Chapter 36: Rooks Ridge

Charon hugged the stone wall, rubbing his hands along the smooth surface as he took step after agonizing step. ’Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down.’ It was easier said than done, the abyss almost tantalizing him to pause and stare. Charon wasn’t afraid of heights, but this was its own situation entirely. Ahead of him, Darius and Emerius were talking about training regimens, happily conversing as if they weren’t dangling on the precipice of certain death. Just behind them, Red and Annie occasionally spoke, but the scarlet-haired girl wasn’t very good at it, causing Annie to try to talk to Charon instead. "So, what is your element? I haven’t seen you use it yet." He glanced past her at Emerius, considering the risk in revealing it. ’I told him, and he didn’t seem to know anything about it. Surely people who have lost all their memories won’t be more informed?’ "Soul, what’s yours?" She looked back at him with muted surprise. "High radiance. I’ve never heard of soul magic before. No one I’ve met has mentioned it, nor have all the books I’ve read." Charon shrugged. "There are probably all sorts of elements out there people haven’t heard of. I haven’t heard of yours, for example." She shook her head. "You wouldn’t have heard of any, you just arrived here. High radiance is a fairly common element; the God of Life grants it often. I’ve been here for years, though, and never seen yours." He just waved the comments away. "There’s a first time for everything. How old are you, anyway?" Annie frowned, clearly not satisfied with the amount of information he was providing, but answered him regardless. ’Gods, it’s like she is an interrogator. Anything less than every detail, and she will ask for more!’ "I’m sixteen." ’So she is my age, just as I thought.’ "Does the Fort usually send teenagers out to get missions done?" She nodded. "When people arrive here, their ages fluctuate widely. Some come as infants, others as old men. While we do limit the assignments of the truly young, there are too many teenage gifted mages to not use them." She shrugged. "Our mission isn’t that dangerous, compared to the others at least. Scout assignments are some of the first you get, until you’re strong enough to join the military patrols." Charon tilted his head. "Military patrols? Why do you have a military if you are all survivors?" Liam answered from behind them. "We are at war, dumbass. Not all the colonies see eye on eye on shit, and someone threw the first stone. The Fort is fighting at least a dozen other settlements at any time, which means we need a big ass army." Charon wasn’t expecting that. ’So the River Acheron is at war too. Does it have any relation to the war the Human Empire is fighting, or is it a separate issue entirely?’ It was an unexpected change, but not one without its benefits. ’If Emerius and I stay and work with the Fort, then we can join the military to earn benefits. At the very least, I’ll be able to grow my rank and empower the Warden, and at best, I can earn more abilities and relics!’ A month ago, he would’ve been far more reticent to throw himself into a war, but the euphoria he felt went ranking up was addictive. He also felt better about fighting people who had already died. ’They had their chance to live their lives, anything that happens after is just the cherry on top. I need to get home, and if that means killing a few undead souls, who cares?’ It was far from a heroic perspective, but who was going to judge? ’Heroes fight in wars all the time. It’s what makes them heroes! This can be where I earn the experience necessary to make a name for myself.’ They continued talking until they reached the rest point, an area carved into the mountainside. It was spherical, like a massive explosion had hit the stone pathway at some point. A few pieces of wooden furniture were arrayed in a circle around a fire pit full of ash. Darius glanced around before sitting in one of the chairs. "We rest here for the next few hours and set out to reach the Fort tomorrow. If you are hungry, we should have a few snacks left in the bag." Charon looked up at the sloped, stone ceiling with joy. ’Finally, the sun is gone! I can sleep!’ And that is exactly what he did: sleep. While the others talked and laughed, he set to making himself comfortable on the hard ground, closing his eyes and getting some much-needed rest. As soon as he tried to, he drifted off. What felt like minutes later, Emerius shook him awake, a small smile on his face. "Wake up, Charon. We are leaving. Darius thinks the journey will be short." The swordsman peeked behind himself before leaning and whispering. "Keep your guard up. Something feels wrong about all of this. Once we get to this settlement, we look around, and if anything seems off, we leave in the night. We need to get back to the Noctis Vrex and report all of this as soon as possible." Half delirious, Charon managed a simple nod before dragging himself to his feet. He patted his robes down, rubbing the dust off them. His dagger still hung from the chains crossing his chest, and the tome was bound to the vines around his back. Yawning, he ambled towards the pathway, taking his spot in the line behind Annie before they continued to cross Rooks Ridge. If they spoke on the last leg of the trek, Charon wasn’t conscious enough to notice, blearily rubbing his eyes and stretching every few yards. He barely even acknowledged when they stepped off the pathway and onto more grasslands. That didn’t stop Liam from slapping him on the back, again, and congratulating him for his first crossing. "Now you’re an honorary scout! The High Elders will probably assign ya to our group just for making it this far! First drinks are on you tonight!" Annie rolled her eyes. "You’d sucker anyone you saw into buying you a drink if you thought you’d get away with it." Liam laughed. "Of course! Are ya saying you wouldn’t? The drinking is what makes living so fun!" She sighed. "You say that about everything." He grinned widely, showing some teeth. "That’s what makes living so easy." Charon heard them talk and chuckled, entertained. ’I wonder if everyone at the Fort is like these two.’ He wouldn’t have to wait long, Darius assuring them that they would make it within the next few hours. As time wore on, Emerius slowly stopped taking the lead, falling back to stand closer to Charon. Darius seemed to be confused at first, having them all stop to see what was wrong, but was waved off with a half-hearted excuse about missing human interaction. ’That doesn’t sound like Emerius. Out of everyone here, he seems the least likely to value talking over his duty.’ Confused, he gave his companion a look that was reciprocated with a frown. Once they slowed enough for Liam to pass them, the hulking brute oblivious, Emerius started whispering to him. "We have to stay close. We are about to find out just what is going on. If they try and split us up, do your best to refuse." "Why are you so worried? They seem to just be trying to survive here." Emerius gestured towards Liam, then Annie, and finally Darius. "That one admitted to being a Blood Reaver. I overheard Annie tell you she had the high radiance element, and then when I asked Darius what his was, he said it was Holy." He looked at Charon as if that justified his concerns, but he just shrugged. Emerius rolled his eyes and sighed. "All of those are rare, incredibly rare. The kind of elements you’re lucky to see one mage be given in a lifetime. If these three reached the higher ranks, they would be able to decimate entire armies." Charon exhaled, shaking his head. "Emerius, this is a realm for undead souls. These are probably people who lived important lives, died, and are now here. You heard them; they don’t remember anything. We should be cautious, but fleeing at the first sign of trouble is not going to help us survive this place." His companion shot him a glare, but didn’t press the issue. "Just be ready. I have seen a lot of deceitful people before, even those who wished me harm. I do not think these four are those kinds of people, but they may work for someone who is." With that warning, Emerius returned to the front of the line, passing Darius with a nod. Charon remained still for a moment, considering what Emerius said. ’He is right. Even if these people are safe, the High Elders might not be. I can’t forget that these are not just souls, but powerful souls. The powerful are not always the best people.’ Charon frowned, a snarl on his face. ’Actually, they almost always are the worst.’ He hadn’t seen it before, but Emerius had made something clear: they would be walking into the lion’s den. They might benefit from them greatly, but there would always be expectations. Charon didn’t like the idea of more chains holding him down.