The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 23: Chapter 23: To Forget Hurts Less

Read chapter 23 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 23: To Forget Hurts Less A firm shake on his shoulder forced Kael's eyes to flutter. "Wake up, Kael. We're leaving." "Mhh. Did I fall asleep? Wait. Where are we going?" Yawning, Kael tapped Riccardo's blistered forearm. The cold of the sewer wall clung to his back, numbing his muscles. The shaking stopped as Riccardo straightened. His frown deepened, and the inflamed skin on his forehead stretched painfully. "Authority always mattered more than anything to Marek. Recovering for a few hours is fine. More and he'll reorganise the facility enough to remember us. I've talked with Tonio. He's—" Tonio squatted in front of Riccardo, his gaze sinking into Kael's. "Marek, traitor. Kael, traitor. One chance. Be friend. Ok?" "O-Ok." Kael rubbed his eyes. He paused mid-movement, already on his feet as the torpor of sleep vanished. Instantly, he grabbed the supply bag from the table, the canteens clanging as he rushed to the metallic bars of the entrance. "What are you waiting for? Tell me the rest on the way." "I wouldn't have warned you at the last minute, lad." Riccardo picked up the torch and joined him with a chuckle, then stepped into the tunnel. "We indeed have things to discuss on the way. About Tonio, sigh, you heard him. All I could get from that mule head is a chance. Treat him well, and he should recognise you. Food won't burden you; he eats the rats he hunts. For the rest, why don't you try scratching him behind the ears when he becomes more comfortable with you? He really loves it." Kael slowed to match Riccardo's pace, missing the trail of corrupted blood following his path. For a moment, he glanced at Riccardo, then at Tonio, who glared at him warily, and back at Riccardo. "Scratches, really? Could you remind me of his age, please?" "Forty-four... We're forty-four..." The sound of their steps echoed in the silent tunnel. The stench of sludge mixed with industrial waste burned Kael's nose, but it was Riccardo's strangled voice that made him lower his face. After a minute, he spread his palms. "Scratches. Noted. What Tonio said earlier about Marek being a traitor. Did you know him before? I mean, before the experiments." "Marek, bad! With Garrick!" With a growl, Tonio crossed his furry arms over his chest. "We called him brother a long time ago. Found him in the junkyard, a child as skinny as you are. As dirty, too, but I guess the sewers didn't help with that. Orphan or abandoned, he doesn't know himself, so we took him into our haven. Reading and mathematics were no challenge to him, and I witnessed his faith in Kraghor. He quickly earned our trust, and we tasked him to help Giovanni engineer new buildings. He always loved being looked at by those who praised him." Kael passed a hand over his face. Twenty years ago or now, the slums were always the same backstabbing shit hole. "You guessed it." Riccardo shrugged. "When we planned our revolt against Garrick, all the information mysteriously reached his desk. He crushed us before we even moved, while Marek became the quartermaster in his experimental facility. Must have been sheer luck, right?" "No luck. Traitor!" Tonio spat on the stale water beside them. "That's what I meant." Riccardo patted Tonio's head as he smiled at Kael. "That's why I didn't mind you not swearing on Kraghor's name, even though I taught his words to our community. Marek did. He still sold us out for better authority." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Don't be. Faith blinded me, while Giovanni loved the brat's mind. But it's Tonio who had it worse. He counted Marek as one of us. Perhaps he saw a successor in him, someone who would have maintained his haven after we left for Kraghor's divine realm. I believe... I believe he didn't fight losing his mind as much as he could have. Forgetting hurts less." Kael observed Tonio as they walked deeper in the tunnel. The rat-man glared back with his red eyes as if Riccardo spoke about someone else, as if he had branded Marek a traitor long ago but didn't remembe