They were the hunters at first, but now, prey.

Fleeting footsteps raced through the forest. Everywhere they turned, it was same scenery down every murky path. Black fog surrounded them. Trees, trees, and more trees popped up as if herding them in circles. Branches and vines constantly slapped their faces, wild grown roots threatened to trip them.

“The exit, where is it?!”

“Left! Turn left!”

“What the hell! Haven’t we pass through here more than once?”

“As if. It looks the same but it’s my job to remember the way out.”

Although they owned an old map detailing this forest, it was accurate a decade ago. It was a good thing the scout took the time to memorize the path where they came from. This place was terraformed by the Tower into one of its territories. The fog made it difficult to track one’s location even to seasoned hunters as it lacked landmarks anyone could use.

Behind them, a large raven black claw grew above treetops and ravaged the land behind them.

The pursuer was disgusting in every angle. It possessed a deer monster’s skull with jagged teeth and murderous antlers tainted in blood. Crimson liquid constantly poured down from its eyeholes. It was hunched. The humps on its back expanded and constricted, exhausting miasma in the air as it wildly flailed its arms.

“First, an Ikaga, then Li-Yangs, now this? Weren’t Screechers supposed to only exist in formed dungeons?”

“Watch out!”

Before someone finished their sentence, a shadow grew underneath the group’s fighter.

Fighter threw himself forward, barely dodging the claw. He hurriedly rolled back on his feet, catching up to his teammates. Just as he began to pick up speed, something cold yanked on his ankle. He cut the wispy black smoke restraining his leg, but more quickly latched on all over him. Fighter resisted with all his strength but to no avail, he was reeled back.

“Hey, help! Get these things off me!”

No one dared looked back. The others almost disappeared in the pouring fog.

It was in the guild’s codex to help party members whenever they could, but it was instinct to lookout for oneself before others. Any sensible person would realize the risk to fight the creature wasn’t worth it. Scout and the others continued running knowing it was impossible to save Swordsman.

“Don’t leave me behind! Help me! You bastards!”

His last moments looked at his party with desperation as the area above him turned dark, drool dripping around him. He looked up at a skull of a gargantuan deer monster separating its jaws. A breath of hot air breathed on his face before a row of jagged teeth snapped down like a bear trap on his neck. Swordsman’s cry of agony immediately ceased, replaced by the noise snapping bones and spine-tingling noise of meat grinding. Lastly, a sounding gulp sealed his fate.

It stared at the escapees with satisfaction as it turned back towards its lair towing the Fighter’s corpse. Limping back, it stretched its mouth wide, restricting air flowing through its throat and screamed.

“HeLp me! Don’t leave Me behind! HeEEEEElp! HelPP me! You BaStaRdS!”

Early next morning, the two passed a group of servants sweeping the area of scattered pink petals. Walking through the halls, Lily explained the Sacred Tree’s leaves were collected and turned into fertilizer for crops in the underground farm.

The scene was rather reminiscent. The majority of Kihet’s life was spent on raking leaves around the heroes’ grave similar to what the servants were doing. He felt homesick watching them, but his home was in shambles, taken over by the Shadows.

“This?”

“En! This is where we’ll meet them.”

Two large metallic doors slowly closed as they entered a building. Kihet instantly recognized the heavy scent of ink and oil flooding his nose. Shelves stood in rows, containing numerous scrolls and books that increased from his last time visit. Lastly, heavy curtains draped over most the windows, allowing specific openings to illuminate the dim library to preserve reading materials.

Further in, they climbed a flight of stairs and entered Shibata’s study chamber.

Inside, Kenji sat behind a desk while mimicking Miyabe who had documents on both hands, studying their contents. There were others, mixed of Devil and Ogre scholars. To his surprise, Miyabe’s retainers were calm and composed. Not a single comment about him flew by as he walked down the carpeted path, but all eyes were on him which made him uneasy as he reformed the scowl on his face.

Among the group, Kihet recognized the old man with a war club who had his back on the wall, eyes closed, as if he were sleeping. As soon as Kihet put his foot into the room using quiet steps, the old man instantly cracked open his eyes and rolled his shoulders.

“Your highness, the Oracle and the Priestess arrived.” He announced.

“Thank you, General. Kenji, it’s time.”

At Miyabe’s beckon, Kenji gulped.

He tensed up at the sight of the Oracle. Perhaps it was Kihet’s scary eyes or the sour expression on his face by default. Whether it was nervousness or fear, the prince braved himself in front of the unfriendly looking Oracle. Only when Lily kindly waved from behind, was Kenji able to relax his shoulders a bit.

“It’s the first time he’s in charge of a session.” Lily whispered. “Try to go easy on him, okay?”

Kihet shrugged and faced forward. “I’m here. You need something, from me?”

“Y-yes!” Kenji stammered. “We wish to inquire how much you know about your powers. It is important we help you understand your limits on your journey against the Tower Shadows.”

Kihet pulled back one of his sleeves covering the strange tattoo on his arm. He lifted it at chest height and in an instant, gray flames engulfed his entire forearm. It did not exhaust heat nor spread on flammable materials ordinary flames would.

“I can, burn them.”

“Just burning them?”

“And this.”

This time he asked for the General Toudo’s war club. After he wrapped his fingers around the handle, the club was enveloped in silver flames.

“Well, he wasn’t wrong to say he could only burn the Shadows.” Toudo said, inspecting the enchantment. “How long does it last?”

Kihet shrugged his shoulders. In truth, the flames extinguish after each battle. It wasn’t sure how long the enchantment would last if he left it alone.

Everyone’s face held high expectations when Kihet presented the Oracle’s powers. When they heard how limited his powers were, some couldn’t help but show their disappointment. It was said the Oracle held the will of the Creator, and yet, the blessing given to Kihet was minuscule in comparison to the flair depicted in grand tales.

“The Oracle is plenty strong as he is. His victory against me is proof of that.” Miyabe flipped through a copy of the Oracle’s legend. “This is only the beginning of his journey. I am certain there are more than we currently know. For instance, Priestess Tomoe who was chosen as a hero has not reported to have gain any special abilities yet.”

“I see. Pipsqueak became a hero.” Toudo commented.

“Hey, quit calling me that, Old man!” Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

“Old man? I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ll only stop when you manage to win a fight against me. Until then, that nickname’s going to stick on you.”

With the exception of Kihet, everyone else held wryly smiles on their faces while Lily and Toudo were bickering in the background. His face was set like stone, unable to show lighthearted emotions but not dead. His eyes clearly had life in them.

Kenji cleared his throat bringing their attention back to topic.

“Oracle, upon your return I believe Aunite-, I mean, the Priestess has informed you the situation of the world.”

-He slipped up.-

“As you have chosen her as one of the heroes, she has the duty to accompany you throughout your journey. Before we send you off to Vivrus, there are concerns we would like to discuss.”

While Kenji addressed the issue, Toudo stepped forward.

“General, please inform the Oracle of the major changes.”

Yes, Prince.” He bowed. “I will not bore you with the basics, Oracle. You should be aware the tower’s influence has continued to spread throughout the land. In recent years, it began converting surrounding forests and natural caverns into dungeons.”

“I haven’t passed one, when I was out there.” Lily mentioned. “Didn’t the guild, do something about it?”

Kihet wasn’t knowledgeable about guilds. His village didn’t have one, but the hunter system worked similarly. The only guild he visited was from Rozzosea, but he didn’t have the chance to register as an adventurer.

It might be wise to register as an adventurer. Using the guild’s services, he could pick up side jobs and earn extra funds as well as to have a reliable place to gather information for his travels.

“Dungeons…?”

“They’re not your typical dungeons.” The General answered. “For now, only undeveloped ones are allowed entry. Until the guild can determine an appropriate method to shut down a full fledge dungeon, we forbid entry to those ranked Knight and below.”

“Even so,” Kenji said. “Getting into one isn’t a simple task as monsters boldly prowl the lands. It really is a miracle the Priestess was able to bring you back safely.”

“What about Eizan?”

“Kihet, that’s…”

The room fell silent as Kihet’s question blindsided them. After everything he suffered through, they thought he did not want to mention about the traitor.

“Kenji, you did well. This is a difficult matter. I’ll take over from here. Go back for now.”

“Yes, mother.”

Kenji slipped off his chair and made way towards the exit. Accompanied by other retainers, he tossed one last glance before the doors closed.

Miyabe waited until the sound of footsteps faded.

“I’m terribly sorry, Oracle. Our intel regarding to Eizan and his schemes are limited.”

He sensed a bit of malice in her words. The look on everyone’s faces turned enraged for a split second when the name was mentioned and rightfully so.

“I will take his head. I swear on it.” Toudo growled. “For all the people who were affected by those vile Golden Dust…!”

“That chance will come. No matter what.” Miyabe muttered. “Not all hope is lost. I mentioned it was difficult, but not impossible. It took half a year for my agents to return with information regarding Sanctuary’s barrier. Valuable information require time to be safely reported back to us.”

-That’s why they’re desperate to not send me without proper preparation.-

“That reminds me, your highness. This morning, the guild passed on a document. There was one that hasn’t been fully formed into a dungeon yet, but there have been complications.”

“Has it not been cleared?”

“The adventurer came back alone in shock. He could not provide any insight due to his current condition but muttered something about a unique Tower Monster guarding the undeveloped core. As for descriptions, he testified it could grow and shrink in size.”

“That’s strange. They shouldn’t be any variants found at this stage, not when the core is still vulnerable.”

-I know where this is going. They’re going to get me involved if they’re telling me this.-

“We are not demanding you to clear a dungeon.” Miyabe commented. “It’s important you prioritize your duty as the Oracle to recruit more heroes and reconnect the world in this dark era.”

-Did she just read my mind? No, that’s silly. Shiba mentioned the Empress can read people’s intentions based on expressions.-

“But…” She continued. “If that core isn’t destroyed, Xu would lose more land. The land is already prowling with treacherous monsters, especially between borders.”

-Now she’s trying to guilt trip me.-

Lily raised her hand. “If that’s the case, won’t it be difficult going to Vivrus?”

“That is why we wish to have you and the Oracle explore the dungeon while we explore options that will safely lead you to Vivrus. I believe it would benefit both of us if you were to clear it. Do we know where it is?”

“It’s located north,” Toudo answered. “In a forest between two ruins where villages used to be.”

“That forest? I’m surprised adventurers managed to sneak past the Ly Ang’s territory. Knowing how territorial Ly Angs are, the Oracle might need an extra hand.”

“In that case, I have time to-.” Toudo rolled his shoulders, but was stopped when Miyabe raised her palm.

“I already have someone in mind. Your duty is to stay and protect the city until the other generals return from their campaign.”

“Aw c’mon! I’m hardly getting any action standing here! I can feel my bones rusting!”

“You have the tendency to leap headfirst into danger. I will not risk Tomoe and the Oracle.”

“Who’s this person going to join us?” Lily asked. “We’d like the extra hand, but Kihet might not get along with any strangers.”

“No need to worry. I can promise the Oracle will not have any conflicts.”

-They just volunteered me didn’t they…?-

Before every trip outside of the city, travellers strolled around the marketplace for provision and weapons. Those unprepared to face the new world were only asking for death.

Thankfully, they received funds to purchase equipment.

Weaponless and protected only by his old breastplate, Kihet browsed the variety of equipment in different shops. Scurrying down aisles, he picked up a dagger, a sword, and a rectangular shield. Although enchanted equipment were sold, he never had experience using them. Magic imbued weapons were powerful, but normal weapons were simpler to use, easier to maintain and replace.

Suddenly a chill ran down his spine as the cold surface of unworn leather protective gear pressed against his back.

Looking back, it was Martha.

“Stand still for a moment. Hmm… It’s good if you plan to move a lot, but it won’t defend as much as your current armor.”

“This is enough.”

“Until your new armor is made, I hope you’re right. Anyways, is that all?”

“Yes.” Kihet nodded. “Where’s Lily?”

“I’m back! I got myself arrows.”

Lily barged between them and dropped two quivers of two different types of arrowheads on the counter. One was full of iron budded tips while the other were cheaply sharpened wooden tips.

“Are you going to be able to carry all of that?”

“I’m not going to carry them all by myself.” Waving Martha’s question aside, Lily placed her sword and silver coins on the counter.

After the shop’s assistant sharpened the blade, Lily took out a piece of paper and put a check on it.

“I guess that’s all the things we need and right on time. After this, we’ll meet up with the other person. Martha, you must be jealous that I get to go dungeon diving with Kihet.”

“And?”

Lily had meant to tease but Martha’s response took her by surprise.

“Never mind! If you’ll excuse us, Kihet and I need to wait for someone at the gate. You can go back.”

She stuck her tongue out and grabbed Kihet.

Kihet nodded and waved Martha goodbye as he followed Lily’s lead through the crowded road towards the main gate. He surveyed the area, loosely looking at curious items sold by freelance merchants and adventurers.

One shop procured healing ointments, while another sold curious materials that could only be harvested from monsters. Some people gambled their gears to be serviced by apprentices with prices cheaper than professional blacksmith.

“We have necessities. Kihet, should we get more bandages?”

“I think, we’re fine.”

“If you say so. If this is everything, let’s wait by the gate.”

“Who will join us?” Kihet asked, hopping Lily knew who it was.

To his disappointment, she replied with a shrug.

If she didn’t know, there was no point guessing. Thinking back, Kihet was acquainted with a small group of people last time he visited Xu. He only hanged around Shiba, Miyabe, Martha and Lily back then.

While walking, he saw all kinds of weapons adventurers held, each fit with different styles of armor. Even the guy who he passed by was more heroic looking than he was. The adventurer was brimming in full eastern armor while he looked penniless.

It was then he felt a stalking presence.

He was sure he wore his fake horns that blended him with the people of Xu. His clothes weren’t out of ordinary, matching the style of other citizens. The Empress probably secretly sent someone to evaluate his abilities from afar, but that role was supposed to be filled by the third member of their party. Perhaps it was another country’s spy, somehow gained information about him.

Strolling by a stall selling mirrors, Kihet watched for his reflection. Once he determined a stalker boldly approached him, he spun around to challenge the figure.

He raised his arm in a defensive stance. His other hand grabbed the handle of his sword. Upon realizing the person, he quickly came to a halt and dropped his guard.

“Mar… tha?” He almost didn’t recognize her since her clothing had changed and her forehead was covered by a large bamboo woven hat.

“Umm… Did I scare you?”

“I thought, you were going back.”

“Did I say that?” She answered in a playful yet mysterious tone, almost like she expected Kihet’s reaction.

He sensed a mischievous air around her but didn’t think too much of it. He thought Martha wanted to see them off.

“Hm?”

“Nothing~.”

Martha giggled when Kihet awkwardly turned his face away. It’s as if she caught him at an embarrassing moment.

Suddenly, a hand pulled him away.

“Someone doesn’t want to leave.” Lily pouted and squinted. She examined Martha from head to toe, then her eyes pop open. “Wait a minute. You’re wearing your armor… and carrying a bag?! No! It couldn’t be!”

They wouldn’t have guessed their third member was indeed Martha.

“I had someone bring my equipment. When I turned around, you two went ahead. What are we waiting for? Let’s get going already.”

“No! I object!”

“Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice. The Empress sent me to look after and evaluate you two. You don’t have a problem with that, right, Kihet?”

Personally, he’d preferred if Martha stayed back. It would mean there was one less he cared person to not be exposed to danger, but he noticed a flicker of light, jewelry on her wrist.

He was reminded he gave it to Martha a long time ago. The bangle was made by Elius, a friend from his village, that could materialize barriers for the wearer. If he weighed out the pros and cons, having that magical bangle nearby would be helpful. Also, an extra set of eyes would be nice.

He chewed over her words and made his decision.

“No problem.”

“Yeah, tell her! See? Even Kihet- wait, what?”

Martha spun around and pumped her fist after having heard Lily’s shock. She quickly faced them before Kihet noticed, though Lily saw everything and was bewildered.

“Lily, it’s Miyabe’s request.”

“No, but, she just-!”

“It’s fine.” He reassured and pointed to one of the carriages for rent.

Dumbfounded, Lily only formed broken words as she watched Martha walked beside Kihet and stuck her tongue back at Lily.

“No it’s not!”

Her complaint was not heard.