"Honey, here's the info pack for Wispan," Refix held out a sealed envelope with the Adventurer's official seal. They had sent several of their own people out in several different directions instead of waiting for someone in the Adventurer's Guild to accept a commission. They had burned through several years' worth of savings, but that didn't matter. It was still a drop in the bucket for the wealth they had accumulated over the years of running Dungeons and businesses, and if they weren't going to spend it on finding their son, what would they spend it on? "Give here, quick!" Ameliyn snatched the envelope from his hands and went to tear it open, but she calmed herself down before making a serious mistake and used her magic to verify the seal and Spell cast on it. After confirming the authenticity and decoding the Spell lock, she tore the envelope to shreds in her haste to get at the information inside. There were several papers, and each one contained complicated webs of routes that could be taken from Tier 4 teleporter to Tier 4 teleporter in a long chain to the final destination. Refix had been adamant that they map out multiple alternative routes just in case, and it had led to an incredibly thick packet. Ameliyn ignored all of that, though, and zeroed in on the fastest route possible. "86 jumps to get to Wispan, that's more than we made from Vyndinn to get here," Ameliyn said, handing the pages with the alternate paths back to Refix. "We only took 37 jumps from Vyndinn to get to the neighboring empire before wandering around all the way to Haluville, but that was basically in the opposite direction." Refix read through the papers, memorizing several of the routes written on the paper. Ameliyn had snatched the paper with the shortest route, but there were many alternate routes that could be taken. There were more than Refix could memorize in a short time, so he only memorized a couple from several key points along the main, shortest route. The longest method he memorized included 126 jumps, though there were still others that were longer. Some of the routes involved took so many more jumps to accomplish because of the political relationships of the empires involved. There was no such thing as war between the empires, but friction from competing for high-level resources made their relationships strained. "I'll get my team together, and I'll head out immediately," Refix said, folding the papers up and storing them in his pouch. "Absolutely not!" Ameliyn said, giving Refix a severe look. "We're all going." Ameliyn stared Refix in the eye, daring him to contradict her. Refix rubbed his forehead and sighed. "What about Kailey and Riley?" "What about them? They're coming with us, obviously." "But they have school." "They're the darlings of the Academy. We can just ask permission for them to take their semester exams a bit early. Even though it's 86 jumps, that should only take a couple of months there and back, if we don't stop to sightsee." "Fine. I'll send a message to the girls and contact the Academy administration. I'll have Teilon and Kimberly take care of our house while we're gone." "I knew you would see things my way," Ameliyn smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "You know I can't say no to you," Refix reciprocated. "At least, not for long." The couple laughed and hugged for a moment before separating. Their spirits were high as Ameliyn began packing their things for the trip and Refix sent some people with messages to the Academy and their subordinates. We'll finally see what that boy's been up to all this time, Refix smiled to himself. Refix led the way toward the corridor that sprung up in the center of the teleport platform. Ameliyn walked behind him with Kailey and Riley underneath an arm, each. The corridor was like a doorway that materialized out of thin air, leading into a star-lit tunnel. It was like they were walking on the air once they passed the threshold, but the ground was firm and secure. Kailey and Riley "ooh'd" and "ahh'd," pointing out the cosmic scenery as they followed behind Refix. Ameliyn just had a smile on her face at their reactions. Refix and Ameliyn had been through enough void corridors that they were no longer blown away by the sight of it, though it still never ceased to awe the couple. Going through a teleportation circle had a way of reminding people just how big the universe was, and how small they were as individuals. There were other groups of people following behind them, and Refix could see still more entering the corridor from the other end, traveling to Quron from the other teleporter. The people traveling in the opposite direction of Refix and his family had obviously different skin tones and clothing aesthetics. Most of the world, that Refix had traveled through, was pretty similar in style and population, though there were always some small discrepancies. Sometimes, though, the climates were so vastly different that there were hardly any similarities at all. Each teleporter would make a connection with a separate empire once a day for approximately an hour, operating for about ten hours a day. Each empire was connected to anywhere from ten to thirty other empires, and depending on the situation, people would have to find an inn and wait for the appropriate connection to be made. Waiting for the right time for a connection was the real reason long trips took up a substantial amount of time. That and if people needed to go to a lower Tier Region in another empire. Teleporters only connected from one Tier 4 to another Tier 4. There were no connections to their vassal states beneath them. It wasn't that it wasn't possible, just that it didn't make sense to use the valuable time and power sources for such connections. Refix guessed that there were some empires that were rich enough to have individual, smaller teleporters to their vassals, but he had never been to one. Refix passed by the other travelers, Ameliyn and the twins in tow. The regular team that Refix Partied with, minus Teilon and Kimberly, followed behind the girls. Other than the incredible sight of walking through space, the trip was no different than walking down a fairly crowded side street in the city. The conversation between the travelers didn't cease, and Refix could spot several people that were apparently veterans like him and his wife, based on the looks on their faces. The corridor was only about fifty yards long, and it was over before they knew it. They stepped out into the sunlight once more, in a similar teleport circle in a new city. The buildings were similar in style, just like the clothing on the people was mostly the same, but the layout and positioning of the buildings were completely different. Each empire capital that Refix had been to had its own unique charm. "Alright," Refix said, turning to Ameliyn and the others, "we're lucky that the next connection we need is only in a couple of hours. The first several jumps can be made on the same day, but we'll have to wait at the fourth jump for two days before the right connection is made. "Let's go grab a seat at one of the benches, and we'll just wait here for the next connection." Refix directed Ameliyn toward a seating area, and as she and the others headed over there to grab a seat in a large gazebo, Refix walked over to the administrators of the teleport circle. He handed them a pouch of gold coins, and after they counted to verify the amount, he received a stack of parchments for everyone to hold for the next jump. If someone stood in the circle without the parchment that contained a Runic Spell on it, the connection wouldn't be made. It was easy to locate any people that were trying to sneak through the payment process, though, as the parchments gave off a glow when the teleport circle was activated. One could pay their fee in Mana Stones or gold, and Refix preferred to always pay in gold whenever possible. Mana Stones were a scarce resource, and there was always a losing conversion rate when trading them for currency. Most of the business that they did with their people earned them gold and silver, so it made sense to use that for payment and hoard the Mana Stones for personal use whenever possible. Mana Stones had a wide variety of uses, much more so than some mundane metal coins. Ameliyn had used some to saturate the area when they had rushed to Reivyn's rescue in Magron so that she could use her highest level Spells without issue, and many magical devices used them as power. The teleporters they were using were just one example. Higher Level magical gear also required Mana Stones to power them, though one could use their own Mana Pool to do so as well. That was to be avoided, though, as, just like with anything else, there was a loss of efficiency as compared to using a condensed Mana Stone. One could also absorb the Mana directly in an emergency. Refix and company spent several hours hopping between teleport circles, the last one ending just a couple of hours before dusk. One similarity between every imperial capital was the prevalence of high-end inns near the teleport circles, and after spending an evening in a luxurious set of rooms, Refix and his family were able to take the next day off to do a little exploring. It was a good opportunity for Kailey and Riley to peruse various other crafts produced by high Tier Lifestyle Classes. There was always a large market of high-quality things to find in an imperial capital, but the local resources often dictated which direction the populations focused their endeavors on. Kailey and Riley were able to expand their horizons on such a trip. The days passed, and Refix and Ameliyn grew progressively more excited and anxious at the prospect of reuniting with their firstborn son in Wispan. Each day simultaneously felt like it went by in the blink of an eye and lasted an eternity. "Just three more jumps after this one," Refix smiled to his wife and girls as they entered yet another void corridor. The cosmic landscape was slightly different each time, but only someone with a high Perception Stat like Refix and Ameliyn would be able to notice the differences. It wasn't that the scene itself was different, just that they were in a marginally different location within the void. Refix could point out where the stars in the distance were a couple of inches off from the first corridor they had passed through. Something tugged at Refix's awareness as they walked along the corridor, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. He glanced all around, but the cosmic scene didn't offer any clues. His Danger Sense, though, started to ping ever so slightly, and it ramped up with each step he took. He looked up at their destination, and it finally dawned on him what the difference was. "Something's off," he called over his shoulder. "There are no people coming from..." A huge sound, like shattering glass, interrupted Refix, and the corridor rocked from side to side. The invisible walls protecting everyone from the void grew visible cracks along the way, and Refix turned fully around to grab his wife and daughters to protect them. He lunged toward them, but as he moved forward, the distance between them grew further and further apart. An astral wind kicked up from nowhere, and Refix watched as his three girls were picked up and swept out into oblivion. Ameliyn held onto both of her girls as the phenomenon tried to rip them from her grasp. A dark lance, darker than black, slashed through existence, and several people that had been walking behind Refix's team simply disintegrated into particles upon contact. Refix was also launched into the void, in the opposite direction of his wife, and he vaguely noticed that his team was scattered as some were pulled straight up into the air and some seemed to fall through the ground. Refix didn't panic, and he gathered his Mana and Stamina, weaving them together in a complicated knot that Refix had never even considered possible before, and smashed his fist against the nothingness. Fractures appeared in front of him, and they seemed to move with him as he was tossed about. No matter how it felt he was moving in the void, the fractures he created remained right in front of his face. He slammed his fist over and over into the air, and finally, with another sound of glass shattering, reality became visible in front of him. Without waiting to check what was on the other side, Refix threw his body through the hole. The wound in reality quickly healed itself behind him, and he was alone, separated from his family and companions in a completely unknown location. He immediately began falling from several hundred feet up in the sky. Refix oriented himself to the ground, and he used his Mana and Stamina to stomp on the air, creating artificial stairs to arrest his fall. Once he had his descent under control, he continued to run down the air like he was running down a stairwell, and he quickly reached the treetops. Sounds of people screaming and metal clashing on metal entered his ears as the sound of the wind stopped, and he looked below to see people running in a panicked mob. Men on horseback ran them down and indiscriminately slashed their swords at the fleeing people. None of the people running for their lives were armed, and they were obviously civilians. The ones on horseback were heavily armored, and they were obviously a cohesive military unit. After witnessing several dozen horsemen run down fleeing people and gallop past the location he had chosen for his descent, Refix noticed a horde of foot soldiers quickly following behind the horsemen. Whenever they encountered the fleeing people that had survived the massacre from the horsemen, they would tackle them to the ground and place a heavy iron collar attached to a chain around their necks. The men had it the easiest, as they only received a beating if they resisted. The women on the other hand... Refix couldn't abide by what he was witnessing, and he drew steel. He performed a somersault, stomping on the air above him instead of below to increase the speed of his fall. He came down like a meteor, steel and ethereal weapons sweeping out and decimating the closest group of soldiers. Refix gained his bearings almost instantly, and he launched himself into the middle of the oncoming horde of soldiers. The sword in his hand quickly turned from shiny silver to bloody red, and his ethereal weapons reaped the lives of the transgressors. His precision was impeccable, and none of the fleeing civilians lost so much as a strand of hair from Refix's onslaught. The horde of soldiers seemed to know no fear, and they just kept coming. Refix turned into a meat grinder on the dirt road in the forest, and none could escape his wrath. He dashed toward the oncoming soldiers, a tornado of death sweeping everything up in his path. Blood, guts, and body parts were the only thing spat back out. The engagement was over only after a few short minutes, and Refix came to a halt, hardly breathing hard at all. He calmly inspected his work, the sound of weeping and wailing coming from behind him. There wasn't much left of the aggressors for him to gather clues from. He turned and saw fear and uncertainty in the eyes of those he had rescued, blood dripping from his sword. He gathered his Mana and sent his ethereal weapons screaming down the road after the horsemen, deftly weaving around the civilians that were still in the way. He pulled a rag out of his spatial pouch, wiped his sword clean, and tossed the drenched fabric to the ground as he sheathed his weapon. He approached a young man close by who was blocking a young woman from view as she tidied up her clothes, tears streaming down her face accompanied by sobs and hiccups. The young man eyed Refix wearily, but he could see the determination in his eyes instead of fear. "Where is this? What's going on here?" Refix questioned the young man, staring him in the eye and not letting his gaze waver. The young man watched for a moment to make sure Refix wasn't going to try and get past him or sneak a look at the young woman before replying. "You really don't know?" He asked, his face devoid of emotion. "Did you not see me literally fall out of the sky? I was using the teleport circle to travel to the capital when something went wrong." "The capital was sacked," the young man replied. "We're all people who live just outside of the walls, and the fact that we were looked down upon is what allowed us to have any chance of getting away. The people inside the city had no chance." "The capital was sacked? What do you mean?" "What else could I mean? It's war. Another empire invaded some time ago. Nobody really thought much about it at first. The army was dispatched to take care of it, but despite their high Levels and equipment, they were routed in the first battle. The enemy empire moved faster than anyone anticipated, and they just so happened to reach the capital today. "I imagine the problem you had with the teleport circle was the destruction of it on this end." "That makes sense," Refix stroked his chin in thought. So it's very likely that Ameliyn, the girls, and my companions are scattered across the landscape of this Tier 4 Region. I don't have to worry too much about Ameliyn's safety, as long as she was able to get the girls out, nor the others. I was the furthest one along the corridor, so I'm most likely the closest one to the capital, though spatial magic doesn't exactly work as point A to point B. The ethereal weapons that Refix had sent out zipped back to him, and they disappeared into his being. He didn't react at all, still standing there in contemplation, but the civilians all flinched back at the passing arsenal. All of them except the boy in front of him. The girl he was trying to protect finally finished getting her clothing situation settled, having to pin some tears together. She kicked what remained of her assailant as she stood up, screaming and crying as she did so. The young man finally took his eyes off Refix as he turned to envelop the girl in a tight hug. She continued to sob as she hugged the young man back, kicking the corpse a couple more times for good measure. "Boy, what's your name, Class, and how old are you?" Refix addressed the young man. "Cecil," the youngster replied, not turning away from the young woman in his arms. "Why do you want to know the rest?" "Look around you," Refix answered. The young man did as instructed, turning his head left and right to take in the scene of the frightened civilians. "Are any of these people your family?" Refix continued to ask. The young man shook his head. "And what's their reaction to me?" The young man tilted his head in thought. He hesitated to open his mouth, but Refix could see that he understood what he was getting at. "None of them will even look at me," he said. To emphasize the point, he glanced at another group of people nearby. They flinched back from his gaze. "You're the only person who will look at me, and not only that, look me in the eye and stand up to me to protect the girl behind you. Who is she to you?" "She's my wife," Cecil said. Refix noticed the young man clench and unclench his fist, defeat and frustration evident from his back if not from his face. "So, what's your Class and age?" The young man hesitated for another moment before deciding to answer the question. "I'm just a Tier 3 Forester, and I'm 19 years old," Cecil said, turning his head to once more look at Refix. "Why?" Refix gave him a stern look. "You're not fooling me, young man. I can sense the Mana in you. What's your Class?" Cecil returned the stern look with a hard one of his own. They stood staring at each other for several long moments. The girl in his arms stopped sobbing and stood back, a look of surprise on her face. "Fine! I'm a Deep Ranger!" "Ranger?" his wife asked, astonishment on her face, breaking through the tears and hurt. "Isn't that a Combat Class?" "I was going to tell you, honey," Cecil turned back to his wife, responding to her with a consoling voice. "It just wasn't the time, yet. I thought long and hard about the decision, and even though I still work as a forester right now, I've been buying lessons from some Adventurers at the Adventurer's Guild so I could move to Dungeon Delving." "That explains why we're always short on money. I thought you were... Anyway, I'm not mad about it, but we'll continue this talk later." "Of course, dear." He turned back to Refix. "You still haven't answered my question. Why do you want to know?" "Well, Cecil," Refix replied, "like you, I have a wife. She and my twin daughters were with me in that void corridor when it broke, and I suspect she's somewhere around here. I'm a leader of men, Cecil, and you, are a man. You help guide me through the terrain around here, and I'll help you figure out how to use your Class for what it's intended for. Deal?" Refix held his hand out. Cecil and his wife shared a look before he grasped Refix's hand in his own.