Hunter got to his feet and shook off his irritation. It wasn’t fair. He had followed the Archive’s instructions. He had crossed miles of perilous territory. He was attacked along the way by demonic creatures and seen even more dangerous enemies higher up the mountain. He had no level, no class, and only tainted weapons with which to fight. The entire world felt against him in a way that he hadn’t experienced before.

He had the feeling that he was being tested in some way. He was being pushed in a direction, and the entire thing had the Archivist’s stench. If he hadn’t leaned one way or the other, then this would definitely be a way to get him to choose either the Infernal Horde or the Heavenly Host. Even he could see it literally written on the walls.

The frescos in the Sanctuary depicted a vast battle between good and evil. There weren’t any figures untouched by either in the paintings. This was a binary decision. Demonic taint had given him a quick path to power, while the Sanctuary was designed to encourage more substantial growth in skills. The problem was he needed both if he were to survive this Rift. He needed power now and in the future. Instead of making the decision easier, the Archivist had made it more difficult.

Hunter picked up his gauntlet and slapped it back on his wrist. He stared down at the sword and hesitantly reached down for it. When his palm was within an inch of the hilt, it swung up, and his fist closed around it. That was the beneficial thing about greed weapons. They wanted to be used, and Hunter wasn’t sure he wanted to fight. It was easier to give in to greed so that he didn’t have to think about all of the horrible shit he’d already had to go through. It was clear that the further he gave into greed, the less he would have to worry. Whenever he thought about the monumental quest he had been given, it was an attractive proposition to become a slave to his greed.

Hunter shook his head. He knew he shouldn’t focus on the big picture. That would only keep him from achieving his plan. It was the same in sports. Sometimes it didn’t help to focus on the game overall. It was better to focus on the quarter or even the next play and allow the training to do the rest. Leave the strategy to the coaches and focus on just getting the job done.

With that in mind, he needed to figure out what his goals were.

First, I need to explore the rest of the Sanctuary. There might be resources here that I can use. After that, I’ll round up all the weapons outside and feed them to my equipment, and then maybe a training montage?

Hunter wished there was a Mr. Miyagi around to help him. He was starting to feel overwhelmed now that he had a measure of safety and had to think for himself about what to do next.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With a sigh, he made his way to the first portal. Instead of rushing into it like he did the last, he decided to be more circumspect. When he neared the precipice, he reached out with his hand to touch the portal. He flinched, expecting a shock, but his fingers slid easily into the portal. The sensation was slightly chilly and a little bit slimy. Seeing that he hadn’t been blocked from entering, he entered the portal entirely.

On the other side of the threshold was a grove of trees within a huge stone chamber. The floor was covered in a lush layer of bronze-colored grass. The walls were crafted from unblemished white stone that stretched into a peaked ceiling. The ceiling of the room stretched far above the trees, and at the very top, there was a large gem that bathed the room in a warm light.

There were seven trees arranged in a semi-circle around a plain circular fountain. They were beautiful in an ethereal way. The trunks looked like molten silver and the leaves were a glinting gold. They were heavy with similarly colored apples. The smaller fruit was metallic silver, while the larger ones tended to be gold. Just looking at them reminded Hunter that he was starving.

He walked past the fountain and noticed that it was filled with crystal clear water. It reminded him of the time he had visited his grandparent’s home in Florida. They had a vast multi-story home off of the coast. The water there had been so clear that he had been able to snorkel and watch the fish swimming in the coral far below the surface.

Hunter reached a hand into the fountain and cupped a handful of water. He brought it to his mouth, and greedily drank the water. His parched throat felt refreshed as the cool water touched it. When it reached his stomach, it started to feel warm and comforting.

Congratulations! You have drunk from a Spring of Eden. Your mana has been replenished, your regeneration rates have been increased, and you feel an inner peace settle over you.

It was quite simply the best water Hunter had ever tasted. He grabbed more handfuls of water and gulped it down until he was satisfied. His thirst quenched, the teenager glanced around for something to eat. There were about a dozen apples lying on the ground, so he quickly went around and collected them. Once Hunter had them gathered and lined up on the fountain, he grabbed one and took a large bite.

Congratulations! You have eaten an Apple of Eden. Your stamina has been replenished, your hunger has been diminished, and you feel a sense of contentment settle over you.

In addition to the buffs, the taste was divine. The apple wasn’t a typical piece of fruit. It was as juicy as watermelon but tasted like a mix between a strawberry and a cherry. Hunter thought he would need to eat at least a few of the apples to be full, but his hunger had been entirely satisfied when he finished the first piece of fruit.

This has to be a type of heavenly ration. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for this small grove to feed an entire outpost like this one. This is a place of rest and protection—truly a Sanctuary. I wonder what kind of demon had the ability to raid it and make off with the Sentinel.

He had met his most basic necessities except for one thing. He really hoped this Sanctuary had a bathroom. Now that he wasn’t running for his life, it was like all of his biological imperatives were coming back at once. The grumbling in his stomach didn’t herald pleasant things.