Divine System: Land of the Abominations

"You are one lucky kid. That's twenty pounds of bread and dried meat. It's all yours."

Staring wide-eyed at the crate of items in front of him, Nero was a bit speechless.

He turned to the man standing beside him.

He wore the signature armor of the Crimson Crucible, only he didn't have his helmet on.

Dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a strange, goofy smile on his face as he stared down at Nero.

Nero pursed his lips,

"This... Isn't this a lot for just me? Don't you all need these rations?"

The Templar guffawed, "Food is important. But we require more than that for our sustenance."

Nero frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

However, he couldn't dwell on it for too long as the Templar's large hand clamped down on his shoulder,

"To think the commander already has his eyes on you. You must be a young talent. What are you done all the way out here on Hell's doorsteps?"

Nero grimaced, but said nothing.

The Templar chuckled awkwardly. Then paused,

"The name's Pete, by the way. Nice to meet you, youngling!"

Nero turned to the man named Pete. From under the armor, he absolutely didn't look how he had expected. Although he was much larger than he was, he had the disposition of a gentle giant.

His smile also seemed genuine.

Nero pursed his lips before deciding to bite the bullet,

"You are much different from what Templars are believed to be."

Pete's smile faded just a bit.

He chuckled and shook his head,

"Different, huh. That's quite the choice of words, youngling."

The Templar turned around and slowly put his helmet back on his head.

However, before he could do it completely, Nero caught sight of something.

The back of his neck was covered in strange, scaly, tumor like growths.

Nero trembled slightly. That was when he remembered Peter's arm.

'A mutation?'

He frowned. Could it be that all the Templars of the Crimson Crucible were hiding the same terrifyingly grotesque mutations underneath the red steel?

That was most definitely the case.

However, something told him this matter wasn't so simple. Perhaps it was much more complex than he could ever imagine.

When Pete put his helmet back on, his demeanor and voice changed completely.

"Please keep in mind exactly what those rations are. You are a good kid, Nero. It would be a shame to see you turn into crow shit here."

Nero stared silently at the crate of food for some time.

Of course he knew what that meant.

While these rations were a grace, they were also a heavy anchor tied to his feet in a turbulent sea.

If he wasn't careful, it would be the reason he drowned to death.

He sighed and bent over, lifting up the crate. Then he began walking.

Now, a lot of the Templars of the Crimson Crucible had lot their helmets, with some of them even walking about without their chest pieces. They all had hardened looks on their faces, with some even sporting grizzly scars.

Some of them threw curious glances his way, but most didn't even spare him a glance.

Nero smiled bitterly. He definitely didn't look the best at the moment. Still, that didn't matter much at the moment.

He walked out of the campsite, with the two standing guard not even sparing him a glance.

Nero huffed then continued walking without stopping or looking back.

Almost instantly, the gazes that were on him turned from curious and apathetic, to terrifyingly intense, dark, and sinister.

He trembled slightly.

He knew exactly what those glares meant.

He continued walking until he caught sight of the campsite he was pulled from a few minutes ago.

"Back so quick?" Lucy said with raised brows.

The rest all seemed surprised as well.

Aisha stood up and walked over to him. Her eyes scanned him suspiciously,

"This... They didn't harm you, did they?"

Nero oursed his lips,

"No. They didn't. They gave me rations."

Obed frowned and walked over,

"Let me see."

Nero dropped the crate to the ground and took a step back.

Obed leaned over and with his good arm, he dug through the contents quickly.

He laughed bitterly,

"I can't decide if this is a good thing or the worst thing possible."

Geor frowned, "This is good, isn't it? We have food. We don't have to worry about our meals for a time, at least."

Lucy sighed and shook her head as she rose to her feet and walked over,

"Sure, that is true. But we aren't the only hungry ones around. Look around..."

Geor frowned. The morning fog had cleared up so it was possible to see much better now.

All around them, three were different piercing gazes trained on them. The intentions behind each gaze was relatively the same. A biting, wretched hunger combined with envy and lust.

"Crap."

Obed sighed and nodded.

Then he turned to Nero,

"Do we simply throw it all out?"

Nero frowned.

He definitely didn't want to do that. After all, th food was very important. They were already out of rations. This would keep them fed for at least a week.

On the other hand, he knew as long as they had the food, there would be a target on their backs. And when people were hungry, they did tend to do stupid, cruel things.

He sighed.

He thought about it a bit longer. Then he shook his head,

"If any one wants a fight, we can give them. Besides, I believe the Templars won't let it get too bad."

Obed grimaced but remained silent.

Lucy scratched her head and snorted,

"There's no need to be so down about it." She turned to Nero and smiled,

"It's good you are alive, kid."

Nero froze.

Geor walked up and patted him on the shoulder,

"You had us worried for a moment. Even Obed was tense."

Obed snorted and turned around,

"You keep putting us into shit, kid. If I die, I'll definitely not let you rest easy. But..."

He turned around,

"It's good to have you back, kid."