Insulae lined the street in rows and people made their way up and down the path with hurried steps. All forms of outfits and clothing as leatherworkers, cobblers, fletchers and even farmers seemed to all be heading in one direction: the forum. The surviving trainees held their pets tight, Fromir wrapped around Ryke’s neck like a scarf. The city was bleak and given vigour only by its populace, otherwise militaristic and systematic. Each building is the exact same, no different than the others. It was confusing, to say the least. How lifeless it all was.
The looks of confusion and fear directed towards their group didn’t help. Escorted down the street by a group of Centurions, each armed with weapons and a strange stone armour. Runes lined across its surface like veins, the stone seemed to breathe with the Centurion wearing it. The sight both terrified him and inspired him. He had thought at first only Centurions can have affinities, then the Aurum Tree seemingly proved him wrong. Now, even rock and stone could be alive. A light flashed through his eyes while he thought of the countless possibilities..
Sigmar slapped him on the head and brought him back to reality, the vast expanse of people in front shocking him slightly. The group had made it to the forum, where Ryke finally saw a building that wasn’t just endless housing for the weirdly large amount of people living down here. He could see what looked like a massive forge, chimneys billowing out smoke from their tops. A building he could only tell was a fletcher because of the firing range out back, the Ludus eerily similar to the one above. The only difference was how militaristic it all still felt. Even as a city, this place felt more like a stronghold. Built in a way where even the Insulae could make a defensive point.
Stone Lotus brought them forth through the crowd, his large figure standing out and encouraging hushed whispers from the passerby as the first years were eventually brought to stand in front of a small platform with a podium above. It was here where the group was reunited with the rare few survivors they didn’t land with, bringing Ryke to let out a sigh of relief. Most everyone he knew had survived, but Sol was still missing. He knew why, but didn’t want to accept it.
The moment the Praetorians' gargantuan figure was visible for all to see, the populace grew quiet, waiting with bated breaths. Even the calm instructors had a vague feeling of trepidation while waiting for the man to speak. Those who lived on the surface hardly knew anything about the Praetorian who took charge here, or why. Only the Lanista remained calm as he surveyed the crowd.
“Good afternoon, all citizens of the Bastion. Many of you saw the event that took place today in regards to the Ascension Platform. Be advised, it was destroyed. The city is now in a state of defence, and all entry and exit is to be reviewed by the Stone Lotus Guard. Thank you.” The Praetorian stated with a calm voice that echoed through the square, before gesturing to the Centurions in stone armour and leading the group off into the strangely familiar Ludus. Not a single civilian cried out or panicked, they only returned to business as usual.
“Silex, the fuck is going on?” Sigmar immediately grabbed the Stone Lotus Praetorian by the neck, though the man visibly did not care. No matter how much force the Lanista pressed down with, the man’s neck remained firm like steel. “A lot. Would you care for me to explain here? Or in private?”
“They’re stranded here to put their lives on the line.” Sigmar looked back to his first years and then back to Silex with a frown. “They deserve to know.”
“Good!” Silex nodded, a goofy smile appearing on his face. “The Bastion has been under attack by a mix of organised Fera and Devils for years now. Recently, two new Umbra Realm combatants appeared.”
Ignoring the pale colour creeping across Sigmars countenance, the Praetorian continued. “One Devil and one Fera. My Stone Lotus Guard can handle Animus Realm combatants, but not Umbra. They’ve kept us tied down here for months, and now that the platform finally descended, they decided to strand us here. Any questions?” The instructors had all paled by now, gripping their weapons tight whilst facing off Silex, their eyes narrowed and the pressure radiating off of them like an abyss.
Only Ryke raised his hand.
“Yes, young one?”
“What.. is the Umbra Realm?”
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It didn’t take long for the instructors, mainly Silex, to explain what the Umbra Realm was. What took a while was the explanation of the Centurions as a whole that it required. The most important aspect of a Centurion was their Aurelius Flame, something the Praetorian likened to the spark of your soul. The Ignitio Stage, known as the Realm of Kindling. It is meant to build up the body to provide enough fuel for the Aurelius Flame to grow.
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The next Realm was the Ardor Stage, the Realm of Burning. Here, your vitality evolves into Vitae, and becomes an amalgamation of your body’s vitality and your soul. It becomes unique to you and only you. Here, you imbue Vitae into your blood vessels and bone marrow. After that was the Astrum Stage, the Realm of Refinement, where you infuse your bones with Vitae and strengthen them. The Stone Lotus Guards were all at this stage. It was also at this stage where your Vitae became strong enough to form armour around your body.
After that, the Animus Stage, the Realm of Wisdom. All that they could be told was that the ‘soul’ aspect of Vitae became much more important at the Animus Stage, and that all Instructors were here. Silex himself was at the Umbra Stage, the Realm of Control. Not a single thing could be said about the Umbra Stage, but they all made it very clear that only two existences in the city were at this level, and each Umbra Stage combatant was a small army in of itself. No amount of Animus Stage combatants could fight a single person at the Umbra Stage.
Yet they were still at the very beginning of this long path, Ignitio. The furthest along was nearly at the Ardor Stage, and after that was Ryke, still refining his lungs. It became very apparent to them all, that their survival was less than assured.
Death was almost guaranteed.
There were about 22 first years left total. Apparently just their group was intercepted by a small squad of Animus Stage Devils. The Ascension Platform as they called it, was attacked when the four Umbra combatants all laid siege to the Bastion. Silex couldn’t afford to protect it, and now everyone in the Aenebra was stranded. Lost without communication.
Left alone in rooms nearly the exact same as theirs above ground, many tried to catch as much sleep as possible. Exhaustion had finally beaten out the panic and adrenaline that had gotten them so far, and the newfound knowledge of the existences knocking on the Bastion’s door, and similarly their future path, was too much for them.
Gently caressing Fromir’s stone body, Ryke sat against the wall and circulated his vitality alongside the Endless Tide Scripture, both soothing his body and refining it. He had blocked many blows with his armour, parried even more- but he couldn’t stop the occasional attack from going through. It didn’t take long before the boy fell asleep.
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Howling winds carried the scent of blood through the trees. Screams rang out through the night, soft blue light fading in between the cascading leaves of the stone crowns above, the trees swaying in rhythm as if alive. Ryke stood alone, beast after beast staring at him from the tree line and soaking his back in sweat. His grip tightened on his glaive, receiving none of the usual confidence from his weapon.
The first wave struck, their numbers and tiny frames leaping at him from afar and doing their best to bite through the gaps in his armour. He could smell the blood on their breath, the smell of iron caked into their fur as they bite at his flesh. His glaive fought back all that came at him, cutting through the wave in droves until all that remained was the dead.
Exhaustion flooded his body as he cut through the second wave. The wind picked up whilst he cut through the third. His blood mixed with the beasts during the fourth. His glaive broke during the fifth. As he laid in a pile of blood and gore, on his knees, he heard the footsteps.
Calmly, one by one, he heard it approach. The footsteps were oddly human. It wasn’t a beast approaching him. Not one he was familiar with. Mustering the last of his strength, he lifted his head and saw a man. Pale skinned, hazel eyes. Long dark hair and a body covered in moving black imagery that looked like ink; his eyes narrowed into pinpricks. His heart beat with both fear and rage.
The figure only grinned at him before tearing out his heart.
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“Fuck, keep him down! God damn it-”
Ryke felt a weight on him. Most of him, actually. His eyes snapped open, his arms and legs struggling to resist whatever it was on top of him. His vitality circulated on instinct and his arms swung out to connect with flesh he couldn’t yet see, his legs kicking out in a panic. His throat felt hoarse and dry while his body was covered in a cold sweat, with only Fromir remaining on his lap in an odd silence.
A quick look around the room revealed a few other first years. Some clothes torn here and there, some bruises barely seen. His glaive tossed on the floor haphazardly. The figures were familiar, but the haze of confusion lingered as the boy slowly woke up, clarity returning to his golden eyes as they widened in shock.
“Are you guys okay-”
“Enough” Caius stepped in from out of view, firmly placing a hand on his shoulder. His gaze looked strangely sympathetic, with a trace of worry, but he could sense the hidden apprehension. “What was that?”
“What?”
“You were screaming and shaking, what was that?”
“I.. was having a bad dream.”
Ryke saw the looks of relief on their faces as he said that. Some clearly understood his plight, some clearly experienced similar. Only Caius still kept that look of concern and apprehension mixed together, his eyes firm.
“Are you in your right mind?”
“Yes, Caius. I’m.. fine now.”
“Good. We can’t let one of our leaders fall from grace like that.”
“Fall from grace? Why would I- Did you say leader?”