《Crimson Shroud》


 1. Crimson indeed...

    The night sky turned deep Crimson.


    Dim light from twin moons gleamed over the town. Kastien was slouching over a long, wooden desk, toiling away at pieces of a mechanical arm spread across the table, his mind too busy to process the unusual red moonlight coming from the slit below the door. No noise came from the streets, only the generator humming, breaking the lull. Working became easier when the town slept, as he cherished the silence. He didn¡¯t mind the humming, though; it helped him concentrate. He preferred machines to people. Much simpler, he thought.


    ¡°Veins do not appear to be a problem, so the issue must lie within the converter matrix,¡± he mumbled. First, he plugged the core into his Runepanel, and its screen flared up, making him squint for a moment. Then he pressed on the screen and that highlighted a part of the writing on it.


    ¡°Oh, so it flags this bit as a problem, I see!¡± he exclaimed. His right hand is trying to feel its way toward the wrench on the table, eyes still fixated on the core on his left. He adjusted it slightly, and now it seemed to be fine.


    ¡°Working! With more time, I could polish the outer shell and even out these bumps.¡± he said.


    But then he changed his mind. It was in that state for a reason. Its owner had a knack for getting into trouble, or maybe trouble found him. Either way, it was pointless to waste time on such details, no matter how much he wished he could make it pristine. Now the only thing left was to put it back together. It will take a while, but it was the best part of it, watching everything come together. He was so engrossed in the work that he barely noticed that an hour had passed.


    Then he heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Who could it be this late in the night¡­ I¡¯m just a step away from finishing this thing,¡± he mumbled.


    He ignored the knocking, but it persisted. And it was the worst type of knocking, irregular beats and knocks at various places on the door. It was someone who knew very well how to get under his skin and make it crawl.


    ¡°Come on in, Cathal¡­¡± he said without turning.


    ¡°Kastien, Kastien!¡± Cathal¡¯s voice came from the door.


    ¡°One moment! Almost¡­ There!¡± He let go of the mechanical arm.


    ¡°What are you doing here this late, Cathal?¡± he said, while turning around to face the door. ¡°Well, you are lucky, I just finished the¡­¡±


    He noticed crimson moonlight shining behind Cathal. His body stiffened; eyes filled with disbelief. And then whispers began. Terrible, faint whispers that fought the humming of the engine.


    Shroud? Here? Those questions echoed. No answer came to him, no logic could explain it. No, this is not possible¡­his mind short-circuited. Now those dreaded, unintelligible whispers drowned the humming of the engine and all of his thoughts.


    ¡°Come on, man, get hold of yourself,¡± Cathal said.


    The sound of a metal wrench hitting the floor snapped Kastien back from the daze, the wrench still spinning from the impact. A tall, dark man was standing there, his left hand placed firmly on Kastien¡¯s shoulder, pulling it, sleeve dangling from a place where his right arm should be.


    ¡°Oh, Cathal¡­ I¡­ I¡­ You didn¡¯t hear them?¡±


    ¡°Hear what?¡± , Cathal asked, with a puzzling look in his eyes.


    ¡°Nothing¡­ Must be my imagination¡­ What is going on?¡± Kastien asked. ¡°How did Shroud appear here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if Shroud is here, then we shouldn¡¯t be. We need to hurry. Get your stuff quickly.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I finished your arm,¡± Kastien said as he turned around. He pointed at the metal arm resting on the workbench.


    Cathal went past him, then he took off the shirt, revealing a scarred body and shoulder implant; mechanical pieces and valves protruding through the flesh.


    If only I had better medical equipment¡­ Kastien pondered. No, maybe this is the best I could have done.


    ¡°Help me get it in place.¡± Cathal said.


    Kastien picked up the arm from the table and brought it over to Cathal¡¯s shoulder implant. The workshop reverberated with loud clicks as he was attaching it.


    ¡°Thanks, good as new,¡± said Cathal, moving the mechanical arm around, squeezing the hand, and toiling with fingers. ¡°Now let¡¯s go get Saige.¡±


    Kastien collected his things and followed Cathal outside.


    The world outside appeared as if like looking through a crimson painted lens, but it was more than that. All other colors became just shades of devouring red;even the beautiful twin moons looked like the vile eyes of a beast of prey. They could not be called golden eyes of benevolent Aur any longer.  The ominous haze was thickening, slowly turning into mist. Flickering of those newly installed Aurelium-powered streetlights made his skin crawl. People were running on cobbled streets, some barricading doors and windows on weathered stone houses, others packing to leave, some even aimlessly walking in circles. There was no shortage of panic all around. They all seemed to malfunction in Kastien¡¯s eyes. He could not blame them for it, though, as he felt the same.


    ¡°This is different¡­ Much more red than it was before." Cathal''s voice cracked a bit. "So, this is how it is within the Crimson Shroud. Crimson indeed.¡±, he looked around, his eyes filled with fear and wonder.


    Kastien understood him. He read about the exploration of Shroud, epic stories by Relic Hunters about the devastated metal and concrete cities of the old fallen Empire, as well as technologies and relics that lay within it. But those stories were also filled with monsters, and a lot of them. Kastien encountered one of those monsters long ago. A Ghoul, believed to be men corrupted by Shroud, charred skin, darkness filled their eye sockets and long claws where fingers should be. It stirred memories he would rather forget.


    ¡°Cathal, I do not think this is the time to be impressed. Where are the guards? Who is keeping the order?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve seen a few guards on the way. They can¡¯t keep this situation under control. I heard Tynan¡¯s unit is coming to town soon; and they¡¯re accompanying two Knights. Hopefully, it will be enough. We¡¯re getting Saige, and we¡¯re leaving before Ghouls appear. I¡¯m not in the mood to be mauled today,¡± Cathal said.


    ***


    Two of them ran across the town, first through an alley on the right, then to a small bridge. Kastien¡¯s eyes darted towards the panicked guard, who was trying to restore order but to no avail. The town was descending into chaos, and it was only a matter of time before the situation turned violent. There were so many people on the bridge, the smell of sweat assaulting his nose. Then the crowd started pushing into each other, tight space squeezing Kastien¡¯s breath out, his head feeling like it was about to burst. After fighting through the crowd, they got across. He looked back at the bridge, relieved it was finally over.


    Then he heard piercing screeches, followed by screams of people echoing in the distance, and all hell broke loose. People were pushing even harder to get across, and then fighting began. Some fell over the bridge, others crawling on the floor. It was time to leave quickly, but his body would not listen.


    ¡°Ghouls. They are really here,¡± he whispered.


    Calm down, Kastien closed his eyes and exhaled. ¡°Today will be different. It must be.¡±


    Cathal turned back after a few paces and saw Kastien just standing in the middle of the street.


    ¡°Now is NOT the time to meditate!¡± Cathal¡¯s annoyance was visible on his face. ¡°This way, hurry!¡±


    They ran forward, away from the bridge, into a narrow alley two people wide. Cathal stopped in the middle of it; Kastien¡¯s head hit his back.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good,¡± Cathal whispered as he drew his pulse gun with his left hand and pointed it forward, his finger resting on the trigger. ¡°Stay behind me.¡±


    Kastien¡¯s eyes followed the point of Cathal¡¯s gun and there, at the alley¡¯s end, it just stood, silent, dark as shadow, claws like blades, pale mist sliding on its sharp edges. A Ghoul, that monster of his nightmares. His hand shook even more, but he battled to keep calm and took out a big wrench from his bag. He was ready this time. He wouldn¡¯t back down.


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    Cathal squeezed the trigger, and a black gun, charged with Aurelium particles, fired a silver light that pierced through mist right into the creature¡¯s forearm. It screeched and ran towards them. More shots followed, but the creature swirled, moving side to side. One shot grazed its torso, but to no effect. It jumped them, claws aiming for Kastien¡¯s neck, but Cathal moved in its way, blocking its claws with his right arm. The creature then bit into it, metal wailing under the pressure of its teeth. Then Cathal pushed it away with his left hand, then charged his mechanical arm with more power, steam escaping from the shoulder valve, and hit the creature right into the center of its chest, making it kneel in pain. Cathal tried to shoot it, but he missed. As it was ready to pounce on them again, a bigger shot flared right over Cathal¡¯s shoulder, right into the creature¡¯s head, clean hole throughout. The smell of burning flesh made Kastien almost vomit. Again, he did nothing but stand there.


    ¡°Boom!¡±, an excited scream from a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.


    ¡°Shut up! You almost hit them, you goddamn moron!¡± a female voice screamed back in anger.


    ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am, but good thing we followed them, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kastien glanced and noticed two individuals, a male and a female in their mid-twenties, both wearing blue-silver uniforms with Bastion insignia. They were both carrying large, black charge rifles that were faintly lit by silver-glowing light flowing through their rune-circuits, swords sheathed on their hip. These two were no ordinary soldiers. Relic weapons were rare in itself, but charge-rifles in working condition were even more so, and these were late Empire-grade relics. There were no more than a thousand of them ever retrieved.


    ¡°I know only one idiot who would take that shot,¡± Cathal said, with a smirk on his face.


    A tall man with blond hair and sky-blue eyes stepped forward, his hair combed to the side, and fit physique seen even through his uniform. It was Tynan, a town jester turned knight¡¯s squire. Fearless or stupid, Kastien could never decide. Despite not liking his carefree nature in situations like these, he couldn¡¯t help but envy his unwavering attitude. Most importantly, Tynan was his friend. One of the few Kastien had.


    ¡°Tynan, I¡¯m so damn glad to see you!¡± exclaimed Cathal. ¡°You could work on your timing, though. That was a close call.¡±


    ¡°And you could work on your aim, old man. Good thing your life didn¡¯t depend on it,¡± Tynan grinned. ¡°Good to see you too Kastien, no need to thank me. I¡¯m sure that you would have wrenched the thing to death.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ty,¡± Kastien exhaled, relief visible over his face, hand still squeezing the wrench. ¡°Your shots seem to always land. Your jokes, though¡­¡±


    ¡°You are very welcome,¡± Tynan said, pretending he didn¡¯t hear the comment.


    ¡°Damn Ty, from bow to a charge-rifle, moving up in a world fast, are we?¡± Cathal slyly jabbed. ¡°Which poor soul would entrust YOU with it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ This poor soul is a Knight, Lady Alecia Carthenis. These are my friends; the one suffocating the poor wrench here is Kastien. He¡¯s like the town¡¯s Artificer and this guy here is Cathal- he¡¯s¡­ Well, an insolent man, isn¡¯t he now?¡± Tynan pointed to each as he spoke, his finger lingering on Cathal.


    Cathal¡¯s jaw dropped; his eye filled with terror. Even Kastien stared in disbelief at what was going on. Carthenis were of the highest nobility, most of Aur¡¯s Exemplars came from their family.


    ¡°I apologize, my Lady! Please, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    The woman took a step closer. She seemed far too young to serve as a Knight, but she had a posture of a one, that was for certain. She had neatly tied her long black hair with green lace, which perfectly matched her emerald eyes. Perfectly tied hair, features of her face, even Kastien could not deny her beauty. Even though her head only just reached their shoulders, she was almost as tall as Kastien. Well, next to those two giants, anyone would seem short¡­ ¡± Kastien thought. He wondered if people saw him in the same manner when he stood next to them. Despite the girl appearing short standing next to Tynan and Cathal, her presence felt much bigger. ¡°That is a Carthenis for you.¡±


    ¡°Stop, please. Raise your head. My name is Alecia Carthenis. I, too, apologize for my outburst earlier. Well, if anyone, you could understand my circumstance,¡± said Alecia, gesturing towards Tynan.


    ¡°It is our honor, my Lady,¡± Kastien said. ¡°And yes, we understand the circumstance. ¡°


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re all friends¡­¡± Tynan said.


    ¡°More importantly, Tynan.¡± Cathal cut him off.


    ¡°Can we expect more of these on the way?¡± He pointed to the Ghoul on the ground. ¡°Even better question. What is going on here?¡±


    ¡°We know as much as you do,¡± Tynan shrugged. ¡°Shroud never expanded, as far as I know. Right?¡±


    ¡°No, never¡­¡± Alicia said. ¡°This is unprecedented. We must inform Bastion and Reliquary as soon as possible. We need reinforcement, as I fear this is only the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We mustn¡¯t dilly-dally, more people to save, more things to shoot. Anyway, where is Saige? Shouldn¡¯t you keep an eye on your girlfriend?¡± Tynan shot a look at Kastien, raising his brow.


    ¡°She is not my girlfriend, and we were on our way to their house before this thing got in our way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need to get to my house and get two of them out of here,¡± Cathal added.


    ¡°Saige is your sister, I presume?¡± Alecia turned to Cathal.


    ¡°Yes. We¡­ we would appreciate any help you can provide, my Lady.¡± Cathal tried not to stumble.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯re heading to the town square. Sir Bayle and the rest of the squad should arrive there well before us, and the house is a few streets away. They should come with us. A few more pairs of hands couldn¡¯t hurt, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, I would appreciate your help now, and you could join us afterwards, Cathal? We could use another who possesses the relic.¡± Alecia said, pointing at Cathal¡¯s gun.


    Cathal looked at Kastien, whose arms were still trembling, and said: ¡°My Lady, I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°We will!¡± Kastien interrupted, squeezing the handle on the wrench even tighter. ¡°We want to help you any way we can!¡±


    ¡°Then I guess we will,¡± said Cathal, trying to hide his surprise.


    Kastien noticed their surprise. He knew she wouldn¡¯t expect such an answer from him. Most Artificers preferred the comforts of their workshops, as far away from danger as possible. Even those few that joined knights on the field, fewer still would risk themselves for others. He could tell she had no respect for them, and he was not the kind that would change her mind, either. Pale skin, thin arms, baggy, brown eyes, typical of a man who spends his days tinkering in a dark room, hiding from the world. Although he was slightly bigger than your average Artificer, lanky clothes made him look skinnier than he was.


    ¡°Good. Then stay close,¡± said Alecia. ¡°I fear we will encounter far more terrible things than these.¡±


    ***


    They moved through deserted, cramped alleys. Tynan took point, his charge rifle at the ready, eyes exploring every angle that could lead to an ambush. Others followed behind him.


    ¡°Movement from avenue ahead.¡± Tynan whispered as he approached the corner of the alley. ¡°Three on the street, more certainly waiting in ambush.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Try to take a shot before they see us. Cathal, watch our rear.¡±


    Alecia and Tynan took each of the side corners of the alley, peaking with their rifles.


    There were three Ghouls shadowing a group of over thirty people much further ahead, who were unaware of the dreadful situation they were in. Those Ghouls followed them in case anyone tried to escape their impending doom. Even Kastien could tell.


    ¡°We must take them down quietly, before they alert others, then be ready to circle behind and find those in hiding. You take the one on the left, and I will get the two on the right.¡±


    They strapped their rifles and drew their swords. It was then he noticed the sword in Alecia¡¯s hand. It was a Runeblade, the most revered relic of the old Empire - a Vestige. A privilege reserved for the noble families who occupied the highest ranks in Bastion. Kastien only ever read about them in data shards he bought from passing traders, never imagining he would see it in person. It had a black blade with silver lines etched all over its blade, the faint light from Aurelium coursing through them. Made from Infused steel, it never rusted or needed sharpening, its creation process long lost to time. Various runes and writings decorated its hilt and handle as well. Kastien couldn¡¯t recognize the writing on it. Odd. It is not written in the Old Imperial, so it must predate the Empire itself.


    Alecia and Tynan stealthily approached the Ghouls from behind. Tynan, using all his might, plunged his sword into the Ghoul¡¯s neck, but it barely went through. Meanwhile, Alecia effortlessly swung her sword, beheading one Ghoul and then splitting another in half with the same motion, as if it were made of paper. It resembled a dance, and a bloody one at that. He¡¯d heard tales of Runeblades¡¯ power, but this surpassed his wildest dreams. Few of the people from the group ahead noticed Alecia and Tynan, but mist shrouded the Ghouls lying on the ground. Alecia made a gesture, instructing them to stay silent and stay put.


    ¡°Knights, Mama! We¡¯re saved!¡± A young girl from the group yelled, pointing to Alecia, then a woman put her hands over the child¡¯s mouth, trying to silence her.


    ¡°They are here!¡± another man from the front of the group exclaimed and started running towards them. Other people in the group followed desperately behind the first.


    ¡°No, no, no! Stay back! Ghouls! Stop!¡± Despite Alecia¡¯s continuous yelling, nobody listened to her desperate pleas. They just kept running.


    Alerted by the noise, more Ghouls poured in from nearby alleys, Alecia¡¯s and Tynan¡¯s charge rifles flared simultaneously, each shot finding their respective target, bursting a hole through the foul creatures, instantly felling them. Two more appeared but almost instantaneous shots came from Tynan¡¯s rifle, collapsing them to the ground where they twitched. But there were too many, and they began their rampage. Screams filled the street, creatures mercilessly pouncing on individuals, tearing into flesh, severing limbs, breaking bones, moving from person to person, feasting on dead bodies. In a corner, a woman stood between a monster and the girl who shouted earlier, a mother hopelessly trying to protect her child from a nightmare in front of her. Tynan was the first to charge towards the slaughter. Others followed behind him. But they were too far and too late to save the woman, as a Ghoul sliced the woman¡¯s throat, killing her on the spot. Another one tried to grab the girl, but Cathal¡¯s shot pierced its leg, making it stumble on the ground.


    ¡°Get the girl! Get the girl, Kastien!¡±


    He dashed forward as fast as he could. Shots that came from behind lighted his way toward a girl who stood frozen. The mist was getting denser. It was a massacre, severed limbs and blood drenching the stone below his feet, and then more screams. The smell was unbearable. He inhaled and held his breath as he continued without slowing down; At least let me save her, let me get there, please all-knowing Aur, let me get there in time! A Ghoul blocked his way. Terror crept in every sense of his being, his ears ringing from the pressure, but he kept running without the intention of stopping for anything. The beast abruptly fell in front of him, and he jumped over its corpse and took the small girl in his arms. He was about to turn back, but a man grabbed him and pulled him.


    ¡°Save me! Save me! Please!¡± the man yelled. The sight horrified Kastien - the man¡¯s stomach was torn open, exposing his organs. The man¡¯s eyes welled up with tears, and blood seeped from his mouth. There was no hope for him.


    ¡°I must go. I must save this girl,¡± he thought, as he pulled away from the man¡¯s grip and started running toward his group, trying to shut off his ears to the man¡¯s distressed calls for help, still holding on to the girl in his arms. Kastien saw three of them shooting, grim expressions washed all over their faces. He was close. He needed a bit more to get to them, but then, suddenly, something plunged into his side with tremendous force, crashing him into the wall. His mind went blank, vision slowly fading into darkness.

 2. A long night

    Kastien stood in the bright, empty expanse. It was everywhere around him. Am I dreaming? Dead, more than likely. A small stream started flowing endlessly through the blinding light, right next to him. There was a childlike figure across the water, and he squinted, trying to recognize who it was. He saw a much younger version of himself blissfully smiling. Then the expanse below his feet became a green field, trees appeared, and the sky became darkness. It started raining, thundering, and the child¡¯s smile vanished. He recognized this memory. His body trembled, his face frowned. He was no longer the man but that child across, and the storm raged and raged.


    ¡°No, no, no¡­ Not this again please¡­¡± Kastien whimpered, his voice drowned out by the thundering storm.


    Lightning struck, and a Ghoul appeared in its aftermath. Then another strike fell, instantly followed by the monster¡¯s pounce. It snarled and brandished its teeth at him. Death was so close to his face that he could smell its rotten breath. Then it was not there, replaced with blood, but not his own. It was everywhere on him.


    ¡°No, Cathal! No!¡± he yelled.


    Then it all stopped, and he was a child no longer. There were no more trees, no stream, and no grass. He stood alone on a barren ground, bloodied and bruised. A white mist now engulfed everything. It was so thick he could almost grab it. He moved his hand forward, and the mist turned crimson where his hand had passed. Then those whispers returned, but now so loud he could hear the words.


    ¡°Wake!¡± they echoed. ¡°Wake!¡±


    Kastien¡¯s head snapped forward, back into reality.


    From sleeping nightmare, straight back to a waking one. How lucky of me. But at least I¡¯m still alive.


    He was indeed alive, but he could not tell if it was a good thing anymore. His body ached all over. Every breath was agonizing, his vision blurry from blood and impact; it was not good. He tried to wipe the blood off, but the piercing pain rushed through his right arm. Damn it. It was precisely for these reasons that he hated leaving his house.


    Wait. Where is the girl? Frantically, his eyes darted around before settling on her; a few paces away, she lay on the ground as a ghoul crept toward her. In his state, there was nothing he could do but watch.


    Again? No. I am not just watching. I am done with this. I do not care about this pain; it will not stop me.


    There were tools scattered on the ground all around him. Tynan¡¯s words from earlier stuck with him, and he pushed himself up from the wall and took that damn wrench in his left hand and sprinted towards the monster. He plunged, right shoulder first, into the monster¡¯s body as hard as it had plunged into him, taking the thing by surprise, elevated cobble pricking him all over as they rolled. The world was spinning around, and when they finally stopped; he was the one that now stood above it. At last, their roles reversed, and he started wrenching that damn monster¡¯s skull in. He hit it once, then twice, each time harder and faster. Die you filthy monster! Die! His pain was gone, and the wrench felt almost weightless in his hand as it came down and up, and down again. Dark blood from the creature¡¯s head was splattering all over him. Finally, it stopped moving, yet Kastien relentlessly continued his barrage. It was payback for that time, and for all nightmares since.


    ¡°Enough, Kastien! Enough! It¡¯s dead. Now move!¡± Alecia tore him away from the monster and shoved him towards their position behind.


    ¡°The girl?¡± Kastien asked.


    Alecia stayed silent as they ran.


    ¡°No¡­no¡­¡±


    ¡°Run and do not look back,¡± Alecia said. ¡°Just run.¡±


    Shots from Tynan¡¯s rifle blazed past them at a Ghoul chasing behind, stopping it in its tracks. Others ignored them, busy feasting on the flesh of broken people lying on the street.


    ¡°Go to the left, now! We did all we could here! House is a few streets away.¡± Tynan pointed to the passageway.


    ***


    Sweat poured down Cathal¡¯s forehead. They¡¯ve encountered no Ghouls since that avenue, a lucky break if you asked him, as he doubted they would survive another ambush in this state. All that running and fighting, he felt his legs gradually going numb. His eyes were strained from the deep redness of the world around. It truly felt like this was the end of it all. He wondered how those Relic hunters can spend months at a time within the Shroud and not completely lose their mind. Cathal missed other colors: blue, yellow, green, well, any other color would do. Even orange sounded good. Damn it me¡­ Now I¡¯m both exhausted and hungry. Cathal glanced at the others in the group, and they weren¡¯t faring any better. Even Tynan was eerily quiet for the first time in his life. But none were worse off than Kastien, his left arm slung around Tynan¡¯s shoulder, his eyes vacant as he trudged forward, dragging his feet. He was moments away from toppling to the ground. It was a long night, and Cathal could tell it will be much longer still. That punch didn¡¯t help the situation either, as the heat from the valves was still burning the skin around his shoulder implants.


    ¡°That looks painful. Are you okay?¡± Alecia broke the silence, glancing at the steam escaping his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, my lady,¡± Cathal forced a smile. ¡°A little heat from core.¡±


    He wondered how many times he ignored Kastien¡¯s warnings about using that much power at once. He could stand the burns, even the fatigue from losing that much Aurelium at once, but it was all a breeze compared to Kastien¡¯s lectures. Those were genuine pain.


    ¡°Please, call me Alecia. We have gone through enough tonight to be that formal,¡± Alecia said.


    ¡°Yes, my¡­ Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, that arm of yours,¡± Alecia paused. ¡°I have never seen a model like that. It must have cost a fortune?¡±


    ¡°Some would say it cost an arm and a leg,¡± Tynan rattled, looking mightily proud of himself. ¡°Well, at half price, of course!¡± he continued, but neither Cathal nor Alecia reacted, and he shrunk back into silence.


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    ¡°Kastien made it from scratch.¡± Cathal¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Some parts came from old machines we found, others we bought from merchants and passing relic hunters. He has a knack for machines, you see, so it was much cheaper than it should have been.¡±


    ¡°And much better, from what I saw,¡± Alecia added. ¡°You certainly have a good friend, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems I do. Thank you, Alecia¡­¡± Cathal nodded.


    ¡°You are welcome, Cathal.¡± Alecia nodded back; a slight smirk appeared on her face. It works wonders for a mood of a man when a beautiful woman smiles at him, even in times like these. Made one forget how dire this situation truly is.


    Cathal could see the two-story mansion peaking above the mist, right at the end of the street. As they drew closer, he saw a couple of armed men in uniforms that stood in front of the doorway, guarding it. Another was keeping watch from the window on the second floor. He noticed the remains of Ghouls scattered across the iron fence. It was not a good sign.


    ¡°Saige! Saige!¡± Cathal yelled. His step quickened towards the house; his heart thumping hard.


    ¡°Stay right there! In the name of Bastion Knights, I order you to halt!¡± squire pointed his sword towards Cathal.


    ¡°Stand down! Let him through!¡± Alecia yelled in a decisive tone.


    As the squires were lowering their swords, Cathal rushed past them through the gate, opened the door, and found Saige dressing the wounds of the woman on the floor. ¡°Saige, thank Aur¡­¡± a deep sigh left him as he felt his legs giving out. Many wounded people lay scattered across the floor of his house. Some received care; others waited. He was no stranger to the sight of blood, but this was different.


    ¡°Cathal! Are you alright?¡± asked Saige.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m good. Well¡­ Better than most here. Kastien is in terrible shape, though. You should look at him quick.¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    Alecia and Tynan were carrying unconscious Kastien between them. They came next to Cathal and lay Kastien on the floor. Saige rushed to them and kneeled next to Kastien.


    ¡°Tell me! What happened to him?¡± asked Saige, her brows dropped.


    ¡°He got banged up bad. His right arm is probably broken, and it wouldn¡¯t surprise me few of his ribs are as well,¡± said Tynan.


    ¡°He took a blow to his head and back as well, but he held out bravely until now,¡± added Alecia.


    ¡°You must be lady Alecia, right? Sir Brennan is waiting for you in the study. Cathal, please take them there. Leave Kastien to me.¡±


    ¡°Brennan? What happened to lord Bayle?¡± asked Alecia.


    ¡°It¡¯s better if you spoke to Brennan, my lady.¡±


    Cathal mustered his remaining strength to get up, pushing himself with both arms and legs. Alecia helped him, and Tynan followed behind. They started walking up the spiral stairs, Cathal¡¯s left hand pushing off the styled baluster. He never noticed how many stairs there were until now. Too many. The staircase ended at a gallery overlooking the floor below; many doors lined the walls.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been here in years. Old man could never restrain himself when he saw shiny things,¡± said Tynan. And he wasn¡¯t wrong. Cathal¡¯s father liked the grandeur of it all: high ceiling, imposing staircase, huge open hall, galleries, balconies, and walls filled with extravagant paintings. And of course, antique-styled furniture. He loved those damn chairs. He was a strange man, a genius merchant without question, but Cathal doubted his taste.


    ¡°Few places rival this level of luxury, even in Bastion,¡± Alecia remarked.


    ¡°You know, even after he passed, deliveries kept coming to the house for an entire year,¡± Cathal explained. ¡°He was a merchant alright. Spend money to get money, as he put it.¡±


    ¡°He was a busy man, no doubt, but he looked out for four of us, as much as he could anyway,¡± said Tynan. ¡°We were a bit of troublemakers, you see.¡± Tynan grinned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± Alecia turned towards Tynan, raising her hand as if she was going to hit him. Tynan hunched down, trying to evade the hit that never came.


    ¡°Good old days, still miss the old man,¡± said Tynan.


    ¡°Indeed. Study is up front.¡± Cathal pointed to the door at the end of the hall.


    As they came closer, he could hear loud voices coming from inside the study. Those reminded him of those good old days when his father held meetings there. If you asked Cathal how luxury looked like, he would say that it looked like that room. A shining collection of rare books, housed in bookcases as expensive as the collection itself, artifacts displayed on intricate stands and wall shelves, a gilded desk, and, of course, the world¡¯s most magnificent chair. As a child, he loved to go in uninvited, and sit in his father¡¯s lap to hear news and stories from travelers all around the world. He knew that now neither his father nor any good news awaited in there. It was a fierce argument from what he could tell. He was not surprised, given the situation they were in. As Alecia opened the doors, the room went quiet. Five men stood around the gold and silver-decorated desk in the center, their eyes locked on Alecia. Most of them looked the same in those uniforms, except for the one in the middle. He looked like a person in charge of things, distinguished, kempt brown hair and beard with a few whites that showed age and experience. The man was from a noble family, and judging by the markings on his collar, he was the knight¡¯s personal attendant, the same as Tynan. Although he was everything, an officer should be, unlike Tynan.


    ¡°My lady,¡± they all bowed. ¡°We¡¯re glad you¡¯re safe,¡± spoke the one in the middle. Tynan stood silent in the corner, but one could hardly miss the gaze he was shooting at the man. They didn¡¯t like each other one bit. Cathal could tell these things.


    ¡°I am also glad to see you, sir Brennan.¡± said Alecia. ¡°Where is lord Bayle?¡±


    ¡°Leave us please,¡± Brennan gestured to the men. They quickly withdrew outside, and Cathal was about to follow them out.


    ¡°Cathal, please stay. We are your guests here, after all.¡± Alecia said.


    ¡°But my lady, we¡­¡± Brennan couldn¡¯t even finish the sentence before Alecia interrupted him harshly.


    ¡°Do we chase out the master of the house from his own study? Is that how we treat our host?¡±


    ¡°No, my lady, I apologize¡­¡± Brennan lowered his head as he spoke. ¡°I must apologize to you as well, master Cathal. It was unbecoming of me. My name is Brennan, knight-attendant.¡±


    ¡°Please, lift your head,¡± Cathal said awkwardly. ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡± There was no pleasure in this at all. He would rather avoid situations like these. He had a distaste for politics and intrigues, one of many reasons he never became a merchant. The only thing he wished for now was that he left the room with those four.


    ¡°Now tell me, what is going on? Where is lord Bayle?¡± asked Alecia.


    ¡°I am sorry, my lady. Lord Bayle has fallen.¡± answered Brennan with a sullen face, his hands shaking as he spoke those words. ¡°I failed him. Forgive me.¡± It was not something Alecia wanted to hear, Cathal was sure of it. Death of a knight, even in these circumstances, was no small matter.


    ¡°Stop apologizing and tell me what happened! How does a knight die with twenty soldiers around him!?¡± Alecia slammed her fist on the desk, hard enough to shake that oversized thing.


    ¡°We were terribly unprepared.¡± Brennan paused for a moment. ¡°Ghouls came from all sides, a couple dozen of them in a first wave alone. Three soldiers were killed before they could even draw a sword. New recruits panicked, but we quickly rallied and killed the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Dozens? First wave?¡± Tynan asked.


    ¡°We were in the open, with only two charge rifles between lord Bayle and I, it was undefendable, and we had to find better ground. Normal swords our men had weren¡¯t nearly as effective against Ghouls. Lord Bayle ordered a retreat. We fought in narrow alleyways, and it worked for a while, but clever bastards started climbing the roofs and jumping on us. We lost a couple more to those.¡± Cathal didn¡¯t like where this story was going. There were only eight soldiers in the mansion now. ¡°We pressed on, the plan was to get to our destination quickly and hold our ground once we got there, and we were several streets way¡­ But then¡­¡± Brennan stopped, his face went as pale as a silk sheet, eyes filled with sights he would rather forget. Sir Brennan was a true fighting man, and very few things could frighten such a man to this degree.


    ¡°I am truly sorry, sir Brennan.¡± Alecia¡¯s harsh attitude was now completely gone, replaced with a soft, calm tone. ¡°Please, take your time.¡±


    ¡°No, no. This is far too important.¡± Brennan collected himself. ¡°You see, there was a lull. No Ghouls attacked us for a while, and we thought we killed them all, we almost celebrated. Arrogance at its finest, and we immediately paid the price. The reason Ghouls didn¡¯t attack is that they didn¡¯t want to get in its way, you see,¡±


    ¡°In whose way, speak old man, what was it!?¡± Tynan lost all his patience.


    ¡°A Chimera, young lad. Chimera.¡±


    And the night just got a whole lot longer.

 3. Matter of honor

    There was a heavy, uncomfortable silence in the study, as Brennan¡¯s words left everyone stunned. Chimera sightings were extremely rare, with no more than fifty documented over two hundred years of expeditions and incursions. Cathal was fascinated by Shroud and its creatures when he was younger, reading all the books and logs he could get his hands on. According to those, Chimera were biological weapons created by the enemies of the old Empire, or abominations spawned by the Shroud. There was a truth to both if you asked Cathal. They could come in many forms, a combination of different animals, mythical beasts, or pure monstrosities that defy any logic. It could possess any combination of abilities, from flying, impenetrable skin, mind reading, spitting fire, to freezing things, and Aur knows what else.


    ¡°Chimera? So far inland?¡± Alecia broke the silence.


    ¡°Yes, my Lady. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it was there,¡± Brennan answered. ¡°It attacked, picked us off from within the mist. It was big and fast. We could hear its steps, but it hid after every kill.¡±


    An intelligent beast, Cathal thought. As if things couldn¡¯t get any worse.


    ¡°We tried to fight back, but we couldn¡¯t.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Lord Bayle ordered us to retreat. He said he would kill the beast, and we would only get in his way. He gave me his charge-rifle and went to face it.¡±


    ¡°There are many things that dwell within the Shroud. How can you be sure that it was a Chimera?¡± Cathal asked.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure lad. When lord Bayle activated his Runeblade, flames that sprung forth from it cleared the surrounding mist. I could see it as clearly as I see you now.¡±


    ¡°How did it look like?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°It was a walking horror, my Lady. The beast had a body of a wolf, but thrice the size. It had no fur, only exposed, hard muscles that were covered with people¡¯s blood. And those vile claws weren¡¯t even the worst part of it.¡± Brennan¡¯s hands shook as he talked. ¡°It has two tails, and a stinger on the end of each one. There was still a person¡¯s headless torso impaled on one of them, you know?¡±


    Cathal could swear that the air in the room got heavier with each word Brennan spoke. Hairs on his arm went up, as if he was hearing those ghost stories that frightened children to sleep. But this was real. He could feel it in his heart that something was observing them, waiting for them to come out.


    ¡°And the head. Oh, that fleshy monstrosity!¡± Brennan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Those black fangs, those four big red eyes. I swear to Aur, four of them!¡±


    ¡°What happened during the battle?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°Lord Bayle fought valiantly. He was the only one that could,¡± Brennan said in a grim tone. ¡°Even with Flamebringer¡¯s physical enhancements activated, the creature was still faster. It danced around him, poking at him with its tails. He blocked and evaded, but he was being pushed back. I tried to aim at it but couldn¡¯t take a shot.¡±


    ¡°Flamebringer?¡± Cathal whispered to Alecia.


    ¡°Name of sir Bayle¡¯s Runeblade, I will explain later.¡± Alecia whispered back quickly.


    ¡°He tried all of its abilities, but none found its mark. Bayle charged in, jumped and tried to take its head in one fell swoop, but it jumped back and placed its right shoulder-blade in way.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s wounded?¡± Cathal asked. It was the first good thing he heard since entering this room.


    ¡°Yes. Even though the blade went through at first and its flames burned it, the beast was calm, as if it felt no pain. And then the blade got stuck. It was a trap, and creature¡¯s tail was ready. He died instantly.¡±


    Did he really say Runeblade got stuck? Cathal saw the thing slice a Ghoul in half with once swing and he was still in disbelief that it could get stuck into anything.


    ¡°And Flamebringer?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know my Lady. I left. It could be still in the creature or it could have taken it out and thrown it away.¡± Brennan responded. A silence returned. Alecia leaned on the edge of the table and crossed her hands.


    ¡°So¡­ What do we do now? We can¡¯t stay in here forever.¡± Tynan said, and everyone nodded in agreement. They needed a plan, and there was no time to waste.


    ¡°Our first step is to contact Bastion, update them on the situation, and ask for reinforcements,¡± Alecia said. ¡°There is an ancient relay tower somewhere close, isn¡¯t there?¡± Alecia looked at Cathal.


    ¡°Yes, there is.¡± Cathal looked through the window and pointed to a hill overlooking the town that was now drowning in mist. ¡°If you look closely, you can see the tower¡¯s metallic peak.¡± Cathal wanted to continue, but Brennan interrupted him.


    ¡°I must protest this plan, my Lady,¡± Brennan said. ¡°That hill is surrounded by sea on three sides. It¡¯s a death trap. Even if we get there will never make it back.¡± Cathal couldn¡¯t disagree with him. It was a suicide to go there. Not only was it a dead end, it was on the opposite side of the town exit.


    ¡°This was a supposed to be trivial escort mission. We neither have proper equipment nor men to fight.¡± Brennan took a deep breath. ¡°I told you what happened to us. Please reconsider!¡±


    ¡°And what would you have me do, sit here and wait for inevitable death?¡± Alecia now stood upright.


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    ¡°No, of course not. We could do what we came here to do and leave.¡±


    ¡°Leave? Leave!?¡± Alecia was clenching her fist hard. ¡°And what of the people in this town? We simple leave and abandon them?¡±


    ¡°My lady, there is nothing we can do.¡± Brennan¡¯s voice was now reduced to a whisper. ¡°Even a Knight with a working Runeblade couldn¡¯t kill it. What could one with a dormant one accomplish?¡±


    A dormant one? So Alecia¡¯s blade doesn¡¯t work? Still, brave of him to insult her to her face, Cathal thought. And Tynan noticed it. This might not end well for any of us.


    ¡°Tell me, sir Brennan, even if what you say is true, where is honor in that?¡± Alecia looked Brennan straight in his eyes, frowning as she did. Alecia took a deep breath, as if she was about to yell, but her voice came down. ¡°So you would have me run, without even trying to do something¡­ Anything?¡±


    ¡°There is no honor in it, my Lady. But at least we could warn Bastion and live to fight another day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you went through that, Brennan.¡± Tynan joined in, as Cathal was afraid he would. ¡°It is a given you do not care about our little town, but you assume too many things.¡±


    ¡°I dislike that tone of yours, Tynan. I will not tolerate your brashness as our Lady does.¡±


    ¡°But it is true what I say, isn¡¯t it? You assume Shroud hasn¡¯t expanded further, and that the creatures are only in the town, and not all the way to Lakehold, or even Bastion itself.¡± Tynan said. ¡°And even if Shroud was only here, the next closest town with the relay tower was ten days away. Do you believe yourself to be faster than these creatures?¡±


    ¡°You are crossing a line, boy.¡±


    ¡°Do you not want to send a warning to Bastion as fast as possible?¡± Tynan continued. ¡°Or maybe you are so good at running that you will arrive before the signal does?¡± Cathal was readying himself, as he spent far too many nights at a tavern with Tynan to not know where this was going.


    ¡°How dare you! A mere commoner will not lecture me!¡± Brennan barked at Tynan.


    ¡°I dare when I see a selfish prick.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue when you address nobility, boy! I will not warn you again!¡±


    ¡°Nobility? Is that a fancy new word for cowardice I¡¯ve never heard before?¡±


    ¡°That does it!¡± Brennan drew his sword and Tynan mirrored him. Cathal took a fighting stance. His breath quickened, his muscles tensed. In these situations, whoever struck first won. Cathal knew that as well.


    ¡°Enough! All of you! Sheath your swords! Now!¡± Alecia yelled.


    ¡°I will not allow this thug to insult me any further!¡± Brennan was ready to strike, but Alecia grabbed his wrist.


    ¡°You damned coward! Come at me!¡± The veins on Tynan¡¯s forehead bulged and he ran towards Brennan.


    ¡°Cathal, handle Tynan!¡± Alecia yelled and Cathal grabbed him. Tynan was as strong as a wild bull, and smart as one right now.


    She left Cathal with a worst job he could ever have. Calming Tynan down in this state was like trying to persuade a merchant to give away his fortune, or telling a drunkard he had enough to drink. In not so many words, it was a hassle, and Tynan was a pain in the ass. Perhaps I¡¯ll save myself the trouble and knock him out. That worked better most of the time, anyway. Cathal knew only one way to end fights, and using words wasn¡¯t it, but he had to try. Cathal wished Saige was here, to talk some sense into this moron. She was better at it.


    ¡°Alecia, get Brennan out of the room! Now!¡± Cathal yelled. He was struggling to keep Tynan in place. Alecia pushed Brennan out of the room and closed the door behind her.


    ¡°Let go, Cal!¡± Tynan yelled. ¡°That coward deserves whatever comes his way!¡±


    ¡°You might be right, and I wished I could just punch his lights out, but this is not a time or place to settle grudges.¡± Cathal said, as they continued to push at each other. ¡°And you might not want to hear this, but Brennan had a point. That tower is a death trap.¡±


    ¡°So, you are taking his side now!?¡±


    ¡°Calm the hell down, and let¡¯s talk!¡± Cathal responded. ¡°You know damn well that isn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°Then what am I supposed to think? Tell me, Cathal, are you a coward also?¡±


    Now he wished he went with the original plan of knocking him out, as he was getting more annoyed with him every second that went by. He knew he shouldn¡¯t say what he was about to, but Tynan¡¯s self righteous act was getting under his skin. He had no more patience in him and pushed Tynan away from him with all his might.


    ¡°And do you believe yourself to be a hero? It¡¯s good to be you, Tynan, isn¡¯t it? You can afford to, can¡¯t you? Not all of us can.¡±


    ¡°And what the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Tynan took a step closer.


    ¡°You have nothing left to lose! You are free to play a hero!¡± Cathal regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth, but it was too late now.


    ¡°Well, you know what¡¯s coming now, don¡¯t you?¡± Tynan asked and took another step closer.


    ¡°Nothing smart, pretty boy.¡±


    And Cathal indeed knew what was coming. He spent too much time together with Tynan not to know. They were two of a kind, after all. Fighting men cannot just not fight when there is supposed to be one. Too many emotions to hold on to. Tynan threw his sword away and took another step closer. Cathal raised his guard, and a rush of adrenaline washed away his exhaustion. It was on now.


    ¡°Here it comes Cal!¡± Tynan yelled as he took a swing with his left arm, but Cathal dodged down, saw Tynan¡¯s exposed stomach, and he took the opportunity and struck him hard with his left. Predictable as always. Tynan winced for a moment, then kicked Cathal straight into ribs, making Cathal stumble back.


    ¡°You of all people should understand and not say that crap!¡± Tynan rushed towards him and pushed him over the desk. Stuff went flying all over the room, as Cathal was falling over to the other side of the thing.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean to, but you kind of pissed me off,¡± said Cathal as he went around the table. This was not their first stupid fight, but it was a while since it had last happened. He kind of missed it. He threw the right hook at him, but this time, Tynan dodged. Cathal was quick with the follow up, left uppercut landed straight on Tynan¡¯s head. Tynan stumbled back a bit, but recovered quickly, spat the blood out, grabbed and pushed Cathal down. Cathal pulled him and brought them both down to the floor. They pulled and grabbed and rolled until they were out of breath, sweating like two cattle sold to a butcher shop. They rolled onto the chairs, then onto stands and in the end onto the bookshelf, knocking the books off. Then they stood up again, and Tynan took another swing. Cathal turned his right shoulder towards it, and as it met Tynan¡¯s fist, a metallic sound confirmed Tynan¡¯s mistake.


    ¡°Ugh! That annoying arm of yours!¡± said Tynan, as he waved his fist around.


    ¡°Must be darn painful. Kastien sends his regards!¡± responded Cathal, and they both started laughing. They laughed as two idiots do. It was a laugh both of them needed badly. Then they sat down on the floor.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ty, shouldn¡¯t have said it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. I was being selfish. Didn¡¯t even think about Saige or Kastien. Got carried away.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ You didn¡¯t know what nobility meant?¡± asked Cathal with a serious expression. They looked at each other and continued to laugh even harder.


    Young woman with long brown hair in a purple dress stormed into the room. Cathal¡¯s sight was so cloudy he couldn¡¯t recognize her at first.


    ¡°Is that you, Saige?¡± Cathal squinted.


    ¡°Who else?¡± she answered. Then she saw the trashed room, and the two of them bloodied, sitting right in the middle of it.


    ¡°What in Aur¡¯s name happened here!? What are you two idiots doing!?¡±

 4. Our mission

    Since this night had started, nothing had gone Alecia¡¯s way. It started with the avenue; It was her fault those people died, and the faces of that girl and her mother haunted her. Damn it, if I only came up with a safer plan, or waited for a better opportunity, maybe things would have gone differently¡­ And since they got into the house, things went from bad to worse. Their chances were slim to begin with and losing lord Bayle to the Chimera was terrible luck¡­ Alecia needed time to collect herself, but calming Brennan took priority.


    ¡°Sir Brennan, please calm down! We are better than this,¡± said Alecia.


    ¡°I will not calm down!¡± yelled Brennan, his voice echoing through the empty hallway. ¡°I will have his head!¡±


    ¡°Please, lower your voice,¡± Alecia said. ¡°We cannot have people downstairs hear us fight. It will cause even more chaos.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you are right, but this will not be the end of it.¡±


    ¡°And what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°You allowed that¡­ that¡­ impudent infant to insult me and now you want me to calm down? And¡­ Let me guess¡­ I should just forget about it and pretend it did not happen?¡± Brennan said, his eye twitched.


    He was right. Tynan overstepped, and Alecia let him, because of her dislike of Brennan. She was as ignorant and childish as Tynan, and she should have known better. Alecia dreamed of getting her command, but even she, in her wildest dreams, could never imagine it would come about in this manner. She was not ready for it and the exchange in the study proved it. Had this happened in Bastion, they would have hanged Tynan for insulting the nobility and punished her for failing to execute him on the spot.


    ¡°No! Of course not! It was my fault for not stopping him.¡± Alecia answered. It did not feel good lowering herself in front of this brute, but she needed to restore some semblance of order in this group.


    ¡°I do not care whose fault it was; I want that pet of yours caged.¡± Brennan sneered, gesturing towards the study. This was going nowhere. Alecia realized pleasant words wouldn¡¯t persuade this man.


    ¡°You are right. It seems I was far too lenient with you all.¡± Alecia said.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope you take your own advice and choose your next words carefully, sir Brennan.¡± Alecia interrupted him. ¡°Now, let us go downstairs and talk like adults.¡±


    Alecia and Brennan walked down the opulent staircase in silence. Down there, men were boarding windows with pieces of broken antique tables and chairs, women carried water and cloth to injured; many of whom were already beyond saving. Alecia saw the blood smeared over the polished marble floor and drenched exquisite carpets. Injured were being tended to with expensive cloth and silk, and used bandages covered priceless statues. And amid all that chaos, there was a young woman. She had long braided brown hair and honeyed eyes that Alecia could swear sparked golden even within the Shroud¡¯s deep crimson. The young woman¡¯s purple, fine silk-woven dress was torn to her knees; pieces likely used to dress the wounded. She did not notice it at first, but now Alecia felt an ethereal presence about her. She was like a calm in the middle of a storm. No wonder they sent us to escort her.


    ¡°Miss Saige,¡± Alecia called to the young woman.


    ¡°Lady Alecia,¡± the young woman looked up and came to meet them at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°What can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°What is the situation here?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°We got most of the people patched up. Well, as best as we can, there are only three of us here with any medical experience. Everybody is helping, even the kids,¡± Saige answered. It was clear to Alecia that the townsfolk felt genuine fear, but no panic. Everybody carried out their assignments as if they had been trained in the Academy. Saige did well for a civilian, exceedingly well.


    ¡°But your house is¡­¡± Alecia looked around and the only thing that wasn¡¯t turned over or ripped out was the parquet.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Saige said with determination. ¡°We need to get through this, any way we can.¡± Alecia would have a hard time naming another noble or wealthy merchant family who would do this for the common folk. Even Cathal paid little attention to the state of the manor. Strange family, truly.


    ¡°I gave jobs to occupy them, my Lady,¡± Saige said. ¡°You give them hope.¡±


    ¡°You are right,¡± Alecia looked down, then at Brennan. ¡°We all need to give our best.¡± Alecia now knew what she needed to do. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to pull you away from your duties any longer, but can you please check on Cathal and Tynan in the study,¡± Alecia said.


    ¡°Why? Did something happen? Did those two do something?¡± Saige looked at Alecia, inspecting her face for a reaction.


    ¡°No, everything is fine,¡± Alecia forced a smile. ¡°Sir Brennan and I just needed to talk in private. Is there any room here we can use?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°There is a living room down there on the left. No one is there at the moment. But¡­¡± Saige looked at the barricaded windows. ¡°You will have a hard time finding something to sit on¡­¡±


    ¡°We do not mind, thank you,¡± Alecia responded, and Saige ran upstairs.


    ¡°Shall we, sir Brennan?¡± Alecia asked and pointed towards the door. People bowed as Brennan and Alecia passed them. Alecia gave them a slight nod in return, and Brennan unenthusiastically followed her example. She noticed children¡¯s eyes full of admiration fixed on her. Saige was right; Alecia and her men were a glimmer of hope for these people. She could not let them down, not again, no matter what.


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    The heavy ornamental door she pushed opened to a desolate room, not a trace of luxury left except for gray sand-textured walls. With Shroud¡¯s effects, the room looked like inside of pristine ruby, with a few beams of light cracking through boarded windows. It was bizarre to think that this was a normal living room just a few hours ago. Even those ancient outposts had cobwebs and a few dusty things to look at. It was awkward to start a conversation with nothing in the room to orient oneself, but it had to be done. Alecia took a deep breath and was about to talk, but Brennan went first.


    ¡°You are right, my Lady,¡± Brennan lowered his shoulders. ¡°Fighting amongst ourselves, then seeing those people outside, I¡­ I felt shame.¡± Alecia looked at him. She knew what he meant, but it still took her by surprise to hear him say it out loud. Maybe now he will listen.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Alecia said. ¡°But it is not too late for us to do something about it.¡±


    ¡°True, but my opinion has not changed. That tower could be¡­ Will be our death,¡± Brennan said. ¡°Call me a coward for saying it, but I will not blindly go there to meet it.¡± He was right. There were too many unknowns, but it was a risk she was willing to take. It was our only chance to save these people. Taking so many people to the gate would be impossible, and more would join us on the way to the gates. She knew, as did Brennan, that a large group would attract monsters. What was he thinking? To sneak out? People would follow them even if they told them to stay. She learned that the hard way.


    ¡°I will not call you such, but you know, if we tried to leave for the gates, people would follow us. And if they did, so would all the monsters,¡± Alecia said. ¡°That seems to be an even greater guarantee of death. Would you not agree?¡±


    ¡°So, we are stuck here,¡± Brennan sighed. ¡°I apologize, my Lady, I was mistaken.¡±


    ¡°I apologize as well,¡± Alecia said. A long silence fell upon the room until the knock on the door broke it.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Saige, my Lady. May we enter?¡± Saige asked. We? I hope Tynan is not with her. Alecia calmed Brennan down, but calming the two of them at the same time seemed more far-fetched than getting to the tower.


    ¡°Enter,¡± said Alecia in a hushed tone. Saige entered the room, and Tynan stood behind her like a child who stole a candy. Brennan¡¯s face turned red as soon as he saw them.


    ¡°You!¡± Brennan yelled.


    ¡°Please,¡± Saige interrupted. ¡°This fool has something to say, don¡¯t you Tynan?¡± Saige shot a cold, stern gaze at Tynan, and he lowered his head even further than it was before. Like a mother with her child¡­ Alecia tried to contain her laughter, but a chuckle had escaped her. She sure is something.


    ¡°I apologize, my Lady!¡± Tynan said, then turned to Brennan and bowed. ¡°I was being a fool, sir Brennan. Forgive me.¡±


    ¡°We were both fools, young man. I apologize as well.¡± Brennan lowered his head as he spoke. ¡°We both need to do better.¡± These two apologized to each other. Alecia thought it was a miracle. No, it is a miracle. Alecia was sure of it.


    ¡°How do we proceed?¡± Brennan asked.


    ¡°Cathal came up with the plan. He is waiting for us upstairs,¡± Saige answered.


    ***


    Cathal cleaned the mess in the study as best as he could before others arrived. Saige pestered both Tynan and him into submission. She had him clean this whole mess by himself and dragged Tynan down to apologize. A few books were still lying on the floor, and he crouched to pick them up.


    ¡°So many fun nights reading these: Monsters of the Shroud, The Lost Expedition, Rampage of the Mad God, Origins of the Fallen¡­¡± he murmured while shuffling through the books until he stopped on one.


    Ah, the story of Saint Seydenna and her miraculous healing touch. Mother read it to me and Saige every night when we were children. He stood up and as he inspected the cover, a smile manifested on his face. He remembered the bright, smiling face of little Saige trying to convince him how Seydenna was amazing and awesome, and how she would be just like her when she grew up. Even now, after all these years, Saige would compare her life to this book. Saints and heroes¡­ High standards to set for yourself. He might have had those a long time ago, but now, if you asked Cathal, he would say it¡¯s better to have lower expectations for your life and not be disappointed. He learned that the hard way. Cathal sat down in his father¡¯s chair and placed the book on the desk. A bit of rest before others came. It wasn¡¯t long before they did. Even Brennan was with them. Leave it to Saige to get Tynan to do the right thing.


    ¡°Cathal, I heard you have a plan to get us safely to the tower?¡± Alecia asked as soon as she entered.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ One moment.¡± Cathal stood up, went to the right bookcase, and took the large scroll. He quickly spread it across the desk. ¡°Look, this is the map of the old part of the town. This is where we are right now.¡± He pressed his finger on the ragged scroll and then moved it further to the right. ¡°This is where the tower is.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°Abandoned sewer tunnel connects close to the mountain¡¯s base. We can use them to go there and back.¡±


    ¡°How close is the entrance from our side?¡±


    ¡°A few streets away, right here.¡± Cathal pointed to it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we use them to get to the town¡¯s exit?¡± Brennan asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it only leads to the mountain if we are lucky¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tynan joined in.


    ¡°The bad news is no one used them for decades. I can only guess in what condition they are in.¡± Cathal answered. ¡°Good news is that I found the key to the armory.¡± Cathal grinned as he took a key out of the pocket. ¡°Inside are the best swords, crossbows, and armor money could buy, so we can arm a dozen men in the least. There are even some working relic pistols from my father¡¯s collection.¡± Well, Cathal hoped they worked. If anything, there was no harm in finding out.


    ¡°What is our plan then, my Lady?¡± Brennan turned to Alecia.


    ¡°We should arm some men downstairs and have them help with the defense of the manor. Sir Brennan, you will stay here and lead them. I will take a small team and get to the tower. Cathal, how long will it take us to go there and back?¡±


    ¡°With all that is happening, two to three hours?¡±


    ¡°Good, and if we don¡¯t come back by then or something else happens, sir Brennan, you are to take as many people as possible and try to break through.¡±


    ¡°Why take such a risk? That tunnel might be blocked.¡±


    ¡°It might be, but it gives us the highest chance,¡± Alecia said. ¡°We hope for the best and prepare for the worst.¡± That was a sentiment Cathal could stand behind. Now the only thing left was to choose who would go, and that was no simple task. Few would.


    ¡°We should start with the preparation at once,¡± Alecia continued. ¡°We have no time to waste.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Tynan said. ¡°You all forget that the tower wasn¡¯t in use for years, so the transmitter might not function, and if it doesn¡¯t, Kastien is the only one who can fix it,¡± Tynan added. ¡°And I don¡¯t think he will be back on his feet anytime soon.¡± Everybody silently looked at each other. That didn¡¯t cross Cathal¡¯s mind at all. It seems they were back to square one. Damn it¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ That is not exactly true.¡± Alecia said as she picked up the book Cathal left on the desk. ¡°We can do something about Kastien, right, Miss Saige?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cathal looked puzzled.


    ¡°Our mission, the reason we came to this town in the first place,¡± Alecia answered. ¡°Miss Saige, go to Kastien and I will explain everything to them.¡±

 5. Miracles and Curses

    Kastien could hear his bone cracking, his muscles tearing, and his skin stretching. Kastien¡¯s first reaction was to scream, but there was no pain. No pain at all. Odd¡­ Instead, he felt warmth. It reminded him of when he fell asleep leaning on the side of a generator; heat escaping through its plating. It was pleasant and all-encompassing warmth. He tried to open his eyes and stand up, but strength escaped him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, Kas,¡± Saige said softly. ¡°I know it sounds terrible, but don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s perfectly safe. I think¡­¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Kastien would have said it louder, but the whisper was the best he could do.


    ¡°Just be quiet and let me concentrate,¡± she said sternly.


    The sounds his body was making were like that of a broken machine, with its gears grinding and metal clanking. And they were indeed terrible, as she said. What in Aur¡¯s name is happening to me? He opened his eyes and there was a sight to behold. Saige was shining with a golden aura all around her, and it fought the oppressive crimsonness of the world, restoring colors within its area. It was coming from within her body, oozing outside, waving and dancing around her and then even brighter golden threads were flowing from across her arm towards her hand, which was pressed onto Kastien¡¯s chest. It permeated his skin, making it almost transparent, and continued its passage through his veins to the rest of his body. He raised his right arm and saw the now glowing broken bone realigning and cracks disappearing. His ribs, bruises, and other injuries healed similarly. There was no scientific explanation for what was happening. Well, hypothetically, one could create the Aurelium device for such applications, but no one ever discovered it, not even anything resembling the effects he observed. And she had nothing in either of her hands. She was converting and controlling Aurelium within her, with no machinery, no technology to help her. She did it with only her body and mind. He would not call himself a blind believer, but this was the same miracle Saint Seydenna performed, and Aur had chosen Saige to do the same. Well, if anyone deserved to be chosen as a new Saint, there were few more worthy than Saige. At least that¡¯s what Kastien thought. As she continued, sweat started flowing from her forehead down the cheek. It was apparent she was struggling to maintain whatever she was doing.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Kastien whispered. ¡°Enough Saige. You will strain yourself.¡± He could tell if she continued, it would not end well.


    ¡°A little more!¡± Saige¡¯s hand was now trembling, her eyes were now glowing brilliantly golden. Waves around her uncontrollably shifted, luminous threads violently moving up and down, stretching and bending, until one snapped. As it did, both the aura and warmth that Kastien received disappeared and the crimson crept back around her. Kastien felt the heat of her body and her quick, shallow breaths on his neck as she fell upon him, her skin slick with sweat. As his strength returned, he leaned forward and gently placed her beside him on the bed.


    ¡°Saige, Saige! Wake up!¡± he gently shook her as he yelled. No answer. He continued, but no answer still. Pressure was building up in his head, and his heart was ready to jump out of the chest. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she felt fevered. This isn¡¯t good. Not good at all. Calm down and think straight. But Kastien always had trouble doing that in her presence. First, he looked left, then right, scanned the room, and saw a bucket of water next to the bed. He took the spare sheet from the edge of the bed, rolled it up, drenched it in the cold water, and cleaned her sweat. After several times of drenching and cleaning, her temperature was dropping to normal. When she started innocently snoring, Kastien knew the worst had passed. Relieved, he slumped down next to her, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. Recklessness runs in the family, and I am certain that either she or her brother will be the end of me someday. Short intense fever and sweating were symptoms of severe Aurelium deficiency, the same as those Cathal has when he goes overboard with his arm. After an hour of sleep, she should be fine. He needed to prepare a speech for when she woke up. Maybe she would listen this time. No, she will. I will make sure of it!


    ¡°What is going on in here? I heard yelling?¡± said Tynan as he walked into the room. ¡°Oh, sorry to intrude!¡± Tynan winked, then gave a thumbs-up. Kastien knew what Tynan was thinking and wanted to punch him, but judging by Tynan¡¯s face, someone beat him to it, causing Kastien to smile. Just as Tynan was leaving the room, Kastien called out.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Umm,¡± Tynan looked confused. ¡°Outside?¡±


    ¡°Come here and help me up, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Is she all right?¡± Tynan looked at Saige.


    ¡°Yes. She just needs some rest. But I need some help up.¡± Kastien reached his arm forward, palm open.


    ¡°Ooh, that good buddy?¡± Tynan said as he raised an eyebrow, but Kastien ignored him, as he always did. Tynan came closer and started pulling Kastien out of bed, then abruptly stopped and let go. ¡°Sorry, I forgot about your arm!¡±


    ¡°It is fine now,¡± Kastien said. ¡°Good as new.¡±


    ¡°So, Alecia was right. What did Saige do?¡±


    ¡°Hard to explain. I am not sure I understand it myself.¡± A brief silence ensued as Tynan helped Kastien up.


    ¡°We need to meet with others in the armory. Can you walk on your own?¡± Tynan asked.


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    ¡°Glad to see you on your feet again, buddy. Didn¡¯t believe it would actually happen.¡± Tynan said. ¡°Tell us everything there.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Kastien said as he approached the dresser, retrieved a blanket, and then covered Saige. He noticed Tynan looking at him and smiling. ¡°Whatever, Tynan¡­ Move.¡±


    ***


    Five of them were standing in the middle of a vast armory, adorned and ornamented, much like the rest of the house, with blue carpet completely covering the floor. He visited the house many times, but it was his first time down here. Perfectly placed and organized swords and spears stood on multiple wooden racks against the engraved walls; a dozen stands showed off various leather and chain-mail armor parts. One wall had bows hanging from nails, and below them, in big open containers, hundreds of arrows layered on top of each other. There were nine glass-covered pedestals lined next to each other; two of them had pulse pistols placed on red pillows, while others hosted relics and resonance crystal shards Kastien had never seen before. Those look like fun. I¡¯ll get to them after we are done with this. He appreciated the care and time someone took to make it look impeccable, as it was easy on both the eyes and the mind. The only problem was that the armory was in the basement and it made it harder for him to breathe. Especially the basement that had no windows to the outside. No matter how big it was, it felt cramped; it smelled of dry leather and the walls were closing in on him, more every second he spent in there. And it took him a while to explain to others what happened with Saige, even longer for them to believe it, but Cathal simply could not accept it. After all, it was his little sister, and Kastien, had he not seen the power with his own eyes, would have been as skeptical as he. Cathal frowned at him while he spoke, but Kastien tried to avoid his gaze as much as possible, finding it even more uncomfortable than he already was.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°So, it is true. I had my doubts when I first got this mission, but now¡­ Seeing you standing¡­ I cannot believe we have the Saint with us,¡± Alecia said, her eyes trembling. ¡°Aur has blessed us.¡±


    ¡°First the Shroud, then Chimera, and now, the Saint. Are we cursed or blessed?¡± Brennan muttered. Kastien could not decide either.


    ¡°It does not change what we have to do,¡± Alecia said. ¡°Has Tynan filled you in on our plan?¡±


    Kastien nodded in agreement. It was dangerous, but if he wanted to move on from that day, to keep moving forward, he had to go. In the avenue, he had acted, but he had no choice. Now, it is my choice to confront this menace and fight. Be it Shroud, Ghoul, or Chimera.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Kastien. No one would blame you if you stayed here.¡± Tynan added.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to. I want to.¡± Kastien said. And he was glad to have said it.


    ¡°How about you Cathal?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is all overwhelming¡­ I need to see Saige first before I decide anything.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Kastien, see if those guns and relics could be of any use. Rest of us should make use of things here and arm some people,¡± Alecia pointed to the racks. ¡°Tynan, you know those people. Help me choose some of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lady.¡± Tynan started walking to the stairs. Alecia followed close behind him. She was about to go up, but she stopped and went back to Kastien. She stood in front of him, unholstered the pistol on her right thigh, and presented it to him. It was an IM5 model, in pristine condition, most of it black. It had a platinum grip panel with gold engraved Bastion Knight insignia and a silver-glowing rune barrel that led straight from a transparent power-crystal chamber in the back to the muzzle in the front. Kastien first looked at the pistol, then at Alecia, then at the pistol again. Why is she doing this? Should I take it? Or should I not?


    ¡°You did good tonight. Take it, you deserve it,¡± Alecia smiled as she put the pistol in Kastien¡¯s hand. ¡°Take care of it and it will take care of you. We¡¯ll be waiting for you upstairs when you¡¯re finished.¡±


    Kastien tried to thank her, but she turned around and left. Tynan smiled at him, nodded and left behind Alecia. Being acknowledged by a knight was unthinkable, and Kastien was stunned. He squeezed the pistol hard, his gaze fixated on it. A tear flowed down his cheek, and his shoulders dropped. He looked up and sighed loudly. Now he was glad he came down here, and those walls did not feel so suffocating anymore.


    ¡°Good work. I¡¯m proud of you,¡± Cathal said, giving Kastien a tap on the shoulder. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t stay. I need to get my head straight and then speak to Saige.¡± Then Cathal left as well. Kastien stood in place for a few more moments before he moved. He found himself alone, surrounded by silence. Best time to work. Having dried his tears, he moved toward the pedestals. ¡°What do we have here?¡± Kastien said as rubbed his hands together.


    First, he took inventory of all usable crystals and shards he could find and then went to work on the pistols. They were earlier models than the one he got from Alecia, but invaluable relics still. One was beyond help, but he figured he could salvage parts from it to repair the second one. He was lucky that Runepanel did not break during the alley incident and he connected it with the pistol converter matrix. An hour passed quickly as he worked, and during that time, people were coming down, getting armed, and leaving as soon as they did. It was a distraction, but knowing that they were getting more helping hands eased the mind. He pressed the power button on the pistol and the crystal in the chamber came to its silver-shining pulsing life. The light spread across the chamber, then through the rune barrel, and he heard a happy beep coming from within the matrix. Crystal wasn¡¯t in optimal condition, but it could last a few more weeks. He wished everything would be as simple as this. The next thing to check was half a dozen explosive charges, and they seemed to be in working condition. Good. He had no doubt that Tynan would find an excuse to use them. The only remaining tasks were checking the barrier projector¡¯s usability and getting the power shard for the communication console in the relay tower. Better to be safe than sorry. Few resonance crystals should do the trick with the projector. Other things on the pedestals were unusable or beyond repair. Best not to waste precious time on those. And he was right. Runepanel showed the projector needed only shards and a bit of his magic touch to get it working, but Alecia¡¯s voice broke his concentration.


    ¡°We distributed the equipment to the volunteers. How close are you to finishing?¡± Alecia asked.


    ¡°I need five more minutes!¡± Kastien answered without looking up.


    ¡°Any good news?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I will come upstairs.¡± Kastien added. Alecia looked at him for a moment but left soon after.


    His work was done, and it was his turn to get ready. First, he took a satchel and placed the things he needed for the console repair, then went and put on a leather padded shirt and holster for the pistol. The last thing he needed was a weapon for close combat that was not a wrench. While his preference was for a sword, a shorter one was necessary, and he was relieved to discover one with a scabbard in a different section of the armory. He ascended the stairs and found people armed with bows guarding each window in the mansion¡¯s hall, while others with swords and spears stood next to the exit. It looked like a scene from a story, where rebel militia took over the building in a desperate coup, preparing for a last stand. But unlike those, people here now had hope fueling their engines. It was a pleasant sight.


    ¡°My Lady, here is the report,¡± Kastien said, as he handed the paper to Alecia.


    ¡°Good. We leave in fifteen minutes.¡±


    ¡°Who is coming with us?¡±


    ¡°Tynan, you and I. Are you still up for it?¡±


    ¡°I have come this far, and I have some expectations to live up to,¡± Kastien held up the pistol Alecia gifted to him. ¡°I fixed another relic pistol. Please take it,¡± Kastien put his other hand in the satchel, but Alecia gestured for him to stop.


    ¡°Give it to the Saint. She needs to protect herself. Go to her, she woke up.¡±


    He entered the room, the quiet only broken by Saige¡¯s shallow breathing, and saw her sitting upright on the bed. Cathal sat quietly on the cushioned chair next to the bed, his elbows firmly pressing against his thighs. A fight, most likely.


    He wanted to say something, but a distant, mighty roar rattled the windows and floorboards trembled beneath Kastien¡¯s feet. As Cathal leaped from the chair, an even more intense, now closer roar echoed, accompanied by a racket of innumerable overlapping screeches, a dreadful repeating symphony that threatened to collapse the manor¡¯s walls. Through the deafening cacophony, Kastien discerned a sinister, familiar whisper; a warning with just two simple, yet horrifying, words:


    They come