Paramythi I: City of Glass

In regards to a whole year of training, Elias’ characteristics evolved dramatically.

He was still nervous and uneasy within the company of strangers, yet showed a great deal of dedication and searched for help during his study hours from his friends and mentors without reluctance. Weapons remained a large no-no for him whenever Neoma and Tovi would be training for reflexes and survival situations. It fell upon Elias to hand out tactical methods instead of putting himself on the spot of offence; though Neoma had insisted he would at least learn one weapon skill, thus led him to pick up a pair of throwing knives one evening.

As far as weapons training went from there, Elias passed with an average mark and received higher grades on basic theories and the studies on the other races and the kingdom’s history.

Honestly, the whole first year was almost exactly like school, albeit with an extra handful of practical tests than he had ever experienced before.

The harder stuff did not really commence until after Syra and Ivana’s funeral within the first two weeks after their minor training had begun. There was a dread and loss within the air as expected when the coffins were lowered into the ground. It had been the first time since the night of the signing that Elias saw Kaira again.

She looked ever so different and had raised a maturity in her features which could not be overlooked. Elias vaguely wondered if he had looked the same after the death of his father. Had he shown strength through such a physical change? Or had he simply wallowed in the pity of his own sorrow since he had his sisters to rely on for the rest of his life?

It mattered not. What really mattered was how the Rebellion was unable to address the true means of their friends’ death since Capitol’s Governor had been so quick in covering it up with her own faulty story. As far as Tentrail’s people were concerned, it was nothing more than a ‘tragic accident’ and even Elias was beginning to fear the sound of Maxa’s voice either preaching and believing those lies or to hear her shrieking down the phone for him to come home.

But she never really called.

Since Quincy’s assistance with talking to Maxa over the phone, Elias had heard very little from his sisters. It made him wonder just what on earth the Rebellion’s tactician had possibly shared and Elias was determined to address the subject whenever he and Quincy were alone. But something would always come up to distract them.

Quincy was a busy man and Elias had studies and deadlines to focus on.

When Maxa did call, Elias had only just finished his grading ceremony and had walked out of Kane’s office a full-fledged Rebel. He had been so overjoyed with his own progress over the last twelve months and had been on edge of blurting his happiness onto his sister when her face flickered in the hologram of his phone.

“You look over the moon.” Maxa had said.

Despite the words being as innocent and light-hearted as they were, Elias had been reminded of his default plan to keep up his lying until his first mission was over, and had quickly rearranged his thoughts to stop himself from openly saying something like ’Captain Kane just appointed me an official Unit to the Rebellion!’

Quincy and Zyki had informed all of the new recruits of the dates of their junior mission; which was precisely the following day.

Just a little while longer, Elias had thought while rambling on with Maxa about all the things he had learnt—without leading her on to the truth. It was a pleasant chat, one of which Elias could not appreciate more than his heart would allow. It kept him smiling even after Maxa hung up and Elias kept such a curve on his rosy lips when he went to bed that night with a newfound joy crammed into his mind.

By tomorrow’s light, a whole new page would be turned on Elias Kara’s life. Whether it be for the better or worse; not even Elias could tell. He could only close his eyes and pray it would be the former so that he would be able to return home to his sisters with a much overdue promise.

“Just pick a number between one and ten, please?” Helios was practically bouncing on his toes and flashed Eris a grin. “Come on, Eris! I wanna hear which grade you think I got!”

Eris’ cheeks had flushed notably, despite the darkness of her skin. “I have no idea.” She whispered, concentration solely focused on tying back the curls of her hair into a bun between the ram horns curling against her temples. “Umm…seven?”

“Close, but not right!” Helios laughed. “Try again.”

“Oh, leave her alone, Helios.” Riyo groaned from their perched spot atop a crate full of ammunition beside the pair. “A whole year of training and you never dropped her for a second. Give her the space to breathe.”

“It’s no trouble! I don’t mind.” Eris said almost too quickly. She refused to meet Helios’ colourful gaze and lowered her head, lips puckering and shoulders hunching together. “I like Helios’ games.”

“See, Ri?!” Exclaimed Helios as he threw an arm around Eris’ shoulders. “Not everyone’s a spoil-sport like you!” Childishly sticking out his pink tongue, Helios was distracted by the washed out colours in the corner of his eyes and he turned, arm loosening around Eris when he saw Elias and Psykhe walk into the docking bay to greet them. “Hey! You guys took your precious time!”

Elias smiled and outweighed the uncomforting vibes radiating from Psykhe. “Yeah, sorry. I slept in.” Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, Elias took a stance next to Riyo’s perch and nodded respectfully to his fellow recruits. “So, does anyone know which partner’s whose?”

“No. It’s kinda nerve-wracking, huh? Considering there’s an uneven number of us.” Helios commented bluntly. His arm gently squeezed Eris’ shoulders before he stepped away. “Still, I don’t mind whichever one of you guys I get. Except maybe Psykhe, she’s pretty damn scary with that scythe of hers.”

Eris and Elias were unable to stop their childish snickers from slipping past their mouths; especially considering Psykhe’s unamused expression. Nonetheless, Psykhe said nothing to totally bash Helios’ comment and merely nodded as if to agree.

“Still, I don’t want to be the one left out,” Eris sighed. “After knowing you all for a year, it would seem almost silly to be handed over to some total stranger.”

“I agree,” nodded Elias. “Still, I doubt you’ll be left over, Eris. Your strength in wielding an axe is too good to be unnoticed. You would make a great partner.”

“Thank you, Elias.” Eris’ smile was a sweet one. “You would be a great partner, too!”

“Strong bond equal nice progress.” Zyki’s sly voice cut the serenity in the air, appearing without indication between Eris and Elias. “And you’re right, being handed over to some random stranger would be so cruel of us~”

Needless to say, Elias and the others had grown somewhat used to Zyki’s random appearances and choice of eerie speech over the past year; yet it was still enough to send shivers down their spines even on the best of days.

“Will we get to know our partners today?” Helios grinned. “You’ve been good to us so far, Mister and Misses Zyki, you can’t keep holding it off!”

Zyki’s eyes flickered towards the Faeman. “Mmm, what if I wanna tease you more~?” They sighed, tipping their head to the side.

“Today you will be assigned to your partners, don’t worry.” Quincy’s voice claimed the recruits’ attention. “Zyki’s just playing around.” Stepping out onto the docking bay to join the young Rebels, Quincy hauled a small box in his arms and propped it on top of the crate of ammunition after Riyo hopped off to stand in a line with the others. “However, as you’ve probably guessed, one of you will be left out until we find someone to join arms.”

Zyki tiptoed around the recruits, humming lowly. “Quincy’s right. One of you will be the ugly duckling, but we do sometimes rearrange team units within the first few weeks if we think you’re incompatible during your time in the field.” Joining Quincy’s side, Zyki smiled and clasped their hands together. “But we’re normally very good at pairing our units up.”

“Still, your first mission will be the judge of that,” Quincy noted and pulled out the shiny weapon cases from the crate he had carried. “Elias Kara, here are your knife holsters. There’s one for your belt, leg and chest. I must say, I am very impressed with your quick adaption since you’ve joined.”

“Thank you, sir—I mean, Quincy.” Elias murmured. He took the leather straps and grazed his thumb across the surface of the holster’s pocket, admiring the stitched attention and the silver crest which was sewn in the centre; the Rebellion crest. It was a circle with the star constellations swirling around a bright, glittering selenite crystal, representing unity. “…I’m honoured.”

Quincy looked equally as pleased. “Just wear them with respect. Don’t ever lose your head in the midst of battle.” Moving on, Quincy strode towards Helios and handed him a pair of smooth, leather gun holsters for his belt, then to Eris with an adjustable, leather jacket for holding her axe on her back.

“These weapons are to represent your strive for unifying the kingdoms together. We trust you, as Rebellion recruits, not to abuse this privilege.” He handed Riyo a quiver, along with a pair of leather gloves with fingerless additions on the pinky and ring fingers.

Then finally to Psykhe, in which Quincy handed her a collection of leather straps to buckle around her chest and stomach for keeping her scythe in a safe place whenever she folded it up. “I want you all to know there’s a great difference between being a Rebel and being a soldier.”

Zyki lurked in the short distance and chewed on the ends of their metal fingernails with a keen interest towards the faces of awe and appreciation. “Look at their faces…” They cooed, elbows propping atop the nearby crates of ammunition. “How sweet~”

Quincy smirked. “And I’m especially impressed with your patience towards Zyki over the last year. Now, for the selection of teams towards your first mission.”

Zyki had slipped a crumpled piece of paper from their pocket and into Quincy’s hands without the need of command. By the particular grin on their face, it was quite clear they had been waiting for this moment almost as much as the new recruits had, albeit Zyki’s intention was for different purposes and far more directed to simply watching their expressions mould together with either content or dismay.

“First off, Helios Artemis…” Quincy murmured as he read off the neat handwriting on display. “Your partner shall be Riyo Midas. The combination of Riyo’s long-distance abilities matched with Helios’ handguns, a close-range and long-distance skill, make the pair of you the ideal defence team as a Faeman and Allawo.”

“Not bad, eh, Ri?” Helios grinned.

Riyo merely glanced away and tucked back a strand of their bright, red hair behind their ear. “Could have been worse, I suppose.”

Elias tightened his grip around the leather straps of his holster and silently prayed his partner would be a compatible choice and that he would not be left in the dark while Psykhe and Eris ended up as a pair together without even sparing him the chance. Additionally, his lack of fighting skills only added to the possible downside to his outcome of lesser options.

“Eris Crysanthe,” Quincy shared a small glance with the Sylvannix and smiled. “Your partner will be Elias Kara. With Elias’ tactical and long-distance skills with his throwing knives; Eris, you can provide the ideal range of direct offence with your axe during the cooperation of your teamwork as Sylvannix and Human.”

Eris seemed to be as shocked – and no doubt relieved — as Elias. Their exchange of wide eyes and gaping mouths were nearly laughable! If not for the seriousness of such situations, Elias could have hugged his new partner with delight.

“Psykhe Trezla,” Quincy’s voice redirected the aura in the air from pleasant to tense. “You will be temporarily drifting between the two teams during your first mission to Eirini village, a small place just between the borders of Emvolo and Minoas. One of our contacts have recently informed us of some strange happenings going on within the village. All you have to do is go there and come back with as much information on the subject as possible, understand?”

Zyki stepped up beside Quincy. “Since it is your first mission, you shan’t be going alone, either. There will a team accompanying you; consider it as back-up.” Sighing softly, Zyki turned on their heel and began skipping out of the docking bay. “It wouldn’t do to abuse your superiors’ skills on your first mission.”

Quincy looked apologetic for his partner’s behaviour and prolonged the small tension with a clear of his throat. “Moving on; your aircraft will be ready to collect you all from here in about half an hour. You should all get adjusted to your new equipment until then. Good luck!”

A course of nods and affirmations echoed throughout the docking bay before Quincy departed. In such a time, all Elias could really think of was how he would present himself to Maxa and his sisters after completing his first mission. The idea that something –particularly anything — could happen during such an outing never really occurred to him beyond the point of success.

Somehow, even during his immense training over the last year, he had managed to forget the possibility of losing friends and gaining enemies along the way.

Enzo had been in a deep sleep until the shining beams from the sun had seeped through the glass frames of his window and bore down on his eyelids. A groggy sound emerged from the depths of his throat in response to such intrusion and he rolled over with a caution not to topple out of his sleeping hammock. His senses were coming to life now and he was unable to ignore the smooth sounds of pages flipping every few minutes from the corner of his shared room with his partner.

“Do you have to read so loudly?” Enzo grumbled between small breaths and rolled back into his previous position as if it would somehow silence the sounds around him. “What time is it? There’s gotta be somewhere else you can do that…”

Sitting at the small, round table by the window was Theo. His keen eye was focused on the crumpled pages of an old book he had recently found and was greatly determined to finish before he was to be sent out on his next mission for the Rebellion’s profit. He did not even look up after being addressed and simply turned another page, utterly tranquil in his state of mind and comfort.

“Are you still here?” Enzo grumbled and sat up with an unsteady balance as he attempted to level the whole of his weight to one arm, fingers gripping the edge of his hammock as it swayed against his own movements. “Haven’t you got some errand to run or something?”

“All of my errands have been run and I am to relax in the company of my once-snoring partner and heavenly book,” Theo replied with a sigh and another quick flip of his page. “Besides, it will be you to attend an errand within the hour.”

“Wait, what?” Enzo scoffed.

Theo smirked. “You didn’t know?” Lifting his head, the man turned his gaze up to his partner in order to witness the expression that was to come. “The Captain has called you up for a mission to chaperone our new recruits. According to him, you will be given the responsibility to keep especially close attention to the Trezla girl.”

“Dammit, Theo…” Enzo grunted.

With a jolt of his muscles, the man skillfully hopped out of his hammock and landed with a soft thump. The soles of his bare feet padded against the smooth surface of the floorboards in their room as he strode over to the built-in cupboard to the window’s left, across from Theo. The dull ache in his right calf came to life, briefly reminding him of the incident just seven years ago at the church. Sadly, just as Theo never gained the full use of his hand, Enzo was left to limp whenever he exerted himself.

“Tovi will be joining you, too,” Theo added only after he knew Enzo was readied and dressed. “I hope the pair of you will have fun.”

Enzo took slow, steady steps away from the cupboard and shot a glance over his shoulder. He would not pretend his ears had simply missed the small chuckle in Theo’s words, nor would he dismiss the way his partner seemed to hold himself perfectly at ease for the arrangement of choices made by their admirable captain.

Thus, he was unable to stop himself from getting straight to the point.

“Why the heck can’t you go instead of him? We’re partners!”

“Do I detect a hint of annoyance?” Theo muttered, visibly resisting the urge to roll his eye. “Honestly, you’re almost as bad as a child when you don’t get your own way.”

“That is not true!” Enzo scoffed. He waltzed to the other side of the room and yanked out a small drawer – with nothing of real value inside — and pulled out a hairbrush to untangle his long, knotty locks of brown hair. “Kane knows we don’t get along…” He whispered, tying up the end of his braid and slamming the drawer shut with a huff.

“Play nice,” Theo said. “Kane would no doubt be taking both Tovi and your report very seriously on your return.”

“Should we return,” Enzo grunted whilst latching the buckle of his gun holster to the belt of his trousers. “You know missions have never been joyrides.”

“Oh, please,” Theo lowered his book, attention momentarily averted in the midst of Enzo’s childish whining. “It’s just an errand runner for the recruits. The Captain doesn’t normally send us professionals on such kid’s play all that often, anyway.”

“Exactly!” Enzo exclaimed, hands flying above his head with an exaggerated flare to the boiling fury in his eyes. “Which is what only pisses me off even more!”

Theo tutted and folded the top of his page, marking his place, and closed up his book prior to turning in his seat to meet Enzo respectfully. “You know why he’s sending you and Tovi out there. Not just for the sake of you two possibly getting along for once, but more to the point of, well…Twyla.”

“You mean Twyla’s still missing?” Stopping himself from stepping right out of the door, Enzo looked back over his shoulder and washed away the immature expression of disdain from his face; thus replacing it with a concerned frown. “How many months does that make it now?”

“Nine in total,” Theo replied. “Kane had arranged to use Twyla’s psychic abilities to foretell the truth on that Trezla girl. Alas…Twyla just up and disappeared. Kane’s worried Capitol got to them.”

Enzo’s jaw visibly tensed and his shoulders gave way, slacking with defeat. “Gods,” Running a hand through the ruffles of his fringe, the man offered Theo a stiff nod and started for the door with a clearer sense of determination to leave with the main focus other than having to share the same air as Tovi. “If it’s for Twyla, I’ll do it.”

“Any of us would.” Theo sighed and picked up his book to engross himself within its wondrous pages again.

Elias had only ever ridden one of the Rebellion aircrafts twice; one to take him up to the airbase for his interviews and the other time to come back down to collect some things from his room one evening when Maxa had been out and only Nino had greeted him. The aircrafts were comfortable enough for a short trip down to the surface and back. They had low ceilings with numerous lights dimmed down to a certain flicker for the sake of straining eyes and a row of leather seats on both sides of the interior for troops to sit on and relax. They were never cold and thus radiated with a maintained temperature of warmth to ease any nerves for Elias and his friends.

Climbing up the drop-down ramp and into the belly of their small craft, Elias chose his seat among the many on offer and smiled sincerely when the seat to his right was taken by Eris. The rest of the group seemed less enthusiastic about sitting beside each other as Helios climbed in and sat across from Elias. Riyo strode on through and took the spot three seats from Helios’ right and Psykhe sat a fair distance on Elias’ left and towards the front of the craft where Tovi and Enzo had climbed in to manage the flight.

“Everyone hyped for their first mission?” Enzo’s voice boomed over the speakers and he grinned. “No need to be nervous, but if you are, well, just consider it a good thing! It means you’re totally devoted, right?”

“Being nervous means you’re worried about failure…” Helios muttered. He laughed. “Not bad! Admirable saying, sir!”

Enzo snickered and turned his attention towards the shifting scenery stretching onward from his place in the pilot seat as the hangar doors opened up. Beside him sat Tovi. The archer had climbed into the aircraft with nothing to say and buckled himself safely into the co-pilot seat and turned on the engine.

Enzo could only roll his eyes. It would have at least been a little easier to manage the tension if someone had said something on their way to Eirini village. The recruits would most likely talk among themselves and exchange their ideas and thoughts on the mission ahead, so naturally, Enzo could not rightly interrupt on such team-building.

Tovi had been Enzo’s only chance at filling the silence; but of course, the man had let him down on that option. Silence was Tovi’s greatest friend.

“Let’s get this done with…” Murmured Enzo as he took control of the craft and flew it out of the hangar bay and towards the cloudy skies and gleaming sunlight.

Elias could not help but follow Riyo’s example of taking a nap whilst the flight commenced. The steadiness that rattled throughout the small space almost made him want to shut his eyes and succumb to a peaceful snooze without worrying so much about their expected actions once they reached Eirini.

Additionally, the night before had been an almost sleep-deprived event; which only coaxed the boy into slipping into a quicker slumber than he had expected and was left with the soft murmurs of Helios speaking with Psykhe and Eris during their journey.

It had been a particular snippet of conversation which caused Elias to stir. It had begun with the soft whispers of Helios’ voice gradually rising a few octaves as he openly began to explain all of the little things he had learnt about the different races during his studies. More specifically, the Allawo.

“…-and the way they reproduce is kinda, well, interesting.”

“I had read over that part very mildly,” Eris admitted. “Honestly, I think I gained higher grades in my axe skills rather than the physiology of other species… But, um, do tell…?”

Helios had been considerate with Eris’ reluctant tone and had often glanced towards the sleeping Riyo once or twice during his conversation in case he was to receive a full insult or crude remark from the half-Allawo for speaking about such things within their presence.

Nonetheless, Helios seemed convinced that his partner was in a deep sleep and all too happily fed Eris’ curiosity in hushed whispers. “Well, since they don’t have anything to physically show for it, they can apparently shapeshift and morph into, well, either if they’re in the mood; so to speak.” He leant in closer, keeping his voice to the lowest possible volume he could muster. “Basically, they can be a mother and a father, if they wanna.”

Eris’ cheeks had turned a beet red in contrast to her dark skin before Helios had even begun to delve into the specifics. “Oh, my…” wide eyes wandered towards the sleeping Riyo and then back to Helios. “Do you suppose Riyo could—”

“This isn’t a gossip situation.” Psykhe, growing irritable with her companions’ behaviour, had finally cut in to ignite her annoyance. “If you’re so curious about the details, then perhaps you should come out and ask Midas to their face instead of whispering like a pair of schoolgirls behind their back.”

While Helios and Eris wallowed in their acknowledged shame, Elias opened his eyes and yawned to enhance his convincing state of having been fast asleep until that precise moment. He did not wish to be labelled in the same kind of category as Helios and Eris for having been eavesdropping on such things.

Psykhe nodded towards the young man and then looked down. She never really said anything further than what needed to be heard. This was how Elias would describe her, at least. He would describe Helios as someone who said too much, Eris with not enough to say, and Riyo with too much they should say out loud.

Which left him with the idea of how he would describe himself.

“Eirini is within sight!” Enzo’s voice fluttered through the speakers of the aircraft and he turned his head to glance back at the recruits hunkered down in their seats. “We’ll be landing within minutes so you guys better get yourselves ready.”

Elias rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up straight with only a small ache in the side of his neck from where he had been sleeping in such a careless position for so long. He would have asked Eris how long they had been flying if the girl did not look so distant and filled with unease to their distance from the ground.

It was in such a moment that Elias Kara was able to grasp reality. He was not the only person in the world who felt indifferent to these kinds of things and was probably considered normal for feeling so nervous about his first mission and the mutuality was heavy in the air for everyone as the craft wavered slightly, causing the Rebels to sway, share a collection of glances, and prepare themselves mentally and physically.

“It’ll be okay.” Elias found himself speak his thoughts aloud and his hand was soon engulfed by Eris’ shaking one. “We’re prepared for a little errand like this, right? A whole year of training, it doesn’t have to be spent in unease, does it?”

Eris squeezed Elias’ hand and forced a smile to make its home upon the uncertain crease of her lips. “…You’re right, Elias.”

“Of course he’s right!” Helios exclaimed with a forced chuckle. “The smartest guy in our class ain’t gonna start bluffing now, huh?”

“I, for one, didn’t come this far to be killed off.” Riyo mumbled whilst sitting up in their seat, sleep and grogginess making itself evident in their person.

Psykhe had tried to hide the small smile on her lips when she drank in the pleasant atmosphere. Elias had convinced himself that such a small, sweet expression had not been his imagination and sighed with mild relief when the craft made a small groaning sound as it finally landed upon the solid earth and cut the anticipation in the air as its hatcher opened up and lowered itself to a ramp position for everyone to exit from.

Enzo appeared at the bottom of the ramp and waved up to his group of new recruits. “You all ready to head out?”

Psykhe had moved first and strode out into the foggy grounds of Eirini. “I’ve never been this far out of the city before,” she sighed, hand lifting to shield her eyes from the shining rays of light breaking through the slips of fog whirling around their craft. “…it’s so cold.”

“You get used to it.” Eris came down the ramp and joined Psykhe’s side. “Eirini is my village. My family moved here from Dike.”

Psykhe raised a blonde brow and sent Eris a short glance before looking back onto the murky scenery. “Why didn’t you mention this before, when Quincy gave us the information to our mission?”

“It just didn’t seem important.”

“You could at least decipher the normal from the abnormal, unlike the rest of us.”

Eris pursed her lips together in thought and pretended to readjust the buckle to her leather vest before whispering, “you’re probably right.”

“We had a guide to lead us through this fog,” Enzo said. “There was someone who was gonna meet us here at the landing site, but I guess they lost track of time.”

Helios and Riyo came down the ramp with Elias close at their heels and they joined the group - along with Tovi who had pulled up the ramp and killed the engine - to discuss the matter further when Psykhe smiled and nudged Eris into the centre of their semi-circle for everyone to see.

“Eris can be our guide,” said Psykhe. “She lives here, after all.”

Enzo raised his brows. “That so?” He craned his neck and looked to his right, then to his left with mild hopes on seeing their guide magically stroll up to them and lessen the burden on Eris’ shoulders. Sadly, such a wish never came true and he sighed, stepped up to Eris and pat her back — being careful not to dislodge her axe. “Well, lead the way.”

Eris was baffled at first. The expression was clear as day through her wide eyes and parted lips. “…right.” When she spoke, her voice was near to a faint whisper and she slowly turned towards the foggy atmosphere. “It’s this way.”When ELias joined her side, she smiled. “Umm, there’s really nothing to see for a good while, not until we reach the gates around the village.”

Elias nearly laughed. “You don’t want your partner walking with you?” He challenged with every reason to believe Eris had somehow forgotten their partnership throughout the small journey here.

It seemed he was not wrong to assume such a thing when Eris looked down, a small quirk in her lips. The soles of her shoes brushed against the damp grounds and over muddied softness as she led the way and bit on the inside of her cheek whilst contemplating her reply; if she were to ever make one.

“Is the ground always this wet around Emvolo and Minoas’ borders?” Psykhe spoke up, thankfully dismissing the silent unease.

“It is here in Eirini.” Eris replied.

“Yeah, my village is just as wet and cold,” Helios added.

“They say it’s that way due to there being no super alterations to the grounds,” Enzo explained. “Since it’s not a city or working plant, there’s no clogged oxygen or compressed air between buildings and machines. Everything between here and Minoas is basically good for you. All natural.”

Elias took a deep inhale to test this theory for his weak lungs. He could not exactly shoot down Enzo’s little explanation when he was rewarded with clean air and a cool breeze to ruffle the dark locks of his hair. Even if he lived just outside the city of Emvolo, such a change in atmosphere here in Eirini was immensely noted and he made a small promise to himself to take Maxa here one day just so they could appreciate the clean air and difference in atmosphere.

“Hold up!” Enzo hushed in a low whisper and held up his arm for the recruits to stop, his other arm shooting out to Eris’ shoulder to keep her from walking too far ahead. “There’s something in the fog…” He warned and slowly shifted, pressing his back to Tovi’s. “Did you hear it?”

Tovi nodded and ran his fingers across the feathery ends of the arrows peeking out from the quiver on his side. He pressed his own back to Enzo’s and steadied himself, hand gripping the bend of his bow with caution while his dark, green eyes scanned over the near impossible outlines of grass and trees in the distance.

“Everyone, get in your formations,” Enzo whispered, his thumb popping the button over the holster against his belt in case of a quick-draw. “We’ll need to reach Eirini while being on our highest of guards.”

Helios pressed his back against Riyo’s, an almost comical sight due to their large height difference. The former pressed his palms against his gun holsters while the latter bent their arm back to hook their fingers against the arrows in the quiver over their shoulder. The pair said nothing and sidestepped along the mushy surface of the ground as Enzo made hand signals to continue walking, albeit slower and far more cautious.

“What could there possibly be in here?” Elias whispered as he pressed his back to Eris’, “are there any wolves?”

“Nothing like that,” Eris whispered back, hands gripping the shaft of her axe. She continued to guide the party through the dangerous fog and swallowed down the heavy lump in her throat when she added quietly, “some farmers in the village own Shema, it could be that they’ve broken free of their pen?”

“Quiet, you two!” Enzo hushed. He tilted his head to listen closely for another sound or at least a sign of motion in the low fog. “We need to get to the village as soon as possible.”

“I-It’s not too far now,” Eris reassured and noted Psykhe on guard from the corner of her eye with no-one to watch her back. “Just over this little hill and then—”

It was this particular moment that Elias Kara was fed with dread and horror from the sight of death since the day of his recruitment. He wished the fog was thicker around the peak of land they had trailed upon, at least then he would not need to see the poor soul lying in their path with little flesh to account for and far too much bone sticking up from the depths of their torn corpse.

“Dammit!” Enzo grit his teeth together and pushed past the young recruits, shoulder brushing against Eris’ shaking frame. He knelt down to inspect the paling mound of flesh heaped in the pathway. “…this was our guide.” Grumbling slowly, the man pushed himself back up to stand and took a wary stance.

“Oh, Gods…” Eris whispered and dropped her axe. She was visibly shaking from head to toe and her hands clasped themselves on either side of her horned head as if the pressure applied would make the scene bearable to witness. “Oh, Gods…we’re all going to die…!”

“Don’t think that, girl!” Enzo demanded. “Elias, pick up her axe, we can’t afford to be on edge now!”

“Y-Yes, sir.” Complying with feigned strength in his voice, Elias bent his knees to pick up the axe and nearly collapsed from the shock running through his veins and weakening his legs. Somehow he managed to stand again and gently urge Eris to take up her weapon. “Come on, Eris. You need to focus now.”

“She’s in shock,” Psykhe said. She stepped up and thrust the end of her scythe into the wet ground. Without warning of any kind, she swatted her palm across Eris’ stark cheek, echoing a sharp slap through the wide valley. “You’re our only chance at getting out of here in one piece, Eris. Get it together.” Placing her hands upon the Sylvannix’s shoulders, Psykhe gave a small shake and burnt her serious stare into the watering eyes looking up at her. “We will die if you don’t take us to your village.”

Eris’ throat visibly bobbed. She swallowed dry, enclosing her fear to her chest and lowered her hands from her head to reclaim her axe from Elias. “Yes…I’m…so sorry…” She whispered.

Psykhe stepped away. “Don’t apologise. You’re scared. We all are.” She stated and yanked her scythe out from its prison in the thick mud by her foot.

Enzo nodded with faint approval to the situation and urged Eris to lead the way as they all fell back into formation and hurriedly stepped through the mounds of grass and watery mud until, at long last, they were greeted with the outlines of a low fence and a gate in the distance.

“That’s the village entrance!” Enzo exclaimed. “We need to inform the villagers that they could be in danger as soon as possible!”

The young recruits nodded and bolted forward. Their formation had slacked now that their guard was seemingly let down and they started to split up and inform the Faeman and Sylvannix living within the village to be on high guard for some sort of creature lurking in the fog around the village border. Having Eris among their group made the process a swift one and Enzo had no need to interfere as the recruits did precisely as they were expected and fulfilled their duties to keep everyone safe and at ease.

Tovi approached from out of sight and handed Enzo a small phone.

“Kane?” Enzo asked. When Tovi offered a small nod, Enzo pulled a face of reluctance before taking the phone and pressing it to his ear. “Captain. We’ve already got a problem.”