There had clearly been signs of fighting but there was no signs of bodies, only heavy cracks in the stone passageway, minor traces of corruption magic with the occasional broken weapon left on the floor. Clearly, when he had been underground there had been a fight which was dealt with by the women with the strange face and the three augmented soldiers.

Any attempt at conversation on his part and he had simply been told by the strange faced women with her silk mask covered face to wait until they had arrived at a more secure location. The third time he had asked the question she had gripped his arm and spoke in the same strange language that the construct Ren and Maxton Ge spoke while they both nodded and smiled.

Then she had smiled at him, the shape of her face underneath her silken mask showing that she was pleased before she let go of his arm and set off walking once again with the augmented Agnes in front and her colleague Marley at the back of the group.

Cris had wanted to ask about how he could contact Alessandro, likely his old butler and head of his house would have been frantic with worry. The old man had always doted on him, since he had safely accompanied his mother and him as a newborn from their original home far away closer to the ocean and the warmth.

Sorry old man, I’ll have to apologise first for my actions. This was my decision to go out for entertainment in a low-quality part of the city.

They stopped once more as the woman with the silk mask held up a hand and made a gesture which was similar to the one the augmented had made. Even though she was clearly ahead of her and unable to see her gesture, the augmented who’d called herself Agnes halted and took up a guard position.

Her torn and bloody cloak wouldn’t make Cris want to fight her if he’d been in an opposing position. Not that he’d actually seen the woman fight, all he knew was that she was a great stronger than she looked. If he could later, he’d ask her permission and that of her two colleagues for an opportunity to study their augmentation. He’d only heard vague stories of it but hadn’t seen any depictions or written records. Likely the Church of Light and Purity had destroyed them according to their common policy.

Up ahead there was the sound of shouting which swiftly ended and she turned towards the woman with the silken mask.

‘Ma’am? Do we need to deploy? I confirmed all cultists and supporters were directly killed. Sergeant Marley, protect the rear.’ said Agnes.

The woman with the silk mask who called herself a woman with no face shook her head and Cris standing next to her could clearly see her shoulders shake as she suppressed laughter. Either that or she was in pain or discomfort. Her aura still disturbed him. The fact that her levels of corruption were fixed and entrenched in her very fabric made little sense to him.

Even the Goddess could only remove, destroy or displace as far as he knew. Perhaps her mad story about a man and a bowl of noodles held an element of truth. There had always been more gods than the Goddess Aliza in the city according to historical records and the words of the older generation.

‘The Queen’s Guard are removing all traces of our presence and every single patron or worker inside the tavern above our heads is to be removed by direct authority of the Queen and is being detained. Those who are found guilty of cooperation or in direct violation of not presenting themselves to a priest for testing and purification will be held. Present company accepted of course. Ah, they seem to be finished now. Esteemed Ren and Disease Master, thank you for your patience. Clearly the mark of the Celestial Empire provides peace and security even so far away.’ said the woman.

The small group carried on walking, Cris now ignored any traces of battle damage or fighting on the walls. Minor traces of corruption warned his aura senses but for the most part he tried to conserve his energies and focus on walking, one foot in front of the other.

The leather brace on his arm had been removed and both daggers had been requested for holding with a promise that he would get them back once they were in a secure location. Even armed, Cris doubted he’d be able to fight his way or prove a sufficient challenge to the group and besides his thoughts and body remained clouded. The same had gone for the backpack containing the remains of the bottle and packages that had been given to him by Maxton Ge and Ren.

Cris noted that the construct had made his own sword and shield disappear and the three augmented showed no signs of weapons at hand. Given their strength they could probably fight cultists barehanded and win along with managing their own levels of lack of sleep and exhaustion far better than him.

He’d barely had enough time to catch his breath and the lack of sleep and experience so far was beginning to take its toll. The fact that he was still a young man gave him enough stamina to cope for a while longer but he’d need a proper rest, along with a bath and a period of truly cleansing his body. The damage he’d done in the dungeon below wasn’t going to easily heal without sufficient time.

The augmented soldier Agnes was in the lead, stopping for seconds at a time when she’d either make a hand signal or glance at the woman with the silken mask for non-verbal confirmation before they carried walking. Ren, and Maxton Ge took little interest in their surrounding and continued to talk in the same strange language with occasional input from the women clearly in charge of their little group.

With regards to Marley, Cris barely heard him make a single sound. He caught glimpses of him and his cloak when he turned his head, but walking forward and trying to look back didn’t mesh well together and Cris accepted that they were probably safe from harm for now.

As the group rounded a familiar tunnel entrance, Cris saw traces of light in a set of stairs reaching upwards towards an open trapdoor which led directly to the backrooms of the tavern. Likely, with a bit more walking he’d eventually be back in the same place as when he’d started.

After a few more minutes of the group walking in relative silence Agnes had gestured and the group had entered into the once occupied tavern. Drinks had been spilt or left, chairs and tables knocked over and scattered as the group made their own way out of the front door into the street ahead.

Ren and Maxton Ge both sat down on the side of the street, the woman with the silk mask stood on the side with her arms crossed and the two augmented came close for a moment before they took position on both sides of the group leaving Cris to stand by himself.

Cris could see that wooden barriers had been placed down on both sides and any residents living nearby had bolted their own doors or shutters once the Queen’s Guard had announced their presence. There was little noise or sounds of life to be heard but it could have simply been a matter of the time.

He’d clearly been either inside the tavern, or in the hidden areas below far longer than he thought considering the lack of the moon in the skies.

Time had passed and the sun had begun to rise, illuminating the capital city, bringing tinges of gold and beams of sunlight which were welcomed. The ever present glow of the Goddess, in her avatar form remained hovering above the main temple.

During the night she would dim into a luminescent form, always present, but her light reduced to allow those citizens and faithful time to sleep during the night knowing they would remained protected from the worst excesses of the unleashed magical corruption of the deceased final Dark Lord.

Cris remembered when he had been training in the temple how they had been taken to the outskirts of the temple barriers which kept the avatar of the Goddess removed from the public. On certain days, the Queen would lead her own remembrances of those who died during the war and the final sacrifice they made before the revenge of the Dark Lord was revealed.

During those times, all members of the faithful lucky enough to have been chosen from a random lottery would have the same view in which he had. A lone women, her body a bright warm glowing figure with hands clasped in prayer enclosed in a constant stream of white light comparable to the stars in the night sky.

Blessed be the Goddess Aliza. Praise her sacrifice.

Cris considered making the holy gesture, but since he has been removed from the ranks of trainee priests it no longer held the same flavour. He felt like a fake for doing so. The fact that his present company was odd to say the least, and likely extremely dangerous he didn’t want to do anything else to trigger another event. Say, being knocked on the head unconscious and being locked in an underground cell of heretic cultists.

‘Fascinating, how she can keep expelling so much power over more than a decade but she still remains. I would assume even gods have limits. Like a single candle flame which will never be extinguished despite the strength of the storm, a remarkable minor goddess. Ah, if only your young eyes could see what mine can. I can see the paths, the lines, the strings in which she uses to clean your homeland and protect this final city of yours. Do you pray to her or fall prey to her whims?’ said Maxton Ge.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The man had produced a pair of darkened glasses, the frames metal and well-made but the glasses themselves were entirely a shade of deep black and Cris couldn’t understand why the man would wear them the light of the goddess affected his strange golden eyes.

Cris would forgive the man, the foreigner for his transgressions and lack of faith. Despite having lived in the capital city for fifteen years since he was barely a toddler he was also commented on for his olive skin and red-brown hair. He knew the feeling. Not that he trusted the man, but he did consider the construct behind him would do more than a little damage to the man calling himself Disease Master if he tried to hurt Cris once more.

‘I pray as do we all. In this place, the goddess literally protects us. Some of us fail and become corrupted but the Queen mandated that none of them would be killed, attempts would be made to cure and failures would be put into a place where none of them would hurt others or themselves.’ said Cris.

Raising a hand to block the steadily rising dawn from his eyes he pointed to one of the three minor mountains in the city. Atop it was a castle, with a tall peak at the top, surrounding it was swathes of dead vegetation and gnarled trees. Even now he could see the glow from within and there was a slight green and brown haze surrounding it.

Despite the appearance, it was a place of healing and protection. Cris had never been assigned or close enough to the castle but he knew the reputation which the Queen had instilled. Originally it had been one of her ancestral homes but she had in part bequeathed it to the Church of Light and Purity in her dual role as both Queen and Head of the Church.

A hand reached out and applied pressure to his shoulder as it grew in strength and he flinched a little. The grip was firm but the intention behind it was to reassure not a display of power or a threat. The fingers squeezed before patting his shoulder.

[Prison. Even for helping others or for the protection of the individual it remains a prison unless all inside are freed. Disease Master, protect your precious eyes. They will be needed. Take in the sight of the Goddess of this city.] came the voice of the construct Ren.

Nodding his head, Cris wondered how long they were to wait outside the now-emptied tavern and immediate surrounding area. The Queen’s Guard would have taken away every single inhabitant to a local temple where a priest would check and cleanse them if necessary or remove them accordingly to the asylum on the mountain.

Kirkbride Castle had suffered a bad reputation he knew from old tales where a previous ruler had wanted to imprison all those who disagreed with him or had wanted to discover treasonous plots to his rule.

Cris was sure that the reputation was deserved but enough people had been able to directly visit their relatives under protection of the Queen’s Guard and spread word that they had been well-treated and fed in warmth if not comfort.

Either place, it was a place that Cris had always wanted to visit if only out of curiosity for the true nature of the place. He had no clue how thousands of poor unfortunate deeply corrupted were kept under control.

The relative quietness of both the immediate area, the street and his companions in the group was beginning to grind on Cris. Talking for the sake of talking wasn’t something he had been taught held any value for nobility. He needed to consider an opinion and express it both clearly and with authority.

Glancing to his side, he saw the construct and Disease Master both sitting cross-legged on the ground with a small pile of green tiles between them. Likely, they had come from Ren and his spatial magical ability. Each of the pieces held a different series of lines, closer to a drawing than written language as the pair picked up one and added it into their own pile or discarded it to the side. He supposed they were playing a game but he’d never been a fan of gambling, spending money on entertainment was considered normal for nobility but an excess of games of chance was not.

‘Young Master Cris, do you want to learn how to play? I can teach you as a way of apology for...forcing your hand. Believe me, the statue that walks has truly taught me the error of my ways. Mainly by breaking more than a few of my ribs and some other bones. Luckily I heal quick. Would you care to join us? We don’t play for money, more for the skill of winning. No-name here is a good player but he lacks creativity and I know all his moves. Believe me when you spend two years travelling on the road with the same person you get to know them well. Come, join us!’ said Maxton Ge as one hand fiddled with his glasses with the dark lenses and the other rapidly picked and discarded tiles in between the pair seemingly without thought.

Shaking his head Cris, folded his arms. The sun was slowly rising but the heat had yet to reach the city and he felt a deep chill inside. The food and drink he had been gifted sat inside his stomach well enough but didn’t fill him as much as he had wanted.

Suddenly, a cloak was draped over his shoulders, there was a smell of blood but he found the material comfortable. The weight of it surprised him though.

A perfumed smell and hot breath came across his skin giving him goosebumps as Agnes whispered into his ear.

‘Consider yourself rescued. Here, a refund for our lack of action. Forget about Joachim, he’ll appreciate the fact that you wanted to make the effort. We’ll make sure he gets to see a professional healer this time. Also, Marley already gambled your scrip and made a decent profit and he’ll complain if we don’t make sure a client is fully satisfied. He found a few counterfeit notes and handed them over to the relevant authorities. I’d ask for another kiss but clearly you’re in no state for it. Your first time seeing dead bodies? When you kill the sensation is worse. I’ll need the cloak back when you go home, don’t worry...Young Lord Johan. ’ said Agnes.

Her cloak was obviously made of a much stronger fabric than he had originally thought, he rubbed a lower part of it through his bare fingers and found it was far rougher than he had imagined. Thicker as well, it wasn’t fabric as he has first assumed. A type of leather perhaps but light enough to wear as a cloak.

A hand reached into one of his pockets and stuffed what Cris was assumed was an amount of his own scrip before he could notice it. He recalled her inhuman reaction speed.

Another trait of the augmented. I wonder what price they pay for gifts like that?

‘I would suggest that your inquisitive mind doesn’t ask where the cloak comes from. Not only our bodies were augmented when they...transformed us during the final days of the war. You want to head home? Anyone there waiting for you, this late past your bed-time?’ said Agnes with a light chuckle to her tone.

Underneath the cloak, she wore the same outfit she had previously but this time there were visible scratches and even glints of metal. She mock covered her body with her hands and gave Cris a disapproving look.

‘You really are a pretty one. Intelligent as well, but not my type. Not as though I really have one. Oh, looks like Marley had decided to take your new friends up on their offer. He’s always been interested in games that one. I don’t understand why someone like him ended up in my unit but each to their own story. I’ll tell you mine if you wanted to truly listen.’ said Agnes.

Simply nodding his head to her words Cris heard the voices of Ren, Maxton Ge more excited this time as they had a new player join their game along with the clacking of the tiles. He’d take the time when he had sufficiently washed himself, calmed down and recovered a little to ask them what exactly the game they were playing was called.

He knew the pair clearly weren’t traders, they were far too powerful for that, but they didn’t strike him as wandering adventurers who had travelled across the world. All he knew was that they had their own goals and Maxton Ge or Disease Master was clearly interested in the nature of the corruption.

The wooden barriers blocking the street had been pushed to the side by hands which Cris hadn’t seen but then again he’d barely been paying much attention to the view in front of him as the sound of horses whinnying and carriage wheels clacking came.

‘Stand straight Young Master...Johan. Our carriages have arrived. Time for us to depart and you to learn a few sad truths. We’ll meet again soon enough. After all, I owe you answers about us augmented ones.’ said Agnes as gave him a kiss on his cheek before signalling to Marley.

The women with the silk mask raised both her hands in a sweeping gestures and bowed to the group raising her own voice to make herself heard. The three playing the game put away the tile pieces and Ren made them disappear with a blue light before they all stood up.

‘Ladies, Gentleman and Esteemed Guests. Our transportation has arrived. Captain, you will ask your comrade Richtson to stop guarding us from the rooftops and attend his own carriage. The rest of us need to board. Representative of the Celestial Kingdom, your carriage has a little more flourish on behalf of the Queen as a minor recognition of your skills. We have a meeting to attend.’ said the woman.

Cris just rubbed his eyes as three horse drawn carriages pulled up. All of them were marked with the sign for the Queen’s Guard and the sigil for the Church of Light and Purity. He sighed and moved towards the first one with doors open, not caring if it was meant for him or not. He was approaching sheer exhaustion and as he struggled inside he was barely able to sit down before he his eyelids grew heavy and he began to fall asleep.

With a series of knocks and thumps on the side and ceiling of the interior of the horse drawn carriage it began to steadily move as the horses gently trotted forwards.

‘Driver, take us direct to the City Government Headquarters. Take the slow route, we’re in no rush and the young man clearly needs to rest as do I. The merchants quarter will suffice as a round route.’ said the woman with the silk mask as she tore it off and let it fly off through a carriage window.

A faint smell of sweet perfume began to waft through the interior of the carriage as the flesh and bone structure of the woman began to shift unseen.