Another peaceful day.
It was the first time in months that Cass had been by himself. At least where he wasn't fighting for his life under a mountain of destroyed buildings and vehicles. He took the time to let his mind relax and process everything that had happened. Unfortunately, that decision ruined his serene morning walk.
I shouldn't have survived that bombardment. I may be tougher thanks to the partial blessing, but the severity of that initial strike…
His face soured…It was Captain Stanev…He must have protected me when the shells impacted. The explosion, not to mention the number of buildings I flew through…That's why he was so close to me. That's why I wasn't more severely injured.
If it wasn't for that damn chain. No, if those vile demons hadn't been there, he would have made it.
Something else was troubling Cass: He had just spent over two months isolated in a life or death struggle. Should he be okay? He felt fine. That wasn't normal, was it? He wondered if his mind had escaped unscathed. He'd just let 8 people venture to their certain deaths, afterall. It wasn't really his fault though, was it? He told them they'd be fine if they stuck with him. They decided to betray him in the end. And what's more, they were fine with leaving him to die. So in the end, what did he have to concern himself with? Not to mention this was all just a construct of the fog anyway.
"A beautiful day, isn't it? Not even a bird chirping."
Normally that'd put Cass on high alert. Today, he decided to enjoy the silence; interrupted only by the crunch of his boots in the snow. After several miles, Cass came upon the remnants of the traitors. It was much more conspicuous than the razorleg attack had been. Fragments of torn packs and clothes along with a destroyed mana rifle…A streak of blood in the snow leading off to the west. The tracks weren't particularly large; probably a pack of some wolf-like beast. He stopped for a moment.
Might as well.
"AYMAN!"
He waited. But there was no answer.
I guess that's that.
Cass continued on. It was the afternoon when he finally reached the treeline of the massive forest. Down in the valley, nestled against the mountains, was the observation facility. He wasn't able to appreciate its size until now. A sprawling complex with gigantic dishes pointed in all directions. Strange devices: Massive rings spinning around a glowing core towered above him in the air. He had no idea what they were. The nondescript rectangular buildings seemed out of place with the bizarre structures and the halo of artillery cannons surrounding them, jutting from the snow. He couldn't see any movement, but he also didn't notice any damage to the structures or buildings.
Well, I guess this is it.
Cass set his bag down and carefully removed his precious cargo. She was just as beautiful as the last day he saw her alive; except for her lifeless eyes. He wasn't sure if demon's didn't rot or if it was just the cold keeping her preserved. Either way, she had saved his life. Her miasma had kept the beasts at bay, just as Stanev said.
"They were all so pleased to see you killed, I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted to help them live anyway."
Why had he kept her head a secret from the group? It was true he didn't trust them…However, according to Stanev, all soldiers knew of the power the heads possessed. They would've been thrilled. Though they probably would've just stolen her and left him anyway.
I would've traveled with them had they listened, the fools.
"We shouldn't lose a wink of sleep over a bunch of conniving backstabbers, should we?"
Cass was stalling. He wanted to give a proper burial. No doubt the soldiers at the observation facility would just burn her or use her as glorified bug repellent; and he would not allow that. As sad as it was to admit, she was his first friend…even if she was a demon; and regardless of how she felt about him, if she even could even feel at all.
"Well, if you have some grand resurrection scheme in mind, now's the time."
The silence was deafening.
"God damn it."
Cass placed her head back in the bag, dug a small hole and buried her. He placed rocks over top as a primitive marker and to protect her from animals.
What am I doing? When I succeed, all this disappears anyway.
He slung his mana rifle over his shoulder and headed towards the facility. It was eerily quiet. Other than the hum of machines, Cass heard nothing.
Guess I'll knock.
He tried waving his arms in front of security cameras, knocking on doors, calling out…nothing. He even started banging on metal handrails to cause a ruckus; still, nothing stirred. Finally, one of the dozens of doors he had tried opened.
"Hello!"
He didn't think much of it when he saw the guard posts empty outside. He assumed there was an automated defense system in place. However, he figured there would be personnel on the premises somewhere. The more he explored the facility, the more he started to doubt that was the case. He had entered through a dingy room filled with the whir of retro machines and discarded equipment. In contrast, much of the facility was sleek and modern looking. Cass was currently in a large mall area: A huge screen flashed advertisements, facility announcements, and news about the outside world. There were restaurants, a theatre, gym, pools, you name it. And not a soul in sight.
Is the fog napping? What's going on here? Where is everyone?
Cass spent the rest of the day exploring. If he found an area he couldn't enter, he'd search for a keycard or some alternate route to get in. It didn't always work, but he was making progress. He was able to piece together that the facility was used to monitor mana activity and track enemy movements. It also contained wings for research and development of mana devices. Particularly weapons. Mana was a vital source of energy, but it was very difficult to control. Making devices out of it was a huge area of research. The mana rifle was celebrated as the start of a revolution, though further progress had stagnated. Cass sat slumped in the command center, exhausted from his trip around the sprawling complex. The large monitors adorning the walls spat out reels of data; he didn't understand most of it. Many of the workstations around him were still on and some even had coffee cups next to them.
Even if it's a holiday or something, I should've come across at least one person. No one's here! And there's no sign of struggle either. Did they just get bored and quit?
Cass wasn't too worried. All the non-perishable food would last him years. He'd have plenty of time to figure out what to do in that time. His vision was a little hazy. He must've been more tired than he realized.
Actually…my vision is really hazy. Is there a fire!?
White puffs surrounded Cass and soon he was falling.
No way! I-is the trial over!?
"THAT'S IT!?"
He screamed as he plunged into the void.
It was a crisp autumn day. The birds were chirping in the giant trees of the verdant forest. As if struck by a sudden gust of wind, a large pocket of fog split in two and slowly dissipated away. All that remained was a figure, hunched over on their hands and knees; a blood-soaked shirt clinging to his body. Cass was fighting back tears harder than he ever had in his life. He went to punch the ground, but stopped halfway.
Once a trial was complete, the person received their blessing along with one advantage and disadvantage each; that was the minimum. Some would luck out and receive an extra advantage or two, but that was rare. Even rarer was to be unlucky and get an extra disadvantage. Disadvantages could be anywhere from inconsequential to life altering. Most of the time it was somewhere in between. Blessings were universally beneficial, though the degree varied wildly. From being able to convene with a specific species of bird all the way up to controlling all elemental magic and divine energy…Better known as Paladin, Cadeyrn's blessing. The basic information appeared in the mind, as if it had always been there. However, it was up to the person to figure out the details.
"It's not fucking fair!"
He hadn't been this distraught since Cadeyrn had betrayed him.
"After all that!? Seriously? What was that about ambition and suffering, Ariayah!? Putting up with my family, losing Misha, Cadeyrn, the trial…surviving. Was it all for nothing?"
Cass's situation was even rarer. He hoped it was still part of the trial…that he was still in the fog. But he knew he wasn't. There it was, clear as day in his mind. As if it had always been there.
|Curse| - Parasite
"A lowly, unwanted creature. Parasites cannot survive without a host. You are no different. Find one before your meager life force expires. You are beholden to them. Separated, you die."
That was bad enough. The obvious choice would be to have Misha be his host. However, he had no idea what it meant for her, nor could he go see her anyway. That wasn't the worst of it though.
Advantages
There's nothing there! None of the lessons ever covered that!
No advantages with a curse was bad…But it only got worse.
Disadvantages
Autoimmunity - Your own body rejects you. You are unable to heal from damage.
Dead - You are dead. Eternal and unchanging.
Dead!? What the hell does that even mean!? And being unable to heal? Why in the world does a dead person need to heal!?
"Eternal and unchanging" sounded like it could be good. Cass wasn't fooled though, a disadvantage was just that. And the cherry on top…he hadn't even grown any stronger since leaving the trial. His physical capabilities and Blessed energy reserves were exactly the same as they were in the fog.
"Is this the Dead disadvantage at work? How wonderful! Oh, and did I say Blessed energy? Silly me, I mean Cursed energy!"
Cass laughed and stood up. He hadn't even reached the level of a 6th tier Blessed…Even if he had, he'd still be worse off than when he entered the vile fog.
"I can't heal…"
His legs wavered.
"The fog's right, I am dead. How can I survive?"
He looked down at his bloody shirt. The scar was visible through the slit left by the blade. His anger boiled to the surface. It was enough to get him moving.
Where to go?