Lucian turned to the men; their expressions and guard had yet to change. It seemed the fear that engulfed him currently had yet to reach them. Lucian took a breath, gripped the hilt of the sword he had been given, and rose to his feet. This frail young boy never seemed like a child, but today, now, he was the farthest from that he could ever be. He was a man armed and ready, yet fearful still; however, no man wouldn't cower at the thought of facing demons.
"The hellgate has opened."
The priests looked away from the radio and towards Lucian, who had stood from where he sat and walked over to them, a grim determination etched on his features, yet a slight hesitance flawed his steps.
"What do you mean?" one of the priests asked, all men sharing confusion.
"The hellgate has opened. Whatever plan you have, begin it…now."
Lucian's words were said with unchallengeable confidence, yet they were far too absurd to be taken seriously. After all, there shouldn't have been a way for him to know before they did, who were just as informed as the NPF. Then, clearing their doubt of the boy's words, the sound of static echoed through the cathedral, and everyone looked away from Lucian and turned towards the radio, their hearts quickening pace.
"Reporting to all units, w-we have a b-black zenith situation at the business district. We request an immediate deployment of all available units…please advise."
The voice from the radio shook and cracked; one could almost feel the willpower it took to speak in proper protocol and not scream desperately for help. Hearts dropped, pupils dilated, and beads of sweat made their way onto faces, not just for the priests or for the Nameth police force but for every single soul that had listened to that radio message.
"Well, now you've confirmed it. Let's begin; we don't have much time," Lucian urged the men.
The words of the boy seemed to draw the priests out of a daze. They nodded at Lucian's words and immediately jolted to action. Perhaps at another time, they would have wondered how he was informed about the hellgate before the police force. However, they currently did not have the time or luxury to be curious. All that echoed repeatedly in the very being of each of them was a singular goal: survival.
"They said it opened in the business district; that buys us a bit of time," one of the priests explained, possessing a rough beard and dark hair that seemed to have been left to its own vices for a considerable while.
"Yes, but it's still a bit too close for comfort. If the demons push through the city and reach the HA garage before we do, then…" The scarred man shared his fears.
The business district of Nameth was a location on the far east of Namek's rise, and the HA garage was also a location in uptown. It was the district dominated by the dealing of automotive vehicles, and it resided all the way on the other side of Namek's rise, or uptown as most called it. It was a considerable distance away from the business district, but not enough when taking into consideration what was about to plague the city.
"It's not the time to overthink a solid plan. Let's go."
Lucian watched as the scarred man declared with newfound confidence, his words perhaps an attempt to reassure the other men, but more than even them, to reassure himself. The men began to head towards the exit of the cathedral, with Lucian following behind them closely, until they stepped outside, and that was when they realized a slight drizzle had begun.
The scarred man turned to Lucian and handed him a cloak from the duffle bag he carried. The boy quickly accepted the chance at warmth and swiftly donned the hooded cloak. The scarred priest looked at the child with a mix of hope and clawing uncertainty. He then turned to the rest of the priests, who had already begun climbing a ladder to get onto the roof of a nearby building, and he looked back towards Lucian.
"We move fast and smart. I trust you can keep up."
Lucian offered the man a simple assuring nod. The man took it.
Both swiftly made their way to the ladder, and as fast as they could, they made their way to the top of the building, joining the other priests who were just standing there.
"Why are you all standing? We don't have ti-" The scarred man's words became lost in the wind as he gazed at what the others looked at—Namek's rise in the distance.
The constant canvas of dark monoliths of buildings and the bleeding red of neon had been altered. Now more bright and more potent than any of those glowing lights was the breath-ceasing orange of the raging fire, a flame so large its height matched the skyscrapers it engulfed.
'That is hell's flame…'
Like the priest, hell flame was something Lucian had heard of but was never unfortunate enough to see in person. These were the flames wielded by the militants of hell, the all-burning fire that shall never be put out, or at least that is what is told in the stories.
"Let's move, ignore distractions," the scarred man was the first to peel his gaze away from the trepidating sight. With his word, he dragged the others back to the goal at hand, and with a swiftness deviant of normal men, Lucian watched as these priests began to dash across the roof at insane speed before lunging themselves onto the next roof and continuing their sprint.
Although seemingly allowing them a head start, Lucian was quick to catch up with the priests. Aside from the fact he was quicker than them as a result of being a chosen, dashing through the roof had become a constant mode of roaming for Lucian for years. He found being up here significantly increased his chances of surviving in the slums.
---
The priests, along with Lu, had quickly made it through the slums. Avoiding any potential delay by traversing the roof, they were able to reach Namek's rise significantly quickly. Although access to the rise was usually restricted and guarded by the NPF, currently the guards were absent, either by call to duty or scrambling for their lives. None saw standing guard while a hellgate was present as a priority.
For this reason, the entrance was desolate. One would assume it would be flooded by those trying to flee from the hellgate. However, it was a well-known fact running was as futile as it was foolish. Most of the rise's residents had probably made their way to underground bunkers built beneath every skyscraper.
"Let's move…stay quiet and be careful."
Lucian followed behind the priests as they made their way into the rise. However, just when it seemed as if things had been going fine, a rune flashed before Lucian, and as he read it, his blood ran cold and his body froze.
[You have been noticed by demon imp]
[You are currently being tracked]