From Moving Crates to Killing Gods-Chapter 68: New Training

I lay awake in my bed, staring at the obsidian ceiling and waiting. The vow had been silent for too long now, months without it teleporting me somewhere, and that worried me. Like a trap waiting to activate, the silence felt intentional, as if it was gathering strength for something worse than dropping me outside the barrier around three Corruptors.

My yo-yo twirled between my fingers, it was a small comfort against the thought that next time, I might end up somewhere I couldn’t find my way back from.

Months had passed since I’d found myself for the second time in the wasteland, facing down monsters that were the topic of every nightmare in Argent. I’d survived then, but luck had been on my side.

Argent had been clearly visible on the horizon, the massive spire guided me home. But what if next time, I wasn’t so fortunate? What if the vow decided to drop me on the other side of the wasteland, with no spire in sight?

I sat up, my fingers still playing with the yo-yo in that nervous rhythm I’d developed as a child. The silver string flashed in the dim light as the disc rose and fell, counting seconds like a pendulum. How far did the wasteland extend? No one knew. No one went out there voluntarily, not even me, I was only dragged unwillingly by a vow I couldn’t explain to anyone.

I caught the yo-yo one final time and pocketed it, making a decision. Sitting here waiting for the vow to activate was driving me insane. I needed to be proactive, to prepare for the worst. If I couldn’t control when or where the vow sent me, I could at least improve my chances of finding my way back.

The corridor outside my room was quiet and empty. At this hour, few were awake, but I knew Damian would be. For some reason, I couldn’t imagine him ever sleeping.

I decided this was the moment to start looking for solutions. I dressed quickly, and stepped outside.

I walked through the hallway and reached the heavy obsidian door of the Citadel Master’s chamber, my heart quickening despite my best efforts to remain calm. Damian had a way of seeing through lies, of examining words for the truth hidden beneath them. How much could I tell him without triggering the consequence the vow had threatened for revealing its existence?

I knocked, the sound echoing in the empty corridor.

"Enter." came the immediate response, as if Damian had been waiting.

The Citadel Master sat at his desk, surrounded by ancient texts and maps I couldn’t identify. His white hair caught the room’s soft light, making him look almost ethereal despite the hardness in his eyes. Those eyes fixed on me now, curious but calculating. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Allaran." he said, setting aside whatever he’d been reading. "It’s early for you to seek me out."

I closed the door behind me, gathering my thoughts. "I’ve been thinking about something that could help us, help me, against the Corruptors."

Damian leaned back slightly, his expression inviting me to continue. I’d learned that his silence was often more productive than his questions.

"We need outposts." I said. "Markers, beacons, maybe maps. Something to help orient ourselves in the wasteland. If anyone is separated from the group outside the barrier, they need a way to find their way back to Argent."

"And why this sudden concern with navigation?" Damian asked, his voice neutral but his eyes sharp.

I chose my words carefully. "Because relying solely on Finn’s ability to sense silver is dangerous. What if he gets injured? What if he’s not with the group that gets separated? We need alternatives for the next time we go outside the barrier, what if someone gets lost out there and can’t see the Citadel? There is a lot of territory beyond our line of sight."

Damian studied me for a long moment, long enough that I wondered if I’d said too much. But when he spoke, it wasn’t to question my motives.

"You’re right, of course." he said finally. "It’s a vulnerability I’ve considered myself. The spire visibility helps from certain distances, but if there was a road to follow, the number of survivors from the exile might skyrocket." He trailed off, his eyes drifting to one of the maps spread across his desk.

I stepped closer, curiosity temporarily overriding caution. The map showed Argent at its center, with concentric circles radiating outward. Various symbols dotted the spaces between the circles, some familiar, others completely alien to me.

"You’ve already been planning this." I said, unable to hide my surprise.

"Planning? Yes. Implementing? No." Damian traced a finger along one of the circles. "The risk has outweighed the benefit, until now. But you’ve proven that Corruptors can be killed efficiently, and Finn can help your team navigate the wasteland without getting lost. Perhaps the balance has shifted."

Hope flickered to life in my chest. "So you’ll consider it?"

"I’ll do more than consider it." Damian stood, his full height making him tower over me despite my own growth over the past months. "This could serve multiple purposes. This can be your new training, perhaps fighting with your life on the line will favor growth."

I blinked, taken aback by his agreement. "I have been stuck at the same stats for months..."

"The stats don’t grow linearly, they follow a pattern that even I have been unable to solve. Growing them can be done by training and practice, but breaking the thresholds has proven to be more difficult. His eyes held mine. "But I’m sure the wasteland will favor your growth."

The implication was clear. This wouldn’t be a simple mapping expedition. It would be dangerous and potentially deadly. But it might also be exactly what I needed to break through my current limitations.

If I reached a breakthrough on agility or intelligence, I was sure that fighting Corruptors would be much easier.

"When do we start?" I asked.

"Immediately." He replied.

Well, that was fast.