When Matthew came out of the shower fully dressed, he called out Karis's name, but no one responded.
"Karis?" He picked up his sword and cautiously walked around the room, making sure there weren't any surprises (hopefully a good surprise, like Karis suddenly trying to scare him and them making up). Unfortunately, he couldn't find Karis.
"…"
"…"
Matthew forced himself to calm down instead of using explicits to convey his true feelings. Got to keep a cool head, have to make sure I make rational decisions to make sure I don't put myself or Karis in any further danger.
He walked over to the bed and spotted a note left there, and instantly recognised the hand-writing. God damn it mum, I thought you were on our side…"
It was a one versus seventeen situation, with Alex and Mia doing whatever they needed to do. For once, Matthew was completely lost on what to do. He sat down on the bed and started to slowly think what he needed to do. Proper preparation and planning prevents piss poor performance, or something like 's what I need to do now. Preparation and planning.
###
After three hours of thinking, Matthew finally decided on a plan. He made sure everything was correct in his head, ran over all the calculations once again, and prayed that everything would be successful.
###
Midnight. (Yeah, clichés. So sue me.)
The marketplace was completely empty now, devoid of any living and sentient being. Matthew walked into the centre with his hands in his pockets, trying to keep warm in this unsettling environment. As he reached the centre, he doubled checked to make sure the crucial item was in his pocket. Either this theory is correct and we actually have a semi-decent chance of doing something right, or this theory is completely bollocks and I'm going to be in five metres of #%$!
As soon as he reached the centre, he felt the presence of eighteen other people in the marketplace. They appeared all around him. Colleagues, parents, aunts and uncles… didn't look good from his perspective.
Sheba smirked as Karis dutifully trailed behind Sheba, as they both walked towards Matthew.
Matthew's heart rate elevated slightly, as he confirmed that the item he was looking for was in Karis's possession. It was. Now let's just hope that this works.
"So, the final member of the eight finally joins us. As you can see, Karis willingly accepted the gift. You should to." Sheba conjured up a psyenergy vortex, and soon Matthew felt something trying to attempt to enter him.
As soon as the process was complete, Matthew instantly knelt and bowed at Sheba's feet. "My mistress. I'm honoured to be serving you."
Sheba laughed. "Oh, it's no big deal. Come on, stand up. It's time to go meet the Master."
Matthew stood up, following Sheba. He passed by Karis without even blinking at her.
###
Karis knew better, however.
That idiot! He's planning to plunge straight into the enemy's lair!
Karis could do nothing except follow on. She had her role to play in this as well. She needed to back up Matthew when it came down to the crunch time. Until then, he needed to make sure she pretended she was corrupted, just like the others.
But we can slowly incorrupt them… and we will have a formidable army to deal with this enemy.
### End Chapter 12 – Incorruptible
AN: A short update, I know. However, it's kinda important that I get my thoughts straight about this story, as I head nearer towards the penultimate chapter. It's 11:30PM and my thoughts are slowly shutting down after a day of intense studying (4 hours only, sigh).
Any reviews would be appreciated, as is subscribers. I hope that the story doesn't increase exponentially in randomness, and I may have to go back and forth to edit to ensure story consistency.
Thank you, and I hope to see you in the next chapter.