The group of nine didn’t spend long in the Blackwall Triad’s breakroom, seeing Lilith at the door some ten minutes later. The Butler, Alister, was quite friendly. The middle-aged man got them whatever they wanted, within reason, in record time. When Hector asked for Beef Wellington as a joke, Alister returned in only five minutes with one cooked fresh.
He was still eating it, piping hot off the plate, as the three walked into the storeroom behind Lilith. The Solari had convinced her father to let them use just about anything they wanted, considering they’d probably never come back. Where most Gate Opening Empyreans only needed Catalysts, Silas wasn’t sure what these Wayfinders needed.
Silas wasn’t sure if Hector simply didn’t need anything or cared more about the food but only Valmor went forward to look for materials alongside him. Silas was looking for anything he could use to make a rune chisel whereas the Archer looked for arrow materials.
It was a pleasant surprise seeing just how much they had amassed in terms of supernatural materials. They had an entire, full, section dedicated to them in a corner of the storeroom that would mostly get left behind. Silas took several blue materials, both items with ice affinities and lightning affinities. He felt that, since he was most attuned to these, he’d have the easiest time carving runes for them. No one’s told him otherwise yet.
‘Do you think they’ll make me more food if I ask?’ Hector turned to Silas, speaking through the mind link as his mouth was full of food. Silas scoffed, shaking his head with a smile.
It suddenly occurred to Silas that he never really questioned something. The Nightweaver turned to Lilith, then to the Butler, and finally decided to continue using the mind link. “Lilith?”
“Mm?”
“Why was it banned to talk about the Church in the Upper City? Are we really getting aid?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t?”
“My father tells me most things. Not everything.”
He’d have to hope Richard would let the Guard know when they arrive in the Lower City. It was certainly strange that no one had come from the Upper City and spread the word, but no one was really travelling between Districts right now. With the Church there, not much can happen anyways.
Just as they’re about to leave, Silas saw a bottle on the wall that caught his eye. Grabbing it gently, he read the decadent red label, ‘Crimscale Icewine.’ He took note of the many, many more similar bottles on the wall and silently stashed this one. “How the hell did your dad get Icewine? Kaiveh is on the opposite side of Ilnea.”
“He has his ways.” Lilith eyed him, then walked over to the shelf and took her own bottle. “Wherever we go, he’ll get whatever he wants.”
Silas raised a brow and dropped the topic. Icewine was a specialty of the Kaiveh Province up to the north east, an island province disconnected from the rest of the continent. On the complete opposite side of the Empire, it was rather difficult to get.
Ebelor’s own specialty was the rolling mist that covered a third of the province at any time, hence why Ironside was built against/in a cliff instead. It was known for causing routes to shift and travellers to lose their way if they were unlucky, so it made travel difficult but not impossible. Bandits would even move and live within the mist to avoid the Ferrymen.
“The air feels different.” Valmor put a hand on Silas’ shoulder, bringing the Nightweaver out from his thoughts. “Impure.”
His perception spread out and Silas’ guided it towards the fear energy in the environment, activating the Anchored Spirit Art. His gaze hardened, feeling the Corruption in the air even without the fog present. Like a drop of ink in a glass of water. An Empyrean’s body was innately strong enough to purify such a level.
Normal people, however, might not.
Roars echoed out and were quickly silenced by a deafening bang in several different rooms. The commotion was quick but Silas definitely didn’t like the implications. Without wasting a second, Silas led the group out of the storehouse where a figure leaped out at them. In an instant, Hector snapped and a bell chime rang through the hall .
Grey skin, twisted mangled flesh and dull green eyes, the figure’s long hair blasted back as their head fragmented all over the walls, its body falling to the ground with a thump. The rest of Hector’s family stood there in shock. His father, Michael, stared listlessly at the corpse.
Hector rushed forward, patting everyone down while asking if they were okay. His brother and sister-in-law hugged the kids tight, making sure they didn’t see or hear a thing. Silas couldn’t help but notice the look on their faces, seeing a dead gang member off to the side; it’s stomach torn out.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Silas and Hector noticed at the same time that the Chimekeeper’s family was missing a member and just when he looked around to find them, Hector finally took a closer look at the mutant’s clothes. Silas’ hand shook. “Hector..”
“Ma?”
Not good. Silas watched as Hector leapt towards the body, shaking it lightly as if it would bring the head back. He held the headless corpse tight to his chest, his tears choking out whatever words he had. Black blood poured out all over his armour, “My ma!”
“I killed my ma!”
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After Silas, Lilith and Valmor returned to the main hall and met with Richard, it was clear that Corruption suddenly appeared in the air everywhere. Many of the mundane survivors were affected, the others saved only by the quick shot of the Blackwalls.
Several people were hugging bodies or sitting several feet away from them, despondent. Most of those who converted were people with frail bodies or illnesses, some simply being old. What would he do if Sebastian turned? Silas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hardening his heart before opening them.
“The corruption is in the air now, not just the fog.” Silas looked to Richard. “We can’t hold out anymore. It’ll only be worse outside in the fog too.”
Did the mutants know? Is that why they didn’t particularly try to wipe anyone out? Keep them caged up like cattle until the Corruption takes care of it? How long until it increased again? Would it? They had to assume it will.
“We’re ready to go. As you can see, there was.. A hiccup, but nothing has changed. My lads might have to stretch their legs a little more than we thought, though.” Richard sighed, holding his hat to his chest. “Where’s your friend.”
“Grieving.”
The party didn’t stay with Hector, instead leaving him to mourn with his family. They were acquaintances, sure. Friends, even. But Silas didn’t feel comfortable enough comforting him in this time of need right now. All he could do was give the guy time and space. He was confident that Hector could pull it together.
The Blackwalls were kind enough to wait for him, too. Alister continued to serve whatever the group requested, seemingly only doing so for the Wayfinders and Richard himself. When Silas finally activated his Aura Sensing Art, he saw an Empyrean’s aura on the Butler. Five Gates, no different than Richard. No wonder the Blackwalls did so well in the city.
Hector eventually walked out from the side hall with his family, the two young children still wondering where their grandmother went. Silas could hear them asking their parents, who simply whispered sweet nothings and that she’d be back soon.
Silas embraced the man silently, pat him on the back, and let go. He didn’t have the words, but he was there for him and he wanted him to know that. Lilith just gave the Chimekeeper a nod.
‘Have all your things? We’re going to head out soon.” He asked Hector, doing a once over of his things himself.
“Everything except my mom.”
With a laugh, Hector forced a smile and walked by, leading his family towards the exit. Richard took this as a sign to gather his men, having them corral the survivors towards the exit as well. Once they were ready, Richard got to spreading his people out to keep as many people covered by blood energy as possible.
“I can do your tattoo when we’re back. Don’t delay.” Lilith looked at Silas and then ran off after her father, leaving Valmor and Silas alone. The Archer gave him a look and then dispersed into the crowd; Silas just assumed he’d put his vision to good use on the rooftops.
Silas made his way through the crowd, a thin film of blood energy coating his skin. His perception stretched out from his body and lingering around their group whilst he approached Richard. “What about the other gangs? Rooks? Vultures?”
“We let them know. Sent Messengers. The Vultures said no, just didn’t believe our sincerity. The Rooks sent them back as a head in a bag.” Richard spoke, tapping his cane along the ground. “We’ve shown them humanity, they found themselves death.”
“Do you not pity the lives?”
“One day I did, maybe. Some lives I still pity. But I’ve done what I should. Maybe not what I can, but what I should. That’s enough for me.”
Silas nodded, thinking about those he left behind holed up in the Villas, or the Rooks he killed. Then his mind lingered on what happened to the Cragsmen. The figure he and the Lotus saw. The rising corruption. Caisus. The kids. Glass. The Director.
“What determines what you should do?” Silas tilted his head back and sighed at the sky. What made him judge and jury? He saved who knows how many people by acting as a Bell when the Lower City was attacked, and now he was going to leave behind a bunch of survivors simply because they didn’t believe them?
“Lead your heart towards your dreams and leave no regrets.” Richard shrugged, Alister handing him a new cane. “You’re no believer, are you? Follow your own ways. Only you can hold yourself accountable.”
“.. Right. Sure.”
“You’ll get it one day, kid. Lilith says she has, but she hasn’t. Not everyone does. You though, you just might.”
“Thanks?”
“Don’t mention it. You owe me five pound for the insight.”
“Fuck off.”
Richards laughed, offering Silas a flask from his belt. The contents smelled strong. Vile even. Whiskey? The older man took it back when he saw Silas leave it alone ,taking a big gulp from it himself. “Worst case, drink your worries away. Your blood energy won’t let you get addicted anyways.”
Silas shook his head with a chuckle, turning slightly to look at Hector’s back. “And if I lose someone. What then? What if I already have?”
The gentleman stayed silent, exchanging glances with Alister briefly. After a moment of contemplation, he turned back to Silas with a pensive look. “Hell if I know. I’m a gang leader, not a Philosopher. If you want one of those, cross the sea.”
“I’ve done it once, rather not test my luck a second time.” Turning his head towards the sea and taking a deep breath of the ocean air, Silas smiled softly with a twitch of his hand, his recent dream coming to mind.
Hours passed and night fell for the stars, leaving only the street lamps to guide their way. The group was silent, only a few small conversations giving life to the crowd. As they made it to the border between the Market District and the Lower City, Silas saw no guardsmen patrolling. The barracks was empty, not even a corpse in sight.
Continuing to walk down the street, his perception was void of any new fear energy. Not a soul lived in these houses. Even as Silas walked by the Villa the Orphanage was assigned, nothing remained inside. His expression grew worse and worse the closer they got to the Mayor’s Estate.
Finally, just as midnight struck, they saw lights within the houses. Fear energy started appearing within his mind like fire in the night, pulled towards him like a vortex. The perimeter had shrunk so much, Silas could only imagine how many died in the attack and those that came after.
“Halt!” With a familiar click, several blue and black figures stepped out from the alley ways, golden insignias shining through the fog. Richard raised his hand and the crowd of people stopped. The guardsmen slowly approached with their guns still trained on the crowd until finally, a face could be seen through the fog.