Slowly, the party climbed up the side of the mountain, heading towards the third temple. Animal life was abundant despite the decreasing amount of vegetation. It was no mystery that the entire area was under the guardian’s protection, and had been for a long time. There were no remains visible, not even a paved road. It was almost as if the guardian had turned his part of the world into a nature reserve.

There were several mountain paths leading up, but March had ordered they be ignored. Instead, the party climbed directly up along steep cliffs if needed. A while back, Dallion would have found the task impossible. His newly obtained athletic skills, however, had made the experience not only easy, but enjoyable. Markers indicated all hand and footholds along the way, and splitting ensured there would be no accidents. The truly impressive part, though, was that every member of the party was at least as capable, moving along like ants on a wall.

Euryale, once again, was not present. March had sent her to scout on and wait for the rest at the temple itself. The logic escaped Dallion, but after his previous conversation with March, he preferred to keep a lower profile. It didn’t help that he couldn’t use Lux to fly. Even without reminding, he knew that he had to keep as many of his abilities secret.

Sorry about keeping you cooped up in the dagger, Nox, Dallion thought. I know you want to scratch your claws. I promise you’ll get a chance.

A yawny meow suggested that the crackling wasn’t too upset.

One day, I’ll find a way for us to change places, Dallion laughed. Then I’ll send you to do all the work while I spend my days sleeping.

If you reach the appropriate level, one day, you will, Nil said. Of course, until then there’s a lot you need to learn.

Thanks for ruining the mood, Nil.

I wasn’t aware that you were doing anything intellectually taxing. Also, to provide a word of warning.

That sounded ominous. It wasn’t often that the echo provided warnings, so when he did, Dallion made a point to listen.

It’s pretty certain that March will defeat the next guardian. She’s done so in the past, so that’s a given. Possibly you’ll lose two or three people in the process, but that’s not something to be worried about. The issue is what follows.

I thought you weren’t part of the previous expeditions, Dallion said.

One doesn’t need to have taken part to know what March is up to. We have guild meetings on the matter.

Suddenly, all this sounded much more corporate.

During her last expedition, March finished cleaning this part of the world from cracklings, rusties, and every other nastiness, Nil went on. Everything from the starting temple to the sea. Originally, the aim of this expedition was to cross the water and prepare the ground for taking on the fourth guardian. Knowing her character, I fear that March is going to try and do that now and even go beyond.

Isn’t that a good thing?

There are mixed opinions on the matter. The point is that so far, you’ve been avoided since you aren’t considered much of a fighter. The guardians are aware of your level, so they’ve been treating you like a packrat. When they realize you’re the party healer, things will change. At that point, you’ll become the primary target.

That hardly came as a surprise. Dallion had spent far too much time playing MMOs back on Earth to not be aware of that fact. Depending on the circumstances, healers were the first targets to go for, which was the reason why the tanks formed a shield around them, providing protection.

I thought I was going to be a target from the very start, Dallion replied, full of confidence. Thanks for the warning, though.

In that case, maybe I should remind you that how rare healers are, the old echo sounded slightly annoyed. Having a mage in the party is rare. Having someone with a healing familiar—all the more so. And here’s one major difference; Mages can take care of themselves. You can’t.

Uh, oh, Dallion thought.

This was a factor he hadn’t considered. In a world based on strength, awakened with the ability to heal was considered strong by default. Even the cleric Dallion had seen—who, despite having the magic attribute, didn’t have any magic skills—was way stronger than Dallion was now. A healing mage was, at the very least, as strong as March. In contrast, Dallion was the weakest link. The moment the guardians realized that things were quickly going to change, and there was little the expedition party could do about it; they weren’t used to having healers, let alone protect them.

I see your point, Dallion conceded. Thanks, Nil.

Always glad to offer advice, dear boy. Just make sure you stay safe for as long as possible.

The climbing continued mercilessly. After roughly seven hours, Agnii used her skill to create a small cave on the face of the cliff so the party could eat and rest a bit. Dallion watched with fascination as she molded the rock face to her liking. There was a reason she was the guild’s crafter, and it showed. According to Nil, that was an alternative use of the carving ability, though if that were the case, it definitely wasn’t one Dallion was familiar with. When he asked Agnii about it, the woman just smiled and told him that in time he’ll learn more about it.

As a campfire was made, Dallion began to appreciate the value of the wood in his backpack. The temperatures had dropped sharply the further up the party went, making the need for warmth even more essential. Expeditions, as it probably was obvious, were not so much about individual or even group strength. Battles, while important, were secondary. Planning and preparation were the key, as well as resource management.

“We go on until sunset,” March said as people gathered round the small fire. “After that we’ll rest till morning. The goal is to reach the first peak in a day.”

“Is that where the temple is?” Dallion whispered to Vend.

The elite just made a sign for Dallion to remain silent.

“If all goes well, Eury will be waiting for us there with info on what follows,” March continued. “It should be calmer than last time, though with the recent changes, nothing is guaranteed. Be on your guard.” She gave Dallion a glance. “Dal will remain with the main group during the guardian battle. I’ll handle that alone.”

Dallion felt the inner need to say something on the matter, but Vend placed his hand on Dallion’s shoulder, suggesting it wasn’t a good idea.

“Agnii will be in the rear. Protect her at all costs.”

That said, the captain went to the cave opening, then continued her climb to the top. Any person would have thought that to be quite the peculiar behavior, but for those who knew her this was something quite common. Within moments, the silence was broken by the usual gossip and trivial discussions.

“She never removes it,” Vend said.

“Huh?” Dallion blinked.

“She never removes her armor in a realm, even when swimming. Don’t ask me why, it’s just something she does.”

“Okay,” Dallion said, uncertain where this was going.

“Rumor is she had a nasty experience in the wilderness back when she was in the army. From then she’s always with her armor.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I thought you should know. Also, because all of us have our secrets.”

Vend took a piece of dried meat and offered it to Dallion. Normally Dallion would refuse, but this time, he took it without question. The meat was far too chewy, although the flavor was rich.

“Have you been practicing your split breaking?” the elite asked.

“No, not much. There’s never enough time.”

“Make time. You’ll need the skill sooner than you think. The more you delay, the greater the chance that you’re thrown out of the realm mid expedition. I can’t protect you here, and neither can anyone else.” He looked at the nearby fire. “Neither March, nor Eury.”

“I know. I’ll get to it tonight when we rest.”

Vend nodded.

“No one’s crossed the sea so far,” he went on. “No one’s even tried. We don’t know what will happen there or how the water will affect us. Are you fine with that?”

“I can swim, if that’s what you mean.”

“It’s not that. It’s possible that there’s screaming metal floating in the sea. Will you be okay with that?”

The experience was still fresh in Dallion’s mind. A few grains of pain emerged within him, quickly dissolving into nothingness again.

“I’ll be fine,” Dallion put on a brave face. “And I’ll be ready with the breaking when I need to be.”

“Good. Now eat.”

The meal felt more like a snack. Once over, the party gathered their things and returned to scaling the mountain. Now that his load was lighter, and Dallion had eaten a bit, it seemed easier than before. In a few hours, though, he changed his mind.

By the time the party entered their next cave, Dallion felt utterly exhausted. The promise he had made of training his split breaking seemed unachievable. The only thing he could think of was collapsing on the hard floor and getting some sleep. It was only hours later that he was woken up by the notion of hunger.

“Chirp?” Lux asked. The firebird had made sure to wrap Dallion with its flames during its owner’s nap.

“Thanks, Lux,” Dallion muttered, stretching. He didn’t feel fully refreshed, but at least it was much better than before the nap. “Anything interesting happen while I was asleep?” He looked around.

Almost everyone in the cave was sleeping. Only three people remained awake, acting as guards. Seeing Dallion, one of them waved, though didn’t invite him over.

Dallion stood up. This was the perfect time for him to get some training done. The notion of creating an echo of himself in public felt embarrassing to the point that it was almost painful. And that was precisely why Dallion decided to get on with it.

Always do one thing that frightens you, he said to himself and created an echo of himself.

Another Dallion emerged from the first, ending up standing a foot away, facing him. Immediately Dallion looked around, fearing negative reactions. The few people who were awake didn’t even pay attention.

Creating echoes is quite common, dear boy, Nil said. There’s absolutely no need to be ashamed of it.

I know, Dallion said, not that changed his thoughts on the matter.

“It’ll be fine,” his echo smiled. “I’ll further away from the fire if that’ll make you feel better.”

“Thanks,” Dallion muttered.

“Nil’s right, though,” the echo walked towards the cave entrance. “You need to chill out more. Spend some more time with us, maybe even drag Gen out in the open to have a laugh and—"

COMBAT INITIATED

No sooner had the red rectangle appeared than a root shot through, piercing the echo through the chest. Dallion watched in disbelief as the other him, poofed out of existence, victim to an attack. Time seemed to freeze as his mind struggled to accept it.

Fighting was common in the realms, it was actually expected, but this was the first time that Dallion had witnessed a sneak attack targeting him. While he hadn’t suffered a wound, the notion made him feel particularly vulnerable.

“Guardian attack!” someone shouted in the cave.

Next, Dallion felt someone grab him by the arm and pull him back as the trio of party guards formed a row of shields in front of him. Other members also jumped up, moving faster than Dallion had seen them do so far.

They were all hiding their strength? he asked as he snapped out of his confusion, summoning his own shield.

Bolts split the air, targeting the invading root. Before they could hit it, though, it had pulled back, disappearing outside.

“What’s the damage?” Vend asked, appearing next to Dallion all of a sudden.

“I’m fine,” Dallion managed to reply, his heart beating like the wings of a hummingbird. “They just got my echo.”

Instances of people flashed for a moment, as several of them checked what was the state of things outside.

“Nothing,” one of them said. “It’s gone.”

“What does that mean?” Dallion asked. “Are we up for an attack?”

“No,” Vent sighed. “This wasn’t an attack. You were the one being targeted. And now the guardians know what your true strength really is.”