Roughly a month had passed since Magog and Agazoz's enslavement and Jack's subsequent departure. His instructions haunted them almost as much as their “initiation” as it was explained to them.

  Don't leave until we get word from the sect, kill anyone not identified as a sect member until we get word, don't speak of the pact to others.

  Fat fucker.

  “Course this happened.” Magog said with resignation as he laid on a hammock in the middle of the plains.

  “A realm invasion between two great sects and a fucking slave pact.” His eyes glazed over the dim afternoon sky, an unavoidable consequence of the fallout from the constant battles along the border.

  At least the tremors stopped a few days ago. His hand clutched the empty space under his left shoulder. His brow furrowed with rage, the brunt of it directed at Jack, but nonetheless, he couldn't stop thinking about his part. His weakness.

  “Dorry and the rest of them should be in Nugu by now.” He hadn't even noticed Agazoz's approach as he swayed on the hammock.

  “Good, with Dorry there we should have a place to rest, just in case.”

  Hopefully.

  “Just in case,” Agazoz repeated with a sigh. It didn't take them long to realize even spoken insinuation would result in an intense burning from their marks. Agazoz knew they couldn't risk having the rest of the reavers around until they got rid of this pact. And Magog knew better than to question his intuition when he told Dorry to set up a base.

  “Do you sense them?”

  “C’mon Aggy, I'm not that depressed.” Without opening his eyes, he could feel them, cultivators. Five approached fast from the northern edge of the plains.

  A common sight since the invasion began. Independent cultivators, bandit groups, minor sects, and cults. Even the damn mortals had gotten uppity since the border was turned into a full war zone.

  The dry grass broke with a crunch as Magog got off the hammock to stand. Bending backwards to get the creaks out of his back. Damn, must've lied down too long.

  “How's the eye?”

  “I'll let you know when I get a new one.” Agazoz joked as he traced his hand along the edge of a light blue eye patch. “Here they come.”

  “That was fast.” Magog scoffed as the encroaching cultivators appeared within eyesight.

  “Dark green cloaks and ornamental wooden masks. Moggy, they're—”

  “I know.” Magog couldn't contain the cracking in his voice. Agazoz had decided against mentioning his now shaking body as his qi fluctuated. Smart Agazoz.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Boundless peak.

  The only maskless member of the group walked at the forefront. Dark brown hair flowed down the sides of her head down to her shoulders. Gray tips on the edge of her hair to match her nails. A nice compliment to her blemishless bronze skin

  “Salutations, anima— I mean, my dear junior brothers!” She said as her eyes shifted back and forth between Magog's arm and Agazoz's eye. A slight snicker escaped her lips as she finished. If she hadn't gone out of her way to audibilize it, it might've been missed.

  This bitch.

  She didn't wait for a response as she continued her slow pace to them. The masked members behind her came to a full stop. Never wavering as two stared at each of the men in front of them.

  “I come bearing good news!” The woman proclaimed as she came to a stop in front of the two. The piercing look in her eyes didn't match her tone. Agazoz couldn't shake the feeling of inevitability yet again.

  “Those filthy blue fingers will soon be out of the region, and you two can begin your true calling an— oh! Silly me, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself.”

  Disgusting. Even Agazoz couldn't maintain his full composure in the face of this blatant mockery as he clenched his teeth.

  “I am Inca. And it is my humblest pleasure to meet Jack's newest initiates. After all it's not every day a core disciple simply lets an unknown join after one meeting, let alone two!”

  Magog had had enough. “What do—”

  “As I'm sure you're aware!” Inca beckoned to the sky with flourish, no thought given to Magog's words. “This eyesore will soon be as beautiful as I!”

  “Ahhhh, but that's for yet another time. For now you two have much work to do!”

  “And what might that work be?” Agazoz asked as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. No response was given besides awkward silence and an empty stare from the flamboyant woman.

  Her eyes shifted to an increasingly unstable Magog, the four behind her shifted slightly at his fluctuating qi. “Strong boy.” One step taken towards Magog. One finger on his left shoulder “But not strong enough, I see."

  “Take it off.” Magog hissed at her.

  Inca leans closer. “Oh?” Two fingers on his shoulder. “And if I don't?” A clenched fist is all he could reply, head lowered unwillingly to meet her gaze.

  “Good boy.” No flourish was used as she stepped back and centered her gaze back on Agazoz.

  “Now onto your duties! There's an outpost near the base of the mountain by the lake to the east of the plains.”

  “After you kill everyone there, stay put for a week and leave for Kabba. I assume you know the direction?”

  “W—” Agazoz couldn't get the word out before she continued.

  Inca clapped her hands with her eyes closed. “Fantastic! While you wait there might be more initiates that go there. Make it to Kabba and there will be sect members there to get you situated. Oh what fun it must be to start such a wonderful new journey!”

  Agazoz had to squint as she opened her arms with glee in her final words.

  Did she just… twinkle?

  With a whip of her hair, Inca turned and began walking back to the four men she arrived with, a wave of her hand as she imparted her final words. “And if you see Jack, do tell him to visit!” The masked men matched her stride as she got to them, each step seemingly covering double the distance of the last as they disappeared into the horizon.

  They could finally breathe again.

  “Dammit!!!”

  Agazoz barely had time to sidestep the chunks of ground that flew as Magog slammed his fist into the ground.

  “It's just more bullshit like him.”

  “It might not be as bad as it could be, Moggy. How's your chest?

  “Hmm, it’s fine wh—” Magog's eyes widened at the realization. His chest felt perfectly fine.

  “We might not be as hopeless as we thought.” Agazoz couldn't help but chuckle.

  “No, we're not.” Magog said as a smile formed on his face. “No. We're not.”