It can’t be hopeless.

- Last recorded line of Founder history.

“Are you absolutely sure the number changed?”

“Yes, Marcus, I’m sure of it,” Sly said. “And no, I’m not going to check it a fourth time.”

I touched the still throbbing Mark on my face. It used to contain the number ninety-four, but apparently not anymore. Instead it now showed one hundred and twenty-six, and the most obvious reason for it lay at my feet. Dead, scorched, and riddled with holes for good measure. Whatever life was left, it manifested itself in the form of crawling maggots. Maggots that were busy devouring their former host.

“I’m afraid to ask,” I said, looking around the gathered circle of trustees. “But how many did we kill?”

Isabelle was busy clutching her blood stained side with a painful expression while Maximilian, and Hilda, threw quick glances at the smoking corpse. They didn’t show any uneasiness at the hidden implication of my question. An uneasiness that had begun manifesting itself in my old squad mates.

“I don’t like where this is going,” Pickle said. “No way that can be true.”

“How many, Pickle?”

“We whacked a good six of em outside the tunnel,” He mumbled, scratching the back of his head. “The rest either swam, or climbed away.”

“And inside the tunnel?”

“We don’t have an accurate number,” Sly said. “There’s quite a pile of charred corpses in there. My estimation would be somewhere between ten and thirty.”

A dark shadow fell over my fellow rats as they began processing the numbers. For they spelled something bad. Something really fucking bad.

I turned to Sly. “I want you and someone else to start counting them immediately. Actually, make that three people. We can never be sure enough.”

“On it,” Sly answered before walking away.

“This can’t be happening…” Dagger said as she ran her hands through her hair. “They aren’t supposed to look like… like… this, whatever this is. Hell, they shouldn’t exist anymore in the first place! Fuckers should’ve been dead for ages! These are just some mutated humans. Yes, they’ve must have been humans… right?” She looked up, frantically seeking conformation among the group. “Right?!”

“Can somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Maximilian asked. He, and the other two Awakened, had become fidgety from Dagger’s wild eyes. Isabelle’s unrest was the most apparent, for her horns were visibly expanding before my very eyes.

“Founder stuff,” I answered. “It doesn’t concern you… at least for now.” That didn’t seem to easy their nerves in the least. “I could be totally wrong. I hope I’m totally wrong. But until Sly’s report verifies it, we’ll be wasting our energy on what ifs instead of what is.” I turned to Dirk, interrupting him as he tried to calm down his panicking sister. “You two stayed behind to rally the Shapers. Anything important I need to know off?”

The man looked over his shoulder, towards the large huddled group of Awakened behind us. Their bodies pressed closely together for safety as they tried to stay as far away from both the tunnel, and the now silent lake.

“We’ve got around twenty wounded, and four missing,” he said before turning his head back. “Most of them minor wounds from that panicked scuffle. Three others… not so much.” He looked at his feet. “Poor bastards got trampled when those things came through. I’ll be surprised if they’ll make it come morning.”

I couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of my nose. Our first encounter with the unknown, and we’d lost seven people to it. Seven. Against enemies that didn’t even bother fighting back. “Did you find the four missing Shapers yet?”

“I’m afraid not, captain. And something tells me we’ll never will.” His gaze shifted towards the water. “I heard that a small group decided to risk the lake when the wall fell. Haven’t heard anything since then.”

That didn’t surprise me. Not after the thing lurking in the lake decided to surface again, devouring almost everything that swam with just a few, big gulps. “I’ll see what I can do about the wounded,” I sighed. “Though I don’t suppose you have a healer hidden somewhere?” Of course you don’t.

That last line seemed to snap Dagger out of her continuous mumbling. “Actually we do.”

“Come again?”

“We do have one.” Her voice became excited. “One of the Shapers actually tested positive for Life affinity. He’s nowhere near as good as Balthazar, but no one can match up to that old fart anyways.”

I raised an eyebrow towards Dirk. “And the reason you didn’t tell me this is…?”

“Didn’t see the use of it,” Dirk answered. “At least your Light affinity can actually be used to heal in this place. Plenty of shiny crystals to light up wherever you need to work.” He spat on the ground. “Though I don’t see a lot of life here to draw from, just a bunch of lifeless rock.”

“Who said anything about using the terrain?” I pointed at the huddled group of Awakened. “We’ve got our bundle of life right over there.”

“Now wait a minute,” Isabelle said. “You can’t just siphon someone’s lifeforce. That’s all kinds of fucked up.”

I wanted to speak up, but Hilda reacted sooner, “And who was it that bumped you into one of those stampeding things?” Isabelle tightened her grip on the scabby injury. “It didn’t happen to be one of those panicking idiots, now did it? Or are you telling me that wound just magically appeared out of nowhere?” Isabelle bit her lip, remaining silent. “I don’t where you grew up; but from where I come from, we take full responsibility for our actions.” She tapped the empty eye socket. “Always.”

Then she turned to me. “But she does have a point. Using people’s lifespans as some improvised cure-it-all isn’t going to fly. Not with me. Not with her. Not with anyone.” She made sure to stress that last part. “So I suggest we only take from those who’ve performed… poorly, shall we say. That way it will be a lot easier for the group to accept it as a whole, instead of murdering you in your sleep.” Good point. I like living.

“Fair enough,” I answered, before turning towards Dirk and Dagger. “I take it you two remember the biggest culprits of those shoving matches?”

“Sure do, captain,” Dirk said with a glint in his eyes. “Though I reckon that Sly has an even better idea. She was lecturing them when the panic started, after all.”

“Good. I want you two, and Sly, separating those poorly behaving people before the hour’s end.” I looked at Hilda. “And you’re going with them. It’s your idea, so you’re the one who’s going to pitch it.”

Hilda shrugged her shoulders. “Sure… no problem. I can hardly do a worse job at it than you. With your amazing speaking capabilities and all that. Especially the flinching part, that really inspires confidence in people.” Pickle chuckled at her response.

“You sure she isn’t from here?” I asked Dagger.

“Not that I know off,” Dagger said in contemplation. She proceeded to think for a long, hard minute before answering, “Nope. Nothing. Not even a rumor about a sassy, one-eyed woman.”

“I’m flattered by your interest in me,” Hilda said. “But just so you know, the Burrows isn’t the only slum in Cedia. Not by a long shot.”

“Interesting.” That sure explains the familiar feeling she’s giving off. “You’ll have to show me your slum customs some other time since we got a more urgent mater to attend to.” With that I bent down, picking up one of the maggots writhing in the corpse. “Namely food.”

The maggot was thick, white, and plumb from all the flesh it had gorged, squirming in the air as I held it pinched aloft between my fingers. If the thing itself wasn’t nasty enough, my mention of food made Maximilian and Isabelle recoil in disgust. “I’m not eating that,” Isabelle said.

“Me neither,” Maximilian agreed. He looked more pale than usual. “I think I’d rather go hungry.”

“Tough luck.” I kicked the corpse at my feet, causing several more maggots to crawl out of the small holes riddled in its flesh. “Unless you plan on eating rock for breakfast, this is the only thing around worth munching on.” This time I turned to Hammer, already noticing the glint in his eyes. “Corporal, I take it you now how to deal with these.”

“Sure thing, captain.” The man took the grub, before placing it in his mouth. He bit down hard, causing some of the white juice to spray out, hitting Isabelle next to him. She recoiled, almost gagging at the stuff dripping from her horns. While she tried to scrub her affected horns clean, Hammer gave his honest report, “Chewy… quite rancid… mushy insides.” He smacked his lips a couple of times. “Give me a fire and some flat stones, and I’ll make it work somehow.”

“Good to hear. You’ll be on cooking duty as usual. Ask Pickle if you need anything made.”

“Why the fuck do I have to help him?”

“Cause you’re the only one without a job.”

“Broncshit.” Pickle pointed at Maximilian and Isabelle. “And what about them? Why-”

“If you would let me finish.” I turned towards the sick looking noble. “Maximilian I want you and your Warlocks to draw water for the wounded, Hammer’s cooking, and anyone looking for a drink. Don’t let anyone get close to the lake again, you hear me?” The man nodded, trying to keep his eyes off the second grub that Hammer popped into his mouth. “Isabelle, you’re going to help Hammer with the cooking.” She opened her mouth. “No worries, I only need you to keep the fire going. For anything else that will be needed, well… just listen to the man. He knows a lot more about cooking than any of us do.”

Hammer wiped away some of organ juice with his thumb before presenting the hand to Isabelle, “Pleasure working with you.”

The woman eyed the limb like it belonged to some plague victim. A few seconds later, she took a hold of it, trying to keep her hand as far away from the stained thumb as possible. “Likewise…” She looked at the maggots writhing around on the ground before switching to the corpse. The content of her stomach seemed to rise, only to be pushed down again with a good swallow. “I can’t believe I’m suggesting this, but can’t we just eat the thing’s meat?” She almost gagged when Hammer decided to go for another maggot snack. “Please… I’ll take anything over maggots.”

“No can do. Not unless you like to die horribly.” I bend down, poking the corpse. “I thought these guys had mana at first, but I was wrong. My Mage Sight didn’t pick up mana, it picked up crystals.”

“How?”

“That can’t be true,” Maximilian said. “They would have crystallized ages ago.”

“Well, unfortunately it is true.” I began slicing away a piece of meat with Wind magic. “Their bodies are riddled with tiny crystals. Bones, muscle, organs, it doesn’t matter.” I shook the meat, causing several maggots to get dislodged from their current home. “The maggots are safe, I made sure to check them beforehand. But these…” I showed the sparkling pieces of green crystals hidden beneath the initial layer of flesh. “These aren’t safe for consumption.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Me neither.” I wiped my hands clean. “Maybe these are special crystals, are maybe their flesh was resistant. I don’t know.” I looked at the meat one last time before dropping it on the ground. “I’m not going to risk people’s lives when I don’t have to. The meat is tainted until I say otherwise.”

“Seems like a waste of resources to me,” Hilda said. Maximilian, and me, both looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Then again, what do I know? I didn’t have enough money for food, let alone a crystal.”

“Be thankful for it,” Maximilian said. “Your ignorance would have been your undoing.”

She shot him a sharp glance. “He’s right,” I added. “It’s rare for a crystal miner to live past the age of forty, and with good reason.” I sighed, sitting down. “And here I thought this was common knowledge. It seems we need another lecture on stupid shit to avoid doing.” I turned to look at the several clusters lighting up the alcove. “Thanks the Gods that these crystals are up high. I can only imagine what would’ve happened if some idiot decided to grab them.”

Hilda looked at the crystals with a sense of caution. “Is it that bad?”

“It’s mana solidified over thousands of years, of course its bad.” I pointed at the cluster of white crystals above us, brightly shining its light in all directions. “The clearer the crystal, the older, and purer, the mana inside of it. And more importantly, the stronger it reacts to things containing different magic.”

I picked up a small rock, before placing it on my skin. “If a murky crystal would touch my skin like this, I would have couple of seconds before I risk contamination.” I nodded upwards. “With crystals this pure, I would be a dead man walking the moment it even grazed the barest of skin.”

“That sounds… bad.”

“It is really fucking bad. Once crystallization takes hold, it’s practically over. Your flesh will slowly get converted into more crystals, which in turn will spread even more crystal. The fucking crystal will greedily gorge on your magic till it reaches a blood vessel. You chop of your limb before that, and you’re good. If you’re lucky enough to notice it on time that is, and if you’re dealing with some murky crystal that is slow to spread.” I pointed upwards again. “Not this shit.”

“No, sir. When this shit hits your skin, it will spread in a matter of seconds. It won’t spread far, just a centimeter or so, but it doesn’t need to go far. It just needs to reach that all important blood vessel. And once it does, you’re fucked. Completely fucked.”

My words had some obvious effect as Hilda began to distance herself from the corpse on the floor. “We’ve got a name for people that reach that stage. We call em living lights. Wanna know why that is?” She nodded. “It’s because the crystal gets pumped throughout the body, devouring it from the inside as it grows and glows in size. Their organs and bones light up like some freak show as they turn into some weird human torch. One that dies an agonizing death.” I sat down again, staring at the squirming maggots. “So yeah, don’t touch them. Not unless you want to die.”

“But you didn’t die,” Dagger said. Dirk, Hammer, and Pickle nodded in agreement.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t die?”

“You know? The whole basement thing. The one where you absorbed that magic circle.” I gave her a blank stare. “Didn’t Sly tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Dagger gave a startling look to the others as they seemed to realize their mistake. “What happened in the basement, Dagger?”

“Uhm… well… the magic lit up your arm like a crystal, and-” She stoop up, pointing behind me. “Why don’t you ask Sly? She’s coming back.”

I looked behind me; she was indeed coming back to our circle. Though she seemed to be brooding over something. Doesn’t matter, I need answers. And I need them now. “Sly! Hey! Sly!” I walked over shouting, snapping her from her concentration. “Sly, you need to tell-”

“Twenty-six.”

“What?”

“There’s twenty-six corpses inside the tunnel, Marcus. I think you’re on to something.”

I hate being right.