Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok Online. This story, however, is completely mine and may not be redistributed or used without my approval

Chapter 8

The next morning, I woke at around nine. Limping out of my tent, I expected everyone to be packed and ready to go, but I was wrong.

"Hikaru." Upgrade came and greeted me. "Dante wants to see you." I nodded and followed Upgrade into a large tent.

Inside the tent was not fitted for a resting room, especially not for such a great general as Dante. It looked more like a prison. The tent was re-enforced by steel and wooden walls with chains attached. This was made newly, I was sure.

"Come here, the guy wants to talk to you." Dante gestured me to approach. Slowly, I dragged my body towards the Crusader. "He says his name is Chiron." Dante stepped back. "The berserker we met before."

"I..." Chiron coughed out. His hands were chained to the steel and wooden wall along with his legs. "I'm sorry...I-I didn't mean to...I know it's too late to ask-"

"You are forgiven." I interrupted the man and turned around to Dante. "What'll be done?"

"Kill me." I heard Chiron plea. His voice showed no sign of regret in saying such a thing...however, there was a hint of fear. "Kill me before it's too late."

"We will do no such thing, Chiron." Dante said stepping forward. In his hand held a key.

One by one, the chains and locks that restrained the man in front of us was unlocked. Chiron fell to the floor, supporting himself with his scarred arms. Dante and I picked him up and put him on a chair. I poured a glass of water for the man, who drank it down quickly.

"What happened to you?" I asked as Chiron looked to have gained back some strength.

"I don't know..." Chiron answered, shaking faintly. "I was on my way back to Geffen to visit my girl from Izlude and then..." He took another sip of the water. "These people mauled me...then I blacked out! When I woke up, I found myself in the mountains, my armor gone and my clothes tattered and covered in blood. I blacked out again, and now I'm here..."

"Where, do you remember, did you get attacked?" Dante pulled up a chair and sat across from us. "And do you remember when?"

"I think...I was almost at the peak of the mountain..." He replied, looking as if he was about to break his brain just trying to remember. "And I think...two nights ago? Oh I don't remember!" He grabbed his head in frustration.

Dante and I looked at each other, worried. We had just gotten to the peak of the Mjolnir Mountain, which would mean that Dalmar was two days ahead of us.

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"They know about Lucifer's Lament, Raisu..." I said, sitting beside the campfire. We had moved halfway down the mountain in a day. Chiron decided to come with us, and apparently, he was a newly trained Crusader too. "They'll get there first."

"I just..." Raisu huddled in a leather jacket, sitting beside me on the log. "I never thought I'd be involved in this...I mean, it was bound to happen...but..."

"Things are going to get ugly." I threw a twig into the fire, making it crackle. "Dalmar might have a whole army of berserkers for all we know..."

"Hikaru..."

"If only I just kept it, you know?" The thought of the power that the Spirit of Anger gave me made me feel good. The thought of that power gave me hope. "Maybe jus-"

"No." Raisu looked up sternly at me. "No, don't even THINK that. It's not worth it..."

"I just don't want to..." I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence due to fear that if I said it, it might come true. I felt the warm hug of my commander again.

"Just don't think about it, k?" I nodded.