Chapter 75: On the Hill
The interior of the carriage was narrow, not allowing any of them to stretch their legs.
The wooden walls creaked with every bump in the road, while the vehicle advanced slowly along the icy paths.
The atmosphere was cold. But it was not because of the outside temperature.
The uncomfortable wooden benches were occupied by seven other men. All of them wore thick black cloaks that almost completely hid their faces.
None made the effort to speak or gesture any expression.
Since no one seemed to have that interest.
Gabriel took a seat without saying a word, his eyes discreetly scanning the interior.
They were not the same as the men he had seen working inside Charles’s hideout. Around these men he felt they emanated something very different.
It was no longer based solely on discipline; it was the danger of a cold and bloody blade.
None of them needed to show off. At some point he had started to become one of them.
Seated on the benches, they remained in total calm. With controlled breathing.
They were veterans under Charles’s orders.
It did not matter if they had been soldiers, assassins, or mercenaries. They all shared one characteristic: they knew how to survive.
The carriage continued advancing without anyone uttering a single word. Only the noise of the wheels accompanied the journey.
***
After a while, the vehicle reduced its speed. The driver shouted some unintelligible words.
He spat to the side and said in a harsh voice:
"It’s fodder!"
The carriage stopped at the limit of Bérsaic.
Gabriel managed to look through a small opening in the curtain. They were the guards managing entry and exit within the city limits.
The guards yawned as they gave the old man complacent looks, without really caring.
They seemed more bored than attentive.
The driver handed over some documents with absolute naturalness.
One of the guards barely looked at them.
"All right... pass."
There were no inspections, no one checked the back, and they did not even lift the curtain.
The old man smiled with contempt.
"Each year they are more useless..."
He shook the reins violently. The whip whistled through the air.
The horses resumed their march and the carriage officially left Bérsaic.
The city disappeared slowly behind them.
***
Several minutes passed in the span of a short journey. It was then that one of the hooded men finally broke the silence.
His voice was hoarse.
"Hey... Jester. Do you think today is a good day to spill blood?"
Gabriel raised his gaze.
The man remained leaning against the carriage wall.
None of those present reacted with surprise at his words, treating it as a totally normal question.
Gabriel responded without changing his tone.
"If we need to spill blood... whether it’s mine or others’... we will do it."
There were a few seconds of silence. Then several hoarse and dry laughs erupted.
They were different from the ones usually heard.
"That boy sure knows how to talk!"
Another gently struck the wood with his fist.
"Enthusiasm is always important. One day you’re young... and the next you can end up decapitated!"
The laughter increased. Until another of those present intervened.
"Like that kid... They stabbed him and then he died of the black death."
His tone of voice was heavy and tragic, as if telling a tragicomedy.
The laughter returned with greater force.
"What bad luck that bastard had!"
"This trade only belongs to madmen."
"We’re all a little crazy."
Gabriel remained silent. He could not fully understand their jokes, but he did not disapprove of them either.
He simply stopped to listen.
Every comment hid an experience.
Those men spoke of death with the same naturalness with which others spoke of the weather.
They did not try to seem fearsome; they had simply stopped considering violence and death as something strange.
Hired assassins or war orphans.
At that moment it did not matter too much to him, because he had accepted their coexistence to fulfill the mission.
He did not care to meddle in other people’s lives. Especially when they were dangerous men.
Then a different voice resonated inside the carriage.
Much deeper and more authoritative.
"Black beetles... Stop trying to impress the fresh meat with your vicious speeches."
The laughter disappeared immediately.
The man who had spoken occupied the farthest corner. His cloak was the oldest and also the most deteriorated.
However, no one seemed willing to interrupt him.
"We have a big job on our hands. And we must fulfill it... at the cost of any sacrifice."
None responded, listening in silence.
The jokes had disappeared; only discipline shone at that moment.
The man continued speaking.
"Our first order will be to maintain vigilance. We will enter to the deep levels of the ruin. And we will recover... ’that’."
Everyone observed him attentively.
One of the men raised his hand slightly.
"Abyss... Will we know at some point what the hell we are looking for?"
Apparently the two shared a close relationship.
Abyss clicked his tongue.
"Naturally. But not yet."
His response was brief, but it managed to silence those present.
He continued.
"We haven’t even seen the ruin yet. Inside, maintain maximum caution. It will be dangerous and potentially deadly." His voice dropped even lower.
No one showed fear or concern.
It seemed like too obvious a truth.
"For that reason... You will trust each other like brothers."
His gaze slowly swept over everyone present.
Finally his eyes stopped on Gabriel. They remained observing each other for a few seconds.
"You do not belong to our team. But during this mission... You will be one of us. You only need to respect the conventional rules of the game."
Abyss had been very clear and Gabriel, naturally, understood.
He nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Abyss did not respond.
He simply returned to silence.
That was enough for the rest to understand that the conversation had ended.
***
The journey continued for quite some time. No one had joked again.
Each one seemed lost in his own thoughts. The noise of the carriage was the only constant sound.
Until the old driver spoke again.
"Get down!"
He pulled the reins hard.
"We’ve arrived." He murmured.
The doors opened and the eight descended one after another.
The cold air immediately hit their faces. The driver remained seated.
"As promised... From here you will walk. Farther ahead you will find a hill."
He pointed to a barely visible path.
He spat before beginning to withdraw again.
But before leaving, he moved a finger toward the horizon and said:
"After crossing it... you will be able to see the ruin."
The old man left and disappeared into the distance, with a simple:
"Good luck."
In a few seconds they had been completely abandoned in the forest.
Abyss took the initiative. And the others began to follow him from behind.
Gabriel slightly understood the reasons for doing it this way. They were stealth and infiltration tactics.
The less movement they produced near the ruin, the lower the probability of attracting attention.
They walked for several minutes.
The path was quite irregular, with wild vegetation.
Until finally the hill appeared before them. Abyss, who had adopted the attitude of a leader, raised his hand.
Everyone stopped in unison.
Then, without saying a word, he dropped completely to the ground. He began to crawl on his belly.
The others started imitating him after a while. Gabriel understood and did the same.
No one asked or protested; they obeyed with total calm. They seemed like movements rehearsed countless times.
The damp earth soaked his clothes as he advanced slowly between the small bushes.
Every meter was covered with extreme care.
Finally they reached the edge of the hill. Abyss slowly raised two fingers.
Everyone barely poked their heads out.
Then they finally saw it.
Gabriel felt his breathing stop for a moment.
Before them rose a gigantic construction.
It was not a simple ruin; it was an authentic megastructure.
Its enormous stone walls emerged from the earth as if they had remained buried for centuries.
They were covered by vines throughout their extension. Dust and vegetation covered it completely.
For a moment it gave the sensation that the world itself sought to devour it.
It had an enormous size.
He quickly discovered that no building in Bérsaic could compare. The huge columns seemed to have stood since time immemorial.
The place transmitted an antiquity difficult to calculate. Passed down from eras to the present.
Gabriel had been practically stunned.
He had never seen anything like it. It was a gigantic construction worthy of earning anyone’s admiration.
Then he shifted his gaze; the lower area was completely occupied.
Dozens of people surrounded the entrance. Many groups continued to be unknown to him; but surprisingly he observed players among them.
Each faction maintained prudence and distance from the others.
Everyone watched and waited.
Apparently they were competing to enter. No one wanted to start a conflict prematurely.
But it was enough to observe their hands on their weapons to understand that peace would end very soon.
Gabriel continued slowly scanning the place with his gaze.
But to his surprise he recognized a face.
One he would never have expected to find there. Among the crowd hid a thin man.
He constantly moved his head from side to side, as if looking for opportunities to escape even before starting.
His nervous gait was unmistakable.
The clever and cowardly one, the worst thief of all time.
Francis.
What are you doing here...?