Life on the base wasn't as exciting as Cass had hoped. Trials were constructed by the fog to suit the person, everyone knew that. But Cass's had been rather uneventful. He was in the fog for over a month now and nothing substantial had happened. Other than slaying the odd beast while out on patrol. He even started taking extra patrol duties to test his new found strength. He wasn't on par with a true Blessed and had no Blessed abilities yet, but physically he was well above even the most athletic normal humans.
What a pain in the ass! How do I get out of this stupid trial?
It was fun at first. But the excitement of living, along with his new powers becoming routine…He wanted that full Blessing. Cadeyrn had a lifetime head start on him, but with the right blessing and enough tenacity…Cass wanted to believe that he could exact his revenge. But even in his blinding rage, that belief was tough to hold onto.
Well, I'll come up with a plan eventually.
Normally it'd take longer for Cass to shake his malaise. However, it was lunchtime and Cass had work to do.
Sharp teeth gnashed as the sounds of a feasting monster echoed throughout the hall. It would have been a horrifying sight if the monster wasn't so stunning.
"Ah! You remembered the spices I requested! What a charmer."
"Comin' through!"
A tall, burly soldier dragging a haggard demon shot past Cass. He unceremoniously tossed the demon into his cell and walked off while whistling a cheery tune. Cass studied Ariayah's face. It was full of food and yet she was cramming more in…
Is this how all demon nobles eat?
Cass was no fool. While her appearance did take him by surprise, he had played up how flustered he was during their first meeting…to some degree. He wanted to see what she'd let slip if she thought she had the upper hand. The first thing Cass noticed was that she didn't seem all that concerned about her comrades. She had asked for water, but only for herself. Moreover, her appetite seemed unfazed by the moans of her recently tortured subordinate in the adjacent cell. "Demon's didn't have human emotions". That's what he'd always heard. Their singular goal is to wipe out humanity. It's a compulsion, like breathing…
My god…chew your food, woman. How could that slop make anyone that happy?
Then again, maybe she and her men hadn't been that thirsty. It might've been just a ruse to extract information from Cass. And was it callous for her to continue eating? Soldiers died all the time in battle. The rest of their companions had to eat to continue the fight. Was this situation any different? They were clearly battle hardened warriors after all. He felt a tugging at his shirt. Looking down in horror…
"W-What the hell are you doing!?"
Ariayah had finished wiping her mouth and handed the empty tray to Cass.
"I'm done! You may take the tray, demon boy."
Cass wasn't in any physical danger. The cuffs she wore and the cell itself kept her at the level of a normal human and sealed most abilities. Still, the fact that he let his guard down…
"My shirt! Captain's gonna kill me if he sees this!"
"It's what you get for ignoring me! I was asking you a question, jerk!"
"How am I supposed to identify words among those horrendous noises!?"
She had certainly gotten high and mighty in the past couple of weeks. She may only reach his chest in height, yet still, she somehow managed to look down at him.
"You may not value your clothes, but have some respect for others, you pint-sized princess."
"The prisoner outfits here are too restrictive. AND it's sweltering in here! Ripping off some unnecessary cloth is hardly a crime."
She wasn't wrong. The cells were kept at an uncomfortable temperature in order to break prisoners. If her powers weren't sealed, she'd be perfectly fine, but seeing as–
She sighed, cocked her head, and rubbed the back of her neck. Beads of sweat fell down her face and landed on her chest. They slowly curved down and were caught by her already soaked shirt.
Wait…what was I doing again?
"What a pain."
She scowled at his comment.
"At least you eat fast, unsightly as it is. I have places to be so I'm afraid I can't entertain you today."
That came out wrong…but I'll roll with it.
He awaited her retort. There was a longer than usual pause.
"Can you come by tonight?"
Cass froze. This was the first time she'd made such a request. Usually it was only creature comforts and contraband she demanded. She looked at him with what he thought was an eager expression.
"I'll…see what I can do."
Played it cool.
Not long after, Cass was standing in Captain Stanev's office.
"How're you feeling, son?"
"Not awful. I haven't traveled much, so I'm still getting used to sleeping in strange places."
He laughed.
"I'm still amazed you're as healthy as you are. Considering how dire your injuries were."
Cass frowned. He had been cut and bruised during his time in the trial, but they all healed with incredible speed now. The scar on his chest, however, looked as fresh as it did the first day he awoke.
"What can I say? I was fed well as a kid. Gave me a healthy constitution."
"I believe it. That's why I wanted to speak with you today. We have a bit of a problem, Cass. One of the patrols hasn't returned yet."
It wasn't uncommon for the fast changing weather to delay patrols, but it had been sunny all day.
"I'm on it. Just send me a copy of their patrol route and consider it done."
"Excellent. Dismissed."
Cass turned and started to leave the office.
"Cass."
He stopped.
"A lot of you fellas have been requestin' prisoner chow duty lately."
Cass's eyes drifted to the side.
"Yeah, I guess I've been slacking a little. It's such an easy post and all that."
"I'm a man myself, Cass; and one with Blessed vision no less. So I'm well aware of what's going through your…heads. But don't forget, son. That's a demon."
Cass was annoyed with the implication.
Does he think I was born yesterday?
"Understood, sir. Loud and clear."
He was unconvinced, it seemed.
"There were human bones found at their camp."
Cass paused.
"Half-eaten corpses of soldiers as well. I'm just remindin' all you boys of what we're up against."
Cass thought for a second and then left. He understood the captain's concern. However, when would he get another chance like this? A chance to see and interact with a demon up close. One where they weren't trying to kill each other. Not overtly, at least.
He followed the map of the patrol route well into the afternoon. The weather was still clear which made his job much easier. Footprints were still present in the mud and snow. The base was short-staffed. A few unexpected occurrences had most of the Blessed out on missions and the rest fortifying the camp's defenses. Even the person in charge, Brigadier General Barus, was out visiting the observation facility in the north. That meant Cass was on his own. Captain Stanev had left it up to him: Whether to just report his findings or intervene if necessary. As he crested the hill, he noticed something odd up ahead next to the trail. It was a backpack. He cautiously approached. Enemies were known to booby trap any place of interest, including potential supplies and even bodies. Cass carefully inspected the pack and then slowly opened it.
A standard pack. Nothing of note. They left their canteen, rations, flares…seems like most of their standard kit is still here.
Other than the abandoned pack, nothing was amiss from what he could see. The tracks ended here. So where were they? There was a peaceful creek flowing steadily by, and the towering trees helped slow the biting wind. A good place to rest, yet there was no sign of a camp anywhere. As he looked around, something finally caught his eye. Along one of the large tree trunks was a scuff mark. It was almost parallel to the trunk with odd breaks where it stopped and continued. It was as if something had been dragged along the surface. Cass looked along the base of the tree. Among the shredded bark he found bits of black material.
Hmm, bits of rubber?
Cass turned his gaze upwards. Nothing really stood out in the treetops. The blue sky was starting to turn as the sun headed down for the day.
A beautiful day, I guess.
It took a while to notice; a slight glint of light faded in and out of existence in the periphery of Cass's vision.
What's that?
His face grew somber as he started up the tree. Before he even reached the branch, he could make it out. A long translucent thread branching through the forest. The diameter was smaller than Cass's pinky finger. Without the melting snow dripping onto it and his slightly enhanced vision, he would've missed it.
I think I know that this is.
Before he could finish, he spotted 3 red dots splattered along a snow covered branch in the tree.
Blood.