The Greatest Story Ever Written

Chapter 10

The day after Pacifico talked with her, Cassandra prepared and set out immediately. She has to get to the ruins of Bacolod and talk to Dea as soon as possible. Joining her in this mission are Remuel, one of Sigmareth's retainers: Gia'ar, and one of her sisters from the coven, Tina.

They all gathered by the gate going towards the ruins of Bacolod. Everyone arrived on time for the assembly, except for Remuel, who was there early by half an hour.

When he saw that everyone had gathered, he spoke. "Alright, quick briefing. We need to get there on foot since we haven't finished clearing out the roads yet. We should arrive there quickly enough. Once we do, Gia'ar will navigate us to get to the Black Fire Coven HQ. Cassandra and Tina will then do all the talking. Any questions?"

Everyone else shook their heads, so they all set out on their mission. After a few hours, they were able to reach the outpost. They rested for a bit before continuing.

With the help of Gia'ar, who is a clairvoyant, they were able to avoid hostiles and got to the Black Fire Coven's headquarters with relative ease. They saw that the gate is closed and that there are guards protecting it. They tried to approach it, but were stopped when the guards noticed them.

"Halt!" said one of the guards. "You are in Black Fire Coven territory. State your names and business."

"I am Cassandra Villanueva," she answered. "With me are Tina Roxas, Gia'ar, and Remuel Montinola. We are here to speak with your leader on behalf of our own."

The guard's expression softened slightly and nodded. She then opened the gate and let the group into the settlement.

The settlement was quiet and tense. The people, most of which are women, had their guards up. Many of them tried to seem like they weren't staring, but it was painfully obvious to the people from Asylum.

Scrap corrugated metal seemed to be the main building material, with some wood, rubber, and fabric, here and there. There was a large building in the center of the settlement and the group was being led there by the guard.

There were two other guards standing in front of the entrance of the large building. The guard leading the group whispered something in their ears and let the group enter.

In the middle of the building is a roaring bonfire. The flames were black and seemed to suck in the light around it. In the back of the building was a large chair, reminiscent of a throne, and sitting on it was a woman.

She had an enchanting beauty that would make many people want to be with her. Her long black hair framed her delicate face, which holds a smug expression. She wore an elegant sleeveless black dress with a plunging neckline that exposes part of her chest and leaves her midriff bare. Her exposed skin has various tattoos that have a dim magical glow.

She noticed the group led by one of her guards. Her eyes widened when she saw Cassandra.

Before the guard was able to introduce the group, the woman said, "Cassandra? Is that really you?"

"Yes," Cassandra replied with a smile. "Surprise! I guess?"

The woman stood up and silently dismissed the guard before embracing Cassandra and said, "I thought you died! What happened?"

Cassandra was released from the hug and introduced her to the others from Asylum. She then told her everything that happened leading up to the current situation.

"You should accept the offer, Dea," she said. "My sisters and I have been treated well and our lives have never been better since the cataclysm."

Dea's expression softened and said, "I want to, Cass. I really do, but I can't leave one of my own behind."

"What do you mean?" asked Cassandra

"One of my sisters, Leanna, and her unit were captured by the Monkey Clan," she said. "They say that they want to ransom them for supplies, but I know that it's a trap."

"Then let us help you," said Remuel. "We have the power to do so, provided that you agree with our conditions."

Dea's countenance lit up. "Y-you will? Yes, I accept the offer, just bring them back alive and well."

Remuel grinned, transformed into his demon form, shook her hand, and said, "We have a deal."

While this was going in the ruins of Bacolod, two very groundbreaking developments happened back in Silay.

Sigmareth and some of his subordinates were helping Harold and Alejandro in weapons development. With their help, Alejandro was able to make new magical alloys and better equipment while Harold was able to refine the enchantments. The rudimentary magical system was being refined as well, making it more sophisticated.

Meanwhile, Pacifico thought up of a project that might benefit Asylum. He found an empty field that was once used for growing sugarcane and used Feng Shui to make a huge magical array. Qi was circulating inside and even started to look visible in the naked eye. He then started to landscape it, planting various plants and making a lake in the middle.

Pacifico sat down on a boulder near the lake he made. The area he made was beautiful, but it was far from being finished.

"If this works," he said to himself. "We'll have another advantage under our belt."