Author's Note:

I know, I know... It's not proofread again. I'm seriously sorry! It just happens.... But instead there's a double update! That has to count for something, doesn't it?

Edit: Proofread

****

Pale light fell on Hawk’s eyelids, bringing him out of his sleep. Morning had finally come, an unwelcome one. They would have to continue their track through the tunnels and fallen in caves.

And those ghosts. He wasn’t looking forward to meeting any more of them.

/How are you doing?/ came a message from Monthu.

“We are still alive, if that is what you’re asking,” Hawk answered, changing it to speaker. The camp was still asleep so he made his way closer to their old tunnel.

There was a short pause on the other end of the call before Monthu’s voice came again. “Think you’ll make it?”

Hawk shrugged even though his friend couldn’t see. “Don’t know. We’ll try. What about you? Coming here?”

“No. I was told to train an army for L.”

“Wait, you’re not returning? So what’s the point of this mission?”

“As if I know. Just try to finish it and then return here. I have something in mind I’ll need your help with.”

Hawk wasn’t sure how to take that. It wasn’t often Monthu needed his help. Or more like never. “Okay. I’ll try to get this done as soon as I can.”

“No hurry. Just make sure you finish first. I want to know what we tried so hard to reach too.”

“Got it,” Hawk said and Monthu terminated the call.

‘So he wants my help?’ he wondered, walking back to the camp. At one intersection he rang a bell to wake everyone up. Groans came from everywhere as if he was in every single tent at once.

He developed a new appreciation for Nein’s spells. They required more and more respect with every new one. Hawk was coming to wander just how strong the mage actually was. If a fight with him and Wing broke out, who would win. It was a question for the ages.

/Is the path ahead safe?/ he wrote to Dark.

The rogue took a long minute to reply like usual. Hawk was getting a feeling he wasn’t much of a chatter in messages, just as in normal talk. /It’s clear. Though there’s lots of rubble ahead./

/Can you clear it?/

/I will try./

One thing done, million others left. Most of which he didn’t know about. But he didn’t want to think about things he couldn’t change. It was a pointless endeavour and there were plenty of things he could do.

But food first. He went near his tent and started a fire. They had found some burnable roots, though they stank worse than anything he’d ever smelled before. Yet it was better than being cold and eating raw meat.

The smell made players hurry up in getting up. By the time Hawk had finished dismantling his tent, most were up. More fires had been lit, pots boiling on most of them.

Deedara was sitting next to his fire. She had put four steaks on, shifting them so they cooked on all sides.

“Sleep well?” Hawk asked and she raised her head.

Shadows danced on her face from the flames. They made her eyes glisten like two black orbs thrown on a sheet of paper. “Sleep? What is that?”

Hawk gave her a half-smile and sat by the fire. Warmth washed over his body and he felt himself relaxing, eyes closing. Tiredness was a dangerous thing. He forced his eyes open and focused them on the priestess.

Her robe had turned greyish from wear but unlike on Aurora, it made her look stronger. Somehow dirty boots, frayed sleeves and bird’s nest of a hair fit her. It made the strength of her eyes stand out.

She turned, catching his eyes. Hawk shifted his gaze to the fire but it was quite too late. “What brought you here?” he asked in an attempt to distract her.

“Hm?” she asked and he thought about his question. It was so stupid!

“I meant, I just wanted to say...” He shook his head and took a breath. “I wanted to ask, why did you join Draugar? You don’t seem like a vengeful type.”

She smiled, turning one of the steaks over. “When I was killed, I thought it was over. All my items were gone. I had nothing under my name and everyone I knew quit after that. It was a nightmarish experience.”

“Why did you stay then?”

Deedara was quiet for a moment, watching the flames with her eyebrows furrowed. Hawk had a feeling she was seeing a time past rather then the fire.

“I planned to. I really did. But my pride won out. I returned to the city and wandered the streets, asking for help. No one looked at me twice. They said they had their own problems, no time to waste on another beggar.

“Then I stumbled upon him.” The smile returned to her face. “Or him on me. From first glance he knew what had happened and showed his own necklace.”

Hawk looked at her neck. He thought he could glimpse something glinting silver. “Wing one?”

She brought the pendant out. It shone with a brilliant light that seemed to come from the wing itself. “It’s like an amulet of good luck to me now,” she said in a wistful voice, eyes resting on the shiny trinket.

“I don’t agree to that nonsense,” said Michael, plopping down beside Hawk. “And I also don’t like my meat black, thanks.”

The priestess yelped and turned the steaks over, their tops a bit burnt. She bit her lip as she watched them for a moment. Then she took out some bottle and poured it over the steaks.

Liquid rolled over the meat, most of it dropping to the flames. Fire hissed and spluttered, rose, licking the underside of the meat.

Hawk had no idea what that had to achieve but he kept his mouth shut. He had never bothered learning survival skills, Aurora always being there to cook for

them.

“You sure you’re not trying to burn them to a crisp?” Michael asked, not having Hawk’s reservations.

Deedara gave her guild mate a glare. “You want to cook for yourself?” she said and took off one of the stakes, throwing it at the man. Michael tried catching it but only managed to get his hands burnt.

Meat fell to the ground while Michael looked at the red marks on his fingers. “That wasn’t fair,” he muttered.

The white robed girl didn’t even glance his way. She turned her steaks, making sure they were well cooked, starting to whistle under her breath.

“What is going on here?” Jackal asked, taking a place on Hawk’s other side. “Why are you wasting food?”

“She did that!” Michael shouted out, pointing a finger at Deedara.

Jackal glanced at the priestess, then the plated man. “You questioned her cooking skills?”

“So what?”

The Draugar leader shook his head. “Try to clean the meat. That’s the best you’re going to get today.”

“You’re not going to order her to stop acting like a child?”

Now Hawk also turned to Michael. Was the guy for real? The priestess might have acted rashly but he wasn’t any better. Worse even! It wasn’t hard to see who was more childish, and that wasn’t Deedara.

Jackal ignored him altogether. “Are you done?” he asked the priestess instead.

She pursed her lips, looking at the cooking meat. Fat on the sides was sizzling, enticing smell wafting around their little group. “Yeah,” she answered with a smile.

The stakes were passed and Hawk took his own with great care. It was warm to the touch but not too hot. He could hold it in his hand without getting burned.

But the meat was too hot. He blew on it, wanting to eat quicker. It was nice enjoying the fire but there were more important things. Their mission was nowhere near ending and he wasn’t sure how long it was still going to last.

And everyone was waiting for him. Aurora had been pissed when he met her yesterday, calling him an idiot. Maybe he was. Yet that didn’t stop him from continuing. If there was one thing he would give anything for, it was to continue playing this game.

Magic was real here. Adventure. Heroism. Immortality. What more could one wish for? It was everything the real world wasn’t. To lose this would be the same as losing a limb.

“Where’s mine?” Michael asked. “I’m not going to eat that!”

Deedara gave him an angelic smile. “You should have thought about that before you insulted the cook.”

“But I just asked...”

“Keep your mouth shut then. You might look smarter.” She gave him a once over. “Or don’t even try. It’s not going to help.”

Michael jumped to his feet. “You!” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“Enough, guys,” Jackal said, standing up and positioning himself between the two. “Michael take half of mine. I’m done and let’s go look over the camp.”

The other man grumbled, not forgetting to glare at the priestess but took the stake and bit in. His face relaxed as the taste washed over his mouth and calmly he went after Jackal.

“Idiot,” Hawk heard the priestess mutter but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t his place to ask personal questions, and the matter looked highly personal.

“Do you need help with your tent?”

“Oh, thanks,” she said, the smile returning to her face. “It would be great if you could put it away. I’ll clean up here in the meantime.”

Hawk nodded and went to her tent. It wasn’t much. A few wooden sticks pushed into the ground with a sheet over them. But it was serviceable. Kept the wind out and held some warmth inside.

When he was done, he brought the materials to Deedara and she put them inside her bag. Fire was out by that time so they went to find Jackal.

The man was easy to find, all you had to do was follow Michael’s voice. The guy was shouting at someone about timetables and keeping to the schedule. Hawk didn’t consider that the best way to make people work but it was too late to stop Michael.

Hopefully, his victim wasn’t a weak person and won’t start crying and delay them more. Most of the camp had packed up and were standing in groups, waiting for the order to go.

“Is everything okay?” Hawk asked, interrupting Michael’s screaming.

Both turned to him and he saw what was the problem. The girl had just rolled out of her tent, hair dishevelled, eyes blinking rapidly to stay awake.

Hawk turned to Michael. “Help her pack up. We’ll start moving and I hope you two will be done in time to join the last ones.” He turned to the girl. “You’ll have to deal without breakfast. Clean up and get moving. We have no time to waste waiting around.”

The words made Michael’s face turn red and he opened his mouth. But his complain was cut short when Jackal put a hand on his shoulder. He whispered something in his ear and Michael released a puff of air, nodded and went to work. The fact that the tent was still over the girl’s head didn’t concern him.

“Everyone else, in lines!” Hawk shouted out. “We march off!”

Jackal motioned that he was going to stay and watch over the procession so Hawk went first. Deedara joined him at the front and they chatted about nothing important as they walked.

There wasn’t a real need to watch where they were going as Dark had scouted. Not once had he been wrong so far. And Hawk didn’t plan to start distrusting him now.

/How long till something happens?/ he asked after half a day of walking. Everyone was growing tired and hungry, walking in the darkness. They could see because of Nein but it didn’t make it comfortable. Darkness was still darkness.

A few minutes passed till the reply came. /Some hour or two./

/Should we wait to have a break?/

/I suggest you don’t. You won’t want to rest here./

/What is there?/

/You should see it./

Hawk raised his hand to signal a stop. He also contacted Jackal so he would pass the knowledge to the back. The tunnel allowed for two people side by side at best, so it was hard to get the signals through.

“We’ll have a break!” he shouted out to a mix of sighs and groans. People wanted to rest but this wasn’t one of the nicest places. Low ceiling, darkness and echoing passages.

And that was all they had seen for the last half a day. Not a single branch of the road, patch of moss or drop of water from the top. Nothing changed for the whole time.

Hawk had never considered himself fearful of closed spaces but this was coming close. Having to walk bowed for hours without end and blocked behind by a snaking line of players. It wasn’t going to become one of his favourite in-game moments.

“You have some snacks?” Deedara asked from below. She had sat down with her feet bent at her side.

He took a look in his bag. It was quickly emptying up but there was still a few things left. Three pieces of dried meat caught his eye and he got them out. “Want some?”

The priestess looked at it for a moment when grabbed one and started to nibble. “You’re probably the only one who still has something.”

“I don’t like wasting things,” he said, leaning against the wall. For a moment he closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of people settling.

Most were complaining about the cave, how tiresome this journey was and wondering whether they were going to achieve anything. The longer they travelled, the more the last question was being asked. By now it was always at the front of everyone’s mind.

“You look tired,” Deedara noted. “Did you sleep last night yourself?”

Hawk didn’t reply. The way he was resting against the wall was answer enough. He had tried to think of what to do next but nothing had come to his mind. All he could do was move forward and hope for the best.

There was little to no control in his hands His choices consisted of ordering to march forward or backwards. And the latter was no choice at all. He’d rather have them all be wiped out.

Not long after he made them start walking again. There was no point in dallying. The two hours till Dark wasn’t going to decrease no matter how long they sat around.

/You should hurry up/ came a message from Dark some ten minutes after they started back.

/What is going on there?/

/Run. You really want to see this./

‘I hope he knows what he’s saying,’ Hawk thought ordering everyone to hurry. He started running himself, head bowed to keep from hitting the ceiling. Deedara moved beside him, soon breathing heavy.

“What is happening?” she asked in short gasps. Cleric stamina was legendary in its lack of existence.

“I wish I knew,” Hawk whispered, not wanting others to hear. “Dark says there’s something we need to see.”

The priestess nodded but her lips were in a straight line. “You trust that rogue,” she took a breath, “too much.” Another breath. “He might be in league with Wing.”

“You know who you’re talking to, right?” he asked, slowing a bit. “I lived with the monster for months. Why do you think I won’t trust someone that might.” He paused to make the word sink in. “Might be associated with him?”

There were no more questions coming his way but the girl didn’t fall back. She was still running by his side, though quiet now. He would have liked to know what she was thinking but mind reading wasn’t part of the game. For the better probably.

Very long time later, Hawk crawled through a small cleared space and found himself outside. His breath was coming in short gasps as he stood up, seeing Dark sitting on a boulder. The rogue didn’t say anything but pointed to the right.

Legs screaming, he took a few more steps. The ground was no more than a few meters below. His eyes moved forward and he knew what Dark had wanted him to see.

Bodies upon bodies were laid on the ground. Some were piled in groups. Others strewn around the field. It seemed as if all the yetis and humans had just fallen in their place to take a nap.

There was no blood or wounds. Not a single slash or cut. White fur of yetis glistened in the afternoon sun, human bodies shining with an unnatural light.

“What happened here?” Hawk asked in a whisper, his voice hoarse.

Dark pointed to a shadowed corner. Hawk squinted, covering his eyes with a hand. At first he didn’t see anything. Then a cloud moved, allowing sun to shrine brighter and he saw.

A human was standing next to a wall, shivering. Next to him was a creature almost impossible to see. Spirit like. Now that he listened, Hawk could hear a sucking sound coming from there. He could imagine seeing the thin cord connecting the two beings.

Other people crawled out and their breaths caught audible sound. Hawk listened to everything until his mind snapped to action. “We need to do something!” he shouted out. “Deedara!”

The priestess pushed forward, her cheeks red from the exertion. “What happened?” Her eyes then landed on the ground, last syllables freezing on her lips. “God...”

“We need to help the person!” he shouted again. “Come with me!” he said, grabbing her by the hand and dragging after himself. She stumbled but managed to catch her balance, hurrying with his steps.

Dark was on their heels, then before them, dashing towards the last survivor. When they reached, he was standing with daggers in hand.

Chant was started before Hawk could even ask.

A few more players had followed them, taking their weapons out after seeing the situation. Hawk took out his own bow, aiming at the creature. It was mere seconds they had after the chant but it had to be enough.

The victim wasn’t going to last much longer.

First hits weren’t enough. They made the creature cringe and wriggle, but not leave. Hawk hadn’t expected it to. The spirit had to be killed. But with one cleric the waiting time was so long.

Each second Deedara chanted was like forever. All he could do was watch the life being drained from the native, it’s skin growing greyer and greyer. He released an arrow, knowing it wasn’t going to hit anyone.

He just had to do something to change this. The chant ended. One, two, three arrows and it was over again. Spirit screamed but didn’t move, draining, expanding.

Hawk clenched his teeth. They were going to need ten more times at this speed. How were they supposed to save anyone like this?

Deedara’s voice caught. She coughed a few times, starting her prayer again. So much wasted time! “Hurry up!” he hissed, not moving his eyes from the dying man.

There was no other sound but the chant and the sucking in his ears. It was disgusting, making him feel sick. Why could he do nothing?

They attacked once more. Two seconds were all that was. Not close to enough. Their blades touched the spirit for the last time. It was still alive. Still draining the native.

Chant was started. But it was over. The victim’s eyes closed and he fell to the ground, limbs splaying in random directions. Spirit went over it, a parting touch, and was out. It turned invisible and was gone. Not a trace left.

“Damn it,” Hawk cursed, throwing his bow to the ground. It cracked but he didn’t care. How did this happen? He rounded on Dark. “Why did you let this happen? You were here the whole time!”

The rogue raised his emotionless eyes up, the face blank. “I had no way to aid them.”

“You should have explained everything then! We could have come faster!”

“How?” Dark asked, his voice low but not whispering. Normal. “You already rushed faster than you should have. If any of the ghosts had stayed, a lot of your group would have been annihilated too.”

It was logical. Hawk could understand. But his mind didn’t accept. He didn’t want to hear that. “Nonsense,” he whispered.

“You’re lucky most of them left.”

“How many were there?” someone asked.

Dark looked at the bodies, remembering what had transpired. Never had he seen something so horrible. Watching it, being unable to do anything. It had been painful. “Over fifty.”

He heard whispered curses and “oh gods” but it meant little. All these natives and yetis that had been living in harmony were gone. Their energy has been drained, leaving only their mortal coils. They weren’t dead but neither were they alive.

“What are we going to do now?” the priestess asked. She was wrenching her hands, avoiding to look at the body at her feet.

More people went down the small cliff. Some just stood still, standing in groups. This might have been a game but it was realistic. When dead bodies disappeared it was easy, you could ignore how real this was. But when they stayed, when you could see the empty eyes, unmoving chests.

And so damn many of them.

He heard someone puking. Dark felt his stomach churning but it was empty. He’d had time to clean it thorough before. Somehow the ghosts hadn’t heard him. That was the strangest thing. Or maybe they just were too busy. Why go after a target that is away when there are dozens nearby.

“How should I know?” the archer roared, his face twisted with anger. He was waving his hands, body shaking. “We killed all these people!”

Dark’s head snapped up at those words. He was the only one here so how it was everyone’s fault? On top of that what did they do? They tried to help but were too late. It happens. Not everyone can be saved.

“Then we should avenge them,” the girl said. Dark glanced at her but she was looking at Hawk, her eyes in slits. “We should kill all these spirit things!”

This calmed the archer for a moment. He stared at the priestess, breathing heavy. Then he smiled. “I think that’s the best idea ever.” He then jumped on a boulder, raising over the crowd. “Everyone prepare! We’re off to find those that did this and destroy them! Now!”

When he went down after those words, he turned to Dark. “Find them,” he hissed, eyes glowing feverish.

It was an order Dark didn’t feel like following. Sure, he could find them but what then? He would get attacked and die, unable to do anything. That wasn’t what he signed up for.

He had to ensure this mission’s success. That was what mattered. Him dying for some stupid killing wasn’t going to help. It would mean absolutely nothing.

But what should he do? If he refused, he wasn’t sure how the archer would react. He seemed quite mad at the moment. Not in his right mind. That also meant there wasn’t going to be any discussions. He wouldn’t listen to Dark’s concerns.

“Did you hear me? Go and find them!”

Dark didn’t answer. He looked at the man’s eyes, didn’t see anything familiar there and ran off. He’ll have to think of what to do later. For now it was best to escape, get away from this crazed couple.

Maybe in time they would calm down.

It was a far shot and he knew that. There was little hope anything would change. He would have to make it change if he wanted it to happen.

Why did he have no one in his contacts? The only person there was the archer. Someone he couldn’t ask for assistance. Not on this occasion.

A message came. /Which path?! We need to follow as fast as possible!!/

Exclamation marks. Dark might not have been a person reader but this was a clear sign. The guy was mad. Crazy. Gone. There wasn’t going to be any talking to him.

/Left/ he answered. If they started moving, he could follow them and help in case of an emergency. Otherwise he would stay behind, on the safe side.

The more he thought about it, the better it sounded. He would stay alive and will be there to oversee the progress. Much better than going first and finding himself killed. There was no chance someone was going to save him if he got caught.

“Are you sure you’re fine with that?” aunt Marina asked, looking at Kirin with worried eyes. “Veronica isn’t going to be there.”

He smiled, nodding. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

The middle aged female frowned at him. “I don’t like this. Not at all. That girl was always with you. Why did they ever ban her from seeing you?”

Kirin didn’t answer. The woman wasn’t going to understand anyway. He just smiled and continued talking nonsense. “I’m going to be okay aunt. You don’t need to worry.”

She put the plate before him, warm food steaming. Kirin inhaled fully, enjoying the smell. It’s been a while since he last ate something real. His own diet consisted of eggs, apples and ordered pizzas.

The taste was even better than the smell. He dug in as if he hadn’t eaten anything for days. Aunt laughed at his appetite so he smiled and continued to devour his plate. In moments it was empty.

“You want seconds?”

He nodded with eagerness. “I would love to!” She put less this time so he ate slower, savouring the taste. It was going to a be a while before he was going to eat anything like this again.

“I’m still worried,” aunt said while he was eating. “You never agreed to go on a camp, even when you were friends with Veronica. Now without her...” She looked around the room. “I think it’s dangerous. Maybe you shouldn’t go, after all?”

“No!” Kirin shouted out, a piece of meat leaving his mouth. He picked it from the table and threw it out, giving his aunt a look. “I said I am going there!”

“What brought out this change? You always said you hated them!”

‘Everything,’ Kirin thought. First there was Vera. She was banned from being around him. That was a huge plus. Another was that Sam was in summer school abroad. She wouldn’t be able to tag along. That left Kevin but he was at his brother’s.

All the worst people in his life were busy. Neither could follow him into the camp. Or visit him every day. Others could, of course, but none were as bad as those three.

“It’s not far,” he whispered, looking down at his food. “I just want to meet other kids my age...”

As expected this made the aunt squeal and dash forward. She brought him into her hands, hugging him close. “Oh sweetie! You should have said so at first!” ‘You would have needed another excuse then and I didn’t want to bother thinking it up.’ “Of course, you can go!”

“Thanks!” he said, smiling wide and eyes shining. It was so easy to trick people, it was boring. His only energy spent was on trying to keep his smile from turning wry. “I’ll go start packing!”

“Do you want me to help?”

He shook his head. “I can do that myself!”

Aunt laughed at that, releasing him. She ruffled his hair and pushed him off. “Go and prepare then. I’ll make a lunch box for the first day.”

“Awesome!” he said, escaping her hand and jumping two steps at a time. “Add apples!”

There was an answer but he was too far to hear. Not that it really mattered. He was going to pick a whole bag himself if she didn’t. One apple was lying on his desk so he picked it and plopped on his bed, eating.

‘Should I pack or just throw some things in?’ Aunt was going to look through it anyway, adding things she thought he would need. Like toys. Stupid. He stood up and found a book about Genghis Khan.

Somewhere he had read that the guy had around a million descendants and that caught his attention. It reminded him that he knew almost nothing about that legendary figure. This camp could be the perfect time to learn more about him.

Just how to get the book in. Aunt wouldn’t believe he would read historical recollections. ‘Hmm...’ He looked around the room. What would be the perfect hiding spot?

Posters, plushies, toys... Clothes lying on the ground, the back on the chair. Nothing good. He couldn’t hide it in clothes. She would notice there in a moment.

Wait, what about a toy? He rushed to one of the larger cars. Through the bottom he could see that the inside was large enough, just filled with wires, batteries and other stuff that made it run.

It wasn’t much of the problem. He sneaked into the corridor and went to where his father held his house tools. The box was very large and slipped from his hands, crashing to the ground.

“What happened?” aunt shouted out, running up the stairs. Kirin ditched his parent’s room, rushing to his own. He barely managed to drop to the ground, when she threw his doors opened. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Kirin’s heart was beating fast, lungs trying to force him to breathe more rapid. He refused, controlling his breaths to not give himself out. “Oh?” he turned to face her. “A book dropped.”

“You sure? It sounded a lot like metal,” she said, putting her hand to her heart. “You scared me to no end.”

“Sorry,” he said standing up and looking to the ground. “I just reached for the motion gauntlet and a few books fell. I didn’t want to worry you...”

She pushed a smile on, squatting down to be lower than him. “It’s nothing. I’m just happy you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” he said, picking up the toy car. “I’m thinking of bringing this with me. I can, right?”

“Of course! And if everything’s okay, I’ll go finish your lunch box.”

He nodded and sat down with his car, putting on the gauntlet and pretending to play. It was amazing how he could control it with barest motions of the hand but ten years were more than enough. Some things were just outgrown.

When he was sure aunt was busy, rattling the pans or something, he sneaked out again. This time he quickly found the screwdriver and left with it. In moments he had the car’s bottom open and was taking out everything.

Wires were cut to make it easier and he had his open space. The book fit in as if made for there, and he screwed the bottom back. If someone paid more attention, it was obvious that there was a book inside but no one should. His aunt at least wouldn’t care much for what toy he picked, as long as he did take one.

He added some clothes to the bag, paper and chargers for his phone. Then he went down, watching an animation on TV while aunt finished his preparations. There were four hours left till he had to leave. A bit of time to waste.

And then there would be something new. He hadn’t been on a camp so it had to be interesting. At least for the first time.

If there had been a god he believed in, he would have prayed for that. Good things were going scarce and he needed something to keep him entertained.

Or he was going to go mad.