《The Ruler of Celestia》


 Chapter 1: Thaldun City

    In a dingy basement, room in the slums of Thaldun city, lit by a mixture of silver and red light from the two overhead moons. The light able to pass the grimy half window illuminated four shapes huddled under a thin sheet and blanket on an old bed. Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken by a scratching at the lock; it turned and unlached with a click. A teenage boy then opened the door, slowly closed the door, and, walking into the room with soft footfalls, dropped a few wallets on the small table before crawling into the bed and falling asleep, becoming the fifth. Far away, the silver and red moons continued their journey across space in the sky above, uncaring about the world below.


    The following day, Sky woke up, slowly raising himself out of the bed. Trying not to wake the others, in the room lit only by the sunlight pouring through the window, he walked over to the cracked mirror, looked at his dirty reflection, ran his fingers through his long black hair, and sighed. He then turned to the table behind him and noticed three wallets. Grabbing them, he opened them up and counted the bills: one gold crown, seven silver blades, and thirteen copper shields, coming out to one crown, eight blades, and three shields. Elated, he smiled. They could pay the rent for two crowns this week with the money.


    From behind him, the others had started waking up. The youngest, a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes, greeted him. ¡°Mornin'', Sky,¡± she said, the sleep still evident in her voice.


    ¡°Good morning, Lily,¡± he replied in a whisper, trying to let the others sleep as long as possible. " Do you want some breakfast?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Lily replied. Sky then reached into the cupboard, grabbed an apple, and tossed it to Lily. She caught it and walked across the creaking floorboards to the table, an odd-looking creation the group had built by placing broken wood planks over stacked bricks. Plopping down in one of the three chairs, she happily bit into the apple.


    Seeing this, Sky released a sad smile, put on his worn shoes, grabbed his coat with the hole in the left pocket, and with a last glance back at Lily and the other three still sleeping, he went out the door.


    The morning air in Thaldun was crisp and cold, carrying with it the stink of the slums as it hit Sky''s face. Turning out of the alleyway where his house was, he turned onto Kelthorn Street and began walking south to where it met the main road. Once there, he joined the crowds and headed towards the docks to find work.


    Leaving the poor western district, he entered the busy southern port district. Here, the scent of smoke and sea mixed, replacing the smell of the slums. The port district was a mix of factories, docks, and warehouses. It pumped in goods and business daily, making it the great beating heart of the city.


    A sizeable naval transport unloaded soldiers as they formed ranks and marched north to the military district. Most would die within the month, while others would return as heroes. If I didn¡¯t have the others to look out for, I would have joined up long ago, thought Sky to himself. A quick death on the battlefield with a chance of a better life beats slowly dying in the slums with no way out.


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    As the crowd walked past the factories, some began to peel off and head inside. These people were the lucky ones with full-time factory jobs, and although worn, they had clean clothes and full stomachs. A few others followed them; these people were hoping for an opening they could fill. Some of them got lucky, but most would go home with nothing.


    Sky continued down to the docks, the scent of the sea overpowering the smoke, looking at the lines in front of each one. He selected the third shortest and queued up. Docks 3B and 12A always had the shortest lines, but 3B was gang-controlled, and 12A would only sometimes pay up at the end of the day. The queue for dock 7B moved rather quickly today, and after a half-hour, Sky reached the front. As always, two men sat behind a table; one was the dock''s foreman there to register his name, and the other was a military grunt there to both try and recruit him and keep the peace.


    ¡°Name and age,¡± asked the foreman with a grunt.


    ¡°Sixteen, Sky,¡± he replied. Then, looking at the uniformed man starting to speak, he said, ¡°No.¡±


    The military grunt began to open his mouth in protest, but holding up three fingers, the foreman cut him off.


    ¡°You, on Crew 3, Next!¡±


    Sky quickly hurried along, seeing the signs with five numbers on weathered poles. He promptly stood under the three, along with others. He waited until 25 men had gathered. There were a few around Sky''s age. Most of the men were in their twenties, and a single man looked to be about forty. Sky was pleased that no one in his crew was underage, as he had experienced this, and it always led to problems. The southern country of Delenthiem had passed a law forbidding people under ten years of age to work. This law went over fine with the people on the southern continent, but in the already poorer central continent territories'' poorer districts, children would often lie about their age to get a day job and bring home some change. The underage workers led to anger from adults who were unable to get any work. This rage would, more times than not, lead to an investigation in which corrupt officials extorted all parties involved, or someone ended up dead.


    He was snapped out of his thoughts when the crew leader arrived, introduced himself and led the group down the dock towards the large cargo ship covered in barnacles and its towering sails.


    ¡°We are to unload all the cargo in the third hold and bring it to warehouse 17,¡± the crew leader told them. He then looked at Sky and the other two young workers and asked, ¡°Is this anyone''s first time working at the docks?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± a voice said from behind, and Sky quickly turned to see who was stupid enough to admit that. There, with his hand raised, was the older man. Upon closer inspection, his clothes were much nicer than anyone else''s. Must have been a factory worker who recently got let go, thought Sky.


    ¡°Well then,¡± the crew leader said joyfully, ¡°I''ll show you how things work here. First, look at how this rope is tied, as you may need to redo one just like it.¡±


    The man let out a breath of air, glad that the crew leader was so understanding. He quickly walked over and glanced down at the knot, trying to figure out how to retie it if needed. At that moment, a boot slammed into his back, and a loud crack resounded. Sky and the others watched as the man went over the side of the dock, falling four meters into the water with a loud splash and disappearing under the waves.

 Chapter 2: The Docks

    A dead silence enveloped the group as the man hit the water with a splash. If it were a kid¡¯s first day, they would have been given the most demanding jobs and treated poorly, but if they made it through the day, they¡¯d get their pay and come back brighter the next day. This man, however, had been given an opportunity few of them would ever receive, wasted it, and now tried to take their jobs. No one moved to help him, even as he splashed and gurgled, yelling for help and that he couldn''t swim. They stood still, listening to the waves he created break against the stone pier. A minute later, he lost his battle and slowly slipped under the water, never to draw breath again. All that remained was a string of slowly dissipating bubbles.


    Corpses such as this would wash up eventually, but the authorities would just search the bodies for any authority and dump them in mass graves. Such was life for those living on the broken continent, which was short and full of misery. The constant wars fought over it forced the people living there to crowd together by the sea, where the Delentheim military could quickly provide support. This population influx led to overcrowding of the port cities and food shortages due to the lack of protected farmland outside them. To help with the food shortages, merchants from the southern continent imported mass amounts of food, leading to the territories¡¯ slow economic decline as cash kept leaving for the southern continent.


    In the dead silence that followed the drowning man''s death, the crew leader dropped his act and sneered at the rest of them. ¡°Anyone else? Then get a move on; we have a quota to make.¡± The group began to walk over to the ship gangplank, boarded it, and cracked open the third cargo hold. Sky sighed in relief when he saw the cargo. Some kind of bales wrapped in a rope; if they were crates, the crew would need to carry them off carefully, but they could throw these, speeding up the process. As a line formed, Sky reached into his right pocket and grabbed some cloth strips, wrapping them around his hands to avoid rope burn. Just as he finished, they got to work tossing the bales along the line and into a pile on the dock.


    Twenty minutes later, they emptied the hold and began loading the old wooden carts drawn by horses, piling the bales as high as possible. After the carts had filled up, there were still a few bales left over. Splitting them up to carry amongst themselves, they set off down the dock. As the team followed the carts, they passed the other work groups, busy with tasks. One was cleaning the ship''s hulls; another was helping to carry worn sails away and replace them with new ones. As they neared the end of the dock, they passed by another transport crew; this one had their wagons full of fresh water and supplies. The crew would load these supplies onto the ships for their next voyage back to the southern continent.


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    Exiting the dock and turning onto the main road, the group surrounded the two wagons, watching the cargo closely. If anyone got too close, a light shove and a glare made them back off. Luckily for the group, it was still early in the day, and many hadn''t given up on trying to get into the factories yet, the lines outside still long under the now blazing sun. It got much worse after the lunch hour when many workers standing outside all day with nothing to eat and nothing to show for their efforts would try less legitimate ways to earn dinner.


    An hour later, the work team made it down the main street, turned onto a side street, and arrived at Warehouse 17. They then begin unloading the carts, storing the bales, and loading them onto the high metal shelves by first having someone climb up to the top, then throwing them up and having that person stack them. When they had finished, the group once again surrounded the wagons and headed back towards the dock.


    The atmosphere became more relaxed as the group, and the wagons turned onto the side road. Without a heavy load to carry, it was just a brisk walk. Still, no one talked, and the only time the silence was broken was when they heard the crew leader yelling at those in the back to hurry up.


    Upon the group''s arrival at the dock, the sun reached its highest point in the sky, and they were allowed a 30-minute break for lunch. A few better-off workers returned to the check-in desk to grab lunch pails with packed food, leaving the group without a second glance. The others, Sky included, walked down to the end of the dock where, discarded by long-gone ships a pile of damaged crates had been haphazardly discarded across the pier. Once they arrived, the group grabbed empty crates and flipped them over to make a circular seating area, stomping on them to see if they would hold. They then dragged over another crate; by the effort it took the two men, Sky could tell that this one was full of something; the men tilted it on its side. One pulled out a metal wedge, and another produced a small wooden mallet with a broken handle from his pockets.


    The man with the mallet held it up and said to the gathered men as they took their seats, ¡°Let''s see what we got today, boys.¡± Then, swinging the mallet down on the wedge, the crate lid popped off and rolled a pile of slightly rotten fruit out. Upon seeing this, many pulled out knives, while others had shards of glass or twisted metal appear in tightly clenched hands. The two who had opened the crate also returned to the seating crates, pulling out their makeshift knives. Then the men stood ne, brandishing their weapons, and rushed towards the food.

 Chapter 3: The Docks 2

    Sky sat on one of the upturned crates in the circle around the food; liquid dripped from his makeshift knife crafted with a jagged chunk of metal and some leather straps. He smiled as he looked down at his spoils: two apples and some kind of gray fruit he didn''t know. One of the apples was already in slices as he cut the second one open for inspection. All around him, the others did the same, checking their food to ensure no parasites, bugs, or fungi were residing there. The pile of food in the middle had shrunk quite a bit, but some were still left, albeit the worst-looking ones.


    Finishing the second apple and finding nothing wrong with it, Sky took a break from cutting and ate the slices he had already prepared. In his mind, thoughts raced, a bit dry but still so good, biting down on another slice. At that moment, the crew leader returned, followed by those who had gone to get lunch pails. Behind them was a wagon full of barrels. The men grabbed one of the barrels and a crate from the wagon and set them down. Upon hitting the ground with a thud, the crate let out a loud clang, and the barrel made a sloshing noise. Then the tops came off, revealing the barrel full of water and the crate containing iron cups. The men started to line up, grabbing one of the cups from the crate, then walking over and scooping up some water. While the line moved, the men with lunch pails and the crew leader opened them up and began to eat, getting envious looks from the others.


    Sky was near the back of the line, and as he waited, he cut open the last fruit he had, the fuzzy gray one. As his metal shard went to cut it, he slipped a bit with his hand and sheered off some of the skin of the fruit. However, this revealed something to him: underneath was an apple like the other two he had eaten. This one, however, had a grey hue to its flesh and let off a repulsive odour. Well, this one¡¯s a waste, Sky lamented as he hurled it over the side of the dock to feed the fish. Getting to the front of the line, he grabbed his cup of water and downed it, walking around the other side of the line and tossing the mug back in the crate.


    After lunch, the crew returned the water wagon to the dock''s check-in desk, dropping off the water barrel and crate of mugs. The foreman then talked to the crew leader for a minute before scratching something off on one of his many piled-up lists; as the two talked, the military grunt came over with a wide grin and began spitting out his recruitment speech. ¡°For any man who signs right now, the military will pay one week''s worth of wages,¡± minus food, boarding, clothes, and weapons costs, leaving you with a negative balance to pay off, Sky refuted in his head. Although his landlord was an asshole who didn''t care about them, being an ex-military member, he had been kind enough to expose the recruitment scheme to Sky and his siblings, primarily out of spite for the military and not wanting to lose his tenants, but it was still helpful information nonetheless. In the background, the military grunt continued, ¡°And if you happen to manifest, find, or capture an authority, you will be granted the rank of captain with all the benefits that come with it.¡± And there it is, authorities. Capturing one alone is impossible, as an average human can¡¯t take down even the weakest elemental authority user, Sky thought. If you managed to get one as a group, the military would take it as their ¡°tactics¡± had secured it. As for finding one, you were likelier for a factory owner to decide randomly on the street to gift you his entire fortune. And if one ever managed to manifest their own authority without being under the protection of a noble family or an organization. In that case, you would end up dead in the next battle or some freak incident with the authority given to the military as an asset.


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    Looking beside him and seeing that one of the other workers his age seemed drawn in by the speech, Sky tried to him on the shoulder. ¡°You''re better off joining a mercenary guild than the military if you ever manage to manifest,¡± he whispered to the other worker. But the boy didn''t hear him and walked forward to the grunt, asking, ¡°Where do I sign up?¡± The grunt, pleased, began walking back to the desk with the boy to fill out the papers, congratulating him for deciding to change his life.


    After the grunt took the boy away, the crew leader returned, looked at the group, sighed, glanced at the boy signing his death warrant and ordered them to head down the dock. There, they found a pile of crates waiting on the pier. Loading them up into another horse-drawn wagon, they once more protected the cart on its way to the warehouse. The street was much busier now, and keeping people away was harder. There was more shoving this time, and their encirclement pulled out the makeshift knives a few times to scare a group off. After a long time, they managed to get the cart to its location; they unloaded it and returned it to the docks. At this point, the sunset was just beginning, and the crew leader let them go.


    Lining up again at the check-in desk, he collected his wage of five shields, then turned to his left and looked at the lined-up crates. The first two were empty, but the last one had loaves of stale bread inside. "No doubt bought by some foolish merchant," Sky thought. "I''ll grab one for myself and one for the others." Merchants often got scammed into buying food orders with ruined products mixed in, but with the profit the merchants made off the food, it was tacitly ignored. Snatching up the two loaves, he quickly began to walk home as the sun sunk lower and lower beyond the horizon.


    As he neared his home and turned onto the sidestreet, the candlelight from the streetlamps disappeared, and his path turned from golden to a mix of crimson and silver cast by the twin moons hung high in the heavens. Entering the home via the key hidden under a nearby rock, he entered the house.


    Expecting a ¡°welcome home¡± or maybe a ¡°got any food,¡± Sky was shocked when Lily looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, ¡°They took Even away.¡±

 Chapter 4: Taken

    The bread Sky was holding fell to the ground with a thud as he scanned the faces in front of him, his heart aching for their pain. Lily burst into tears, and Deviln, the second youngest, didn¡¯t look too far behind. His short brown hair was messy, and his golden eyes were puffy and red. Mya, the 13-year-old with long brown hair and matching hazel eyes, tried to hold it together and help the other two, but she struggled. On top of that, she had a nasty cut on her cheek. After scanning Lily and Devlin, finding no injuries, he began to look behind them into the room. Not much had been broken, but there had not been much to break. The mattress was thrown in the corner, though luckily, the intruders had spared the bed frame. They had also smashed the table into bits and ripped off the cupboard doors; one glance was enough to know that their savings were all gone.


    Sky bent down, picked up the bread, and set it on one of the brick stacks that had once been part of the table. He then turned, looked at Mya, and asked, ¡°The gangs or the military?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± Mya replied, her voice a raspy testament to the strain they were under. Sky¡¯s face fell, his features contorted with a mixture of disbelief and dread. ¡°Both?¡± he repeated, the word hanging like a dark omen in the air.


    As the sun rose, Sky slipped out the door and closed it as softly as he could. As she munched on her apple, Lily thought to herself I need to find a way to help; I can''t let Sky and Even do all the work. As she was around five, working a job was impossible, not only because of the law but also because if the older ones found out, they would take on more work to support the group.


    As Lily finished her apple, a voice came from behind her. ¡°Ow!¡± turning around to see who else was up, she saw Devlin crawling across the bed, his elbows and knees stabbing into Mya. Tumbling out of the bed and onto the floor, he sleepily walked over to a pile of clothing and changed into it. Then he put on his worn shoes, opened the door, and walked into the alleyway. Mya, who was getting up after being trampled, used a hand to brush her hair out of her eyes, sighed and began to get ready for her day. Even with his black hair and eyes of the same colour kept snoring, oblivious to the commotion the others made.


    After getting ready, Mya also went out the door and disappeared into the alleyway. Lily finished the apple, grabbed her shoes and went out the door; she squinted at the sun shining into her eyes and started walking down the alleyway. Upon reaching the main street, Lily mixed in with the flow of people keeping to the side near the buildings before ducking off onto a dark side street littered with broken stones. There, she met up with a group of similarly aged children who greeted her before continuing to play a game they had set up with the stones. Some of the rocks sat in a straight line, and further away, four larger stones outlined the corners of a box. In the square''s center, two rocks sat, the first flat and the second balanced vertically on top. The trick of the game was to hit the vertical rock without knocking it down; points were also given to a player for landing in the square and knocking the rock off. An older boy nearby, who looked about seven and was wearing recently mended clothes, watched as the children took turns flicking stones at the vertical rock. He stood out for both his age and the fact that although his clothes had no holes and were relatively clean, the left sleeve had been completely removed and on his shoulder was a tattoo of a single sword pointing down towards his hand. He watched the young children play there game with little interest. No prizes today, Lily thought to herself; guess they don''t need any more distractions.


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    The game, although fun, trained the children to flick rocks at merchants and vendors who had recently come in on ships, but the strength control allowed the rock to hurt without leaving a mark. When the vendor came to confront the child, thieves would sneak in and take all that they could. By the time the merchant noticed, it would be too late. Most of the time, the rock thrower could just leave as the merchant tried to chase down the thieves. In the rare times, a merchant held a one for the guards, the child just lied, and as there would be no mark, get let go. Only if they messed up and threw too hard would they face punishment.


    On her turn, Lily tried her best; with a thwack, her rock flew up into the air and landed just short of the rock pile but inside the square. She then looked around, found a new rock and lined back up again while waiting for her shot. A few kids left in groups, and more still showed up. Even if no prizes would be given out today, practicing was always a good idea. She greeted a few friends as they showed up, and they decided to move on after taking their next shots. Her next attempt went better as she managed to hit the rock but knocked it over. This earned her a few high fives. After setting the vertical rock back up, Lily went over to the wall and leaned back with two of her friends, Tom and Jani, as they waited for Io and Wes to finish their turns.


    Once all of them had gathered, the six of them took off along the familiar route up to the edge of the slums; the closer they got to the center of town, the better the living conditions got until the buildings near them couldn''t be called slums anymore first broken or cracked windows disappeared. The next difference was the trash bins in front of every house and no trash blowing in the streets. The stench of the slums also disappeared, replaced by a stagnant smell mixed with smoke from the chimneys. Walking farther still, the surroundings changed even more; balconies appeared on the nearby homes, and the building facades began to have decorations etched or carved into the stonework. A low-income family could never live here; as they finally neared the city center, the rent for the buildings would cost more than two full-time factory workers made to rent. Finally, they reached the Emperor''s Spear, the massive road that cut Thaldun city in half.

 Chapter 5: A Table for the Small

    As the six of them made their way down the sidewalk of the main road, carriages passed them by, and the crowds threatened to pull them apart. The crowds of people shuffling down the massive sidewalks on each side of the six-lane road pulled the children with them toward the city''s center. Huddling together and linking arms, they followed the tide of people.


    Eventually, they reached a massive split in the road. Here, the spear suddenly seemed to stop and go left and right. It continued this way on both sides until it made another abrupt turn. The left side turned northeast, and the right northwest, coming to a point in front of a massive gate. This was the end of the enormous road and the city''s center, the spearhead. Spreading out from the northern gate was a giant wall of earth hardened to match steel, but more buildings could still be seen behind it. This wall divided the civilian side of the city from the military district, and although smaller and less fortified than the outer walls, it would stop any invaders from coming up from the port. Besides the gate, the outer edge of the street was filled with large buildings. These were the government and administrative buildings of the city. The buildings shone with decorative facades.


    In the center of the spearhead was a massive field of flowers; in the field, there were two churches and a cathedral spread out, so when one came down the spear, the two churches seemed like guards standing in front of but to the side of a divine throne. The buildings themselves were beautiful, but the most eye-catching part about them was the plants. The church on the left had a giant flower growing from the back. The rose glistened with a red glow as it bathed in the sunlight. The church on the right was covered in vines with little purple flowers, making it look like somebody had thrown a jade net studded with amethyst jewels over it. From the cathedral in the back, a great crystal tree rose; its leaves and branches shone with refracted light from the sun, and as if to show it was alive, its branches swayed in the wind. Behind and around the sides of the cathedral were other small buildings hardly noticeable amidst the beauty of the field. However, one of the small buildings is where the six children begin to walk.


    Following the winding path through the field, careful not to trample any beautiful plants on both sides, the group approached the compound of small, unimpressive one-story buildings. The building they headed towards was surrounded by a small grass lawn free of plants and flowers on which other groups of children ran and played.


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    As they reached the edge of the lawn, Lily felt a gust of air blow past as Devlin, Io and Wes ran ahead of her, racing towards the building; Tom and Jani stayed with her as the three calmly walked the same way. As she grew closer, the large double doors opened, and two bald men walked out carrying a large wooden table with a hole in the center; these men were Tree Wardens. They wore humble clothing topped with a white surcoat decorated with the image of a great crystal tree. Unlike the clear crystal that made up the one splitting the sky from the cathedral, this one had a trunk of light green and leaves of every colour imaginable. Strapped to their backs, each man had a long staff of clear crystal that matched the great tree overhead. The men set the table down with a loud thud and retreated inside the building. Seeing and hearing this, the children around Lily stopped playing and turned towards the table. A moment later, the reason was apparent: the men were back, and between them, carried with a long pole, was a large pot; they set this pot down into the hole on the table and stepped back to either side, then from the doors five woman and two more guards appeared, the woman wore long white robes that reached their ankles, the most striking part about them was their hair all different shades of green and nestled in each one''s hair was a rose. The new guards behind them respectively carried a box heaped with bread and another full of bowls and spoons. As for the women, two of them had large laddles, but other than that, they carried nothing.


    As the children sat on the grass, they organized themselves from smallest to largest. Lily was near the smaller children, Devlin and Io, and the others were spread out in the crowd. After the children were all seated, the woman with the darkest green hair began to speak in a kindly tone,


    ¡°The life of the Emperor flows ever through your veins.¡± She smiled warmly at the children, and they gestured for the smallest to come forward.


    ¡°Come and eat what his majesty has provided to nurture the life in all of you, so the small may grow large and the weak strong.¡± The children began to stand up and form a line, which moved quickly as the other four women deftly handed each child a bowl of stew and a loaf of bread. Being near the front, Lily was soon given a bowl and bread, and then, going back around, she sat down and began to eat. The stew was full of vegetables, and the bread was fresh and fluffy, unlike the stale hard loaves Sky sometimes brought home from the docks. When she was about halfway done, the head of the woman spoke again,


    ¡°Those of you who have not eaten are large and strong enough to work for the emperor''s greatness. His gifts can be given only to the small and weak.¡± She had the same kind smile on her face as she said this. Following those words, the guards placed the empty boxes that had held bread and bowls on the grass. Then, they fit the iron bar back into the pot, and two of them carried it away. The other two picked up the table and followed them.

 Chapter 6: The Game of Life

    After the head of the rose maidens declared and the tree wardens carried away the table, she turned to Lily and the other children, enjoying their meal and began to speak.


    ¡°The Emperor of Life bestows gifts upon all who are weak and small; he does this out of pure kindness.¡± She then looked at the older children and continued


    ¡°However, once you become big and strong, you must make a choice, for those who stand far from the rootweave throne will always be smaller, weaker than the ones at the foot of the great tree.¡± The maiden let a smile cross her face, and her hair shone with a green glow.


    ¡°Join those who serve the Emperor with all their might, and he will see to it that you grow tall and strong beyond anything you can imagine.¡± Finishing her speech, she thrust forth a hand and turned the palm upwards. Cusped inside was a seed, and in front of everyone''s eyes, it cracked open; a stem shot upwards from its shell and at its top, a rose bloomed a brilliant scarlet.


    The maidens continued, spreading the Emperor''s word to the children before all but one who would watch the children retreated inside the buildings. Having eaten all her food, Lily turned to her friends and, seeing that they had finished their meals, got up quickly, followed by the rest. They joined the small crowd of children walking up to the crate to return their bowls. Then, they joined a larger group of children and began to play in the grassy patch amongst the great field of flowers, with the great tree looming overhead.


    Devin''s brown hair waved in the wind as he ran through the grassy field; the wind tickled as it passed through the hole he had torn in his shirt''s side. He, his sister and their friends were playing a game with a larger group in which one child would pretend to be a fearsome ruin beast and chase the other children, trying to tag and eliminate them. Another child played the sovereign role, and with their mighty authority, they could tag and destroy the beast. As always, Devin wasn''t either of them; the older kids always got those roles. Instead, he ran with a group of civilians as the beast chased after them. In his group were two friends. Jani was at the front, being older and faster, and Wes was near the back with Devin. Behind them, Tom, chosen as the beast, began to get closer, closing the distance; he first tagged the slowest of the group, followed by Wes and finally Devin himself. Falling to the ground, he clutched at his throat and made fake dying noises; with a final blegh, he splayed out his arms and legs and stopped moving.


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    After a few seconds, he got up and, along with Wes and the other kid, all walked over to the ¡°dead¡± zone. When they arrived, an older boy let out a whoop and took off like the wind. He was the sovereign, and after ten players had died, he was released to hunt down the ruin beast. Devin watched Tom, also noticing the sovereign''s release changed course from the older kids he was after to a group of younger kids, including Lily and Io. It was a good strategy because younger players were more accessible to catch, and all players were worth one point. Even if the sovereign managed to hunt down the ruin beast, as long as they killed over half the players first, it was considered a win, hunting down Lily''s group would complete that goal. However, the sovereign was faster and tagged Tom just before he reached the group.


    Devin and the other, tired after the running game, gathered back near the building, resting in the shade; he watched as rose maidens and tree wardens went in and out of the nearby building carrying their duties. Most wardens did mundane tasks such as cleaning, laundry, and dishes. Meanwhile, the maidens walked amidst the great field of flowers, tending to each of them as needed. Some had watering cans, others some kind of backsoil, and some had nothing, but when they bent down, a green glow was visible from their hands. A few who seemed to be the heads of the group carried baskets and travelled in pairs. Every once in a while, one would bend down and pluck out a black flower, and the second would follow up by planting a new bulb in the soil.


    Devin, Lily and their friends chatted away in a group. The conversation went from the stone-throwing game to talking about the four great heroes of Thaldun City from the stories sometimes told by Rose maidens. The two saints, Rose Matron, St Lotus-Rose and St Nightshade. The Tree Guardian, High St Oak and the head of the broken continents army, General Ryker. The conversation switched again when Lily brought up ideas for them to make money. Still, they shot most of them down, only agreeing with the one about checking the garbage in the middle districts for anything they could salvage something valuable from or make into useful items and trinkets.


    As the day wore on and the hour grew late, a bell began to toll from the great cathedral; as if by clockwork, regular citizens left the buildings in the field of flowers and followed the paths back to the city; in contrast, the maidens and wardens began to close and shutter all the windows then went inside and locked the doors. The children also followed this trend as they all shuffled out in a crowd headed towards the poor district, with only a few turning elsewhere. As Devin looked back, he could see a strange sight; although it was later, the sun was still in the sky, and yet, starting from the base of the great tree, all the flowers began to close and lower their heads, but here and there flowers still stood tall with their petals spread open towards the lowering sun.

 Chapter 7: Machines and Misery

    Mya headed out for her day soon after Sky had left. Opening the door, she ducked into the small alcove and climbed the stone stairs to the alleyway. Walking out of the alley, she reached Kelthorn Street and turned north. Overhead, dark buildings loomed, casting shadows over the street in the dawn glow. Trash littered the ground: bits of broken glass, garbage, and rubble mixed here and there with the unmistakable scent of human refuse.


    Grimacing at the familiar scent, she hurried past other alleyways like hers and a few intersections. Reaching the one she was headed for, she turned down the road. A long shadow extended from her feet to the west in the morning sun. Her eyes followed it down the street until they reached the neck pierced by a light beam.


    Following this, her eyes settled on an open door. Already outside, a line of around ten women who appeared to be aged twelve to forty stood; near the back was an older man who looked to be in his forties.


    ¡°Go to the docks and find work there.¡± One of the women shouted at the man.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t work there, you can work here.¡± Another added.


    Quickly, all the older women joined in heckling the man, with a few even swatting at him with their hands until he eventually slunk off, disappearing into a dark alley. The younger women just watched the scene play out until the oldest of the women turned her wrath on them.


    ¡°You may all be young now, but if you let them take our jobs when you''re old and your looks fade, you won''t find work anywhere.¡± She schooled them.


    They all hung their heads and silently waited in the line. Mya joined them quietly from behind. Her tattered clothing didn''t seem so out of place among these women, as almost all wore dirty, patched, torn dresses or slacks. As she waited, the shadows grew shorter and the line longer until over fifty women joined it¡ªafter driving off a few more men.


    TWEET! A whistle cut through the air, and the wall moved beside the ornate door with a large glass window. With a rumble, it slid on a track, the wheels behind rolling with a squeak, revealing its true nature as a massive door. Behind the door was a man in a suit standing there; without wasting any time, the first woman walked forward, and he grabbed her hands, looked at them, flipped them over, checked again and dropped them. The woman then went and stood behind him. This repeated until the line was almost gone.


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    ¡°NO MORE!¡± The man hollered at the remaining woman, and they slunk off like the men they had chased away mere minutes earlier. He then turned to those gathered behind him, and Mya and the others looked back. Pointing at the right half of the group where she was, he told them


    ¡°You''re on machines. Figure out the rest amongst yourselves.¡± He split the group again and pointed to a side, ¡°This half is on sorting. The rest will unjam, get to work.¡±


    After finishing his directions, he went out the large door and into the smaller one that held the offices. After he left, another man, this one with a scruffy beard and overalls, came out and walked over to them. As he did so, Mya and her group moved towards the production line.


    The giant mechanical contraptions that lined it were examples of the Western High Kingdom¡¯s technological might; around three hundred years ago, these warring states were brought under the rule of the High Queen. After she created the council of monarchs and brought peace to the continent, the formerly warring kingdoms began to share their tech and adapt it for purposes other than war, and as a result, fantastical machines were born.


    The machine Mya ended up running was like so many others, hers would burn the company logo onto the cans they were producing, powered by ruin beast cores all she had to do was line the can up and then pull a lever, and the small laser produced by the first core shot trough a lens and would burn the logo into the can. Then she pressed a button, and the second core activated, starting a belt and moving the can down to the end and into a basket where the next woman on the line grabbed it and continued the creation process.


    After use, each core needed to wait around thirty seconds to recharge, so during this time, Mya would walk around, grab the next can from the end of the last machine, and place it into her slot. She then walked back over, waited for the chime, and once again pulled the lever.


    As the day wore on and Mya repeated her tasks, the monotony of her job was suddenly broken by a shrill wail.


    ¡°AGHHHHHH!¡± A woman screamed out in pain. She was one of the ones in charge of unjamming the machines.


    Mya thought to herself; her hand must have gotten caught. These machines are very delicate. They can go off if there is a single bump in the wrong spot. A few moments later, her prediction turned out to be correct.


    ¡°Let me see it,¡± A gruff voice said; the foreman from earlier grabbed the wrist she was cradling and held it up. The woman let out another wail of pain as it was jerked and it quickly became apparent why. The bones were smashed, and the fingers bent the wrong way; already, the joints had become purple and swollen. The man, however, was uncaring. Upon seeing the ruined state of his hand, he reached into a pouch by his waist and pulled out two copper shields, the old coins, not the new bills, dumping them into her mangled hand, he told her.


    ¡°You can¡¯t work with that, so half-day wage for a half day''s work; now scram.¡±


    The woman looked down at her hand, slipped the coins into a pocket and slowly retreated past the large door and down the street.

 Chapter 8: When The Dogs Come Calling

    Mya and the others watched the woman go with pity in their eyes until the foreman turned around and barked at them,


    ¡°And the lot of you, if you want to be paid, get back to work.¡±


    After that, the rest of the afternoon went along without incident. The company served lunch: some kind of stew and water, and then they resumed work until the sun touched the building roofs in the west. That was when the whistle sounded once more with a TWEET, and they all stopped their work.


    Mya lined up once again with the others to receive their wage. Getting to the front of the line, she stuck out her hand, and the Forman dropped four square bills into it, a brown colour like mud. These bills had the image of an ornate-looking shield printed on one side and an image of a great tree on the other side.


    Quickly sticking these bills into her pocket, she turned and left, retracing her steps from the morning back towards the house. She wove through the streets along with the crowds as they all headed back into the slums. On the other side of the street, a crowd went the other way, returning from the docs.


    Ducking into her alley and down the stone steps, she opened the door and entered the small basement room. Inside, Lily and Devlin were chattering away about some game they had played earlier that day. On the bed, looking like he hadn''t moved all day, sat Even, carving away at some scrap piece of wood with his knife.


    Upon her entering, he looked up at her, shrugged, and went back to carving. Deviln and Lily came over to her and began pestering her.


    Seeing this familiar scene, she smiled, thinking that even if they didn''t have much, at least they had a family.


    Then the door was kicked open with a BANG! Three large men burst into the room armed with clubs and quickly scanned it. Each man had a tattoo of a dog bearing its fangs on their left hand and wore both rings and chains made of some silvery metal. Locking onto Even with their eyes, the man in front, who seemed to be the leader, spoke.


    ¡°There''s the fucking brat, grab him. Break an arm if you need to.¡±


    As the two men behind him moved into the room towards Even, Lily wailed in fear.


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    ¡°Shut her up,¡± commanded the leader. One of his goons raised his club to strike the girl. Mya, without thinking, dove sideways around the man and shielded Lily from the blow, taking it across the back instead.


    ¡°Stupid bitch¡± the goon said, raising his free hand and slapping her across the face; one of the rings he wore cut into her cheek, and she tasted a metallic liquid on her tongue.


    Grimising through the pain, she cupped a hand over both the young children''s faces and shushed them till they grew silent.


    The goons ignored her, and the children turned back towards Even, who had dropped his knife and raised his hands. However, the men didn''t seem to care and flipped the bed he was on, threw the mattress against the wall, then gave him a few whacks with their clubs until their leader spoke up again.


    ¡°Alright, kid. " He started in a guff tone, ¡°Where''s the Authority? You stole it using our information, and we were willing to pay you for it. However, you and your friends pulled a fast one on us, and that can''t happen.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± Even spat in reply. ¡°They ran off with it and left me behind to take the fall.¡±


    The man motioned for one of the two goons to hold him up, ¡°If you don¡¯t know, perhaps a night with our dogs may encourage you to talk.¡±


    He then turned to the table and swung with his club, shattering it into pieces, turning to the other goon, he said,


    ¡°Check the place.¡± After he said this, the man went around breaking off cupboard doors and smashing things he found. When he arrived at the wallet stash, he sneered and grabbed all the money there, placing it in his pockets.


    ¡°Nothin'' here, boss.¡± He told the leader.


    ¡°Well then, grab him,¡± The boss replied.


    The two men picked him up by the arms and dragged Even out the door and up the steps; Mya, checking on the two little ones and, seeing they were just scared, followed them.


    Coming up the stairs after them, she watched helplessly as Even was dragged down the alleyway and onto the street.


    Going back inside and locking the door, she continued trying to soothe the two younger ones until there was a knock at the door. Knowing that refusing entry would just have their door broken down she went over and cautiously opened it.


    On the other side, two military officers stood in distinct forest green uniforms.


    ¡°We need to speak to the boy named Even.¡± One of them told her before glancing inside and seeing the destroyed room.


    ¡°He''s gone.¡± Mya told them, ¡°Taken a few minutes ago by some gangsters.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± One of the officers muttered under his breath before addressing her again,¡± Do you know who it was?¡±


    ¡°The dogs, at least that''s what their tattoos were,¡± Mya replied.


    At her words the two officers looked at each other, then back to her.


    ¡°Thank you for your time, Miss,¡± one of them said before they both turned and quickly walked away.


    After the officers left, Mya once again locked the door and sat in a heap on the floor, softly running her hand through both the children''s hair.


    ¡°It''s all okay; it''s going to be okay,¡± she said more to herself than to them. Looking around the room, however, she knew it didn''t look good. They could repair the table simply enough, and the bed wasn''t damaged, but the cupboards and drawers would cost them. And worst of all, the money they had been saving was all gone, taken by that goon.

 Chapter 9: Fangs and Favors

    Crossing the room, Sky picked up the mattress and returned it to the bed frame. He then made the bed and had Lily and Devlin sit on it. After feeding them half a loaf of bread each, he went to Mya.


    ¡°How bad is it?¡± he asked, looking at her cut.


    ¡°Not terrible,¡± came the reply. ¡°It''s just a small cut.¡±


    ¡°You said both the military and the gangs were involved. I assume the latter wrecked the place.¡± Sky asked her while handing her a cloth to clean the cut.


    ¡°What gang was it? Do you know what they were after?¡±


    Sky''s eyes blazed with anger from the destruction of his home. He had helped out one of the local gangs once in the past, and because of that, they owed him a favor. He intended to use it tonight.


    While he considered the best way to approach the serpents and ask for help, Mya answered his questions.


    ¡°It was the dogs they kept asking about an authority that was stolen.


    That explains the military involvement thought Sky. The government can only control the gangs because they have absolute power through their sovereigns. If the gangs gain that power, all hell will break loose. It looks like this is going to be a long night.


    As his brain went into full gear, Sky walked around the room, picking up the broken wood and smashed items and sorting them into piles of usable and unusable items. As he did, he noticed a glimmer of steel near the bed. It was Evens'' knife. Grabbing the knife, he stuck it in his waistband and pulled out his makeshift one. Flipping it around so he was holding the blade, Sky offered it to Mya.


    ¡°Just in case,¡± he said. I''m counting on you to keep them safe while I''m gone.¡± Looking towards the two children who had fallen asleep, his resolve hardened. This was his family, and no one would tear them apart.


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    In the dimly lit basement, he took out the shields he had earned earlier and placed them down. Turning away from the three, he opened the door and stepped out into the cold night, closing it behind him.


    Sky walked briskly past the dark buildings and weaved through the streets. The slums were dark and cold at night, and the air bit at his face with the stench of decay. Eventually, a few people came into view, and then more and more. He was nearing the only area with nightlife, the black market.


    Brightly lit stalls lined the street as people passed by, looking at the displayed items. A group of drunken men stumbled past Sky, clearly military by their clean-cut hair and combat boots. But no one seemed to care; this place had a tact agreement with the city. Anything truly dangerous or valuable would be sold or handed over to the government; in return, they turned a blind eye to the less-than-legal activities of this street.


    Not every business on the street was problematic, and as he walked, his nose was assaulted by the smells of freshly cooked food from street vendors. Promoters cried out about the fights in their clubs, one even promising a gold crown to anyone who could defeat their champion. Other storefronts were attended by scantily clad women who gave inviting gestures to the men passing by.


    Eventually, he reached the store he was looking for. The sign outside had a snake coiled around a large gem, and the windows were backed with iron bars. Reaching out for the door handle, he pulled it and went inside. The interior was lit with gas lamps on both side walls, full-length mirrors between them, and a large counter in front of the back wall. There were no other customers inside, but by the door, two large men stood with a serpent tattoo wrapped around a gem on their hand.


    Behind the counter sat an old man studying a necklace with a pair of golden glasses, all the magnifiers down. His thin white hair and frail-looking frame would typically put anyone at ease, but Sky knew better. A silver chain was at the man''s hip, and a lime-green crystal was attached. However, unlike any ordinary gem, this one let off a faint glow and the colour inside seemed to move and swirl.


    It was an authority, and that was why this man was head of the vipers. He was the holder of an elemental poison authority that had been formed from his will a long time ago. Walking up to the counter, Sky waited patiently until the old man put down the necklace. Sliding the magnifiers back on his glasses, he smiled at Sky and asked in a warm voice.


    ¡°Hello, young man; what can I do for you today.¡±


    Without hesitation, Sky gave the man his reply, ¡°I''m here to inquire about a viper''s fang.¡±


    The man''s smile didn''t falter but instead grew wider. ¡°Fangs are very expensive. What kind are you looking for?¡±


    Sky thought about his words carefully before he answered, ¡°I need a fang to take back something stolen by a stray dog.¡±


    ¡°I believe you have already prepaid for this, and it just so happens a fang very close to yours was already ordered. So we can wave the part you haven''t covered.¡± The old man then turned to one of the guards at the door, ¡°Bring our friend here to the back room and let him pick out what he wants from the stock.¡±


    The man nodded and motioned for Sky to follow him as he opened a gate in the counter and then disappeared through a doorframe towards the back.


    Sky followed the man past the curtain into the back room and let out a short gasp. Inside was a room packed to the brim with men. He had been here once before, back when he earned the favour, but there had only been six or seven men waiting; now, there were almost sixty. They all carried revolvers instead of the usual clubs or brass knuckles gang members had. The Vipers were ready for war.

 Chapter 10: Into the Shadows

    As Sky waited in the back room, the tension in the air was palpable. Vipers checked their guns and bullets with practiced hands. Their eyes were cold, killers eyes ready to do whatever task they were assigned.


    With a few more metallic clicks, the last vipers closed their chambers. Then, the guard who had brought him in spoke to the crowd.


    ¡°This young man here has requested something from the boss.¡± He paused. The following words were heavy with the implications they brought, ¡°We owe him this favour.¡± He then turned to Sky, ¡°Speak plainly and tell us your request.¡±


    The atmosphere in the room thickened as the vipers locked onto him with their eyes, sizing up the boy their boss owed a favour.


    ¡°The dogs broke into my house, hurt my family and kidnaped my brother.¡± Sky told them, ¡°I need to get him back.¡±


    A few vipers gave him an understanding nod; after all, if someone had dared to hurt one of their own, they would stop at nothing for revenge.


    ¡°Alright then, you have your orders. If you see any hostages, keep them safe until we figure out which ones his brother got.¡± The guard ordered the members.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Came the reply


    ¡°Alright, move out.¡±


    Once the word was said, the vipers started to move. They went past Sky and the guard through the door and into the shop. From there, they split into groups of five and left the shop, splitting off down different roads and disappearing into the dark. Ultimately, only one group was left, and the guard motioned towards them.


    ¡°You are with these men. If your brothers are not at the dog''s main base, they''ll take you back here. If he''s still alive, they will find him.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± the old man behind the counter said, ¡°You have a weapon, yes?¡±


    In response, Sky pulled out Evens''s knife.


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    ¡°Bring it here,¡± the old man told him.


    Sky walked forward and placed the knife on the counter as he was bid. The old man reached down to his waist and picked up the crystal hanging there. Bringing it to the knife, he closed his eyes and ran it along the blade. As he did, the sliver of the metal began to discolour like copper over time until the blade had a menacing dark green hue.


    ¡°Once we get you back, your brother, you will give us the blade,¡± the old man told Sky, ¡°consider it part of the payment.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Sky replied.


    Turning to the door, the vipers silently exited one by one, with Sky following them as they slipped into the night.


    As they walked, they left the lights of the black market behind. With the sounds fading, the city''s night seemed to have swallowed their group whole.


    The six weaved through streets and alleyways, doubling back once to ensure no one was following them. After a while, when they were alone, one of the men dropped back and walked alongside Sky. He had a tall, slim figure dressed in a black trench coat with two revolvers strapped to his hips. His clean-shaven face was off-put by the messy brown hair in front of his eyes.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Norman,¡± He said, ¡°I''m the leader of this squad. That''s Rook, Sam, Talon, and Duke. Stay back, keep your eyes open and head up, and we¡¯ll watch your back.¡±


    The other four nodded towards him in agreement with their leader. Sky gave them a nod back of his own.


    ¡°So what''s the plan?¡± Sky asked, looking to Norman for directions.


    ¡°We plan to meet up with groups two and three near the docks. They have an old warehouse for storing weapons and other things that don''t fall under the black market agreement. Once there, first, we check around and see if we can gather intel about your brother or any other hostages, then we shut their operation down.¡± Norman told him.


    ¡°Hopefully, they give up; this location should have just a few guards, and If our info is correct, we¡¯ll outnumber them two to one.¡± This comment was added by the one Norman had pointed out as Rook. Although he wore the same black trenchcoat style as Norman, they couldn''t have been more different; he was short and stubby like a ball. He had a revolver on his hip, but his primary weapons were the brass knuckles he wore on his hands, the shine of which matched his bald head.


    ¡°And if they don¡¯t?¡± Sky asked.


    This time, Talon answered. Unlike the others, he wore a light shirt and pants without a coat. His build was average, but he stood out due to the knives on his hips instead of firearms.


    ¡°Then we put them down like the stray dogs they are.¡± He sneered.


    The other two nodded in agreement. Sam and Duke both wore the standard black trench coat of the vipers and were of typical build for a bodyguard. Sam had golden hair while Duke had back; both cut it short with matching gottes. Same wore a silver-plated revolver on his left hip and a matching knife on his right. Duke had a golden-plated revolver on his right and a matching knife on the left.


    As they neared the dilapidated-looking warehouse, their pace slowed, and they stuck to the nearby buildings to avoid detection from the two guards stationed out front. They moved towards the meeting point. Arriving last, two other groups were already waiting; together, they made sixteen.


    The other ten men were rather plain compared to the group Sky was with. They were all of the typical build one would think of as a goon: large and bulky, many with bald heads and tattoos. These teams also didn''t carry any unique weapons, or at least none Sky could see. Each had a single standard-model imperial revolver and combat knife.


    The three group leaders talked briefly and then returned to their teams. Norman said nothing but motioned for Sky and his team to follow; the operation had begun.

 Chapter 11: Breach and Bloodshed

    Norman led his group down the edge of the wide moonlit road a bit away from the warehouse. Then, they crossed out of view of the two guards stationed at the entrance. One of the other teams followed, with the third going the opposite way.


    Crossing to the warehouse side, eleven shadows slunk through the darkness towards their targets. Sky¡¯s breath came short and fast as they neared the entrance, and he gripped his knife tighter as the pressure inside his head began to build.


    Once they hid in the darkness of the warehouse''s outer wall, Norman held up a fist, and they all stopped. Norman then nodded at Sam and Duke, and they detached themselves from the team. Working over to the corner of the warehouse.


    With a burst of speed, the two slid out from their spot and hit the ground running. Only a few meters from the door, they left no time for the guards to react. In perfect unison, the two men drew their revolvers. A gold and silver flash was seen, followed by two popping noises.


    A small splatter of blood flew out of each guard''s head as they unceremoniously crumpled to the ground¡ªeach one with a hole the size of a quarter missing between their eyes. Duke and Sam immediately turned and ran back toward the group. As they did so, the second team moved into action; the five members had turned around the corner the second the gunshots rang out. They drew their revolvers and formed a loose line facing the door.


    A moment after Duke and Sam ducked behind the corner of the warehouse again, three more goons burst out from the door. However, the vipers showed no mercy, and by the time they noticed the bodies lying on the ground, it was too late. The first man took a shot in the eye and went down like a doll with its strings cut, dead. The second¡¯s body jerked back as he fell to the ground in convulsions, blood seeping from three large holes in his chest.


    The third man was luckier, only taking a bullet to the arm; clutched in his wounded hand was a gun of his own. After taking the hit, he fired back wildly, damaging only the nearby walls and road. He grabbed his arm to stop the bleeding and retreated inside the door.


    ¡°Move in,¡± Norman spoke for the first time since they had started. After all, the gunfire was bound to alert the enemy and attract unwanted attention. They were now on a time limit.


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    Following his orders, Talon rushed ahead to the doorway. The other members of his team followed behind. Team two¡¯s members split, with three taking cover near the door and two leaving to circle the building and check for other exits.


    Talon, meanwhile, used one of his knives to stab a hole through the wooden door. Peaking past it, he noticed one man half hidden behind an upturned crate, with another leaning on the ground just past the door.


    ¡°Got one for you,¡± Talon said, waving at Norman to come closer. As he drew near, Talon once again plunged his knife into the door, creating a second hole slightly lower. Norman drew up to it and placed the barrel of his revolver inside, then looking through the small gap created by the first hold, he lined up to the man inside and fired. A pained scream sounded from inside, signalling that the bullet had hit its mark.


    Even though they had just cleared the way, no one moved. Instead, they all sat around waiting for something. Everyone but Sky seemed to be on the same page as they counted under their breaths. When sixty seconds had passed hower, they leaped back into action, quickly checking the hole. Talon gave an all-clear, and Rook, followed by Same and Duke, entered the warehouse. Instead of following, however, Talon left, rushing around the building towards the duo who had left earlier to provide support.


    Sky stepped over the body in the doorway, almost puking at the blood; living in the slums, the smell didn''t bother him much, and blood was a common sight as well. What caused his disgust and turned his stomach was the bloodstained white and grey sludge spilling out of the holes and splattering the wall behind.


    Entering the building, Sky glanced at the man lying between the door and the small barricade. The veins on his arm were swollen and black, his eyes bulged out, his right hand still clutching his gun. The blood coming out of his arm was blacked and carried a foul odour that stung at his nose.


    Sky quickly attempted to pass the body, but a voice from behind stopped him.


    ¡°Grab his gun; it should have some bullets left,¡± Norman instructed Sky.


    Turning back around, Sky bent down and picked up the gun. Like most personal firearms, it was a revolver-style pistol. Clicking open the chamber, Sky saw four empty holes glare back at him. However, two glistening lead rounds sat in place.


    He clicked the chamber back into position and, with the revolver in his left and knife in his right, climbed over the barricade. Behind it lay another body, this one with a wound in the left shoulder; the wound had the same black veins reaching out from it as the previous one. Poison Sky thought to himself. This is why authorities are so powerful; just one scratch from an augmented weapon and they fall dead.


    Suddenly, gunfire rang out from ahead towards the back of the warehouse. Both Sky and Norman rushed forward, revolvers in hand. As Sky came around a shelf, the fight came into view; it was already over. Two bodies lay on the ground, one dead, his left eye a gory hole of mangled flesh. The other lay on the ground, already gasping for air as black veins began to spread from a knife stuck in his leg.


    Behind the man was a small room, most likely a place for storing warehouse documents. Going over to it, Rook tried to turn the knob. When that didn''t work, he brought up his foot, and with a crash, the door flew open; inside were the hostages.

 Chapter 12: Under Siege

    Rook burst into the room, scanned the inside, and came back out a moment later.


    ¡°We got a hostage in here; it matches the description you''re looking for,¡± Rook told Sky in his deep tone. His face then fell into a grimace. It''s ugly, but he¡¯ll live.¡± Turning to Norman, he continued, ¡°So what now, chief?¡±


    ¡°Now we check that room for anything useful, either cash for us or evidence for our friends.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Sam said as he strode forth and plucked his knife from the leg of the fallen man, who had stopped moving a while ago. Wiping it off and pocketing it, he and Duke began to move towards the back room.


    Sky, however, beat them to it. He started moving the second he heard that Even might be in there. Entering the small room, he ignored the file cabinets against the wall. He even paid no mind to the pile of bills sitting on a desk near the front. In the room lit by a single gaslamp, his focus was drawn only to one thing: the figure hunched over in the corner.


    Evan was a sorry sight, his hands tied up on the gas pipe and behind his back. His lip was split, his right eye swollen, and one of his legs seemed to be bent to an awkward angle. When he looked up at Sky and opened his mouth, it was clear he was missing a few teeth.


    Going towards him, Sky pulled out the knife and quickly sliced at the ropes; the knife slid through like warm butter and made a hissing noise as the ropes blackened.


    Helping his brother to his feet, Sky offered him an arm, saying,


    ¡°Come on, Ev, we¡¯re here to get you out.¡±


    With a weak growl, Evan complied, putting his weight on Sky''s shoulder. Behind them, Sam, Duke, and Rook had begun clearing out the room, piling the money into a bag and going through the file cabinets for any essential documents.


    They didn¡¯t find any documents in the file cabinets; instead, something far more incriminating was that the cabinets. They had been hollowed out and became storage for authority, enhanced weapons, and ammunition. Like the bullets the vipers carried and Sky¡¯s knife, these weapons were immensely powerful and thus heavily regulated by the military. Although the black market was allowed to sell small arms and cold steel weapons, enhanced weapons were suicide to sell.


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    Rook looked around and saw that Sky now had a gun. Knowing he would have taken it off one of the corpses, he reached into one of the fake cabinets and pulled out a box containing bullets for the revolver. Grabbing a few, he tossed them at Sky.


    ¡°Load up, kid,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re down a member, and he¡¯s going to slow us down even more.¡± Rook motioned at Even. ¡°So we need you to pull your weight this time.¡±


    Sky nodded, sliding open the chamber on his revolver and placing four of the five bullets inside. He held the last one up to his eyes and looked at it. Unlike the brass-coloured bullets he had seen previously, these had a strange red shine to them. It almost seemed to glow and move along the surface of the bullet.


    Slipping it into his pocket, he saw the others reloading as well. They then gathered the bag with the money and placed the weapons in the open. Sky was confused but didn¡¯t ask any questions about why; after all, they had to have their reasons. And as long as Evan was safe, he didn¡¯t care.


    The six of them then began to move back out through the warehouse, but before they could reach the entrance, Talon and the two he had left with Rushed were inside. Behind them, the other three members of Team 2, followed by three members of Team 1.


    One of the men was severely wounded, his abdomen charred and letting off a smell of burning flesh. The others quickly shut the oversized wooden door and retreated behind the barricade created earlier by the very group they were now under attack from.


    Having learned from the previous defender''s mistakes, they did not expose themselves to the door but crouched down low behind it, leaving no part exposed to the door. The wounded man and Even were brought to the backroom with Rook standing guard over them. They also split up, sending two men to the shelves on each side so they couldn''t be pinned down in a single location.


    ¡° what happened,¡± Norman asked, the urgency in his voice palpable.


    ¡°Enemy reinforcement showed up,¡± the leader of team three replied, still gasping for air. They took two of us out, so we retreated here.¡±


    Looking around at the group, Sky could see morale was falling. At that moment, Norman glanced at Sky, seemed to think for a second, and then made a decision.


    ¡°Liston up.¡± He told the gathered men. ¡°This place was second on the list for reinforcements from our friends. That means we just need to hold out for a little longer, and reinforcements will be here.¡±


    Although Sky didn¡¯t know what a few more men from another gang would do to change the tide of battle that much, morale rose, and the faces of the vipers around him relaxed. And they got into position, ready to hold the door with their lives.


    Sky decided that if they trusted this unknown friend with their lives, they might just have to hold out until they arrived and solved the situation. Choing to join them in their optimism, Sky raised his revolver and took a position at the front of the barricade.


    After that, a few moments passed in absolute silence. Sky could feel his heart beating in his chest, the sweat dripping down his brow, and the breathing of the men beside him. Thoughts raced through his head, many about trying to escape, and his eyes darted around. But there was only one door, and besides, Even was behind him. With this thought, he looked back towards the door as it smashed inwards, sending pieces flying across the ground.

 Chapter 13: Shattered Defenses

    As the wooden door shattered, splinters flew across the room, embedding themselves in the Woden crates across the room.


    Immediately, both sides opened fire, and for a few seconds, the air was filled with gunfire. On Sky''s left, the barrier exploded with the same force as the door. Some of the crates split into pieces, the contents spilling across the floor and flying through the air. Others were blown away, skidding across the floor and crashing into walls or shelves.


    Mixed with the wooden shrapnel flying through the air were chunks of flesh and streams of blood belonging to the gunman who had hidden behind that section.


    After the first exchange, a few intruders took cover behind the end of the shelves; the rest pulled back behind the wall, waiting outside the warehouse. As this happened, the air filled with foul-smelling smoke that burned the nose and obscured sight. Taking this chance, Talon drew his knives and rushed forward, diving behind the left shelves.


    A few screams later, and he rushed back knives in both hands wet with blood. Seeing the barricade was no longer safe, the vipers began to pull back, hiding themselves amidst the shelves. Sky followed, ducking into a space between two barrels on the left side, close to the door where Even was.


    Once the smoke settled down, figures started to enter the building and take cover behind the barricade and shelves. At first, it was about five. But the number kept increasing first to 10 then to 20. Sky stopped counting when he passed 30 and lay low waiting for the last of them to enter.


    After gaining cover, they sent a few of their men deeper into the warehouse, getting closer to Sky and the others hiding within the shelves.


    One of the vipers took the opportunity to poke his head out from his hiding spot, getting off a clean shot at the first approaching man, with a bang followed by a splatter of blood. The first man went down.


    However, that was all he was able to do before a large member of the dogs came out holding a massive spear, glowing an eerie orange. The man then thrust the spear outward towards the viper. The shelving unit and the man disintegrated into a cloud of mist, followed by a loud bang.


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    Sky shook in terror. Although the vipers had used enhanced weapons, theirs carried an insidious poison. Which, although heavily lethal, had the same level of brutality as a gun or knife. This spear carrying some sort of unknown, explosive ability, was brutal and instant, ripping apart anything in its path.


    Although a few others may have been carrying enhanced bullets in their revolvers, this spear was by far the most dangerous obstacle to their survival. It wasn¡¯t just Sky who recognized this, and at the exact moment he thought of this, two others jumped out to take down the spearman.


    As the spearman ducked for cover, Sam and Duke emerged from their hiding spots on either side of the warehouse. With their silver and gold revolvers already drawn, the triggers were pulled at the exact same time.


    The dog''s spearman was hit in both the left shoulder and the right leg. The shoulder exploded into flames, and the charring flesh was smelt across the building. However, using his right arm, he brought up his spear and chopped down his leg, severing it and stopping the spreading poison.


    Quickly, enemy members rushed to help him while others returned fire. Sam was able to duck to his right, getting behind cover in the nick of time as a bullet struck the floor behind him, creating a small fireball where it landed.


    Duke, instead, dove to his left as his torso exploded. Looking back over the barrels, Sky could see the spearman, his right arm raised, pointing the spear towards where Duke had been. The spear then slipped from his hand, clattering to the stone floor as he collapsed.


    Turning back to look at where Duke had been, his head, shoulders and arms lay on the ground, separated from his legs by a pile of innards, organs and flesh all mashed together. The face twisted in agony, and his eyes, devoid of any life, seemed to glare at Sky.


    Anger and regret weld up inside of him as he saw the corpse lying on the ground, along with a feeling of helplessness. Mere minutes ago, he had been helping to rescue his brother. Now he lay dead. If an elite from the Vipers could not survive this, how was Sky supposed to make it out alive?


    The dogs continued their scanning through the warehouse, but nobody made a move this time. Even though the spearman had been taken down, it had cost too much. They had already been outnumbered from the start. But now, the odds were impossible. Only 12 of them left, including Sky, Evan, and the wounded viper. Against almost 30 dogs, some of whom were armed with enhanced weapons,


    As the dogs continued their search, from his hiding spot, Sky saw as one of the vipers was located. Gunfire was quickly exchanged, but all that the man managed to do was wound one of the hunters before they promptly ended his life.


    Closer and closer, checking the shelves as they went, Sky shuttered and crawled back further behind the barrels. He hoped they might miss him if he shrunk back far enough and that they wouldn''t kill Even when they found him. They had kept him alive as a hostage for a reason, and although Sky didn¡¯t quite understand why, he assumed that they wouldn¡¯t kill him until they got what they wanted.


    His best bet was to stay hidden until the mysterious friends arrived, then use the ensuing chaos as a distraction to get his brother and escape. With these thoughts, he climbed further back into the shelving unit, slipping into a small crevice behind it.


    Crouched in the small hole, he prayed for anyone, anything, to save him and his brother. And his prayers were answered by a voice yelling a straightforward comand at the door.


    ¡°Charge.¡±

 Chapter 14: Unlikely Allies

    As the command was shouted, Sky poked his head up over the barrel in front of him to see who had shouted. What came into his view shocked and elated him.


    Three lines of men in light green uniforms charged forward; the first line held towering shields that seemed to be made of wood; however, as the dogs fired bullets into them, it quickly became evident that they were no ordinary shields.


    Behind the shieldman, the second rank wielded long-barreled rifles. As the bullets harmlessly broke on the shields, they returned fire. A hailstorm of lead quickly ripped into the dogs exposed to the door.


    The third rank was strange. Instead of a conventional weapon, they carried what seemed to be crystal tree branches. The branches were all different shapes and sizes, with no two being the same.


    The dogs quickly followed the viper''s tactics, ducking into the shelves and hiding among the barrels and crates to avoid the gunfire. When they did, the third row stabbed their branches down, the sharpened ends piercing the stone floor, which split like butter.


    Although nothing seemed to happen near them, cries went out from within the shelves. Then the shield wall broke, and the soldiers approached the crying voices.


    Sky was confused about what had just happened until a root made of the same crystal as the branches thrust out from one of the shelves. At its end, tightly insnared, was one of the dogs.


    The branch coiled around him like a serpent, constricting his limbs and crushing the bones. All around the warehouse, the scene played out as every remaining member of the dogs was quickly captured.


    Seeing this, the vipers quickly threw their weapons into the centre of the room and stepped out from their hiding spots, hands raised. Sky promptly followed the others'' example, knowing he stood no chance against the military.


    An officer directed him and the others to sit against one of the shelving units, and a few soldiers were told to guard them.


    He watched us as the shieldmen moved into the dogs tangled in the roots. Drawing blades of their own, they severed the roots, and the end sneaked back through the shelving. The ends trapping the dogs lost their shimmer but retained their strength as bindings.


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    Once the roots snaked back to the branches, the third rank pulled them up from the ground, leaving only a line of small holes in the stone floor.


    The soldier continued to check the warehouse steadily, moving towards the back room. On opening it, two armed soldiers escorted Rook out while another went to report the findings to the commanding officer.


    What returned were two stretchers and a group of higher-ranking strike force members. Once the stretchers reappeared, Sky let out a sigh of relief. On the front stretcher was Evan, not detained but being taken for what he assumed would be medical aid.


    Sky, however, after some discussion between the officials and questioning a few members of the vipers, was led away along with the vipers to a nearby transport carriage. Three other such carriages lined the street nearby and had clearly been used to bring the troops here.


    Sky watched as his brother and the other wounded man were loaded into one of these carriages and the dogs into another.


    The carriage was extremely plain inside, with hard wooden seats bolted to the sides in long rows. Racks in the centre held the soldiers'' weaponry.


    After all the vipers were loaded in, along with Sky, two guards joined them and closed the door. Unlike what Sky would expect of soldiers sent to watch over a group of criminals, they seemed extremely relaxed, even putting their guns up on the rack in front of their seats.


    The vipers, too, seemed far too calm at the idea of being captured by the military in the middle of a firefight. However, Sky shrugged it off, assuming that, like him, they were just glad to be alive.


    Is the carriage rolling on? It waved and turned through a veritable maze of streets until it eventually straightened out and picked up speed. After a while, it stopped, and the sky heard the loud groaning of metal, and then it once again continued on its way.


    This time, there was a short and quick ride until the carriage came to a halt, and soldiers opened the doors. After being directed by the soldiers, Sky stepped out of the carriage and took in the sights around him.


    Unlike the maze of streets in the slums, the tall buildings of the residential sector, or the ocean visible from the port, this area was a sea of small one¡ªor two-story buildings.


    Behind him stretched the large 10-foot wall that divided the civilian and military districts. At the point directly behind the cathedral, a massive gate was set in its centre. In a semicircle in front, the great city wall stood an impressive 20 feet high.


    Topped with watchtowers, it looked like the crown of a great ruler, sticking out in front to defend the city, which was periodically assailed by ruin beasts and enemy attacks, much like the wall behind it. This one also had a great gate set in the centre; however, smaller gates stood to either side.


    On his left stood the only building larger than two stories in the area: a massive circular spire almost as tall as the city wall reaching up towards the sky. This building was the reason the city was positioned in this location.


    Even the city''s uneducated had heard its story from somewhere or another. An ancient spire extending both into the sky and under the ground had drawn the empire''s attention over 300 years ago when they first started to explore the central continent.


    The floors above ground had apparently been filled with numerous treasures, and after they were discovered and removed, the military took control of it as their headquarters. However, the underground section had been sealed off.


    Rumours circulated about everything from an ancient tomb to a dungeon to an area filled with ruin beasts.


    However, Sky didn¡¯t have long to think about it. He was quickly led into one of the two-story buildings and then into a small holding cell to await his fate.

 Chapter 15: Hidden In Plain Sight

    After being led to the cell, Sky took in the room around him. It was small, with just enough room in front of a tiny cot hanging from the back wall via a set of chains.


    He assumed that they allowed the cop to be pushed up, giving someone enough room to stretch around on the floor, but he was mentally drained from the earlier battle that had taken most of the night.


    Flopping down on the bed, he rolled over onto his back. Staring up at the low ceiling, he started to wonder what would happen. However, before he could really comprehend the situation, his eyes grew heavy.


    Now that he was finally out of danger, the mental exhaustion and sudden relief of stress at being safe caused him to fall asleep quickly.


    A while later, he was awakened by a loud knocking at the door.


    ¡°Hey, kid, are you alive in there?¡± a voice on the other side asked. ¡°Command wants to talk to you about something, so follow me.¡±


    As he said this, the soldier on the other side opened the door and motioned for Sky to come out.


    As he did, the man turned and began to walk off, causing Sky to quickly follow him down the hall past other wooden doors like his. The doors had a heavy metal bar slid across them to keep whoever was inside from getting out, and every few doors, a soldier stood in the hall keeping watch.


    Eventually, after a few turns, they reached the door, which was much like the others except that there was no bar across this one, and flanked it on either side.


    The soldier then opened the door, revealing a stone staircase leading down. Motioning for Sky to follow him, he led the way down the steps into a tunnel.


    The tunnel was lit by sparsely placed gas lamps, giving it an eerie glow. However, after a few paces, it opened into a much larger tunnel. Here, the soldiers came and went, ducking between the smaller offshoots.


    Sky followed his escort, walking along this large tunnel to the end. There, a larger staircase than the one they used to descend led upwards into a building.


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    This building had some decoration, and although very sparse, considering that everywhere else had been extremely utilitarian it seemed strange and slightly out of place.


    Adding to the strangeness, the ceiling was tall, almost a story and a half, and windows decorated the left wall in front of them with a desk, and by a few officers, to the right were couches with coffee tables and a large double door. At first, sky thought he might be in the spire but quickly rejected that thought as it was far too small.


    The soldier let him through this waiting room to the wall in front and threw one of the normal-sized doors that lined it.


    Compared to the decorated room outside, this room had a slightly unfinished feel. The only furnishings were a single table in the centre, two chairs behind it, and one chair in front.


    The man motioned for Sky to take a seat in the chair in front, and he did so. After that, the man turned and left the room, leaving him alone.


    This is an awfully nice room for interrogation; Sky thought to himself, glancing around. He had expected blood stains and torture tools to extract the information that they wanted from him.


    It was no surprise that although they tolerated them, the military and the government hated the gangs. However, they kept order in the slums, so they were never entirely suppressed. However, given any chance, the military usually punished them as much as possible.


    Using their overwhelming might and keeping most of the gangs in a state of fear, they could limit most crimes to what they found acceptable, but Sky and the vipers had all been carrying enhanced weapons while the dogs had been selling them off. This gave the military more than enough reason to shut down both gangs.


    After waiting for a bit longer, the door finally opened. The first person to enter was what Sky had expected. This man wore a military uniform and had a face that looked like it had been formed by a stone. His features were harsh, and his eyes seemed to glare like two daggers.


    However, the second man to enter the room was the last person he expected. It was the old man who led the vipers. As an authority user, even if he was registered, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t link his power to the one that had enhanced the vipers'' weaponry.


    As the two men sat down in the chairs across from him, however, a thought crossed his brain. The vipers had been waiting for a friend to show up and help them out. Could they have meant the military?


    But why would the gang be in cahoots with them? They did illegal activities; Sky knew that. He had helped them with a couple of jobs before acting as a lookout and earning his favour.


    His Confusion must¡¯ve been evident as the officer turned to the gang leader beside him and spoke, shaking his head.


    ¡°This explanation is all yours.¡± He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°Right,¡± said the old man, turning back to Sky, ¡°the first thing I¡¯m going to tell you is that nothing I say can leave this room, got it?¡±


    Sky nodded affirmatively to him in reply. Upon seeing this, he continued to speak.


    ¡°The vipers are a secret branch of the military.¡± He paused to let the revelation sink in. ¡°Our job is to keep an eye on the criminal underworld from inside and collect evidence on anyone who steps out of line. The work you used to help us with was just that, covering while we checked out possible suspects.¡±


    He stopped there and took a deep breath before continuing.


    ¡°The dogs were after your brother because he was involved in the theft of an authority.¡±

 Chapter 16: Bound by Secrets

    The theft of an authority, the words sunk into the silence that followed, filling up the room. It was one of the only crimes that, if caught, was punishable by death without trial. Typically, when any major crime was committed, resulting in an arrest, a government official would review the case and assign a punishment.


    However, due to the nature of authorities as powerful weapons and the existence of the blood seal, anyone caught stealing or unregistered was killed on sight. As far as Sky knew, there were four levels of authority users.


    The commoners were those without any authority. Making up almost all of the population, they could only use enhanced weapons to gain a fraction of an authority''s power. The only reason they were included in the authority ranking was the possibility they had to manifest one.


    The Authorized were those who had somehow obtained external authority. These could be gained in three ways. The first was to find one just lying around, but that was the same as hoping the entire world would crown you its king. The second was to kill someone else who had one and take theirs for one''s own, again an almost imposable feat.


    The third was the only viable option. It involved hunting higher-class ruin beasts that contained one within themselves. Although challenging, with enhanced weapons and superior tactics, a group would be able to take down a beast with lesser intelligence.


    Among the authorized were those who had created a blood seal with their authorities. This was simple to do and necessary to continue the evolution of one''s authority, but it was extremely dangerous. If one were incompatible with the authority, instead of being bonded to the user, unable to be taken away unless they died, and giving them a boost in power, it would consume their flesh, blood, and bone until nothing but a crystal remained.


    This was why manifested authorities were superior to all others. Having come from within, they boasted a 100 percent synchronization rate and were already bonded to the user, allowing them to skip one of the most dangerous steps.


    The last step was those who had a soul bond with their authorities, this was the level all the great heroes in legends had achieved. At this point, the authority¡¯s crystal would fully merge with the human, and they would become one. Although the power gained seemed to vary in the stories, it was always considered a heroic feat.


    The real reason the military killed anyone with an unregistered authority on sight was because of a possible blood bond; after all, how could they take it away if it was useless? And his brother had been involved in such a crime.


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    ¡°We have good news, though,¡± the old man told Sky. Your brother was just following the dogs'' orders and most likely didn''t even know what he was stealing until it was in his group''s hands.¡±


    He gave Sky a reassuring smile and continued.


    ¡°We have also managed to track down and eliminate his former companions and recover the authority. Therefore, we see no need to press for further punishment. However, the dogs spread information about his mission throughout the black market. If he returned to your home, tonight''s incident would likely repeat.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we have had talks between your brother, me and  my superiors in the military, and we came to a solution.¡±


    ¡°your brother will join the military under us vipers. And we will spread the news of his joining us around the underworld so you and the others are left alone.¡±


    ¡°Before he¡¯s able to join, however, we will need him to undergo training here in the military district. During this time, you will be unable to contact him. Now, I don¡¯t expect you to trust us, so we will allow you to see him before he begins.¡±


    ¡°For now, tell the others you live with that he¡¯s receiving care provided for by the government after sustaining injuries in one of our operations.¡±


    Sky thought this through, thinking of the benefits his brother would gain. Not only would he be taken care of medically from his wounds, but he would also find stable employment with no legal ramifications.


    An offer like this was a dream come true for a child in the slums, and although he was a bit wary of the motives behind it, he chose to trust the old man and his organization.


    After the old man finished speaking, the officer beside him pulled something out of his back pocket.


    ¡° in exchange for your silence on this matter, we plan to provide you with two silver shields and the revolver you used earlier.¡±


    ¡°You can use this money to cover for the income your brother may have made during his training. Once he¡¯s a full member, he has chosen to send part of his pay, to you and the others.¡±


    ¡°Although we¡¯ve removed the enhanced bullets from the gun, we will give you 12 standard ones as replacements. We are offering you this weapon for insurance just in case one of the gang comes after you.¡±


    His face then broke into a sinister smile, and looking Sky up and down, he warned him.


    ¡° with us doing this much I don¡¯t think I need to remind you of the consequences that would follow leaking any information you¡¯ve learned today.¡±


    Once again, Sky nodded his agreement.


    ¡° I understand nothing leaves this room.¡±


    The old man smiled at him and spoke in a soft voice.


    ¡° I like you, kid. We have some empty apartments near our headquarters. After your brother finishes his training, we¡¯ll talk further about you and your family moving into one.¡±


    ¡° right now, though, I¡¯m sure you want to go see him.¡±


    Standing up, the old man walked to the door, opened it, and spoke to the guard standing outside.


    ¡° Escort this kid to see the civilian patient from the dock incident.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Came the reply. The soldier stepped into the doorframe, and Sky, getting up from his chair, turned to leave, following him out of the room.

 Chapter 17: Cold Halls

    Chapter 17: Cold Halls


    Sky was led out of the office by the same greasy-haired soldier as earlier. They crossed the lobby once again, but this time, instead of heading down into the tunnel, they took a right turn, passing through a set of guarded doors.


    After a brief walk outdoors, they reached yet another guarded entrance. Compared to the headquarters, the scenery of this new building changed drastically. Gone were any signs of luxury or opulence, replaced by cold utilitarian halls.


    Sky walked down what seemed to be a central hallway; slightly smaller halls branched to the left and right, and the signs above told of the reason for each.


    Many of the words were foreign to Sky, and he could not understand their meetings. However, some stood out, such as the burn ward, letting him guess at the rest.


    The walk was silent, almost eerily, so until suddenly, the doors behind them flung open, and two men rushed down the hal,l yelling for a healer.


    They carried a stretcher between them, and as they ran past, Sky¡¯s eyes widened in horror. The human laying on the stretcher was melting before his eyes. The left arm was nothing more than a puddle of goo, missing all traces of a human limb. The rest of the body was warped like candle wax, slowly dripping.


    Even after all the bloodshed the previous night, Sky was repulsed and felt his stomach turn, threatening to rise up in his throat, forcefully repressing the urge to vomit. He turned to the soldier beside him.


    ¡°what the hell happened to him?¡± he asked.


    The soldier turned to look at Sky with eyes hardened like steel.


    ¡°That,¡± the soldier told him, ¡° is what¡¯s left after an encounter with the shapeless.¡±


    The shapeless, mindless masses of melted slime wandered just beyond the protected farming zone outside the city.


    Although these creatures were classified as ruin beasts that wasn¡¯t technically true, much like the undead legions in the north, they had an ability to grow their numbers using living beings.


    Although they presented themselves as rolling masses of flesh, they were as their name declared, shapeless; the primary form of attack from these monsters was to shoot forth spiked protrusions, and after piercing their prey, they would inject biomass, causing the body of the prey to devolve into a shapeless slowly.


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    The information Sky knew about them was common knowledge that had been spread by the church after a terrible outbreak two years ago in the city.


    Shuddering at the memory of it and remembering the purge that burned everything just a few blocks away, Sky could still taste the smoke in the air and hear the screams.


    ¡° in here, you have 20 minutes¡±


    The voice of his escort snapped Sky¡¯s mind back into reality. Before him stood a simple door. Pushing it open, he entered the room.


    The inside was simple: a small bed rested on the left side of the room. Its feet pointed towards the door on the right side, and a small desk and chair sat abandoned.


    As he entered, a lump shifted under the covers, and two black eyes poked out from the top, the light cast by the small gas lamp on the wall reflecting in them.


    As soon as Evan saw who it was, he sat up, revealing his bruised face and bandaged left arm.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said with a dejected voice. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    Upon seeing Evan and that he was safe, multiple thoughts rushed through Sky''s brain.


    ¡® what were you thinking trying to steal an authority? If not for dumb luck, I¡¯d be bringing your fucking body back. How would I explain that to Lily and Deviln?¡¯


    However, before the words could escape his lips, Sky thought about how terrified Evan had been and still likely was. At this, his face softened along with his words.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Sky asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing the best I can in this situation,¡± Evan replied, holding up his arm. He continued. ¡° they even sent a healer in to fix my broken arm. Have they told you the plan yet?¡±


    Sky nodded his head and then tentatively asked.


    ¡° I get why they wouldn¡¯t just execute you like the others. I did them plenty of favours, but I was expecting you to be imprisoned; why would they go this far to help us?¡±


    Hearing Sky¡¯s question Even slumped back down into the bed, letting out a long sigh.


    ¡° it¡¯s because I¡¯m compatible with that old man¡¯s authority.¡± He said, ¡°Even though people like him live longer. He¡¯s already unable to join in on missions. Pretty soon, he won¡¯t be able to produce enhancements anymore, either.¡±


    Hearing this, Sky''s face darkened. ¡° what¡¯s your percent?¡±


    A few months ago, Mya went to the church to test her compatibility;; however,, she scored an abysmal 18%.


    This meant that she had an 18% chance of being able to bond with one of the rose maiden authorities, and without bonding, she would only be able to bring out around 20% of its power.


    ¡°85%,¡± Evan said in reply.


    The highest possible score for a non-authority user, excluding the 100% compatibility of a manifestation.


    Although 15% was still a high risk of death, that number was more than worth it for the benefit an authority would bestow.


    Besides, even without bonding, Evan would still be able to bring out over ? of the power.


    ¡®And if it¡¯s Eve,n he¡¯s sure to succeed¡¯, Sky thought to himself.


    ¡°Do your best at training, and I¡¯ll tell the others to look forward to that new apartment,¡± He said aloud.


    ¡°When I get done, we¡¯ll throw a party and buy a real cake,¡± Even shot back with a smile.


    Moving in close to the bed, sky wrapped his arms around Evan, pulling his brother into a hug. ¡°Stay safe,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°You too,¡± Even replied ¡°Now get going home. The others are gonna be worried.¡±


    Sky nodded, turning towards the door and exiting the room. Outside in the hall, his escort stood waiting.


    ¡°All done,¡± the soldier replied.


    Sky just nodded his reply.