They all turned their back and started walking towards the buildings, but not me i wanted to do one last thing before going. This had been a request by morpho.

“Hold on, before you go let me try to cast a spell, i wanna test myself out.” His voiced contained a bit of enthusiasm.

“What are you gonna try?” I asked him with a slightly snarky tone, i didn't want to be dragged to the doctor again today, so i wasn't going to take any chances.

“It's nothing big don't you worry, it's more of a distraction attack or a little bluff/trump card.” i could hear a grin in his voice, like smugness itself reverberated in each word.

I looked back before raising my arm at the log only to be called out by a sudden “higher” from morpho. I pointed my arm upwards at a 45 degree angle.

“perfect” was the only thing i heard before he shot a ball in flames towards the air.

“turn around quick” morpho yelled within my mind in a panicky voice.

It came right in time as the ball seemed to bloat a bit before reigniting in a extremely bright dot across the sky. My shadow seemed to darken due to all the light that shone from behind me.

“i made a ball of magnesium powder, a perfect flashbang don't you think”

I was made speechless not by the thing going on behind me but by the pissed stars that came from the group ahead as they eyed the remaining bright sparks falling behind me.

“Sorry” was the only thing i could whisper out to the mad look of Nigel.

“fucking wizards and their crazy tricks. Get moving Mitch before you burn the palace to the ground.” He seemed to calm down a bit at the last part turning back towards the buildings.

After a few hour of eating and discussing they ended up revealing the name of each place where we would be sent.

“Each of you will be sent to a different location to train as a son of a noble that wanted to adventure in a low level area.” The ones giving out this information was the king himself as he sat on the end of the long table. “You will be sent to a small town by the shore, the name of the town is Red-ridge, you will be further informed on the composition of the dungeon’s *inhabitants* along with a detailed presentation of those who will be helping you.”

The night ended with a calm goodbye to each other and the return yo our rooms for the last night in this castle for the few months to come. Except for me, i was being interrogated on the reason someone was trying to deliver a huge pile of metal ingots to here.

The king hasn't even left the room before a guard from the gate had come running to say about the delivery.

“hello my great king i had come to ask if one of these disciples had bought a bunch of iron ingots.” his ragged breathing had calmed before he had said those first words, and his face had turned from serious to a calm and sheepish smile before the king.

I was still crossing the door out the room the moment he said the message, to which i proceeded to walk back in and explain that they had been bought by me.

“Then, that explains that. Just get them taken into our storage rooms, no put them on the cargo to the second carriage outside.” the guard vanished from the room in a fast pace instead of his prior run as not to make noise. “Are you going to explain me why you bought so much metal?”

“No” i answered him with a smile and he didn't seem to care for what i would use it.

I went to sleep crashing onto the hay filled mattress with no bounce.

“Night, morpho.” I said before placing *him* under my head and laying on my side.

“I don't actually sleep but good night to you too” the metal gauntlet didn't actually feel cold nor uncomfortable as i rested my head on its open palm.

The night went through and i slept perfectly without a single bump, screech or any other sound being able to wake me up from my deep slumber. I was however still very much susceptible to shakings and people yelling for me to wake up.

“Noble hero it's already time, you must wake. You're running out of time!”

“God is that you?” I opened my eyes and tried to focus them through my tired and dazed mind. The elf looking maid had entered my room and come to wake me up.

I rubbed my face and yawned as she placed a new set of clothes on my bed.

A red shirt with long droopy sleeves on both sides hugging tight onto my chest but giving plenty of space for morpho and completely hiding my hands and arms.

I thanked her and ran out to get breakfast.

After a quick meal i was escorted along with the other three towards the carriages we would travel in for the next 8 hours apparently.

This carriages were not decorated nor did they possess any symbol on them but they were still very well built with a tight wooden frame reinforced with metal corners and a… suspension? I lowered myself to properly take a look at it and there did seem to be a series of sideways shaped metal plates spread across the bottom of the carriage and a metal frame to absorb the impact of the larger bumps.

“I guess this is as far as we go together until the waves arrive.” Daniel said to us with a sad look like he somehow missed one of us already. I shrugged at that and so did the girls each with a slight difference in the way we did it, with the most “different” one being from Inês.

“ Thank be the god of money and commerce i won't have put up with anymore of your pathetic behaviors and acts.”

“Hey Inês! Bite me!” Was the last thing they heard me say before i got into my carriage.

Bags had been stuffed under the seats and into a square chest set between the stuffed seats and served as a table.

I sat on the left side by the open back and waited as a few more people slowly got in and the animals were attached to the carriage.

I counted those around me making a total of 4 distinct people besides me, one was good old Pence while the other three i had no idea about.

“So who are you?” I asked them.

“We are the ones responsible for helping you grow and make sure you're safe for the next few months.” The one who spoke was a man with black long spiked hair that pulled away from his forehead like someone had paused it as he fell of a roof.

“I was looking for names! But thanks anyway.”

He sulked for second and stared at Pence “ well you already know him, so that leaves me, Itan by the way, im a Half harpie.” I looked at him as he said that and noticed something quite obvious on his hair, those weren't hairs they were feathers, that's why his hair stood up so much.

“What about you three?” I said to the others hoping they would break their silence and their stares.

“I'm Oxil, a human all the way through” he had brown hair tied in a ponytail.

“Bert, i'm a homunculus.” a well tanned man with white hair and yellow eyes, wearing a hoodie.

“Drix… im a rinat.”

“A what?” I could get a good look as he was covered from top to bottom in thick rags and long robes.

“She's a turtle person.” Pence said. “ You can take of your rags he doesn't mind.

“Fuck you! I decide.” She yelled through his wrapped face.

I tried to be friendly and asked him. “Can you take those off so i can get a good look at you?”

She seemed to hesitate and pout before unwrapping herself, she started by getting rid of the cloth around her face and head revealing a dark skin with a green tint to it covered in tribal marks, she did not look human in the slightest with a giant mouth and thick wrinkly neck.

“You don't look that bad.” I said to her as she giggled a bit.

“Thanks” she said back before unwrapping the rest of her outfit. A pale blue and green shell divided in three sections each with large spread apart spikes,her front… surprised me as she actually wore clothes even with the spiked shell she wore a shirt like it was an apron around her neck and tied behind her pants.

“I guess now i kinda know who you all are and that will do for now. So whos ready for the long ass trip?”