The rain had slowed but not stopped when morning came. If Zeltara had to guess, it would stop within the next few hours. Until then, it had looked like they would stay in the restaurant. Not that she minded, seeing as most of the people were still asleep. She had just woken up early.

  Seeing that no one else was awake, Zeltara decided to enjoy the early morning by sitting by the front door and looking out into the ruins. She didn’t have the chance before, but now there was time to appreciate the town’s beauty. It was fascinating to watch the slow encroachment of nature into what must have been a once bustling settlement.

  What happened to the people who used to live here? Were they driven out by war or a natural disaster? Perhaps they moved on to better places, leaving their old home behind. The possibilities ran through Zeltara’s head. If they had more time, she would have loved to explore the ruins for any clues. Maybe they could come back someday.

  Until then, Zeltara would just have to be happy by recording this place in her journal. She wasn’t the best at drawing, but felt that the picture she drew did a good job. Around the picture were detailed writings describing her observations and theories of the town. She got lost in the work and failed to realize the time passing.

  “It’s a rather somber sight, isn’t it?” Zeltara jumped and looked back to see Halidorn approaching. He gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Zeltara looked back outside. “I wouldn’t say that. Sure, you could say that the ruins are sad to look at. But look at all the life still here. The forest is growing into the place, giving new life to the area. I wouldn’t doubt that half the buildings were home to some kind of animal. It’s still a home. Just to nature rather than people.”

  “I guess I can see what you mean. Life keeps going on even without us. There’s a certain comfort to be taken from that. For all of humanity's faults, we’re just one brushstroke to a greater tapestry.” Zeltara chuckled.

  “I didn’t take you for the philosophical type.” Halidorn settled in across from her with a grin.

  “When I’m in the mood. I didn’t peg you for it either. You’ve been rather energetic so far.” Zeltara shrugged, not denying his observation. She knew she could be rather excitable. The two turned their attention back to the rain outside. “So, when should we leave today?”

  She watched the falling rain for a moment. “How about two hours after everyone gets up? If the rain hasn’t stopped by then, it should be light enough not to bother us. We can’t afford to stick around here forever.” Halidorn nodded.

  “Yes, the first expedition members showed what dallying will do to us. We need to find something before our food runs out.” Zeltara thought about their supplies. They carried only about a month’s worth of food with them. Would that be enough? Team Yinsdal was in an even worse spot. They looked to have packed light, and didn’t have magical storage to keep food in. How long would their supplies last? Weeks, perhaps less? They needed a way to last longer out here, just in case.

  The idea came to her rather quickly. “We should start hunting in the evenings. It would help preserve what we have.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing myself,” Halidorn responded. “Uya is a good hunter. Rya is capable in her own right. Though if I might make a suggestion.” The two turned to face each other. “Have Uya teach at least one of you how to hunt. That way, you can handle yourselves after we split up.” Zeltara smiled.

  “Sounds like a good idea. Have her teach me and Saiya. Kaztos wouldn’t be any good at it.” The two smirked at the remark. Zeltara imagined Kaztos running up to challenge a rabbit to a duel. She chuckled at the imagery of the two foes actually fighting. The image of the rabbit standing victorious over its defeated foe filled her head.

  The two team leaders enjoyed the early morning for a few minutes before turning back into the common room. Most were starting to wake up. Zeltara spotted Saiya cooking something in the pot, the rabbits from yesterday if she had to guess. Meanwhile, Kaztos walked into the kitchen for something. Uya and Randon were talking to Gilahar. Zeltara tried not to eavesdrop on the conversation. Her ears could be an annoyance as much as a help.

  Before long, Saiya called everyone for breakfast. The portions were smaller than last night, but no one complained. The expedition members would have to hunt for themselves after this. Zeltara hoped they would do well. If they thrived, this could be a place they could come back to if things went horribly wrong. The thought put a damper on her mood.

  Zeltara wondered just what dangers lay ahead. She knew that the caves on the plateau were dangerous, but the details were frustratingly light. There could be dozens of pitfalls out there that they were unaware of. She looked at the first expedition survivors. Where had they explored? Could one of them have made it back from the caves? The potential information was invaluable.

  As everyone finished eating, Zeltara said, “Excuse me, Gilahar.” Most of the room’s eyes turned to her. “I was wondering if I could ask a few questions about the first expedition.” Several in the room looked uncomfortable at the inquiry.

  Gilahar said, “Uh, sure you can. It’s the least we can do for your help. Though try to be careful with your questioning. Some of us had a horrible time.” Wallos scoffed and muttered an insult under his breath. Zeltara ignored that and continued.

  “Thank you. First, I was wondering what dangers are out east. Are there any monsters or obstacles we need to worry about?” Gilahar hummed in thought.

  “Well, we’re currently on the western end of what I like to call the central fields. There’s nothing out here besides these ruins and the wildlife, so don’t bother looking around too long.” Zeltara nodded as she began writing the information in her journal.

  Wallos was the next to speak up. “The north and south are under-explored. None of us had the supplies for long trips. A few went missing in either direction, but we don’t know the cause. Could be they went too far and ran out of food. Or maybe there are monsters of some kind lurking in those areas.” One of the expedition members stepped forward, a boy in his late teens.

  “I went up north by myself at one point. The woods are deep, and there wasn’t anything after a few days of traveling. I had to turn back when I ran out of water.” Zeltara nodded as she wrote the information down.

  “Did you notice anything up there?” The boy didn’t answer at first. “Everything alright?”

  He looked nervous. “Uh, yes. There was something strange. During the night, I would sometimes hear a soft buzzing sound. I don’t know what it was, but it was disconcerting.”

  “You mean like a bug’s buzzing?” Kaztos asked. The boy shrugged.

  “Kind of? But I had heard various bugs buzzing before. This sounded off, not like any bugs I’ve heard before. It almost felt like the air itself was vibrating at times.” Zeltara tried to imagine it in her head. Bugs weren’t the only things that buzzed. Sometimes faulty enchantments did, or machinery. But neither of those seemed likely as the teen would have been traveling. And to have it only happen at night? Zeltara didn’t have enough information.

  “Was there anything else?” She asked. The boy shuttered.

  “Yes, there was. One time at sunset, the buzzing came again. I decided to investigate. That’s when it appeared.” The boy shivered. “It was a dark figure in the far treeline. The thing looked almost human in shape, but it was too thin. It shambled along the forest as I watched.” Zeltara frowned. She had never heard of anything like that before.

  “Did you figure out what it was?” The boy shook his head.

  “No, I ran away. Who knows what it was capable of? I wasn’t going to risk it.” Probably the smartest decision then. It would have been stupid to engage an unknown monster by yourself.

  She turned a page in her journal. “Thank you for the information. Now, did anyone travel south?”

  “I did,” Gilahar said. “I explored the south near Mousafont City. There wasn’t anything of note. You could try closer to the plateau. I don’t think anyone here went that way.” It confirmed Zeltara’s suspicion that the area near the plateau was unexplored.

  Halidorn stepped forward. “Excuse me, but there’s one place I’m curious about. Did anyone go into the caves on the plateau? From what we heard at expedition headquarters, it was rather dangerous. We were wondering if anyone knew more about it.” It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room. The first expedition survivors exchanged loaded looks at each other. The silence stretched for several moments.

  Gilahar stepped forward. “You don’t need to hear about that. Just know that it would be suicidal to enter those caves. Don’t go in them, please.”

  “I’m sorry sir, but we must insist,” Kaztos said. “Those caves may be the only way to the top of the plateau. We need to know any information you can provide us.” Gilahar’s expression hardened.

  “No. I must insist that you don’t ask about that. There’s no one here that-” A soft voice behind Gilahar cut him off.

  “I went into the caves.” The group turned to a woman in her early twenties. She looked sick, lying on the bedding by the fireplace. Zeltara stared into her eyes. They looked almost blank, but she could see an undercurrent of something else there. “I can tell you about the caves. I was one of the few to make it out.”

  Gilahar leaned down and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “You don’t have to say anything, Dilanas. They should just know not to go into the caves.” The woman brushed his hand off and slowly stood up.

  “I need to tell them, Gilahar. Otherwise, they’ll just go anyway. Just like we did. If they know the horror that waits inside, then maybe they’ll turn elsewhere.” Her voice started weak but gained confidence as she spoke. “Besides, I’ve let it haunt me long enough. We have a new start here, and I don’t want to drag us down.” She took a slow, deep breath. “So, I’ll talk about it here.” Gilahar appeared ready to argue, but then sighed.

  “Alright. Just be sure to stop if it gets too much, okay?” Dilanas nodded. “Then let’s go into the kitchen. You can at least have some privacy.” He turned to Zeltara and Halidorn. “If that’s fine with you.” His tone made it apparent that it would be fine.

  Zeltara nodded, unwilling to argue. “I can agree with that. Just Halidorn and I will be there.” Uya and Kaztos looked ready to argue, so Zeltara cut them off. “No. You two stay here. We can tell you about it after we leave here.” She frowned at their twin pouts. Couldn’t they see how serious this was? With a glare, the two gave up and sat down.

  The group of four made their way into the kitchen. They sat on stone seats around the center counter. For a minute, no one said anything. Zeltara could see that Dilanas was working up the nerve to start. She would give her the time. It seemed like the experience had been traumatic.

  Finally, Dilanas asked, “Is there anywhere you’d like me to start? I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “How about when you left Mousafont? That way, we can get the whole picture,” Halidorn said. Dilanas nodded, nervously rubbing her hands together.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Well, I guess it started just as we left Mousafont. There was uncertainty about where to go first. Most of us were inexperienced adventurers, you see.” Zeltara nodded, writing the information down.

  “Inexperienced? What do you mean by that?”

  “Most of us had been adventurers for less than five years. My partner, Yugas, and I have only two years of experience. From my understanding, adventuring has changed a lot since the sixth crisis. Things were much less organized. Being told to explore and find settlements was out of our expertise. We’re used to much more infrastructure providing necessities.”

  Things started to make more sense for Zeltara now. They had a leg up knowing that there was nothing out here and planned accordingly. It sounded like the first expedition didn’t know how bad it was outside Mousafont. They left unprepared and were isolated from getting any more help.

  Dilanas continued. “Fortunately, we had about a dozen veterans from the sixth crisis. They were getting up in years, but had been willing to help Mousafont. They quickly took control of the expedition. Some groups split off and went their own way, but most of us followed their lead.” Gilahar interjected.

  “All of us here besides Dilanas were among those groups. We didn’t even know what had happened until we stumbled across her.” It made sense. If this story was going where Zeltara thought, then those splinter groups are the only ones who were potentially still alive.

  “We stayed with the veterans. They decided we should head east until we found something. Groups would fan out and report what they saw. It was a simple plan, but there wasn’t really anything else to do. It took over a week, but a group reported back, saying they had found a giant plateau. With no other leads, the expedition reunited and traveled over to it. Once we got there, we found the caves within a day of searching.” She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts.

  “What happened next?” Gilahar asked. Dilanas took a few moments before answering.

  “The veterans wanted to reach the top of the plateau. They figured even if there were no settlements up there, then at least it would be high enough to spot any down below. The caves were the only potential way up. It was too tall to risk climbing it without an expert with specialized gear. So, we decided to wait a day to prepare ourselves before going in. But that night...” She trailed off with a grimace on her face.

  Zeltara asked, “Did something happen?” Dilanas had her full attention as she tried to imagine what happened.

  “I don’t know why, but a team of three got impatient. They went in by themselves. We hadn’t even realized until we heard a single, drawn-out scream. It sounded horrible. His voice turned wet and garbled at the end.” Dilanas took a moment to gather herself. “We were terrified. Nobody wanted to go in after them. Some of us tried calling for them, but there was nothing. The cave was silent. The veterans calmed us down, and there was a talk of what to do next. There were people who argued against, but it was decided we should all go in there. The veterans wanted us to move quickly, hoping to save anyone still alive. They figured that with so many of us, any monster inside wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  Halidorn asked, “They had you just run in there right after? They should have taken the loss on those idiots.” Zeltara frowned.

  “They didn’t know how dangerous it would be. It was the right thing to try and help your teammates out.” Halidorn looked like he disagreed but didn’t respond. She was starting to get an idea of how business-oriented Team Yinsdal was.

  Dilanas said, “We tried to be careful. It wasn’t like we ran in there. Almost all of us volunteered to go in. One person stayed behind, too scared to try. I thought he was cowardly, but he turned out to be the lucky one.” She stopped and swallowed. Zeltara could tell they were reaching the bad part of this tale. Gilahar held Dilanas’ hand, who looked thankful at the silent support.

  “At first I thought things would be fine. There were so many of us after all. We didn’t feel cramped at all. The main cave was wide enough for all of us to have room. It might have been a road or something at one point. It made traveling up towards the top easy. But that’s when it all started going wrong.” Zeltara was completely focused. Now, she would hear what had caused the deaths of the first expedition. “You see, there were dozens of side paths along the walls. They were much narrower than the main path. That’s where it started. We heard a man calling for help. Someone with us recognized him as one of the adventurers who had come in earlier. A few ran off towards the calls, hoping to help. That’s when the screaming started.”

  A brief pause filled the room. Zeltara swallowed just imagining it. Halidorn asked, “Screaming? From the adventurers who rushed in?” Dilanas nodded.

  “Yes. They were only in there for less than a minute when it started. It lasted only a few moments before it fell silent. All of us drew our weapons and got ready to fight. But then, calls for help started again. One veteran said they must have kept someone alive to use as bait.” Zeltara understood the implication. This wasn’t some mindless beast. Whatever was in there, it held intelligence to lay a trap like that. Just how much was the question.

  Dilanas continued. “Next, we heard whispering from several side passages. They were too quiet to make out, but it scared the less brave adventurers, myself included. Next, a mist rolled in from the side paths, filling the central cave. We couldn’t see anything. I could barely make out the tip of my sword. Everyone formed a circle to avoid being ambushed. Nothing happened for a few minutes. That’s when I heard laughter behind me, or at least a demented semblance of it.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Zeltara asked. “Was this a person?” It didn’t seem possible, but she wouldn’t rule anything out. But Dilanas shook her head.

  “No, it sounded like something mimicking laughter without ever experiencing it before. As if you tried to do something you’ve ever heard of before. The sound froze me as it was at the center of our group. Then I heard more screams, this time from fellow expedition members. Someone overreacted and yelled to run. Before my panicked mind could catch up with what I was doing, I had fled into one of the side caverns. Yugas must have run into another passage, as she wasn’t there when I caught my breath. The first thing I did was light my torch.” The action had both Zeltara and Halidorn looking at her in confusion.

  “Why would you have a torch? You can just use a mana light,” Halidorn said. He channeled light into his palm for emphasis. Without realizing it at first, Zeltara looked upon the small light orb with envy. What caught her off guard was Dilanas having the same expression for a moment.

  “I don’t have the ability to free channel. I have Velland Syndrome,” Dilanas said. Zeltara paused and examined the woman closer. Thin physique, pale skin, grey eyes. That pointed towards Velland Syndrome.

  Halidorn asked, “Excuse me, what is Velland Syndrome? I’ve never heard of that condition.”

  “Not surprising, as it’s very rare,” Zeltara said. “I only know about it because of some research I did when I was younger. I won’t go into detail for a few reasons, but one symptom is being unable to free channel. They can still use a medium, but even that is limited.” She turned back to Dilanas. “You haven’t ever... you know?” Thankfully, the woman shook her head.

  “I haven’t, thankfully.” That set Zeltara’s mind at ease. She didn’t know if she would be comfortable staying here if that weren’t the case.

  Gilahar looked between the two of them. “Is it similar to the condition you elves have?” Zeltara shook her head.

  “Not really. Elves don’t have bodies developed with the ability to channel mana. We have only the minimum amount of mana needed to live in our bodies. This also causes us to be physically weaker than normal. Those with Velland syndrome still have the normal amount of mana in their bodies. It’s other parts of their bodies that are malformed. And despite their physical appearance, those afflicted are actually slightly stronger than normal. At least as long as the disease doesn’t progress.” Seeing the curious gazes from the men and Dilanas’ pleading look, Zeltara changed the subject. “We’ve gotten way off base here. Are you ready to continue?”

  Dilanas gave her a thankful look, which felt strange given what was about to be talked about. Zeltara didn’t blame her though as, from what she knew, those with Velland Syndrome were treated almost as poorly as elves. Once you fully understood what the disease can entail, that is. Not that she could blame anyone for that either. She wouldn’t want to be around anyone with the progressed form of Velland Syndrome.

  Halidorn and Gilahar dropped the matter and turned back to Dilanas, who continued her tale. “At first, I was rushing around blindly. There were sounds of screaming and fighting coming from all around me. I bumped into people several times, but we were too panicked to form a group, going our separate ways again. Those side paths are like a maze with many offshoots. It was impossible to regain my bearings. But I finally calmed down and started moving slower. That’s when I heard Yugas.”

  “That was your partner, correct?” Halidorn asked. Dilanas nodded with a stricken expression.

  “Yes. I heard her scream in pain and call out for help. It was foolish, but at the time I wasn’t thinking. I hurried over toward the noise. I followed the path for a minute, and then the screams stopped. There was only silence, and I feared my friend had died. Still, I continued on and reached the bend. Fortunately, I had slowed down, or I would have died right there.” Dilanas paused for a moment, as if to gather her courage. “Because it was there at the edge of my torchlight, peeking around the corner.”

  Zeltara couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “What was it?” Tears sprang from Dilanas’ eyes.

  “I don’t know.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “I could barely make it out in the darkness. Its head was shaped like a person’s, but it had black claws that dug into the cave wall. It gave a distorted laugh again. My fear had paralyzed me, and I just shook in place. I thought I was dead for sure. But that’s when one of the adventurers ran from another path in a panic. He must have run into the monster as he screamed in pain. I don’t know, I just turned and ran as fast as I could.” Tears were freely running down her face now.

  Gilahar wrapped an arm around her. “You did everything you could. Fighting there would have been useless.” Dilanas took a minute to compose herself. Her eyes were red from crying.

  “I know, but that doesn’t change the fact that Yugas is gone. We had been teammates for two years.” Zeltara considered asking her to stop. They had gotten enough information already. But Dilanas continued before she could say anything. “I had blindly run through the caves again. The sounds of fighting and screaming slowly came to a stop until all I could hear was my own footsteps. By some miracle, I made it back to the central cavern. That’s when I saw it. The exit to the top of the plateau.”

  The two team leaders looked at her in surprise. So, the path to the top of the plateau existed in at least one place. Zeltara almost wished she hadn’t found it. It meant that they had to consider using the cave despite the peril. If they couldn’t find another way up, then that left them with one terrible choice.

  “I was about to leave through the exit when I heard someone behind me. They were calling out, trying to find anyone else alive. I turned back to go to them.” At this, everyone gave her a skeptical look. Dilanas crossed her arms defensively. “I couldn’t help it. They were crying for help, so I assumed the monster hadn’t gotten them yet. I wanted to find someone at least.” Zeltara guessed she couldn’t criticize her too much. She wouldn’t have turned away if it had been her friends calling out.

  “After I had been running for a minute, someone grabbed me. I couldn’t even scream before they covered my mouth. For a moment, I thought I was going to die. Fortunately, it was another adventurer. He had been keeping silent since the attack, trying to hide. We waited for a minute, then the calls for someone to answer stopped. It didn’t sound like they were attacked, but what else could have happened to them? My new companion convinced me we should make a run for the exit. We started sprinting back down the cavern. At first, I thought we were going to make it, but then that thing started to mock us.” Zeltara paused in her writing.

  “What do you mean by that? How did it mock you?”

  Dilanas said, “It started cackling at first. Then, it actually spoke. The monster’s voice was distorted, but I could understand it. It called us its last prey, how it had gotten everyone else in the expedition. That it would savor this meal.” Zeltara added another point to the column of this monster being unnaturally intelligent. To perform strategy is one thing, but to understand and speak common tongue is another. “It chased us the entire way down. I thought it would catch us for sure. But we made it to the entrance. Well, at least I did.” She paused.

  “What happened?” Halidorn asked.

  Dilanas grimaced. “I felt something quickly move behind me. It was completely silent, so I ignored it and ran through the entrance. Turning around, I expected my companion to be there, but he was gone without a sound. That thing had gotten him.” She paused for a second to collect herself before continuing. “I don’t know how I escaped. Maybe it was luck? It doesn’t matter. I walked the short distance to camp and saw that the lookout was gone. At first, I thought he had gone into the cave and died as well. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I learned the truth.” Her voice turned bitter. “That coward heard what had happened and ran back to Mousafont. He used the information to get back into the city. By the time I got back, I didn’t have enough to earn my way back inside.”

  She gave Gilahar a smile. “If it weren’t for Gilahar finding me, that might have been it for me. I had used most of my strength to make it back to Mousafont, and I didn’t pack properly in my panic. But thanks to Gilahar and the others, I could recover.” Her gaze met Zeltara and Halidorn’s. “I tell you because of this: don’t go into those caverns. Go anywhere else. You’ll die otherwise, and you’re too good for that.”

  Silence met her plea as Zeltara absorbed what she had just been told. Those caves and the monster inside went far beyond dangerous. Whatever that thing was, it killed dozens in a short period of time. And it wasn’t just some commoners. These were adventurers who died. Even the weakest among them would have combat training. If all of those fighters didn’t stand a chance, then where did that leave them?

  On the other hand, Dilanas confirmed that the caves held a path to the top of the plateau. Based on the map provided by the expedition, it was unlikely that there would be another path. If they didn’t want to be trapped in this small corner of the world, the plateau had to be scaled at one point. And despite the warnings, someone was going to try again.

  Zeltara didn’t know what to do. She needed more time to think about it. Her hand snapped her journal shut as she said, “Thank you for telling us that. I can tell it was hard. Don’t worry, we won’t recklessly throw our lives away.”

  “She’s right. It was brave of you to tell us. That was something we needed to hear,” Halidorn said. Dilanas gave them a brittle smile.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. Now, I hope you don’t mind if I go lie down. I think sleep would do me some good.” She stood up and stumbled. Gilahar quickly got up and steadied her.

  “I’ll help Dilanas get to bed. You two probably have things to talk about.” Gilahar helped guide Dilanas out of the room, leaving the two team leaders alone.

  Halidorn sighed. “What a mess. I definitely didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”

  “Me neither, but we now need to figure something out. Those caves are too dangerous for us,” Zeltara said. Halidorn shook his head.

  “We can’t dismiss the possibility. We know that there’s a way up through there. That’s something that can’t be ignored.” Unfortunately true. It left them in a difficult situation. “How about we check out the first expedition’s camp outside the caves? It sounded like it got abandoned. Maybe there is something useful there. We can make our final decision there.”

  Zeltara said, “Sounds like a plan then.” She then noticed a noise or lack thereof. “Speaking of sound. I can’t hear the rain anymore. It must have stopped.” Halidorn stood up from his seat and stretched.

  “Then we should get ready to head out. I’ll go tell everyone else. You come when you're finished with your conversation.” He walked out of the room. Zeltara wondered what he meant when Saiya sat down next to her. Zeltara jumped in her seat.

  “Don’t scare me like that!” Saiya only smirked. Zeltara sighed. “How long were you there eavesdropping?”

  “Long enough,” Saiya replied. “We had better not be going into those caves.”

  “We might not have much of a choice. Those caves might be our only way up.” Saiya frowned.

  “Don’t get tunnel vision. Our mission right now is to find settlements for Mousafont to trade with. We don’t need to reach the top of the plateau to do that. It’s like we discussed earlier, the wilds around Mousafont are unexplored. Maybe we’ll find something.” Zeltara saw the truth in her words. Perhaps she was over-focusing on this.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. For now, let’s get ready to leave.” Saiya stood up from her seat.

  “You do that.” The two of them walked back into the common room, where everyone gathered near the entrance. Zeltara could see the late morning light leaking inside. The two moved over to join their group. Gilahar and Wallos stand in front of the other first expedition members. Besides Dilanas, all of them looked ready to offer them goodbyes.

  Gilahar bowed. “Thank you again for the help. We might not have made it without you.”

  Halidorn returned the bow. “You’re welcome. What are you planning to do now? Are you going back to adventuring?” Wallos snorted.

  “Not on our lives. We failed once already. I at least am not ready to try again.” No one offered a dissenting opinion. “No, I think we’re going to stick around here for a while. Perhaps make this place a home.”

  Zeltara asked, “You’re going to start a new settlement here?” Gilahar nodded.

  “It would be a new start for us. A place for those shunned by Mousafont to make themselves a home. It’ll just be us at first. But once we establish ourselves, we could start inviting other people. It can be a haven for anyone who needs it.” Kaztos grinned and shook Gilahar’s hand.

  “Sounds great! I hope to see it someday.” Uya nodded.

  “I agree. Sounds like it’d be a great place to visit. We’ll make sure to on our way back.” Rya nodded in agreement.

  Halidorn looked outside at the midday sun. “We need to get a move on. It’ll be sundown at this rate.” The first expedition members followed them outside. With a last goodbye, Teams Outsiders and Yinsdal continued their journey east. Kaztos and Uya waved until they were out of sight.

  Zeltara settled in for the hours of walking ahead of them. She felt proud of what they had accomplished. Thanks to their help, the former first expedition members would have a chance to thrive. They would make a new beginning for themselves in the ruins of the old world. Zeltara could just imagine how the place would look when she returned. Would the place be a quiet little village or perhaps become something more? Whatever it became, she couldn’t wait to see it. For now, Zeltara settled in for their journey to the plateau, keeping her thoughts off of the impending danger ahead.