The day passed in the wink of the eye. The chaos of lunch and dinner, the time spent training in between, even the massive rearrangement of Dallion’s realm seemed to have gone in a flash. There was no telling whether he had spent a day or a week in true time, doing everything he wanted to do, all with the goal of getting his mind off things that were and that would be. There was but one regret—he hadn’t managed to see Euryale that night. The gorgon’s workshop was empty, with nothing but a note telling Dallion that she had been called by the city guard to assist in something.

Dallion was slightly hurt that no details were mentioned, but considering he did the same when making his deals with the mirror pool and what not, he decided he wasn’t the right person to judge.

Hannah was up as Dallion left for the guild. Since the copyette incident, the two didn’t exchange much more than hellos and goobyes. Dallion knew she had no ill will towards him, and everything considered he couldn’t be too upset at her either, but needed some more time for relations to return to normal. As for the Aspan, things were a lot more complicated.

You should have attempted another level, Nil said as Dallion made his way towards the guild again. Even an attempt would have been a valuable experience for you.

Maybe I’ll do it after my trip, Dallion replied.

Suit yourself. An exploration isn’t like a day of improving items. You don’t have limits on using your skills.

I know, Nil, I know.

There were considerably more people at the guild when Dallion got there. Most of them, as it turned out, were new candidates coming from the nearby towns and villages in an attempt to join the guild. Estezol had explained that the festival also brought in flocks of merchant kids and wandering awakened who wanted to join a guild—any guild. Nine times out of ten, the people didn’t have what it took, but even so, tests had to be conducted, which was a real nightmare considering everything else going on. Now, Dallion understood why everyone kept referring to the festival since he had arrived here. The festival was the equivalent of months of work packed into a single week. No wonder Nil hated it so much.

Squeezing through the crowd, Dallion made his way to the staircase, then up and to the fourth floor, when the rest of the exploration party had started to gather.

“Hey,” Vend greeted Dallion. “Glad you made it on time.”

“Yeah, the morning was slow,” Dallion said. “So, this is it?” Despite his attempts, Dallion couldn’t hide his anxiousness. He could have sworn it was under control this morning, but now, moments before the event, it was back in full force. “Do we split into groups?”

“Not for this. Strength in numbers. Don’t worry, though, you’ll be pretty much a packrat. And healer.”

Dallion arched a brow.

“Everyone in the city knows about your firebird. You’ll be in the front line, ready to fix people up if they get wounded.”

“Shouldn’t I be in the back lines?” Dallion wondered.

“What good will you be there?” The people in front are the ones who’ll get hurt. Crafters are behind. Don’t worry, you’ll learn fast when you see it.”

Or you could have learned if you had done some more reading on medium group tactics and strategies, Nil said bitterly.

There were over a hundred formations there, Dallion said defensively.

The only person you’re hurting is yourself. I don’t particularly care what you read and what you don’t. However, you would have been much better prepared if you had done as I suggested.

“Giving the kid a hard time already?” a female voice asked behind Dallion. “Looks like mentoring someone has gotten to your head.”

Turning around, Dallion saw the crafter who he’d met during the rescue guild job. Since then, he had learned quite a bit of things about her, namely that she was an acting captain for the Icepicker’s crafters, as well as Janna and Kallan’s mother.

“Congrats on passing the third gate,” the woman turned to Dallion. “Sorry I couldn’t make it to your celebration, but had this to deal with. Kids say hi, by the way. Both are envious that you got to take part in this before them.”

“Thanks,” Dillion said in a somewhat stiff fashion. “I’m sure they’ll get their chance.”

“Yeah… no.” The woman’s expression changed. “I’m not letting them anywhere near a world item.”

“That dangerous?” Dallion asked.

“Kid, if it wasn’t dangerous, there wouldn’t be so much fuss. We’d have done it already and forgotten all about the stupid sword. It’s taken years to get it to the state it’s now. Quite a few people quit over that.”

That sounded harsh, but Dallion could see it. Based on the state of the decay on the sword, it was nearly certain that the cracklings had created quite a few settlements, potentially even towns. If they were to clear all that, it would take quite a bit of fighting and ingenuity.

“At least we won’t have to deal with this mess,” Vend looked down the staircase.

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” Dallion smirked. “You got me.”

“I also got the Star.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. No one felt like continuing the conversation, spending the time checking their gear, instead. After another few minutes March arrived, and to Dallion’s great surprise, she wasn’t alone.

“Everyone here?” the captain asked, giving the group a quick glance. “Good,” she said before anyone could answer. “Before we go, there’s been a small change. I’ve arranged a hunter to accompany us on this mission.”

Eury? Dallion thought, not believing his eyes. What’s she doing here?

I must say this is a problem, Nil said, sounding concerned.

“Euryale has worked with us in the past and most of you know her, so there shouldn’t be any issue.”

“Great,” Vend said beneath his breath.

“Are we expecting wilderness creatures?” someone asked.

“After last time, anything is possible. That’s why we’re taking a hunter along. The decision comes from the guild master himself.”

That quickly put an end to all further questions. Dallion, however, felt more than a bit uncomfortable with the situation. It was no longer a secret that he and the gorgon had hooked up, not to mention that due to a slip of the tongue, quite a lot of people were under the impression that the two were engaged.

On the other hand, having her along was certainly going to be beneficial for the group. A gorgon hunter, and forger at that, was rare to come by.

Several of Eury’s snakes moved in Dallion’s direction, as if they were waving.

“Check your gear,” March ordered. “Agnii, you got everything you needed?”

“Right here,” the other captain said, revealing a large collection of chains and bracelets on her left hand. “Should be enough until we start making things on our own.”

March nodded, then waited for the rest of the group to finish with the final check. There was no need for Dallion to go through that—he had been checking his gear multiple times ever since he had left the inn, even before. Still, he felt compelled to do so, if only to show March that he was being serious.

Once everyone was done, March led the way to the room with the door. Unlike before, the moment the party entered the room, the door was closed and barred shut. Without invitation, Vend stepped to the sword hanging from the ceiling and grabbed the blade with his left hand while extending his left back. Several people grabbed hold to it, doing the same. Dallion also followed suit. In a number of seconds, the entire chain was complete.

“May the blessings of the Moons be with us,” March said.

WORLD ITEM AWAKENING

Reality changed, taking everyone into the realm of the sword. The weapon hanging from the ceiling was gone, along with the walls of the small room. Instead, the group found itself in a large, elaborate temple. Large statues of white and green marble rose everywhere—human figures dressed in armor depicting the seven Moons. The common five were easily recognizable, although the last two had their faces and arms destroyed.

Three large altars were visible further down the room, surrounded by columns and bowls of fire. The walls were made entirely of mosaics, depicting hunting scenes of nature—fields, seas, deserts, forests, mountains, and clouds with castles on them.

We’re in a temple? Dallion asked.

Don’t ask me, Nil said. World items are unlike the rest. I guess the people who built them wanted to keep the connection between the world and the Moons.

You are in the WORLD of AURA SWORD

Unseal all Temples to fulfil the WORLD’s destiny.

“Everyone gather round,” Agnii shouted. Looking at her, Dallion saw that she was surrounded by a pile of backpacks which definitely wasn’t present back in the guildhall. “Get your backpacks. That’s your food and water for the next two days, so keep it safe!”

Food and water? That was a first. Dallion was familiar with the explanations, but now he wanted to take a sip and bite just to see the difference.

Like a well-oiled machine, the members of the party passed by the crafter, each picking up a backpack and continuing down the temple hall. When it was Dallion’s turn, he found that the backpack was far heavier than he initially expected. His body stat allowed him to pick it up without problem, but some effort was involved.

“All set?” March asked.

“All set,” the other captain replied.

“Good. Group outside.”

Dallion looked about, confused what to do, when Vend tapped him on the shoulder and gestured forward. After half a minute walking, the group reached a large wooden double door.

“Get ready,” Vend whispered.

“For what?” Dallion was barely able to ask when two of the party members opened both sides of the door, revealing the landscape outside.

If there were any doubts why this would be called a world item, they were now gone. The temple, as it turned out, was on the top of a mountain, providing a vista throughout the land. The valley below shifted from a plain with sparse vegetation to a forest, then to a plain again.

“Sword Tip mountain,” Vend said. “This is where we start. The next point is all the way through the forests, along the trail to the stone obelisk.”

Dallion could only nod as he left the temple. The air was sweet, though chilly, as one would expect when on a mountain. Remnants of what once must have been a road began at the door, quickly giving way to rocks as they reached the cliff.

“The world has ten levels,” Vend explained. “Each has a temple with a guardian that opens the way to the next level. The levels are worlds within themselves, but also part of a whole.”

“Like portals?”

“No, it’s physical. It’s closer to sphere items. There are tunnels that lead to other parts of the realm, only we don’t have staircases—not anymore, at least—but just tunnels leading down. There’s one thing to keep in mind,” Vend pointed in the distance.

Initially, Dallion didn’t see it. After a few moments, the point of interest was obvious. Vend was pointing at a flock of birds, possibly crows, flying just as calmly as they would if they were in the real world.

It really is like a real world, Dallion thought.

A short distance away, Marsh was having a hushed conversation with Euryale. Whatever they were discussing, the two made sure to whisper softly enough so that no other awakened could hear. Once they finished, the gorgon went ahead, down the mountain, while March turned to the rest of the group.

“We’ll do some hunting when we get down there. Our immediate goal is food, materials, and water for the next leg of the way. Stay together, help out as much as you could. Once Agnii is happy, we move on to the next temple. One thing to remember. There’re no cracklings or stinkers in this area, but the animals are still here. If you come across anything you don’t know or can’t handle, don’t do anything rash.”

“What is out there?” Dallion whispered to Vend. “Bears?”

“Bears would be fine. We could use them for fur. This place is its own world and like any world it has its creatures of the wilderness.”