Chapter 1156 (1/2)

The sheets of rain slowly eased up, but it did little to improve the mood. With one foot in front of the other, the group trooped back across the grassland, barely noticing when their foot sloshed into puddles.

The air above the Order Ducis camp was heavy as their party returned from what should have been a routine Raid Boss clear. They were covered with so much mud that not even the bitter tears and sweat couldn’t wash it away. The rain was finally starting to make a dent in it, but the group moved with a palpable weight that seemed to even turn the persistent rain aside.

For a brief second, Vye held the gaze of Valor. Then they both looked back toward the ground. Vye cradled her throbbing left hand against her chest. With a shrug of his shoulders, Valor heaved his burden across his back so it was easier to bear the weight. Both continued their slow slog forward, with the rest of the Order Ducis’ chosen ones behind them. All of the heads were lowered in failure.

It was supposed to be so easy, Vye thought bleakly. A victory lap. We, the ten that were chosen to be allowed into the Order Ducis.So why-

But another cold rod of pain slid from her hand up her arm and Vye could only press her eyes closed and wait for the agony to pass. She hadn’t meant to rely so much on the physical ritual that had been inscribed to her arm, but it had been reflex. When the accident had happened, Vye’s body reacted before her mind could truly understand what was happening; she had activated her Reject ritual instinctively. And with more power than she had ever felt in the past.

It had still failed, of course. Because she had run up against the one force that could never truly be rejected.

Just avoided.

There was a light drizzle hitting them when they arrived at the edge of the Order Ducis training ground and found Naffur, Ajax, and Madelyn waiting for them. And honestly, Vye might not have noticed that it was still raining if Naffur’s hair hadn’t been plastered to his skull, clearly a result from waiting out in the rain for them to arrive.

He looks so young, Vye thought numbly as she looked at the nominal leader of the Order Ducis while Randidly was away.

Still, Naffur’s face was firm. Even if he was young, he had already held this role for a while. He glanced from Vye and then to Valor, then scanned the other seven faces behind them. “...let me see the body.”

With a grimace on his face, Valor heaved his shoulders and brought the body around. Obviously his Stats made this an easy task, but sometimes weight didn’t come from physical mass. It came from memories of almost ten months working and training together, being pushed to the limits of their Endurance. Sweat and blood mixing, all working toward the common goal.

All to become… heroes. Or to follow the Path of one who they all believed to be a hero.

Vye couldn’t take her eyes away from Valor’s face as he lowered the body to the ground in front of Naffur. And I bet Valor is thinking the same thing as me. After seeing him go like this… that this man was much closer to being a hero than either of us. If either of us had been worthy of that title… we would have saved him.

Which means we are unworthy.

Naffur looked sadly down at the peaceful face of Aldo and could only sigh.

It was supposed to be the final, and largely ceremonial, mission for the ten individuals selected to enter into the Order Ducis. One last clearing of a Raid Bosses base. Everyone involved knew that the Raid Bosses were becoming increasingly unpredictable as the area available to them expanded so rapidly every day, but they had been trained for this. They had all achieved at least Level 50 and condensed a Fate.

It shouldn’t have been a problem to take care of a Raid Boss, no matter what Tier it was. Yet it seemed that Tiers were becoming all but useless to describe the foes they faced out here..

So they went into the cave system that housed the Raid Boss with pride and confidence. The minions were at Level 49, so everyone expected that the Raid Boss and its lieutenants to have crossed the threshold to Level 50. Even when they encountered the initial resistance from the shapeshifting slimes, the fights hadn’t been too hard.

They could freely shift between animal forms, so it was a bit unpredictable. But if it wasn’t at least this challenging, then these applicants wouldn't take so much pride in the work that they did.

Their training in regards to images had really paid off. Everyone’s Fate had made a palpable difference in their ability to fight. They were able to push past the initial forces and made it to a wide cavern where the Raid Boss itself lurked.

They had even expected the trap that was being laid for them. But when the lieutenants came out at Level 62, and with at least two dozen, it was a bit more than they were equipped to handle. It was simply a numbers game. So many monsters above Level 60 had enough stats that they could overwhelm an average human of the same Level.

We were cocky.

Standing in the rain while Naffur considered the body, Vye could only release a breath that she had held for almost an hour. Even that set her hand to aching. Some part of Vye urged her to stop looking down at Aldo, but instead, she began to cry. Still, the tears mixed so cleanly with the steady drip of rain that it made no difference.

“Does anyone know his last name?” Naffur asked quietly. The nine initiates into the Order Ducis just looked blankly back at Naffur. Then Naffur turned, in turn, to Ajax and Madelyn. Both shook their heads warily.