Chapter 25: The Hole

Chapter 25: The Hole Kalin’s house was on the edge of the city, where poorer people lived in rickety shacks that fell under the shadows of the high, white-walled houses. The smell of mud and unwashed bodies hung in the damp air. Pieces of trash, even piles of it from the more civilised part of town, were scattered across the dirt road. Castaway Valley had giants. Lucen had never known. A tall, slumbering pile of trash rose as a man whipped it awake with a horsewhip. Its skin was brown and stone-like, its arms were much longer than its short legs, and its ‌black eyes had a simple, mindless-looking dot of green. Despite its immense size, the giant shrank in front of the man and his horsewhip. "It’s time for work, you fool," the man roared, whipping the giant furiously. "How many times have I warned you about oversleeping!" The giant rumbled incoherently, its body riddled with lines from previous whippings where black spots that looked like infections grew. Lucen wrinkled his nose and kept on his way. How strange. He marched down the uneven road, avoiding huge puddles of muddy water. Kalin’s house was empty and quiet, with a single light flickering inside. Lucen scanned the house ‌but couldn’t find any living presence. Upon pulling up the wooden window, he found a day-old candle burning silently. His impatience to finish this pointless search gnawed at him, but he stayed outside. He had notified a soldier about the house. When Jon arrived, he would enter. But why was it taking so long? He rested on the rickety wall, contemplating the irritating day and Tari’s pleas to bring Kalin back to her. Tomorrow, and probably every day till the Bull wolves arrived, he would be busy with Warren and training. Killing his chances of finding Peter Cross A drop of water fell on his cheek, then another. The sound of rain against the wood intensified. Of course, he thought as the rain fell. No point in wasting any more time. He pushed the shack door open and went in. The pounding rain became slightly muffled as he closed the door. It was dark, but he had [Night vision]. It wasn’t perfect, but he’d be alright. The single light in the dark, cramped space was the tiny glow of the candle. The hallway was dirty and uneven. He found a small kitchen with ash scattered over the floor and a bathroom he didn’t bother entering. Kalin had lived alone, abandoned by his parents when they left for the Firegrave. There was a painting of the entire family beside the worn, thin bed. Lucen could guess Kalin was the boy standing away from the brightly smiling family. Lucen stared at the picture for a few moments, frowning, before returning to his search. There was nothing here. He spread out his mana sense, scowling as nothing could be found. "What a waste of—" There was something. A section of wind mana under the earth. Inside Kalin’s cramped bedroom. Lucen pulled up a tattered old rug beside the makeshift bed. There was a hole in the ground, dark and tight. He grimaced, checking all the rooms once more and running outside to check if Jon was close before running back into the house, dripping with water, and closing the door to shut out the thunderous rain. He stared down the dark hole anxiously; he couldn’t fit a spear down there. He decided to test something. Invoking the runes for the spell [Traveller’s Aid] in his mind, he placed his tiptoes against the uneven walls of the hole. He felt fully balanced, but the stress on his leg was building, so he also used [Surging flames] to strengthen his body. The descent was slow and suffocating. Sweat and rainwater mixed over his body, drawing cold lines across his spine as he took one step at a time. The damp walls ground against his skin with each step, and the air grew heavier. Thankfully, he hit the ground soon, panting, legs burning like he had just run a marathon. And he found... nothing. There was a wooden chest in a small and uneven cave, where Kalin most likely hid his belongings, but it was empty. Lucen cursed as he searched the cramped space for any clue. He found leaves and wet footprints. But he wasn’t a forensic expert; he had no way of knowing how old these footsteps were. The leaves, however, were conical and bent inwards strangely. Are these the Lyst leaves? Lucen thought, remembering the description Liam had given him. Why were they here? Kalin was a hunter, but this place is clean of any other types. Did the Cruncher come back here? But why? It had none of Kalin’s memories— A sharp creak from the floorboard snapped the muffled silence. Lucen looked up sharply, summoning his spear. The pounding rain outside and his heartbeat began to blend. Was there something in the house? Lucen had searched the place multiple times already. The toilet? No, it wasn’t possible. His mana sense spread out, and the sweat on his back became colder. Something was there. Its mana was hidden, but it couldn’t hide the brief signs of life. Its mana... a purplish-dark colour. How could that be? It was the hue he saw when he devoured essence from creatures. Lucen’s mouth dried as it crept closer to the hole, his hands shook against the spear as he considered how to fight in here. Then it stopped. Lucen gritted his teeth and prepared to kill or die. A violent crack of thunder shook the entire house and made his heart nearly jump out of his throat. Suddenly, it retreated to the bathroom and disappeared. Into the pipes? He thought as he scrambled out of the hole. He couldn’t sense the being’s life mana anymore, but he could sense life outside the door. He jumped out of the hole as the door burst open, and soldiers filled the house. They jumped as he crawled from the hole and raised their weapons. "It’s me, you idiots," he cursed as he tried to control his breath. "Where the hell is Jon?" "Here," said the grim commander as his hulking form entered the room. "You should have waited—" "You wasted too much damn time!" Lucen screamed, "It was here just now!" All the soldiers tensed, drawing their weapons and double-checking each corner. Jon grimaced. "Where did it go?" Lucen paled suddenly, but his head was down. Something... "Right now. Where are the Lyst trees? We need to go there right now and search." "Lucen—" started Jon. "No fucking time to waste talking." Lucen hissed as he pushed through the men. The rain was fading, but the dark feeling that invaded his body when he learnt of Kalin was still growing. ■——■ They crossed into the small forest of trees that Castaway Valley kept. The damp, wet forest smelt like dirt and something acidic. The trees were grey, but their green leaves swayed softly. The sound of light rain and insects buzzing was drowned out by the sound of men marching through mud. With Lucen and Jon at the head, they arrived where all Lyst trees were grown. They smelt like citrus, itching his nose. They all stopped; the trackers spread out immediately, checking every corner of the area, their faces darkening with each trace they found. One of them reported to Jon and Lucen, his face grim. "Something has been living here, multiple things at that, and there are also signs that they tried to hide their tracks." Jon clicked his tongue. "They knew we were coming." When? He wondered. Lucen was quietly staring into the dark trees in front of him. Jon looked over to him, worried. "How’d you know they were here?" Lucen remained quiet. All the soldiers became more tense, looking between themselves and at the quiet boy. His blonde hair glinted in the retreating light of the Halo, and he looked up at the array of stars dotting the sky as the darkness grew. "You told them we were coming," he said simply. Everyone furrowed their brow, shifting nervously. "You didn’t speak to certain soldiers—" Lucen said, pointing each of them out. The others looked at the ones he singled out. These soldiers attempted to make confused expressions, but it twisted into something horrifying. "How can you speak?" Lucen demanded, facing Commander Jon, his voice furious. "And when did you kill Jon?"