Once we got ourselves situated and gathered our things, the group made its way through the building once more. It was only a few hours worth of disarming traps, but we weren’t attacked by a single undead the entire time. In truth, we managed to navigate the rest of the dungeon using Veme’s map with no resistance at all.

After traversing a few more floating bridge platforms, we found ourselves walking down another long cave tunnel. The temperature was freezing to the point I had to put on another jacket since my manaweave cloak couldn’t keep up with regulating my temperature.

Or maybe I was still just feeling odd.

I was left feeling conflicted after the fight with the Lich. The Lich was supposed to be a monster nearly on par with the Wyrm. And all the books I’ve read on them mentioned that they tended to sit in the backlines, casting magic and allowing their immortal undead army to crush their foes.

A Lich breaking down a stone wall and bursting onto the scene like a villain in a storybook wasn’t how they were supposed to act. Of course, there were always outliers, and exceptions to the rules. But I don’t believe that to be the case this time around.

Something was different… maybe even wrong about that monster.

Was it a fluke? A byproduct of the dungeon affecting the monster? Perhaps this was a rare case of an undead managing to maintain some semblance of sanity and a higher form of intelligence? Why did a monster strong enough to burn cities just… give up?

None of this is even taking into account the odd feelings I have. The unnatural emotions that blanket my mind when I kill people in this world or remove the undead from existence.

Is… this just how people feel?

Are these sensations just that foreign to me that they feel unnatural? When I killed those slavers in the jungle seven years ago, I felt strange. When I killed Ester, Martin, and the rest of those people to escape slavery, I felt strange. When I killed the rogue adventurers in Anderfield, I felt strange. When I killed those soldiers and bandits on our quest, I felt strange. And when I… when I killed Dem and the group… I felt strange and sad.

The worst part is I’ve felt the same feeling since my first time taking a life of a person in this world. I felt like I was doing something wrong to them. Not wrong in a moral sense, more like I was defiling them? I can’t even be sure if that’s the feeling associated with this.

Even now, I feel that all those people had to die. I value my life and the lives of those close to me more than anyone else’s. If you try to take that from me, I’ll have no problems taking your life from you. I don’t necessarily believe that people are inherently good.

That if I beat someone to a pulp, they will stop coming after my family and me. The only way to stop someone from killing you is to kill them first. Whether that is the right way to look at things or not… I can’t be sure, but at least I know it’s effective.

I just don’t want to kill anyone anymore… if this is how it makes me feel, I’d rather just avoid it all together. But life isn’t so simple, is it?

These weird feelings… monsters and animals, don’t cause me to have these emotions thrust upon me. It wasn’t until I killed those Skeletons for the first time did I gain a new sensation for taking a life other than a person’s… or an unlife in this case? I felt like I had done something good, righteous even. The same feeling that I got when I destroyed that dungeon core… like I was… making the world a better place? The exact opposite feeling I get when I kill people.

No… no… that’s not quite right. Self-gratification maybe? Satisfaction? I just… don’t know.

I was lost in my thoughts to the point I didn’t even realize Sylvia was walking next to me, staring up at me. “Are you… okay?” she asked me, genuine concern laced in her voice.

I was about to say I was fine but the words caught in my throat. Sylvia was watching me with legitimate concern that I could feel in her gaze.

Perhaps… after all this time… I’ve gotten better at understanding people and their feelings. At least I have that much going for me.

“No, I’m not,” I said honestly.

Sylvia let out a sharp breath and reached a hand out towards me, only to retract it back to her chest. “Are you hurt? Or is it those feelings again?”

“Feelings.

“Do you… do you want to talk—”

Artemius groaned audibly from behind me and interrupted Sylvia. “Will you two—eek!”

Artemius let out an unmanly squeal as Sylvia spun around on her heel and flashed her blade at his throat. She even leaked a bit of her bloodlust at the man as her gaze turned frigid. “We are having an important conversation, Little Kitty. So do me a favor and shut up.” Sylvia’s usually soft and beautiful voice was as cold as her bronze mask.

Artemius meekly shook his head as sweat dripped from his awkward-looking mane. Sylvia sheathed her silvery-white Estoc and turned back to me. She fidgeted awkwardly and looked up at me. “Anyways, I was about to ask if you wanted to talk about it… maybe?” I could hear Nick and Bella chuckling to themselves up ahead as Ryan gave me a wry smile from the front of the line.

You know… sometimes I know I can be scary even though I don’t want to be. Sylvia… she can be scary sometimes too. But I don’t mind that.

“Yes, I do want to talk about it. But perhaps here isn’t the right place, and I don’t think it’s the right time either,” I suggested.

That’s right. I’m not alone anymore. Maybe an outsider’s point of view could help me figure this out. I’ve been trying to shoulder all these burdens and struggles for so long that I’ve forgotten how to rely on other people completely. A bad habit from a former life…

I mean, I trust Sylvia with my back in battle and to watch me when I’m sleeping, but I feel like there is another layer. Ultimate Trust… that’s the words Clayton used, huh? Maybe we aren’t there yet. Mainly due to my own faults, I imagine.

“Well, we have time. You can talk to me whenever you want,” Sylvia said kindly.

“I promise we can talk about it when we get out of here. And don’t let me forget and push it away. I have a bad habit of trying to compile all this stuff like some kind of toxic leader or something…” I grumbled.

“Sure, I can remind you,” Sylvia giggled. Then she turned to me. “Toxic… leader? What does that mean?”

Ah, oops…

“I’m saying that I often try to do things all on my own and that I try to take the burden away from everyone. I do it because… I think that I think I’m protecting people… or maybe I do it because I don’t trust many people. But how can I protect or help someone if I can’t even do the same for myself?” I said, disheartened.

Sylvia nodded her head to my words. “I guess… that does sound kinda like you. But… we are different, right? We have trust, and we can always protect each other. So…”

“Yeah… we do. Let’s—” I could feel everyone listening in on our conversation despite saying we would talk about it later. I immediately felt embarrassed and just decided to stop talking altogether before I died from the burning sensation in my ears and face.

Sylvia must have noticed my embarrassment. She let out a small giggle and skipped back to her position in the group. Although we were technically transitioning floors currently, so the odds of monsters being here were incredibly low, it was also considered an entrance and exit to a dungeon. Of course, it was possible that this didn’t apply in this case. Well, better safe than sorry.

Bella turned around, her nose twitching and baring her fangs slightly. “We’ve got company.”

Veme nodded her head, and all the Humans looked to us for confirmation. “I hear a lot of movement up ahead,” I said.

It didn’t sound like the shambling of the undead. Armor and weapons were moving around as people ran around and stopped suddenly. And it appeared that they heard us around the same time we heard them. So it could be bandits or maybe guards. I guess we are going to find out.

“It’s probably Luminar soldiers. Don’t attack them until we get confirmation,” Veme ordered.

We made it to a portion of the cave that opened up. A frigid cold breeze was rolling into the cave bringing the smells of a campfire and people with it. In the distance, at the far end, I could make out a stone wall in the darkness and figures on the ground in formation.

I felt the presence of a spell core coming at me, and I was about to lash out when I realized the core wasn’t aiming for us. Instead, a ring of fire suddenly surrounded us, blocking our escape back into the dungeon and illuminating the cave. And what I saw made me do a double-take.

You didn’t look at Earth’s military history and not recognize this formation. Just seeing it in a fantasy world was odd.

A shield wall had been formed spanning nearly the entire length of a dark stone wall that appeared to be constructed with haste and maybe even a bit of earth magic. The tall red metal rectangular shields reflected the fire wall’s light, showing a black symbol of a monster. A creature with the torso, tail, and back legs of a lion and the claws, wings, and face of an eagle. A Gryphon.

So, they are using Blood Iron for their shields? I wonder if it gives a small amount of anti-magic properties. And what is that shimmering?

The shield wall had long spears sticking out from the front and shields over the top to protect the backline, a Roman Phalanx through and through. Even the backline had javelins and handheld spears ready to throw just in case the enemy got close. A thin purple barrier shimmered in front of the wall, which probably meant a barrier mage was present. Archers sat on the ramparts aiming short bows down at us, and a few hooded figures were amongst the group, most likely mages.

I couldn’t help but notice the most striking feature of this weird event. I couldn’t see a single Human.

Through the dark slits in the shield wall, I saw animal ears and tails, long Elven ears of both varieties, short stubby humanoids carrying crossbows, and I even saw a single Dark Elf mage on the ramparts. But I couldn’t see a single Human soldier.

A Foreign Legion of some kind? A unit entirely made up of non-Humans? As far as I know, Luminar is still a majority Human nation. Maybe this is part of their way of giving people a path to citizenship?

“Not undead!” someone yelled inside the phalanx. The observation was echoed, and the entire unit sounded off with the same words.

“What are they doing?” Sylvia murmured,

“Making sure they don’t misfire and attack us,” I said.

“Then why aren’t they standing down?” Sylvia asked.

Good question.

The purple shimmer ceased and the shield wall parted, while a single Human man strode forward. His short spear rested against his shoulder, and his Roman-style red armor and black armor glimmered in the firelight. His helmet was even in the typical Roman fashion covering just about everything besides his face and had designs running across it, and it even had a large black feathered plume at the top, denoting he wasn’t a simple foot soldier.

Not that you would mistake this man for being a simple foot soldier.

A giant animal skin of what appeared to be some kind of mutant bear rested on his shoulders and draped down his chest. His brown beard was thick and covered nearly the entirety of his face. A pair of beady brown eyes watched us closely.

“State your business!” he yelled in a deep gruff voice.

“Adventurer’s escorting a merchant,” Veme said calmly back.

“Merchant? Drop your bags on the floor and open them!” he ordered.

I thought maybe they would resist, but Veme and everyone else started doing as told. Sylvia gave me a quick glance, but I just nodded at her, and we followed along.

The commander motioned with his arm, and the shield wall opened up once more for a Wood Elf to run through. The commander whispered for the Wood Elf to check the bags, and I heard him saying something else, but it was so quiet I couldn’t make out the words.

I could tell the Wood Elf wasn’t that old, maybe as old as me. Then again, I might be wrong, but he doesn’t appear to be fully grown at the very least. He was also nervous as all hell.

The man nervously scanned our necks, and I could hear him gulp. Standing in front of him were three high-level adventurers and everyone else was at least Topaz. If we decided to attack him suddenly, he would be the first to die.

One by one, the nervous soldier poked his spear into our bags. The wooden and iron spear glided effortlessly into the grain bags, and the soldier had at least some semblance of understanding not to pierce a hole in them.

But when the soldier got to Artemius’s bag, he hesitated for just a moment. His green swirling eyes went wide for a fraction of a second while he dipped his spear into the bag much slower than everyone else.

If you weren’t paying attention, you might have missed it. And if I weren’t an Elf, I would have missed the tiny, barely audible sound of metal hitting metal. It was faint, but it was there.

The soldier gave a nervous nod and ran back to his commander, nearly tripping over a rock. Of course, Bella and Nick snickered at him, which only added to the boy’s embarrassment. The commander merely nodded at the soldier and sent him back into formation.

The commander’s eyes floated around everyone until he eventually landed on Sylvia and then me. He let out a dissatisfied grunt and shifted his weight onto another leg. “You two at the end. Take off those masks.”

Sylvia clicked her tongue, and I suppressed a groan of frustration. This farce has gone on long enough. I glared at Artemius, but the Beastmen averted his eyes and looked out into the cave.

Sylvia crossed her arms across her chest and glared at the commander. “Why would we do that? We are clearly adventurers,” she huffed, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

“I don’t care about whether you are kings or peasants. My job is to search for suspicious people. Two masked individuals are suspicious. For all I know, you could be wanted,” he shot back, sounding just as annoyed.

I decided to stay quiet. There was nothing for me to say or wiggle my way out. If he was going to force the issue, then I had little choice.

They have mages, archers, and a magic resistance set up. Taking all of them out would be a challenge, maybe even impossible. I can just dump my mana into the Dull Stone above and collapse the roof with earth magic. We can find another exit if need be.

The commander continued staring at me, but I just silently returned his gaze. I could feel the tension in the room rising as my party’s eyes darted from me then to the officer. I found it somewhat amusing watching the man’s face start getting more and more frustrated as I ignored him.

He must be the type of leader that forces others to listen to him with overwhelming strength. This guy probably fought in the war. Judging by his age, he probably chose to stick around in the military.

“Last chance. Take your masks off,” he ordered, his face red with barely surpassed frustration.

But if he were important he wouldn’t be an officer for a guard post watching a dungeon exit in the freezing cold.

The tension was starting to reach its pitch when the soldiers in formation started mumbling to themselves. The commander grunted in anger and pointed his spear at us.

Everyone but Sylvia and me started scrambling when, suddenly, the shield wall started collapsing. It wasn’t opening like it was letting someone in instead the soldiers were moving out of the way for someone.

Their heavy armored foot echoed off the stone walls, and I could see the glint of a sky blue halberd above the shields. Once the front line parted, a tall figure in an all-black Mythril plate stepped into view.

His sky blue cobalt halberd shone brilliantly while the Emerald adventure tag hung loosely from his neck and down his armor. Even the Luminar soldiers were saluting him. The commander flicked around. His face contorted in surprise, then back to a neutral state.

The Twilight Knight?

The commander righted himself into an awkward salute and was about to start speaking, but the Twilight Knight merely raised a hand to stop him. The knight turned his helmeted head awkwardly and locked eyes with me while taking a few more steps toward our group.

“Voker Winterheart. I was told you had perished in a dungeon.” His calm, eerie voice grated on my ears.

“My death was... greatly exaggerated,” I said calmly.

Since when did this guy know my name? I don’t think I ever told him…

The night shook his head, which awkwardly made his helmet jiggle on his head. “I see. That is good. What brings you here today?”

What is this guy doing? Is he just striking up a conversation?

“I’m a guard for this merchant,” I said.

Not quite the truth, but also not a lie.

“I see. Adventuring never stops, even after suffering defeat. Good for you.” The Twilight Knight raised a hand slightly, almost like a wave but without the waving part. “Hello, Sylvia.”

“Uh, hello?” Sylvia said, confused.

“How have you been? I heard you also died, but it seems you are alive as well.” The knight’s voice was so calm it was bothersome. It almost seemed fake, like he was trying to talk like this on purpose. Or maybe he was a robot or something?

Sylvia shifted nervously next to me and gave me a concerned side-eye, but I merely shrugged. I had no idea what to make of this. This knight was giving off no bloodlust, and this mundane conversion just made things awkward.

I almost would have preferred a fight. Almost…

“I’ve been, okay…”Sylvia said meekly.

“That’s good,” The Twilight Knight responded.

The commander cleared his throat awkwardly and slowly dropped his salute as if waiting for the Twilight Knight to yell at him, which he never did. “Sir I—”

The Twilight Knight waved his hand and continued walking forward. “Let them pass. They are my peers.” The commander looked like he was about to argue, but the Twilight Knight took a quick step toward him and instantly shut the man’s mouth.

The Knight continued right up to Bella and gave her a slight nod. “Ball Busting Bella. Have you been well?”

Bella scratched her head and shrugged. “I’ve been okay. Just another day, you know? Got attacked by a Lich and everything. How have you been, Twilight?”

The knight shouldered his halberd and gave an exaggerated hand to chin movement like he was some kind of great thinker. “A Lich? That does sound challenging. At least you persevered. I’ve been well. Thank you for asking.”

Bella chuckled and gave him a playful elbow on the armor while leaning in to whisper to him. “Thanks for the save, big guy.”

The knight shrugged as if it was nothing and didn’t bother lowering his voice. “Of course. Anything for a fellow adventurer. Now then, Veme, it’s good to see you as well. Have a wonderful day.” He was about to start walking, but he turned on his heels right in front of Ryan. “And you are?”

Ryan extended a slightly shaky hand, but he was managing a friendly smile at least. The knight looked down at Ryna’s extended hand but made no move to shake it. Ryan slowly retracted his hand. “Ryan Craner. These are my companions, Nickolas and Adrian. We are a team group called The Stars.”

“Nice to meet all of you. Your party even has a name? That’s nice,” he said dryly.

“Yeah… it is…” Ryan mumbled.

With that, the Knight gave another slight nod and continued walking into the wall of flame. “Wait! Sir! Where are you—” the commander yelled.

The Twilight Knight ran his hands through the firewall and shrugged. “Going to kill some undead. Maybe a Lich or two. Bye, Aurelius.”

The Twilight Knight walked through the burning wall of fire magic like it was nothing, leaving the commander with his mouth agape and watching in confusion. Somewhere, an Expert level fire mage was maintaining that wall with magic. It should have just at least set him on fire.

What the hell just happened? Who is this guy? And why is he so damn awkward? And why does he talk like that? I have… so many questions. But I’m not one to turn away a gift.

I picked up the pack off the ground and slung it over my shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Everyone quickly obliged, and we walked our way toward the phalanx. The soldiers collapsed what little of their formation remained and started funneling back behind the walls. The Commander just sat there, mouth agape as he watched The Twilight Knight stroll into the darkness.

I got a closer look at the wall, and it seemed like it was entirely made of earth magic. Black mud had been tossed onto the wall and smeared to make it blend in with the darkness. At least, I think that was what they were trying to do. The soldiers all gathered around campfires and warmed their cold hands. Once again, I couldn’t help but notice a severe lack of Humans and Dragonkin.

I wonder if it’s too cold for Dragonkin? Maybe it would have adverse effects on their health if they lived here? Being cold-blooded and all.

It only took a few minutes of walking to get to the other side of the cave, and we were greeted by the sun’s blinding light and a cold winter breeze. My eyes corrected slowly and the landscape before us came into view. The weather wasn’t bad besides the cold wind but that was just because we were higher up. Sylvia let out an audible gasp as we took in the beautiful sight.

We were at the top of a small mountain looking down at a winter wonderland. A small fort had been built at the base of the mountain and stone walls wrapped around and connected to the mountainside. The actual fort part was on the other side of the wall most likely in case a horde of the undead suddenly exited the dungeon.

Surrounding the fort was a lush forest of pine trees that weren't quite the pine trees I had seen in my previous life. Instead, the tree’s bark was a pure white color, and the thin needle leaves were orange instead of green.

“View is nice, huh?” Nick asked from beside me.

“Yeah, it’s something,” I said.

The view was… interesting. But, perhaps I’ve grown too cynical. Maybe instead of comparing landscapes to my previous life… I should just enjoy them now? Yeah… I think I will.

Adrian fumbled around in a bag and pulled out a giant fur skin coat and donned it. With an ugly scowl, he looked out at the vista. “Too damn cold…” he grumbled.

Mmm. It was cold. Way colder on this side of the mountains but it was to be expected. I think I might like the cold.

Or maybe I just hate the heat more than anything.

We trudged through the thick snow, and although I had just admitted, I liked the cold, I was not a fan of walking through this powdery hell. All of us were grumbling and high stepping our way until we got to the gates. Luminar soldiers ushered us indoors, and with a quick identification check, we were practically pushed out of the place. The guards were all too happy to return to the warmth of their fires.

“At least they move quickly,” Bella griped.

“Indeed,” Veme added.

Nick took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and watched as his warm breath created a smoky cloud. “Well… I guess this is it, huh?”

“It is. You will be taking things from here, Nick?” Veme asked.

Nick nodded slowly. “Yeah, unless you want to follow us east?”

Bella snorted and adjusted her heavy jacket. Surprisingly, even she put on some winter pants. “I’d rather die.”

This elicited a chuckle from The Stars, and everyone began saying their goodbyes.

“You staying on this side of the mountains, Voker?” Ryan asked me.

“Yes, I plan on it.”

The man gave me a warm smile. “I see. In that case, if you ever find yourself back around Whieland, make sure you stop by.”

“Yeah, our buddy has a ranch a few hours outside of Nactus. Stop by sometime, yeah?” Nick suggested with a friendly smile.

Yeah, about that…

“I’ll consider it,” I said dryly.

Adrian faced me suddenly and placed both his hands on my shoulders. A slow smile crept on his face, and he was barely holding in his laughter. “Just don’t freeze your Wyrm off over here, Voker.”

You know what? Never mind. I was just thinking how I might miss these guys.

The three of them started walking off into the distance, with Artemius slogging behind them. “Veme, Bella, and you too, Sylvia, take care,” Nick said before finally turning to join his party.

“See you around, Nick,” Bella said as Nick gave her a small wave over his shoulder. “Now then, guess it’s our turn, Veme?”

“Yeah, I suppose it is.”

“You two aren’t going to Curia?” Sylvia asked.

Curia was the largest town closest to us and would be our next stop before reaching the capital Vinovia.

Bella shook her head. “Nah, we actually have another quest to complete. Some monsters needed hunting according to one of those guards so we offered to do it.”

“Oh, is that what you were talking about?” Sylvia questioned.

“Indeed. This means we will be parting ways now. Take care, you two,” Veme said with a faint smile.

Bella winked at me, and Sylvia and I both said our goodbyes. We barely managed a few steps towards the main road when Bella called out to us. “Hey! Kaladin, stay safe out there!”

What did she just say?

My body moved before my mind did, and my cobalt gladius materialized in my hand as a spell core for an Earth Lance was already being fed mana. I was expecting Bella and Veme to get ready to attack, but the two were just wearing faint smiles and watching me. I looked over to Sylvia and her legs were bigger and pulsing with Blood Sorcery as she stopped in the middle of her turn as well.

“Surprised?” Veme asked.

“You knew? How—”

Bella gave me a sad smile, and her eyes seemed to glaze over somewhat. “A High Elf child missing a hand, crippled with a leg injury, and suddenly appearing from the same area of the escaped slave? Not to mention you don’t smell like any High Elf I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been with plenty. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together, kid. Then again… I don’t think the others figured it out… maybe all those slap bets they are doing are making them dumber?”

“Then why didn’t you attack us? You had plenty of chances!” Sylvia hissed.

Bella shook her, and her sad face deepened. “Some things just aren’t worth the money. I hate slavery. It tore my family apart and separated me from mine when I was a little girl. As far as I’m concerned, you could be a Dark Elf assassin or an undercover War God. I honestly don’t care. If you broke free from your chains, the last thing I’m gonna do is help put you back in them. I hope you killed every single one of those bastards and your old master. And I hope you enjoyed every second of it because I know I did.”

Bella rolled her shoulders and looked up at the cold blue sky that was filled with beautiful clouds. “And I hope you gave those who came after you what they deserved. Everyone has a choice. And they chose wrong.”

They even knew about Dem…

My eyes went wide with surprise as I watched the two Beastmen women. I knew Veme was from the other continent, but I never did ask why she came here.

It seems I have my answer.

I relaxed slightly while releasing the spell core and stood up straight. “Thank you.”

“You should stay away from the City-States for a few years, maybe even a century,” Veme suggested.

Sylvia snorted and seeing me relax, she did as well. “Don’t have to tell us twice.”

Bella smiled, but it didn’t reach her cold hazel eyes. “Take care of each other. If either of you ever needs help, you can always turn to us, okay?”

“Thank you for the offer, Bella,” I said honestly.

Bella winked at me again and waved goodbye at Sylvia. “See you around, Voker.”

Veme bowed slightly and gave us a small wave as she joined Bella, the two of them walking into the orange pine tree forest together.

I guess not everyone adventures for money.