BRAWLER: CH-3 Climb of a *short* lifetime

The sky cried ahead of them.

Heavy clouds loomed over the mountain ridges like a curtain waiting to fall, weathering away at the dirt and stone that formed them. The worshippers of the war god marched together in unison like that of a machine, each one treading the steps with little caution under the difficult terrain, simply believing that their steps, no matter how trepid, would land on solid support. 

Kade followed behind them, still maintaining his position behind the force. When scaling anything dangerous, it's most advantageous to be at the back. There, you can watch the unfortunate suffer and learn from their mistakes. Yet even then, Kade didn't intentionally try to stay at the very back.

It just seemed that when they formed, he was naturally pushed out of the troops, 'weird how it works out, it seems they just know im an outsider'. Whether it was due to his aspect 'Heretic' or the fact he was from Earth he did not know. Only that it would most likley stay that way.

'Having allies would be great, I should really at least get to know someone here' Kade glanced at the troop just ahead of him, a young woman with pitch black hair and sturdy figure, whenever she turned her head to look at the view, she had a lovley smile.

But when he went to talk, his voice simply died in his throat, it was not that he was nervous, Kade knew his own confidence beyond belief, it was just whenever he tried talking to them, the image of their zealot cheering for death, bloodshed and violence came to mind, it was not the he couldnt, just that his instencts that he nutured from the outskirts refused too. 

Following their direction had saved his life more times than he could count, betraying them here and now would be a disservice to what they had done for him. So instead he just stayed silent behind, watching their comradery, and the scenery. 

It was a daunting march, yet the lands here were beautiful, he should enjoy it before it goes to hell. Either way, he's going to die or be sent back to earth, both options have not a sight like this.

'Maybe death does, but I would rather find out later than now'

The troupe ascended further up the mountain, the more area they tracked, the more perilous the path got, with the gathered forces needed to slim further and further to not push their fellowship over the edge, each person together keeping the machine that crossed the twisting mountain path.

The rain did not help, Kade felt it sink through his soggy garments, a cold embrace that left him starting to shiver, his comrades ahead did not seem phased by the rain, and the commander did not worry, as two of kades fellow squires held a large cloth banner over his head.

'Guess they are not worried about nemonia here, I would think they would be horrified of falling ill and dying to somthing other then blade or claw, but they dont care at all?' when kade thunk about it, alot of these started to not make sense about the hike. 

One, soldiers in heavy armour and forced to keep a march up a mountain on a rainy day was absurd, most would make fools of themself and trip head over heel, yet none had lost their footing. Along with the march the soldiers kept.

It should of somewhat broke, these worshippers were humans not machines, they should at times had to slightly break march in order to traverse the obsticles they had, but they never did. The echo of each synchronized footstep struck the stone like a war drum.

Only Kade's softer, uncertain steps fell out of sync.

Before he could attempt to find awnser for the mystery, a soilder a few rows ahead on the egde broke march, There step harshy colided with the wet soil, and it crumbled under his metal greaves. The Panic instantly hit his face, he despratly screamed out.

"ahhh AAAAAAAAAAA!" The young soldier now tumbled off the edge, yet no one even attempted to save him, they all just stared at the visceral as he dropped, his screams sounded further and further down until it stopped with a thud. 

Kade watched the poor guy fall to his death, and at the bottom, he could see the broken body of the unfortunate, drenched in blood with his limbs twisted at angles thought impossible for any human. Surprisingly although the scream stopped, he was still alive. 

The sorrowful weeping of the soldier barely manages to break the noise of the falling rain, with the worshipers finally responding to the fallen comrade.

"ptu" the one closest to his fall spat down at his broken body, soon being joined by the soldiers near him. Kade watched in shock as they disrespected the man's last moments. '... That's a horrible way to go' Although not dead yet, with those injuries and no first aid even attempting to come to him, he might as well be. 

The commander leading them, looked back as to embark on another speech. 

"An imbecile who died before he even took a step on the battlefield, If he had not doubted his purpose and his god he would have lived to die in glory instead. Remember, without the war god leading our lives to battle, we would be nothing. Believe the cause and you will not falter."

"YES COMMANDER!" 

Kade glanced at the madness, before looking down again at the victem that drowned in there own tears and blood. Pity graced his roughped eyes they mourned. That kind of fate was what kade was most scared of, seeing right before his eyes was somthing else. 

A fate where one could only be pitied, with no hope, no fighting, no salvation on the horizon, just the looks of others feeling sorry for you. Yet in this moment, he was the only one, none of the zealots cared for the brother who had been standing before them just then, when looking at the dying man, they just felt disgusted. 

The mood wallowed in his mind as they traversed further, the mystery had solved itself in that short moment, 'The awakened commander, he's affecting the troops, like some kind of controlled domination effort' Through their hopes that the zealots put in the war god, it was like he was able to take that as an invitation to guide there step, and by his own words, the one who started to doubt lost his control. 

Kade had never believed in the War God—not for a second. So his steps and actions had never once been altered. Yet that should've stood out to the commander.

A single, mundane soldier never once fell into rhythm with the rest.

And yet… he hadn't said a word.

"Nothing comes to mind as to why…Maybe Heretic has something to do with it,' Kade reasoned.

He didn't have much else going for him in this world—so that was the only explanation that made sense.Well, aside from the possibility that the commander was simply incompetent.

Sure, that was always a reasonable thing to suspect. But using others' foolishness as your only logic was often a fool's comfort. No matter the mind or the body, underestimating others was a mistake made by the prideful.

Kade would've known more people like that—if more of them had survived the conflicts back in the Outskirts.

Despite the casualty, the march continued without a pause.

Kade didn't want to stick around with a horde of crazed zealots being guided by an insane Awakened. But parting ways with them? That'd be worse.

He hadn't seen them yet—nightmare creatures ready to tear him limb from limb. That was just a matter of time. And standing with a small army—no matter how batshit crazy—was still in his best interest.

Unless they turned their spears toward him, of course. That's what being a Heretic entailed.

It made sense. The Spell wanted him to die.

That always seemed like the most reasonable answer in the end.

--

The marching army eventually reached the mountain's summit—just one of many jagged spires that had burst from the earth like stone spears. The rain, which had so long graced the march with its cold touch, finally began to ease. 

And at the peak, fate seemed to have answered their purpose. As the normal point that the other mountains had lacked. Instead, it was as if the end was cut off, and in its place, Was a shine.

The structure was bleak and decripited, as if not a soul had visited for millenia, the walls were cracked and had started to wither away. With the entrace decorated by statues of creatures ranging from un-holy abominations to divine like figures, all the carved entitys reaching upward to the human like figure that rose above them.

One whos evrey detial was clean, as if someone had gone back and shaven away evrey bit of identity it had, only leaving the sapian shape left. And from inside the great halls of the shrine, Kade felt a putrid feeling eminate.

Kade had wondered what the purpose of scaling the mountain was. 'A shrine, I would say that the goal is to desecrate other beliefs, but something in there..... feels truly horrid' 

The rest of the zealots prepared as well, unsheathing there weapons of war, the crowd filled with an eager sense to jump out, yet a reserved nature of an unsure observer. With the commander stepping foward, stern and alert.

The shrine started to rustle, as movments of hundreds upon hundreds of claws against stone, growls against eachother, and flesh against flesh.

It was only moments before it would burst out, threatening to swallow the souls that dared tread upon its grounds.

Taking a deep breath, Kade steeled himself. Clenching his fists, he felt his strength — a reassurance for what was needed in this moment.

No weapon at his side. Only bare hands. But he had to be ready.

To face what the Spell wanted for him.

Death.