I CONTINUE MY FLIGHT.

While the Flourishing Flatlands, the Frosty Mountains, and the Blazing Desert had been ravaged during Galgom’s invasion of Utana, only the Desolate Caverns had truly been destroyed. Even then, the domain still exists, filled to the brim with monsters. But with the Websmith’s demise, so ends any civilization in the Desolate Caverns.

Thornthistle, Frozenpeak, and Warmthkeep can continue and have continued to pervade even without their guardians. But the Desolate Caverns becomes nothing more than a… well, desolate cavern, without the Websmith.

Now, after Galgom’s reign ended, the three cities remained alive— surviving. However, with the first wave of Void Pirates— the slaves, as Galgom called them— Frozenpeak was destroyed. Their people were forced to evacuate, led by Bluerage, to Thornthistle. Unfortunately, many of them did not arrive at the Flourishing Flatlands in time. They were caught by the Eternal Elementals first, their progress slowed, before now being assailed by these Zombies.

I spot the caravan in the distance. It is a small gather of refugees from Frozenpeak. They must have fallen behind the main group led by Bluerage, and they are now stranded, unable to proceed any further. They have set up an encampment with tall barriers and moats and traps that have stymied the advance of the Zombies on their little fort.

A handful of these twisted creatures lumber up to its walls, making it past the various hurdles, only to be blasted down by the Elementalists guarding them. But even from afar, thanks to the School of Divination, I can see that they are exhausted. They must have been here for quite a while. And their enemies will never run out. So, I fly over to rescue them.

They look up, gasping as I send a hail of needles raining down. The Zombies sprinting across the spike fields are cut down in an instant. Even with their extreme agility and athlecism, they cannot avoid the high-speed needles flying straight at them. A few of them duck and weave behind cover, but I tug at my fingers, bending the needles around any obstacle and eviscerating all of the nearby Zombies. They drop dead before they can even get close to the encampment, and I descend before the walls.

“Y-you’re—” the first man I see sputters.

“I am Tian,” I reply simply, nodding at him. “Are you the leader of this refugee encampment?”

He hesitated. He clearly recognizes me as a friend. He likely even knows my name from Bluerage— possibly even seeing my during the battle of Frozenpeak.

“My name is Ballorn,” he finally answer. “And while I wasn’t the leader of this group yesterday, I am now.”

“I see.” I do not comment on that any further, although I can see the way his face darkens as he finishes.

As much as I want to spend time offering him my condolences or beating around the bush with pleasantries, I do not waste time.

“Are there any others like you?” I ask. “Those who didn’t evacuate with Bluerage’s group and were left behind?”

He shakes his head, much to my relief. “We are the last ones left. We don’t believe anyone was left behind in Frozenpeak.”

“Good,” I say, glancing back once. I scan the surroundings to once again confirm that there are no Zombies left in the area. “If there is no one left in Frozenpeak, then that means the Blazing Desert is the only other domain that is still standing.”

I spread my wings wide, and he blinks. “Wait, are you leaving us?”

“I have ensured that this area has been cleared. I recommend that you pack up and continue in that direction.” I point to where I came from. “There are members of the Keepers of the Grove trailing after me. They can help you get to Thornthistle. It is safe there.”

Ballorn hesitates for a moment, then he bows his head at me as I ascend to the sky. “Thank you, Tian.”

I nod back at him before flying off. With that settled, all that is left is to head to the Blazing Desert and ensure that Warmthkeep does not fall. I soon find out that that is harder than I initially thought.