The moon hung low in the sky, its light reflecting off Hector’s arms, giving them a soft glow. He pushed through the bush, branches cracking around him, and stepped out into the open. A few paces behind him, Nyx followed, frowning.

  “This is it?” she asked, her gaze wandering around the barn before them. It wasn’t much—not that Hector had any idea what much would look like. But it was where everything went down. “You’re sure they are in there?”

  Hector went to speak but was cut off. Someone inside the barn let out a muffled scream, then fell quiet. It was long and drawn out like someone was being butchered in there. Jodie stepped out of the bush with a frown.

  Her hands twitched as her gaze shifted between Hector and the barn. She wanted to charge in there. He couldn’t blame her—he did, too. As Lincoln stepped from the bush, Hector walked towards the barn.

  The others followed behind him. The hoots of owls in the nearby trees filled the silence, their calls ringing hollow against the screams. Hector stopped. He turned to the three behind him and gestured to the barn.

  “How do you think we should get inside?” he asked. He’d had half a mind to charge in there and start swinging. But doing that would be more than a risk. Who knew how the Farmhands would be in there? No. They would save those actions for when things got desperate.

  Though it could be argued that it already had.

  Jodie stepped forward, running her hand along the barn wall, pushing against it and shaking her head, her ginger hair swaying in the wind. “I think that there should be a loose panel somewhere. This place looks pretty old. I doubt these demonic cultivators would be too focused on housekeeping, given what they are up to.”

  They all nodded. Hector considered activating his street reader Talent but decided to hold off for now. The chances of there being an army of Farmhand goons all cramped up in the barn were unlikely. It would also be better to save it for their escape.

  Stepping away and placing his hand on the barn wall, Hector—and everyone else—searched for a loose panel. Thankfully, the search didn’t take them long, and a few moments later, Hector jerked to a stop.

  His hand brushed across a jutted-out piece of wood, its surface gnarled with rot. It didn’t look too different from something that he’d find in his room. He really needed to fix that when he got home. He turned back to the others and raised a hand.

  “I think I’ve found something,” he said. Another hollow scream came from inside the barn. Jodie came over and bent down before glancing up at him.

  “Yeah. This should be more than enough,” she said, slipping her fingers underneath the wood. “So, who’s going in first? Because I doubt ripping this out will be quiet.”

  “I will,” Nyx said, stepping forward. Hector stepped aside as the girl crouched next to Jodie, her black bob blowing gently in the wind. “Do it.”

  Jodie nodded. With a grunt, she yanked the wood free with a sharp crack. Hector’s head snapped from side to side.

  Did anyone hear that?

  From the silence that followed, he took that as a no.

  Nyx shuffled inside, Lincoln after her. Jodie's blue eyes locked onto Hector and she jerked her head to the entrance. The wind rustled through some nearby trees. He eventually sighed, dropped onto all fours, and shuffled through the hole.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go in. But he’d rather have done it last. It was always the guy in the middle that got attacked first.

  As he shuffled through the darkness, his hand scuffing across the dirt, then padding onto some hay, Hector took in his surroundings. It wasn’t what he expected to see. Instead of altars and candles, as he got to his feet, all he saw was the typical inside of a barn.

  They stood in what seemed to be an area to store the hay bales. A large stack of them loomed next to him; another set was on his right. “Do you see anything?” he asked, getting into a low crouch and moving next to Lincoln.

  “Yeah, you see that,” Lincoln said, raising a finger and pointing in front. A few paces away in the center of the barn—more towards the back, two Farmhands sat. They were around a small table playing a game of cards.

  Well, I guess just guarding an evil base can be hard. But if those two are here, where are the prisoners?

  As if on cue, a scream rang out amidst the darkness, shrill and blood-curdling. “How long do you think it’s going to take this time?” one Farmhand asked, throwing down a card on the table. “I raise you ten.”

  “I couldn’t tell you, mate,” the other replied. “H…” he trailed off. “What were we talking about?”

  Hector could barely hear them. Jodie shuffled in behind, scooting across the dirt. Hector nodded at her before creeping forward to move next to Nyx.

  But as he did, the face of one guard dropped. “Someone is here,” he said, standing up from the table and reaching for a pitchfork that stood nearby. The other one followed suit.

  What? How the heck did they know? I don’t think we even made that much noise. Outside was probably the loudest we’ve been.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Hector then shook his head as it dawned on him. It seemed the Farmhand they’d kidnapped hadn’t been lying. He’d said he couldn’t tell them what was going on because he’d just forget. Apparently, that would happen whether he was aware he was being listened to or not. Scary.

  “I’m going in,” Nyx said. Before Hector could say anything, she shot forward, leaping over the small fence and darting straight at the Farmhands.

  Hector glanced back at the other two. That was unexpected, but given the situation, probably the best course of action. “You two hang back. If anyone tries to ambush us… well, you know what to do.”

  They nodded at him. Hector sprang to his feet, charging toward the fence and leaping over it. Up ahead, Nyx swerved between the two boys as they jabbed pitchforks at her, their tips missing her—though it was close.

  Hector didn’t want to find out how his [Hearty Body] Talent would react to him being run through. Though he doubted it would be too great. The ground blurred underneath him. One Farmhand spotted him as he closed in. “Samson, another one,” he yelled.

  But it was too late. Hector exploded off the floor, sailing forward. His foot slammed into the shoulder of the Farmhand closest to him. Then his other foot followed, taking the boy off his feet as he hit him with an Orion leaping strike.

  System scan them.

  ————————————————

  ///: Acquiring target stats…

  ————————————————

  ///

  Cultivation level: [Gravity Forging - 2]

  Talent: [None]

  Talent Fragment: [None]

  ///

  ————————————————

  ————————————————

  ///: Acquiring target stats…

  ————————————————

  ///

  Cultivation level: [Gravity Forging - 2]

  Talent: [None]

  Talent Fragment: [None]

  ///

  ————————————————

  The boy bounced off the floor, manoeuvring his pitchfork as he fell. He rolled to a stop and then leapt to his feet, barely fazed. Hector gritted his teeth. More cultivators at Gravity Forging Two. They’d probably been eating a lot of those Ham pills.

  A snap came from the side. Hector didn’t look. Nyx had it handled; he needed to focus on not getting run through. The Farmhand yelled, charging forward. Hector dived in, stepping to the side just as the fork was inches from his face.

  The Farmhands were cultivators, but their stance was weak, and confidence was lacking. They weren’t trained fighters. His palm slammed forward, thudding against the boy’s stomach. He staggered back. Hector shot to the side, raising his leg and slamming a powerful kick into the boy's shoulder.

  The Farmhand let out a yelp. Hector's eyes tightened as the boy’s arm tensed up. He circled to his back, lashing out with blow after blow. Crashing his fist into the boy’s back like he was a training bag.

  The Farmhand dropped the pitchfork. Hector jumped, swinging his foot forward with a crack straight into the boy’s skull. With a thud, he crumpled to his knees, slamming down onto the dirt in a puff of dust a moment later.

  Hector glanced around as his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. He slowly drank in the air. “Is that all of them?” he asked, turning his head to Nyx. She stood next to the other Farmhand, now unconscious, and his broken pitchfork to her side.

  “As far as I can see,” she replied.

  Another scream tore through the night, not as muffled as outside, but still muffled. Jodie and Lincoln made their way over. She regarded the unconscious Farmhands on the floor. “You two made quick work of them.”

  Hector nodded. It was easy. They lacked training. Against normal people, the two Farmhands would have been quite scary, but against them… Jodie turned her head to Nyx and frowned. “I didn’t know that you could even fight like that.”

  “I just know some basics,” Nyx replied, stepping away. She moved over to the Farmhands’ table, looking over to the cards, then her gaze seemed to move past them to something beyond the table. She raised her hand and pointed a little in front of where the two had been sitting. “I think the screams are coming from that basement.”

  “Basics?” Jodie muttered. “That looked like a lot more than basics.”

  “Barns don’t have basements.” Lincoln turned his head to Hector. “Do they? I mean, I haven’t exactly been in a bunch.”

  “How am I meant to know?” Hector asked, shaking his head. He stepped over to where Nyx was pointing. Hector raised an eyebrow as he scanned over the trapdoor leading into this supposed basement. It was the only part of this place that appeared exceptionally well-maintained.

  “I don’t know,” Lincoln said. He shrugged, glancing around. “I thought you’d know a bit more. You used to always go to the center of the city with your dad.” He stepped to the side as Jodie moved to get a better look at the trapdoor. “I thought you might have some idea.”

  “No.” Hector shook his head. He’d been to central Middlec with his father a few times, but that was just to see his dad’s friends—more like drinking buddies. But they never really talked about anything that interesting.

  Another scream sounded through the barn. Hector glanced up at the others. They were wasting time. He dropped to one knee and pulled on the handle. The trapdoor slid up with ease, barely making a squeak.

  “I guess I’ll be going first,” he said. No one spoke up, so he nodded. In the dark, there was a ladder going down. At the bottom, the torchlight flickered, its warm glow washing off the walls. At the very least, they wouldn’t be walking in the dark.

  Hector climbed onto the ladder and moved down. With each step, his heartbeat rose a notch. What would they even find down there? A scream cut through his thoughts and he glanced up. Above him, Lincoln continued climbing. Hector didn’t doubt that if he stopped, his friend would step on his fingers. He hurried his movements, almost sliding down the ladder.

  With a thud, he landed at the bottom. Torches lined the walls of the cave tunnel that ran out before him. Their gentle warmth warmed his cheeks. He stepped forward, his footsteps echoing down the space.

  “Everything alright?” Lincoln said, walking up next to him.

  Hector nodded. He placed a hand on the walls, running it along the rough stone. This didn’t look natural—it seemed as if it had been dug out. Four people wide and about two of him in height; this ‘cave tunnel’ was surely a bit too big.

  “What’s up?” Jodie asked. Walking over to Hector.

  He turned his head back to her. Behind, Nyx stepped off the ladder and looked at him. He wet his lips, the stale air coating the tip of his tongue. “I don’t believe this formed naturally. But I can’t see how they would have dug this out.”

  “They probably hand help,” Jodie said, stepping past Hector. She took a few steps further into the tunnel. “It seems to go on for a while. So if they dug this out by hand, it must have taken months. Years even.” She turned back to them.

  A scream split the air, cutting her off before she could speak. It was like a knife through Hector’s heart. What were they doing down there? He moved past Jodie, not even checking to see if the others were following. This had to end, now.

  He marched through the dark. Up ahead, heavy footsteps sounded. More Farmhands. Were they on patrol? He glanced back. Nyx and Lincoln were behind him, with Jodie bringing up the rear. He swallowed.

  He’d been hesitant to use his Talents, as that would be another thing to explain later. But they were in the stronghold of demonic cultivators now. They needed to be alive to ask questions. He doubted that he could handle these guys as easily as the two upstairs.

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