Chapter 65 - The Lost Shiva (6)

It was fast and crude. Her head exploded; lifeless; Blood spurting like a fountain. Archie watch her fall down. His face painted red as her brain matter sticks to his cheeks. Archie stood like a statue. His mind unable to comprehend what happened just now. The Commander of Templars noticed the barrel of a weapon sticking out. A long bullet casing bounced off the door as the Commander tackled Archie.

The other Templars had their heads exploded just like Cassia. The barrel of the weapon pointed at them. But what happened was that the Commander only heard a click. He looked up. He saw that the weapon wasn’t firing. He didn’t have time to thank the Gods. He dragged Archie out of the line of fire and hunkered down for cover.

“Ah, I need to get her body.”

“Stop it! We don’t know if there are more of those things!”

Archie wasn’t himself. He stood up gingerly and tried to walk towards there. The Commander could not allow the remaining person alive with him to die. He smacked Archie’s stomach and pinned him down.

“STOP RIGHT HERE YOU FOOL.”

“I have to save her...she could still be alive...”

It was obvious enough that Archie was shocked to still. Her head exploded right in front of him. There was still some of her pink fleshy from her head sticking to his face. He was crying. What happened was too fast for him. He has seen what cannons and firearms could do. But seeing the person he had spent life and death with just die easily like that shook Archie’s being. She didn’t have a chance to fight back at all. How can he not despair?

“I...”

“Just stop right there. I just watch my men die. All of them, who have families waiting for them back in the Holy Midland, is now dead. She isn’t the only one here, you fool! You aren’t the only that wants to return their bodies! So unless you want their bodies to rot inside here then calm the fuck down Archie of Avilla!”

Archie looked at the Commander. “I am sorry. I just can’t believe that something like that exists.”

“You are not the only that is surprised. Let’s move before we end up like them. We’ll try to recover their bodies if we can. That thing outside might come back here. You know how ineffective our weapons are.”

Archie nodded. He stood up. He glanced at the dead a few steps away. His heart was aching badly. But he has stepped on this hell already. Going outside will do him no good. He can only follow The Commander who has already lost his men just by going inside. They didn’t know what’s inside the place. But they are sure that this place was no ordinary ruin.

It was a death trap filled with weapons that surpasses the pathetic things they have on them. There was fear in their hearts. But they soldiered on and went inside this narrow corridor where they saw a giant tunnel leading down. The Commander raised his left palm and made the fire rune on his left arm burn like a torch. He pointed it towards the dark, as he takes the steps down.

Archie followed closely, he lit a fire with his runes and carefully followed the Commander. He didn’t have fear when coming here. He expected the place to be falling apart with age. But he never expected that he’d be able to witness a flight of steps that was completely made of metal. The two continued walking down the steps while smelling the metal-like air.

“This is an odd place. Could we even use the weapons here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Damn it, I’ve terribly underestimated this place,” gritted the Commander. “I should have brought an entire battalion and artillery here.”

“Too late for that now,” said Archie in a low voice. “And can cannons even hurt the plating that protected that orb thing?”

“It’s better to try and find out.”

“That is if we stay alive here.”

The Commander stopped. He looked at Archie. “You are acting calm already?”

“Commander, if I don’t act calm. If I think of what just happened. I think I might stop moving my legs. I need to pretend to be calm. I need to or surely I will just stop right here and not move. That’s right, Commander. I am acting calm because it works for me.”

The Commanded nodded his head in understanding. He continued walking, waving his left hand to light the way. “For what’s it is worth. I am sorry for your loss.”

Archie did not reply. “I thought you Templars are heartless beings.”

The Commander stopped walking. He glared at Archie murderously. “We are not. We are faithful and loyal servants of Gods. But that does make us less human? No, we are not, those ‘heartless’ assholes you refer to have families. One of the guys who drew that black orb thing had a kid waiting to be born. If I ever walk out of this place alive and return to the Capital. Do you think it would be easy to face his wife and hand over his coffin? My men are loyal servants. We may be fanatical but we are not heartless. Call us that ever again, and by what is good and righteous I will not stand if you insult us ever again.”

“I did not mean it,” Archie said apologetically.

“I don’t care. I don’t care if you are coping yourself up by saying that. Just don’t say it again to my face, bastard. I am in no mood to jest or entertain anything. Let’s just explore this damned ruin and hope for the worst to happen.”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

The Commander marched on. His steps were heavy. It echoed through the narrow flight of steps. Archie stood still before continuing. He could not get what happened out of his head. He could not think straight. He did not even know why he said those words in the first place. “Damn it, Cassia, why do you have to die that easy on me!” He cursed while trying to hide his grief. It didn’t matter how mentally strong he was. What he saw was something that he could never forget.