The morning sun had just starting to emerge when the party left the Camp Hearth, the rays not carrying any heat in them. It was a rather fresh morning and heavy clouds promised rain, exaggerated in their size like everything else on Earth was since the System arrival. After seven months of training, the party moved rather quickly, although Chen and Margaret still had to be carried, which Ted and Lucas did. Maggie was always a few steps in front of them, acting as the scout with her sharp and keen Perception. Lucas was intently starring at her, admiring the woman. Her new updated armor set included tight, tailored to fit leather armor, showing skin and covering vital parts in equal measures, giving Maggie fierce look. Paired with her general demeanor in battle and the fact that she could be as deadly as Lucas and sometimes even more, the woman was more and more in Lucas’s eyes. He caught himself numerous times just staring at the way her body moved during the training or just enjoying her voice when she spoke.

“Pick up your tongue, you are going to trip on it” Margaret whispered from his back, indicating Lucas wasn’t the only one to notice he was falling for Maggie.

“Very funny.” he responded.

“I know, that is just who I am” Margaret retorted, loudly chuckling “but I’m serious. If you trip, I’m falling down with you. Stare at our resident beauty on your free time” she finished. Lucas scratched his head, using it as excuse to show Margaret the finger before focusing back on the path itself. Unlike last time he traversed this section, there was now an established earth path, adventurers from the Guild going at great length to build and maintain the road to the most lucrative dungeon in vicinity, adventurers patrolling it during the whole day and keeping the animals and monsters from it. Lucas even heard there was beginning of the settlement forming around the dungeon or rather a circle of merchant who smelled a great chance to profit being the first thing adventurers see when they exit the dungeon with packs laden with loot. It even helped dungeon was easy, with only two bosses and patterns that were easy to study and map. Lucas heard a whole row back at former prison was dedicated just to notes about the enemies encountered in the dungeon and potential loot from it. Of course, the pearls were the most valuable part and a farm of it now grew just outside Bruce’s office, racking even more profit for the settlement. But, other adventurers have begun figuring out where they came from and their price was dropping down, as other people started bringing them back and putting them on the market. New earrings Margaret and Maggie carried, as well as the necklace that was around Chen’s neck was fashioned from those pearls, their inert ability to drain mana from their surroundings helping with managing resources during fights. Adding Ted’s club, who was first piece of gear that included the pearls, Lucas was now the only member of his party that didn’t had any pearl equipment on him, which he found slightly ironic, seeing as he was the one to find them in the first place.

“Yo, big guy, are we there yet?” Margaret asked him, the boredom making her to fidget on his back. Lucas was slightly annoyed, but it wasn’t their first long trip and he was used to the medic’s antics. The woman was physically incapable of sitting still for more than five minutes and it looked like keeping silent was actually causing her insufferable pain.

“Good grief, Margaret, it’s early in the morning. Do you have a soul?” Ted asked from the Lucas’s left side, man always grumpy when freshly awoken.

“Hm, I don’t know. But I think only gingers don’t have souls, and seeing as I’m not a ginger, I think the answer is yes, I do have a soul” Margaret said as loudly and slowly as she was physically able, aiming to further grind Ted’s gears. The team chuckled, their spirits high. You could always count on the cheerful Margaret to raise the mood and Lucas felt grateful to have her in the party. His line of thought was broken when Maggie raised her fist, signaling for them to slow down. Lucas immediately halted, Margaret slipping from his back. He strained his Perception, looking in the same direction Maggie was, trying to see a glimpse of the potential threat. Two vaguely humanoid shapes were strolling about, Lucas managing to discern their light blue skin and bearded faces topped off with clear blue eyes. One of them carried an axe and a shield, while the second one looked unarmed from distance, marking it as a potential caster. Guessing they were the target they were searching for, Lucas drawn his sword and muttered “Doom infusion”. Feeling sharp due to the energies that were beginning to course through his body, Lucas stepped forward. The humanoids noticed him, and began slowly approaching. Now at the closer range, Lucas could spot even more details. They were definitely human, albeit taller than the average human was, even with the System enhancing everyone. They snarled and shouted something in some rough and coarse language. Lucas tried to explain he isn’t able to understand them, but had a feeling his efforts were futile. The two humans seemingly red Lucas’s mind as they instantly moved to attack, eager to confirm Lucas was right about his effort. The unarmed one raised his hand and the ground against Lucas started shaking. He activated “Dodge” and the preconception aspect of his skill showed attack covered a great deal of area, but was strictly in the same line. He jumped backwards just in time as the sharp ice sticks protruded from the ground, their point looking dangerously sharp and able to do massive damage if it manages to hit. Axeman pressed the advantage, jumping over the spikes and attacking Lucas. Activating “Punch parry” Lucas punched the axe, changing its trajectory and staggering his opponent. Using that chance, Lucas activated “Guiding strike” his hand automatically flying to the guts of the axeman. He recovered enough to intercept with his shield, however and then he shouted something in his rough language. Feeling a skill is about to be activated, Lucas activated “Dodge” and somersaulted over the man, his attack, which was represented by the sharp looking light that hovered a few centimeters in front of his axe, connecting with the space which was occupied by Lucas a few seconds ago. In his current position, he spotted the exact copy of the axeman being smashed by Ted, Chen deterring the caster from unleashing his new spell. He activated “Sharpshight”, seeing this as a good chance to see what he was facing.

“Fjoldr Iceaxe, Icewander tribesman, Reaver level 50”

“Ronulfr, Icewander tribesman, Ice Elementalist level 51”

“Manageable” was the only thought Lucas had time to muster before the axeman once again started attacking him. Another “Dodge” was enough for Lucas to get some space and he started running, letting his passive build his speed up. Seeing Lucas now had the upper hand, the Reaver hunkered down behind his shield while twirling his axe. Not wanting to give time to his enemy to prepare any more skills, Lucas suddenly changed direction before focusing on the aura of the man. Cold seeped all the way to his bones when he locked on the man aura, but he simply commanded “Aura severing” with a thought. The Reaver screamed and then completely froze, as the satisfactory grin appeared on Lucas’s face. He arrived to the man’s location and activated “Strikes of doom”, landing powerful strikes on the axeman in quick succession. Suddenly, he slipped and fell down, the ground at his feet now full blown ice. Luckily for Lucas, he had just the right tool for this, activating “Bulwark of balance” and standing up, his feet now impervious to the slipperiness of the ice beneath him. Scouting the battlefield, he spotted the rest of his party having hard time, the Elementalist finally managing to relieve himself from the pressure. Lucas guessed they were completely focused on the caster and now the man was preparing his retaliation, as his most basic attacks still hadn’t managed to break Ted’s armor, even in his disoriented state. Lucas activated “Infused piledriver” spinning towards the Elementalist. Before his sword connected, however, a huge ice wall appeared in his way. He struck it, his word chipping the ice as it went deeper and deeper. When the gladius was in the wall all the way to the hilt, Lucas stopped and pulled his sword savagely. Somewhere, somehow, the structural integrity of the wall was lost and it shattered. Elementalist was ready for Lucas, launching rays from both of his hands. Lucas managed to evade one ray, but the second pierced his shoulder.

“You took 463 points of damage”

Bone – chilling frost started spreading from the wound, making Lucas shiver. To make matters worse, the axeman was back on his feet and was charging the now disoriented Lucas. Meanwhile, Lucas’s party managed to catch its footing and Maggie and Chen were already scrambling, timing their attacks together to make a cloud of arrows. They sent it flying towards the elementalist, the man flashing a look of dismay before entombing himself in ice. That left axeman, who was in the middle of his swing aimed at the back of Lucas’ skull. Ted shouted “Protective rush” and in an instant materialized himself in front of Lucas, his club blocking the axe mid – swing.

“You’re welcome” Ted shouted at him while evading swings of the now enraged axeman. Lucas murmured his thanks before Margaret also found him, her hands glowing green as she put them on Lucas. He felt the pleasantness coursing through his body, knitting flesh back to its original form.

“You are healed for 400 points”

“I always wanted to heal you in proper battle, but you are just so hard to hit. You know, I even considered sabotaging you for the chance” Margaret said with a smile. Lucas threw her an incredulous look which just made her wink at him before bursting into laughter. Lucas also smiled, his spirits restored and he scouted the battlefield. Axeman was now on the back foot, dodging Ted’s club, Maggie’s arrows and illusions Chen sent his way. Lucas spotted the wounds and scratches he took close themselves really fucking fast. Obviously, he possessed a innate regeneration ability and while he wasn’t tired, he would be able to successfully evade and wait for an opening. Not content on allowing it, Lucas once again found the man aura and activated “Aura severing”. The man groaned and fell to one knee, Ted’s club immediately finding his skull and connecting with a loud crack. Maggie’s arrow flew next, piercing shoulder of the incapacitated axeman.

“Faster, he has regeneration” Lucas shouted which was enough for the siblings who immediately started pummeling the man, club hits and arrow piercing now dancing in devastating rhythm. Arrow that connected with the back of the skull, piercing the bone and bone matter was the killing blow and the axeman fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

“You have assisted in Icewander tribesman, Reaver level 50”

The entire party turned to the tomb that still held the Elementalist. Lucas wondered how much does his skill last and thy settled in to wait. After five minutes had passed, Lucas lost his patience and hit the ice walls with his pommel. First strike cracked the ice, second chipped it and with the third, the tom shattered completely, revealing nothing from within it. The Elementalist escaped them, no doubt to warn the rest of the blue – skinned enemies of their approach. Lucas cursed and the party was once again in motion, running towards the shore where the ice ship was docked.