Chapter 76: The Carbina Paradox

Sufficiently shrouded by the host of fey spirits, Anselm, Kaylin and I make a desperate break for the village.

Without a heavy smog clouding our view it's relatively easy to find the right direction of the village, especially with the large totems erected all around it in five points.

Still, we have no idea what we're to expect when we reach the village. An increase in mental assaults no doubt and perhaps even some Phien minions- I have already begun to consider the fact that the time wasted may result in the production of new minions.

Minions made from the soul, mind and body of the people of Carbina.

However, despite how dire the odds are now, I still feel a pang of victory beating in my heart. I've finally gotten Kaylin to understand me, to join me in my rather foolhardy cause of building a nation.

In fact, I attribute the bubbling feeling of rightness and understanding I now have about myself and my goal to her, to our conversation. Thanks to that, I know realize I want more than just a little safe hidey hole where I can be safe and obscure from those who would exploit me and throw me aside.

I want a stable life. For once, I want to be able to stroll the streets of a place I call home with people I call friends and perhaps even family, knowing that everything is alright, nothing will come knocking on the door demanding servitude, demanding justice and false righteousness from me.

And so far, even though I didn't really get to know a lot of the people in my brief interim as Mayor, I felt right, I felt safe and perhaps that's the true reason why I didn't leave immediately after the First Gamma Warrior was killed and I'd gotten my boon.

I think…I believe I was just stalling for more time.

But now, with a clearer vision of home in my mind I believe Carbina, or at the very least, Kaylin, Anselm, Leriva and Mathilda can be the first citizens of my little outcast safety Kingdom.

I hold back snorting as it'd break through the rather tense mood of apprehension that I feel oozing off of Anselm and Kaylin, but it's rather humorous that I'm gathering people like me with the intent of protecting and giving them a place to call home.

It is very unlike me.

"We're here." Anselm bites out.

Looking ahead, the small smile that'd been growing on my face falls and my mouth hangs open in awe.

Aside from the tremendous pressure oozing off the place it looks a lot less homey than I had pictured. The battlements that greeted every new comer have been broken down into long logs of wood and set out in front as spikes. 

The main gates docked with tiny metal spikes and decorated in an ever-familiar red gleam.

The entire place is silent. Far more silent and quieter than the rest of the way. The epicentre feels like an entirely different world, like we're walking from an office and into a room with sound proofing.

It's eerie.

"They barricaded the gates…" Kaylin notes, despite our earlier agreement to work together and join hands toward this goal, her voice still trembles with fear, not that I can blame her much.

My fingers twitch and my palm is soaked in a cold sweat.

"They must have been fighting something. Whatever thing did this to the terrain." I mutter.

"Yeah, that's clear. But it's also clear that the battle didn't reach them." Anselm mutely points to ahead at the village, still blessed with trees, grass and other vegetation and then back at the scorched and barren landscape we're stepping out of.

"Is this a good thing…?" Kaylin asks, unsure of what to make of this.

I'm not entirely sure what to think myself. The surrounding area of Carbina village, with its acres of crop fields and ranches being burnt to a crisp, leaving nothing behind.

And then there's the little half-buried shed and skeleton Anselm found. The clothes were all unharmed but every single bit of organic material was scrapped off.

I have a deep gut feeling all of these things tie together into one big messy shit pile of bad luck on my part. But I'm not quite sure how.

Either way, the three of us steel our nerves, prepare to defend ourselves and finally take the first steps into the deep contrasting green environment of the village.

And immediately, something changes. A weight is lifted and almost reflexively we give out a collective sigh of relief.

"Do you feel that? It's gone." Kaylin begins to chuckle.

I look to Anselm and he too concurs with the feeling of relief washing over his strained mind. The effect of the Mind-Field has been is washed way the moment we entered the village vicinity.

However, I'm not entirely sure this is a good sign. 

The Cult so far has been an unpredictable anomaly of life itself. Trying to figure them out so far has been like trying to solve a rubix cube that continuously changes colours.

I don't have much faith in figuring out the answer by myself, so quietly, with Anselm and Kaylin by my side, we navigate past the little spiked barricades and reach the gate which Anselm flies us over.

The other side of the gate isn't much different from the out. Silence prevails over all here and nothing aside from us three moves.

Despite the Mind-Field being lifted, I choose to keep the Fey spirits around, it's the best defensive spell I've got now, especially with Kaylin around.

Looking about we find not much has changed. I'd prepared myself to see witness the aftermath of a slaughter or be greeted by a minion but in actuality, nothing stood in our way.

"Okay guys, we've made it this far. This is good, very good." I mutter, trying to reassure myself and the two, I'm not very motivational I figure, "Now all we have to do is find Leriva or Mathilda, or really anyone who can talk to us and tell us what the hell happened here."

"If you want to suggest splitting up, I highly advice against that." Anselm says, his eyes flitting about the area. "It'll be better if we're all together, I'll fly up and get a better view but I'll stay close, you two should do the same."

"Right," Kaylin agrees, "No splitting up."

After a short moment of reassuring ourselves quietly we get to it. 

Anselm shoots up and begins to scout the area, whereas Kaylin and I peeked into the nooks and crannies of the village; knocking on doors, peering into windows and calling out for anyone with functioning ears.

So far nothing.

There's no one home, no farm animals in the gardens either. No sign of life anywhere.

It's frankly disheartening. Where is Leriva? I promised to come back and here I am. But where is she?

Am I too late?

"Asher!" Anselm suddenly calls out from above. "You're going to want to see this."

As I sprint after him, not knowing whether to feel relieved or frightened.

Upon getting there however, I'm ever more confused.

Anselm has led us to a giant hole in the centre of the village. Looking into the hole I find it's has layers, levels on which there are several bodies lined up and spiralling down deeper into the hole.

The people, the bodies…I'm not sure if they're alive or not but they're all bundled up together down there as far as the eye can see and have been pierced by the foul mana that stenches up the air.

The mana seems to knit through them all like it's sewing a cardigan or glove, each of them tied by their hands with mana.

Coming out or drilling into the hole is unsurprisingly a totem pole of Phien, it's the source of the mana that pierces the people. 

Surprisingly however, is there's a man or perhaps a woman at the top of it. At a glance it's easy to tell that this is no ordinary person.

And it's not just for the fact that they're floating above the totem and hole, or the fact that the mana from all the five points of the Cult camps totems is being absorbed into them nor is it because their body is evidently longer and larger than the average humans.

Rather, it's because they have no face.

No mouth, no nose, no eyes, no ears either. Nothing.

Completely devoid of any discernible features. They only had hair and limbs.

"What in Vuius' name is that?"

"That's the next person in line for the Cultists." A voice whispers, hoarse, tired and groggy but interestingly coming from below, "That's a Beta Warrior."

Straining my eyes to look into the depth of darkness and my ears to recognize the familiar but distorted voice coming from below, it only takes a second before it finally clicks.

"Leriva…You're alive."