The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Stress Test

Read chapter 41 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 41: Stress Test Kael nearly toppled over his junk fence when Silma flung her braid and strolled toward the junction between the second and third beggar streets with her men. Was it puerile arrogance or the kind of confidence that twisted taunts into truths of her own? Old Fen and Joss Renn called her a bitch. She saw them as quivering rats between her closing fingers. Pitiful things she graced with a few hours of respite, of hope that they could lick their wounds enough to win the war. She's enjoying it. She'll crush that false hope the moment she moves her fingers again. Can I delay it? He shook away the foolish idea with a headshake. Got the stress I wanted. Side goals... He glanced at Tonio. Crouched beside him, the rat-man returned a questioning gaze. Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. Riccardo will be avenged. Still... I wanted us to do it. We only killed eight recruits that Garrick won't even notice. Shit. The Sump Dogs lost too fast. Enough. He poked his head over the junk fence. Couldn't see Silma and her men past the smoke drifting from the blackened wall of the tannery. From within, men leaned over the windows, pouring buckets of water to douse the flames. More steam, better cover. With no one on the street, he left the cover of the blanket. From the filthy ground, he picked up the bow and the thirteen arrows he had thrown down the alley. They were cold against his right armpit—still hotter than his silent rage. "We did what we could." He waved his arm on his way out of the alley. "Come. We'll watch the end of this war from home, or Els might get wrinkles from worrying." The frown that had never truly left Tonio's brow since the thug struck Kael's left shoulder finally eased. He jogged onto pavements wet with blood and the stench of burnt flesh and whispered. "Silma claws. Like beast. Strong." Kael almost froze, then hastened for the last stretch to his shelter. "Stronger than you?" Only after the sheet in the doorway flapped did Tonio answer. A word almost lost in the buzz of the flickering lamppost. Yet, it rumbled like a collapsing mine to Kael. "Yes." His throat tightened as the sheet fell behind Tonio. Before he could force the air out, Els' auburn hair trailed in a straight line. Her arms clasped his back. Something warm wet his yellowed shirt when she pressed her face against his chest. He let out a long exhale that let his icy revenge and concern for Silma's strength out. As he rubbed her back, she lifted her teary green eyes. They locked onto the burgundy stains on his sleeves. "You're alive..." "Unfortunately, I'm not haunting you anytime soon." He grinned, and she rolled her eyes. Then their laughter shattered the gloom. Els pulled back, wiping her tears. "At least you didn't get your ass whooped again. Thank you, Tonio." Tonio scratched his head. "Kael bite. Baby dog grow. Strong soon." "Wait... You killed a thug on your own?" Her eyes widened, and she leaned on Kael's right side. "You even brought his bow back? Wow... just wow. Training pays off." "I killed two. The first bastard almost broke my left shoulder." Before her hands could shoot to his wound, he raised his palm. "I'm fine. It almost doesn't hurt anymore. My endurance will do the rest. And yeah, figured we could use a bow... when I can draw it." Els' features tensed. Eventually, she guided him to sit against the junk wall. She set the bow and arrows on the ground and bundled her legs against her chest beside him. Her hair cascaded down her face when she gestured for Tonio. Once he sat, she gazed at them in turn. "I watched from the doorway. So many died. Even when fire and smoke blocked my sight, I still heard their screams, the metal... I thought you were gone, too. I don't want to feel like that again. Once they're done cutting each other's throats, let's live like before. The three of us. Together." She interlocked her fingers with Kael's and Tonio's. For a moment, silence thickened in the room. Then, Kael nodded. "I don't plan to.