[Alert: Four members of the Trial have entered abandoned village Kipell]

[Huh?]

“Huh?”

Caleb stared at the message surprised, then looked to Eriana.

“There are chosen with them”

[I saw the message] she said. [What the hell?]

“You think they got an opposing objective or something? Like complete the ritual and summon the calamity?” he mumbled.

Eriana froze, then her expression hardened and she gripped her sword tighter.

[I don’t know. Just be ready]

He nodded, his hand tightening around his sword.

Then Kana and Sierra emerged from their hiding spot, both shouting and waving their hands as they rushed forwards. They were warning the group about the mines.

[What the shit!?] Eriana cursed. [Fucking idiots]

Without another word she burst from their hiding spot, blowing the planks apart and rushed forward. Caleb cursed, then followed close behind. As the two rushed down the street others emerged from their hiding spots, a combination of fear and confusion written across their faces.

He glanced forward, spotting the group of incomers now. Three brigadiers were among them, two in leather armour, and one in steel. Behind them were the four chosen, wearing strangely colourful clothes covered in blood.

Relief swept through him a weight lifted off his shoulders at the realisation he wouldn’t have to fight. Then another realisation hit him. All of the newcomers were rushing forwards, towards the mines. Caleb’s eyes widened in horror and he looked to Sierra and Kana, realising they were shouting for the group to stop. But the group were still running forwards. Why?

Shit, Caleb thought. Do they think we’re calling for help.

He pushed forward harder, shouting and screaming as he waved his arms too. The group only ran forwards faster. Then in a sudden woosh of air and dust, Sierra moved forward in a blur. But it was too late.

A sudden boom rocked the earth, a cloud of black dust and smoke rising into the air. Caleb flinched, skidding to a stop as he passed a slowing Kana. Sierra and Eriana stopped short too, as the calls of the others fell silent behind them.

But as the smoke billowed up in front of them, Caleb could feel a glowing barrier of mana, the seven magic weights still present. The weights all stood inside the shield, only one fluctuating in tandem with the barrier.

Caleb let out a small sigh of relief, as he glanced back to Kana.

“I think they’re ok”

[Yeah] Kana said. [They feel fine]

“You can sense it?”

[My skill] Kana said.

He nodded and looked forwards again.

“That was close” he said.

[Yeah] Kana nodded.

Reinhard, Roeca and the others had reached them now, the two brigadiers jogging past towards the commotion. Ryan stopped next to Kana and Caleb, looking to the smoke, then back to them.

“What happened?” Ryan said. “I saw the message then heard a bang”

“They’re friendly, just set off one of the mines” Caleb said.

“What?!”

[Everyone’s ok] Kana said. [Just shocked, I think]

“Right. Sorry. Should’ve led with that” Caleb said.

Ryan looked between the two of them, then forward, to the smoke. As it fizzled out, a green, glowing barrier became visible. The newcomers all stood inside it, their expressions shocked.

“Oh thank god” Ryan said. The three began making their way forward as Reinhard and Roeca directed the group through the mines. Caleb watched the brigadiers as they moved, the one in the lead even stronger than Reinhard. Then his eyes moved to the chosen.

Two boys and two girls, all with similar curved blades. They appeared close, muttering amongst themselves as they looked to him and the others. He could feel their magic power. They were strong, their weights brighter and heavier even than Layla’s.

He came to a stop as they met the group just beyond the mines, crowding all together.

[Hell of a trap you’ve got there] the lead brigadier said, removing her helmet. She was an older woman, with slight wrinkles and fine grey hairs woven in between black.

[Master Patricia] Reinhard said, kneeling as Roeca followed suit. [I apologise for our stupidity.]

[Nonsense. And we’re not at the tower, young one you can stand] Patricia said, gesturing for them to rise. They did so quickly, and the other brigadiers - a short brunette, and a skinny male - nodded to them, their gazes filled with respect.

Reinhard and Roeca nodded back, then acknowledged the rest of the chosen before returning to Master Patricia.

[We arrived here last night. There were several cultists led by Sir Ilor] Reinhard said.

Master Patricia’s face grew serious.

[We managed to best them and recover three of Arithor’s rubies. We were lying in wait for a group supposed to meet them here] Roeca added.

[Good] Master Patrica said.

[Y-you’re not surprised?] Roeca mumbled.

[No. We encountered a band of cultists west of here and recovered a ruby. They were supposed to meet a group here. Likely to gather the rubies. Do you have any information on a possible third group?]

[No. I’m sorry] Roeca replied.

There was a pause as Master Patricia seemed to consider the words, then nodded to herself.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

[It doesn’t matter. This is good] Patricia said. [We’ve got more rubies than them, which gives us leverage. If they get desperate and decide to release a calamity with only two of the rubies, together with the godchildren, I have hope we can defeat it.]

[What should be our plan of attack?]

[We’ll remain on the offensive. If they’re as lacking in coordination as I think they are they won’t know we have five rubies. We can reclaim them all by pressing the cultists or even take their base of operations and remove the threat of a calamity all together]

[But how will we find them?]

[I managed to squeeze it out of one of those backwards bas-]

[Valyre] Patricia warned, glancing back to the brunette brigadier.

[Sorry] she replied.

[We managed to get it out of a cultist that the stronghold is within the mountains] the other brigadier said.

[So close to the Central Kingdom? That’d be foolish] Reinhard said.

[No. They’ve got artifacts that keep the place hidden]

[How would they get their hands on that?]

[Naddan believes the place isn’t artificially constructed, but a relic from the old age] Patricia said, gesturing to the skinny brigadier.

[Where is it exactly?]

[We’d be there already if we knew the location] Naddan said, stepping forward. [We were hoping to find some more cultists here and uncover its exact position]

[We can head for the mountains regardless. We’ll be bound to find cultists there sooner or later] Valyre said.

“D-do we have to fight again?” Caleb asked. Everyone looked to him and he shrunk into himself, clearing is throat in embarrassment. “I-ignore me”

[No, it’s a reasonable question] Patricia said. [If you don’t wish to fight, you don’t have to]

“No, no. It’s fine” Caleb mumbled, his face flushing as eyes remained on him.

[Wait, can’t we destroy them?] Eriana said.

[What?] Patricia said turning to her.

[The rubies]

“Obviously not” one of the chosen from the other group, a ginger, said. “Don’t you think we would’ve done that by now?”

[Erin, stop] the other girl, one of Arabic descent, said

“I was just saying”

[Don’t bicker. We’re all friends here] Naddan said, as Eriana’s face flushed.

[Right] Patrica said, loudly clapping her hands together. [We’ll if we move quickly and rest during the night, we’ll reach the mountains by tomorrow morning.]

[If we move through the night, we’ll get there even sooner] Valyre said.

[No. We don’t need to rush. If we're careful we'll win this without too much extra effort] Patricia said. [Now come on. Let's go]

She turned and walked away, retracing her path through the mines as the others followed behind her.

Caleb glanced back at the town, towards the church hospital. The bodies of everyone who had fallen were still there. It was weird to think they were just leaving them behind.

[Caleb?] Kana said.

“Sorry. I'm coming”

-

Caleb couldn’t breathe. His lungs had withered away, replaced by the mass of rotten flesh within him, sapping away his strength.

He clawed and clawed at it, tearing through his own skin, covering his hands in his own blood, just to pull pieces of it out himself, but it only grew more and more.

As his body weakened, so too did his will, his hands getting slower and slower until they stopped. He gurgled, struggling for breaths he knew would not come. And when he couldn’t struggle any longer he fell.

Into an endless darkness, as black as night, the only star the useless one in his chest.

He wanted it to work. So desperately needed it to work and fix him, before his life just became fighting. The endless fighting.

Oh the fighting. The horrible, horrible fighting.

He’d cut through men as easily as cutting through butter. Taken their lives without second thought.

The memories rushed back to him and he found himself in the battle again, surrounded by explosions and screams.

He was rushing forwards, screeching like a monster as he cut down cultist after cultist, leaving bodies in his wake. With every slash, everybody, more blood stained his hands and his face, burning against his skin.

Then it was over. All the enemies were dead. All his friends were dead. It was only him and the smell of blood. He turned around, his eyes widening in horror as he looked upon the corpses behind him.

Beyond them, Cut stared at him, his skin charred, burnt to a crisp. He pointed a rigid, bony finger at Caleb, as he looked upon him with hollow eye-sockets filled with hate.

His mouth opened and moved, though no words came, only hoarse croaks.

But it didn’t matter. Caleb knew what he meant.

He’d seen the same hatred before, felt it inside of him whenever he’d looked upon the monster.

And now he was a monster too.

Caleb jumped up from his sleep, his heart beating out of his chest as he struggled to breathe.

Ryan glanced to him, his expression filled with surprise, but he waved him away, taking a second to gather himself. The panic faded slowly, and he slumped back down onto his makeshift pillow, sweat beading his forehead.

His eyes fluttered open and he sat up, coughing as he felt at his side.

It was dark again, the stars flickering in the sky above. He and all the other chosen sat around a fire again, sounds of community and comfort surrounding.

Muffled whispers and chuckles of the first watch floated through the camp as the rest slept. Caleb was part of the group meant to be resting, but he doubted he’d be able to go back to sleep. So, he simply sat still, staring blankly at the fire in front of him. It flickered, shuddering and twisting as it danced in the wind.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Ryan said looking to him again.

“Shouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I basically slept the entire time I camped out with Markus. I don’t think he was too happy” Ryan said, chuckling to himself.

“I slept too” Caleb said.

“I guess we both enjoy sleeping” Ryan chuckled again, the laugh slightly forced this time. Caleb glanced to the teen, noticing the bags under his eyes and the tiredness in his expression.

“You okay?”

“Huh?”

“You alright? I mean, you look a little tired”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… great” Ryan mumbled back.

“Good” Caleb nodded, before looking back to the fire. The two of them were silent as the laughter from the other group trickled over to them.

“D-did you kill anyone?” Ryan mumbled, suddenly. Caleb glanced to him quickly then looked back to the fire.

“Y-yeah” Caleb said. “Two people”

Ryan nodded

“I killed three. The first guy… I was just trying to knock him out” Ryan said. “I knocked his sword away and… I mean I’ve thrown a punch before. Got into fights with my brothers all the time. I just… I guess I was scared. Forgot I’m strong now and these guys aren’t- weren’t monsters. The other two. I was so shocked from the first one I don’ think I realised what I’d done till afterwards”

Caleb glanced to Ryan’s clothes.

He’d wrapped himself partially with one of the blankets, but it was clear even in the poor light, the entirety of his left arm was stained dark, and dark stains stretched across the rest of his clothes.

“It’s okay” Caleb mumbled, though he didn’t quite believe it himself.

“I feel weird now” Ryan muttered.

“I get what you mean”

“Yeah. Almost cursed, y’know?” Ryan said, forcing a chuckle. He went to say something else before pausing, and glancing behind the two of them.

“What?” Caleb said.

“Do you… hear that?” Ryan whispered. Caleb could only hear the crackle of fire laughter, but by now he knew better than to doubt Ryan’s senses.

He turned slowly looking around past the dim glow of orange the fire provided and into the darkness. The campsite suddenly felt a lot more exposed. He remained still for a moment, unsure if he should call out or not.

He glanced to his side to see Ryan, sword in one hand as he shook Kana and Sierra awake. Caleb unsheathed his sword, pressing all his remaining attention into his trait. He couldn’t sense anything.

[What the hell are you lot doing?] a voice said behind him. He glanced back to see the on watch brigadier, Naddan, from the other squad looking to them with a scowl.

[Put your weapons away yo-]

Before Caleb could respond a large swathe of red fire and white light appeared and vaporised the far side of the camp, the force and speed of the explosion so instant Caleb registered the burst of magic power only after he’d been thrown off his feet. The pain of burning hit him immediately after but it faded quickly and he felt the familiar sensation of Kana’s magic.

He blinked in surprise for a few seconds, still in shock, his mind reeling from the fact his skin and clothes had been charred – even if momentarily.

Then he heard the roars. He recognised the cries. The frenzy and fanaticism in them. It was the cultists. Of course it was the cultists.

He pulled himself up quickly as the smell of charred flesh filled his nostrils and realised he’d lost his sword. He sensed it, his core’s connection to it and scrambled to it out of sheer instinct. His hands clasped around the handle and his body was flooded with euphoric relief before he remembered his surroundings.

His eyes widened and he instantly looked back at the others, Ryan desperately throwing the remains of a tent at incoming cultists as Sierra helped a now unconscious Kana to her feet, as blood seeped through her nose.

The rest of the camp who hadn’t been decimated by the explosion pulled themselves up too.

He moved, and instantly felt the skin on the left side of his body protest, the air burning against it.

He winced, falling back to one knee as he looked down to himself. Half his top was charred, and parts of it gone. His skin looked weird, almost half charred, like he’d been burned years ago, and healed over time. He could sense remnants of Kana’s healing all throughout.

He cursed, then looked up to see a wave of at least a hundred cultists rushing towards them, weapons raised as the fire within their camp grew.

[Alert – Your location is currently under attack]

Shit