Soul Digger-Chapter 60: CALAMITY

The dark sky cast a subtle hue across the city; the tranquil silence was as chilling as the snowy weather. Howling winds swept through Ceaser’s room in the inn, swaying the glass bottles suspended by woven ropes and the defenseless curtains.

He lay wide awake on his bed, his hand hovering by the frame as he soared into deep thought. Ceaser had found a small inn on the "Western Nickel Side," a small district in the city. Ironically, the city’s name was also North Pole—a slightly comical reference.

Ceaser’s chest was heavy. The robotic behavior of the innkeeper and some of the residents greatly bothered him; calling it strange was putting it lightly. He twisted and turned on the soft, bread-like foam, his eyes drained of energy yet his facial expressions active.

’This is more than just a trial; people’s lives are at stake. We have to take this more seriously, yet the others seem to take this as some sort of joke,’ he pondered. ’If the assumption I had was correct and someone among us is an imposter, then it’s best to keep it to myself. A greater division would be a larger problem.’

’Playing along is the best option. Nagita is already on board; she must have picked up on it earlier than I did.’

Ceaser folded his hands behind his head and exchanged blank stares with the ceiling, pursing his lips while he pondered.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

The sound of a ticking clock reminded Ceaser that the deadline’s conclusion was drawing closer and closer.

’Wait!’ His gaze swept through the room. ’This room doesn’t have a clock...’

Ceaser paid attention to the repeated clicking. Using his ears to locate the source, he drowned himself in a cryptic silence.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

From what Ceaser gathered, the inscrutable clicking echoed from his left, somewhere between the small shut window and the shelf below it.

Through deliberate movements, Ceaser sneaked to the side without a squeak or whisper and peeped out the window. Beyond the mirror-like glass that reflected his face, something buried itself within the snow and spied on him.

Its appearance was rather small; cloaked by the dim sky, it resembled a coyote from what he could make out. He squinted his eyes, pressing his face against the glass. Whatever creature was sleuthing him had glowing white eyes that merged with the snow.

Ceaser felt a mix of anxiety and confusion swirling within him. ’An enemy attack? This soon? What about the others?’

Suddenly, the room was filled with a musty stench that appeared from nowhere. The overpowering smell oppressed Ceaser’s nostrils, fiddling with his mind as well.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

The sound intensified, blocking out his heavy breathing and the crashing of objects colliding with each other as he swayed in an irrepressible manner.

’I can’t... control my movements.’

His vision swirled into spinning depictions. Overcome by dizziness, Ceaser slouched between the edge of the bed frame and the door. Managing to get a grip, a faint blue aura oozed out of his skin and hugged his body.

By the time his balance returned fully, he noticed the creature he saw in the snow had vanished.

’A Man-Eater? Impossible, they don’t possess such attributes.’ Sweat leaked down his face as a weak smile fluctuated on his cheeks. ’We might be going up against Soul Drainers.’

"Ha... ha... ha," he laughed nervously. ’I hope I’m being paranoid and this is false.’

"Aaaagh!"

Ceaser heard the loud screaming downstairs and froze, measuring his next steps. Depending on what was going on, it was one of two things: a trap set for him, or the people downstairs were genuinely in danger. His hands shook on the door handle like a jingling key.

For some reason, Ceaser found it difficult to steel his resolve about taking the risk. After all, if his first assumption was correct, instant death by ambush would be how his life’s Chapter ended.

"Help us!"

"Anybody!"

"AGGGH!"

’The people downstairs are in danger, dammit!’ Ceaser squeezed his eyes shut, breaking the door open with his body instead.

Instantly, a furnace of dancing flames and crackling wood received his presence. A reddish-amber splash of flames decorated the inn from the stairs down to the reception area. The smoke was thick and relentless, choking the people below as well as Ceaser with its dry smell.

Covering his nose with his collar, Ceaser dodged the burning hot flames eating through the inn’s wooden interior. Swiftly, he jumped over the crumbled stairs; fortunately, the structure wasn’t over two stories, making the height manageable. Like a cat, he landed on his feet, safely on the ground.

"Can anyone hear me! If you’re still alive, please answer so I can save you!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"We’re here, please help us!" A woman’s pained voice resonated within the loud crackling. The smoke was getting tougher to see through.

Ceaser followed the voice, landing at the door of the sixth room. "Step away from the entrance!"

A single kick sent the door flying back, exposing a tragic sight. A woman held a man tightly in her arms as the weight of wooden pillars crushed them beneath its force. The look of her bent spine and legs implied the woman was already left crippled by the pillars; the man was unconscious, bleeding from his face as a pool of blood gathered beside him.

Tears burst from the woman’s eyes, caused by either physical pain or emotional despair.

"Is someone there? Please help!" called another from the opposite room.

"Me and my child are trapped in the midst of this burning rubble!" cried another, the voice spreading from upstairs.

The innkeeper and staff had long fled, leaving the few customers to suffer in the scorching blaze.

’Death by fire is excruciating, slow, and traumatizing. I won’t forgive the staff for this!’ Ceaser clenched his fist, a fierce rage crawling through his body as his face twisted into ugly expressions.

The building was slowly collapsing on itself. The odds stacked against him were a blow to his pride and confidence; willing or not, Ceaser could only save one person in the inn. If he attempted anything beyond that, the building would collapse and burn, killing both him and the other civilians.

His grasp on wavelength was too insignificant to tip the conclusion to his side, even by a fraction. As he was in the moment, he was basically human with some tolerance to supernatural attacks—nothing more.

’From the looks of things, I won’t be awakening any time soon!’

Ceaser’s eyes darted to every corner, his mind racing to figure out an alternative, or at least who to save.

CRACK!

The building trembled like a vicious earthquake had occurred.

"Save us, please, I’m begging you! My children are suffocating; they won’t make it!"

"No, save me! I have a wedding today! Please! I want to see my fiancée; I can’t die and leave her alone."

Ceaser froze like a statue, his brain overloaded from stress.

"Save them," the crippled woman spoke. "My brother is already dead. I can’t feel his pulse anymore; his heartbeat stopped also." Her eyes went lifeless.

Ceaser locked in; he felt a strange connection with the woman’s circumstance.

"I can’t go home without my brother. It’s going to be so lonely. On top of that, I’m now handicapped; I can’t feel my legs. It’s over, I’m no use to anyone now..." Her voice dwindled like a weak flame.

"Save the oth—"

In a fit of rage, Ceaser grabbed her top and dragged her out from under the pillar forcefully. Her broken body easily slipped through the gap; she screamed from the pain striking her senses.

A precise kick shattered the room’s window. Firstly, he threw her out, then used the shattered pillars as a step to leap out. Before the girl touched the ground, Ceaser swooped in, clinging to her tightly with both arms.

She resisted, biting and slapping him. "Leave me! My brother is still inside!"

Ceaser placed her down gently and swept back, dashing toward the broken window.

"It’s not yet too intense; I can still save them!"

BOOM!

In a bright flash, the house exploded, going up in flames and ash. The only proof of its existence was a smoking pile of rubble and dark greyish ash heading to the sky.

Ceaser heard a high-pitched ringing; his vision, however, was still clear as day. A wide gape appeared on his face as he turned back to the girl; she looked unconscious, laying flat on the floor in silence.

The sun rose within the set; bright, hopeful rays made the previous darkness elude. The growing smoke blocked some of the sunlight. Ceaser sat awestruck, staring blankly at the inn’s remains.

Footsteps resounded through the scene.

"Well, isn’t this a crazy scenery," a semi-familiar voice commented.

Semi-familiar? The voice wasn’t something Ceaser was accustomed to, but he could recognize it as best as possible. The ringing reduced significantly, allowing him to identify the speaker.

He scowled. "Rolan?"

In the middle of a darkish cloud partially obscuring his face, with beaming sunlight revealing the left side of his features, Rolan Swindler stood with tucked hands behind the befuddled Ceaser.

"I wasn’t expecting this for a welcome, if I’m being honest," Rolan spoke with a drowsy face and stiff glare.