Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 2143: Cinderloch City (GT Bonus Chapter)

Cinderloch City

Grey and Reynolds reached the city gates roughly an hour earlier. Instead of heading straight to the Mayor’s manor to report their arrival, Grey led Reynolds toward the western part of the city without explanation.

Like most cities in the Pyre region, Cinderloch bore the clear marks of prolonged war. Refugees filled the streets in uneven clusters. Some sat against cracked walls with empty bowls in front of them, quietly begging for food. Others searched for any scrap of shade to escape the harsh midday sun. Children moved among the adults with thin faces and tired eyes, their clothes little more than rags. The air carried the mixed scents of dust, unwashed bodies, and distant cooking fires that never seemed to have enough to feed everyone.

Reynolds’s gaze lingered on a small group of children sharing a single piece of hard bread. Pity tightened his chest. He could not stop himself from wondering what his own life might have looked like if the Gnome invasion had begun while he was still that young. It was impossible to know whether he would have survived long enough to reach his current strength.

Remembering Faction Leader Bertram’s orders, Reynolds glanced at the direction they were walking and finally asked, ”Aren’t we supposed to go to the Mayor’s manor?”

”Not yet,” Grey replied. ”There’s somewhere I want to check first.”

He offered no further explanation. Reynolds did not press. He trusted Grey enough to follow without question.

They moved through several more streets, passing makeshift shelters and quiet, watchful faces, until they entered a long, narrow alley. At the far end stood an old building that looked as though it had stood against the weather for decades. Its walls were stained and cracked, the windows dark and empty. Nothing about it appeared unusual at first glance.

Grey stopped at a careful distance and simply observed the structure for a long moment. Reynolds studied it as well but sensed nothing out of the ordinary. He waited in silence.

After several seconds Grey turned away. Just as Reynolds opened his mouth to ask what this had been about, Grey spoke.

”Necromancers.”

Reynolds’s expression shifted at once. He looked back at the old building with sharper eyes. Now he understood why Grey had come here immediately after entering the city. Grey’s ability to sense Necromancers was reliable, and since they had been sent to reinforce Cinderloch, it made sense to deal with any internal threat before it could cause trouble later.

They left the alley and headed directly for the Mayor’s manor.

The manor itself was large and well-built, with a long limestone path stretching from the outer gate to the main building. The guard stationed at the entrance moved to intercept them, then caught sight of the identity token at Grey’s waist. Recognition flashed across his face. He stepped back immediately and bowed. The token belonged only to high-ranking members of the Pyrmond Faction.

Grey and Reynolds walked the length of the path and entered the main hall. Even before they stepped inside, raised voices carried clearly through the open doors.

”What do you mean the Faction Leader only sent one person?”

”Technically he said two, but the second one isn’t even from our Faction.”

”We’re under heavy attack. What is one person supposed to accomplish?”

”The Leader said it’s Grey Dawson.”

”And what does that change? We need experienced warriors, not some boy who got lucky with a single trick.”

”Didn’t you hear he killed a Peak Sovereign on the Azure Continent?”

”Lies. You and I are Peak Sovereigns. Are you seriously suggesting a Ninth-stage Sovereign could defeat either of us, much less kill one of us?”

”Faction Leader Bertram would not have sent him if he weren’t certain of the young man’s strength. You’ve seen how capable he is.”

”I’ve seen him spar against others in the same realm. He’s talented, I won’t deny that. Claiming he can kill a Peak Sovereign and then sending him here as our reinforcement is still laughable.”

The argument continued until an older man seated at the head of the hall lifted his gaze and noticed the two figures standing in the doorway.

”Grey.”

Grey met the old man’s eyes. He recognized the voice as one of those he had heard from outside. ”Greetings, elders.”

He also knew the older man as one of the Faction’s elders. One of the middle-aged men present also felt strangely familiar, though Grey could not immediately place where they had met before.

The moment Grey and Reynolds entered, the hall fell silent. The elders had been discussing him only seconds earlier, and his sudden appearance made the timing feel almost deliberate.

”No need for formalities,” the older man said, waving a hand. ”Please, sit. We were discussing how to prepare for the next possible Gnome assault.”

Grey gave a quiet ”oh” and took the seat closest to the door without ceremony. Reynolds sat beside him, calm eyes taking in every face in the room.

”Since the Faction Leader sent you personally, you must be quite capable given our current situation,” the older man continued at an unhurried pace. He studied Grey carefully, searching for any reaction to the earlier comments. Grey’s expression remained completely still, as calm as undisturbed water. The older man gave a little nod of approval, impressed by his calmness. Most young geniuses would have shown at least a flicker of response to the dismissive words spoken only moments before. Grey acted as though he had not heard them at all.

”So-so,” Grey replied with a small motion of his hand. He clearly had no interest in prolonging the conversation. ”Are you aware there are Necromancers inside the city?”

The question produced a brief, stunned silence before the hall erupted.

”What do you mean Necromancers in the city?”

”That’s impossible. We’ve been fighting Gnomes here for months and have barely seen any Necromancers among their forces, let alone hidden ones.”

Grey’s voice cut through the rising noise, steady and cool. ”You wouldn’t call them hidden if they were easy to find, would you?”

The room quieted again.

The older man, clearly the Mayor as well as a Faction elder, fixed Grey with a sharp, focused stare. ”Are you certain there are Necromancers hiding in my city?”

Grey nodded once, without the slightest hesitation.

”Yes.”