Kain walks back into the building, sheathing his sword and kicking the table back to an upright position. He pulls a chair over with his foot and jams his shield down into the floor, wedging and removing it from his forearm.
"Pathetic, these men don't receive the same training that they used to. I haven't seen anyone in a long time that has any real skill with a blade. Most of these younger people tend to try flashier and more open attacks, idiotic."
Warren chuckles as we all look at each other. I raise an eyebrow.
"So, Kain, think you could show me some moves then?"
I ask sarcastically. He looks up to me and stares at me for a moment.
"No, my fighting style wouldn't compliment you very well. You are brash, combative. You have no balance between offense and defense. If our stats and gear were the same, you would be guaranteed a loss."
His words sting but I can't help but sigh and nod.
"Yeah, my incredibly high stats pretty much make any fighting style useless. I'm faster and stronger than any normal person."
Kain pulls a small stone from a pouch and starts rubbing it down his blade. Small sparks fly onto the ground as we all watch him.
"Alright, here's the deal."
He swings his blade and nods, clearly pleased.
"The guards will send wave after wave here, slowly becoming more and more advanced. As strong as I am, even I couldn't down an entire army. We need to get to the transporter before they understand what we're doing."
Kain closes his eyes and puts his fist to his chin, thinking.
"The only problem is getting to the transporter, they keep plenty of guards around the post. If you want to bring back your friend, we need to get to Vathric. That transporter is the only way in or out, sadly."
Vex and I look at each other.
"Could teleportation get us passed the guards?"
Vex asks calmly. Kain opens his eyes, almost baffled by the question.
"Tele-. Wait, you can teleport?"
His eyes dart up to us. We both nod and he sighs deeply.
"Then never mind my previous statement, it seems you can get there easily."
He stares at the wall for a moment.
"Well let's make a deal then."
He turns back to us and crosses his arms.
"I'll tell you where to go and when we make it through the transporter, we go our separate ways. There's nothing left for me here, everyone I know is either dead, abducted, or in prison."
Kain stares at us for a moment, clearly waiting for our answer. Before I can reply, Vex laughs.
"I think it would be better if you joined our guild. You seem very capable, you could train anyone else we bring on! If we ever started mass recruiting, you could be the training supervisor."
Vex's words barely even affect Kain. His eyes slowly look to Blankk then back to us.
"Right, not sure about that."
His words seem shallow, but understandable. I shake my head.
"He can do what he wants, as long as we bring Blankk back."
For a split second, Kain's eyes seemingly flash with memories. I notice, but don't care. Kain stands up and pulls up his shield.
"They'll be coming soon. Teleport us one mile north, above ground clearly."
Vex laughs and nods as he pulls us all close. In the blink of an eye, we're on a large hill overlooking a heavily fortified metal building. Behind the building is a massive series of rings with multiple floating blue lights orbiting inside the rings.
"That is the transporter."
Kain mumbles. I look closer and notice someone walking next to it, they're tiny. The portal seems to span 500 feet wide and tall.
"All you have to do is walk into it, should get us to Vathric."
I quickly look to Kain.
"Any idea how many miles away Vathric is?"
He thinks for a moment.
"Most likely around three-thousand miles."
I shake my head in disbelief.
So we might go more than three-thousand miles in an instant? Hard to believe, since not even teleport can take us that far.
In the blink of an eye, Vex grabs us again. Before we teleport, Carrina speaks up.
"I want to stay."
We all look to her and stare in confusion.
"But, why?"
I say quietly. She shakes her head.
"Adventuring is fun, and when I'm guaranteed to be able to go home it's ok. But, if the only way back is through that machine, I don't trust it. I just don't feel comfortable with that risk. Besides, with my newfound power from the X-Class Dungeon, I can defend my town easier than before. Besides, it's not like you really needed me for anything. I was just company, along for the ride."
Everyone looks to each other, then to me. I stare at her, feeling a weird sense of betrayal. I take a deep breath and nod.
"Vex, take her home."
I speak up, still not happy with the situation. Mia and Carrina wave as Vex places his hand on their shoulder. Carrina stares at Warren.
"Take care, don't die. I'd hate to lose my favorite punching bag."
Warren chuckles and shakes his head. Vex teleports them away, and soon returns to us. He looks to all of us, making sure we're ready. Azeroth glares into the portal, nodding slowly. Azeroth still hasn't put Blankk down.
In an instant, we appear at the portal and all jump through. A barrage of colors slams against my eyes as I fly through the portal. Before I realize it, I'm standing on solid ground. Heavy chatter seemingly echoes in my head for a moment as my eyes adjust.
I stare in awe as I look forward from a large metal platform. Thousands upon thousands of shiny buildings and flying vehicles adorn my vision.
"Vathric, the Hub of Technology. Never thought I'd actually see it with my own eyes."
Kain mumbles beside me. Before I can take a step, 3 men with strange armor run up to us. They pull out metal rods and glare towards us.
"You don't have chips, or tags! Who are you people!"
I inspect them closer, noticing their armor is melded into their flesh. They have strange visors covering their face and glowing lights all over them.
"They look sort of like holiday ornaments."
I hear Warren whisper behind me. I take a solid step forward, denting the metal beneath my foot.
"We are from Sathric, and we're here to bring our friend back from the dead!"