Atlas led Ferdinand to the stables where he left his horse. He paid the stableboy for the care of his steed and left Masonmore with Ferdinand. They had to double up on the saddle as Ferdinand doesn't have a mount of his own, that's one thing to add to the list: get Ferdinand a horse.

"So how long have you been fighting with the Resistance?" Ferdinand popped a question somewhere along the way.

"Since I was a teenager," Atlas replied. "So tell me more about you, Ferdinand. Your life story, how you acquired your powers, what you love, what you hate, so on and so forth."

"Well for my powers." Ferdinand paused. "I don't know, really. I just know how to use them. Nobody ever taught me how to do it. It just came naturally. Growing up, I've never tried to suppress my powers, I use it for good - to help others. That is until this whole imperium thing started."

"Ferdinand, mind me asking," Atlas said before continuing his barrage of questions. "What led you to kill a dozen seraphim anyways?"

"Oh that," he said. "So I was going home the other night when I saw an angel seducing a woman. She seemed to have no interest in doing anything with them, but the angel kept pestering her. I stepped in to help her get away, but the angel called his friends and they surrounded me. He told me never to meddle in others' business and they proceeded to beat me up. So in an act of self-defense, I used my powers and killed them all."

Atlas continued his barrage of questions that Ferdinand kept answering. They stopped for the night in the town of Apinia just north of Masonmore and continued again the next day stopping by another town to rest.

A couple of days later, they finally reached the northern mountains. Atlas gave Ferdinand a coat to fend off the cold.

"How much longer till we're there?" Ferdinand asked.

"Not too far," Atlas replied.

The mountains stood towering the northern regions. Snow had already begun to settle on both their coats. They kept galloping and eventually come to a stop before a stone building. The doors of the structure opened and revealed a stable full of horses from black to white to dapple to chestnut. The both of them dismounted and Atlas led the horse to its pen.

"Come on," he said. Ferdinand followed him. The first room they entered was the base centre. It was grand and designed to look like a castle. It was two stories tall with a mezzanine for the second floor that overlooked the first. At the centre of it was a holographic projection table that showed the map of the land.

Ferdinand beheld the view. People were scurrying here and there to mind their work at the base. Atlas got as close to the centre of the room as he could get.

"My fellow rebels!" His loud voice directed all eyes to him. "After three years of darkness, finally a light shines upon us. For when I was in Masonmore, I found this boy." His hand gestured to Ferdinand. "A cambion. With his demonic heritage, he'll be able to venture into the Underworld and bring Miranda back for us so that she can fight with us again!"

The rebels cheered and one by one they began to make themselves acquainted to him. Atlas looked around. Amongst the faces there, the person he was looking for was absent. After letting Ferdinand have his fun, he grabbed his hand and dragged him away. They went down one of the staircases that led them to the forge. Their ears caught the rhythmic sound of metal clanging against metal.

"Deimos," Atlas greeted the working blacksmith.

The bulky blacksmith turned around. His face and neck sweaty, not to mention his muscular arms. Part of his shirt that wasn't covered by an apron revealed to be sweaty as well.

"I found him," Atlas continued.

"So this is the one?" Deimos asked. "Are you a capable fighter, boy?"

Ferdinand shook his head. "No, I can't fight."

Deimos shot a look at Atlas that says, are you sure this is a good idea? "Don't worry I'm sure somebody here would be willing to train you." He turned around and got back to work. "In the meantime, why don't you settle in? We'll hook you up with an instructor tommorow."

"Let's go." Atlas led him out of the forge and into his quarters.

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So what do you all think of this chapter? Are you enjoying it so far?
As always don't forget to leave comments and votes are always much appreciated. 😀

I dedicate this chapter to LunaFox00515

-Zyrofern