Nick gazed silently at the winding path that climbed the mountain, his voice grim. "The villagers are all gone. Cultists performed flesh alchemy here. We need to track them."
He turned to look at the three warriors. "Are you afraid?"
"No," Savas and Marshall answered firmly.
"Good. Courage is one of our weapons, too." Nick waved a hand and pointed to the largest house in the village. "We'll tie up the horses there, then head up the mountain on foot."
We don't know how strong the enemy is. I'm a little scared, to be honest. Cultists—just hearing the word makes them sound like religious fanatics. For all we know, they're the sort who charge forward with bombs strapped to their chests. Kraun felt uneasy. He thought the proper way to use a golden finger was to stay as far away from danger as possible and live long enough to become invincible naturally.
He could show off without taking any risks, but he'd avoid anything dangerous whenever possible.
He wasn't lacking in the courage to fight for his life when cornered, but he didn't want to seek out danger.
Nick led the group and reached out to push open the gate to the courtyard.
Flakes of paint peeled from the gate, revealing mottled gray-white wood beneath.
Perhaps from wear and tear, the gate let out a creaking groan as he pushed it open. The sound echoed through the silent village.
They found a stable, tied up the horses, and put feed in the troughs. Then they added some soybeans and cracked a few eggs into it.
After tending to the horses, everyone shouldered their gray packs and followed Nick toward the edge of the village.
They were all in excellent shape, and carrying packs weighing around fifty pounds didn't slow them