeleton binding Victor. Just as the blade began to slice, Victor, panic evident in his eyes, exclaimed, "Wait! I\'ll remove it myself." Liam hesitated momentarily, assessing the situation. he pointed Talonstrike directly at Victor and nodded of agreement.

With deliberate movements, Victor started to unlatch and open the various segments of his exoskeleton. Only the damaged spine portion remained, grotesquely fused with his skin and flesh.

As the metallic encasement fell away, it unveiled the extent of his weariness and battle-inflicted wounds. Once free from its confines, he sighed with relief, although the weight of his capture remained heavy on his shoulders.

Liam, never one to waste time, continued his interrogation, "So tell me about your leader\'s strength?"

Resigned, Victor responded, "He\'s a Neophyte and wields the power of the wind."

Liam\'s face tightened slightly, acknowledging the inherent danger of confronting a Neophyte directly. "And your unit\'s objectives?".

"Our initial mission was to rendezvous with another unit," Victor admitted, "But our commander deviated from the plan and brought us here. He didn\'t provide any further information."

Liam then gestured with Talonstrike for Victor to lead the way, ensuring the weapon\'s threatening point was always visible in Victor\'s peripheral vision. As they walked, each step was weighted with tension. Upon reaching Zalya, Liam asked, "Zalya, what\'s our next move?"

Zalya glanced around at the captured soldiers and then back at Liam. "We\'ll be leaving soon. I\'ve set another trap for their reinforcements. When they come, the sensors will activate the trap, giving us more time."

Liam nodded as he thought, \'Using them as bait... Zalya\'s tactics are more ruthless than I anticipated. I need to be more careful with her \'His attention shifted back to Victor, "And him?"

Zalya, giving Victor a once-over, responded, "We\'ll take him with us. He might have some use."

As the soldiers busy themself rescuing their fallen comrades. Zalya, Liam, and Irys discreetly made their way out of the chaos. Ensuring that Victor, now restrained with heavy shackles, was securely placed in their vehicle, the trio set their course for Duskdale village.

While the soldiers left behind remained unaware of Zalya\'s plans for them, so too were Liam, Zalya, and Irys in the dark about the storm of challenges that awaited them in Duskdale. Little did they know that the village had become a real hell, giving out despair to its previous occupant.