Silence settled as the words escaped Aegis's lips. The stone walls of the blocky quarters felt cold as Aegis turned toward Zerra and Kaelran with his shoulder on the wall. Their eyes pierced his, as they were keen too. His dreams helped them in past to find coin pouches of the dead.
Kaelran calmly spoke.
"Is it another pouch?"
His voice was low but carried a hint of excitement after all, lost pouches carry more than gold sometimes. But Aegis didn't answer, and instead, he shook his head.
Kaelran's expression turned grim, and he spoke again.
"Is it about the gold pile?"
Aegis's face was calm, and he replied.
"Yes."
Zerra and Kaelran knew what Aegis was talking about; he had told them about his dream three nights ago. At first, they were excited as they thought it was about the past. But the excitement quickly faded when Aegis replied that it included him, and it looked more like the future, as his hair touched his nape, and he carried new scars.
Zerra spoke with hesitation in her voice.
"So?"
Aegis looked at her quickly; he knew she might not like his reply.
"The eldari I saw in my dream, I saw him in Arena."
Both of his friends now straightened their backs and no longer leaned against the wall. Their eyes widened a little as they heard the words.
Aegis continued as he straightened his back.
"The pale red skin, long brown hair, and Emerald green eyes…Everything looked the same."
Zerra and Kaelran exchanged gazes. Aegis was sure they were confused. Back when he told them about the pile of gold, their eyes gleamed, but the gleam died when he mentioned where it was.
All three of them stood in silence, and the place where the pile of gold was made them think.
If even the thought of Ashen Chapel frightened them, they might not accept it at all if I mentioned the Eldari's power.
Aegis thought to himself, the greed in him wanted him to join the Eldari. But the fifteen years of survival experience taught him not to go near Ashen chapel. Aegis knew if he were to join the Eldari, he might have to journey to the forsaken place.
He was ready to go to the Ashen chapel before seeing the Eldari. But now, what he witnessed in a few minutes has put him in a dilemma. If he decides to go with the Eldari, he will definitely face something worse.
I hoped these two would help, but I guess not.
Neither of them has uttered a word, because just like Aegis, the greed for gold is pulling them toward it. But unlike Aegis, they were afraid of the place.
Aegis cut through the silence with his words.
"Are we doing this?"
Kaelran turned to Aegis, and his face did not carry the confidence he usually has. He said as his voice was low.
"I am not sure."
Kaelran looked down and then lifted his head and spoke.
"Ashen chapel is impossible to survive."
Zerra looked at Kaelran and then turned to Aegis.
"Absolutely not! We can find another way."
Aegis and Kaelran both turned their heads sharply. A thought formed in Aegis's head.
No? Is she backing off?
Aegis did not completely see Kaelran's face, but he knew his friend had the same thought. Zerra's eye darted between him and Kaelran's face. She returned their gazes, quickly opened her mouth.
"What? We don't know what is behind the wall. I agree that we need gold, but it won't be as easy as fighting a single fiend."
Both of her friends exchanged looks. Aegis sighed as he knew what she said was true. Nobody knew what was behind in the Ashen chapel and in the dead city surrounding it. Fiends who tried to scale the wall and got into the dead city did not return.
All of them once again stood in silence. Aegis finally shook his head and said.
"We will decide later. I need to go get back to the tavern."
With that, Aegis waved and left the quarry.
"That was… not helpful."
Aegis mumbled as he walked, his gaze fixed on the orange sky. The rays of light still blanketed the city as it was midday. Hot air brushed his skin as he walked down the streets. Many fiends passed him, while many walked with him. But all of them kept their distance from him.
Suddenly, Aegis's feet were caught in something soft. It felt as if his feet had squished into a blob. He looked down, and it was a cleaner. A pale red skin with bones clearly visible inside it. The bones were scattered, making the mass appear like a lump of flesh. It had no face and did not react when Aegis stepped on it. But its pale skin twitched as it let a low groan in pain.
The expression on Aegis's face turned dark as he thought.
Cleaners, the ultimate symbol of failure by greed. If I failed to do what I want, I might end up in a worse state than these blobs of flesh.
He crossed over the lump of flesh as it moved and sucked the trash and dust. Aegis made his way to the tavern. The tavern was a grey building with jagged gold accents. There was a board above it, but he simply ignored it and opened the door.
The bell above the door rang as he stepped in. A few of the customers looked at him but quickly turned away. Aegis scanned the tavern, and his master was nowhere to be seen. The wooden tables and chairs were full. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and carried on with his duty as a waiter and cleaner in the tavern.
The two suns in the orange sky slowly sank into the horizon, and a pair of vibrant crescents rose, and the sky and the windows in the tavern were painted in cobalt blue. It was nighttime, and Aegis had just finished carrying out his duties, and he went into his cellar.
It was beneath a small hatch door in the kitchen, and a rusty ladder led to it. Aegis gently climbed, and the ladder creaked as he descended. The light slowly faded into darkness, and the open kitchen suddenly turned into a cage.
The cellar was small, and it only had a mattress beside the ladder and a cracked mirror in front of it.
Aegis sighed, as his life in the cellar was very persuasive. The sight of the cellar was enough to push him to the Eldari. The freedom he felt when roaming around the city on his own accord was short-lived.
He finally slumped onto the tattered mattress, which was squishy but not at all comfortable. Aegis could feel tiny thorns poking his back. He gently shifted and adjusted his back. Finally, he found a comfortable spot.
He gently buried his head into the mattress and was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, his skin started itching, bed bugs crawled all over the mattress, and one just bit him.
Little shit.
The red back of the bug was bulging with his blood. He smashed it with his hand and swatted a few away from his mattress. Finally, he drifted into sleep.
…
It was the next day, and the sky was painted orange. The chilly night air gave way to the warm atmosphere, and the smell of sulfur returned. Aegis worked in silence, and his palms trembled as he scrubbed a table.
The brightness in his red pupils now looked dim, and his face had a frown plastered on it. Aegis finished scrubbing one table, and he moved onto the other. He limped a little as he walked. The bruises on his legs could be seen by everyone, but nobody cared. He felt as if his existence was not worthy of them to notice, except for…
The images of a noble fiend along with his master, flashed in his mind, and both of them visited him last night. Aegis knew by then that he had to oblige and stay silent.
Aegis just scrubbed every single table as he stayed silent.
He decided to join the Eldari.
I'd rather die.
Fear of the unknown had clouded his mind till yesterday, but the last night only reminded him of every such night he endured.
He cursed his fate, and he kept walking over to the tables to serve. Not much happened for the rest of the morning. Aegis kept serving food and drinks. The tavern was lively, and almost all of the tables had half a dozen customers.
Trays of roasted, grilled, and glazed meat rested on many tables. The customers dug into it without any delay, and the fiends left nothing in the trays as they ate like beasts.
Aegis scoffed inwardly.
Pathetic.
His face may not have shown it, but Aegis cursed at every single fiend in here.
I have to find him, but how?
Aegis thought as he leaned his back against the wall.
I cannot leave today…
Aegis's eyes dimmed a bit again. But before he thought about it more, a table was emptied, and Aegis left to clean it.
He gently cleaned it with a cloth and a scrub. Right then, the bell in front of the door rang. A tall figure clad in black Armour opened the door. His pale skin glistened as the lantern near the door burned.
His emerald green eyes halted at Aegis as Aegis's red pupil halted at him.