Two weeks passed in a blur.

The evening chimes of the distance bell of the cathedral did nothing to rouse Nero from his sleep.

However, peace and serenity truly were fleeting. Feeling a gaze burning into his brows, Nero was pulled away from his slumber only to find Lyon standing at the foot of his bed.

His face contorted, "We don't have anything scheduled for today, do we?"

The doctor's face remained unreadable as he spoke,

"Get dressed," Lyon said. "You have a mission."

Nero sat up slowly with a look of confusion on his face,

"A mission?"

That was a new one.

Lyon had a dark grin on his face,

"Staring from today, besides your conditioning and training, you will also be taking on missions as part of a supplementary training program."

Nero gave him a suspicious glare. For some reason, he didn't wholly believe the Doctor. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.

Lyon continued as he threw a single sheet of paper that accurately landed in Nero's hands,

"I need you to hunt down a Grade C Abomination deep in Malady's Garden, past the second marker."

Nero stared at the piece of paper. On it was an image of a rather terrifying looking, ugly thing with four arms, a simgle bulbous eye, and rows of sharp fangs jutting from its limbs and spine. Beside it were a number of descriptions he quickly skimmed through.

"The thing has been killing merchants on the southern trade route for the past two weeks." Lyon said as he leaned against his bed frame and laid a bundle down on his bed. "You have one day to find it and bring back the corpse intact."

Nero unwrapped the bundle. In it lay a hunting knife made from plain darksteel with a leather-wrapped handle worn smooth by years of use. Beside it was a spear with an iron shaft and treated steel tip that looked like it had been made solely for hunting thick skinned Abominations.

Very threatening.

There was also a waterskin, as well as a small pouch containing dried meat and hard bread.

Nero raised a brow,

"That's it?"

"That is sufficient for what you need to accomplish." Lyon walked to the window and looked out at the courtyard below.

"All Templars are humans forged in the bowels of suffering. Consider this your introduction to the foundry."

Nero dressed in silence.

From what he could tell, this so called mission was a trail of some sorts. Something also told him it was merely the first of its kind.

"What if I fail?"

Lyon turned from the window, his expression flaccid,"Then you will die, and I will have wasted six weeks of work and considerable resources on a specimen that couldn't even survive basic field testing. You must not fail."

He gestured to the door. "The carriage is waiting in the courtyard."

They walked through corridors. Since evening had come, the world seemed to be slowing to a crawl.

Besides the shuffling patrol, there was not much human traffic.

The carriage waited in the courtyard, a plain wooden cart on wheels pulled by two enormous horses, much like the steeds employed by the Templars. The driver was an older man with a face like weathered leather, cracked and sun-damaged. He nodded to Lyon but said nothing, his eyes passing over Nero without interest as he chewed on a stick.

Nero glanced at Lyon who urged him forward . Left with no choice, he climbed inside. Lyon followed, settling onto the bench across from him. Without any fanfare, the carriage lurched into motion with a creak of wood and a neighing protest from the horses.

Nero watched the enormous gates of the Red swing with curious eyes. This was the first time he would be stepping out of the Red House. He was quite a bit excited, although he buried it quite well.

A moment later, they were out, rolling through streets.

"The Red House Garrison is located at the eastern edge of the city. The shortest path to reach the gates is the one that rides beside the walls." Lyon said offhandedly as they rode.

Nero mumbled something under his breath. His attention was completely captured by the scenes unraveling before him.

This was unlike anything he had ever seen.

The streets were neat and carried a flair of purity he had never seen.

Even the people walking around, heading home or to the bars after a day of work, were rosey cheeked and plump. Compared to the usual boney, gaunt appearances he was used to, it truly was mind boggling.

The streets slowly came alive with the light of the lamps being lit on the sides of the wide streets, painting a rather picturesque scene.

It was...

"Beautiful."

Lyon turned his gaze towards him. He smiled,

"You have never been in a city before, have you?"

Nero hesitated for a moment then nodded,

"I have not. Although I have heard a multitude of stories."

Lyon chuckled, "I agree, it is beautiful. However, filth and beauty are things quite subjective to perception. Some might look at all this and perceived it as vanity and a lack of much needed desperation in an otherwise dangerous world."

Nero shook his head,

"That doesn't make any sense."

Lyon smiled, "It doesn't? Hm. Well, perhaps it doesn't. We can't know for certain."

The carriage rolled through the Noble Quarter without stopping. The buildings here were large, set back from the streets behind walls topped with iron spikes designed to discourage any attempts at climbing. Servants in livery hurried along the sidewalks, running errands for their masters while Nero looked around curiously.

The carriage continued for several hours, driving through twisting paths until they reached the outer districts.

There, Nero got to witness first hand, the stark difference between the rich and the poor.

Obed's words hammered through his mind alongside a very terrible stench. The stench of unwashed bodies and excrement, as well as rotting garbage piled in heaps. The acrid bite of tanning yards and slaughterhouses combined into something that coated his throat and made his eyes water. Nero pressed his hand to his nose but it did nothing to help. Even Gor had not smelled this bad.

'This is terrible.'

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