Chương 45: Splattered In Blood

The General had left her soon after they arrived at the crowd. She garnered some attention, which she chalked up to either her outfit or the presence of the general. To her relief, it was short-lived, and the people who had gawked at her turned their attention to someone she actually recognized. Soryn. He was dressed in the highest grade of combat armour authorized to non Witches and was armed with several metal rods sharpened into stakes. He looked like a young god, and some people would consider him one.

Grim had seen him on the internet while scrolling through short-form videos. She hadn't paid too much attention to him then, she'd never been much to fangirl over random people, but she had to admit that he was impressive. She couldn't say he particularly earned it, though he'd had about the easiest life someone could imagine, born to two Witches and practically fed Boons from birth. Even from here she could feel his Aura, an eclectic feeling that urged her to move.

Her muscles wanted to twitch and explode into motion. While most people would be very fortunate here to have one or two good combat abilities it was likely every single one he had was useful and high rank. [THUNDER GOD] was his most notable one, and what was causing his eyes to glow ever so effervescently blue. There was a crowd of hanger ons and even from here she could hear him go on about how all they needed to do was stay close to him and he'd get them all through the trials.

Grim could tell how fake he was from here, she would never trust a grand promise like that. What he probably actually wanted was a good number of bodies he could throw in front of him. Someone like that, pampered all his life and told he's the greatest, would do anything to get ahead. She groaned and tried to tune it out, she was going off on a tangent in her head and there was no point in worrying about someone like that. She'd stay far away and mind her own business.

It seemed like there were still people trickling in as the expected start time wasn't for another half hour. The Witches were all here but seemed to mostly be doing crowd control and answering any questions people had. She hovered around them for a bit, but gleaned nothing too useful. They didn't seem to want to say anything concrete until the entire group had been officially addressed.

She did hear that Valorant and Aegis would be here to give the opening speech, which was apparently something they'd never done before. She put that in the back of her head and decided to at least try to get into a group. It'd be easier to survive with more numbers, and she didn't have anything better to do while she waited. She could tell that most of the others had similar ideas and that small groups of four to five had formed. One looked promising, they all looked well-geared and competent at the very least.

"Hey, are you guys sticking together?" Grim asked. An older man glanced at her, torn away from the conversation they were having. He scanned her up and down before saying, "No." He turned back to the group, and they all proceeded to ignore her.

"Okay, wow," Grim said to herself as she walked away.

"That was rough." The next group was similarly made up of older adults, but instead of immediately rejecting her, they asked her if she could heal.

"Actually, yeah, it's easier on myself, but I can heal others," Grim answered. The Clean shaven man turned to a small woman in his group and pointed his thumb out of there, "Rachel, you're out. Other lady, you're in." Grim's surge of elation was immediately ruined by the horror in the other woman's eyes.

"You can't do that! I'll die if I'm alone."

"Too bad-""-Actually, it's alright. I think I'll just find another group," Grim interrupted. She thought of herself as cold-hearted but she didn't think she could live with herself if she got someone kicked out and killed. She didn't wait around as the man tried to protest, she wasn't going to change her mind.

"Hey! You want to join a group, right?" A young woman tapped her on the shoulder.

"My names Natalie." Grim nearly drew her blade from its sheath but stopped herself. Natalie stood in front of her and left a lot to be desired. She had a big smile on her face and looked like a very friendly woman who should have been running a bakery or a motel. Not fighting for her life to become a Witch. Behind her stood another group of four or so people who didn't exactly inspire confidence either. They looked awkward and unsure of themselves, and physically they weren't much better.

She doubted most of them were even D-ranks. What were they doing here?

"Uhhh, yeah, but I think I'm-" You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Natalie grabbed her arm and pulled her in.

"Great! I'll get you settled in. This is Cory, Phillip, Taylor and Savryn. Everyone say hi to... oh, forgive my manners! I didn't even think to ask your name."

"That's okay, really. I think you all... seem to be well organized and I don't want to slow you down." Natalie laughed, "Nonsense, come on. Team Natalie turns no one away." Grim prepared to bolt away. As much as this woman wanted to recruit her, she doubted she'd be able to catch her if she ran. Nothing good would come from staying with them, but before she could, she felt a massive aura appear that froze her in place. Valorant and Aegis appeared a moment later, touching down on the stage from the sky.

They came in quick and most didn't have time to react before they'd surveyed the crowd. The two of them looked pristine in their white armour, adorned by a cloak. Black bottomless orbs were the only facial detail that slipped out of the deer skull they wore. They and their power didn't feel human, people weren't supposed to get that strong on their own. Aegis walked up while Valorant watched from behind her. The two were the most notorious duo in all of Eternity and among the most powerful.

Of the seven S rank currently in the city, Valorant was one of them with Aegis allegedly not far behind.

"Let's not waste time. You all know what you're here for, so let me explain the process," Aegis paused, letting the crowd pay attention.

"You're objective today is to enter the portal and make your way to the clock tower. Inside there will be a wall of dog tags. Etch your Witch name into the metal and throw it into the machine. It's your key out of the place and also a powerful reward. This decision is permanent and cannot be reversed, so choose wisely. Bring it back and you will have passed the Witching. Sounds easy. Wrong. This is an S-rank Gate world that even we can't close.

By entering through the gate, you agree to a lifelong vow of secrecy of what you experience in there. There is a reason we hold the Witching and if you come back alive, you will understand why. There are no rules in there and no one will save you if you need help. The only one you can rely on there is yourself. That being said, you will need allies in this world and the next generation of Witches is all around you. In the Witching? There is no better place to find them. That is all."

The crowd stared at her in silence, still taking in their speech. Grim had already expected most of that, but an S-rank Gateworld? How were they expected to survive that? She shook her head because she already knew the answer to that question. They weren't.

"Well? What are you all waiting for?" Aegis asked.

"Begin." There was a pulse in the crowd as they all moved like a wave towards the Gate. The red energy swirled like a maw as it swallowed people up. The Witches in attendance shouted at them, trying to instil order in the chaos. Some listened, some didn't. Groups were caught between not wanting to be the first ones in and not wanting to be the last.

"Well, we don't want to keep everyone waiting, do we? Everyone has their things? Let's make our way in," Natalie said with a hint of fear that wasn't there before.

"Oh, woops, sorry everyone. I think I misplaced one of my rations." Grim could see that she was stalling. The woman had such a motherly vibe despite being around the same age as her, and just looking at her struggling twisted her guts up inside. Why was she even here? She'd get torn up in seconds, and Grim doubted she could keep her safe throughout the whole trial.

"Hey, before we go in. Could I ask what Boons you have?" The woman turned to her, eager to take any bait to stall just a bit longer. Even as she tried to focus on Grim, her eyes kept darting to the portal, and although she masked her fear well, there was still a split-second glimpse of terror every time she looked.

"Oh yes! I've got a C-rank that lets me cut cucumbers well, and I can summon pigeons and turn my skin into the same texture of a cactus." She seemed to notice Grim's face falling as she spoke, her excitement draining as she explained. Grim frowned, "I don't mean to be rude but... why are you here? Most of the people here have at least one Boon that lets them fight, and I don't think you have any."

"Thats... that's none of your business!" The woman's kind demeanour gained a sharp edge to it in a polite way.

"I don't know where you get off telling me I'm going to die in there. We're supposed to be on a team."

"I didn't? What are you talking about?"

"You didn't? Oh. I must've... well, nevermind that. I'm going in and you can't stop me. Now goodbye! If you'd like to stay behind, by all means do so, but the rest of us will be heading in now," Natalie said. The rest of the group looked apprehensive, maybe brought to reality in a way they hadn't quite been before, but it didn't seem to be enough as all of them walked past her and into the Gate.

"Saints lady, what's your deal?" Grim said, just watching the spot where she'd disappeared. She wanted to be angry at her stubbornness but she just felt sad. Someone like that wasn't supposed to be a fighter, they were supposed to stay away from the front lines and stay safe. Spread the joy they radiated, the care. Grim shook her head and walked right up to the energy. She took one last look behind her at the gathered Witches. Valorant and Aegis were there, watching the applicants go in.

Soryn was one of the last people to enter as he pried himself from his mother's grip. Grim didn't mean to stare, but the sight shocked her as much as it seemed to confuse Soryn. His mother didn't dare look at him as he passed by Grim and entered the portal, instead only sobbing into her husband's arms. Her spine shivered, if even his parents were crying watching him go in? What did that mean for the rest of them?

She rubbed her thumb over the leather of her sword, letting the grit centre her as she stared at the swirling mass of energy, alone.

"Looks like it's just us in the end after all. Can't say I didn't try," Grim said out loud, but mirrored the response to Hazel, in case she could hear. She didn't reply.

"Well, here we go, we either die here or we don't." Grim stepped into the red gate and recoiled as she was splattered with blood.