During the two months of training, Harwin had been forming theories about the divine being that had brought him to this world. First of all, even though it was late, he decided to name him "The Lord Of Void" or Tlov for short. The lad had wasted much time enjoying this world; more struggling than indulging really. Now he thought of finally getting back on track. Few of his findings were as follows:

  ● The being could not read his thoughts. It was something he had tested in the last encounter as well.

  ● It could see the future of Harwin, but while the lad was in these lands, the deity's powers did not work as intended. Infact, it could not even observe his movements completely. The last part was purely a hypothesis, but Harwin was certain that it was true. This would mean that Tlov was not omniscient.

  ● There were other entities in this world which rivaled the powers of the lord of void. This was only noted by him when the being kept on insisting that the blessed individual — whom Harwin was tasked to come in contact with — was not one of his. This could only mean that there were some other individuals who were capable, just like Tlov, of bringing people from other realms to this world.

  Something else that Harwin had worked on was the teleportation vortex through he traveled multiple times now. First time was when he was brought to this world and the second was when he teleported to the ashen lands. He was not even close to performing such a mighty cast, but he had managed to grasp the feeling of the spell or whatever the concept was.

  All of these theories were a research project that he had begun to study thoroughly during the night, but he did not make any notes of the matter. There was still a risk lingering around that Tlov could see his actions, even if his powers were constrained at the moment.

  These matter aside, Harwin's party had already prepared a better cart for traveling — not a proper carriage yet, though. Their old one could only accommodate two, even then it was extremely congested. The new one was much larger, all of the members, including Stein, could sit quite comfortably while also having some space for rations.

  Now, it was quite expensive, but the guild paid half of the total amount. They were being generous towards anyone participating in the expedition.

  This was not the end of their preparation, however. Harwin along with Daren and Eiza prepared dozens of eco-shards imbued with basic spells of all types. With help from his associates, the lad even managed to achieve something greater that would prove quite detrimental in the journey ahead.

  Before beginning their journey, all the adventurers were gathered in front of the shrine of Saint Yanis of Yugsolvia. Harwin did not understand the need, but he followed along anyway. It was there that he laid eyes on the current descendant of the saint. He had always thought that the person would be fat and weak because of the luxeries they enjoyed, but the young mage could not have been more wrong.

  A man stood in front of hundreds. He stood on the shrine grounds, at a place much higher than the audience; looking down on them.

  He was immensely beautiful. He had golden, fine hair that extended down to his back, neatly styled. A noble face that could never have made anyone suspicious of the thoughts that laid behind it. Pale skin unlike the rest who were burned by the sun. He was physically fit as well — leaned muscled to be precise. His otherworldly appearance was similar to the wood-elves.

  Harwin had managed to stand near the podium, so he was able to see him clearly. Out of nowhere, the strange man met the eyes of the young mage. Behind the calm blue eyes, was malice. Harwin could not manage to keep eye contact, he was frightened and went behind, disappearing in the crowd.

  The noble's attire was similar to a toga — a type of garment worn by the Roman senators. There was also a crown placed on his head. It not made of gold, rather, crimson colored with an emerald in the center.

  There were dozens of men and women alike standing around the heir to the shrine. All of them wore similar cheap clothing, clearly that of a servant. Many guards stood nearby as well, wearing shining armours and stern expressions.

  As soon as the descendant raised his hand, all of the adventurers knelt in unison. Well, all except Harwin who lagged behind in following this unfamiliar tradition. None actually noticed so he was out of trouble for now. Then came the speech:

  "I, Raemon, the blood of Yanis, am grateful to all of you for your service. Danger lay ahead, men. However, none of you shall fear, for Alomos smiles upon each and every one of you. With their protection, you shall not be defeated even against the combined forces of the accursed lands. I shall pray for your safe return, and prepare for you a great reward as well." The descendant of Yanis spoke.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  His words were like light, and the adventurers were moths in front of them. They rejoiced at the ordinary statements. This was when it dawned on Harwin, he was surrounded by religious fanatics and quite possibly a cult. It was not as if everyone shared a similar reaction, few did not care much, but put on a facade. The young mage understood that there were cracks in the foundations laid by the saints, although, this information was useless for the time being.

  This ritual of sort did not end there. Raemon then raised both his hands to the sky. He read, a loud, an incantation which was something totally unfamiliar to the ears of Harwin. Soon, all in audience felt a strange sensation in their bodies, as if something had touched their very souls.

  "Leave now, you have been blessed. No trouble shall be too great to overcome for the warriors of Alomos after this." Raemon claimed.

  Harwin felt nothing changed, but many in the crowd cheered with excitement. They behaved as if they had already won.

  'A trick, perhaps.' Harwin thought.

  After this strange event, all of them lined up in front of the gates in their respective carts and wagons. Harwin and his party were right behind the magnificent carriage of Lyam and Kaith. It was enough to hold twenty men in it and supplies still. Four horses were required to just pull the thing.

  The leader of the guild bid them farewell at the gates. He was an old fellow. It was obvious that the man had spent many years as an adventurer himself — apparant from the various scars on his body. He had this aura of excellence and elegance surrounding him. Each adventurer that passed the man, bowed their head slightly.

  That was the end of the bon voyage ceremony. The journey itself was pleasant for the first few days. Half the path to the town was a simple one with neither the ashen lands nor the creatures that occupied it.

  It was in the second week that trouble came, although, it was not much. As soon as they entered the ashen lands surronding the Belarit region, few imourte tried to attack. It was foolish of the creatures. In the blink of an eye, the great force of adventurers cleared through the undeads. With ease.

  With such a group, the balance of power had greatly shifted. Any sentient being of the shadow ruins would have run away at the mere sight of this force. Harwin and his party had to do nothing, but just follow along.

  Even a couple of Gogliath tried their hand on this caravan of predators. Of course, not even their bones were left, thanks to the fire mages of the elite group — mainly Lyam.

  In a matter of days, they finally reached the gates of the destined town. None entered, though. They were to raise pavilions outside the walls, as were the instructions from the guild master of Belarit. Harwin and his group had not prepared for this matter, so they were in a bit of a pickle.

  It was then that a crowd from within the town came forward, carrying all sorts of goods. By appearance alone, the lot appeared to be civilians. They began to distribute all sorts of items to the adventures including food, clothes and even tents to those who required it. This was an offering to the brave souls who were risking their lives for them.

  Why keep their saviours outside, though? This question was on the mind of Harwin as well. The reason was simple, each town had its own guild. The adventurer of one town would obviously compete against their counterparts in another part of the land. The guild master as well as the leadership of Belarit did not want unnecessary bickering. Especially since it would have been disrespectful to the ones who were putting their lives on the line.

  There was, of course, discontent amongst the adventurers of Yugsolvia for not having been allowed through the gates. The issue was resolved by Kaith. He was the leader of the strongest party in this grand force, which was the reason that his words demanded obedience without question.

  After the resolution of small disputes, it was time for a feast. All the expenses were borne by the saint of Belarit, so the meals were exquisite, to say the least. By the atmosphere, it did not feel one bit that they were marching towards what could be their death.

  In the morrow, more parties arrived. Adventures from all around the empire were gathering for the promise of reward, but more importantly, renown.

  In a matter of days, more than a thousand men had gathered outside the town gates. It was almost the entire adventurer population from the towns of the empire, at least the one which had decided to join.

  It was not as if every single one of them were great mages and expert swordsmen, either. Many of them were average at best, meat shields to be precise. They had joined as they had no other choice.

  Days passed in waiting for the reinforcements from the great cities of Khalezkat. Finally the bearer of grave news arrived: a single messenger who rushed to the guild master.

  After a few hours, a council was called. It consisted of the heads and advisors of all the great parties. Naturally, Lyam and Kaith were part of it. They were informed of a terrible message, and in turn, the bunch informed their respective forces of the matter.

  "The holy cities have decided not to provide assistance to Belarit." Kaith announced.

  Panic erupted amongst all those who heard his words. However, he continued:

  "So what? If they have abandoned this town, even then, we shall fight for it. We shall not leave our brethren to die. We are different, yes, but we are still connected none the less. More importantly, you have eaten the food of the people of this town. They have showered upon you whatever little they had. If any of you have honour, then you will return their hospitality tenfolds." He paused. All eyes were fixated on the man. Kaith finally stated:

  "If any of you, still, wishes to leave, then he may do so. But, I will fight alone if I have to!"

  As expected, the crowd roared with a rekindled spirit. Harwin saw the reflection of Graftel in Ser Kaith, however, he could not have been more wrong in his perception.

  At first light, all of the adventurers marched forward towards their targets. Their hearts were filled with courage and their eyes glinted with ferocity for the enemy.

  They were divided into groups of about a hundred men. Each assigned to take down a single commander of Qareen. Harwin's group was given the most dangerous of them all: "S'kaal the cruel". Yet, their resolves did not falter, at least for most.