The wind howled through the barren hills, bringing the stench of dust and decay. The flames of a small campfire flickered as its light cast shadows across the tired faces of the men who surrounded it. The land around them was desolate, devoid of life for miles on end.
"I knew we should have never set forth in this track!"
A tall red-haired man stood, slamming his foot in front of him as he glared at the middle-aged man who leaned his head on a large boulder. His face was tired, evidenced by the wrinkled skin and old freckles. The younger man spat on the ground, eyes bloodshot red in rage.
"A washed up D-rank Awakener dragged us to the pits of doom in the middle of nowhere. And then he just leans his head like nothing happened!"
There was a ringing in Kaelith's head, one that pierced through his skull from the sheer pain. He wanted to talk back, but he knew that he was in the wrong. He was the one who told them to go over this route when they encountered a split road.
All he wanted to do was help out, yet he only got their group in trouble.
"Kaelith, are you sure this was the right road?"
Another man, a more gentle-looking individual with hair reaching his shoulders, asked. His eyes were kindly watching the old man as he waited for the answer. Another man stopped the redhead from pouncing on Kaelith when he took his time before answering.
"It's useless talking to this old fool, Scar!" the redhead spat. "He is nothing but an old relic who awakened late. Now he wants to act mighty by trying to help us. He really is an idiot. Now, our party will be delayed and this will really cost us a lot of supplies."
"Calm down, Steven," the gentle man, Scar, said, raising his hand up to stop Steven from talking further. "Kaelith, can you answer my question?"
Kaelith sighed, a his breath formed fog from the cold of the night. His hands were jittery, playing with his fingers as his mind ran through all the right decisions he could've done while they were still traveling.
'I should've just stayed silent.'
"I'm sorry. I thought this was the right road."
"Pathetic!" Steven raised his hands in surrender, his face looked like he wanted to rip the older man to shreds. "I can't even use my phone here to ask for help. This is all your fault!"
"You're like a child with a tantrum."
The last member of their group was a woman who carried firewood back to their camp. She was significantly larger than the others apart from Kaelith. Her build showed how much she trained to become that big.
"You're the one to talk, Donna. If you haven't brought up taking this old man with us, we would've arrived at Longsoft and relaxed at a hotel now. Not camping in the boonies!"
Donna slammed the firewood on the ground and smacked Steven on the back of his head. The man fell forward, grunting when his body hit the ground. When he groveled, she placed her foot on his back, stopping him from crawling.
"I am the leader of this party!" Donna yelled. "I am an A-rank Awakener and blessed by the minor god Dementius. Meanwhile, you are nothing but a second-rate C-rank fool. Think about raising your voice at me, punk!"
Steven was silent as he let Donna words seep in. His head was lowered in shame as the woman ran her mouth through him like a train.
"Are you okay, Kaelith?" Donna approached the older man, her kind eyes seemingly glowing even in the dark night. She leaned down to match Kaelith's eyes. "Don't mind Steven. He has so much emotions. Because you know. He's a kid."
"Thank you." Kaelith lowered his head, earning him a chuckle from the woman.
"You are a charming old guy."
The woman's words were sarcastic, but gentle. She placed her hand on Kaelith's back, smiling at him.
"I am not that old," Kaelith retorted, making Donna laugh. "But, thank you."
"No worries. You actually helped me a lot today too. My job got so much easier," Donna's smile was now wider, but her words left a curious taste on Kaelith's mind. The woman shook her head in amusement before looking back at the man on the ground. "Steven, come with me. I think I found something over there by the large tree."
The redhead grunted, but followed. He had no power against Donna and he knew it. It was just as she said, she was blessed by a diety, gaining extra powers in comparison to a regular Awakener.
As gods watch over the Awakeners, they will sometimes chose individuals who they favor. Earning a favor from a god is an absolute advantage, no matter the status of the god. These individuals gain powers, depending on the blessing of the god that gave it to them. Some gods are stronger than the others, so naturally, some Blessed have more strength.
For Donna, she was blessed by the minor god Dementius who gave her extra physical strength. Although her body was trained heavily, the Blessing was a major factor that shaped her to become an A-rank Awakener.
Just when the two was about to leave the camp, the ground shook with a violent rage. The four gathered themselves, regrouping and preparing for combat. There was an ominous presence nearby, and it was approaching.
"It's here." Donna sighed. "I was hoping to delay it even just for a while."
"What is here, Donna?" Steven asked as he raised his sword, hands trembling in fear. "What is that giant presence I'm feeling?"
"That's the guardian of this mountain." Donna replied. She turned around and saw Kaelith's face who was beyond terrified. The woman sighed and grabbed the older man, taking a long rope from her bag and wrapping it around Kaelith.
"Donna, what is happening?!" Kaelith asked. "Why are you tying me up in this tree?"
"Hey, Donna. What the hell are you doing?" Steven walked towards her, but he was pulled away by Scar. "Scar? Are you in on this?"
"We trespassed its territory because Kaelith led us here." Scar shook his head. "It's only natural to offer him to the guardian and we escape. With his large body, the guardian would at least be somehow full as we traverse into the other track, right?"
"Why haven't you told us earlier?! We could've escaped together while it wasn't here!" Steven yelled. He watched as Kaelith could only stare at Donna who finished up tying the rope. "Donna, why aren't you talking?!"
"Because this is for the best!" Donna yelled. "I have had it with this old geezer. He's tainting all Awakeners because of his old age and pathetic rank!"
Kaelith was silent. He couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the gentle and bright Donna turned into a menace who looked completely opposite to her. His lips trembled as he watched the woman gather their things, including his own bag.
"The days that you cause trouble for us is long gone, Kaelith." Donna said. "You already got fourteen Awakeners killed because of you. My sister, she..."
The woman paused and gave a powerful punch on Kaelith's stomach. A searing pain traveled right into his body, blood bursting from his mouth after the impact.
"I will not let myself be the fifteenth."
"Kaelith! Break the rope! Come with us!" Steven yelled as Scar dragged him away. "Scar, let me go!"
"Don't you want this? Just a few moments ago, we had to hear your pathetic outbursts," Scar asked.
"Because I'm not like him nor you," Steven replied. "I'm not someone who lets a companion die."
"This is for the best." Scar placed a skill on Steven, causing the latter to drop into an instant sleep. "Don't worry, kid. If it weren't for your rich father, we would leave you here with him."
"I already reinforced the rope with my skill." Donna said. "Come on, Scar. Let's leave."
"Oh, Kaelith." Scar spoke as he faced Kaelith. "You innocent old man. It was fun toying with you. If only you just went for a more peaceful route in your life. You could've avoided all misfortunes. All seven of them."
Kaelith could only watch as they took an escape, leaving him with the horrific creature that was fast approaching.
"No regular job wanted an Awakener." Kaelith spoke just as the three left. "No Awakener wants someone as weak as me. I was already living in the streets. Why... How... What is happening?"
The man looked up as the silhouette of the others disappear from sight. The shakes were becoming stronger as he felt the presence of the guardian nearer. He knew he was somehow at fault for those deaths, but it couldn't just be him. There were always A-rank Awakener with the campaigns he joined.
Kaelith chuckled and closed his eyes, then realizing something. Among the seven campaigns that he joined that resulted in deaths, Scar was always present. His body trembled, thinking deeply about the decisions that caused all the deaths.
"Scar..." Kaelith seethed through his teeth. "He made me choose all those. Just like this road. He said that this path looked easier. He— He set this all up."
Before Kaelith could continue with his thoughts, the guardian has already arrived. The man slowly looked up after hearing a low growl. From the shadows emerged the beast emerged a ten-foot predator of muscle and bloodstained fur.
The man used all his strength to break free, but it was just as Donna said. The rope was reinforced. The man wriggled until he saw a small spark on top of the rope. A tiny skill that provided fire.
"Steven." Kaelith whispered and leaned forward. He gently blew the small ember, but his ragged breath caused it to die. "Shit. Shit. Shit!"
He dropped his head in helplessness, as he watched the small light vanish. He laughed at himself, tears rolling from his eyes, when a dying ember burst out in explosion and danced along the lenghts of the rope, engulfing it with flames. The man grinned as he broke free from his restriction. He never expected to receive help from the man who was angry at him the whole time.
Before the flames could get into him, he rolled down the ground and used all his remaining strength to escape. He knew he wasn't as fast as the others, but being an Awakener, his speed was way beyond a regular human, even that of a track runner.
The man felt the taste of victory until he felt a tug on his thigh and his entire body fell. His chest greeted the ground with a loud thud and the rocks pound on his chest.
"What—"
A sound of snapping bones was herd behind him, his head slowly turning around only for his face to pale at the sight. Blood sprayed from his thigh as he looked up to see the bear gnawing on his limb, seemingly grinning at him.
"Fuck!"