Book 2 Ch 28: Diligence

Michael and Pyotr continued up the path, moving much more warily since encountering the first trap. As they moved they found two more pitfalls, a falling log trap, and a tripline that linked up to the firing of some arrow-like projectiles.

“This is getting ridiculous,” said Michael. “I feel like we’re looking for Wile-E-Coyote.”

Pyotr chuckled. “I was going to make a joke about us breaking into the house with the child from Home Alone, but that is good too.”

The path itself was immaculate aside from the traps. The maintenance on it must have been done frequently, and it was almost certainly made more difficult by everyone having to watch out for any of the traps they encountered.

They walked a bit further when the brush ahead of them seemed to start to clear. Michael heard something, and whipped himself around with his shield in his hand. Pyotr quickly did the same, drawing his longsword as he spun and placing himself to watch Michael’s back with some quick footwork.

A half-dozen men and women emerged from the treeline wearing armor made of interlocking plates that had been painted green and decorated with foliage to allow them to better hide. They were wielding what looked to be crossbows that were all trained expertly at their vitals.

“Place down your arms and kneel on the ground,” said one of them, a short woman with sandy-brown hair and green eyes.

Michael looked at Pyotr and nodded.

They both dropped their weapons, and Michael dropped both swords, his dagger, and his shield onto the ground. Pyotr dropped his dagger, longsword and shield. Then they both knelt on the ground.

“I mean no harm,” said Michael.

The group approached them quickly and removed the weapons from their vicinity, checked them for any additional that they may have hidden, and tied their hands behind their backs. These actions were all done simultaneously and with the kind of smoothness that can only come from practice.

“I was drawn here by the gods,” said Michael.

That caused them to hesitate and several of them looked to the woman who’d spoken earlier.

She frowned.

“I am a diviner. A healer. I am trying to find the gods, to learn more about them and what they are. What happened to them.”

She looked at the others. “Blindfold them. We’ll allow the priest to decide what to do. Diligence in life.”

“And diligence in death,” replied the rest of them, as if what they said was a completely natural response to her statement.

Michael and Pyotr both had blindfolds placed on them before being dragged to their feet and made to walk further toward the clearing they’d just spotted before they were ambushed.

“This could be fun, in the right circumstances,” said Pyotr.

“You always manage to see the bright side of things,” replied Michael narrowly keeping himself from falling to the ground.

Michael could feel the pull from his Godseeker title growing stronger and stronger as he was dragged forward. It became so strong that a part of him was surprised it didn’t simply yank him through the air and take him directly to whatever it was that was creating the pull. He could also hear movement all around him, as if he was on a busy street, but no one spoke so it was difficult to gauge exactly what was going on.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Watch these steps,” said the man who was moving Michael and he was carefully guided up four steps before being moved forward a bit more. There was a pause and Michael thought he heard some kind of bowing, followed by forward movement and whispered conversation a couple of yards ahead of him.

“What are your names?” asked a voice. It was masculine, and calm, with a kind of booming quality to it that reverberated a bit in his ears.

“Michael.”