The village had been entirely torn apart.
Windows were shattered, walls had been broken down, and the various contents of houses had been strewn across the streets.
Mathew stepped around an overturned cart that had fruit spilling from it onto the ground.
Though there were a few lanterns still burning in the town, Argus continued to carry his lamp to light the way for those of the group that couldn't see. The entire town had been living in perpetual darkness.
Strangely enough, there were no bodies, but there was plenty of blood everywhere, painting the stones and earth as well as many structures all around.
The group paused when they reached the center of town, as there were many paths that met at the center.
A large basin of water carved from stone stood there. The water had most likely been clear as crystal at one point, but a large splash of red had caused it to change to a murky salmon pink.
Siyah hugged herself tightly, her nails digging into her arms as she shuddered. At first Mathew assumed it was due to unease or fear, but then he realized it could be something else.
"Are you going to be ok?" He asked her in a low voice. "With all this blood here, I mean."
"What?" she said, jumping a little bit. "Oh… yeah. I think I'm fine. Just a little thirsty, I guess.
Mathew went silent. Siyah quickly turned her head to look at him, her eyes going wide as she said:
"Oh! N-no, not like that. That's not what I meant. I'm just thirsty for water."
"If you say so." He said.
"You believe me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"O-oh… Thanks." She said, shuffling her feet a little.
"Ophelia, Siyah wants water," Mathew called over. Siyah panicked and made a hushing motion with her finger over her mouth.
"Did I grant you permission to give me orders, Dread?" Came Ophelia's reply.
"I mean 'please give us a drop of water, all-powerful mistress'," Mathew said, even throwing in a half-hearted bow.
She glared, but a glittering silver item appeared in her hand: a Blessing she called the Cleansing Font. It looked like a spigot one might attach to a basin, and when Ophelia turned the knob, water came out of thin air, moving at a trickle.
Mathew was not aware of its limits, but it could create at least a few gallons a day and was the key to their survival when they traveled through Doria, even when there was no river to walk beside.
Siyah was stuck trying to cup the water in her hands, and then drinking the meager handfuls of water. After she was satisfied, she notified Ophelia and gave a respectful bow. Mathew had to stop himself from chuckling the entire time.
Ophelia grunted, and the Font disappeared.
"If we are really here to find a place to sleep, we might as well take our pick from one of the houses around here," Pandarus said. "It doesn't seem like any beasties are coming back."
"Then, let us do so," Ophelia said, making her agreement sound like an order.
Mathew blew some air out of his nose-holes. It was strange that he could speak even when his mouth was closed, and breathe despite not having a proper nose, but it was probably the least strange thing about his current body.
Argus picked a street to walk down, and the rest of the group began to follow, with Mathew and Siyah at the back.
But Beyah wasn't following. She had walked toward the fountain and had reached her hand into the water.
Mathew's muscles tensed. Was she going to try to drink the bloody water? Would it still affect her if it was diluted? But she didn't bring the water to her lips. Instead, she picked up something that had been floating in the water: A simple stuffed doll.
"Beyah?" Siyah said, noticing what her sister was doing as well. "What are you doing?" Beyah ran her thumbs along the stitching of the doll, then hugged it to her chest.
"Nothing." She replied. "Let's catch up to the others." Mathew and Siyah asked no further questions.
The rest of the group seemed to be opening various doors and peeking through the windows of every house they passed.
Mathew walked up to Pandarus and asked:
"Why are we being so picky about the house? They all seem about the same."
"Dunno." He said, shrugging, "Honestly, I'm just waiting until the lady picks one."
"Stop muttering over there," Ophelia said from across the street. "Find one where the smell of blood is faintest."
"That's pretty straightforward," Mathew said. He walked down the line of houses, looking for one that hadn't been checked yet. While he was doing so, he heard a crash in an alleyway between two houses.
He immediately turned his head to take a look. The narrow space was too dark for anyone but himself to see down it, and what he saw gave him a start.
"Guys!" He called. "There's someone over here; I think it's a child. They might be alive!" Almost the entire group came over immediately, granted at different paces. Argus was the first to arrive.
He held his lamp, trying to illuminate the alleyway enough to get a good read on the situation. A chunk of wall from one of the houses had fallen out into the alleyway and was lying on top of a young girl. She was face down, and didn't appear to be moving.
Argus handed his lamp to Mathew, then rushed over to where she was, doing his best to pry the wall off of her.
"Dread, help me." He said, grunting. "I need you to pull her out from the rubble." Mathew set the lantern on the floor, then moved to help, grabbing the girl by the arms and pulling her out from under the rubble.
"Wouldn't it be easier if Ophelia lifted the wall?" Mathew said. "It must be heavy if an Enhanced like you is struggling."
"It wasn't as difficult as that," Argus said as he dropped the wall.
"But she has those gauntlet things, the ones that give her increased strength."
"You are mistaken." Said Ophelia, who had entered the alleyway as well, with Siyah and Beyah following behind her. Only Pandarus stayed out on street.
"What do you mean?" Mathew said. "You stopped a horse-drawn cart with those things."
"They were destroyed," She said. "Do you not recall the fight with the bounty hunter?"
"I thought they would repair themselves in the divine realm, or something."
"What a fantastical imagination you have. Even if they were able to do something such as that, the weapon held by the bounty hunter was a blessing of Avarice. The flames of Avarice can permanently damage Blessings."
"Does pretty well against Elysium flesh as well," Added Pandarus, who seemed to be listening but not watching.
"Well… That's not good," Mathew said, not sure if he wanted Ophelia to be weakened or not. "At least you traded a blessing for a blessing." He then looked down at the girl in his arms. She had hair the color of ink that reached almost down to her ankles, and was wearing a simple black dress. Her pale skin made it obvious that she didn't get much sun.
With the healthy layer of dust and pebble-sized bits of rubble coating her, she looked like a fresh corpse. Mathew would have believed she was one if not for the movement of her chest.
"What shall we do with her, my lady?" Argus asked. His voice was calm, but Mathew thought his eyes showed concern.
"Leave her," Ophelia said quickly, waving a hand of dismissal. "We cannot take her with us." Argus tightened his jaw.
"As you wish, my lady." He said. Mathew knew he shouldn't be shocked at her order. She was cruel after all. But something in him began to hurt when he realized Argus was going to follow the order, regardless of his own personal feelings.
"Why can't we take her with us?" Mathew said. "We can protect her."
"Do not be foolish. Do you really think she would be safer traveling through the forest than within her own town?"
"Yes, I do. For all we know, everyone else here is dead. She's just a child, a young teenager at most. What if the Night-spawn return?"
"Then I suppose she hides away in hopes she is not eaten like everyone else," Ophelia said. The coldness of her response hit Mathew in the chest.
"How could you even say something like that? I bet you are really just made of ice inside. You speak without any feeling, enacting every cruelty as if it's perfectly justified. You are nothing but a soulless crazy sociopath. Honestly, if you can just abandon a child like that, then I wonder which of the two of us is really the monster here."
"Be silent, Dread," Ophelia said, and her lip quivered slightly. Mathew would have kept speaking, but the contract forced him into silence. Ophelia continued:
"I have indulged your heroic antics enough. When you convinced me to spare these two Immortal Hounds, I decided to play along. But you cannot save everyone you come across, even if you throw yourself in front of a thousand blades. But that is all you know how to do, isn't it? I need warriors, Dread, not children. I refuse to be someone's governess."
Mathew clenched his fists, wishing that he could say anything in retort. But his lips were literally sealed. It was Siyah that spoke up for him.
"I can do it, my lady."
"Do what?" Ophelia said, and narrowed her eyes. Siyah swallowed.
"I can watch the child. I have cared for young children before, and a girl in her teenage years would be easier to manage."
"Please, my Lady." Said Beyah, walking up to stand in front of her sister. She bowed, still hugging the doll tightly. "We too were abandoned in an empty city, our family slain. If Damon hadn't found us… We would not be here. I beg you to let us do the same thing for this girl that Damon did for us."
Siyah matched her sister's bow, both of them staring at the ground. Ophelia tilted her head, her eyes going to the sky in thought.
"I suppose your loyalty thus far deserves a reward." She said. Mathew exhaled sharply. "I will allow you to care for her, but if she causes any trouble, you both will bear any punishment I decide upon."
"As you wish, my Lady." The sisters said in unison. Ophelia sniffed once, then pushed her way out of the alleyway.
"Let us select a house. Bring the girl." She said.
Siyah looked to Mathew, a slight smile on her face. Relief flooded Mathew's body, and he pressed his hands together in thanks. Perhaps Ophelia was less stubborn than he had thought.
It seemed even a tyrant could listen to her followers.