Frostbite gripped on to the Calvary as they rode swiftly along the icy path. The north had remained cold all year long, but this month was by far the coldest. Mist released from the horses' nostrils were enough to block their vision momentarily, but it never seemed to affect their speed. They had complete trust in their riders, so much so that they would blindly rush into a deathtrap at the blink of an eye. Such was the case with all these specially bred war horses.

The thumping sound of their hooves banged against the wooden bridge as they made their way into the Northern Keep. Powerful beams held up the Northern Keep of Igbal. The interior of the structure was made of Cormac steel while the outermost was reinforced by hardened earth from the most powerful Elementum of that time, Robert Milon. Soldiers at the base of the keep could be seen setting up spikey wooden barricades. Any army would think twice before charging into this structure unless they wished to be impaled. What set Katar apart from the rest on the continent was their abundance of Maginite Ore. As such, they were able to create many of their structures with a layer of maginite ore, making it near impenetrable to spirit energy. Unfortunately, the Northern Keep was built many years before Katarians learned the techniques to use maginite ore. Therefore, it was too difficult to incorporate it into the beams. Although strong, the beams were considered the weakest part of the entire keep.

Marcus Dor was the current head of the Northern Keep with his two Knight Captains below him. Captain Alec Dor and Uther Calum both controlled half of their entire army of ten thousand men. While Alec Dor was well respected within the Dor section of the army, he held no power over Uther Calum's men. There was a subtle tension within the keep that had existed for many years. It was only thanks to Marcus' overwhelming strength and abilities that the Keep managed to retain order.

Within the war room of the Keep, Marcus sat in the high seat as his men sat on either side of him. Alec on his right and Uther on his left. Directly next to them sat their Commanders and Sergeants, each with a battle-hardened face. It had been many years since they've been defending Katar from the tyranny of the Gusto Empire. Many years since they had given their blood, sweat, and tears, they finally got intel on a possible Gusto stronghold.

Although they managed to defend themselves against the Empire for so many years, it had taken decades before they could map out the terrain further north of the Keep. The constant skirmish had kept them turtled up within the Keep, only defending against the continuous onslaught.

"Are you sure about this intel Sergeant?" Uther demanded of the Dor Sergeant that just returned from his scouting mission. Uther was a pale man with blood red lips. His fuzzy red hair was cut just short of his silver metal armor. Although the chilling wind kept beating against the opened window of the Keep, his hair managed to stay still, much like the Sergeant before him.

Sergeant Iberan Marx was the firstborn son of Roman Marx. The Marx family was one of the Knight vassals in service to House Dor. Iberan came from a long line of strong and respectable Knights that would only answer to a Dor banner. It was only a few minutes ago that his calvary finally returned with news from the frontlines. "Yes Captain, my scouts followed a large supply caravan headed to one of the villages just north of here. We believe the village is being used as a front for their base. I believe we-"

"I did not ask you your beliefs Sergeant. That will be all," Uther snapped as he turned towards Marcus. "Milord, if what the young Sergeant said is true, this is a perfect opportunity to strike against those Gusto scums. If we could capture them alive then we will finally be able to learn something. For far too long we have defended, it is time we show them Katar has more than a thick shield. Let me lead my army there, I will bring our first victor back to Katar."

Marcus lazily turned towards Uther. Although he was a rude and feisty man, he did have some ability. In Marcus' opinion, he was a bit stronger than Alec. If only he wasn't the younger brother of that hateful man, William Calum.

"A sound plan captain. What does everyone else think?" Marcus asked.

"Milord, suppose this is a trap? The empire has been more forceful these past five years than ever before. Suddenly stopping their attack is too suspicious. We must think this through. Send another unit to scout the surrounding area then we will decide from there," Alec suggested as he adjusted his glasses.

"Are you out of your mind Captain Alec? We killed more than half of their men during that last attack. Those scums are now licking their wounds. Cowardly men like you have no place in the Northern Keep!" Uther barked at Alec as he slammed his fist on the desk.

"Common sense should prevail even among warriors Uther. Are you in such a hurry to send your men to their deaths?" Alec rebutted.

Uther jumped up from his chair, causing it to drag against the stone floor. "What did you say?"

"Hmmm," Marcus stroked his chin as he thought about it. He raised a hand to stop Alec and Uther's back and forth before advising, "We'll send a second unit to scout the surroundings. After that, Uther's army will lead the strike against the empire."

"But General, if we do not strike while they're unaware we might miss this chance," Uther urged Marcus.

"That's unlikely to happen if they're as wounded as you say. Follow my orders, if we're right then you'll earn a great merit."

Uther scoffed softly at the orders, "As you command, Grand Knight Dor." He quickly stormed outside, with his retinue following closely behind. Alec smirked slowly before bowing to Marcus and leading his men outside.

Marcus remained seated, sipping the wine that was now settled in his glass. "What do you think Master Claw?" he whispered in the empty room. A figure slowly shifted from his shadow, becoming a corporal entity. "Sergeant Marx's report is true. There are some suspicious activities happening in the village. However, their movements seem...forced, almost as though they want us to find them."

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Marcus' face hardened, there was no way he could call back Uther's men. He had no real evidence that this way a trap to begin with. The most he could do was monitor the situation and hope that his scouts find something before it was too late.

---

Khal dropped the unconscious Spiderling next to Kitten. He had overworked his spirit power trying to generate enough wind element to swiftly take out the men. He had grown enough to control his wind element to any part of his body. With a little more practice he would be able to control the wind element in his surroundings.

Khal crossed both legs and began to meditate quickly. Kitten and Red stood guard while the others slowly came out of their rooms one at a time. The plan was a success. He was right in his judgment of One and Anvil, they were both strong. Enough so that they could be relied on for the battle to come. Hopefully, they wouldn't stab him in his back in the process. Khal inspected Anvil's both arms. They were coated with dried blood with bits and pieces of dirt. Noticing Khal's stare, Anvil quickly covered his hands behind his back.

How weird, Khal thought to himself. Anvil was a strange man. From the first time he met him, Khal had thought him to be a little too quiet, always observing and saying as little as possible. It was unnerving, but Khal figured most Spiderlings were this way.

One, on the other hand, didn't seem too troubled. Although he was hostile at first, Khal had realized that it was just his way of coping with the Hollows. He couldn't blame him for it, he had come up with a similar way to deal with it. Although groups were safer in the Hollows, they had made up their mind to do it alone. It was better since some members of the groups were usually the ones to kill each other for the rewards. They both sat next to Khal on the floor, meditating to recover their spirit energy.

Luckily Khal managed to drag one of the Spiderlings out, he had forgotten to give the order to spare one of them and neither One or Anvil bothered to do it. "What now?" Red asked Khal an hour later. The man was noticeably more agitated than before. "Now we wait. We don't know which rooms the rest might be in and it'd be foolish to think another ambush would work so smoothly. It's best we wait in one of the free rooms until morning. Sooner or later someone would come to check on things here. We can kill them all then." Khal was aware of the shortcomings of this makeshift team. None of them trusted the other and it was difficult to fight as a group while having to look over your shoulder.

"You're asking me to wait again?" Red asked threateningly. Khal gazed at the man only briefly before closing his eyes. "I'm talking to you 'Ser Five'," he mocked. "You think you're better than me because you're a numbered? You think you've best be because you're an elementum? Well, I got news for you, not all the numbered are elementums. Two is far stronger than the likes of you. If you don't give me the respect I need then you will never win against him." Red then hawked loudly before spitting next to Khal's feet. "That's enough Red," Kitten interjected. She was just about to walk over to him when Red ground his teeth and turned away, walking to one of the unoccupied rooms.

Khal didn't get much time to return to his meditation before he noticed Anvil standing in front of him. "It's best we head over to the rooms, this Spiderling may give us some information." Khal nodded in agreement as he stood up. The man didn't wait to hear if Khal had anything else to say, instead, he turned around and followed Kitten towards Red's room while pulling the unconscious man behind him. Just as they entered the room, One quickly grabbed on to Khal's shoulder, "Five, wait a second. Don't forget we're still numbered, we still have a target on our backs. It would be unwise to put too much trust in them."

"Oh, and I can trust you?" Khal blurted out.

"I could have killed you many times over. I have not, there is little to gain from it," One rebutted without changing the tone of his voice.

"Hmm, fair enough. Why don't you trust them?" Khal questioned as folded his arms.

"Just a hunch," One added before taking off towards the rooms.

Khal shook his head before sighing. He knew that One was least likely to stab him in his sleep. He was unsure of Kitten and Anvil was most likely just a weirdo. Maybe it was Red that would try to betray them. Red had opposed everything he had suggested from the beginning. If he really turned out to be a traitor, Khal had a way to deal with him. If there was one thing the hollows had thought him so far was to trust no one. Whether Red, Anvil, Kitten or One were to oppose him, he'd be prepared.

---

The rest of the night passed slower than Khal had anticipated. The captured Spiderling didn't have any information worth sharing to the group. All he knew was that the Spiderlings were supposed to gather around one of the sparring rooms the following day to receive a special message. Something that was supposed to change the rules of the hollows.

"Wait, why does Two have so much power within the Hollows? Aren't all the numbered powerful? What makes him so special?" Khal asked as he watched the body language of everyone around him. He had half expected Kitten to be the one to respond but surprisingly Red beat her to it. "Within the Recluse, there are two factions that you may not know about. Lord Claw's faction is outnumbered. There are whispers of a new reckoning within the Hive." Khal was stunned, maybe his decision to be a loner was more harmful than not.

"And you know all of this because you're a really friendly lad right?" One chimed in for the first time. Khal waited to hear Red's response. It would be weird for anyone to willingly tell Red this information. He was more than a little rough around the edges. Red scoffed then shrugged, adding nothing further. "What do we do with him now?" Kitten asked as she looked towards Khal. "Nothing, we knock him out and leave him here, he's no longer a-"

"No longer a threat? I think you've forgotten where you are! You bring disgrace to the numbered with your cowardice." Red barked while glaring at Khal angrily. Before Khal could mount a response to Red's taunt, the captured Spiderling suddenly attacked Khal's exposed back. Khal, sensing the movement, quickly evaded while his cladded hand sliced cleanly through the man's fleshy neck. Groaning deeply before falling to the floor, the spiderling's cladding slowing fading from his fist. Khal's eyes trembled momentarily before he removed the expression from his face. The Spiderling had someone managed to free his hands just enough to attack Khal when he was the most vulnerable.

Khal glanced at a small drop of blood near the Spiderling before grinding his teeth, it seemed he was still not fully used to his new world. These weren't innocent victims, these were all killers. He needed to be far colder if he wanted to survive. Khal then turned towards Red again. The clothing of everyone besides Khal began rustling in the wind as Khal approached Red. Within Khal's hand, a small wind blade the size of dagger formed before he aimed it at Red. The blade shot straight towards Red's forehead, causing the man's eyes to dilate instantly. The attack was far too fast and sudden. Just before the blade reached his forehead, it dissipated. Everyone stood there, silent as Khal continued walking past red Red. "I've tolerated you for long enough, the next time you will not be so lucky."

Red felt his hands shake with fear. It was the first time he had really seen Khal for what he was, a numbered. A deep-rooted hate penetrated Red's heart, this was the first time he had actually felt real fear and he hated it. Before long, he would strip 'Five' of his place among the Hollows.