The mournful ruins of the once-great city sprawled around them like a desolate stone maze. With gray skies above and nothing but dead silence surrounding the cohort of five tense Sleepers, it seemed as though they were walking through a vast, cyclopean graveyard.
Kane had to constantly remind himself that there were countless horrors hiding in the ominous shadows of the Dark City. One wrong turn could land them in dire peril. In this ancient ruin, they had no choice but to entrust their lives to the hands of their guide. Luckily, the guide in question was not a morose dead poet but a tall, extremely attractive young woman clad in a pleasantly revealing archaic armor. In their current circumstances, Kane much preferred the company of this warrior. Not to mention that none of them had a backside like Effie's... wait, what? Getting his mind out of the gutter, Kane frowned and reminded himself to keep his emotions in check. 'Maybe I should spend less time with Sunny?'
In a sense, this harsh necessity was a blessing. The perilous reality of the ruined city prevented them from concentrating on the bitter despair that had taken a stranglehold on their hearts after the grim revelation of the previous day. They just had to put one foot in front of the other and not think too much about anything. One step at a time. That was how he was going to survive. With a heavy sigh, Kane glanced around and continued walking.
Just like Effie had said, traversing the ruins turned out to be a slow ordeal. The huntress led them through the complex maze of wide and narrow streets, following a strange, convoluted path that only she knew. Often, they would have to stop and hide, waiting for some unseen danger to pass. Sometimes they walked under the empty sky; sometimes they dove into the weathered buildings and spent some time crawling through the piles of rubble inside. Other times, Effie was able to lead them straight through half-collapsed houses to emerge into secluded alleyways on the other side.
Once or twice, they had even climbed to the rooftops and proceeded forward by walking on precariously rickety tiles or bared support beams, jumping across vast chasms and balancing on half-rotten planks of wood that had been placed there by someone to bridge especially wide gaps. During these moments, either Kane, Nephis, or Sunny would carry Cassie in their arms.
Kane was surprised to discover that the interiors of some buildings were incredibly well-preserved. It was as though the inhabitants had just left a few days ago, as opposed to the thousands of years that had passed in reality. Because of that, he was able to catch glimpses of how the citizens of this ancient city had lived all that time ago. Kane thought, 'What is the history of these people? For them to create a masterpiece like this and then vanish?' It was a strange and eerie sight.
He was also able to clearly understand that Effie indeed knew the ruins very well. Everywhere they went, there were signs of her previous visits and preparations. From the planks placed across the gaps between roofs to the heavy slabs of stone used to hide improvised passages, it was apparent that she had spent years of meticulous effort turning large parts of this lethal maze into her own private hunting grounds. He had gained a new respect for the seemingly carefree young woman. She almost made traveling through the cursed ruins look safe and easy.
However, he knew that this couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, he suspected that death was constantly breathing down their necks, only barely held at bay by Effie's knowledge and timely judgment. Several freshly eviscerated carcasses that they had stumbled upon served as a clear sign that the Dark City was teeming with harrowing life. Even terrifying Nightmare Creatures were not safe here. More than once, they heard the distant sounds of claws scraping against stone, sensed the ground trembling under heavy footsteps. Kane was tempted to use his Aspect vision, but he didn't, as he knew it might attract unwanted attention. Effie would change their course on the fly or find a perfectly concealed hiding spot without fail. Meeting her had indeed been a rare stroke of luck.
But with each hour that passed, Kane grew increasingly somber. No matter what kind of future awaited them in this cursed place, he had no doubt that they would have to hunt for food as well. That meant that he was going to have to learn all the same things that Effie had learned, and maybe even more. The task seemed incredibly daunting. He wasn't even sure that he would be able to accomplish it. At least he wasn't going to do it by himself. There was Nephis and Sunny to partner with, and Cassie. Their presence calmed him down. Living in this terrible hell alone… he didn't even want to think about it. Such a wretched existence would surely kill him, and if not, at least drive him insane. At that point, he wouldn't wish to be alive anyway. Who would want to endure that kind of misery?
'Why think about something that is never going to happen?' Glancing at Nephis, Sunny, and Cassie, Kane hid a smile and hurried to catch up to Effie. Come to think about it, he had it way better than the recalcitrant huntress. There were reliable allies with whom he had forged bonds of trust and companionship at his side. The four of them made each other stronger, even though he had some doubts regarding Nephis and her motives. He could count on her to a certain extent. More than that, his own Aspect was a cheat-like ability to attack the soul, mind, and body and had a controllable divine transformation. Kane thought, 'Well, I can survive.'
Soon, as the sun began to fall toward the horizon, they had finally reached the base of the hill on which stood the magnificent castle. Kane looked up, sensing his heart beating wildly. A heavy and anxious feeling took hold of his mind. Depending on what happened next, their fates were going to change forever… either for the better, or for the worse.
In the center of the cursed city, a tall hill towered above the ruins. At its base, an arch made of pristine white marble stood amidst the devastation. It was unscathed and spotless, as though protected from the entropic touch of the all-consuming darkness by some sublime force. Beyond the arch, a wide road paved with white stones scaled the hill. Kane looked up as they passed beneath the arch, trying to imagine crowds of festively dressed people doing the same in the distant past. It was hard and a little heartbreaking thinking about how the ancient city must have looked before the mysterious calamity.
Not turning her head, Effie said in a wistful tone: "There are areas in the ruins that many Nightmare Creatures tend to avoid for some reason. The castle is one of these places. I was told that back when the original group of Sleepers came here hoping to carve a foothold in the city, there was only a single Spire Messenger nesting in the throne room, with no other monsters around. Those madmen actually managed to kill it."
Kane and Nephis gave her a glance. "Spire Messenger?"
The huntress chuckled. "Big ugly bastards with black feathers and pale bodies. You must have seen them hunting in the Labyrinth. They come from the Spire."
Changing Star hesitated. "What are their rank and class?"
Effie shivered a little. "Fallen Beasts. That's why I said that those guys were a little mad. But they were a powerful bunch."
She grew silent and then asked Kane, "Kane, you killed a Fallen Beast by yourself, right? Even though you counted the battle to us, can you tell me your opinion?" Effie gasped, her mouth agape. "Seriously, what type of maniac fights a Fallen Beast alone, and how did you kill it?" Kane conversed the whole fight with her, and Effie spoke, "You deserve the title, Monto-Maniac for using such a startegy. So, what is your opinion on it?" Kane spoke humbly, "To be frank, she was dying and old, and I had taken a gamble. If my gamble had failed, I would have died on the spot." Effie's face immediately turned grim, but suddenly her face turned into an amusing smile. Kane spoke, "What is it?" Effie spoke, laughingly, "So, it is 'she,' huh?" Kane couldn't get her for a moment. Suddenly, he understood. Kane hurried to speak. "What type of things are running in your mind? No, I definitely didn't!" Sunny and Nephis laughed. Cassie laughed at this, but deep down, she felt some unease.
Brought into a lightened mood by that last statement, they continued forward in silence. The stone road coiled around the hill, slowly climbing its sheer slopes. Here and there, it was broken by long stretches of stairs and formidable, but strangely graceful, fortifications. No one was standing guard, though. The whole road was empty.
Sunny gestured to one of the stone barricades and asked: "Why are there no watchmen?"
Effie shrugged. "Gunlaug has barely enough people to man the castle walls. They will notice anything that approaches the hill, though. The whole city is in clear view from up there, and there are different protective measures put in place. They have already spotted us, too."
Sunny shifted his body a little, feeling a new kind of tension. After a long time walking up the coiling road of white stone, they finally reached the zenith of the hill and saw the mighty castle in all its glory. Up close, it looked even more magnificent.
Built from the same pristine marble as the arch at the base of the hill, it stretched into the sky like a white mountain made by human hands. The frontmost tower was wide and imposing, with a tall decorated gate and a grandiose staircase leading down from it to a vast stone platform that the road ended with. On both sides of the frontmost tower, brought slightly forth, two other towers stood as bastions, connected to it with arched aerial bridges and accompanied by smaller companion towers of their own. Behind them, the main keep soared even higher, as though trying to challenge the menacing Crimson Spire that loomed above the world far in the distance. Smaller towers, spires, and wings stood here and there, forming a complex and strangely harmonious formation. The whole structure was incredibly beautiful, striking, and at the same time radiated a feeling of unassailable firmness. It was as though the castle was built for gods, not mortals.
The only thing that spoiled the picture were dozens of human skulls hanging above the gates on rusty chains. Kane grimaced, brought down to grim reality by this ghastly sight. His gaze fell lower, only now noticing dozens of crude, makeshift hovels huddled on the stone platform. They were built from fragments of rubble, rotting wood, and pieces of monster hides, chaotically clinging to the stones as if afraid to be blown away by the wind. An unpleasant, strangely familiar smell hit him in the nose a few moments later. It was the motley, but unmistakable stench of the slums. That stench was nothing like the poisonous reek of the outskirts, and at the same time, exactly the same. Kane looked at the slum and thought, 'It feels like the outskirts.'
Between the hovels, gaunt and empty-eyed people were busy eking out their pitiful existences. They were dressed in a strange mix of dirty rags and shiny Memories, with those wearing armor standing out among the rest like rare oddities. Most of them were extremely young, barely older than Kane himself. He could smell their exhaustion and desperation even from where he was standing. Kane and Sunny really wanted to laugh. After everything he had been through ever since becoming infected by the Nightmare Spell, the cycle had finally completed. He was right back to where he had started, only much worse off. Wasn't that the funniest thing ever? If this wasn't fate, then he didn't know what was. Oh, the irony…
Changing Star's voice tore him away from his reverie. "Kane? Sunny? Are you okay?"
Both of them blinked a couple of times. Sunny slowly turned to face her and said after a brief pause: "Yeah. I was just reminiscing."
Kane spoke, "Yeah, just feeling nostalgic."
Something in his voice must have sounded strange, because she gave him a long look before turning away with a short nod. Nephis spoke, "Good. Both of you, don't relax just yet." Then, she turned to Effie and asked: "What do we do now?"
The huntress looked around and shrugged. "It's going to get dark soon, so I would advise you to find a shelter before that. Look around for an empty hut. With how many people die each season, there's always plenty of those. Otherwise, two of you can pay the tribute and go into the castle. But the third one will have to stay."
Changing Star lingered, then said: "What about you?"
Effie grinned. "What about me? That luxury one-bedroom cottage over there is mine. Mind you, it was built from the best kind of crap you can find here… although it's still crap. Anyway, I am going home, preparing myself a hearty supper and then going to sleep. I'm dead tired from these last couple of days. Sorry, I don't host guests."
Nephis stared at her, obviously wanting to say more, but then simply nodded. "I see. Thank you for everything you have done for us. I won't forget it."
Effie smiled, patted her on the shoulder, and turned to Sunny, Kane, and Cassie. "Bye, doofus. Bye, Monto-Maniac. Bye, doll. See you around." With that, she began whistling a cheerful melody and walked away.
The four of them were suddenly left alone, lost and unsure about what to do. The inhabitants of the outer settlement didn't pay them a lot of attention, only occasionally throwing an indifferent glance at the three young strangers. Only Cassie's beauty attracted a couple of intense, darkly fascinated gazes. Cassie felt the gazes and went to Kane, holding his hand, and Kane let her.
After a minute or so passed in disoriented silence, Changing Star hesitantly took out the two soul shards that they had collected from the remains of the Rolling Stone and looked at the glimmering crystals lying in her hand. They had to make a decision.
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