Chapter 8 - Civilization found?

Chapter 8 - Civilization found?

The winds became harsher, and the skies above began darkening ominously. No land was found—at least not according to Colton's map. That didn't seem right to him, but who knew what kind of setting this stupid place was founded on. If he could get the answer to that, then Colton might be able to help Kellen out more.

At last, some dark shape in the distance came into view. Colton looked from it to Kellen. To Colton's surprise, Kellen seemed anxious about whatever he'd found.

However, Kellen appeared to be more successful. "What have you found?" Colton inquired. At least, it seemed that way on the surface.

"Err, yeah, however my character luck and intelligent statistics are for shit." Kellen hesitated before casting Colton a pleading glance. "I know how you used to read all kinds of stuff."

This shocked Colton as he listened to Kellen rambling and not happily either.

He wasn't about to take any chances on whatever he'd located thus far. "What do you know of Halcyonian culture?" Kellen was frowning at his status bar. "This thing isn't telling me jack shit about the location other than its name and that it is safe."

Halcyonian Culture, as in the country Halcyonian from the novel Survival to the Purgatory Waystation? At first, Colton was stymied, and then his blood ran cold. "We should avoid that place at all costs," he warned Kellen. "They make the monsters from those small islands look like angels."

Aghast but unwilling to ignore his warning, Kellen frowned. "Could you give me a rundown of the information you remember?" He paused with a sigh before revealing some facts he hadn't appreciated from the start of this mess. "There was absolutely not a single scrap of information regarding other cultures in the status window."

As Colton listened, he could understand where Kellen's anger was coming from. It was as if they'd been put in the worst of cliches that could wound a person's dignity. That royally sucked big time.

Kellen shook his head. "I'm the muscle-bound idiot, sailor, and adventurer with S-class stats but no intelligence." Now, he sounded downright angry. "As if I'll put up with shit like that in these circumstances." A sigh escaped him. "Once I completed a few tasks of my own, the first thing I did was up the intelligence and luck stat." He shrugged. "That's when information began coming in about locations and whatnot." Kellen grimaced in disgust. "Though now I'm wondering if I just wasted my time."

"No, you didn't waste your time. It was more like you ignored the recommendation and the system was punishing you with bullshit information." Colton winced on hearing that because he knew that Kellen was knowledgeable.

Kellen nodded in relief. "Thank you," he frowned. "I guess I shouldn't make any recommendations if that stupid system is going to punish us both for not doing what it wants." Kellen looked less than pleased about the whole deal.

"Here's what I can do." Colton couldn't blame him for being angry. I will still take your recommendations first," he reassured Kellen, who was still looking angry about the entire situation. "Then I'll tailor it to what the system wants me to do."

Kellen didn't seem appeased but was resigned that that was the best that could be done about the situation at hand. "Fine, so start talking about the civilization that I'm headed toward." He paused. "I'd rather know what we're dealing with ahead of time."

That's why Colton was surprised to hear why he'd gone down to that area where criminals hung out as an everyday occupation. Now, as he listened to Kellen, which was more what he was accustomed to hearing coming from him.

"Uh, sure, I can fill you in on the civilization, if you can call it that, which calls itself the Halcyonian empire." Colton shuddered in disgust as he recalled what he knew from memory. "The Halcyonian empire consisted of vampires and fallen celestials." He glanced at his status window, which flickered with everything he spoke about. "They welcomed anything evil that feasted on the flesh of other creatures."

Kellen winced. "Oh, just wonderful, and I almost made that our choice of landing." He promptly steered clear of the first boundary marker and grunted. "Now, of course, I have no idea where we should go." Kellen sighed.

At least he'd been willing to listen to Colton's suggestion. That was an improvement in his mind. "Yeah, no, that would've counted as permanent game over if we'd done that." Colton grimaced when he added the last parts that he could recall from the last time he'd read that series.

What else was there to tell Kellen that would be the final persuasion to stay away from there permanently? Oh, right, Kellen despised anything deviant and linked to cannibalism.

Colton sighed before adding the last couple of notes that were of great importance right now: "Cannibalism was notoriously acknowledged as a method of gaining power and skills." He hesitated and added the final bit that he knew about: "Only people who were deviant and twisted would set foot on that land."

Kellen made a disgusted face. "Great, a bunch of meat and innards-inhaling pervs." He shook his head. "Nope, not my idea of a great place to go for a vacation." Kellen completely veered away from that course and set another one. "What can you tell me about Noctu-Shydon?" He glanced at Colton.

Almost lost in his thoughts, Colton didn't hear the question. "Oh, sorry, what did you say?"

Kellen shook his head. "Never mind. Why don't you go over your description and role before more time passes?" He sighed when Colton frowned. "Trust me when I say this is the best time to do it."

Colton didn't recall Kellen being that part of such a culture. He finally took the moment to check out his role. "Huh, so I'm the naive Omega that hooked up with you because we knew each other as youngsters."

Somehow, this mirrored their past lives elsewhere far too much for comfort. Colton looked through the rest of the information. "In current time, we're enemies at one point due to some misunderstandings." He rubbed his jaw. Now we have to reach the Purgatory Waystation because both of us died...while being offered as sacrifices." They were pissed now.