Chương 100: (B2) Chapter 27 - The journey ahead

Seb moved through the streets of Nexus, his thoughts refusing to settle. The lingering effects of alcohol still dulled the edges of his mind, so he instinctively cast another healing spell over himself. Warm mana spread through his body, flushing the last remnants of the drink from his system. It did little for the headache building behind his eyes though. The man in the armor had said things no stranger should have known. Mentioning his son had nearly made Seb forget the vow he'd made to himself years ago.

For one reckless moment he had almost attacked. It wasn't simply that the armored man knew about his son. It was the way he had spoken. There had been no hesitation. No uncertainty. Just facts. Yet even that wasn't what had shaken Seb the most. It was Bonnie. The moment the stranger had claimed to know where she was, something buried deep inside Seb had stirred. A feeling he hadn't allowed himself to experience for months. Hope. He hated it. Hope had become a cruel thing over the last year.

Every rumour had led nowhere. Every supposed sighting had ended in disappointment. Every person who claimed they had information had really just wanted money, favors or attention. Somewhere along the way Seb had stopped believing any of them. It had been easier that way. Easier to assume Bonnie was gone than continue tearing himself apart chasing ghosts. Yet this felt different. The armored man hadn't asked for anything. He hadn't demanded payment or bargain with him.

Instead he'd simply handed over the information, given him a way to get ahold of him if he had questions, then let him walk away. It was such an absurd approach that Seb found himself wondering if perhaps the stranger had been telling the truth. Though he knew even if he was, the man would want something in return. He just hadn't stated what it was yet. A passerby brushed against his shoulder, muttering an apology before disappearing back into the endless crowds. Seb barely registered them.

His thoughts remained fixed on the conversation. The explanation the man had given sounded ridiculous. If someone had told him that story yesterday, he'd have laughed them straight out of the room. Yet how else could the man have known? His son's illness. Bonnie. His profession before the trials. None of those things were public knowledge. Guild dossiers didn't contain details like that. No, there was something else at play. Seb clenched his jaw as he pushed through the crowds. Answers could wait.

He'd spent too long chasing the wrong questions already. Whether the stranger was lying, mistaken or hiding something hardly mattered right now. What mattered was that, for the first time in over a year, someone had given him a direction instead of empty sympathy. Rest's Edge. A ship bound for Nexus. A collapsed dungeon. If what the man had said was true, that meant Bonnie was out there, on an island filled with monsters.

He picked up the pace, every second he wasted standing around asking questions was another second she remained stranded. He had promised his son he would look after her. He had failed once already. He wasn't about to fail again. —~~— Leah drove her dagger into the unsuspecting goblin's neck. Blood sprayed across her hand as the creature lurched forward with a wet gasp. For the briefest moment she wasn't looking at a goblin anymore. The dungeon vanished.

Stone walls replaced the cavern and the guard from the prison cell stood before her once again. She felt the same resistance as her blade pierced flesh. Heard the same choking gasp. Her grip tightened instinctively before she forced the memory away. The dagger came free in one smooth motion while her sword followed from the opposite side, slicing cleanly through the goblin's neck. Its head tumbled to the cavern floor moments before the body collapsed beside it.

Directly ahead, Rian stood breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his forehead as the last remnants of mana dissipated around him. He looked at the corpse for a moment before giving a tired nod and turning his attention back toward the rest of the battlefield. Leah followed his gaze. Colin, their assigned tank, remained locked in place against the goblin shaman, his massive shield absorbing spell after spell as glowing impacts exploded across its surface. She could tell he was beginning to tire.

Every block forced him another half-step backwards. Marcus, meanwhile, had cut his way around the outskirts of the cavern, leaving a trail of goblin corpses behind him as he tried to reach the shaman from the flank. It was a solid plan, but Leah could already tell he wasn't going to arrive in time. The shaman had noticed him and begun repositioning, using its remaining warriors to slow his advance.

She sheathed her sword and shifted her weight, preparing to rush forward and relieve Colin before his defence finally broke. She had barely taken her first step when Bert's voice echoed through the cavern.

"Everybody down!" Leah froze instantly. Mana stirred through the cavern once again, only this time it wasn't Rian's. Bert stepped in front of the group just as another goblin lunged toward him. He answered with a single haymaker that folded the creature in half before launching it across the cavern wall with a sickening crack. Behind him stood Tilly, completely still. Her bow remained drawn, the string pulled back to her cheek while power poured into the weapon. Leah had felt powerful skills before.

This felt different. The very air seemed to grow heavier around the arrow as though gravity itself was bending toward its tip. Dust lifted from the ground. Small stones rattled across the cavern floor. Even the goblin shaman paused its spellcasting, instinctively sensing the danger. The bowstring snapped forward. Leah barely saw the arrow leave. One moment it rested against the string. The next it had already crossed the cavern, leaving nothing but a distorted wake through the air behind it.

The arrow buried itself deep into the shaman's stomach. The goblin looked down in confusion, almost curious, as though it hadn't realized what had happened. Leah immediately threw herself to the ground, the rest of the party doing the same a heartbeat later. Then the world exploded. The arrow detonated with enough force to shake the entire cavern, a deafening blast rolling over them as fire and shattered stone erupted outward.

The shockwave punched the air from Leah's lungs while chunks of rock rained from the ceiling. For one terrifying second she genuinely believed the dungeon had begun collapsing around them. She covered her head as debris crashed against the stone floor before, thankfully, the shaking slowly subsided. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Silence settled over the cavern, broken only by the sound of pebbles continuing to tumble from the ceiling.

Leah slowly pushed herself upright, checking each member of the party before finally looking toward where the shaman had been standing. There was nothing left. No body. No limbs. Not even blood. The explosion had erased the creature so completely that only a shallow crater remained in the centre of the room. Around it, the remaining goblins dissolved into motes of light as the dungeon acknowledged their victory. Congratulations! You have cleared The Infested Tunnels. One reward distributed based on performance.

Skill Merge Token This token merges any two skills. Rank: Common. Leah stared at the notification in stunned silence. A skill merge token. They were supposed to be incredibly rare. She hadn't even landed the killing blow, yet somehow the dungeon had still deemed her contribution worthy of such a reward.

"Jesus, Tilly," Marcus said as he climbed back to his feet, brushing dust from his trousers.

"A little warning would've been nice."

"Worth it," Tilly replied absently, barely acknowledging him as she continued staring into the distance. Leah recognised the look immediately. She was reading system messages. A small smile found its way onto Leah's face despite herself. She had grown surprisingly fond of Tilly over the past couple of weeks. Whether Tomas had asked her to look after Leah or she'd chosen to do it herself didn't really matter anymore.

The woman had welcomed her into the team, answered countless questions without complaint and never once made Leah feel like she didn't belong. That alone was enough to earn her respect. The fact she could reduce a level twenty five dungeon boss to ash with a single arrow was simply an added bonus. After a few more seconds of back and forth, the dungeon ejected them. The dungeon dropped them outside the entrance, and they immediately began the trip home.

The journey back through Nexus was considerably quieter than the dungeon had been. Marcus and Bert argued over whose fault it had been that the goblin shaman had survived as long as it did, while Colin insisted he deserved a better reward after being used as a magical punching bag for half the fight. Tilly remained largely absent from the conversation, still reading through whatever notifications the system had given her. Leah walked alongside them, listening more than contributing.

It reminded her a little of walking home after school back on Earth. The conversations were different, the dangers far greater, but there was something strangely comforting about simply walking beside people she was beginning to like. It had been a while since she actually had friends. After her parents had died and she had stepped into the role of caretaker and parental figure, she had quickly lost time for other people.

Now though, with Ethan changing so much and no longer needing her constant supervision, things were slowly changing. That thought was equal parts sad and exciting. Eventually the group reached the station and naturally split apart, everyone heading in different directions once the train arrived. Marcus gave her a nod before following the others into another carriage.

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked. Leah nodded.

"I'll be there."

"Good." Marcus disappeared through the doors just as hers slid shut, the train pulling away moments later. By the time Leah reached the housing district, the sun was behind the towering buildings of Nexus. She climbed the stairs to the apartment and pushed the door open, immediately greeted by the smell of cooked meat and vegetables. Ethan sat at the small table with two plates already prepared, though he hadn't started eating yet. He looked up as she entered, his helmet nowhere to be seen for once.

"How'd it go?" he asked. Leah smiled as she kicked her boots off by the door.

"We cleared it."

"I figured."

"Why? Were you worried?"

"Always." The answer came so matter-of-factly that she couldn't help but laugh. Ethan simply shrugged before gesturing toward the empty chair opposite him.

"Sit down before it gets cold." Leah didn't need to be told twice. After a full day inside a dungeon she was starving. She dropped into the chair and picked up her fork.

"You?" Ethan looked up from his own meal.

"It's done." She paused.

"The infiltration?" He nodded.

"Bella should've joined by now." Leah quietly took a bite while thinking it over. She still wasn't entirely convinced the plan was a good one, but she also knew trying to talk Ethan out of it would be pointless. Once he decided something needed doing, he rarely changed his mind. She was just glad she had convinced him to send someone else in and not go himself. Even the thought of it made her scoff. He wouldn't have lasted a second.

For as much as he had changed, he was still there under the surface of the hardened man he had become.

"Do you think she'll find the woman she's looking for?" Ethan's expression shifted ever so slightly into a faint grimace.

"Honestly?" Leah nodded.

"I think it's unlikely." She frowned.

"Then why send her?"

"Because unlikely isn't impossible. And she's the best person for the job." He set his fork down for a moment.

"If they tracked her all the way to the mirage, then it's highly likely she failed to pass its test." Ethan sighed quietly.

"But people survive impossible situations all the time. I've seen enough to know never to completely rule something out. Perhaps she's out there somewhere." Leah found herself nodding, it had been her idea to find someone else to enter Northstar, and even if she wasn't sure about Bella, she at least hoped they would find who they were looking for. The room fell quiet again as the two continued eating. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. If anything, Leah had grown to appreciate moments like these.

After everything that had happened over the last few months, simply sharing a meal together felt like old times. Eventually Ethan broke the peaceful silence.

"I'll probably be leaving Nexus for a little while." Leah looked up. Unsure how she felt about that. Last time he had left, he found himself in a bit of trouble.

"When?"

"Not immediately. But soon."

"What for?"

"I've got somewhere exciting to go. Would you like to come?" Leah blinked. She hadn't expected the offer. Part of her immediately wanted to refuse. Marcus's team had been good for her. She was learning. Growing stronger. Becoming more independent. Then another thought surfaced. She hadn't actually seen Ethan fight since the first level. Not properly. Not since the strange man in the mirage had shown her illusions. Everything she'd heard since then had come from other people.

Especially that he had been the first to clear a dungeon. Something even Tomas himself hadn't accomplished. She wanted to see for herself. More than that, she wanted Ethan to see how much she'd grown. Not because she needed his approval but because she wanted him to stop worrying quite so much. Leah smiled.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"No hesitation?"

"There was. But someone needs to look after you." A small smile tugged at the corner of Ethan's mouth.

"Fair enough." Leah returned to her meal, though her thoughts had already begun drifting toward the journey ahead. She had no idea where Ethan intended to take her, only that it probably wouldn't be safe. Good. She wanted to see how much stronger she'd become. More importantly... She wanted to see just how far ahead her brother still was.