AK - The Alchemy Kingdom

Chapter 70: A place for the wicked

Year 2, Winter, First Month, First Week.

The mournful villagers stepped forward, each holding a flaming torch. Almost in unison, they threw the torches into the pyre. The flames grew and slowly consumed the bodies of their fallen. Samia lowered her head as Alfeur tried to comfort her, she couldnt keep looking. While Sania made sure to look at her grandfathers body until it was completely consumed by the fire. The timid twin would mourn old Bill with feelings of guilt and regret, but the fierce one only had hatred in her heart.

The pyre burned for a long time, but nobody dared to move. The Council members exchanged a look, an ending speech might be what they needed at this ominous time. Surprisingly, Omero wasnt up to it, losing his friend had dealt a blow to his confidence, so Marlen decided to say a few words, her old friend and all who sacrificed themselves deserved it. She walked ahead making mental notes of what she should say and turned back to face everybody, however, before she could start, something happened.

The first snowflakes descended, passing through the barrier, surprisingly easy. The thin snow showered the villagers and appeased the flaming remains of the pyre. It was like the Origin was also mourning their dead. Usually, snow wasnt a good sign because it marked a period of suffering and death, but right now it was welcomed, a reminder that life goes on and they would have a promising future ahead of them.

Today we mourn the passage of 24 villagers, family members, friends, loved ones. I dont have much to say besides, thank you

Marlen tuned to dying pyre and bowed. A lot of people noticed the bruises on her arms and legs, the rumors were probably true, she also fought against the Guards.

Thank you for fighting for our freedom, thank you for paying the price. Because of your sacrifice, we are no longer villagers, we are no longer commoners, we are finally, free! May the Origin receive your souls and guide you back to the cycle of life And we shall honor your memory.

***

Sania dodged the white wolfs attack and rolled on the ground before retrieving her spear and stab it into the wolfs neck. She panted heavily as Lew arrived to help her. He looked at the girls wounds and said:

Youre being too reckless

And you should stop following me Other teams can also use your help and I dont someone to keep checking on me, I am fine. Grandpa died, but life continues

The coldness in the girls voice made Lew shiver.

Im sorry

You shouldnt be, but the Kindom should. One day, they will pay for it

Lew stopped trying to argue with her and moved back to help the others collect the beasts. Sania looked back and saw signs of sickness in her team, they wouldnt be able to handle this for long, but before they could return, she had a job to do.

Since Bills funeral one week ago, she has taken on herself the job of mapping the outposts surroundings. Because of their previously limited numbers, Toni only organized a one-kilometer watch around the outpost, but now they needed to expand it, especially to check for MT beasts. For the last, her team had already checked around ten kilometers south and north of the camp, and now only the eastern part remained.

Sania called the magic locator operator and asked her to check for MT beasts. Soon, she felt the familiar waves passing her and patiently waited for the results. However, this time, the reader showed something. The engraved stone slowly rose in the wooden scale until it stopped at the E mark level. The operator struggled to accept it but Sania already understood what it meant, there was a MT beast near. *

The reader The reader identified a MT best approximately 500 meters east.

Sania turned back to her team.

Lets go back, our job here is done.

***

Hanna stood up as silently as she could and quietly left the temporary sleep section. The night was dark and she could barely see the other sleeping villagers, so she had to rely on her memory of the sections layout. Although she trampled on few legs, she still managed to leave the communitarian sleeping space without drawing unwanted attention. After recounting the instructions from memory, Hanna walked through the outpost trying to avoid the places where the night watch could pass by until she arrived in front of a simple tent near the barriers border.

Youre finally here Did anyone saw you? Good, now we can start.

The mysterious voice took out a shining stone that immediately provided enough illumination to reveal ten scared faces inside the tent. Sania smiled and explained:

This is a light crystal, the Alchemy Department lent it to the teams working in the night watch in case theres an emergency and their torches become out of fire Anyway, lets begin Everyone here agrees the Council is being too soft in their decisions

The other ten people present made affirmative nods. A young man that looked a little over 20 spoke:

Like when they let Carions parents leave, thats probably why the Kingdom found us so fast But what can we do about it?

This time, they looked at Sania, waiting for an answer.

For now, we should only discuss the things we dont agree and find more people that think like us But later, we could find ways to make our own moves

Hanna was a little hesitant about it, so she decided to ask:

Wouldnt that be betraying the others?

Sania smiled before answering.

Of course not. Arent we doing it to protect everyone? To grow stronger? Think of it as helping them in secret

The meeting went on for about an hour and then, everyone except Sania left. Some time passed and someone entered the tent. Sania took out the light crystal again and greeted Omero.

Everything went as we planned

Great! Your grandfather will be able to rest in pace once we avenge him Just be sure to dont push them too fast, they need time to grow and understand our mission better. Also, avoid standing against Karl. We have to lower his power but hes essential to our survival I trust you wont talk about our little group with your family or Marlen, they wouldnt understand

Sania nodded in agreement. Omero kept calling it our group and our mission, but Sania wasnt nave. He was trying to use her, but she would be the one using him. The group she was forming, would be loyal only to her. If Omero crossed her path, she wouldnt mind giving him his long-deserved rest.