(Gavin)

A pure-white Barrier forms in front of me, stopping the trio of Flame Jets shot by Flame Slimes, and as soon as they end, the barrier disappears and I charge forward.

"Water Blade!"

My sword becomes coated with a light swirl of water, the edges glowing blue ever-so-faintly. I step beside the Fireball shot my way and swing, my sword slicing into the Flame Slime. I quickly pull it out and strike again, before moving to the side just in time for another Flame Jet to graze my arm, heating up the metal of my armor. Ignoring that, I bring my sword down on the original target. The third strike ends its life and I step back, letting another Flame Jet pass in front of me as I turn to attack its caster.

I strike down onto it, then pull my sword out and slash at it from the side, feeling the impact of something against my armor. An arrow. When I turn to face the archer, it's already gone. Luca again. I don't know what he's doing, but he's really got some method of dealing with them.

Without taking too long to focus on that, I return my attention to the slimes and strike this one again, killing it in time to avoid another Fireball, then another Flame Jet. I change to that Flame Slime just as my Water Blade runs out.

"Water Blade!" I say as I slash at the slime.

My blade connects with the slime, and a moment later, a bolt of lightning slams into me, stunning me as it throws me across the street.

-157 Health! You have been stunned for 10 seconds +52 Health +52 Health +52 Health

Thanks, Luca. I'd say that, except I'm kind of stunned at the moment. This stun doesn't freeze my body up, just makes it tense, so I can still breathe and move my eyes around, thankfully. It's not pleasant, though, and I watch as the timer ticks down and the Goblin Shaman that struck me with lightning aims its staff at me again.

Its Fireball is stopped by a shimmering white Barrier, and when the timer for my stun hits 4 Seconds, a new notification appears in my vision as I find myself able to move again.

You have been Cured of Stun!

"Thanks, Luca!" I call out as his Barrier fades.

A moment later, I'm struck by a jet of flames, so I roll away, then jump to my feet and Dash towards my sword, dodging the Stone Spikes shot at me.

"Wind Blade!" I call as I grab my sword.

It's my strongest Magic Sword attack, and I'm right by the Goblin Shaman now. With another Dash, I'm right in front of it, and I strike at the goblin with my blade. It blocks with its staff, and I swing again, finding my attack blocked once more.

High-velocity candies suddenly pelt into me, plinking against my armor. A few pieces even pierce through it, and I hiss in pain as my sword finally connects with the Goblin Shaman.

The Spook Slime finally decided to join the battle. That makes me the most nervous, as it has the most ability to penetrate my armor and is probably the strongest thing we've had to fight while hunting these banners.

I focus on the Goblin Shaman, trusting in Luca's Barriers, and sure enough, another one appears while I fight just as I hear the whistling of the candy pieces.

Where did Luca hide at? I haven't noticed him at all ever since the fight began, yet he seems to have some sort of decent view while still being near enough to heal and cure me.

A strike at the shaman's legs connects, and it garbles at me in the goblins' language, lashing out with its staff. I deflect that with my sword and trigger another Wind Blade as the shaman starts to drop to one knee.

With a Dash, I lunge forward the small distance between us, my sword running through its shoulder. I twist, yanking my sword out as the goblin howls, then I spin, cutting into the back of its neck. Two more strikes there, and it's dead.

Then I'm immediately dodging another Fireball, so I charge the Flame Slime. The Wind Blade is still active, so I have to wait for it to end, but I should still be able to manage.

Luca's Barrier disappears for a few moments, then reappears when I'm at the slime, striking down again. A piece of candy barely misses it, nearly hitting me, and the Barrier expands to cover more space.

"Don't push yourself!" I holler to Luca. "I can take a few hits!"

The Barrier shrinks as my sword slices into the slime, narrowly missing its core. I pull my sword back, then thrust it forward, succeeding in hitting the core this time. Two more strikes, and I manage to kill it, leaving just the Spook Slime.

Finally. It's been nearly twenty minutes since we began fighting this group, and I'm starting to feel the exhaustion. This armor is feeling heavier with every moment, even though I'm more than strong enough to carry its weight.

I turn to face the Spook Slime. It's… rather large. Twice as tall as I am, and Level 15. Is there any possible way for me to even hurt this? I thought Zack said he got rid of all of the Elite Monsters in the ruins?

Unless it evolved into that while we were here.

Regardless, this is a pain in the butt, and I'm not sure how to kill it. My sword will probably only barely reach its core, if at all.

For several minutes, I jab at it, poke at it, and dodge its attacks, occasionally being healed by Luca when my Health dips too low, but I never managed to hit its core. It's just too resilient.

Then without warning, I find myself being jerked back, and almost fight until I realize it's Braden and Luca together pulling me away. I'm about to ask why when a lance of flames strikes into the Spook Slime, followed by several more.

As soon as we're a safe distance back, Braden and Luca release me, and I watch as Max finishes destroying the Spook Slime with his Flame Lances, turning it into a puddle of ooze and the inert core. The banner had been inside of its ooze, and is now coated in the greyish goop.

"I'm not touching that," Luca tells me in a quiet voice, and Braden chuckles.

"Thanks," I tell Braden. "I couldn't have gotten that."

"We figured," Braden says. "As soon as Luca said you could probably use our help, Max began a countdown. Thankfully, or we might not have gotten you out of the way in time."

"It be dead!" Max exclaims, charging towards us. "How many banners you be having?"

"This makes four," I walk over and pull the banner out of the goop, folding it up and sending it into my Inventory, then I turn and look at them. "You two?"

"Four," Braden answers. "And there's no way we can get the fifth by ourselves."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You'll see," he frowns. "We were actually looking for you two. You're Level 25 now. Going to take on Holy Squire?"

Should I? Or would Mystic Knight be better for me? I want to be a counter to Zack's darkness, but at the same time, he isn't as dark as I initially thought. But Mystic Knight feels like it would be the best option.

Looking at Braden and Max, I realize that both have gained quite a few Levels since we saw them earlier. Braden's probably taken on a second Class already, but I don't think Max has Swords Mastery, so unless he does, he didn't yet. I know he wants to be a Dark Squire, and with Max being Max, he won't have changed his mind on that.

"I'm considering taking on Mystic Knight instead," I tell him. "Or, well, Mystic Squire. It's available, since I know a Tier 1 Magic Swordsman Skill."

"I'd ask Zack about that," Braden says. "Once we finish. Don't make a decision now."

"It will help you get your last banner," I say. "And us ours, once we locate it. Every little bit of stats counts."

"It won't help," Braden shakes his head. "Come on, let's show you."

As we walk, I try to ask why a few extra stats won't help, but he won't answer, and strangely, Max is silent on the matter. He just talks with Luca – well, to Luca – to see how he's doing and make sure he's okay. The healer has his hood down, his hair slightly ruffled and face a little red from the effort he's been exerting today.

Max must have noticed Luca's fatigue, because he suddenly lets Luca climb onto his back. Luca immediately plays with Max's ears 'by accident' as he tries to get a good grip on the beastborn. Luca, he has no issue with you scratching behind his ears as if he's a dog. He enjoys it.

Hm. Do wolf beastborn – or at least, dog beastborn – enjoy having their tummies or backs rubbed or scratched? I don't actually want to ask that, but I am curious about it now.

Almost an hour of traveling carefully later, we reach where the final banner is, the four of us hiding in a three-story building not in the open area the final banner is.

For each team.

They're hung up on separate poles only ten feet apart each, guarded by a pair of Goblin Giants and a pair of Goblin Shaman. That's all we can see from the roof here, at least initially, but then a Level 10 Goblin Chieftain walks into view.

A Level 10 Goblin Chieftain is guarding that thing. The four of us combined could not fight that thing. I check its stats several times to verify.

Goblin Chieftain Level 10 Health: 79,892 Mana: 64,983

With stats like those, I doubt even Max's magic would do much damage to it, and it might be able to kill us – or at least, nearly kill us – with just one or two hits. If I remember Zack's guide correctly, a Goblin Chieftain is old for a goblin, and has evolved several times – at least two or three, I think.

They have an arsenal of Skills and are tough things, and a Dungeon Goblin Chieftain is even more so. Seeing this one in person, I'm amazed at the fact that Luca survived one that became a Bounty Beast – it had evolved twice more.

And from what I heard, it was stronger than some of the strongest monsters ever slain in the Boundary. Luca's continued existence is a miracle, but I doubt the four of us together would continue to live this second life of ours if we went up against those.

"There are roughly one hundred monsters," Braden tells us. "At that intersection. The Goblin Giants and Goblin Shaman would be the biggest issue normally, but there are several Spook Goblins and Frost Goblins as well, in addition to, well… the Goblin Chieftain."

"We can't win that fight," I say.

"Yeah," Max nods solemnly.

He's standing with Luca facing him, the younger boy shaking slightly. It takes me a moment to realize he's trying not to cry. Even if this isn't A'Lutar, Luca must be having flashbacks as a result of seeing a Goblin Chieftain again.

"We no be able to kill that," Max says.

"We were never meant to be able to," I shake my head. "Zack set this up to see if we'd be smart enough to retreat rather than fight for those banners."

"Max and I agree," Braden nods. "Let's head back to base camp and cross it together, so it's a tie? We're all failing anyway."

"Yeah," I nod. "Let's do that. Luca, I'll carry you this time."

(Zack)

"Going to Talorn?" I ask, and Gold jumps in surprise. I laugh, then approach him on the seal, triggering the transport and warping us there. "I was wondering who it was who was taking care of its Dark Temple."

He gives me an embarrassed look. I had narrowed it down to him and one other Dark Knight. They smell very similar, and while I was pretty sure it was my former housemate, I wasn't completely confident in that.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," I tell him. "It shows dedication to the Order and to Big Flame. I'm sure he appreciates the effort a lot, even if it's for an empty, uninhabited Dark Temple."

Gold nods, and we walk into the Dark Temple together. My team just saw their final fight together based on my power of sight, and they made the right choice. It should take them around an hour and a half to return to base camp for them, so I've got time.

I walk with Gold, helping him check on the bedrooms to make sure the beds are made and ready for a Dark Knight to stay, and he gives me a firm glare when I start to send one of the bed's stuff into my Inventory.

"What?" I ask, and receive a series of messages from him. I roll my eyes. "Fine, I'll only do it at the one where people are actually staying at."

He thinks that's for the best, so that stuff gets replaced faster.

It doesn't take long to check all of the rooms, since nothing has changed since the last time he stopped in. After that, he replaces the candles in a few rooms, then I wish him a good rest of the day, and let him know he can join us anytime he wants.

He sends me a message of him being pummeled from all sides by goblins five times as strong as him, and I grin at him, then leave. Gold knows he can't handle the stuff here in Talorn yet. He'd need a team and careful observation to manage, and he doesn't have either of those. He would if he'd let me take him training, but he refuses that.

Stretching on the steps to the front doors, I then run to camp, where Nik and Travis are chatting at the table.

"I take it that means they're almost back?" Nik looks at me.

"Yeah," I answer. "Did you know that Gold's been coming here to take care of the Dark Temple?"

"I had my suspicions," he nods. "I've noticed him using the sigil a few times ever since I reactivated the Dark Temple here in Talorn, but never managed to actually follow him. He was always gone before I stepped onto it, and Big Flame wouldn't tell me where he was going."

"I have a feeling," I say. "That if I stole stuff from this Dark Temple, Gold would probably march to my house and give me a stern glare."

"Probably," Nik snorts. "Do you want the briefing now?"

"Nah," I answer. "Your guys are going to do it when they get here, giving tips, themselves, so it won't matter much."

Nik nods, then we wait the last few minutes for the team to show up. They cross the boundary of the property together. Nik has them sit at the table, then the other Dark Knights and Paladins in the area show up and start running through everyone's training today, talking about what they did right and wrong.

I listen a little bit, playing with my sight some to check on things I've been keeping eyes on. My team is listening intently to every word of it, and I can tell they're amazed that they really were being watched that closely.

Gavin seems upset by something, and when the rundown of their training mission today ends, he glares at me.

"Why did you set us up to fail?" He demands. "The last banner is impossible for us to acquire!"

"That wasn't my fault," I say.

"Yes, it was!" He says. "You're the only person I know of who can convince monsters he's one of them!"

"That's actually a Dark Knight ability," Nik informs Gavin. "And I was the one who told Zack to arrange that."

Gavin frowns, obviously confused by that.

"Zack," Nik says. "Said that each of you needs to be Level 50 or higher in order for all four of you to participate in the battle for the valley – and the Boundary. I disagree with that. You are Level 25, Max is Level 30, and Braden is Level 40. If Max actually put the effort in, he could easily reach Level 50 within a couple of days, and even potentially reach Level 75 by then. Braden could possibly hit Level 75 in a couple of weeks, and you could probably hit Level 50 in that time.

"And yet," he says. "I do not feel that the four of you would be ready to participate in the battle. Because of that, I told Zack that regardless of his decision, the four of you will not be allowed to participate in the battle unless you can reclaim those banners and kill its guardians. Only then will I grant you permission to fight."

"And Nik," I say. "Is the one in charge of the battle's preparations. He's the one who decides who's allow to participate, and is the one who set the Level requirement for those participating. You four participating below it is a risk, because it means you have a greater chance of dying."

"Which is why," Nik tells him. "I told Zack to set that up, told him that the requirement for you four was changed."

"As free-acting as I am," I point at Nik. "I still listen to him when it matters. He's more than a century older than me, and-"

All four of them give him shocked looks.

"You do realize that many of the Boundary's Adventurers over Level 125 are at least seventy or eighty, right?"

They all give me shocked looks.

"Yeah," I laugh. "The stronger you are, the higher your Level, the more your elemental affinity has merged into the Sacred Crystal within you. The greater that merging, the slower you age. Luca accelerated that merging by a certain event, which isn't common, and he won't actually age ever again as a result, much like Nathan Normar, the great and powerful healer."

"Anyway," Nik says. "As I said, you four will need to be able to claim those banners in order to participate in the battle. This is my requirement, and if you don't meet it, I will ensure you do not participate. Am I clear?"

The four of them nod, and Gavin looks a lot less angry with me now that he knows it wasn't actually my decision.

"Good," Nik says. "I'm glad you understand that. There's something else the four of you should know as well. This is not an impossible task. Zack and you four are not ordinary Adventurers. Each of the five of you Level faster than normal. That means that the four of you may be able to accomplish this task before the battle occurs.

"If you do," Nik says. "And you haven't good enough gear or the money for it, I will personally have it made for you at my expense."

"It will be gear," I tell them. "That is on-par with or stronger than the gear I was using when I arrived here made of those special ores I acquired quickly. It is also possible that you will manage that gear before then. If that is the case, Nik won't have it made."

I was going to have it made, myself, but Nik told me that he would do that. I'm still going to 'donate' Primordial Essence for it. Four of it would be all that's needed, I'm sure.

"Good luck," Nik tells them. "The four of you will need it."

"Now eat up," I say as one of the Paladins starts serving dinner. "I know I'm starving, and you four have a lot more training the next couple of days, before we return to Maelnor."