Chapter 16 [The gates of Wrath pt 1]

While the absence of Big Mama worried him, it wasn't too bad. Before he knew it, it had already been a week since George had started working with Blaire and Rupert. While the pair had been taking turns teaching George, he had been trying to work on figuring out what exactly the Heart of Evolution was. He had made several attempts to call out to the voice he heard but to no avail.

As he stood from the makeshift training ground he had made, his attention was pulled by Blaire, who was practicing their aim on drawings on the concrete wall in front of them. "So," George asked as another one of Blaire's bullets pierced the crumbling wall. "What are you guys doing out here anyway?" He never had the chance to learn this before so he thought that he might as well ask now, but he was met with silence and the cracking of the gun.

KRAAACKA-KOOM another shot was fired. Again. and again until all seven bullets were fired. After the gun was empty, Blaire set it aside and thought about how to answer him. While they trusted George enough to let him stick around, it wasn't to the point where they would reveal their mission, For all Blaire knew, George could be a spy from another kingdom, possibly even from Cabinruz's own personal guard. They couldn't be too careful after all.

"Well," They started, attempting to think of a good enough cover. "we were brought out here to explore one of the wonders within this city." Of course this was done through a carefully crafted fake smile. George scoffed as the image of those grotesque maggots came to mind.

"Ew, you don't mean the Kings of Wrath, right? those things are downright disgusting..." He said in a cold tone. Blaire was shocked at his answer. Shit! This guy even knows about the thing we're after. Just who the hell is he? And how much does he know really? Blaire thought to themself, side-eyeing George. He for the most part was confused by their reaction. Wait...why are they shocked? Do I look that clueless? Besides, you and Rupert were the ones who told me about them!

He sighed as he retracted the long fingernail-like claws back into his hand. It was an alien feeling to him. Over the week he had been told about some of the history of the place he found himself in.

He was currently in the Ruined City: Argrin. A once proud city that fell due to an apocalyptic event known as the "Evolution extinction". It was apparently some cataclysmic event that got rid of most of the population of the Old World. In the form of a virus it ravaged the world for years, mutating any who cam in contact with it.

"So how do you guys expect to find it?" George asked. "Don't they make huge ass holes to feed?"

"While that is true..."Rupert began, standing from his spot. He reached into the large bag at his hip, rummaging around until he pulled out a strange looking crystal. "The obviously best way is to track them."

"This here is a search stone. What happens is that you take one piece of the crystal and put it with the thing that you want to track. The rest of the crystal will become attuned to it and it will glow whenever the two pieces are near." He explained further. "See?"

George looked at the crystal, the little light available to the area sparkled within it. Vast geometric patterns and structures visible to the naked eye. He was shocked at how such a thing would exist although it had occurred to him that the old world was certainly quite advanced as well, given the designs of the monoliths around them.

"So what happens if the piece gets destroyed? Does it lose the signal or something?" George poked at the crystal until Rupert put it away.

"Basically that's all we know about it. The technology has only been around for a few years, so it's still relatively new to us." Blaire replied while packing up their gear. "Now we've got to head out before the signal gets too weak. Pack your things."

George picked up the very few things that he had brought with him from his apartment as well as a few rats as prep. However there was one new edition to his gear. A small mole-like creature with a small set of horns and floppy ears trotted from underneath the rubble. "Come here Bonzai!" He said excitedly as if he were talking to a dog.

He had met the plucky little thing a couple days ago while scavenging for more rats. It followed him so much, eventually he resigned himself to keeping it, to the dismay of Blaire and Rupert.

In a moment Bonzai had climbed up his leg and into the small bag that hung by George's waist. George had found him while out one day scavenging for more rats to feed on. Also during that time he discovered that he would only mutate if the creature he consumed was raw.

Rupert displayed a massive feat of strength as he picked up an entire concrete wall by the window and carried it half-hazardly behind his back.

As George caught up with Blaire and Rupert, the trio set off on their adventure to find their target.

Chapter 16 [The gates of Wrath pt1.] end.