The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Survive Even If You Die

Read chapter 38 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 38: Survive Even If You Die Nothing marked nighttime in the slums. Not the setting sun Kael had read about in the flower books his mom forced him to read, and even less a faraway sky shining with too many tiny lights to count. Yet, even without glancing at the distant clock tower, he tensed on the bakery's rooftop. At the entrance of the first street, thugs gathered. No beggars out. Just the growing mass of blades, spears, bows, shields, leather pauldrons and harnesses strapped to neat white shirts. Night had brought Garrick's men with it. A drop of sweat trailed down Kael's temple as he scowled for a familiar face among the thugs. Or rather, for a man whose cloak never moved. He counted a hundred and twenty men before unclenching his fist. Brannick didn't lead them. Instead, his eyes found another familiar face. Silma Reed. Her dark, braided hair fluttered as she raised her right fist. The thugs fell into ranks instantly. Before they marched behind her, her light brown eyes slashed across the street. Kael rolled flat on his back just as they settled where he had been. He clutched his drumming chest, his throat constricting a breath he refused to let out. Did she sense me? Her truth? He crawled to the opposite edge of the roof and let himself fall. His feet met the ground in a muffled thud, and he bolted to the third street, feeling the hammering of his heart in the veins of his neck. Almost ripping the cloth from the doorway, he burst into his shelter. Kneeling on the ground in silent prayer, Els twisted her lips. Tonio pushed himself from the junk wall he had been leaning against, his voice a suppressed whisper. "Now?" "Now." Kael gripped a knife the size of his forearm from under his blankets and tucked it behind his back. "Brannick didn't come, but Silma's leading a hundred and twenty thugs." "That many..." Els clasped her hands tighter against her chest. "Silma?" Tonio knitted his brow for a moment. Then, he shook his head. "Not know Silma. Strong?" "I don't know if it's her truth, but she glared at me... where I was. I think she missed me." Kael lifted his hand. It hovered over Els' trembling shoulder for a second too long. Then, he retracted it. "I can't promise you we'll return unwounded. But we will return." She glanced at him with her watery green eyes. "I trust you..." Her voice wavered, and she wrapped her arms around him. "You still want to visit Veston, so don't let them catch you." She looked at Tonio without letting go. "You too, Tonio. We still have many more candles to melt." Kael pulled away as tears she failed to stop dripped down her cheeks. "We'll watch the sky one day—you, me, and Tonio." He wiped her tears with his yellowed sleeve. "I promise you." Though he meant every word, his back never relaxed. He could die. His anchor's stress would spike. But people died, and anchors broke. From the moment the stress built in Arthur's house, the question had never been if, but when. And he was preparing for that moment. Forcing out a smile, Els sniffed. "Remember that promise and survive even if you die." Tonio lowered himself, locking eyes with Els. His scrunched nose eased, and his pursed lips curled down, revenge replaced by grief. "No friend dies. Promise." He huddled into a new hug with Kael and Els. It warmed Kael's chest. It also set his guts on fire. Giovanni and Riccardo were just the last names on the long list of brothers Tonio had outlived. Neither of them would join that list today. "We must move. Now." He broke the hug, and Tonio followed, his features distorting again as he pressed relic 78 against his face. At the doorway, he paused. "How do I survive even if I die? Do you like me so much that you want me to haunt you?" "As if. Get lost." The corners of Els' lips curved. At least, she wasn't crying anymore. Grabbing Tonio's hand, Kael slithered to the alley in which they hunted rats. The small kings of the alley hid at their approach. He crouched over one of their holes, knocking three sto