The Threat of Quake

"Fico... she's a part of another organization. It's nothing like Orion's Hierarchy, nothing like Providence of Providia, and nothing like me. Fico is the leader of a group called Quake. This isn't a kingdom, it's a ruthless group where I used to kill other members to ascend in the ranking. Right before I abandoned that group, there were six people in it." Illya explained.

"Fico, Austin, Amy, Zeka, Kire, and Cole." She added.

Another organization? A group? That sounded like it would be a problem for sure... but what did she mean? Nothing like her? Nothing like Orion's Kingdom? Nothing like Providence?

"Six people, well, seven including you... what are they capable of? How dangerous are they?" I asked Illya, but she hesitated with her answer.

"Fico was stronger than me. By a long shot. They all have abilities, of course, just like other Deities... because they all possess Deity-Level Strength. The weakest one, Cole, wiped out an Isle on his own." Illya dropped the bomb, which was information that worried me, yet excited me.

"I knew Eirikr was insanely strong. I assume Eirikr ranks higher than all of them?" I asked her, and she nodded.

She wasn't lying. The threat of Cole alone was far too much for me to handle, especially with my left arm the way it is now. I hadn't lost my abilities and could still dip into my Deity Powers, but using them against the weakest one, which was on par with my skills, wouldn't help me win. To win, I needed to get stronger... but that goal seemed so far out now.

"Sounds like the threat keeps getting worse. They're going to be a problem, you say? Starting when?" I asked her, sitting still in my bed while watching Illya fidget around.

"I'd say... starting now. They would need time to process that you were off of The Pinnacle... the Isle you reincarnated on, and now, they should be planning a siege on The Charred, or The Scorched Isle. We probably have about a week before they find this location and upturn it to find you." Illya told me.

"I'm flattered I'm that popular. I can't think of a way I get out of this situation within the week, so I'll be here when they get me. They want to kill me too, huh?" I asked Illya, lying back in the bed with my hands against the back of my head.

"They don't want just you. They want Avie too. In fact, I'd argue they would keep you alive if you surrendered Avie." She told me.

My head perked upward. Do they want Avie that bad? Don't worry Avie, I understand that pain... and I won't let them take you.

"That sucks because they won't get Avie until they've killed me. Tell me, what makes these guys so powerful?" I asked Illya yet again, but she didn't seem to know the answer to that question.

"I don't know if this is right or not, but it seems that the people in Quake absorb power from the ones they kill. Within The First Trial, you unconsciously did this as well, obtaining Achamo DNA from Providence, and adding to your own power supply. The difference is that the Quake members haven't killed any Achamos, Asterios, or Eternias. You're the rare case in having Providence's raw strength added to your arsenal." Illya told me again.

I was wondering where that strength came from. It certainly appeared out of nowhere, but after I killed Providence, I felt rejuvenated. It was surpassed by my mom's quick death soon after, but I was able to fight Illya with it before I even became a Deity. Like it or not, Providence was a pivotal point... and Mom dying was unavoidable.

"That doesn't matter, can I fight even the weakest member of Quake like this?" I asked her, pointing to my left arm.

"All members of Quake had their weaknesses. I never found out Fico's, but every other member has something specific... my weakness was that I cared too much about reviving you. It's small things like that, but they can snowball into utter defeat if they're exercised. I'm thinking that if we can make a deal with Genesis, we can unknowingly shove him into Quake's face and defeat them, before turning him into Eirikr." Illya suggested.

She was thinking very in-depth about this... that's good at least.

"We'll use your brother before turning him in... yeah, you're pretty rotten, from the inside out," I told Illya. She nodded silently and finally laid down in her bed.

"I've had a long fourteen years of being awake. I'm going to sleep now, is there anything else you want to talk about?" She asked me, to which I responded with a simple shake of my head.

"Then, goodnight." She told me.

I stayed silent to think about the circumstances.

Knowing about so many dangerous threats at once is overwhelming... but, I'll overcome it.

First things first, I would like to break out of here. I was wondering how dangerous it would be for me if I was caught, but nothing should be too bad. If I'm not already dead, chances are they won't kill me. Not with my friends in this city. They're very well aware of what would happen if I'm in danger, or any of them are. Breaking out has to be the best option.

"Hey, Asterio kid, are you still awake?" I peered my head over to the voice coming from the cell to my right and kept quiet.

I stayed silent for as long as possible, but through the cell bars, a broken piece of a mirror was shoved between them at an angle to see my face. I saw a scruffy beard, grey and black hair mixed in, and an old guy smiling through his stern look.

"Thought so. You're really the kid everybody has been afraid of? You look harmless." He told me.

"I'm not harmless. I'm extremely dangerous." I told the old man. He chuckled, audibly stepping onto the concrete floor in his bare feet, and sticking his arm through the cell bars towards me.

"Then, squeeze my hand. If you can break it, then I'll believe you." He offered to me.

The problem was, he was using his left hand, and I couldn't use mine. I tried to grab it with my right hand, but he refused, slapping it away and pointing toward my other hand.

"No, use that one." He demanded.

"I can't. I don't feel anything in that arm." I replied.

"What a shame. You know, turning down a bet from an old geezer like me is pretty pathetic. I never imagined The Asterio to be like that." He said with an annoying voice.