Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

“Well, my friend, given Kite’s little observation, I thought I should ask for an update. Any words from the work in pressuring the Descending Star sect?”

Jarvan and Rupert both stood close to one of the big windows looking out over Gilded’s golden foliage, the rest just having left as Jarvan had instructed Adelaide to be the group’s liaison for the contract and help them get started.

“At least the degree of hostility has not worsened so far. It was the right move from the city lord to have us and himself step back and let the church handle it. With the way things were going before…” Rupert finished, trailing off meaningfully.

“Thank you, Rupert. The church will indeed do good work. I am just afraid that it will prove to be too slow. More precursor signs of the surge are showing every week now. I would give it a few months at most, not the year that the original prognosis had proclaimed,” Jarvan said, looking grim. “If the sect won’t agree to have their members examined like the Victorious Sunset sect, only to act up too much during the surge, we will have little choice but to take more decisive action. But during the surge, every adventurer not out fighting monsters means more suffering to the people we are supposed to protect.”

“At least Walker is out there, preparing the countryside. And Force should return soon as well.” Rupert noted.

“That is indeed something to be thanking Fortune for,” Jarvan agreed. “Having more silver-rankers than the last surge will definitely be a boon. I’m just afraid that we might find ourselves needing them more than ever before.”

“Take heart, my friend,” Rupert said. “At least there have been quite a few stars of hope among the younger generation as well as of late. Hopefully, we will see them step up even further to rise to the challenge.” As the leonid finished, he nodded down towards the courtyard of the adventure society campus, where a young human man and a local elf scion walked side by side, chatting amicably.

As usual, the temple of Song echoed with the harmony of its perpetual choir, the clergy coming and going during every hour of the day. While it would not have been possible for a small chapel in some far-out village, Gilded had at least enough essence-users to make it possible through their superhuman stamina and less need of sleep.

As Kite entered the main hall, its wood and stone shaped to provide the best acoustics, he knew that Serene noticed his presence immediately. Probably had the moment he set foot in the temple.

His friend was one of the dozen currently participating in Song’s worship and the only one whose mouth remained closed. Even so, she was definitely the one contributing the most; clear notes seeming to manifest from the air itself all around the room to beautifully intertwine with the melody.

“And she has truly gotten more proficient in splitting her voice as well,” Kite thought to himself, noting how Serene carried both droning notes for the others to lean on as well as accentuating the melodies with a descant. Waiting for her to finish proved to be as enjoyable a wait as one could experience, and eventually Kite could hear Serene slowly extricate herself from the weave of music before flowing across the floor to join up with him. Literally flowing, in her case, her feet not touching the ground as she floated just a few centimeters over the ground.

“A beautiful homage to your goddess, Serene. You truly are on a path of transcending what it means to sing,” Kite said, giving his friend a quick hug in greeting.

“I am unsure if that is flattery or heresy, Kite,” Serene chided him with a smile, her voice still manifesting like wisps of wind and the chime of bells. “But thank you. And it seems like I am not the only one who has changed a bit,” she said, a note of concern as she reached out and gently touched the small scar on his cheek.

“You noticed it so fast? I didn’t think it was that obvious,” Kite asked, a bit self-aware.

“It is a lot more prominent in your aura, my friend. It is a bit firmer now, even more unyielding than before. But I am more concerned about you and what caused it. As you may know, when beings like us get scars, it is from something rather drastic.”

“As that is quite the long story, would the priestess mind joining me for lunch? I would also like to hear what you have been up to during the past months,” Kite said, motioning for the temple doors.

“The priestess would not mind at all. Please, lead the way.”

About an hour later, Kite just having finished his second bowl of noodles, the telling of said story came to its conclusion. “-so both Braid and Wander still remain in Bastion, as far as I know, trying to uncover everything in the wake of mistress Wither’s actions.” It had felt good telling Serene all of it, despite the ache of desperation some of the memories still stirred up within him. Apparently sensing the slight discomfort, Kite felt Serene’s aura gently wrap around his in a show of comfort and support.

“Then it seems that all of us who care for you must say a few more prayers to Fortune in thanks,” Serene noted. “Not many other bronze-rankers of your level would have been able to survive for even those scant minutes unless they had an impressive amount of mobility or their own options of teleportation.”

“If she had just decided to forgo her powers and been willing to take some hits earlier to just bludgeon me like she did at the end, I am unsure if I would have been able to hold on for long enough,” Kite admitted. “It does drive home the lesson of making your powers a part of you rather than a crutch to lean on.

But what about you, Serene? I can feel that you have grown too, and you have gotten a lot more proficient with your aura. Even floating about with your wind-manipulation is impressive. You were still in the early stages of practice with the evolved power when I left,” he finished, taking a sip of the tea which he had ordered along with the food.

“Nothing as spectacular, I assure you,” Serene answered. “Most of my time has either been spent out on contract along with Will and Grim, or under the tutelage of my elders in the temple. The church even brought in a silver-ranker from abroad to mentor me for a month. While he was rather strict, I did learn a lot.”

“Well, it shows,” Kite said encouragingly. “And speaking of contracts, have you received the offer from the director?”

“Yes, just this morning.”

“Heh, the director must have been quite sure of us all accepting then,” Kite said with a smile. “I was still in line at the city gates this morning.”

“He may be a boisterous man, but I believe that he has a better eye for people than he lets on,” Serene agreed. “And I will, of course, join you. Hunting down what remains of those people is a task too important to not participate.

But how do you feel about it? The contract did specify that you would be offered the position of leading the team?”

“Honestly, it was both flattering, and a bit terrifying,” Kite admitted. “While part of me still feels like I am just a green iron-ranker, the last year has really driven home the point that this is no longer the case. And that if I want to have a hand in shaping events, I will also need to take charge a bit more. But I will admit that it is comforting to have Whisper joining as well. One should still heed the voice of experience.”

“Will not Grim join as well?”

“No, not this time. Apparently, the city lord cannot spare him at the moment. Since his portal power reached silver-rank, he is usually quite hard at work in preparing for the surge and assisting in logistics.”

“Well, it will be a comfort to have you with us as well. And hopefully Dragonfly too, once she returns?”

“Oh, I would not dare try stopping her from joining,” Kite said with a laugh. “That might have been the reason for them explicitly stating that I would have some say in team composition.”

“I believe that you are right,” Serene said, giggling. “But I miss our fellow force of nature. Hopefully she will return soon.”

“A sentiment I can echo,” Kite agreed, lifting his cup. “A toast, then. To new adventures together.”

“And to pleasant reunions,” Serene added, clinking her cup to his.

“Sect leader, the representatives from the church of the Healer once more request a meeting,” grand elder Meridian said, bowing as she delivered the news.

“Again? Send them away. They should know by now that our great institution will not submit ourselves to any examinations of theirs. Stooping to the same level as the Victorious Sunset sect? Preposterous.”

The angry harangue was accentuated by the cracking of stone as the heavy axehead sundered the reinforced stone training dummy, a trail of glowing stars following in its wake almost like a banner. Comet Banishing Clouds, leader of the Descending Star sect, turned to his grand elder with an annoyed expression. The sect leader was a runic like the grand elder, and one could easily see the familial resemblance between them, sky-blue symbols covering their skin and bald heads. But where Meridian wore a respectfully blank expression, Comet’s snarl only deepened.

“You still think that we should let them in, cousin?” he asked, voice lowering threateningly.

“My thoughts have already been discarded by you, sect leader. There is no reason for me to give voice to them again.”

Comet gave her a long look, then nodded. “Good. I still had my doubts, cousin, thinking that traitorous intent might have wound its way into your heart.

You may go now, and tell the church representatives that they are not any more welcome now than they were before, unless they come with the intent of assisting us in preparations for the surge or provide their services to our members, as is their place.”

“Understood, sect leader,” the grand elder said, bowing once more before leaving the sect leader's private exercise hall. She made sure to have left the building, exiting onto the grounds of the sect compound. Located in a huge crater, its origins dating back to the cataclysmic holy wars, Meridian tried to let the sight of lush gardens and buildings lining the slopes of her home calm her.

But her heart remained troubled; as troubled as it had been since the first time her cousin had rejected the examinations of Healer’s church. And with this last meeting, something else had been born as well; Anger.

“Come on, master Force! We will be late if we don’t leave soon!” Dragonfly pleaded with her master, already having packed to leave the small apartment the two had been sharing during their stay in Convergence.

“Patience, dear student,” Force of Raging Torrent said calmly, finishing the moves of her morning meditation with slow deliberation. “I assure you that the monster surge is not going anywhere.”

“But what if we’re too late? What if we get caught up in it and are forced to remain here? Or somewhere along the way?”

Bowing out into the empty air, Force finally opened her eyes to look at her student with a raised eyebrow. “Is that really what worries you the most? Or is it something else?” she asked knowingly.

Dragonfly froze, then sighed, resigned. As usual, her master tended to see straight through her. “I- I want to show them all my progress. And the results of what you have taught me. And the gift evolution. And…” she said, trailing off before finishing with a smaller voice. “I don’t want them to forget about me, going out on their own contracts and just moving on.”

“This again?” Force asked, her smile patient. Walking up to her student, Force brushed a stray curl of pink hair, tucking it behind Dragonfly’s ear as she had done so many times while the child of the past had grown into the young woman of the present. And as it had always done, the bouncy curl sprung right back to where it had been, ever defiant.

“Dragonfly, as essence-users, our lives are long. As are our memories. You still think about these things like a normal-ranker and a teenager. And you are neither anymore,” she chided gently. “But you also haven’t experienced it by yourself yet; that the mark you leave with people will remain strong. Stronger than you could ever imagine. If they think about you even a fraction of the time you have thought about them, I believe that they will remember you forever.

But you are right in one thing; that it is time to venture north again. I am also sure that there will be plenty of contracts to distract you along the way, young one. Diligence is the way to the heavens, after all.”

While her words had seemed to bring some cheer back to Dragonfly, her last statement had her return to a state where she mostly grumbled defiantly. Force couldn’t help but smile, feeling the shift in her student’s aura; the obvious worry and longing had been replaced by a bit of consternation, but even more, a sense of purpose seemed to have ignited.

“The road towards the heavens may be a lonely one,” Force thought with a sly smile. “But if someone will bludgeon it into submission enough to bring others along, it will be you, Dragonfly over Sun’s Reflection.”

“Whisper of the Brush. Your reputation precedes you, but I believe that this is the first time we have had the pleasure of properly meeting,” Will said, giving a polite bow to his fellow bronze-ranker.

“Triumph of Indomitable Will,” the older man greeted in turn. “As we are all equal part of this team, please call me Whisper.” The man who had once handled Kite’s and Dragonfly’s induction into the adventure society looked the same as Kite remembered; from his white hair, contrasting his otherwise middle-aged appearance, to his tall and thin frame. While he still wore robes, Kite also noted that the garments were complemented with some pieces of armor, as well as belts and bandoliers holding rows of small bottles.

The group that intended to team up for the contract had just met up at one of the smaller, more discrete inner courtyards of the Gilded adventure society campus, Grim being a temporary addition as they were soon about to depart.

It had only been two days since Kite returned to Gilded, but with both uncle Walker and mistress Dew absent, being busy with their own contracts and preparations for the monster surge, he had seen little point in delaying departure as intel had already arrived. There were several areas of interest to the west and south of Gilded which had seen increased activity of threats, with indication that it was not only monsters causing trouble. As the rest of the team had been amicable to departing sooner rather than later, getting ready had been a swift proposition.

“I believe that our team leader will have to work on his habit of still referring to me as ‘instructor’ as well, in spite of it being flattering to still be remembered as a figure of authority,” Whisper added, a good-natured twinkle in his eyes.

“This young one shall do his best,” Kite replied. “Still, I remain grateful for your advice from yesterday's meeting.”

“Listening to the voice of experience is all well and good, young Kite. Now take those words and use your own judgment as you make them your own,” Whisper counseled, before straightening a bit, assuming a more formal posture. “So, team leader, what is our planned route?”

Kite looked to his two friends, nodding to them each before he led them all to a nearby table, a map of the area already laid out in preparation.

“From the information we have received, there are two areas of the most interest,” He began, indicating two circles on the map, each highlighting an area southwest of the city. Kite pointed to one of them as he continued. “Around these three villages, there have been reports of monsters behaving oddly, even moving in mixed packs. While the sightings are few, it is still enough to warrant an investigation as we recognize it as a tactic used by our foes during the expedition. And we do not want to leave it unchecked, as such a force hidden during the surge will have plenty of materials to add to their ‘flocks’.”

“Either way, slaying the monsters will be good for the people. With the upcoming surge, keeping potential evacuation routes clear is of the utmost importance,” Will noted, receiving nods from the rest.

“That is true,” Kite agreed. “But we will still strike out at the other area first, as there has been a reported increase in people going missing, but without the corresponding monster attacks. As I believe that you have all encountered the followers of the so-called ‘path of pleasure’, I will assume that you understand why investigating these disappearances is of higher priority.”

His statements only received grim nods in response, especially from Whisper. Kite knew that he, along with uncle Walker, had been part of the teams entering the mostly empty hidden compound of the fallen sect. From Walker’s subdued words, only hinting at some of what he had witnessed there, Kite had understood that the victims of the corrupt path had endured things that many would choose death instead of being subjected to.

“While we are a new grouping, me, Serene and Will have worked together before. Would you please give us an overview of your capabilities, Whisper?”

“It would be my pleasure,” the older man said, turning to the rest. “While I mostly spend my days as a functionary and overseeing new inductions, I have also been part of the deputy director’s strike team since its inception.

My essences are ink, paper and rune, resulting in the talisman confluence, with powers mostly centered around control and stealth. While I can work on the fly, I will be the most efficient if I have been able to prepare talismans and the battlefield beforehand. From what your dossiers and Kite here have told me, I believe that my role will be to facilitate potential infiltrations as well as contain parts of enemy forces while you deal with the piecemeal that remains.”

“It is quite understandable why you have been given the role of instructor,” Will noted in response to Whisper's succinct analysis. “Know that you will fight beside the one who will one day be known as the next Saint of Spears. I am honored to battle the forces of darkness and depravity at your side.”

“The honor is mutual, young master,” Whisper chuckled. “As your legend grows, I look forward to regaling my kin with how I once fought at your side.” His words left Grim having to stifle a look of chagrin at his encouragement of Will’s ambition.

“While I am sure that we will find our stride, I will still advocate that we heed another of our instructor’s words and be diligent in our discussions after potential encounters,” Kite said, once more claiming the other’s attention. “Instructor Concente set a precedent that I believe will help us as much now as during the expedition.

As you are all ready; Grim, if you please?”

“Certainly, team leader.” The formal elf said with a nod, the familiar glass archway of his portal appearing, filled with shimmering light.

“And please convey our thanks to the city lord for sparing you to send us off,” Kite added.

Will and Whisper both went through the portal, followed by Serene. Kite also approached the gate, but stopped at the last moment, turning to Grim. “How did I do?”

“Most professionally handled, young Kite,” Grim answered formally. “With some more experience, you have the makings of a fine commander. And please, take care of the young master in my absence.” The last statement was added a bit less formally, a sign that Grim also felt a bit anxious to have Will go off into potential danger without his lifetime companion at his side.

“You are ever too kind, Grim. And I will always strive to protect my friends,” Kite said earnestly. “Take care, Grim.”

And with those words left as farewell, Kite entered the portal.

“Lord Indomitable. High priest Bringer.” Jarvan greeted as he was led into the office of Gilded’s city lord. The regal elf was accompanied by another silver-ranker clad in the robes of Healer’s clergy, albeit with a lot more buttons and tassels than Jarvan was used to before coming to Hua-Xi. The local high-priest, Bringer of the Tranquil, was a human with sharp features making him look rather strict, the trait only amplified by his rank. His aura had the distinct feel of a lifetime core-user, but nonetheless felt soothing and rejuvenating.

“Director, I am grateful that you could join us on such short notice,” high priest Bringer said, his smooth, calm voice contrasting his exterior.

“Given who asked, it immediately received the highest priority. I take it that you have received some kind of response from the sect?”

“Yes, but unfortunately it remains the same,” the priest said with a sad shake of his head. “But I still remain hopeful that we can make them see sense. Should we consider an alternate solution of approaching individual members?”

“I would counsel against it. From the local political pressure being enacted on behalf of the sect, not going through what is regarded as the legitimate authority will only further undermine our own credibility,” city lord Indomitable said where he sat behind his grand desk.

“From the way I see it, we will soon have to decide if we are to take more decisive action against the sect. Should the troubles remain when the surge hits, things will be a mess. I am sure that the continental council would-” Jarvan began, but was interrupted by the city lord raising his hand.

“While I would personally welcome it, I would not be so sure if the council would wish to act. At least not openly. While Gilded is quite far removed from the capital, what little news I receive there indicates that the council forcefully stepping in might only aggravate the tensions already in play.”

“Well, we can’t just do nothing,” Jarvan retorted.

“We can consider another overture. Maybe to the grand elders, rather than the sect leader directly?” high priest Bringer asked. “They might be convinced to have the sect leader see sense.”

“As we should at least have a few months left before the surge, that would indeed seem like the best option,” lord Indomitable agreed. “In my experience, these things require their proper time.”

“Time we, as I pointed out, may not have,” Jarvan said pointedly. But as the other two present seemed more unified in their intent to try another diplomatic angle, he still felt some need to give what advice he could. “But if this is the way you decide, then you should at least try grand elder Meridian first. She has proven decently reasonable in our dealings so far, especially after the whole debacle after the war which was recorded.”

“Thank you, director. We shall heed your advice in our future dealings.” the high priest said, nodding gratefully.

“But we will still make contingencies in case of trouble,” Jarvan added, with a raised finger. “Let none here say that the adventure society was not willing to take action for the good of the people of the Autumn lands.”

“Rest assured that your honor remains intact, director-” lord Indomitable began, but Jarvan interrupted him.

“Please excuse me, my lord, when I say that I don’t give a heidel’s ass about my honor. We are here to keep the city and the region as safe as can be from what is basically a cataclysm. Sure, it is a regular one, but the death toll is always great. The dead do not care for honor either way, and neither shall I. But as it is not my decision in the end, so I can only counsel. And prepare. So with that, I bid you both farewell.”

Jarvan’s tone was straight and clipped as he spoke, rising from his chair and leaving the room and the two other silver rankers behind. Because what he said was true; there were preparations to be made.

“Whisper, please finish these ones.” Kite called, turning to make an empowered leap towards the fresh group of carrion slugs which had entered the vicinity of the battle currently being waged in the forests south of Gilded. Contrary to their name, the wriggling monsters were surprisingly fast, their bronze-ranked bodies undulating in strange ways to propel them forwards in leaps and bounds. Each of the squealing monsters was around half a meter thick and had between two and five gelatinous antennae extending from what Kite assumed was their heads, each dripping with necrotic acid to dissolve their favorite food; corpses.

Spawning in swarms and individually weak for their rank, the relentless swarms did not hesitate to create the corpses which they wanted to dine upon. And this particular swarm was quite numerous.

Will was currently dancing in between four of the creatures, his spears weaving a piercing cage of death as he created new weapons for the leaping creatures to impale themselves upon while stepping through the air on what would become a steady stream of javelins penetrating gelatinous flesh.

Kite had engaged four of his own, working on weakening and injuring them through the sweeping attacks of Void-Sunders-Firmament, the void-aspected special attack proving quite effective as it created a hindrance for the slug-monster’s other advantage; the impressive regenerative properties of their gelatinous bodies.

With another group of six arriving in response to their squealing kin, he had Whisper take over to engage them himself, a series of wards appearing in his wake to encapsulate the beleaguered slugs in a cubical barrier before starting to fire rays of light at the restrained monsters.

“Why are there so many of these things here of all places?” Will called, finishing one of his foes with a spear thrust glowing with holy light. “The middle of nowhere isn’t their usual hunting ground.”

“The monster surge tends to bring things out of the ordinary,” Whisper noted. “Monsters further away from their habitats are but one of the precursor signs.”

“We can investigate after we have handled these ones. Serene, do you feel any more incoming?” Kite did not have to turn to the priestess, who remained hard to detect as her aura kept urging everyone’s senses to slide off her even as she sang songs of renewal and wove winds to control the battle.

“I sense one other large group is incoming from the west, but we have at least a minute until they arrive.” Serene’s wispy voice seemed to manifest right next to her companions even while she continued to cast her spells.

“Understood. Then we will have to rely on your expertise here as well, Whisper. Please buy us some more time,” Kite called, having waded in amongst the group of six monstrous slugs.

Drawing Carmine Sunrise, Kite slashed through a pair of the gelatinous monsters, the sword’s rending detonation of force having proven itself against the soft bodies. His barrier and weapon flickered around him, deflecting strikes from acid-covered antennae, but the number was quite diminished thanks to Glint. The carp floated up among the branches of nearby trees, her restraining globes of water keeping three of the monster occupied.

In response to Kite’s command, Whisper threw out another two dozen talismans, the paper slips swiftly flowing off in the direction indicated by Serene. From earlier engagements, Kite knew that the incoming group of slugs would receive an explosive welcome.

The fight continued, kept under tight control for the next half minute as Will picked off his monsters one by one while Kite weakened and downed his own in clusters of two and three, not being shy in employing the disruptive force beams of Sage.

As they fought, the flashes and explosions of discharging talismans started an increasingly frequent accompaniment to Serene’s ethereal song. Just as Will had joined Kite in killing the final three of his own foes, Serene’s voice reached them again.

“Be ready, they come!”

“Go, Kite!” Will’s words were casual as he delivered death to his foes with almost casual ease, his speed significantly increased by all the conjured weapons littering the battlefield.

Disengaging from the beleaguered monsters, Kite saw the injured remnants of another group of ten slugs start coming into view. Their flesh was still sizzling from the magical detonations, their vitality frantically trying to regenerate the missing chunks of their bodies.

His sword once more appeared, hovering in its sheath as it started flickering with the dark spatial tears of Void-Sunders-Firmament, the localized voids only spreading further as Kite infused it with Potential of Stolen Power. As he drew the sword for a low, horizontal slash, he simultaneously chanted a quick spell.

“Wall!”

The horizontal panes of force from Leyline Warding appeared above the creatures, as close as Kite could make it. This limited the monstrous slugs’ mobility, some crashing into the sudden ceiling mid-leap as the extended void blade swept through all of them, rending detonations following after a slight delay. Some creatures fell immediately, and the few that remained were injured enough after Whisper's talisman traps and Kite’s empowered attack to make killing them more a question of cleaning up.

Taking a time to look appreciatively at this sword and accompanying sheath, Kite thought; “I wonder if Peony can somehow upgrade it to silver rank in the future?” The explosive rending damage and singular boosted strike made a great addition to his arsenal, and he still felt a thrill every time he managed to utilize the durable, spatially-locked sheath to unexpected effect.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned to the others. “Good job. Now let us see what we find in there that has so many of these things drawn here. And hope that these particular monsters were just a quirk of the surge instead of what their presence might normally imply.”

Among a nearby cluster of rocks, the group had found a stone-shaped tunnel leading downwards along with the initial group of carrion slugs. If the smoothness of the walls hadn’t given away the tunnel’s origin, the even stone steps leading downwards would have driven home the point.

The sloped tunnel was not too deep, but Kite felt a sense of trepidation as the group descended. Serene seemed to be even further affected, even pausing halfway down the stairs.

“I feel them down there. Normal rankers. But their auras are faint. And broken,” the priestess all but whispered. “But those are the only ones. If there are more people down there, they are well hidden.”

“Then we need to increase our pace,” Kite said, turning to the priestess. “Serene, please monitor the normals as best as you can and tell us if you feel that their condition deteriorates.”

Entering through a simple stone door, like a disc meant to be rolled aside, the group found a stone cellar similarly excavated through the use of magic. It was simple but rather spacious, glow stones set into temporary scones carved into the wall.

But the rest of the room’s details were quickly forgotten, focus immediately drawn to the rotting corpses. The stench was repugnant, but not to the level where Kite would have assumed them to have been left dead for more than a few days. His expanded field of vision showed six of them, what Kite assumed to be essence users all seeming to have suffered a quite painful death, still evident in the rictus of their bodies.

“Gods, what happened here?” Will asked, looking around. But Serene immediately focused on something else.

“There, behind the stone slab.” Her words had barely manifested as she sent a sonic blast tearing into a stone wall looking a bit off from the surroundings. Cracks immediately formed in the stone, and Serene looked to be on the verge of launching another when Whisper lay a hand on her arm.

“Careful. Too much force might launch splinters and risk injuring those inside, if they are normal rankers as seems to be the case. Let me.”

Now knowing where to look, Kite could feel them too; normal-ranked auras, unsteady and weak. They had stirred a bit at the impact of Serene’s sonic blast, but not too much. Whisper walked up to the wall and affixed two paper slips to it, each covered in magical runes and sigils.

“Disintegration talismans,” the older man said by way of explanation. “Much better for stealthier entry. And in this case, less likely to cause collateral damage.”

Both talismans lit up, and a moment later a shuddering pulse surged through the stone slab, visible to Kite’s magical perception. And after yet another moment, the part of the wall crumbled into gravel all at once. A gust from Serene cleared out the small cloud of dust, revealing what the group had both feared and hoped; men and women, most of them probably rather young, were huddled up in a small room without windows. All of them were naked and emaciated, and Kite realized that they were probably severely dehydrated as well, if his dating of the corpses outside were even marginally correct.

What followed next was a flurry of activity as the group had to both extract and assist the poor captives one at a time as well as keep a pair of them from making a panicked shamble, insensate in their fear. Kite even had to go so far as to drain their mana, leaving them both unconscious but also protected from themselves.

Standing outside, Serene channeling her song of healing which both served to rejuvenate and distract the now watered and fed prisoners, Kite went to stand at Whisper’s side, looking down into the tunnel and the corpses remaining below.

“This is indeed proof that elements of the fallen sect have returned,” the older man stated grimly.

“Indeed. And these poor people paid the price to fuel their corrupt paths. While you told me and Dragonfly about it during our induction, seeing it during the war and then again during this day…” Kite replied, trailing off.

“There are many paths to the heavens. Most are littered with defeated foes and often a fair share of blood. But this… this always remains a concept hard to stomach.”

“And not only are they here-” Kite noted, “-but apparently we are not the only ones hunting them. What do you think killed them?”

“Hard to tell, but it must have been something or someone competent. There are quite a few monsters who fit the bill, but to kill so many of them without leaving any more traces? Or even trying to get to the prisoners?” Whisper shook his head. “We need to report this, but also keep investigating. Your first skirmish leading us was well executed, Kite. Now comes the part where complications arise, as is almost always bound to be the case. But you lead us onward, and we will follow. And get to the bottom of this.”

Kite nodded at his words, both grateful and troubled. Because he had the sense that the future would indeed prove to be one of strife and complication both.