Chapter 22: A Runic Land!

"So how are your injuries, Cyrus? I heard the mission was a tough one."

Cyrus lay on a small bed in a dark and cold room. The room had a small candle on one of its stands to illuminate the room. The room was empty except for Cyrus, who was lying on the bed, and another person standing above him.

"..."

Cyrus didn't respond; he simply laid on the bed and ignored what the person above him was saying.

"Tsk. Grumpy as usual. The only time I hear you talk is when you're responding to one of the bosses. If you continue like this, you'll never get yourself a beautiful wife."

Cyrus remained silent but glared at the man standing above him with daggers in his eyes. The man standing kept on talking and promptly ignored the look Cyrus gave him. This went on for a while before they heard a small creak in the door.

A moment later, a young man walked inside the room. He wore a hood that covered his hair and a mask that covered his face. The moment he walked in, the room's aura changed, and the man who was teasing Cyrus quickly fell silent and bowed in respect while Cyrus stopped glaring and tried to get up.

"No need to get up; I've simply come to check up on you guys."

The mysterious person looked around the room and set his eyes on Cyrus. Cyrus was covered in bandages but still held a calm and composed face.

"Cyrus, you did well on the last mission; the information that you received will be crucial in our plans. We have decided that you can pick a reward out of the treasury."

The mysterious man said in an approving voice. The mission that Cyrus had recently completed almost cost his life. Cyrus had to break into a noble's house and steal important information. He had barely gotten out of that situation alive.

"Thank you, sir. In the future, I will make sure to contribute even more to our organization." Cyrus said in a flat voice; the voice felt weak and was small.

"No need to thank me; it was a decision made by a good majority of us. For now, I will take my leave and attend to other matters that require my attention. I hope you get well soon."

Cyrus lowered his head and nodded; he didn't speak, but the message was clear. The mysterious man eventually left the room, leaving just the two of them in the room again.

"..."

The room fell silent for a while before the man standing above Cyrus spoke once again.

"You see what I mean? It's like you have a crush on our boss or something. As your best friend, I can't help but worry about your future."

The man standing above Cyrus said in a sad voice, like he was truly sad for Cyrus. Vein popped up on Cyrus forehead; he shifted his eyes and glared at him with killing intent. The man looked down at Cyrus with a faint smile on his face, provoking Cyrus even further.

"Alright, alright, I guess I'll stop today. I have other jobs to attend to as well. Don't get too lonely without me, Cyrus."

The man standing above Cyrus couldn't help provoking his best friend one more time. Making sure to get the most out of this moment. The man walked towards the door in the room, opening it and getting ready to leave.

Right before he was about to leave, he called out to Cyrus one more time. Although this time his voice didn't have the same mocking tone as before. This time his voice was calm and serious, unlike his usual demeanor.

"Hey Cyrus, don't be so gullible at times. Humans are not what they seem on the surface; always watch out for yourself, otherwise you'll never see it coming."

Without another word, he walked out of the room. Leaving Cyrus alone on the bed with his injuries and his lone thoughts. Cyrus face shifted a bit, thinking about what his friend meant by those last couple of words.

Was he telling his that he would get betrayed by the organization that he was in, or did he mean something else? Cyrus couldn't think of a right answer; his best friend usually wasn't so serious; he always acted dumb and obnoxious, usually never serious.

.

.

"Splash!"

The sound of water could be heard throughout the air, cutting through the silence that lingered within the air. Lorian was found on top of a tree, looking at the scene in front of him. In one of his hands, he held a dagger, and in his other hand he held onto a tree branch, stabilizing himself.

The scene in front of him was quite particular yet familiar. The old shack that he and Riven had once lived in was transformed. Instead of it being made out of wood, now it was covered in water, like a building made out of floating water.

Surronding the water-like castle was a bunch of wolves made out of water, seemingly guarding the place that was made out of water. The land around the water shack also changed, covering the environment in a small pool of water.

This scene that was being displayed in front of Lorian was a Runic Land. Runic Lands were created when Path Master dies and the Runes that they have accumulated are let go and corrode the land around them.

Because Riven had died in the shack, the shack was transformed along with the environment that it was in. Lorian was now trying to get the Divergent Artifact that Riven had left behind. 

Divergent artifacts were made of skills that Path Masters have accumulated over their lifespan. With the help of the Divergent artifact that Riven had left behind, the predicament that Lorian was in right now could be resolved.

He was originally going to go here either way, but due to the newly found situation, he had to come much earlier than he expected. And exactly because of this, Lorian was severely underprepared for this trip.

Lorian was taking a massive risk here; with his current strength, getting the artifact was going to be extremely difficult, but achieving it would benefit him greatly.

Looking ahead, Lorian could see ten wolves that were made of water surrounding the shack, guarding the place from any intruders. Even without fighting them, he could tell that they were out of his league.

Every Runic land also had calamities guarding it; they could range from beasts to catastrophic events. In this case, wolves were the things guarding the place. Perhaps it was because Riven had died due to wolves that the calamities that were guarding it were wolves.

Because Riven was a Rank 2 Path Master, the calamity that surrounded the area where the Divergent Artifiact was held was also at Rank 2. If this had gone according to his predictions, he would've gotten enough time to prepare for this situation, but unfortunately Fate wouldn't allow that to happen.

Lorian kept watching them as thoughts churned wildly in his mind. Lorian knew he couldn't take them head on; he would be having a death wish if this was the case. The only option left was to deceive them.

This was a beast calamity; beasts often could be tricked and distracted in multiple ways. Compared to humans, beasts were usually just completely inferior in terms of intelligence. Lorian had to find a good way to distract the beasts to give him enough time to enter the water shack at the center.

He had brought all the usual supplies that he had. Lorian didn't have enough time to buy anything more. Because of the experience that was coming up, he knew that scouts that would survey the area were going to be common around the Lake of Sorrow.

According to what he knew, this shack was extremely well hidden. It was going to take some time until scouts find it, but according to the events that had just happened, Lorian couldn't bear to take the risk of waiting.

Today was most likely the only attempt he will get; it was either he takes this treasure or somebody else will steal it. Lorian kept thinking and thinking; time was dwindling as he thought on.

Suddenly he remembered something—an interesting idea that he could easily use. Although it was risky, it was also his best bet at the moment. Looking at the scene displayed in front of him, he knew that this was his best shot at obtaining the divergent artifact.