Darsumi used every connection he had in the city to acquire the information on the current movements and actions of the authority, but the Adventurer's Guild and the Royal Palace heavily regulated the flow of information and the only thing he found out was what exactly happened during the festival and the aftermath. Needless to say, Dar was shook up hearing what the Hounds had done and just how much damage they did. The central area was blocked off and repairs were already underway, so he didn't bother trying to get in and fish for more information. On his way back to the tavern, something else bothered him though.

I feel like I forgot to mention something to Bones…but for the life of me I can't remember what! It's on the tip of my tongue…

Dar returned to the tavern a few hours after Bones had left and found everyone already up and about, wondering what news he would bring. Dar forwarded everything he learned about what transpired the day before and saw the same expression of shock on everyone's face. He also added that because the city was in lockdown, they couldn't return to Stonefalls for the time being. Others didn't make a fuss, already expecting bad news, but Dar swore he would soon find a way to circumvent the security.

While the dwarves were prevented from leaving the city, they weren't prevented from leaving the tavern, so once Dar finished everyone but Hem headed outside to do their own thing. After others left, Dar turned to Hem and asked him what was on his mind.

"On mah mind?" Hem questioned, his bushy eyebrow raised. "Dats wut I should be askin ye! Ye been frownin ever since ye got back!"

"You noticed huh? I kept having a nagging feeling I forgot to mention something important to Bones regarding Desolate Lands…"

"Well, lets see…ye told 'im bout how awesome Gobrick is, places he shoulda visit, ye explained wut Desolate Lands are 'nd mentioned a Rift 'nd that he shoulda watch out fer da Divine Order!" Hem quickly listed everything they talked about.

"The Divine Order?" Dar repeated, then frowned deeper. "Hem, did I really mention the Divine Order to Bones?" Hem thought long and hard and shook his head saying he didn't remember Dar mentioning the Order.

"I forgot about the Divine Order!" Dar shouted. Hem took a step back in surprise and chuckled. "Ye gettin senile ye ol' bat!"

*cough* "No joke Hem!" Dar said but Hem assured him Bones would be able to handle it. Besides, who knows when and if Bones even decides to go to Desolate Lands. There were other rifts he could use to enter the Nether Realm. Dar calmed down after Hem made a point and nodded.

"You're right. No point stressing about it now. We have our own thing to worry about and Bones is no longer of our concern!"

Hem cocked his head and said he wouldn't exactly put it that way, but that he was right. There was a matter of selling and trading stolen goods, finding a way home and running the shop!

The wagon heading for the frontlines stopped at the garrison as scheduled and picked up four more men who reluctantly volunteered to contribute to the war effort. The wagon was now full, the prisoners sitting side by side with barely any room to spare and their next stop was the camp.

Bones kept a low profile in his small corner of the wagon and relied on his senses to get a feel for the people he was traveling with. Some seemed to know each other while others minded their business and tried their best not to draw attention. The thing that stood out the most to Bones was everyone's level. He was among the lowest level with only one young man being a lower level than him at level twenty-six. Bones probed with Soul Link where he could and got a sense that everyone was feeling each other out but most attention was on the young man. The two highest levels stuck together and Bones sensed their gears turning, contemplating on how and when to take a chance and try to escape.

Futile effort if you asked him, as the wagon escort, while only three men, were all higher level than any of the prisoners. At the front was a soldier in heavy armor and level forty-one while behind the wagon were other two soldiers, lightly dressed. They seemed relaxed and talked while traveling but Bones could tell these two were more dangerous than the soldier in the front. Their levels were also higher at forty-four and fourty-five.

The two highest levels among the prisoners weren't deterred by the level of their escort. In hushed voices, they planned their course of action and a few hours later, they realized they couldn't remove their shackles and quietly sat down the rest of the way.

By sunset, a fence made of wooden spikes pointing outwards and circling the camp could be seen. The prisoners couldn't see it, but they could hear the commotion and the smell…the smell was a dead giveaway that they had reached their destination.

Five minutes later, the wagon stopped at the gates where the prisoners were taken out and lined up. They were told not to move and await orders. Soon, a man in formal military attire appeared with a stack of papers in his hands.

Everyone could see that the man, they soon learned to be a commander, didn't give a rat's ass about the prisoners. He met them because he had to and left shortly after giving orders and handing papers in his hands to his subordinate. An officer approached the line up with papers and inspected each of the prisoners. He stopped briefly by Bones, reading from the paper in his hand and glanced at his worned robe and a hood covering his head. He scoffed, nodded and proceeded giving orders to soldiers.

Bones half-expected he would be forced to remove his cover. Luckily, the officer was the other party along with the coachman that Darsumi bribed.

The soldiers split the prisoners into two parties, grouping Bones and the young man together with escapee-wannabes, Muck and Tate. Bones found the group matchmaking to be…off and after sensing the ill-advised intentions of the other two party members, made a realization.

If I'm not mistaken, me and the young lad are to be used as an experience boost to the aspiring two high levels. A freebies…

Bones exhaled in annoyance, but after some thinking, thought better of the situation. From the perspective of the commander, he probably didn't think he could make use of a level twenty-six and thirty-two and decided to have the two highest levels among them a fighting chance to do something.

Well, now that I know where I stand on the battlefield, it'll be easier to decide what to do and how would I go about doing it.

Bones glanced at the young man and saw a panicked expression that soon turned to that of desperation. The young man seemed to understand that soon he would be fighting for his life, not against the enemy, but the very men in his party. He glanced back at Bones but Bones looked away.

Sorry lad. I'm not here to save people…

Bones' transport, after completing a delivery of freshly new recruits, turned and left the same way. The gates to the camp opened and soldiers led the two groups inside in a single line. Bones saw that they weren't the first and only group of prisoners to come that day. Five groups with five men per group, already stood lined up in front of a large tent.

Bones felt the ambient mana disturb slightly as more than twenty-five people, soldiers included, turned to them and Identified the newcomers at the same time. Then their attention turned to Bones who couldn't be simply identified.

"Attention everyone!" The man shouted after leaving the tent and directing everyone's attention to himself. He turned to the newcomers and gave a nod to soldiers escorting them. The soldier nudged the first prisoner to go over and stand in line and the others followed. Once everyone was properly lined up, the man introduced himself as lieutenant Stelan Gloomforce and explained that he was in charge of the south camp, also indicating that there was more than one camp.

"You're here because of an opportunity that presented itself to you, voluntarily or involuntary, I don't really care. Your duties will be to the kingdom and as such, depending on your contribution in this war, your sentence will be reduced if not entirely removed. Many of you wouldn't see the light of day otherwise so don't squander this opportunity given to you!"

"Each one of you is grouped in a party of five, give or take. Take a good and proper look at your party members as they will be the line that will separate you from going back home in a wagon or a body bag!"

Everyone looked at the person next to them and murmurs could be heard going around. One man stepped out the line and voiced his disagreement regarding his party members. Bones glanced his way and Identified his group members. They were all low level, like him so he could understand where the man was coming from, but the lieutenant was adamant in not allowing for group members to change and his word was final!

Stelan continued the briefing and put everyone at ease when he said they are not expected to go to the frontlines unless absolutely necessary or by choice. Many of the prisoners were relieved to hear they would be doing mostly mundane but necessary tasks around the camp. That included washing clothes, helping with cooking, cleaning, repairing weapons and armor and patrolling the surroundings around the camp.

After the briefing, every group was designated a tent and were given their first assignment. Bones sat on a chair made of a tree trunk outside his tent and watched as everyone indulged in food. The party's first so-called task would be to patrol the nearby woods for any signs of the enemy. Basically, if they encountered the enemy, the soldiers in the camp would be alerted by hearing their dying screams.

The shabby armor and weapons they were given would do them more harm than help against properly geared soldiers. Bones saw their assignment as a perfect opportunity, however, to distance himself from the camp and fight the war at his own pace, without having a lieutenant or commander breathing down his neck.

Bones learned there were three army camps on the battlefield. The one they were in was the smallest of the three, situated south from the fortress and close to the swamps/marshes, and was meant for low level soldiers. The camp between the fortress and the south camp was the largest camp, where the main army and the majority of adventurers were situated. The north camp, while bigger than the south camp, had fewer people stationed. That was because the north camp was stationed between the fortress and the mines, and its occupants were gold rankers.

Bones' position as a prisoner in the camp wasn't good. It wasn't that the soldiers in the south camp were higher level than the prisoners, it was because they held more value as soldiers, regardless of their level. Prisoners were cannon fodder and while it seemed like they would be out of harm's way, Bones heard that the situation "absolutely necessary", happened frequently and prisoners were forced to engage an enemy. There was also that matter of culling out the weak.

He noticed that higher level prisoners were grouped together with lower levels and it wasn't to balance the power within the group. Bones had a nasty suspicion that all the groups will have patrol duty assignment in the next few days and after the surviving prisoners will form a single unit fit to fight the war.

Bones' otherwise peaceful evening was interrupted by three soldiers approaching. The soldiers were a classic example of haughtiness that came with the occupation and the soldier at the front of the three, was full of it.

"You there. You came from the capital?" The man spoke with a flat and, Bones noticed, a young voice coming from within the helmet covering his head.

"You hear me prisoner?! I asked you a question!" The young soldier raised his voice. Bones slightly cocked his head toward the man, but didn't show his face.

"Aye, my ears aren't what they used to be…the capital you say? Yes, I came from the capital." Bones replied.

The three soldiers shared a look and a young soldier asked, in the same flat and manner-less tone, "What happened during the festival?"

Ah I see…Bones took a look around him before answering and saw the other prisoners conversing with soldiers, using hands and grand gestures to answer no doubt, the same question.

"The opening ceremony was interrupted by an attack on the main square." Bones replied and saw the soldier lift the lid on his helmet, showing practically a boy's face.

"Then, did you see the attack? Who attacked? Were there any casualties? How many people died?"

"Sorry lad, I was too far from the central area…" Bones replied, a bit puzzled as to what gave the soldiers the idea that he would know anything as he was supposed to be locked away in a prison cell.

"Ah…right." The soldier said after coming to a realization that he was asking a prisoner if he saw anything. Bones watched them leave without saying anything. He remained seated until, an hour later, he saw lieutenant Stelan, his superior, approaching their tent and behind him Muck and Tate tagged along.

I guess it's time for my first and last assignment?