Another Writing Project (Working Title: The Exiled World)

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Sorry it took longer for me to read it than I said.

 

 

Solid chapter. I liked the political angle. Are the Solar Knights inspired by Dark Souls?

 

The shit with the king just has me confused, to be honest.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Confused is good, at least for right now. At the very least I was trying to be cryptic without being off putting. I do plan to explain more about these "long laid plans" the King has as the story progresses, and hopefully the payoff is worth the initial confusion.This was definitely the part I struggled most with, and was contemplating whether it was important enough to be mentioned, or if should just remain in the background and develop organically from another point in the story.

 

As for the Solar Knights. They are only slightly based off Dark Souls, but that's really in name only. Their name is supposed to resonate with the people who feel like they've been overwhelmed by their current political and socioeconomic system and need champions to rectify their wrongs.This will also not be the last we see of said Solar Knights.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Teaser for the coming chapters ahead: (Nanowrimo has pushed this forward quite a bit, I may give you a December chapter.)

 

 

The dangers in Westgate intensify. The group of four arrives in Westgate only to discover the soldiers are in a panic. Spiders are ambushing all the front line camps and driving humanity back. Where have they come from, and why are there so many. Sergeant Frost calls a state of emergency, carrying Lucas' group into the brink of battle against the Mag-Spiders. What lies in stores for our heroes? Read on and find out.

 

[Vin+ 3,121]

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Write two by the end of December so Vin and I can have birthday presents, imo.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Chapter 5: Stubborn Will

“Rysette, why are you here?” Lucas composed himself enough to ask. His thoughts were still scrambling around in his head like beetles on a spit.

 

“I’m coming with you.” She announced haughtily, hands on her hips. “It’s not fair that Lucas is the only one who gets to go on adventures. I want to go as well.”

 

Cooper groaned. “You should stay at home like a good princess. This isn’t a fun trip, it’s a dangerous mission. We’re going deep into mag-spider territory, and we can’t defend both Lucas and yourself.”

 

She sneered at the man, and tossed her head back. “You have no right to speak to me like that, soldier. I am Rysette Green, the heir to the Crystal Throne. You will follow my orders. And my order is this. I’m going with you.” Her personal Stoneguard tilted her head. Her face was a mystery, but she held no secrets in her demeanor.

 

“Princess.” She spoke in a muffled voice. “If you won’t listen to me, listen to them. Risking your life for no reason is a sure way to get yourself killed. Your life is too important to waste on these trifling matters. Let the men handle the dangerous stuff.”

“Calcia, I cannot bear to see my brother go alone.” She pouted, kicking at the ground abashedly. “I must be there to protect him.”

 

Calcia turned to Rysette, “I mean no offense Princess, but the people with the Prophet Lucas are better equipped to protecting him than you are. You are still young, sheltered, weak and unwise. If you insist on going, I will stop you by force. Now say your goodbyes as we had agreed and we’ll head back home.”

 

The silence was deafening, as Rysette stewed. She held her ground, and made no effort to leave. “Instructor Rampage, you are the one who trained me in hand to hand combat, tell them how skilled I am!”

 

Rampage bowed his bald head. He spoke in an admonishing tone. “Hand to hand combat is effective against human beings, the art I’ve taught you is purely defensive, and only practical when attacked by humans. Against spiders, those same moves will get you bitten or poisoned. The death from a poisonous spider is slow and painful, you’ll be in agony for hours and for each and every pang of pain, you’ll wish that the spider had just torn you limb from limb. But that’s not what spiders do to women. They will poison them, tie them up in their webbing and drag them off to god knows where. I cannot allow even the possibility of that to happen.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Please go home. I’m sure your father is worried about you.”

 

She pouted and looked as if she was about to throw a tantrum, but she held her dignity. “Then I shall go myself. I can find those-” She was sharply interrupted by a flick to her forehead. Instantly Zack had closed the distance between them, and prepared his hand for another flick.

 

“You idiot!” Zack flicked again, causing her to flinch. “Don’t you realize how dangerous this is?” His fingers fired again. “I’m going to keep doing this until you get the picture.” Another sharp flick sent the princess reeling. “You aren’t wanted here.” Zack stepped forward, pushing Rysette into a retreat. “You cannot help us.” His hand flicked again, but she quickly stepped back again. “Go home, stay safe, pray if you must for his safe return, but do not follow us!” Biting back his words, he tried his best not to scream at the girl, but his throat couldn’t hold back.

 

“How dare you treat me like this you… you beast!”

 

“I’m doing this because you’re being an idiot! Have you even thought about what might happen when the palace finds you missing, or about the danger of this mission? Are you so eager to die pointlessly?” Zack’s scowl turned soft and melancholy. “Did you think of how worried your brother would be? He worries about us and we’re trained professionals. Can you think about how he would feel about you rushing headlong into danger?”

 

“That’s not fair!” She stomped her foot on the ground, glaring at her attacker. “You think I don’t worry when my little brother goes off alone, to Furnace knows where? He’s always been someone I had to protect, because his body is frail, and he’s too trusting for his own good.” She shook the curls out of her red rimmed eyes, stifling back the tears. “Why do you always have to be the one who is in danger? It’s not fair. You should be the one staying safe at home, with the professors, the doctors and the guards. Why…” Her words trailed off. She gathered her strength and wiped her eyes.

 

“Rysette…” Lucas spoke softly, “I have to do everything in my power to help the people here. It’s my duty as the prophet to lead the people of Crystalia into prosperity. Because I was chosen, that is why I have no choice but to do everything in my power to free our people. To give them wealth and territory, resources and eventually the sweet air of the surface, that is why I have to go.”

 

“Duty can bite me.” She scowled, “The only duty you need to worry about is being my cute little brother, and staying alive.”

 

“Duty is all we have.” He said quietly, under his breath. He lifted his white hood and gave a wide smile. “I can’t take you with me, but I can give you my word. I can give you the word of the Great Furnace as well. I will not die in a place like this. I promise you. So please, promise me you’ll stay home at the castle. So that when I return, we can be reunited as a happy family.”

 

She faltered for a second, shaking somberly. Suddenly she scooped her brother up in a hug. “You idiot… trying to sugar coat things. I… I’ll believe in your promise, but if you go and die out there, I swear I’ll kill you.” She patted his head and released him quickly, turning back towards to the palace.

 

“Calcia, let’s go. We’re done here.” She said curtly. The stoneguard bowed in respect, but didn’t immediately leave. Lingering, she turned to the group. Her intentions seemed as mysterious as her face, as she looked on. It was as if she was judging them.

 

“You three seem capable enough. It seems my lord’s doubt was unfounded.”

 

Cooper shook his head. “Did the King set this ‘encounter’ up?”

 

She paused for a minute, deliberating on her words. “I suppose it would not be fair for me to lie to you, after you helped the princess. Under my lord’s orders, I was told to convince Rysette to pay you a visit before leaving. It turns out she didn’t need much convincing, I caught her planning her escape alone.”

 

“Why would the King ask that? Surely he didn’t plan to risk his own daughter’s life out in the tunnels?” Zack asked, scratching at his shaggy mop of hair.

 

“My lord asked me to stop her if you had failed to convince her to go back home.” She placed her hand on her hip, and seemed to be smiling underneath her mask. “I’m glad I didn’t need to knock her out, that would have been… unpleasant for everyone.”

 

“I suppose my lord father is nothing if not thorough.” Lucas said. “It doesn’t seem like it was worth the trouble though.”

 

“I suspect the King believed that his daughter would not listen to him. She is of that rebellious age after all.” Rampage added, rubbing his chin. “I’m not particularly fond of jumping through hoops to solve the King's issues, though.”

 

“You can relax, Sir Rampage.” She said respectfully. “Jumping through hoops is my job, unpleasant as it sounds. Once again, I’d like to thank you for your help today, giving the princess some closure was the best thing you could have done for her.”

 

“Calcia! Do you have rocks in your ears too? We’re leaving!”

 

“May the moss light your way, and the roots guide you home.” With her prayer she turned and followed the young princess, following in her shadow so well that she had become impossible to notice, fading into the shadows.

 

Lucas turned to the rest of the group, whose demeanors were somewhere between concern and annoyance. Zack tapped his foot irritably, his growling audible and distinct off the rocky road. Cooper seemed distracted by the stoneguard, perhaps by her sudden disappearance. Judging by the grin on his face, it was probably her sudden appearance that had his attention.

 

“That stupid princess…” Zack muttered, kicking at the ground. “Alright, let’s go people. We’re already late, and Sergeant Frost has never been known for his patience.” He reached out and tapped Lucas on the shoulder. “You all ready to go? A-OK?”

 

Lucas gave a slight chuckle, “Better than you I think. If you keep scowling like that your face will stick like that permanently.”

 

“Yeah... That selfish princess can’t think about anyone but herself and causes trouble for everyone else. She’s a real pain in the neck, that’s for sure. Anyway, more importantly, let’s focus and move on.” Zack said more for himself than the rest of the group. “Got more important things to worry about than my face...”

 

“Indeed.” Rampage said. “Look ahead, you can see the civilian border right in front of us.” The group looked towards the border. A few guards were making small talk watching the metal gates ahead. It was still a walk between here and Westgate, but the series of gates ensured that if any spiders ever broke through their rear camp, they’d be able to funnel and decimate the invading force ahead. Tiny windows were interspersed throughout the tunnel, and inside those windows steel arrows were nocked and loaded, a difficult trap for any living being to survive. “The lethality of this road never ceases to amaze me.” Rampage grinned, “Not that we’ve needed to use this trap in a long time.”

 

“I’ve always wondered how they would reset the trap if it ever went off.” Cooper said. “It seems like it’d be a hassle to put them into each slot one arrow at a time. I wonder if those guys know.”

 

“Does it really matter?” Lucas said. “I doubt the mag-spiders will ever encroach this far. They wouldn’t try their luck against a million humans.”

 

“Perhaps,” Zack said. “But what if there were worse things in these caverns though? Mag-spiders are plenty clever as it is, but we have barely seen the depths of what is down here. We could use all the traps and protection we can get.”

 

“Hmm.” Lucas looked on, as the group walked on through. The guards gave them a salute before opening the gate outside. The crank slowly turned until a loud click sounded out, signifying the gate was locked.

 

“So I heard you’ve gone out exploring before, Lucas.” Rampage said, cutting the silence a little. “Bet you’ve never seen the western tunnels before.”

 

Lucas had a wide grin on his face. “No I haven’t actually.” He wanted to pull out his maps but had to struggle to not waste time. “I’ve seen a lot of the eastern tunnels, they seem so vibrant in comparison to Crystalia proper. There’s glowmoss and quartz everywhere, and a lot of our farms are there too. You can also find gold and silver there if you go deep enough.” He couldn’t contain his excitement. “What are these tunnels like?”

 

“Hmm, they aren’t as vibrant as the eastern tunnels but there is so much more life in the west. Naturally the mag-spiders of course, but moles, earthworms, various mushrooms, and a whole bunch of green sprigs I could never identify. There are even these little bugs, about one foot long with hard white shells and long green feelers. But you cook them on a pan over an open fire and they’re so sweet and gooey. You have to roast them alive though, otherwise they don’t have the same taste.”

 

“No way!” Lucas said in excitement. “You mean you’ve seen a white longbeetle? I’ve read about them in Garvin’s encyclopedia, but I’ve never seen one alive before!”

“Of course, they’re not common, but they’re a treat when you find them. The sweetness of the juices, the tenderness of the meat…” Rampage wiped his mouth. “Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll see some along the way.”

 

The corridor had widened considerably once the group cleared the last gate and said farewell to the skeleton crew on guard. They gave a proper salute and continued on their duties. A long dreary path stood in their way, the glowmoss emanated a soft violet hue as they walked along the soldier’s graveyard. The path was marked by headstones, every few paces. The etching on most of these stones had faded to nothing, and they were bone white in comparison to the gray and brown of the surrounding passage.

 

“Quite a graveyard, right? I forget which king thought it was a good idea to bury skulls in these tunnels. Maybe he thought the soldiers should be aware of their mortality or something? Or maybe he just thought the graves would scare off the spiders but who really knows?” Cooper mused. “I always hate walking to Westgate, nothing to see but these stupid stones.” The spear he had strapped across his back had found its way into his hands.

 

“Something wrong, Cooper?” Zack asked, noticing his friend’s actions. “Surely you didn’t see any spiders this close to the city.”

 

“No, just a force of habit.” He mumbled. “I like my weapon where I can reach it, this spear and I have been through a lot of shit down here.” His knuckles tensed around the haft. “Of course, I’ve usually been in larger squads than this, with heavier armour. Although I’ll admit gotten used to the leather armour though, and I can’t imagine going back without it feeling awkward all over again.”

 

The wave of gravestones parted and made way for the group. This was the frontier, the rear line camp for the invading humans, Westgate. The cavern was wide, and split off in dozens of different directions from this hub, soldiers posted at every gate. They were clad in dull gray plate armor, with thick steel helmets. Most carried a spear and shield, but a few wore swords instead. Rarely some would forego the shield for an extra weapon, but those people were few and far between. Having no defense was a deadly dance that many would not risk.

 

Westgate proper was a mess of tents, filled with people scurrying to and fro. Soldiers in combat drills mingled with quartermasters and blacksmiths. Couriers scrambled up and down tunnels delivering messages like blood cells in the stream. Among all this controlled chaos, was the leader directing the flow, Sergeant Frost was hard at work managing the series of fronts his soldiers held. He had no helmet like the rank and file soldiers about, but his heavy armour was inlaid with gold to attract attention and demand respect. Scattered gray flecks marked his mane to give the impression of authority that his gravelly voice couldn’t do alone.

 

“Send reinforcements from Laird’s squad to Tunnel MR1! Establish an escape route to get our wounded to safety. Prepare the explosive charges, but do not set them off unless the spiders pursue!” He barked orders at a courier, who was already moving to deliver the order. “Prepare the medical tents for an influx of wounded soldiers!”

“Yes sir!” The runners quickly moved to their assigned tasks, while Frost continued to oversee the other fronts.

 

“Three attacks at once… why now of all times…” Frost mused, scratching at his graying stubble. “How soon can we move troops from ML1 over?”

 

His aide replied, “About ten minutes sir, maybe sooner if they’re already on the move.”

He rubbed at his temples. It wouldn’t be fast enough. “We may have to give up the line, but we can push them back a distance once our reinforcements arrive. It can’t be helped, I have to trust the battle commander knows when to retreat, but if they can hold out as long as possible...” He shook his head. “No sense in being optimistic though. We’ve done all we can on our end. Alert the rest of the rear camp, we’re on level two battle status.”

 

“Sir!” His aide gave a swift salute, and ran to the intercom system. “All soldiers prepare for level two battle status! Be on standby until further orders are given.” The alarm echoed throughout the camp, as the soldiers nearby quickly grabbed their weapons and armour in a cacophony of clangs, bangs and invectives. The flaming torches whipped and whistled as the army prepared for a sudden battle.

 

“Seems like we chose a bad time to arrive.” Lucas said, measuring the faces of his companions. “I take it you all fall under these orders?”

 

Zack nodded. “That’s right. In times of emergency, certain chains of command are placed. Either the King himself would need to rescind this order, or we complete the mission and Sgt. Frost lowers the battle status. In any case, we need to deal with the immediate threat first.”

 

“From the sounds of it, the main tunnel is in the most danger, but our other main line forces are being held up by smaller skirmishes.” Rampage added, his eyes examining the scene rapidly. “I think we’d better talk to Sergeant Frost, and see if we can provide some support.”

 

“Shouldn’t we worry about our mission first? Avoiding combat seems like a better idea than walking directly into it.” Lucas’ teeth clenched.

 

“Knowing our luck, we probably have to go through one of the tunnels where the spiders are attacking anyway.” Zack said, tapping on the hilts of his blades. “Our course is clear. We should attempt to provide support.” Receiving the acknowledgment from the rest of his group, Zack turned to the commanding officer and shouted to get his attention.

 

Frost whipped his head around violently, his scarred face wincing at the sound. “What?!” Upon noticing the others he relaxed and gathered himself. “I’ll be damned, Zack. You’re late, but that’s not important right now.” He looked upon the faces of the group, staring hard at Lucas and Rampage especially. “A queer crowd you’ve gathered, but today has been a queer day. I’ll need your help.”

 

“Explain the situation to us, Matthew.” Rampage said, cracking his knuckles.

 

The sergeant clenched his fist. “You’ve been out of the game for too long Rampage. I don’t think you have the right to know.”

 

“That’s not important right now.” He replied with a tinge of remorse in his voice. “I’m here right now to fix a few things, number one being this leak you’ve gotten yourself into.”

 

Frost’s stare bored through Rampage for a good couple of seconds. “Yeah whatever, ‘Former Major’.” He turned to Zack and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Here’s what we have to worry about. Our vanguard was ambushed by a massive pile of mag-spiders, mostly maulers, but there are a few venomous ones mixed in with the rest. Normally we’d send reserves from the flanking tunnels, but they’ve been held up with smaller squads. We’re sending reinforcements to back up the front line forces, but we’ll need you to make sure our forces in the flanking tunnels are not wiped out. Can I trust you to head to tunnel MR3?”

 

“You can count on us sir. Once we come back, we can discuss our current mission.” Zack stood at attention, drifting into formality.

 

“Naturally.” Frost gave a cheeky smile. “I expect you’ll be back soon enough. You have your orders now, so move out.” He gave them a quick salute before turning to address another one of his myriad problems.

 

Zack turned to Lucas and tilted his head. “Hey. Sorry about this, but you understand right?”

 

“Yeah.” He said quietly. “Well it’s no problem. I understand a soldier’s duty.”

 

“”Westgate is the safest spot in these tunnels, you’ll be fine here if you don’t wander off.” Zack explained. “If you wanted to wait in Frost’s tent I’m sure that would be fine. There are food vendors here if you need something to eat, but I suppose you have rations in that pack of yours.” He scratched his head and looked to the boy. Lucas was ruffling through his pack, pulling out all sorts of equipment. A bandolier of what looked like metal eggs, a set of torches, and even a pair of steel bracers came out. “What are you doing?” He asked, examining the equipment thoroughly.

 

“I’m going with you, clearly.” Lucas replied. “It does me no good to wait on my hands while you’re all out fighting. Can you imagine what people would say about me if I didn’t?”

 

“You shouldn’t worry about what people say.” Rampage said. “It’s more important that you stay safe. Let them say whatever they want, you aren’t even a man yet. They can’t expect to fight out with the other soldiers.”

 

Cooper shook his head, stifling a small laugh. “Clearly you don’t understand politics, Rampage. Before Jair became King he fought on the front lines, as I’m sure you’re aware. Not to mention his son Graham was one hell of a prodigy with the sword. It’d be weird if his other son was just stowing away from the conflict.” His smugness was incalculable. “It’s pretty clear to me that this boy is no coward. Or at least he won’t let himself be painted as one until the chips are down.”

 

“Cowardice was never his issue.” Zack rubbed his temples vigorously. “In fact the opposite tends to be the issue. He’s meek and quiet in the company of others, but you get him out here and he’s completely different. How many times have I had to fetch you under the chancellor’s orders?”

 

“Only eighteen,” Lucas replied so quickly that the group was taken aback. “At least that you’ve told me of. It might have been more.” He turned to his stunned bodyguards and laughed. “Yes I have been keeping count. As Cooper had said, I can’t be seen hiding while others fight my battles. In addition to that, I want to come, to see you fight spiders with my own eyes. I promise I’ll stay back from the combat, and if I need to defend myself, I can.” He tapped his staff on the ground. “The Great Furnace will protect me as well. By miracle or otherwise.”

 

“It seems like we aren’t in a position to argue.” Rampage raised his hand in protest, but a defeated look from Zack stopped him. “If you guys are all ready to go, we shouldn’t waste any more time.” He gave a wide smile.

 

The thought of killing mag-spiders excited him to no end. The rush of battle, swords clashing against legs and the smell of death in the thin air, nothing truly made Zack feel as alive as that. Politics and management, subterfuge and playing for power, sometimes you just have to enjoy the simple things in life. He felt the rush of blood circulate through his veins, as the scream for battle escaped his lips.

Edited December 19, 2014 by RazorStar

[RazorStar 4,025]

MERRY CHRISTMAS TGP.

 

Behold the power of set up chapters. I got really sick of editing, so if there some rough parts let me know. I abuse commas like a red-headed stepchild and I'm certain I didn't get all the ones I needed to. I decided to spend some time focusing a bit more on our leads, showing how they act towards each other, so on and so forth. Next chapter is one I'm pretty excited for, and I hope you are too. The plan is to have it prepared and ready for the end of the month.

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

So when are Zack and Rysette getting together?

Edited December 19, 2014 by Vin

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

A day early, but awesome either way. Nice job, Razor. I'm really getting a feel for the world you're creating. You're great at this.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Chapter 6: The Glory of Battle (Bloodlust)

“Follow me!” Zack screamed from the bottom of his throat. “Don’t get left behind, or you’ll miss out on all the fun!” The group broke into a fast sprint, Zack leading the charge, swords hanging loosely in their sheaths. Cooper followed almost as quickly, with his spear brandished and ready to go. Rampage and Lucas took up the rear. Panic was clearly shown on Rampage’s face, but his muscle memory had not dulled an inch, his senses were heightened to their maximum in this tunnel. Lucas seemed an ocean of serenity by comparison, but his eyes were focused on his surroundings, his ears could hear every little tumbling pebble in this corridor. It was if he filled with energy and about to burst.

 

The distance was closing quickly and the rush of blood was coursing through the soldiers as they charged in. It was never the sight that first indicated that they were close, nine times out of ten it was the scent. The spider’s underbelly is the weakest point on its carapace, but the smell of an open one was always overwhelming, like sulfur on a hot day. A flickering red eye came into view, and then seven more. Quickly another eight followed, and eight times eight more after that. A small collection of spiders, but ten of them would be trouble for a small group. Zack saw three soldiers fighting desperately, backs to each other as they covered their own fleshly weak points.

“Shields up!” One of them screamed, as the spider’s sharp legs came crashing down. The impact reverberated through the soldier, but he held his ground. “We can’t let them get through us!” The group tightened up, their spears honed and ready, waiting for a chance to strike. Fatigue, pain, and fear, only the best soldiers could ignore those inevitable consequences and continue to lash out against impossible odds.

 

“We have to hurry!” Zack shouted to the rest of his group. They were struggling to keep up with his speed before, but he closed the distance between the spiders and him in no time at all. Just as quickly his blades were already moving in intricate motions, slicing legs off the beasts as if they were nothing but air. His sudden appearance gave the soldiers enough leeway to launch their own attack. A spear thrust at the weakened spider’s underbelly sent it toppling into the ones behind them, suffocating the original assault.

 

The soldiers moved in and attempted to force the legion of spiders backwards. Their teamwork was impeccable as they isolated a monster from the pack, and quickly slaughtered it. The stench of digestive enzymes was overpowering. The group pressed their advantage while they could, attacking aggressively with the fervor only those on the brink of death would know. However they could not catch the next spider off guard, it held its ground and began to beat back the assault. The venomer hissed in gross satisfaction.

 

The venomer seemed to chuckle as his legs cycled faster. His sharp legs cut at one soldier’s shield, ripping it from his hands. The next took hold of his helmet and ripped it off, leaving his head exposed. The mouth of the beast followed soon after, spitting venom directly into the soldier’s face. Losing his focus, he found the next spider had already recovered and stabbed deeply into his stomach. Flailing to the ground, he cried out trying desperately to finish his attacker. But the bleeding was too much. Doing his best to crawl away, he fought desperately for his last breaths.

 

The venomer slowly walked up towards the dying man, savouring the kill. As his sharp leg went down to tear the man apart, it felt the sudden crunch of Rampage’s warhammer. It couldn’t recover in time for the next shot, as its skull came apart in a mess of gooey viscera. “Keep fighting!” He roared. Quickly wiping the hammer clean on the venomer’s back, he turned to the dying man. “Just focus on staying alive, buddy. We’ll get you first aid soon.” All he could do is whimper as he hunched back against the cavern wall.

 

Meanwhile, Zack had already claimed another two spiders to his kill list, his blades spinning in harsh and dangerous arcs. Each cut was clean as the spiders were severed apart, but he was too outnumbered to push his advantage further. “Cooper!” He shouted. “We need to break through them, get up here.”

 

With a slight nod he rushed forward, originally supporting the remaining group, he went on ahead to let them get a few precious seconds of reprieve. His spear had begun the dance of death, in a practice he and Zack were all too familiar with. The lanky man’s spear thrusts were designed to distract, targeting the eyes, the neck, the underbelly, forcing the spiders to cover their weak points. These movements opened the door for Zack who could rip through them without worrying about weak points. Soon only four were left, but they were already retreating when the first group of soldiers came upon them.

 

“Is that all of them?” Zack asked, watching the spiders retreating. “And is this all of you? That might be the better question.” He wiped the blood off of his swords before returning them to their sheaths.

 

“There’s more of us further ahead.” One of the soldiers said, panting on his hands and knees. “We would have been goners if you guys hadn’t shown up. They came out of nowhere and separated our forces in two.”

 

“This is our chance to get them back!” The other soldier shouted, blood was oozing down his face and arms, but the cuts seemed shallow enough to excuse worry. “We should still have men fighting up further ahead. We have to get them back.”

 

“Easy soldier.” A deep voice echoed down in the caverns. The man who was bleeding out was leaning up on Lucas’ shoulder, his wounds tightly wrapped with bandages. For a man who was on the brink of death, he seemed like he was gonna pull through. Somehow.

 

“Major Crag!” his subordinates shouted in glee. “I thought the bastard got you for sure!” They got up slowly and saluted, but the Major waved them off.

 

“I thought I was dead too, but when the hero Rampage Steelfist comes to save your life, you have to show him the honour of seeing his rescue through. If this boy hadn’t patched me up, I’d be dead.” He patted him on the shoulder as Lucas struggled to keep the older man’s weight up. “Still hurts like hell though.” His eyes squinted as he said that. “That venomer got me right in the eyes.”

 

“Lucas…” Zack asked, trying to keep his jaw from trembling. “What the hell did you do? That man suffered a mortal wound, he couldn’t have survived.” He stared down the boy, who was already unsteady under the major’s weight. Rampage quickly came over and lent his shoulder for the major instead.

 

“I… I asked the great furnace for help.” He said abashedly. “I couldn’t let him die, so I did all the first aid I could. But as I put my hands upon his wounds, his stomach started to… regenerate. It must have the will of the Great Furnace to get him through this.”

 

“The will of the great furnace?” Major Crag spoke out. “Tell me son, are you by chance the Furnace’s Prophet?” He coughed weakly. “Ugh, now that the adrenaline is out of me, I’m exhausted.”

 

“Yes, that’s right.” Lucas said. “I am protected by his will. However, he told me that it was not his power that saved you, but your own will to live on.” He spoke while plugging his nose. “I think we should head back and get these men to the medical tents. Mr. Frost can deal with the other ambushes.”

 

Major Crag shook his head. “I had five other soldiers with me. We should try and find their bodies first. Once we do that, we’ll seal off the ambush route.” He stood back on his own two feet. “You’re a freelance unit, right? You don’t have to follow my orders, but I would appreciate the help.”

 

“That won’t be a problem, Major.” Rampage replied. “Let’s advance cautiously; we don’t know how many of these crawling bastards are lurking ahead.” He turned his head to the rest of the group, watching what they were doing. Zack was looking at the corpses, while Cooper was kowtowing with the other two soldiers. Lucas seemed to be studying the rock formations ahead, while trying not to be overwhelmed by the scent of dead spiders.

 

“I’ll be sure to buy you guys a round of vodka when we get back.” Cooper laughed. “I have to tell you the rest of the story later. You won’t believe what happened next.” He dusted himself off, checked his weapon for any damage and quickly prepared himself to leave again.

 

Zack rose up as well, admiring the carnage of the scene behind them. “We should send a recovery team to bring those spider corpses back. There’s a lot of good meat on them, and that venomer still has undamaged poison glands.”

 

“We’ll worry about that later.” The major’s voice was hard and brittle. “Let’s try and find the rest of my company.” He stumbled to his feet, gently pushing off of Rampage. He wiped the sweat from his brow and starting walking but could only take a few steps before collapsing.

 

“There is no way you should be moving on your own, come on.” Rampage extended his hand to Crag, and pulled him back up.

 

“By all means, you should be dead. Try and take it easy, please.” Lucas leaned on his staff as he took a few extra steps forward. “It doesn’t sound like there is any fighting further ahead. We should hurry, it’s oddly silent.”

 

The group started a methodical march forward, Zack taking the lead, with Cooper and Major Crag close behind him. They could hear nothing but the sounds of their own footsteps kicking pebbles around. Before long they came across a fork in the road, one tunnel awash with rubble and the other free of debris.

 

“This would be their entry point, then?” Cooper asked, judging the size of the tunnel. “It seems like this way could lead up to MR2, maybe MR1 as well.”

 

“This was recently made.” Lucas remarked. “How did the spiders burrow through this so concisely?” He tapped on the sides of the entrance, testing the sounds of the bedrock. “No, I may be wrong. It seems like they opened up an old tunnel instead.”

 

“It was a hell of a trap that’s for sure. This is where we got separated from the rest of the unit.” Crag said, already working on moving on. “We can worry about the ramifications of this ambush later but right now we need to focus on finding my men.”

 

Giving a quick nod, Lucas and the rest of the group continued on. A whiff of something caught their attention. The unmistakable stench of stomach acid lingered in the damp air. It would make anyone’s eyes water, but whatever was ahead signaled death.

 

“I can never get used to this smell.” Zack said, feebly twitching his nose. “It’s like the toilets after Captain Burton is done with them. Well I suppose he smells like that all the time.” He gave a quiet chuckle, trying not to be too obnoxiously loud.

 

“I think any spiders that were here are long gone. I can only hope your men fought them off.” Rampage said. “Though looking at your group they seem less like men and more like boys.”

 

“Soldiers are getting younger and younger these days. We need all the healthy bodies we can get these days.” Crag replied. “Can’t honestly say your group looks more experienced, if it wasn’t for how quickly you handled that mob.” He rubbed at his beard, stained with mud and blood. He spat on the ground. “Only wish all my men were as well trained as that one.”

 

“Zack is a bit exceptional.” Rampage added. “Perhaps you’ve heard of the one they call The Undefeated?”

 

“Wait, that’s Zack the Undefeated?” One of the other soldiers yelped in surprise. “I had no idea he was so young.” He whispered to his partner, who whispered back just as quickly.

 

“Soldiers!” Crag shouted out, punching one of them in the back of the head. “Pay attention to your surroundings, we do not want to be caught unawares a second time.” His scolding silenced the two, but they were still on the edge of anticipation, wanting to bombard the prodigy with questions.

 

“As I was saying,” Rampage continued his explanation, tensing his grip on his mighty warhammer. “Zack was originally just a member of the city guard, but considering his vast potential, he was placed on the frontlines at the age of eleven, just three years ago.”

 

Zack shook his head. “If you guys are gonna tell my life story, would you mind being a little quieter? There’s a faint noise up ahead. It sounds like someone breathing.” He called out towards the sound. “If you’re still alive, say something!” A few seconds later a loud cough was heard.

 

“Certainly not words, but at least someone is still alive.” Cooper gave a small grin, running his fingers through his hair. “I can’t make out much in this darkness. There’s almost no light here. Think the spiders are eating the moss down here?”

 

“No. Well, it’s unlikely.” Lucas said, tracing his fingers along the walls. “Most Mag-spiders are carnivorous; they wouldn’t touch plant life unless they had no other option. This area is probably just not conducive to plant life.” Lucas pulled out a torch from his pocket, and flicked it on. The bright light was blinding, but in a few moments, their eyes had adjusted to the scene. Lucas was tempted to shut it off immediately afterward. He looked down at the wet blood on his fingertips and gasped.

 

“This is a massacre.” Zack said, looking around. “Your guys really gave their all, but this is…” Zack tilted his helmet over his eyes. “Too much.”

 

The coughing got louder, as the group cautiously examined the scene. Under the corpse of a spider a body stirred. “Major…” It spoke like air, nearly intangible and fleeting. He was torn apart, his body limply hanging out of a spider’s mouth. Its jaws had locked him tightly in place. They knew moving him would be impossible, it was likely that was the only thing keeping him from dying on the spot. “There were too many…”

 

“Don’t speak!” Major Crag yelled out, grabbing his soldier’s hand. “You fought bravely, and you fought hard. You’ve earned your rest. Please, just be calm.” Tears welled up in his eyes.

 

“Major.” He choked out blood as he gave a wide smile. “We got eight of them. I kept count… We got all of them.”

 

“Ha.” The major laughed calmly. “You’ve earned a hero’s rest.” He released the man’s arm and gave him a salute. Rampage, Zack and Cooper followed quickly, and the rest of the group not a moment later. Pulling the sword from his sheath, Major Crag quickly lopped off his subordinate’s head, killing him instantly. Giving him the proper respect, they averted their eyes as the Major wrapped his head in a cloth.

 

“Return to the earth, Private Allen.” He placed his free hand over his heart and bowed. “Come, we must collect the rest of their heads.”

 

Lucas turned his head. “This is all wrong, why do we need to collect their heads? Wouldn’t it be easier to just grab some identification off of them?”

 

“This is their identification.” Crag said coldly. “We take their heads to be buried, and the leave the rest for the carrion maggots to feed. Do you have the stomach for this, or not?”

 

A brutal symbiosis, Lucas thought, as the rest of the soldiers began swiftly decapitating the dead, wrapping their heads in their own bloodstained clothing. I do not have the stomach to watch this barbarism. Mercifully, the harvesting of the dead ended quickly, any light items that could be salvaged were taken by the major’s subordinates.

 

“You freelancers have my thanks. Without your help we may all have been goners.” He rubbed at his eyes vigorously. “We should probably get back to report our findings. See if another team can relieve us here.”

 

“I don’t think we have the soldiers left to make a quick swap.” Cooper said. “This wasn’t the only tunnel ambushed. MR1 got the worst of it, and they were breaking the lines in ML3 as well.”

 

“All the more reason to hurry then.” The Major stumbled on his feet. “Looks like I need the medical attention too.” He put his hand to his head and rubbed at his temples. “Can barely see straight right now…” His voice trailed off as he began to lose focus. He blinked in and out of consciousness, slowly losing his balance. Rampage quickly pushed him back on his feet, giving the man a hard pat on the back.

 

“Let’s get you all back to Westgate.” Rampage said. “You all shouldn’t push yourselves too hard after that fight. Let’s get some food and sleep in you guys, alright? We can handle any problems that lie ahead.”

 

The major nodded and the group slowly tread back across the bloodstained tunnel. The survivors took solace in the fact that they had made it through another day. Cooper helped keep the spirits of the group up, making up tall tales about his misadventures. Sure he hid a kernel of truth in his stories, but slathered them in bald face lies and hyperbole.

 

“You should have seen this girl!” He expounded. “Her body was smooth and supple, curves everywhere you want them, but then you saw her face and it looked like a mole’s breakfast! I didn’t know it was possible to be that ugly. But I was still sober enough to not hit that, I’ll tell you what. A few more and I’d be convinced she was some sort of angel.”

 

“That’s not how I remember it.” Zack said. “She called you a complete creep and then kicked you so hard you puked out what you drank.”

 

“Must have been why I was sober!” That got a laugh out of the rest of the group. He stretched out his arms and gave a wide grin. “Come now Rampage, I see you scowling over there. I bet you have loads of stories you want to tell. Like how you came to be known as Rampage instead of… what’s your name again?”

 

Rampage’s scowl intensified. “My name is of no importance. It was chosen by someone who clearly had no understanding of the heart of a soldier.” If his words didn’t leave room for argument, his face certainly did.

 

“Best leave that discussion for another day, then.” Cooper sighed, “You’re a real buzzkill, you know that?”

 

“Sorry if I find it difficult to be so laid-back, Cooper.” Steel fingers clenched together with a dull crunch, “This isn’t exactly the time or place for your idiocy.”

 

“I think it’s exactly the time for his brand of idiocy.” Zack said, “We’ve seen a lot, a little something to lighten the mood is better for all of us. Don’t relax, but take it a bit easier, we’re no good stressed out.” Zack rubbed at his neck, “I know I don’t want to lose my head today because of our teamwork getting shaken up.”

 

Rampage nodded. “You make a fair point. Sorry, Cooper.” He said about as apologetically as he could muster.

 

“Don’t even worry about it.” Cooper replied. “We’ve got enough on our plates without petty arguments, right?” The air had suddenly become fresh and earthy again. They had walked far enough away from the stench of the dead and were closing in on Westgate. “I sure hope the rest of the military has the other spider problems dealt with. I’m pooped.”

 

Their eyes watched as a salvage group walked by. They had two domesticated moles pulling a large wagon. A single driver was perched at the front of the wagon, his hands holding the silken reins keeping his charges from going off on their own. Marching with them were four men in heavy plate and spider bone armour, covered everywhere except for the 360 degrees of eye slits in their helmets. Their appearance was all for show, they did not wear the Crystalia Royal Crest on their clothing. The diamond mark was mysteriously absent on their clothing, but they instead donned a red sun on their helmets.

 

“A salvage team already?” Major Crag replied, rubbing his eyes. “We haven’t even reported back to Sergeant Frost yet.” His voice had gone hoarse from the effort, and it was only made more relevant how important real medical attention was. Whatever Lucas had done seemed to be wearing off.

 

“Well met, soldiers.” Their leader spoke. She was female, older, probably in her late twenties to early thirties judging by the sound of her voice, decidedly mercenary in tone. “I am the Solar Knight Leone Aubert. And this is my cadre. You folks look like hell, no offense meant.” The only thing distinguishing her from the rest of the group was a bright white cape streaming behind her back, held in place by gaudy pauldrons, marked with the same red sun.

 

“That name again…” Cooper trailed off as Zack stepped forward. He gave Cooper a subtle nod, and turned to the woman.

 

“Well met. I am Zack of the Crystalia Guard. Surely you’ve heard of the ambushes in these tunnels recently?” He asked, trying to judge her reaction.

 

“Yes. We came here precisely because of those rumours. We’re here for the spider corpses, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

 

“Their bones make your armor, their silk sells for a high price; I can see why you jumped at the opportunity.” Zack said.

 

“Their bodies belong to the ones who killed them.” Crag coughed out. “I won’t let petty scavengers steal from the military.” He rose unsteadily.

 

“Easy, old man.” Cooper said, holding him back. “You’re in no condition to be messing around right now.” Rampage, you guys whose names I’ve already forgotten, you guys should take the Major back to the medical tents now. The dead as well, if you please.”

 

“Old man?” He said quietly as his soldiers flanked him, supporting him. He went to raise an objection but stumbled where he stood. “Well, I have a responsibility to those lost. Don’t let them take what’s ours!” He shouted as he was carried off. “God damn mercs…”

 

The armoured woman shook her head. “It sounds like you don’t want to let us pass. Before you freak out like that other guy, we do have permission from your commander. If you want to fight though, I’d be glad to oblige.” She cracked her knuckles loudly.

 

Another mercenary strode up beside her and whispered in her ear. He seemed to be arguing something with her. She didn’t seem to take though, and shooed him off. Uttering a soft grunt, he moved back to the front of their wagon, his arms crossed in front of him.

 

She gestured towards the long broadsword strapped across her back, subtly but enough to get the hint through. “You shouldn’t have let those men go back to Westgate, because you boys will need all the help you can get against us here.”

 

“You’d really start a fight here?” Cooper asked, balling his hands into fists. “Are you insane? There may only be two of us here, but if you win, and that’s a big if, what are you gonna do when the brunt of our army is bearing down on you?”

 

“We’ll just say the spiders got you.” Another mercenary chimed in with an arrogant tone. He was the shortest of the group, probably the youngest as well. “Not like they’ll believe a bunch of dead men anyway.” He quickly drew his weapon, a long pole with a sword’s blade on the end. The other mercenaries drew their swords as well, with Leone’s sword dwarfing them all in size. It was a wonder how she could handle the weight of it so easily.

 

“Enough!” Lucas shouted, loud enough to spook the moles on the wagon nearby. “Cooper, Zack, you’re acting like fools! Miss Aubert, I will not tolerate threats against my friends, sheathe your weapons at once, all of you.” He tapped his staff on the ground for emphasis.

 

“And why would we listen to you, kid?” She said, her voice bubbling on the precipice of rage. “You-”

 

Lucas quickly interrupted her. “Because we’re all human! Like it or not. It’s not a matter of mercenaries and soldiers, we’re all people living down here, and we need to work together to survive. You said you were with the Solar Knights, right Miss Aubert?”

 

She had returned her sword to the sheath on her back, relaxing her guard just a bit. She replied, “Yes, I am. Do you know of our cause, boy?”

 

“I saw your group’s demonstration in the street earlier today. While I’m not fond of the idea of deposing the monarchy, it’s clear that there are problems that need to be addressed from our end. Let’s consider this a start to that end.” Lucas extended his hand out to the woman. “You may go ahead and pass through. Take what you need, sell what you need, you’ll meet from no resistance from us, you have my word.”

 

“And what is the worth of a nameless boy?” She scoffed. “I doubt the military cares about your opinion enough to stop what they’re doing.”

 

Zack walked over to Lucas and whispered in his ear. “I’d be careful about revealing your identity to these people. They can’t be trusted. And of course, you just saw what they tried to pull here.”

 

Lucas shook his head and whispered back. “It’s fine. What I am doesn’t define me. I’m sure I can prove that to these people.” He smiled and pulled the sleeve off of his right arm. “I am Lucas Green, the next prophet of the Great Furnace. My words carry the same weight as the king’s, and my mission is just as great.”

 

His thoughts focused on the power of the Great Furnace, the power of life running rampantly in his veins. Thoughts on the words they’ve shared and the power he held, all came rushing back to him. In an instant the power was there. A shining green wind swirled on his burnt palm. He placed his palm on the ground, suffocating the wind in a blink. Gasping for air, it started to spread along the ground, enveloping the moss in the cave, changing it all manner of colours, far more luminescent than usual.

 

“This is the power of the Great Furnace.” He said calmly. “You will meet no resistance from us.” He added for emphasis.

 

Awestruck by the sight, the group of mercenaries got on their knees and prayed. Even the lone mole driver had his mouth agape at the sight. After a minute of shining brightly, the moss returned to its normal state, a soft red glow illuminating the path. It reflected sharply across the gray plate mail of the prostrating Solar Knights. Impressed by the display, the Solar Knights lifted their helmets to reveal their faces to Lucas. Aubert looked down at the boy with her sharp blue eyes and her mouth couldn’t help but hang open.

 

“You…” She struggled for words, but kept trying her hardest to make something make sense. Eventually she settled on the simplest thoughts she could give. “Thank you for your permission, Prophet. We will do our best to live in your light and warmth.” She signaled her group to get a move on, and they quickly obliged, a combination of awe and fear enveloping them. Zack waited for the group to move on, still wound up like a tense wire, prepared to strike. He quickly settled down once their cadre moved out of eyesight in the winding tunnel, feeling like he was taking his first breaths since the encounter.

 

Cooper however was lost in his thoughts, his mind rattling at the repercussions of what had transpired. The prevalence of this discussion, the prophet revealing his powers to civilians, and the reaction of the Crown to these events, Cooper wondered if this was another spark to ignite the people’s tensions. He rubbed his hand through his thick oily hair and let out a long sigh. “Lucas, are you sure it was alright to just let them go ahead? Those Solar Knights aren’t exactly on the same page as we are. If they were a sanctioned guild, I’m sure it’d be alright, but they seem pretty opposed to us.”

 

“I thought if we rejected them here, we might end up with unnecessary bloodshed.” Lucas said, apologetically. “I didn’t realize they were less temperamental than their appearances suggested.” He shrugged. “I did what I thought was best to avoid conflict in the present.”

 

“And you may have caused a greater conflict in the future.” Cooper put his hands together and looked back towards the advancing wagon. “I wonder…”

 

“You can’t predict the future, no matter how hard you try.” Zack replied. “No sense worrying about it. If you feel like it was the right call Lucas, I won’t argue.” He clapped his hands on Cooper’s shoulders. “We’ll deal with whatever happens when it happens.”

 

Lucas nodded. “That would be best. I’d like to try and negotiate with the Solar Knights in the future so it might be nice to have a few of them not hate my guts before getting to know me.”

 

“Negotiate what, exactly?” Zack asked, turning back towards the boy.

 

“Many things,” Lucas said, quickly changing his tone. “They moved the hearts of people in Crystalia. What they were saying resonated with the hearts of the people. However they stand against something I must stand for, the rule of the monarchy. There should be some common ground that the nobility and the rest of the people stand on.”

 

“Perhaps you don’t have to stay opposed to each other.” Cooper mumbled. At the sudden stares from Zack and Lucas he quickly backed up. “Uh, I’m just thinking out loud here guys, ignore me please.”

 

Lucas brought his hand to his head and seemed to be deep in thought. However the frustration on his face was growing visibly larger. “Forget it.” He mumbled, disappointed. “Let’s just head back to Sergeant Frost, I’m sure Rampage is getting worried about us.”

 

“Yeah, staying in these tunnels is the last thing I want to do. Even this close to Westgate, at the moment we don’t have a defensive line set up in front of us.” Cooper and Lucas both nodded, quickly realizing the haste that they should be moving with. Picking up their pace, they walked into the bright light of Westgate just a few minutes later, preparing for the mission ahead.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Chapter 6 is up! We have Combat! Tension! Foreshadowing! And loads of death.

 

I spent forever working on fixing up the last scene of this chapter, and I'm still not convinced its the way I want it to be. But it is now the way it is, and I'll live with it. Hopefully it doesn't come across as awkward or ham-fisted, or god forbid hamkward.

[Vin+ 3,121]

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Damn, somehow I missed this.

 

Great work as always, man.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Chapter 7: Secrets

The groans of the half dead enveloped the walls in Westgate. Soldiers with all manner of wounds were lain out in medical tents. Broken bones, exotic poisonings, and large gashes were the common cases, but even a few burns were found on some victims. It had seemed that in addition to the standard maulers and venomers, there were the signs of the rare flamer spiders as well. In their spinnerets was a highly flammable liquid that ignites upon contact with the air. They were a dangerous opponent in any circumstance, not to mention a sudden ambush. Zack looked on in disgust, how did so many trained soldiers get caught unaware like this? The Mag-spiders have never been intelligent enough to mount a coordinated offensive like this before now. Something must have changed, and rather significantly to bring this about.

 

“This seems like a lot of hurt soldiers.” Lucas said, not bothering to hide his sadness. “I’ll see if I can do something for them. If I could heal Major Crag, I can certainly help them.” He was trembling, but he put on a brave face. “Would you mind going on ahead and reporting to the Sergeant?”

 

“Yeah.” Zack said, watching him run off immediately after he had just slightly nodded his head. The kid was fast when he wanted to be. “Just make sure you come back to his tent after you’re done!” He shouted. Looking at the scene around him, Zack merely tipped his bucket helm upwards. “If I was the sergeant, I’d be in my tent with the other battle commanders right about now.”

 

“Good guess.” Cooper replied. “He probably has to reset battle lines, set up blockades and explosive charges, in addition to preparing the tunnelling machines. There’s a lot to do.”

 

“Yeah, but he probably has aides to handle all the dirty work.”

 

Cooper laughed politely. “Yeah, but that bastard is a micromanager to the last degree, you can be sure he has his fingers in every hole in this place.”

 

Zack looked at him blankly. “Think about what you just said. Then remind yourself to never say that again.”

 

Cooper laughed a lot louder this time. “Ha, yeah that was pretty bad but we all need to relax a bit, it was pretty daunting in there. I have to admit I was a little scared.”

 

Zack laughed as well, catching the infectious attitude. “No kidding. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that many of them. I just wish we could have gotten here sooner. A few extra minutes would have…”

 

“Enough.” Cooper said, knocking on Zack’s helmet. “We did what we could, and we’re alive. That’s enough. Don’t waste time thinking about the past, right?”

 

Zack ruminated on those words. “That was one of the Captain’s old sayings, huh? It seems like he had a philosophy for everything. I suppose it came with experience.” How many battles had that man seen? 200? 500? 1000? Despite his battle record, he only had a few scars to show for it, nothing that would mark him as a soldier in anyway, just small cuts here and there. He wouldn’t have been there moaning in a medical tent. He’s about the only person he could think of who would take an ambush in stride.

 

“The Captain knew a lot, and he was right most of the time.” Cooper mused. “But enough about the past, right? Let’s go find the Sergeant. I’m sure Rampage is already there waiting for us.” He gave another light knock on Zack’s helmet.

 

“Yeah, yeah I get it; you can cut that out now.” Zack said, now dodging Cooper’s hand.

 

“Whoa hey, what are you…” Cooper said as Zack grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop already. Take it easy.” Zack gave his arm a little twist before letting go, not enough to do any harm, just enough to give his buddy a little jolt of pain. “You’re being mean, Zack.” Cooper pouted.

 

The soldiers had a good chuckle at that as they walked towards the large tents set up in the middle of the cavern. Frost’s was marked by several red flags propped up in each corner, his tent dyed a light blue compared to the white and gray of the other soldiers medical and living tents. No one would miss it; it stood out like a sore thumb. The man kept busy as people ducked in and out of his tent at a regular pace, the speed of the couriers was remarkable as they scrambled to and fro across the encampment. One very nearly bumped into the two of them, mumbling something about bandages and medicine. Hastily apologizing, the young courier scrambled away before either of them could reply back.

 

Zack poked his head in the entrance, to see if the Sergeant had finished up his other business. He was sitting in the far side on the tent, over a methodically crafted table. A large map was sprawled out there, detailing the interior of the western tunnels, the connective capillaries, and other hazards found inside. The activity of spiders was marked in there as well, along with marks showing the various fronts the vanguard currently held.

 

“Guardian Zack and Guardsman Cooper reporting in, sir.” Zack said politely as he walked through the frame. The Sergeant grabbed a glass of hot water on the table and took a small sip.

 

“Please come in.” He beckoned, gesturing the two of them to take a seat. “Rampage has already given me most of the details, but I’d like to hear a few things from you as well.” He pointed out Rampage sitting just off to the side of the table, drinking from a glass of water.

 

Zack and Cooper took their seats on the end of the table. “Have all the ambushes been dealt with?”

 

Frost nodded, a crafty smile appearing on his scarred face. “Yeah, we managed somehow. We lost some ground and some good men, but we’ve pushed them back as well. Judging by reports, I’d say we got three of them for every one of us they got. Although… Our soldiers who got injured probably exceed their death count.” Frost seemed hesitant to mention that point, but he didn’t seem too concerned, despite that. “How did you find the spiders you encountered? Did they seem intelligent, like they had a plan?”

 

Cooper responded quickly, raising his hand. “They set up multiple ambushes and came from spots that we had originally closed off with explosive charges. I have to imagine they had some sort of plan.”

 

Frost sighed and turned to Rampage. “I think you’re aware of what that means don’t you?” His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. His face was a flurry of fault lines.

Rampage cracked his knuckles and gritted his teeth. “Furnace, burn me.” The glass he held in his hand vibrated uncontrollably, splashing over his pants. “They have a new queen.” The terror in those words was palpable.

 

“I thought you killed the queen?” Zack said, scratching his head.

 

“I killed a queen, but just like humans, they get a new monarch every few years.”

Rampage replied, perhaps a bit too loudly. “I didn’t think it would be this soon though. Damn it.” He slammed his hand on the table.

 

“Calm down.” Sergeant Frost said chugging down hot water like it was nothing. “We have to keep calm for the sake of our soldiers, keep positive morale and all of that.” He rubbed at a cut on his chin. “We’ll have to request more help here. I’m remiss to send you three away on an important mission during this time, but even I have no say when it comes to the King’s orders.”

 

Zack nodded. “Should I grab Lucas?”

 

Frost replied curtly. “Yes. I have questions for the prince, namely about Major Crag. In the meantime...” His voice trailed off as Zack left the tent. The discussion seemed to be getting heated, as voices rose in tension, a crescendo reaching the highest pitch. Zack wandered to the medical tents, unable to hide the smile on his face. A real spider queen, maybe if he was lucky, he would be able to fight it. Another chorus rose up in the medical tents, this time in awe and admiration.

 

Lucas was walking through the tents, placing his hands on the injured soldiers. Consciousness flooded into those passed out from the pain, small cuts were instantly healed, while the large wounds seemed to bleed less and less. Whatever the boy was doing, it seemed to be working.

 

“Impossible.” One of the medics muttered. “He was on death’s door, but now there’s a chance he’ll pull through. His condition is… stable!”

 

Lucas got up slowly after healing another person, using his staff for support. “All praise the great furnace!” Soldiers had gathered around the boy, cheering him on. “The power of the prophet is real!”

 

Lucas gave a faint smile. “Is that everyone in critical condition?” He breathed out his words heavily.

 

One of the medics nodded, pinned to his chest were a few gaudy medals, marking him as the head of the bunch. “All of the remaining patients are stable. There is still a lot of work to do with recovery, but none of them have any serious risk of dying from their wounds. Complications could still occur, but you’ve done good work, son. Nay, you’ve done something miraculous.”

 

Lucas smiled and nodded. “I’ll leave the rest in your capable hands, doctor.” His steps back were slow, laboured and anguished. Whatever he had done had taken a lot out of him.

 

“Hey, Lucas.” Zack yelled to the prince. “Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?” He checked the boy’s eyes as he was answering, to make sure he wasn’t lying.

 

“I’m fine.” He said, breaking eye contact. “I didn’t hurt myself. It’s just that I may have used too much of the Great Furnace’s power.” He exhaled heavily. “I’m just tired.” His stomach growled loudly. “Hungry too, it seems.” He laughed softly. “Let’s get some food.”

 

“Yeah, some food would be a good idea.” Zack said absently. “Come on, there’s a good vendor over there, he makes some nice stuffed mushrooms.”

 

The two of them went to the vendor and grabbed their food, a mushroom stuffed with all manner of cooked vegetables, topped off with shredded spider meat. The aroma was pungent, but the mixture of textures was so good that it didn’t matter. Lucas and Zack quickly wolfed down the mushrooms while walking back to Frost’s tent. “Oh wow.” Lucas said between mouthfuls. “This is delicious!”

 

“You’re really tearing into that, huh?” Zack laughed. “The great furnace must be powerful indeed to make you eat like that. Aren’t you usually more reserved with your appetite?”

 

Lucas chuckled. “In the castle I’m expected to adhere to proper manners, but that doesn’t matter when you’re starving and no one from the castle is here to criticize my eating habits. Besides, how else are you supposed to enjoy it?” He wiped off some of the spider’s juices from his cheeks.

 

“You make a good point.” Zack nodded, quickly devouring the stem and the last bit of vegetable at the bottom. “There’s nothing quite like good food after a good fight.” He belched loudly. “Are you ready to go?”

 

Lucas finished his as well, reserving his belch to the inside of his arm. “That was great. Yeah, I’m ready to go.” He adjusted the pack on his shoulders and gave a long stretch. “Let’s report in before I fall asleep.”

 

The pair returned to Frost’s tent. The man was pacing around now, flipping through sheets of paper. Detailed journal entries from various soldiers. He barely looked up to acknowledge the two. “Have a seat, you two.”

 

“Commander.” Zack saluted and sat down, joining Cooper and Rampage. Lucas followed suit, his eyes trailing the Sergeant’s pacing.

 

“Zack, Prince Lucas. We should have had this discussion much earlier, but a lot has happened in these past few hours.” He set his papers back down onto the table and returned to his seat. It was a rare piece, made straight from the roots of the great tree. Wooden furniture was a rare luxury, nearly impossible to make these days. The sight of it made anyone sitting in look powerful and majestic. “We have a problem now. The original mission you had, I’m uncertain if we can carry it out given the present circumstances.” His eyes narrowed at Zack and Lucas.

 

“What’s the biggest problem?” Lucas asked, leaning forward.

 

“Currently? We have a ton of injured soldiers, and quite a few dead. That’s probably the second most pressing issue to you though.” Frost didn’t relent, his voice bitter and venomous. “The secret passage you were looking for was in Tunnel MR3, the same one you were in earlier today. Due to the sheer loss we suffered there, we currently have no safe battle line or forward camp. I’m sure you saw what the spiders did to it.”

“Yes, we’re aware.” Zack said. “Major Crag and two others were the only survivors of that ambush. What happened there was brutal.”

 

“The Mag-spiders often are.” He said with only a shred of pity. “In any case, it wouldn’t be safe for you to continue on ahead right now.”

 

“Can’t we just use Westgate as our rendezvous point?” Rampage asked. “Sure it’s a bit more dangerous, but considering the circumstances it’d be better than just not attempting it at all.”

 

Frost shook his head. “Who said we were cancelling the mission? No, I think we can still carry on, but I need something done first.”

 

Cooper whispered in Zack’s ear. “I don’t like the sounds of this.”

 

Zack whispered back, “Yeah, me either.”

 

“You are some of the most capable soldiers we have. All things considered, I think it would be best if we launched a strike at the spider queen. Kill her before she tries to expand her territory farther.” He slammed his hands on the table. “Are you up to it?”

“Absolutely not!” Lucas spat out his words. “Are you insane?”

 

“Easy, Lucas.” Zack said, trying to calm the prince down. “He makes a good point. We aren’t safe with a Queen running around.”

 

“We aren’t safe without one either.” Rampage replied. “Are you kidding me right now Matthew?” He used the Sergeant’s first name. “You expect three soldiers who are guarding a young boy to kill a spider queen?”

 

“Rampage.” He growled out. “Is that your cowardice speaking? Are you too afraid to fight?”

 

“Fear has nothing to do with it!” He slammed his metal hand on the table. “I’ve paid the price for foolishness! I am not paying for your share as well. Dying pointlessly serves no purpose, Frost. If you are ordering us to die, I will have no part of it.”

 

Lucas attempted to regain his calmness, as Rampage and Frost argued. “Please stop fighting.” He yelled out, loud enough to cut the tension. “Sergeant Frost, Rampage makes an excellent point. The four of us alone cannot hope to fight the spider queen and her army. We need more information before we can even consider your plan of action.” Lucas looked down at the map on the table, eying MR3 suspiciously.

 

Cooper nodded in assent. “The kid is right, sergeant. We don’t know the spider’s queens location, appearance, how many flunkies she has or anything. Hell, there’s even the slight possibility that there is no queen. Since no one has actually seen one. Why waste our time chasing flies when we have other priorities to consider? Like the King’s mission?”

 

Frost shook his fist in a furious flurry. His cropped gray hair seemed to get paler and paler by the second. “Cowards, the lot of you!” He mumbled under his breath, before chugging down another glass of hot water. The water seemed to soothe the sergeant, at least a little bit as he set the cup down gently. “Fuck.” He said halfheartedly. “I wanted the best to strike back just as hard as they struck us. Had I thought it through more, I would have realized that we can’t mount a serious offensive at this time.”

 

“It’s alright, commander.” Lucas replied in a voice not quite his own. “You’ve lost a lot today; it takes a calm mind and wisdom to not make those losses any worse. If you can still see reason at this point in time, you were a good choice to lead this army.”

 

“Hollow words, but I accept them.” Frost said. “I know I cannot ask you to go out and find the spider queen, but any information you gather on them during your mission would be appreciated.” He took a long sip of water, gazing across his map.

 

“I’m sure you’ve seen what remains of the base camp in MR3 correct?” Frost pointed out the location on the map. According to the scale it was about two kilometers away from the tunnel entrance. “We can’t ensure a safe entry or exit into the tunnel our scouts passed through.” He showed the branching paths, heading northwest and southwest. The northern one continued on a steep incline before the map abruptly ended, while the southern one had no information on it other than a simple marker indicating a spider territorial ground. “Naturally, we had our scouts go through the northern tunnel first.”

 

“That’s one heck of a climb.” Cooper remarked. “I can see why the King thought it lead to Valdor.”

 

Rampage nodded, taking a sip of hot water. “Ascending tunnels are certainly less common on this side of Crystalia. The mag-spiders seem to prefer the warmer caverns deeper down.”

 

“That’s correct.” Frost said. “In any case, the decision was made to send a larger group of ten inside, just to be safe. We couldn’t have been more wrong.”

 

“I’d like to hear more details about that as well.” Zack said, leaning over the table slightly. “All I know is that nearly everyone died in there, and the lone survivor was a wreck, mentally.”

 

Frost gulped harshly and then started grinding his teeth. “Martin Walls returned ten days later with his backpack stuffed with human bones. We could identify them as human, and we would assume that they were the bones of the other scouts in the tunnels. His face was covered in blood, also from a human source. The conclusion we had drawn was something had killed the other nine scouts, and to survive Walls had to eat the flesh of his dead comrades. Normally he would be put on trial for breaking one of the three taboos of our society, but given his mental state and situation we did not move to try him immediately.”

 

“Just one taboo?” Cooper said, keeping his voice even and emotionless. “Is it not possible that he murdered them as well? I can’t think of the motive, but he was of sound health before entering that tunnel, correct?”

 

“Of course, we checked that as well. He was given a clean bill of health the last time he was checked. If there was any evidence of mental disorder, we would have found it.” Frost grabbed the table, squeezing its edge like it was an enemy in his grasp.

 

“However, he was completely healthy before that operation. I couldn’t tell you what was wrong with the man. Maybe his autopsy will tell us more than he could.”

 

“So you know he was put down?” Lucas said, not bothering to hide the venom in his tone.

 

“Yeah, I recommended it personally.” Frost said callously. “The man committed an unforgivable crime. His worth as a human being expired once that happened. Any information gleaned out of him is the absolute least he could do to repay what he had done.”

 

Zack leaned in further. “Seems a bit excessive, no?”

 

“I can’t exactly afford to go easy on people under my command, Zack.” Frost said. “In any case, the only way we would be able to gather more information is to get you guys in there. Whatever happened in there, I hope you’re prepared for what lies ahead.”

 

Lucas yawned profusely, barely stifling it with his sleeve. Frost’s eyebrow perked up, as the corner of his mouth twitched.

 

“It looks like we need to rest up before moving on.” Zack said. “I don’t think we’ll make it far with Lucas as tired as he is.”

 

“Not to mention that the soldiers need time to recover after that attack.” Rampage added. “Resting before continuing on would be best.” He rubbed as his neck and smiled apologetically. “I think we could all use some rest, and maybe a good drink. You too Sergeant, all this work and no play will burn you out.”

 

“That might be the best thing you’ve said all day!” Cooper laughed.

 

Frost gave a warm smile, an expression that looked alien on his weathered face. “I cannot argue with that.” He whispered something in his aide’s ear, someone who took up so little space and presence that Zack had barely registered the man’s existence. He politely bowed and ran off to fetch someone to relieve the sergeant from typical duties. “I could really use a stiff drink. This hot water moleshit is about as effective at relieving stress as jabbing a spear in your eye.”

 

“Now we’re speaking the same language!” Cooper couldn’t get out of his seat fast enough.

 

“There’s no better place to get a drink here than the Diamond Pub. It’s more of a shack really, but its good vodka for a low price. Half off for soldiers too.” Frost’s voice trailed off as the aide returned with another high ranking officer. Giving him a proper salute, the rest of the group exited the tent with haste.

 

“Well Lucas, shall we go as well?” Zack asked while letting the other three take over the pub in a way only they could muster. “I can’t imagine you’re much for partying, and you are a bit too young to really enjoy drinking.” His questions fell on deaf ears, the boy had fallen asleep standing up.

 

“Lucas?” He gently shook the prince awake. “If you’re gonna sleep, we’ll find a place in the barracks for you.”

 

“Hmm, no I don’t want to wake up right now.” He mumbled, half opening his eyes. They flashed colours from brown to bright gold, back to brown again. Zack stifled a laugh. “Come on, let’s go.”

 

“Carry me, dad.” A weird remark left his lips.

 

Still half asleep. Zack thought. “Whatever, I’ll carry you.” He lifted the boy on his shoulders effortlessly, taking the staff out of his hands as he did. “Rampage wasn’t kidding. You are light. I could probably carry you all the way back to castle if I wanted.” The boy shuffled in Zack’s grasp.

 

“Where did you go, Dad?” Lucas mumbled in his sleep. “Don’t leave me alone.”

 

Zack whispered to himself. “Should I really be hearing this?” The staff in his hands rumbled softly as if responding to his question. “I see. The Great Furnace wills me to eavesdrop on his prophet? That’s fine then.”

 

“What was your plan? All you did was stand there and die. You didn’t have to die, father.” His breathing was ragged, but his body was eerily still. Zack piggybacked Lucas over to the main barracks, and found an unused bed in the corner of the room. Setting the boy down, he grabbed a chair to sit by the bedside, and to figure out what the Great Furnace had wanted him to hear. He laid the Prophet’s Staff beside Lucas, letting his sleeping hands rest upon it.

 

“I did what you told me to do, father. Your notes led me right to that secret entrance.” His dream must have been pretty lucid. His face seemed strained, perhaps from overusing the Great Furnace’s power. Zack leaned in to hear the rest, his curiosity compelling him to listen in further.

 

“A secret entrance?” Zack mimed. “Could it be the same one we’re looking into now?” Zack knew little of Lucas’ circumstances, but he knew that he was adopted by the king on a whim. He highly doubted the father he talked about now was Jair. Lucas had gaps in his memories, no doubt affected by those burns. A traumatic experience leading to a loss of memory wasn’t all that unheard of.

 

Sweat poured down Lucas’ face in a torrent, his body quickly getting warmer. Zack rose up quickly to get a doctor, but Lucas’ hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. “Don’t go yet, Zack.” The voice was deep and unsettling. The voice of the Great Furnace was speaking through the boy, like he was just an empty vessel.

 

“It’s an honor, Great Furnace.” Zack said, half believing the words.

 

“Too obvious?” The Great Furnace said with his booming voice.

 

“You can’t exactly get away with subtlety.” Zack replied deadpan. “It’s clear you wanted to speak to me, I assume that you wouldn’t bother if it wasn’t important.”

 

“Hmm, always to the point, never wasting time.” The Great Furnace sat up on the edge of the bed. “It’s about Lucas healing people. His body can handle drawing on my power, but like most things, if you use it too much it becomes deadly. His effort today may have just left him tired, but continual overuse will weaken his own life force.” The Great Furnace’s expression was fraught with worry; the juxtaposition was unsettling on Lucas’ face.

 

“You want me to stop him? I may have only known Lucas for a few months, but when he gets something in his head he just goes ahead and does it. There isn’t much I can do to stop him.”

 

“Yes, I’m aware. He got that attitude from his mother.” The furnace smiled, almost like a doting grandparent. “Still, I need you to be by his side. Be his sword and shield through the trials ahead. I fear that the path you all walk is stained with blood, just as it was foretold.”

 

“Enough with this cryptic nonsense!” Zack said, only slightly tempering his voice. “Before you took control of Lucas, he was rambling on about his father in his dreams. I know he’s not talking about King Jair.” Zack’s eyes narrowed. “Who is Lucas’ real dad?”

 

“Biologically? Or who raised this child as their own son?” The Great Furnace seemed to be mocking him. Zack had not thought a God would be so petty. “You don’t need to know.”

 

“I don’t need to know?” Zack glared at him. “You’re already asking a lot of me. To then come back and show me no respect is pretty arrogant of you. I don’t care if you’re a God or whatever, I don’t like being jerked around. What do you mean our path is stained with blood? Aside from the obvious, we’re going into spider territory, blood is a given.”

 

The Furnace contemplated. “I suppose it was rude of me, Quid Pro Quo and all that. However, I was specifically asked to keep Lucas’ parentage a secret by his parents himself. I will not break my agreement with them for your sake. Lucas will tell you when his memories return. I am positive they will return some day.” He shifted his eyes back and forth. As if having a discussion with himself, he nodded slowly. “I cannot see what the future holds, I can only speculate based on what I’ve seen before. Right now, I see the embers of war stirring between people. The will of the enlightened against the will of those in power, a common tale history has deigned to repeat once again. Be wary Zack, Lucas needs you more than ever.”

 

“What do you mean, exactly?”

 

“My time is almost up here.” The Great Furnace replied curtly. “I can only tell you that spiders are not the only deadly creatures in these tunnels.” As if it was nothing more than an afterthought, he added, “Thank you for looking after him until now. We will talk again at a later date.”

 

Zack patiently waited as the Great Furnace’s golden eyes faded away. At the very least it was always obvious when the God took over. Lucas blinked, his brown eyes returning to their normal state. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look tense.”

 

“Get some rest, Lucas. You’re exhausted from healing those people.” Zack said, mildly annoyed.

 

“Ok. You should get some rest as well. Sorry for being such a pain.” Lucas apologized, lying back down on the bed. “Did I say anything weird, by chance?”

 

A lot. Zack thought. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve got a long day ahead of us, get what sleep you can.” He moved some of his shaggy hair out of his eyes. “And don’t call yourself a burden. We’re here because we want to be, one way or another.”

 

“I see.” Lucas smiled cryptically. The sleep overtook him soon enough, and in seconds he had passed out again. His face was relaxed and he seemed to be at peace, so Zack let him sleep soundly. He had a lot to think about. He walked out of the barracks tent and moved to an open area. Pulling out his swords, he began practicing his combat stances, meditating on the Great Furnace’s words.

Edited February 25, 2015 by RazorStar

[Vin+ 3,121]

[GA_Eagle 595]

This is really good.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Thanks GA. Also here's another chapter for you all. Fear the minimal editing! *ghost noises*

 

Chapter 8: Coopers

The morning came with little fanfare. Cooper for all his talk managed to employ some moderation with his drinking and wasn’t nursing a massive hangover. The same could not be said for either Instructor Rampage or Sergeant Frost. The pair of them had a lot of sore spots to cover over the past few years. As it turned out, all of their problems seemed petty after the sixth glass and they were best friends again in no time.

 

They reminisced about old times, about how they were in the same unit, and how they had kept fighting for promotions through the system. It turns out Sgt. Frost had a bit of a sore spot about not properly earning his title. Rampage had killed the Spider Queen, by merit he should have been the next Sergeant of the Expedition Force. Well Rampage left the expeditionary force after that, but for all his heroics he couldn’t just leave the military. It was Alistair Gibson who suggested that Rampage stay on as a Castle Guard as a provisional role, to teach the other soldiers how to fight. Whatever issues they had with Rampage’s abandonment of the expeditionary force, it was drowned out by alcohol and memory of good times.

 

The price paid was a sweltering headache for one Rampage “Sully” Steelfist and the embarrassing admittance of his real name. It was a secret Cooper would take to his grave, because Rampage would kill him if he said it out loud to anyone. Cooper could only grin at the thought. With the amount those two drank, I doubt they’d remember anything but the hangover.

 

“Flames and ashes!” Frost swore, “The medical tents are nearly empty!” He said, his eyes bursting wide. “What the hell happened?”

 

One of the medics replied in a sing song tone. “That prophet healed them all. He’s a real miracle worker that one. We should conscript him to work here full time.”

“All of them?” Cooper asked. “There were a lot of injured here, I can’t believe he did all that in such a short amount of time.”

 

“Well, just the seriously injured ones. The soldiers with minor injuries have been treated and are fit for duty. The soldiers with major injuries are the same.” The medic gave a wide grin. “This is the first time in a long while I haven’t had anything urgent to do.”

 

“You do now.” Frost moaned. “Get me something for my headache, this is killing me.”

The medic couldn’t wipe his stupid grin off of his face. “Right away Sergeant.”

 

---

 

The cart moved with a groan and a creak. It had been a little hairy in those tunnels, but the bounty was well worth the effort. Leone Aubert walked proudly with the rest of the wagon. Only one of the kills belonged to their group, but she didn’t care about the minor details. Her only concern was her contract with the Solar Knights. Her unblemished plate armor seemed to glow in the light of the fireflies. Acquiring passage in and out of Westgate was just too easy, thanks to that pushover prophet.

 

“When we get paid, the first round is on me boys!” She gave a hearty laugh, and her cadre laughed right with her. They had been together so long that they almost felt like an extension of her. Sure they had families and lives off duty, but as mercenaries for hire they had been through heaven and hell together. This contract with the Solar Knights was far too lucrative to let down, money up front and a position of power once the Solar Knights had completed their power grab. It was all too easy for the Aubert Corps.

 

“We’re approaching headquarters now, Miss Leone.” The driver, Jethro said. A new addition for the Aubert Corps, a proud democrat until the end, he never used her proper title. She was always Miss Leone. It was respectful enough at least, but she was a Captain and everyone else in her corps knew it.

 

“I can’t wait to see the look on their faces.” Edward Jr. said. The youngest of the group, he and his father had been a part of the Aubert Corps for nearly eight years now. He had grown into a fine man, with a pretty smile and strikingly black hair. If she hadn’t known him when he was still barely strong enough to hold a sword, she might have spent a night with him as a passing fancy. He might have had an interest in her once, but he understood how awkward it was fighting with someone you’ve been intimate with. “Thirteen spiders, what a haul!”

 

“You know, thirteen is an unlucky number, Eddie.” Terry wasn’t much older than Edward, but wouldn’t let anyone forget it. While most mercenaries preferred the sword, he fought with a weapon of his own design that he called the glaive. He was a blacksmith apprentice before he became a mercenary, but his knowledge was top notch. He had refined the Aubert Corps weapons and armor to what they are now. The man’s lust for power and money was nearly insatiable. Nearly. “A nice round number would have been better.”

 

“More is always better, you dunce.” The third knight spoke. Edward Sr. was a dashingly handsome man, with a few streaks of gray in his black as night hair. They had been through a lot of battles together, and his advice was always welcome. It was always nice to have a voice of reason between two hot heads. Though she’d be the last to admit she had less of a temper than either of their young charges. “I don’t even know what you’re complaining about, Terrence.”

 

“We’ve had nothing but good luck so far.” Terry said. “I just thought the number was ominous.”

 

“We completed our mission without a hitch, and we learned something new.” Her mind wandered to the magic that kid has shown. It would have been impossible unless he was the vessel of the Great Furnace. There could be no other explanation. “These Solar Knights are really something else, the information network they have is top notch. You should save your superstitions for the schoolyard, Terry. Things went well because we acted on good info, nothing more.”

 

“Yes Captain!”

 

The Solar Knight’s compound was located in the lower tier. Though they had bases all throughout Crystalia, their main base of operations was located near the waterfront. Jethro brought the wagon inside, praising his moles for doing an excellent job moving the cargo. Two young men in red sweaters greeted the Corps.

 

“Good morning, Captain.” They greeted her with a salute. “Looks like things went well on your end.”

 

“We got more sores walking there than fighting the wretched beasts.” Edward said. “Now then, we’d like to get our report over with and get paid.”

 

Aubert nodded. “I’d have to agree with my second. It’s been a long day.” She wiped the sweat from her brow, blowing off strands of stray red hair.

 

“Of course, right this way, Captain.” They bowed respectfully and cordially. Young kids, probably about twelve years old or so, about the same age as that prophet, she was sure. Why she kept thinking about that kid? Had his magic really been so impressive? She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. There was time to ruminate later; right now it was more important to impress their sponsor. The young boys led the Aubert Corps into the storage warehouse. The den had been repurposed from its original implementation. What was once a giant freezer for preserving meats and fish had now become the Solar Knights new training ground. A lot of the people there had never held a weapon before. Most of them wouldn’t have to. They fought for their ideals in their own way, but they didn’t understand that violence was the only way to solve their problem.

 

The pair led them to a lift in the back of the building. A rare case of a mason made building that actually had a basement to it. “Sorry, the boss is pretty particular about who comes in. Only one member of your squad can come with you.”

 

“Not a problem.” She replied. “Edward, would you like to come with me?”

 

“I think I’ll sit this one out, Captain.” He said. “I want to let the wife know I’m safe and all in one piece. You know how she worries. Why not let Junior listen in this time?”

 

“That seems fine. Any objections, Terry?”

 

“None, captain.” He seemed preoccupied, looking for someone. She recognized the look of a love-struck kid when she saw it.

 

“Very well.” She gestured for Eddie to follow, and he was quick to obey, jumping at the chance. They slowly descended to the bottom.

 

---

 

The air in Westgate was awash with excitement. Rumours spread fast, apparently. People who weren’t even soldiers had been harassing Lucas since he woke up to fix a variety of their problems. From the mundane, like a fever or a cough, to the ridiculous, like finding a man’s wallet, Lucas had become the epicentre of a problem. Zack was doing his best to keep them away, and Cooper was glad for it. He had no doubt the kid would go ahead and try to solve every one of their problems. Did he have to be the hero and step in to save the kid?

 

“Enough.” Rampage’s loud booming voice did the trick. The crowd dispersed as Rampage descended onto the scene. At least somebody’s words carried some weight around here. “All of you are acting like maniacs. What happened yesterday was a miracle from the Great Furnace, it’s not something you get every day. Take refuge in that, and don’t ask for more.” He raised his steel fist in the air. “Please continue with your work, and let us continue with ours.”

 

A small cheer erupted from the crowd that slowly grew louder. Whispers of “The Steelfist” and “Is that Rampage?” could easily be heard through the emphatic cheering. Cooper took that as his nod to mingle with the rest of the group. He could see Zack breathe a sigh of relief as the people finally took the hint to start dispersing. A flash of red caught Cooper’s eyes for a second, scurrying through the crowd. It intrigued him, but he compartmentalized it in the back of his mind. Probably just another civvie wanting a look at the prophet.

 

“Seems like you two had quite the morning.” He said lightly. “Are we all ready to go on your end?”

 

“Yep.” Zack replied. “We’ve got rations figured out, and Frost is providing us with a pack mole to carry our supplies. The medics whipped up a batch of antivenom for us should we need it, and the rations we have from the Castle should last us about fifteen days before we need to forage. In any case, we’re prepared as we can be.”

 

“Good, I can’t wait to quit this place. There’s more venomous bloodsuckers in here than out there.” Still too bitter, Cooper thought. I must be more sober than I realized.

“For once I agree with you Cooper.” Rampage said, rubbing his forehead. “Let’s move.”

 

---

 

The trip back to the former frontline camp was quiet. The three soldiers and even Lucas seemed to have their senses on full alert travelling through the unmanned tunnel. Not a spider stirred in the darkness, and the pack mole’s sharp nose didn’t detect any living threats. It was nothing but silence. As they crossed the threshold of what had been the camp, the sight disturbed them further. The lack of a sight may have been the correct term. The former camp had been stripped bare. Human bodies, Spider bodies, the remains of any weapons, armor and equipment still remaining had all been taken.

 

“How did this happen?” Rampage asked. “There is no way the spiders could have done this. It doesn’t make sense.”

 

The gears had already clicked in Cooper’s head. The Solar Knights must have been scavenging for more than spider corpses. Now he just had to wait for the rest of his party to figure it out.

 

“That Solar Knight.” Zack muttered. “Leone Aubert, I believe her name was.”

 

“That’s correct.” Lucas said, apologetically. “I took her at her word, I did not realize that everything would have been taken. Even our own soldiers… why?”

 

“And we can’t do anything to stop her now.” Cooper said, sighing. “No seizure of property, legal recourse, illegal recourse… unless you wanted to break your word, Prince.” A test, he thought, to see how noble this kid really was.

 

“Clearly I cannot.” He said, not quite disappointed, but more detached? In any case, he thought of it as a minor inconvenience. “I made a mistake, one that I will not make again. I will apologize to Sergeant Frost and my lord father when we return.” He bowed deeply. That was sincere.

 

Yet Cooper couldn’t help but feel angry. He grabbed the flask in his shirt pocket and took a long gulp. Better. “We can leave the sappy stuff for later.” He muttered. “It’ll be a pain in the ass to reset this place as a base of operations, but I’m sure Frost’ll try anyway.”

 

“Don’t let it get you down, Lucas.” Zack replied. “You couldn’t have known.”

 

He seemed to relax and let it slide. Another thing Cooper stored in the back of his mind. Something he might want to look into later. If there was a later, the tension in the cavern was palpable, and he realized he was the cause of it. Was he scowling? Deep breaths, relax. In moments he had found his happy place, stabbing a spider in the eye with his trusty spear. No longer dwelling on what was stolen, his face relaxed. “Let’s move on shall we? Where is the path those scouts went through?”

 

Lucas looked at the map he had stashed away in his backpack, then up again to confirm his surroundings. He made a few notes in tiny print along the edges, marking things and making mental notes to himself. “This is the one here. It’s likely it ascends quite a bit, so step carefully.”

 

“How do you know all that from looking at the map?” Cooper asked.

 

“A sense.” He replied confidently. “Tunnels that head northward have a tendency to ascend a great deal.”

 

“Oh. So you don’t know for sure.”

 

“I can’t know until I’ve been there right?” Lucas seemed excited. Was this a game to him? He was still just a kid after all.

 

“Alright, let’s get moving.” Rampage said. “I don’t want to be here a second longer than I have to be.” His eyes were trained on the southern exit but he occasionally looked back eastward to cover his back.

 

Zack nodded in ascent and the group kept moving. The man moved like a predator, the swords on his hips mere extensions of his will. Cooper had always thought the scariest thing in a cave full of mag-spiders was the man with shaggy hair. It did a lot for his confidence to see Zack carrying on so boldly.

 

Cooper breathed in the sights and sounds around them. He had noticed the moss on the walls was sparse. It would typically grow in a straight line at about waist height, and carry on at a band about a metre high. The moss here was broken in chunks, long vertical and diagonal lines gashed the natural mosaic, making the broken path a little unsettling. The ascent was gradual, but the path was twisted and winding, and the footing was difficult, as if the ground was being slowly eroded away.

 

They walked in silence, occasionally pointing out potential hazards along the way like a loose stalactite or a slippery step. Despite all appearances, the path was rock solid. There was little chance of the ground giving way here. The muddy path had a thick layer of bedrock to stand upon. Lucas had handed him a handheld torch. It didn’t use fire, but the implement was pretty advanced. It shone artificial light from a battery that was charged simply by the action of moving around. You could get by without artificial light in most caverns because the glowmoss did a fine job of lighting the way. However the need was warranted now, as any remaining glow moss just seemed to stop, as if it was unable to grow any further. Rampage shone his torch down the path forward, to see the cavern open up and break off into separate paths.

 

“Should we take a break?” Cooper asked. “We can’t rely on natural light from this point on.”

 

“Lucas?” Zack deferred to the young boy. “Do you need to rest?”

 

“Resting is a good idea.” Lucas agreed. “We need to map out the distance we traveled, and I need to make some notes on the area.”

 

“Good, my legs feel like boulders right now.” Cooper plopped down. “I didn’t notice any signs of flammable gas in the area, should we light a fire?”

 

“It should be safe.” Lucas said. “Those gas pockets really only occur when travelling downwards. It feels like any gases down here are dispersing.”

 

“I have to agree.” Rampage chimed in, finally over his hangover. “I don’t see any signs of gas, it should be alright to light one on that axis. On the other hand, we have no idea what kind of things are inside this cave. How they react to fire, if they’re territorial, it’s pretty risky right now.”

 

“We haven’t seen much in the way of signs of life.” Zack said. “Other than the glowmoss, there haven’t even been earthworms crawling around. This tunnel feels dead, or at least that’s the impression it’s giving off.”

 

“Best to stay cautious then.” Cooper relaxed just a hair, stretching out his legs. “Keep your eyes open for anything.”

 

“We don’t need you to tell us that.” Rampage replied, grabbing some rations. He bit down hard on some of the spider jerky he had.

 

“We’re going to be traveling a while from the looks of it.” Lucas mumbled. “There haven’t been any real signs of someone passing through here recently. The ground is muddy, but there were no footprints here. And with no signs of life in here either, I can’t put my finger on why there are no traces left.”

 

Cooper grabbed a pack of spider jerky from the pack mole as well, letting his mind focus. Was it that there were no signs of life in here, or was it that there were no signs of life in here anymore? He pondered the thought deeply. The jerky in his mouth tasted sour.

 

---

The boss’s abode was well furnished, warm and welcoming. The man was a collector of the rare and extravagant, art work littered his walls and glass cages held rare insects inside them. Leone could not name of most of them, but their sponsor would not shut up about them, if given the chance.

 

“Ah”, he said in surprise, rotating out of his seat. He was a rotund man, in addition to his collection of artwork and animals; he collected pounds like no other. “Captain Aubert, it is good to see you again.” He rose up and shook her hand with both of his. The man towered over her, and she wasn’t exactly short.

 

“It is good to see you again as well.”

 

“Oh, this won’t do at all.” He said, shaking his finger. “You must be tired from your long journey. Have a seat, some vodka, relax a bit.” His eyes quickly turned to Edward, and his voice soured. He kept the same sickly sweet smile on his face all the same. “Who is your friend, Leone?”

 

“Oh, you haven’t met.” She tried to keep the situation cordial; the man did not like surprises, even benign ones. “This is Edward Jr. You’ve met his father before, Edward Sr.” Their sponsor seemed to be relieved at that, marking the boy’s face in his memory. “He wanted to meet you in person, and your guards said I could bring someone else with me this time. I had thought it appropriate.”

 

“Ah, you must forgive me.” He said, rubbing his palms together. “I haven’t had a chance to meet all of the Aubert Corps. I have enemies you know, caution is always warranted.”

“No, I’m sorry for the surprise.” He stuttered. “It’s nice to meet you… Would you mind if I called you Boss as well?”

 

“Oh please, there’s no need for formalities between us.” He said politely. “Between democrats all men and women are equals. You may call me whatever you wish, but I prefer Vincent.” He gave a sincere smile. “Would you like a drink as well, Edward?”

He nodded, smiling with his sparkling white teeth. “Gladly, Mr. Vincent. Water if you please?”

 

“Ah? Not a vodka man?” He seemed disappointed. “I assure you it’s some of my finest.”

 

“I appreciate your offer.” He said bashfully, “but I don’t drink alcohol. I prefer to keep my body pure.”

 

“There’s no harm in that, son.” Vincent’s smile seemed permanently affixed to his face. “Vodka for you, Captain?”

 

“Yes. The strongest you have.” She replied curtly, taking a seat on the opposite end of his table. It had the appearance of solid wood, but the feel didn’t lie, it was hardened steel painted to look akin to the Great Tree’s roots. A simple facade, but the man lived for appearances. He whistled to his servant to provide their drinks, and in a flash there was a tall glass situated in front of her, filled with clear white liquid.

 

“Now that we’re all settled in,” He said, taking control of the conversation. “How did your mission go, captain?”

 

“Exceedingly well, sir. Thirteen spider corpses, and a lot of extra things from their frontline camp as well. The guards didn’t even stop us coming back into the city once they saw the number of spider corpses on the wagon. They made good cover for the weapons, armor and other equipment they had in store there.”

 

His smile widened, flashing his teeth. “I love it when a plan comes together. The Solar Knights are one step closer to being prepared for their trials ahead.” He rubbed his hands together vigorously. “You’ve done an incredible job, Leone.”

 

“If you like it so much, you can show me some appreciation.” Leone said.

 

“I understand. Money is no problem if you keep getting me results like these.” He glanced toward Edward for but a second before turning back to Leone. “In fact, I had an idea.”

 

“An idea, sir? Care to elaborate a little?”

 

“Of course, I’ll need some time to hammer out the details, but I’d like you and your corps to stay inside the city for the next few days.” He said.

 

“Sounds good to me, I could use the break.” Edward gave a slight chuckle. He was too at ease in this place, perhaps he was too naive. She might have to coddle him less. Despite the man’s appearance he was a viper, prepared to strike any weak point to get what he wanted. She couldn’t be happier that she was on his good side, but she was waiting for the catch to his proposal.

 

“You should meet some of the other young Knights. A lot of them look up to you as a strong woman in a trying time.” He added with a hint of flattery. “With a strong and beautiful woman like you, who has the brains and bravado to command a mercenary group, it’s no wonder people look up to you.”

 

“Yeah, the captain has been getting recognition in all kinds of places lately. Remember when we stopped by Old Talon’s smithy? He gave you a pair of boots, free of charge.”

 

“Yeah.” She remembered the day pretty well. “I couldn’t accept his offer though, they were well made boots, he deserved to get paid for them, and it wasn’t in our budget.”

 

He gave a mocking laugh. “Modest too. If you’d like I could buy those boots for you.” He made a gesture towards his wall, as if gold and silver were but mere trifles.

 

“In a way you already are. You are our primary benefactor at the moment.” She attempted to smile, but it felt awkward on her face.

 

“For the moment?” He looked disappointed, but she knew he was just playing his game. “I was hoping our arrangement would be more permanent.”

 

“There are still a lot of unknowns, boss.” She replied. “If all continues to go well, it would be for the best if we continued to work together.” She extended her arm out to him, and he shook firmly.

 

“Well, that will have to do. I understand the nature of business, and you always need to look out for yourself and your family first.” He spoke wistfully. “Enough about business then, how has your ‘family’ been lately?”

 

“The corps has been growing steadily lately.” She couldn’t help but smile, her cadre was her pride and joy. “A lot of people keep coming up as new recruits.” She couldn’t help but wonder if that was his influence as well, but he’d be offended if she asked.

 

“It feels weird not being the new recruit anymore.” Edward said. “A lot of young guys and girls to show the ropes to, it’s nice.”

 

“Glad to see you’re enjoying your new responsibility, Eddie.”

 

Leone and Eddie talked for a while, Vincent occasionally chimed in and made a comment, usually an attempt at flattery or a compliment. The group drank for a few hours, until it was no longer proper.

 

“I’m sorry to hold you up so long, Leone.” He apologized. “I just wanted to ask you one more thing before you left. I heard rumors of strange goings on in Westgate. Did you happen to see anything particularly strange while you were there?”

 

“Ah, yes.” Leone realized he could only mean one thing. Whether the alcohol had lowered her inhibition or she was just careless, she immediately regretted the words that came out of her mouth. “We met the Prophet of the Great Furnace.”

 

Vincent’s eyes lit up, as a smile split his lips.

[Vin+ 3,121]

[RazorStar 4,025]

Chapter 9: What Lurks Inside

The air seemed so cold in this cavern. The torches the group had were quickly becoming the only source of light down this path, as the glowmoss became even less and less noticeable. Would the batteries last down here? It would be difficult to maintain a charge if they had to walk for another ten days. Lucas licked his lips, his lack of comfort growing. They had been moving down the tunnel at a steady pace, but the incline had tapered off considerably, and the path went straight ahead well past his field of vision. He started shivering furiously.

 

“We should keep talking.” Rampage said. “I remember someone telling me about the effects of sensory deprivation. A lack of light, this cold chilling us to the bone, it numbs the body as well as the mind.”

 

“Good idea.” Zack said, buckling his helmet tightly. “Have I ever mentioned I hate the cold? Because I really hate the cold.” He was trying to rub the goose bumps off of his exposed hands. The light armour he was wearing offered no real protection from the elements either. He was suddenly grateful for the spider silk clothing he was wearing. It looked light but it did a good job insulating.

 

“Try to focus on other things. I think that’s what Rampage was trying to get at.” Cooper’s hands were around his spear, tightly gripping the wooden haft until the blood welled up in his knuckles. “Hmm, I’m trying to think of a story that you’ve never heard before, but also something that is age appropriate for the young prince.”

 

“You’re being considerate? Now this is a rare occurrence.” Zack laughed. “While you’re thinking, I’ve got one. It all started when-” Zack was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind. It started off light, but it became a sudden ferocious squall, whipping through the cave like razor sharp blades. Zack had already drawn his blades in responses to the strange phenomena, holding them as defensively as possible. Rampage quickly moved in front of Lucas, doing his best to shield the boy from the vicious winds.

Lucas braced himself as the cold wind ripped through the tunnel. An unknown occurrence, even Rampage seemed confused by the gusts of wind. Relying on his memory he thought back to the books he had read. Nothing. He went back deeper, past the mental block. There were no images, only one constant. “If you are afraid, it means you are doing something right.” The warm fatherly voice remained in his head. He couldn’t remember his face, or his mannerisms, just the words, and the love and warmth self-evident inside them.

 

“What’s going on?” Zack asked, covering his eyes from the torrent of wind.

 

“Air?” Lucas said, on the cusp of excitement. “This is good.”

 

“What?” Cooper yelled back, nearly being blown away by the force.

 

“I said, this is good!” Lucas yelled back, straining his voice. Wind must mean that there is air on the other side. Outside of the endless tunnels and caves, there would be fresh air. What wonders could await? How quickly could we get everyone outside? He couldn’t believe how lucky they were.

 

The gust died out suddenly, petering out into nothing. The being on the other side closed its gaping maw, strands of acidic saliva gushing down its cheeks.

 

“How the hell is this good?!” Cooper shouted back. “This thing is massive! I’ve never seen anything like it.” He had his spear drawn out, but he looked hopeless as the creature slowly slithered forward. His teeth were chattering, and it wasn’t just from the cold.

 

“C’mon! While it’s mouth is closed! Let’s run!” Zack said. “Otherwise we’re gonna be that thing’s lunch.”

 

Rampage and Cooper gave barely perceptible nods. Quickly scooping Lucas up with his right arm, Rampage ran back down the dark tunnel as quickly as he could. Cooper was well ahead, barking out anything that looked dangerous, hitting an errant stalactite head on would be a death sentence. The beast didn’t seem interested, but it wasn’t moving back either. It stayed where it was while the rest of the group broke out of its line of sight.

 

“It’s not pursuing.” Zack said, holding the rear line, trying hard to catch his breath.

“What in the Furnace’s name is that thing?”

 

Rampage set Lucas down, turning his head to keep an eye on the creature. “Maybe you know Lucas. You’ve read through every book in that library, there must have been something about that creature in there.”

 

Lucas caught his breath as he detailed out everything he saw. The creature had white skin, and a pink mouth. Its saliva was acidic, not enough to melt through solid rock, but it had to have been acidic enough to kill the plant life in here. Its breath was cold as ice, but that was just it exhaling. The only thing he could think of was a lot smaller, and ate the flesh of the dead. He muttered out its name, “Maggot.”

 

“What did you call me?” Cooper said.

 

“No, I didn’t…. that thing is a maggot.” Lucas said.

 

Zack shook his head. “No, be serious Lucas.”

 

“It’s just a baby.” Lucas gulped. “Who knows what that thing will be when it grows up?”

 

Cooper shivered, “No way, you mean that thing is going to get bigger?”

 

“Maggots typically grow quickly. They’re the larval stage of most of the bugs down here. I couldn’t tell you how long this one would take to develop, but most normal maggots take about ten full days to develop into their adult stage.” Lucas explained, pacing nervously in a straight line. “Their shells are soft and easy to penetrate. The issue is we can’t actually see its skin, just the mouth. If we could lure it back to a cavern with a higher ceiling or a wider berth we might be fine, but I don’t see any of those here.” Lucas’ mind was rolling around looking for answers. “And yes, Cooper. It will get bigger.”

 

“All I know is we cannot progress forward while that thing is in our way. Who knows how long it’s going to stand there and wait for us.” Zack twirled the swords in his hands. “We need a plan of attack.”

 

Rampage’s eyes lit up, a flash of insight occurred to him. “How much do you know about their digestive system?”

 

“Not much. They eat and they poop, that’s all I know, and I don’t want to get a close-up look at the detailed process.”

 

“Think they can eat one of those bombs you have in your bag?” Rampage had a wicked look in his eyes. “Because the only way forward is through that bug.”

 

Cooper shook his head vigorously, his hair coming loose from its slicked back position.

“And how are we gonna get it in his mouth?”

 

“Throw it?” Rampage said, as if the answer was simple as swinging a sword.

I have a few problems with that. One, it’s spitting out a wind powerful enough to nearly knock us backwards, I can’t imagine what it’ll do to a little ball. Two, that thing has some seriously corrosive spit, how will we know that little bomb will work on something that big?”

 

“We don’t, but we don’t have a lot of options left to us.” Zack said, still focused on the horizon.

 

“No. It should work. The idea is solid at least.” Lucas said. “I’ve used these things before, and I managed to kill a mag-spider with it once.” He neglected to mention it was a baby, but hey, the monstrosity in front of them was a baby as well. “I don’t have the arm strength to throw this in through that wind. That’ll be your job Rampage.”

 

“And us?” Zack asked with a grin on his face.

 

“You and Cooper will need to distract that thing. Make it open its mouth, and when it is on the verge of closing again, Rampage will throw the sparker inside. When its mouth is fully closed, we get away as far as we can.”

 

“Alright.” Cooper took a deep and steady breath. “Let’s show this ugly who his better is!”

 

“Damn right!” Rampage roared in excitement, taking two sparkers from Lucas.

 

“Two?”

 

“Insurance. Your plan is great, but we might need the extra firepower."

 

Lucas could barely feel the chill of the cavern air. “We’re ready. Let’s get it!” He was scared, he was telling himself to run away, but the sheer excitement pounded through his veins. No doubt this gift of courage was the surging power of the Great Furnace.

Zack led the charge with his swords at the ready. His pace was too fast for most people to hope matching. His swords slashed out at the maggot’s lips, making a small tear. The acid oozed out its wound, forcing Zack to pull his swords out. “Strike fast, Cooper! Don’t worry about leaving a lasting mark!”

 

“Don’t have to tell me twice, Zack.” Cooper’s strikes were always swift and precise. While Zack and Rampage would overwhelm their foes with speed and power, Cooper wore them down, picking at their defenses with his spear. This maggot didn’t have a defense until it opened its mouth, so Cooper irritated it, poking low and high in predictable patterns. The bug lacked the intelligence to defend itself, and thrashed about wildly instead.

 

“We need it to open up, you guys!” Rampage shouted. His warhammer was in his hands, dragging along the ground. He swung upward with force, hitting it where its nose would be. The blow caused it to stagger, and open its mouth up a tad. Its acidic smile burned at the ground below it.

 

“Almost there!” Zack yelled back, as his swords cut thin swaths from the corner of its lips. “Open wide, you… you maggot!”

 

“You need to work on your smack talk.” Cooper followed suit and traced another cut on the other side of its lips. It began inhaling deeply. “Now’s your chance, kill this bitch!”

 

He threw the first sparker into the maggot’s mouth, and then drew his warhammer up above his head. With a thud, he tried to make the maggot taste the ground. Despite the fury of the blow, it did little to deter the mighty maggot from mouthing off. With an annoying hiss it began to exhale. The sparker that was inside its mouth was quickly about to fly out. Rampage, Zack and Cooper fell back as fast as they could, before the sparker exploded. The bomb exploded, it’s tearing shards ripped through the maggoty flesh like nothing. The bomb was not fully inside of it, leaving a shower of guts and acid where the maggot’s face would have been. The frigid air it was exhaling died out quickly, and Rampage responded by throwing the second sparker inside. They shuffled away while the sparker settled somewhere inside the beast.

 

Lucas had begun ticking down the seconds. He was standing a safe distance away but even he thought it was better to keep running back once the second sparker was thrown. It was trying to crawl away from the dangerous humans, making their job easier. As Lucas finished his countdown, a horrific wail sounded throughout the tunnel. It left a lasting echo, bouncing back and forth along the walls. The maggot had become a mixture of blood, guts, and a fine gooey spray along the cavern walls.

 

“Gross.” Cooper muttered. “I’m glad that thing was a pushover, otherwise we’d be in some serious shit.” He looked down at the gooey entrails encrusting the floor. “I’m going to need like three baths after this.”

 

Zack seemed more amused than shocked. “Well I didn’t think I’d ever see a giant maggot. Never thought I’d explode one either.” He checked himself for any maggot spray, just to be safe, but they were definitely far enough away from the blast.

 

“I don’t know why you’re so excited. Now we have to walk through this mess. I just bought these boots too.” His shoulders sagged in defeat.

 

“We should wait a bit for the acid to dissipate.” Lucas said. “I don’t know how strong their digestive acid truly is, but we should let it lose its potency first. Also, we should probably not breathe in its fumes while we’re here.” He gestured for them to move away from the body, and they quickly agreed.

 

“If I have less blood on my boots, I’m happy.” Cooper said, almost singing in relief. He reached for his flask, and drained the remaining contents.

 

“Sure you’ll be fine without any more of that stuff?” Zack asked, eying his flask. “We have no idea how long this trip will be.”

 

Cooper relaxed his shoulders and looked up calmly. “I’ll manage. You didn’t think I’d be unprepared for this did you?”

 

Rampage groaned. “You wasted valuable space on our pack mole for your alcohol? Are you kidding me right now?” He rubbed at his temples furiously. I swear you’re going to drive me up the wall.

 

Lucas raised his hands and stood between the two of them. “Guys, please calm down. We just did something amazing, alright? We worked together and killed a dangerous monster. We shouldn’t be fighting each other.”

 

“He’s right you know.” Zack said, taking a canteen of water out. “We did something really good today so we should be celebrating, not taking it out on each other.” He took a big gulp, and put the canteen away quickly. “It’s already feeling a bit warmer in here, don’t you think?”

 

“Yeah.” Rampage stubbornly admitted. He leaned up against the cavern wall, inspecting his warhammer. “Sorry for bitching out at you.”

 

“Already forgiven. And forgotten for that matter.” Cooper said. “I didn’t take up too much space in there so we still had room for two more flasks after everything else. They’re buried way at the bottom too, so you can’t get at them.” He gave a loud howling laugh, as if he remembered a past joke.

 

“Speaking of forgetting, what happened last night?” Rampage asked.

 

“Nothing much, you just bonded with your old buddy.”

 

“There’s more to it isn’t there?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”

 

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Cooper said slyly.

 

“You asshole.” Rampage said in a joking tone. He set his warhammer back on the magnetic clip on his back. “Eh, it probably wasn’t important despite what my gut is saying. I’m probably just too on edge for this.”

 

“We’re all on edge.” Zack interrupted. “This has been a hectic and dangerous mission from the word go. I think we all need to take these breaks as time to hash this shit out, get rid of some of this tension. We all have our vices, or issues, or whatever. I think we should accept them, even if we don’t really agree with them.”

 

Zack turned his head to look at the way ahead, and then back to Lucas. “Do you know how long it’ll take for that acid to dissipate?”

 

“I have no idea, sorry.” Lucas said, apologizing. “Give it a few minutes?” Lucas was leafing through the pages of his thick notebook, screening the pages for any useful information. Judging by his expression, it wasn’t likely he’d find anything. “I’ve got nothing, sorry.”

 

Rampage shifted where he was leaning back. “I suppose that’d be best. I didn’t think you’d be so cautious about this.”

 

Cooper laughed. “There’s no sense rushing in. Zack may be crazy, but he’s not suicidal. I’m also not too fond of dying pointlessly.” He cracked a wide smile. “Can you think of how embarrassing it would be to die because of a dead monster? Ridiculous.”

 

“Suits me fine too.” Rampage said stoically. “I really underestimated you young guys. I figured you’d be full of bravado after your rapid ascension up the ranks, Zack.”

 

Zack laughed. “No problem, I’m pretty used to being underestimated at this point. It’s just that much more satisfying when I prove someone wrong.” He stretched out, and started sniffing the air. “It’s surprising how little that maggot stinks.”

 

Rampage’s lips twisted into a snarl. “Just be careful not to let your pride get the better of you. There are a lot of people who are taking notice of your moniker. They might want to be the one who makes you the defeated.”

 

Zack shrugged. “I didn’t give myself the title, but it works for me. If that reputation is enough to deter people from trying to fight me, then it’s a good thing. And if that reputation means that strong fighters want to challenge me, then that’s a good thing as well. There is nothing I love more than a good scrap.” He flicked his swords out of their sheaths in a blink, and sheathed them again just as quickly.

 

“Cooper.” Rampage turned to the man. “You were right, he is crazy.”

 

Zack tilted his head back, unable to contain his amusement. Rampage thought he was only proving his point further and rested his head in his palm. The cave seemed more relaxed, despite the ever present chill in the air. Lucas rubbed his arms together furiously, trying to get some warmth. He looked at the group joking around, and he felt at ease. “Shall we go?” he asked.

 

The three of them looked at each other and nodded. “Yeah, we’re ready.”

[Vin+ 3,121]

R.I.P. maggot.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Finally caught up, sorry for taking so long. I tend to get interrupted just as I'm beginning to read a chapter.

 

 

So how long before Lucas and company join the Solar Knights and defeat Jair?

 

 

I think subconsciously I don't read them so that I can read more than one at a time and be somewhat satiated until the next one. But I want more regardless.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Zack_of_Steel

[RazorStar 4,025]

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Zack told me to read this in the TGP Mobile Shoutbox.

If Razor isn't going to talk it up, I am glad other do -- otherwise I would have never read it. Some of the best writing i've come across here on TGP. Nice work. You should totally do a narrative CLUE game like I ran a while back (except yours would be much better of course).

[RazorStar 4,025]

Thanks for the show of good faith, JD. I'm no hype man though, I'll just tell people when a new chapter is up and that's about it.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Fine, fine, I'll continue to advertise.