Seth hesitated as his hand gripped the handle of the weapon.
It was that hesitation that saved the life of the old man, as he reached over and pulled off one of the drain covers in the alley, leading to the sewers below.
He gestured for Seth to hop in, but Seth hesitated.
Am I really going to follow this strange man into the sewers?
He thought through his options.
It's either that, or I go out into the streets in daylight, which will most likely lead to me being caught and killed by the kings gaurd anyway.
Realizing that he didn't have much choice, he hopped into the dark and wet sewers.
The man followed, and closed the cover, creating complete darkness, which made Seth anxious.
Have I made a mistake? He thought instantly, nerves betraying him.
He reached into the insides of his pockets again, preparing for an attack.
Suddenly, a light shun through the tunnel.
Seth thought that the man might have pulled an oil lantern from somewhere, but when he turned to the source, he saw something unbelievable.
Hovering just above the man's outstretched hands was a mystical orange light. Its source was spherical, like an orb, and it emitted enough light for them to see a few meters in front of them.
Seth stared at the man in disbelief, and the man returned it with a smile. Then, he reached one hand up, allowing the orb to rest above the other, while he took off his reading glasses.
As he did, the whites of his eyes changed color to a deep black, like the abyss.
"No way. You're an Anointed too?"
The man laughed as he began to walk down the tunnel, gesturing for Seth to follow.
"You think I would have reacted the way I did if I was just a regular human being?" he said, and Seth thought that made sense, though he was still shocked.
"Judging by your age and reaction, I assume there's a lot you don't know. You just became Anointed recently, didn't you?"
Seth hesitated before answering, remembering the events of his sacrifice.
"Yes, only last night," he replied, and the man nodded in acknowledgment.
They continued walking for a few moments, their footsteps in the shallow water beneath them echoing through the dark tunnel.
"Who are you?" Seth said, breaking the silence.
He wondered who this man was, and what sort of sacrifice he had made to become Anointed.
I hope he is a good man.
"My name's Onyx, but I'm known as the Scouter," he responded. "And yourself?What's your name?"
"Seth. Why are you known as the Scouter?"
The man named Onyx let out another chuckle.
"You'll find out soon; we're almost there."
Almost where? Seth wondered, many questions running through his mind, but he carried on following the man, trusting that he would receive answers soon.
Finally, they reached a large metal door in the wall of the tunnel.
Onyx brought out a set of keys and inserted one into the keyhole, and the door creaked open.
The room inside was already lit, so Onyx somehow dispelled the orb and watched it fade away.
It was a larger room than Seth was expecting, and inside seemed to be some sort of lounge area.
It reminded him of a bar, or a night club, all cramped into one room.
There was a snooker table, a bar for drinks, a carpeted floor, and tables and chairs.
However, what surprised him most was the number of people that were there.
He did a quick count and spotted roughly fifteen, all engaged in different activities. But what was most surprising was their eyes: they were all pitch black.
They are all Anointed. Where in gods name am I?
Seth noticed a desk at the far end of the room, and behind it sat a man who immediately stared at Seth upon entering.
The others followed suit after Onyx made an announcement.
"Evening, Lambs. This here is Seth, an Anointed I found this morning."
Silence fell in the room, as everyone stopped what they were doing.
All sorts of faces turned to stare at him, but no one said a word.
Seth's heart rate increased tremendously, and his palms began to sweat with nerves.
The man at the desk finally rose to his feet and broke the silence.
"Well then, Seth. Come here so I can get a closer look at you."
Seth hesitated before obeying and making his way through the crowd towards the man.
Once standing in front of him, he realized how formidable the man was.
He wore an expensive-looking all-black suit and held a black and gold cane.
He was large, probably 6 foot 6 tall, and his muscles filled out his clothes with ease.
His hair was long, black, and braided, and he wore jewelry on his fingers and neck.
Where is this man? The presence that he carries is immense.
The man looked him up and down for a moment, inspecting him like a piece of meat.
"Well, he doesn't seem like a Penitent. Everyone, continue with what you're doing while I talk to the boy here."
With that, the men and women in the room returned to their chatter, games, and drinks.
He must be the boss of whatever group this is. He's a terrifying man.
The man sat at his desk and gestured for Seth to take a seat on the other side, which he did.
As they sat, the man's dark eyes stared into his soul as he tapped his fingers idly on the desk.
"So, Seth, what was your sacrifice?"
The question caught Seth off guard. It was easy to forget that he himself was one of these people. An Anointed.
"My future. I sacrificed everything to search for and kill my brother, the one who murdered my parents last night."
The man's eyebrows rose at what he said.
"That is a powerful sacrifice, one much more powerful than I think you know. I assume the murdering of your parents was an offering to the wretched Adonus?"
Seth noted the way the man addressed the new god, clearly having no respect for the entity.
"Yes, I saw his eyes. His name is Abel, and my goal is to hunt him down. I made my sacrifice out of anger, but I do not regret it."
The man nodded in response.
"Anger is not always a bad thing. In fact, most of us here have a deep anger within us. It's what we do with it, and who it is targeted against, that matters."
Seth grew ever more curious about the story of this man and the people who seemed to follow him.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but who are you?"
The man flashed Seth a smile as he continued to tap his ringed fingers on the desk.
"Well, first, I have one more question for you. Where did your brother go after the murder?"
It was a question that Seth would have liked to have the answer to himself.
"I have no idea. He left through the window of our house after raising my father from the dead and sending him after me."
The man lost his smile, and Seth wondered what had bothered him.
"He raised a corpse from the dead... That is a powerful ability. It's very rare for someone to have that much control over Blight so shortly after becoming Anointed."
Blight? I have no idea what he's talking about.
The man sat in silence for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.
"Your brother may join the Penitents, our rivals. Having someone so powerful amongst their ranks would present difficulties for me and my people; however, it seems that fate is on our side. Onyx finding you has proved very beneficial."
He seemed to mumble the last part to himself. Finally, the smile returned to the man's face, and his aura changed immediately.
"Welcome to the Lambs, Seth. There is much for you to learn about the world of the Anointed!"