Come dawn, Alaric woke up to the first rays of sunlight. The light pierced the woven grass sheets covering the gaps in the wall. His eyelids were still heavy, and every bone in his body ached when he stretched. Considering everything that happened the day before, he really needed this uninterrupted sleep.

  Others must have thought so too. No one had woken him up for a guard shift.

  With a yawn, he walked outside. The morning breeze tugged at his clothes and hair.

  “Good morning, kid.” Robert’s groggy voice rang. The old hunter was sitting on the boulder, his legs hanging off the side. His rifle was laid next to him. Bandages still covered most of his shoulders, though he seemed to be able to move much better than the day before.

  “Good morning.” He suppressed another yawn. “I thought Clara had healed everyone’s wounds from that attack.” He gestured at the man’s bandages.

  “Oh, she did. Mine weren’t so bad though, so I told her to leave them be till last.” He laughed. “Glad I did, that Lochlan kid’s arm was in pretty back shape yesterday.”

  Alaric couldn’t help but agree.

  “You know,” Robert spoke up with a hint of nostalgia as his gaze lingered on the two wolves. “A hunter always needs a companion. I had one years past – a sweet boy my brother called Oatmeal. Saved me from my own carelessness way too many times. These two will do the same to you.”

  Alaric avoided meeting his gaze. Is it the same thing? In a way, he was forcing them to do his bidding. The mark on the back of his hand felt heavy all of a sudden.

  “What will you do about the spires?”

  The old hunter’s question caught him off guard.

  “I’m not sure yet.” He admitted. “It’s dangerous.”

  “It’ll be more dangerous.” The hunter pointed eastward. “There’s another one there, I can see it from up here.” He patten on the rock’s surface. “Come on up and see.”

  The spire to the northeast was much farther away than the two they fought off the day before. It was mostly hidden behind trees and was much closer to the distant mountains.

  “There’s one down south too.” Robert pointed at it. “Close to the old city though.”

  It was inside the mist-laden area between the sea of grass and old Fairford. It’s best not to go near there.

  “This place is safe from their corruption for a couple more hours.” Robert let out a sigh as he fixed his hat and wiped some dust off his knees. “Who knows what happens once those hours are up?” He shrugged. “How many can you have? Like these two?” He pointed at Luna and Sol, sleeping in the sunlight.

  “I don’t know.” Is there a limit?

  “You know… I thought that girl Ava and your sister were amazing.” Robert said with a chuckle. “One fights like she’s done it her whole life, the other can heal the worst of wounds – save lives just with her touch.” He scratched his chin. “Then you and the girl Victoria pop up out of nowhere – you can just turn our enemies to our side, and she can do… well… I don’t know what she can do but I can tell she’s powerful.”

  “Edward told you?”

  “He can’t stop gushing about how awesome she was.” He chuckled. “The lad’s smitten.”

  “She did save us yesterday.” Had it not been for her, none of them would have made it out alive. In hindsight, it was a terrible idea to go out with just the four of them.

  “I’m sure she did.” Robert narrowed his eyes. “Jason’s a good lad – a bit of a scaredy-cat but that’s fine. He and his friends will fight when the need’s there. Sarah’s a good girl too, but her kid will always be her priority. Charles is…” His forehead scrunched up, then he shrugged. “Well, he’s smart and people listen to him for now. Helps that half the people here elected him before all this…” He made a vague gesture pointing at their surroundings.

  Alaric raised an eyebrow. “For now?”

  Robert nodded. “For now. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but I know it won’t be forever.” He glanced at Alaric. “Do you think it’ll last forever?”

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  No.

  The speed at which he arrived at that conclusion shocked himself. “I don’t know… probably not.” He admitted.

  “Do you know why?”

  He shook his head, prompting the old hunter to continue.

  “Because people need someone who will protect them. Sure, they’ll fight tooth and nail rather than die, but when their so called leader stands back and just barks orders… that won’t sit well with them after some time. Maybe after a few of them die. Maybe later.” He scowled. “Maybe sooner.”

  “So… Charles needs to fight?”

  “He needs power – something he won’t get. Because people don’t get power by sitting back.” He pointed at Alaric. “You fought tooth and nail to save your sister, then Sarah and Ava, then the rest of us. So now you’re strong. You have this power.” He waved his hand indecisively. “Ava too – she protected her brother, so she got that power. And your sister – well, she needed to get that power, so you’d survive, right?”

  Without her healing, Alaric would have never made it to the Hallowed Ground. He has a point. “What do you reckon will happen?”

  Robert chuckled. “I don’t see the future, lad.” He smirked. “Worry about what’s in front of us for now. How will you deal with these spires?”

  ***

  How do I deal with these spires? Robert had long since gone to get some more sleep, and Alaric was left alone on top the boulder.

  He glanced down at the wolves.

  Luna was laying on her back, her belly facing up. Sol was clearly dreaming as his hind legs kicked the air occasionally.

  Is it better than death?

  For him, the answer was no. But for them… he could only hope it was different.

  He turned his gaze west. He could see both spires – one northwest, the other southwest. The one southwest was much smaller than all the others. At first, it was just a rock jutting out of the ground that split in half. The others were proper spires, reaching for the sky. They were larger, and much more intimidating.

  Probably much more dangerous too.

  First, they needed to try and get rid of the small one. And an open field was a better battlefield than the dense forest of the northwest spire. He glanced at the wolves again. With their help, it would probably be doable. He could even take a few more while he was there.

  ***

  “We’re faced with a new threat!” Charles’ voice boomed. He was standing on the boulder, with the people gathered at its foot. He raised both hands, making a gesture that encapsulated their surroundings. “Obsidian structures have appeared on all four sides! They spew out hostile beasts that threaten our safety. The system has given us our next objective – to destroy or cleanse the mana cores within these structures!”

  Murmurs spread across the small crowd. Almost half of the people here had already faced these threats. Charles’ speech wasn’t for those people though – it was for those who remained behind to deal with menial, safer tasks that were still vital for their survival. Gathering food, boiling water, hunting…

  “Today, we must set out to attempt this, as within this hour, this Hallowed Ground will once again become susceptible to the corruption spreading from these structures. In order to guarantee our continued survival, I call on anyone who is willing to help destroy these structures! Who will join us?”

  Alaric felt a rugged hand on his shoulder. “See, that’s what I meant lad.”

  A wave of fear spread in the small crowd.

  “Who is coming?” Charles asked again, only to be met with silence. Stammering, his gaze searched the crowd. “Our usual explorers and fighters need your help…?” His voice trailed off.

  “You’re going, right?” Elizabeth asked Alaric. “Victoria said you would.”

  “I am, yeah.” He forced a smile. She was a sweet girl, just like her sister.

  “I’ll come too then.” She clenched her fists, her gaze fiery with conviction. “Victoria said she needs someone to cover her when she casts her spells. So I’ll do that! That way you can focus on fighting too!” Her voice was filled with hope and enthusiasm. She wanted to protect her sister, no matter the cost.

  “I’ll also join, if that’s alright.” Edward’s sheepish voice drew a few more gazes on them. “I think you’ll need all the help you can get.”

  “Not without me you won’t, you bloody idiot.” Carl’s voice startled him. He hadn’t really gotten the chance to talk to Edward’s father since they arrived. “I’ll cover the kids.”

  “We’re not kids!” Edward, protested, only to be hushed by his father.

  “Thank you all!” Charles’ voice cut off their conversation. “If anyone else wants to join, the team will set off in less than an hour – so make sure to speak with me or Alaric, or Ava. That’s all.” Noticing that not many people paid much attention to him, he climbed down the boulder with a somewhat deflated expression.

  Alaric sighed. Robert’s right. He needs to join – Ava isn’t enough.

  “Right, let’s make sure all of you have some weapons then. And… well, if anyone here as powers like me or Ava do, please share them – we can plan much better if we know what everyone is capable of.”

  Most people simply shook their heads, while a few seemed a little sad, almost disappointed. Everyone wanted strength. To protect themselves or loved ones. To not be helpless in the face of adversity. But the system – or the gods – didn’t give out such powers easily.

  About an hour later, when Alaric stepped out of the church, the group was ready to leave. Their numbers gave him pause for a moment. Sarah was standing by the entrance, next to Ava. Clara, Edward, Carl and the twin sisters Victoria and Elizabeth were chatting off to the side. Jason and his four friends Erik, Reuban, Lochlan and Avery were sitting on the ground and immediately stood up when Alaric stepped outside.

  “You’ve got a good group, lad.” Robert smirked from up the boulder. “If my arm was fine, I’d have come with.”

  “I can heal it, you know,” Clara offered with a chuckle.

  “Nah, those lads and gals will need it way more once you’re done with the first spire. Make sure they all come back in one piece, alright? That’s your job. Don’t let them die.”

  “I won’t.” Her smile vanished as a fire lit in her eyes. “We’ll all come back in one piece.”

  “That we will.” Carl whistled. “Let’s go.”

  “Yeah, let’s go.” There was much to be done, and it was best if they could take care of that spire before dusk. They set off, with a small crowd of people waving them goodbye. He didn’t see Charles among them.