The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Volatile Air

Read chapter 36 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 36: Volatile Air In a warmth Kael didn't think he'd find again after his mom's passing, three days flew by. Wearing relic 78, he bought bread and fresh water from Lana's bakery in the morning. The chubby baker offered him a comfortable smile and the latest gossip. Mostly rumors that made her lips quiver as she handed him his provisions. Things were worse. Much worse. The gang war began to spread. He jogged down Ashcoil Row's neighborhood, pausing on the wanted posters stamped on every wall. Two men. The first was in his early thirties, short-haired, sharp-eyed. But it was his name that everyone knew in the slums: Joss Renn. One gold crown for information leading to his capture. Five for his head. And ten if presented to the Black Cask bar alive. The second raised a hand with two missing fingers to his hood. Kael couldn't make out his features, and even the name sounded obscure. Old Fen, leader of the Sump Dogs. Extremely dangerous, and on the run with two dozen men. No bounty for his capture. Garrick wanted him dead. Fewer posters observed Kael's jog as he approached the beggar streets, and more torn pieces of paper replaced them. By the time he entered the first street, none remained—all scavenged for a coin. The underbelly of the beggar streets was like a coal mine. No different from three days ago, but filled with volatile gas waiting for a spark to blast into chaos. Men who had been thriving on others' poverty clasped their blades at all times. They glared at Kael, then exchanged confirmatory glances. Kael let out a sigh when they turned to a leaving man. It became harder to move freely. If they ever searched him and discovered his provisions... a beating would be the easy way out. Shaking his head, he continued to his shelter. Voices that should have been whispers made him stop by the well. "Ya heard it? The Sump Dogs broke through the encirclement of the sewers. They're heading our way, I tell ya!" A man scratched at his neck, deepening the red marks. "Joss Renn's maybe among us already. I have friends in the tunnels beside the broken bridge. I'm packing to join them before tomorrow." Another man spat. While the first asked if he could join, the water seller pointed his ladle at the two men from behind his basin. "You're ruining business with your crap, fuckers. Get lost!" As the two men scrambled, he turned back to a woman, who gripped the edges of her dirty dress. He shook a palm-sized canteen. "Four copper crowns." Four? Kael's eyes widened as he left for his shelter. Twice as expensive as four days ago. It'll rise again. He knew it from Giovanni's story about the water purifying device he had tried to build. It was now in Garrick's hands, making him the unique supplier. Then, why would the price increase? Kael's shoes echoed faster on the greasy pavement. Because that same supplier refuses to quench his enemies' thirst. The Sump Dogs will come. Without realising it, he bolted through the third street until he crashed into the cloth in his shelter's doorway. Els pressed herself against the wall, and Tonio leapt to his feet, dark nails pointed at him. Clenching his knees, breath ragged, Kael removed the relic. "It's me." Els let out the breath she had been holding, then planted her fists against her hips. "Did a rat scare you so much that you forgot to slow down?" Tonio lowered his nails, frowning. "Kael better. Almost catch rat. Not scared." Kael pulled the burlap bag from beneath his shirt. He didn't throw it at Els, who extended her arms to catch it; he let it fall as he slid down the junk wall. For three heartbeats, he bit his lip. Then, he pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice low. "The gang war's approaching. We're not safe here." A silence disturbed only by the buzz of the flickering lamppost thickened in the bare room. Tonio spoke first, his red eyes narrowed. "Kill Garrick!" "I told you we're not strong enough." Kael pressed his head between his palms. "A-Are we leaving?" Els dropped to her knees.