Chapter 197: The Gateway To Tartarus[1]

The sun had set but the city of Aegis was still illuminated from the fire burning the whole city down. Multiple hunters tried to stop the fire from spreading but none of them were high enough in rank to do so.

They looked in despair as the city burned, their comrades die and Rain get taken hostage. The Dragon Guild members were not able to save him.

Xior and Becca entered the tower and were transported to Aegis city, they thought they would be greeted by the peaceful city but the situation was nothing they had expected.

The city was razed to the ground as hunters lay down dead, some bled while some desperately tired to salvage anything.

Becca didn’t wait for a single minute and ran towards the burning building, she unsheathed her sword and swung it, a huge arc of ice hit the building as the sizzling sound indicated the fire was dying down.

Xior on the other hand was sending bursts of wind to extinguish fire on the other buildings. As the last ember of fire died down Xior and Becca walked towards the collapsed hunters.

James lay on the ground under rubble, his body crushed under a chunk of the building. He was the first one to rush to help Rain but against full fledged lesser dragons he couldn’t do much.

His boss was his priority so he didn’t care about himself, Rain was someone he looked up to. But he failed to save him and got crushed under the rubble.

Xior pushed the piece of stone away and Becca turned his limp body, his chest rose and fall ever so slightly, he had somehow survived.

His eyes twitched and he forced himself to open them but all he could was squint and look at them both.

“B-Becca…X-Xior…”

“T-they took th-the captain…”

“I-I…”

Tears dropped out of his eyes as he stopped what he was saying. Rain was someone who had interfered with the Dragon Tribe’s plans since the start.

Before he came to Aegis they were doing great by tormenting the tribes and colluding with the Nameless and humans.

He came and he started sorting everything, his planning and his execution were top tier. Not to mention his strength as a hunter.

He rarely showed his strength but when he did, he always won. And now to enter their final stage of he plan the Dragon Tribe took him hostage.

Becca was on the verge of crying, James was a young boy only eighteen years old. He had been an intern at the Dragon Guild since he was sixteen.

She had seen the timid boy turn into someone on whom people could rely on. Sure, he was said to be arrogant, but that arrogance came from knowing his own strength.

“James…I’m sorry I wasn’t here…” Becca said as she wiped away his tears.

Xior looked at her and was reminded of their childhood, of all the painful memories. Of Becca being bullied, beaten up and whatnot. He didn’t like seeing her cry.

His eyes were emotionless but inside his brain he had already thought of what he needed to do. To keep Becca safe and happy he has to keep the people dear to her also safe.

To see her keep smiling he would do anything, he would sacrifice himself over and over again if it meant she would never shed a single tear.

If it meant she would grow old, live a happy life and die a natural death and not because of a disease, plague or the tower he would gladly be her salvation.

*****

Alice and the Rabbit Tribe helped the alive humans and prepared to bury the dead ones. James was on a makeshift bed as the doctors of the Rabbit Tribe patched him up and tried to heal him.

Becca stood not far away and looked at him being treated, Alice and Tharnak came to Aegis to meet with Rain as scheduled but upon arriving they saw the destruction and started to help.

Tharnak took the wolves to scout the Dragon Tribe while Alice sent envoys to the other tribes to gather.

“Will he be fine?” Becca asked the Rabbit doctors.

“We don’t know right now, ma’am. His lower body was so badly crushed it would be hard to completely heal it. But he will live for now. Pray for him, may the gods help him.” The Rabbit doctor said and went back to treating him.

Just outside the tent Alice and Xior stood discussing the details about their next step. For the first time Alice was scared of the look in Xior’s eyes, it was as if a predator was looking at her.

Normally she wouldn’t be opposed to it, she was single woman who was past her prime and Xior was someone who never tried to do anything like the other humans she met.

Xior noticed her stiff expression and walked towards the forest on the side of Aegis, Alice trailed behind him silently.

He walked between the tall trees as the moonlight filtered through the openings. There was a place he had found while walking around.

In the distance he was a stone shaped like a bench where the moonlight shone directly. He went and sat down prompting Alice to sit besides him.

“What happened, Alice?” He asked in a calm voice.

It felt as if he wasn’t angry, but he was. He had always been able to not show his anger.

“N-nothing.” Alice stuttered.

“Don’t lie, you’ve been on edge ever since you saw me.” He paused for a second and looked at her, his intense eyes felt softer as ever and continued. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No my dear, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She said as he grabbed his hands. “It’s just that your eyes were full of hatred, enough to startle me. That’s all.”

“I’m sorry, because of my selfishness you were scared.”

“Don’t apologize to me, I’m fine. Tell me how are you holding up? Your face says you’re fine but I doubt that is the case.” She said with a smile.

Xior was conflicted, all his life he had endured everything. He never was given the chance to vent out. And suddenly he was now presented with the opportunity.

He knew Alice was a compassionate and caring woman, she would never take advantage if he was to pour out his heart to her.

Xior’s lips moved but he sealed them shut, then in a low voice he said. “I’m scared..”

“Scared of what?” Alice asked.

“Of losing all of you. I think I’m cursed, first my parents, then the incident where I was betrayed and then Becca being captured by the Tigers.

It scared me, I try to put a brave front but I am on the verge of breaking down.” Xior said with his head hung low.

Alice knew he was a troubled boy but this was something far more than she had expected. She grabbed his face and made him look towards her and embraced him in her arms.

“Xior, you’re not cursed. In fact you’re a blessing. There are few people out there as compassionate, kind and caring as you. Don’t think of yourself like that.

Becca will be safe and so will be us, because we know there’s someone who will keep us safe. And that someone is you, my dear.” Alice said.

Xior didn’t reply he just took deep breaths as she stroked his hair.

*****

In a dark room Rain was strapped to chains as whip marks bled all over his body. In front of him two Dragons stood, each with a whip in hand as they took turns to hit him.

They wanted to break him, make him spill all the secrets he had and all the measures he had taken for the eventual conflict with the Dragon Tribe.

But little did they knew that he was one arrogant man, he would die than to out his people. His laugh echoed throughout the room as they both continued to hit him.

His flesh ripped off and his blood dripped down but he didn’t care, he could endure the pain. He had to go through worse as a special soldier before the fall.

He knew and had experienced these so called “torture methods”.

“You would never get anything out of me, oversized lizards.” Rain mocked as one of the dragons whipped him again.

He groaned slightly, “is this the best you can do? Women hit like that and you call yourself a man. How pathetic.” Rain chuckled as he said that.

The Dragons looked at each other and dropped their whips on the ground, another torture tool was rendered useless against him.

Against the will of someone like Rain. He was left alone in the room. He looked outside through the small window. The moon was still high above as he grinned.

He had a contingency plan for this as well, he had trusted Xior with his.

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