"I take it you had your share of war in your time?" Darsumi asked and Bones confirmed he sure did. Some things never change. War never changes! Good times though.

"Well, these are different times, which you no doubt experienced already but what you've seen so far…is a rather wrong presentation of both individual and group strength. You fought and killed men before but the people you'll be facing on the battlefield will be on a higher level, mentally and skill wise! They will have better gear, higher skill mastery and they will fight in groups. And I'm not talking about the soldiers, but adventurers exploiting the war for experience and merits!"

"You asked about the cultivation chamber we found at Covingster's. Major guilds use similar chambers for training only larger and more efficient. Mana rich environment takes a toll on the body and users take advantage of the chamber to temper their bodies, strengthen it and raise resistances to elements, poison and even pain."

"Adventurers you will meet in battle might be members of major guilds and if so, they would have trained in that kind of environment." Dar finished with his lengthy explanation, then after some thinking, said that Bones' biggest advantage was his infinite stamina and the fact that his enemies don't know he is an undead.

"Avoid critical injuries and they are never going to bring you down!" He added, then changed the topic. They talked for an hour and Dar suggested for Bones to visit the beautiful coasts of the Zaris Kingdom northeast and of course, the mountains to the south where the dwarf kingdom Ebasal was located are a sight to behold!

Hem joined them, not wanting to miss out on Bones' departure and after overhearing the topic of the mountains, couldn’t help but voice his opinion.

"Ye definitely need ta visit our home! Ebasal mountains stretch as far as yer eyes coulda see! And flyin high over da mountains is da fortress-city were current King lives!"

"Flying…fortress-city?" Bones repeated, wondering if he misheard.

"That's right, Bones. The capital of Ebasal Kingdom and the place the king resides in is a flying fortress-city Elysium. I guess I need to tell you a bit about our ancestors first." Dar said and looked out the window to see if it was beginning to dawn. Outside was still dark but there was little less than an hour until Bones would have to depart.

"The current King Dhoral is a son of our ancestor and a legend among the dwarves, Gobrick Blackmail."

"That right!" Hem exclaimed and slammed the palm of his hand against the table, waking Mirami up. She looked around confused, then turned to the apologetic and puffing Hem and asked him what was up.

"Gobric!" He said and she exclaimed: "The greatest!", and went back to sleep.

Both dwarves and Bones shared a smile and before Dar could make out a word, Hem continued.

"No joke! He really was da greatest ascendant! He gained reputation by foightin againsta Skelly King 'nd aftah da battle, 'is defensive skill Equip Armor became legen'dary 'nd widely known!"

"See, Gobrick was actually a transcendent armorsmith! 'nd wit peak metal affinity, he coulda materialize a set of Soul Armor he woulda instantly equip."

"Soul Armor?" Bones couldn't help interject and ask.

"Aye. A black chainmail armor crafted wit da piece of 'is soul! It gave' im absolute defense against soul attacks, but more importantly, it allowed 'im to foight toe to toe against da Skelly King!"

"That sounds amazing!" Bones said after remembering what he read about the Skeleton King and asked what happened to him since his son was now the King. Hem's initial excitement piped down and he leaned back in his chair. It seemed Bones' question weighed down his mood. Hem slowly stood up and said he was going to go take a piss.

Dar chuckled and explained that Hem looked up to Gobric and that he was the reason he chose the armorsmith profession. "Nevermind him, I'll continue where he left off." He said after Hem left.

"After becoming an ascendant, Gobrick united us dwarves under a single banner though, as you can see, there's no helping fighting among ourselves. Before the fortress, was a mountain peak rich in clusters of mana crystals, stones and whatnot and was heavily responsive to metal affinity. Gobrick made it into a flying fortress using formations and separating a peak from the rest of the mountain. Over time, the fortress became a city and it's been flying over the Kingdom for thousands of years."

"The only way to get there now is by flying an airship and they don't let just anyone inside the city. Having a renowned reputation with the dwarves will grant you an entry or an invitation from the King himself."

"Gobrick was last seen some forty years ago. Afterwards, he disappeared from the public eyes and shortly after, his son made an announcement that he was taking over the position of a king as the current King wished to continue focusing on leveling up."

"Load of bullshit if you ask me…If anyone knows what really happened, they've kept it to themselves." Dar explained and added that Bones should definitely visit the Ebasal mountains but should probably refrain from mentioning either of their names, referring to himself and Hem.

"Enough about that. There is another place that might be of more interest to you." Dar said, piquing Bones' interest.

"More interesting than a flying city? Do tell!"

"The Desolate Lands." Dar said and a window to the tavern slammed open, letting cold air in. He shivered for a moment before getting up and closing the window shut. "Blasted cold. It's still snowing!" Dar grumbled and returned to Bones. "Where was I?"

"The Desolate Lands!" Bones answered.

"Right. What do you know about them?"

Just as Bones was about to reply, Hem returned, hugging two bottles and three mugs. "Thought you went to take a piss?" Bones asked and Hem gave him a grin, saying he did but helped himself on the way back…

Hem handed a mug to each and poured them a drink. Bones made a cocktail by mixing his drink with mana potion to the dwarf's grimace. Once it got quiet, Bones answered the question.

"I don't know much. Just that it's a barren land void of mana and I've read about the war of two major kingdoms to the south that led to desolation."

"Ooo ye talkin 'bout Desolate Lands eh?" Hem asked and received a nod from the both of them. Dar replied to Bones that he was partially right and corrected him.

"The Desolate Lands aren't completely void of mana. With the coming of a system, wars and clashes between clans, sects, cities and even countries became more frequent. The fighting between strong forces, especially ascendants, led to the whole southern area becoming unstable and barren. Up to this date the Mana constantly fluctuates and some areas are completely void while some are extremely rich in mana. And you're right, around… eh? How long has it been? Four - five hundred years perhaps?" Dar wondered and turned to Hem who just shrugged.

"Doesn't matter! Two powerful kingdoms had waged war for decades over the resources. In their final confrontation, ascendants fought and almost destroyed everything. Other kingdoms made an alliance like they did in the past against the Skeleton King, and put a stop to their destruction by wiping out every major power in both kingdoms."

"The aftermath of the war was a land almost devoid of mana for over a century. Only then did people begin to inhabit the area and adapt to the new environment. The people, so-called barbarians and nomads, learned to cultivate in such harsh conditions focusing entirely on reinforcing their bodies and mastering battle techniques!"

With such an unfavorable and disadvantageous situation, the most common classes became a warrior variant with ranger variants focusing on tracking and survival. Mages were rare, but among them, healers, earth and sand manipulators were most common.

"The desert is unforgiving Bones. Sandstorms kilometers high and wide and deadly monsters adapted to life under a scorching sun…but the lands are also an opportunity."

"What kind of an opportunity?" Bones asked.

"Fluctuating mana caused violent disturbances in the atmosphere. Not just sandstorms, but gusts of wind, gales and storms! Over time, the ruins of cities were covered with sand but they were still there. More importantly, many treasures and wealth were buried with them!"

"True true." Hem confirmed and added that many expeditions are sent to find and excavate the treasures, even now, but how could that be easy? Wild dungeons manifest often and with no one to clear them, dungeons break and monsters are left loose. The Desolate Lands is an area with the most dungeon breaks on the continent. Many of the dungeon monsters fall to the local beasts and monsters, strengthening them and a few powerful enough continue to adapt and live in the desert.

"But that's not what I meant by an interesting place!" Dar said and finally got to the point. "The desolation stretches further south and southwest, and at the end of the Desolate Lands is a great chasm in the surface of the earth. That chasm is a rift Bones. A rift to the other side, a Nether Realm!"

Dar was right. Hearing about the rift did interest Bones more and Bones asked him questions about it until it was time to leave.

The three sat in their lounge chairs in silence for a moment until Bones started getting up." Well, I guess this is it."

"Aye! Boney, 'is been a pleasure!" Hem said and gave him a strong and firm handshake. Bones could hear his bones breaking from being squeezed. Hem was super strong! "Dun make too much trouble 'nd be careful eh!" Bones nodded and Hem turned and left the room, probably returning to his bed. Darsumi waited until Hem left and turned to Mirami who slept like a dead log. He smiled but didn't wake her up. He then turned to Bones and asked: "Shall we?"

"Are you accompanying me?" Bones asked but Dar gave him an apologetic look and said he's going to go out looking for intel on what was happening in the city right now. Bones nodded and after leaving the tavern, they walked together down the street where they separated at the intersection after exchanging a last few words.

Bones used the still-not-used-to public transport to reach the south gates and followed the street signs to the appointed address. His destination was a worn down building that looked like it had experienced the passage of time. He knocked on the doors twice and waited. Soon, the door opened and a spare and shriveled corpse of an old man with white sideburns appeared asking Bones what in the world he wanted this early in the morning.

Bones excused himself and asked for coachman Markus. The old man narrowed his eyes and asked him who he was. Bones was about to answer but stopped, mulling over the question. It wasn't an existential question, but a matter of how he was supposed to present himself. After a brief pause, he said he was Norris the thief. The old man cracked a smile, showing crooked teeth and let him inside.

"I was waiting for you." He said after Bones entered and motioned with his hand to follow him.

"You are the coachman Marcus I presume?" Bones asked.

"You presume right." The old man confirmed but didn't say anything else. Bones followed Marcus down the hallway and into a spacious area where a wagon used to transport prisoners was stationed. Marcus picked up a set of handcuffs and tossed them to Bones who caught them, then pointed toward the wagon.

"No one told you? Bah… *spits* "Put them on and head inside while I harness the horses and attach them to the wagon. These need to stay on until the camp, understood?" Marcus said, referring to the handcuffs. I see. I am a prisoner until the camp.

Bones put them on and climbed the wagon. He sat at the far end and waited for the coachman. Fifteen minutes later, the wagon started moving toward the southern gates. As they were approaching the gates, Bones sensed the presence of dozens of guards. The wagon stopped in front of the squad and one of the guards approached the coachman. They exchanged a few words and then Bones sensed more people coming over from the side. The reinforced doors of the wagon opened up and one by one, men in handcuffs entered. Total number of prisoners, correction, volunteers for transport numbered eight.

Once ready, the guards opened the gates and let the wagon with an escort out of the city. Since the attack the day before, the city was put on lockdown and there was an increased presence of guards on the streets and at every city gate. The wagon continued down the road south and Bones watched the open fields through the small window, feeling like much more time had passed than it did since he was walking down this road toward the capital for the first time.

The wagon was slow, moving at jogging pace and it took hours to reach an intersection where the road split west, leading toward Northpoint watchpost Bones had briefly visited once before, and south toward a small garrison which was apparently their next stop before the camp at the frontlines.