A wolf-like monster howled at the sky— or what was left of one.
Its jaw hung loose, tendons stretched thin, its ribs gaped open, jutting through its flesh, and something wet sloshed inside the hollow. Each raged breath dragged a sick squelch from the mess of intestines hanging halfway out its belly, glistening and twitching as if they were still trying to crawl in.
Around it, the other undead wolves fed.
One wolf gnawed on a human arm, pulling until the shoulder socket popped with a wet snap. Another tore through a corpse's stomach, dragging ribbons of intestine through its teeth like noodles as blood soaked into the mud, steaming faintly in the cold air.
Children's cries cracked through the noise, high and thin ugly bawling sounds blending with the growls.
And through it all, a faint dragging sound echoed as a body being pulled across the ground.
Crix the Merchant, dragging Elian's body across the wrecked dome.
Fifteen minutes had passed. All the Tankers are dead. And no matter how the rest called for help... It never came.
It was weird how too easy the infiltration was. And how numerous the body of classes higher than pawns littered the ground.
It was as if... They were looking for something.
Could it be the Kai's cult? Or just the Black Guild filtering out for as many pawns they could gather for a game, Crix had thought.
His boots scraped against the stone as he hauled Elian's limp form through the ruin. The boy's clothes were soaked dark, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, fingers twitching weakly before going still again.
The knife wound was deep, the warmth that had filled his gut was already leaking out, replaced by a crawling cold that numbed his skin from the inside out.
Elian felt it all.
The metal sliding into his skin, the betrayal in Crix's eyes, or just something he couldn't read. Pity, maybe.
Elian's last thought before everything went dark was just disappointment.
Why carry and DRAG the body you just killed, dammit! He's going to find out about my resurrection skill!
...
Or was that his plan in the first place?
Ding!
[Resurrection Complete!]
[You've been dead for 17 minutes.]
[And most probably that... you're screwed.]
Elian couldn't spare the time to open his eyes. He'd been playing dead for two minutes now, a refusal to accept what just happened and why it happened.
Right now, all he wished is to get dumped in some place outside the dome for an easy escape.
Especially when he have to train to Max up his stats for him to unlock his sponsor's Quest.
Elian licked his lips. The offer does sounded nice.
But it was still unclear. Like how—
"Oh you're awake." Crix voice jolted him out of his thoughts.
He gasped as Crix dropped him over a pile of rocks.
They were now under a make-shift pile of rubble Crix had pulled together in shape of a tent for an hideout to keep the wolves away.
Sharp edges of the cut out stones bit into Elian's spine, knocking the air out of his lungs. He choked back a groan, clutching his stomach where the knife had gone in. His fingers brushed the dried crust of blood there.
Crix stood over him, blank-eyed. His face was smeared with grime, hair half-singed, jacket torn and dripping something that definitely wasn't mud. For a moment, he simply stared down at Elian like he was a sack of coins he couldn't decide whether to keep or sell.
Then, his mouth twitched into a wide grin as his eyes twinkled.
"Ohhh you sneaky bastard," Crix whispered, voice splitting into a giddy laugh. "You—haa—you actually pulled it off! I knew it! A resurrection skill? You didn't even tell me you got a sponsor backing you up! What else is up your sleeve ey—?"
Before Elian could sit up, the man was already crouching beside him, hands flapping wildly like a kid discovering a new toy. "You should've seen your face! The panic in your eyes, ahh, chef's kiss! I almost cried from how good that performance was! But boy was I surprised when I saw you—"
A hard slap echoed.
Crix froze mid-laugh, cheek red from Elian's palm.
"Keep it down," Elian hissed. His voice was shaky. "Don't be so loud, you bastard! H-how the hell did you know?!"
Ping!
[Busted~ Just like before, it didn't take three days before your secret got revealed.]
[And it had to be... Him. Urghhh.]
[You are now in lvl 6!]
[Unfortunately...]
Elian's heart skipped two beats. But nobody had seen me walk out after my head got chewed out by those flowers, did they? I never said it out... Is that the only reason why he stabbed me? The fu—
Crix blinked, then grinned again, smaller this time. "Hai!" He crouched lower, his breath fanning Elian's face as he let out a soft chuckle. He raised a finger to his temple, and his pupils flashed gold, light bleeding through the cracks of his eyelids that it startled Elian.
"I got a level up! Bought a shiny relic for myself called: Dragon Imperial Eyes. It was worth five thousand coins! Can you believe that? It lets me see energy fluctuations. And yours—" his grin stretched wider "—yours glowed like a damn furnace even after you stopped breathing."
Elian's stomach twisted. Maybe he should buy an artifact for himself.
Crix tilted his head. "But that's not important now." His tone snapped back to business, finger pressed against his lips. "Shh. Listen."
The world outside the rubble came alive as the sound of wet dragging and loud metal scraping together as they winced.
But then they heard low deep voices that were... laughing.
Elian and Crix crouched lower, breaths shallow as light spilled through the cracks of the collapsed stone above them as three figures walked past—Black Guild knights in pitch armor, spears glinting in the blood-soaked light.
"Still can't believe they called this a rescue mission," one sneered, kicking a broken helmet aside. "You outta hear that one scream earlier! The woman with the green hair? Ha! Sounded like a cat getting peeled."
Another snorted, dragging a crying child by the arm. The boy's feet scraped the dirt. "Don't waste your pity. Orders said to collect the pawns alive. We need them for the class promotions."
The third knight laughed again. "Heh, the more they beg, the sweeter it gets. Reminds me of the old days before the merge. I was a free man." He crouched, stabbing his spear into a corpse just to hear the struggling noise.
Elian's hands trembled. His jaw locked as the child's cries cracked again.
Crix's grip shot out, pinning Elian's shoulder down before he could move. His whisper came sharp, close to his ear.
"Don't. You'll die for real this time."
Elian glared, voice barely a breath. "You stabbed me! I already did."
Crix's expression hardened. "And you still didn't ask why."
Crix leaned closer, whispering against the roar of fire outside. "I didn't want you dragged in with the rest of the pawn baits. You're too precious." His tone dropped lower. "And now… even more valuable. I want you to join my board. You know, a team?"
Elian's breath caught. "What are you—"
Crix cut him off. "The Black Guild staged this massacre. To trigger stage two of the cosmic game. I heard that a stage only opens when enough pieces are killed. Like reaching a quota. They're after something big this time. I'm sure of that."
Elian let out a low gasp. Why would they do that? And how did Crix know that?
But his curiosity piqued. "What thing?"
Crix's gold eyes flicked toward the rubble crack, reflecting the firelight. "The Hand of Kai."
Elian froze. His body stilled at the mention for some odd reason. Although he never heard what that was. Never bothering himself about the history books.
[He's dumb, that's what.]
Suckerbot!
[I'm not wrong tho.]
Suddenly, a dull thud cut the silence.
One of the knights had kicked a body. It rolled over, face slack, eyes closed as the long streak of hairs scattered all around, matted to the bloody dirt.
Tina's face seeped through.
The knights chuckled to themselves.
"Pretty little White Piece, ain't she?"
"Yeah. Guess our guild master's taste is improving. I heard her constellation is some high tier mythic god. Damn. I wish I could impress one. She's lucky."
"And unlucky to fall here! Someone else gotta wake her up. I don't want her to curse me lol."
"And that Aven guy—some hero he turned out to be. Shame he didn't beg like the others. Ian locked him up, didn't he? That nepo baby can't even act the role they want. That damn brat!"
Their laughter echoed sharper, until their footsteps faded into the distance.
Crix smacked his lips, his eyes blinking rapidly from the revelation as he muttered something almost inaudible, "I thought I hid her body quite well. That's not good... she's alive."
Elian's neck snapped back at Crix. "What the hell did you mean?!"
But a small groan gained their attention. Tina was waking up.
She groaned, writhing in pain as she blinked, trying to pull air into a chest that felt full of ash. The rubble pressed at her ribs; dust filled her throat. Her fingers found a warm, unfamiliar hand — Crix's — and then two pale eyes stared back at her from the rubble. She gasped, sucking in the tainted air.
"Help—" she croaked, voice thin.
Elian swallowed and looked away. If they were to help her—she'd be a bigger threat.
Like a ticking time bomb. Besides, Elian doesn't wish to help her. Last time he did, he was blamed for practically everything.
However, she strained up, hair matted across her as her vision doubled. "Please. Please help me. I'm not... I'm not a white peice. C-crix—" her voice broke into a sob. "They're— they're going to—"
A boot slammed into the rubble beside them, jolting Hanita and a tall man dressed as a bishop, his hair reached his shoulders as he stepped into the slant of light. He was broad-shouldered, expression flat, his cold black eyes eyeing the wrecked woman laying on the floor.
He reached for Tina like some man picking up a broken toy.
"Get up," he said. His hand closed around her arm. He hauled her vertical. Her knees buckled; the pain in her side flared hot. She clawed at his grip, nails scraping leather.
"Don't touch me!" she screamed, hair whipping. Her voice shredded. "You— you'll use me!!"
Her eyes darted back to where Crix and Elian hid. Lifting up her hand as she pointed to the giant rubble. "They are hiding there! You wanted p-pawns to claim to find the King, r-right? There's a pawn hiding there!"