"It's good; follow me," said Rargnes decisively. Sengrar was behind him, and strangely, he passed through the bar's glass door with much more ease than Rargnes did. If he retained his body, that made sense. It would explain his ability to speak the invaders' language fluently while Rargnes only possessed the vocabulary.
They left the bar, skirting the buildings and observing each side.
"But there's no one around, right?"
"Potentially goblins, and it's better to train for when the real situation comes."
Since the commander's attack, he had gotten into the habit of always wearing his helmet and armor. The bullet in his ankle had taught him a lesson.
Rargnes pointed out key locations, and Sengrar followed, joyously smashing doors. Rargnes retrieved the keys and stood before an apartment door.
"There'll be a firearm in this one."
"And you know all this from that person who told you? Impressive memory you've got there."
Rargnes smiled somewhat awkwardly.
He opened the door with the keys.
"Say, wouldn't it have been easier if I just smashed this door instead of the caretaker's?"
Rargnes chuckled, "I hadn't thought of that."
"The poor caretaker will have trouble paying for the door," said Sengrar.
"I don't think that will be her biggest problem."
Rargnes blinked. Sengrar seemed more at ease in this life. He obviously had the energy, strength, and great mana within him - Rargnes had made sure of that - but if he had retained his body, which allowed him to speak the invaders' language without any accent, why couldn't he control his mage powers as well?
"Come on, let's go. We have a class token."
Rargnes picked up a class advancement token from the ground and slipped it into his pocket.
"This will be the moment of truth," he thought as he approached the stairs.
This time, Sengrar seemed genuinely impressed and started to believe his story. The weapon would be in his residence, but the opportunities with something tangible.
As they descended the stairs, Rargnes's heart began to race. If he was still being manipulated and still heard the voices, that would mean his power was genuinely linked to the voices.
After hours of travel and several stops, during which Rargnes took the opportunity to train as much as his current motivation allowed, they came upon the statue.
Two items presented themselves before them. A scroll and a scepter.
Sengrar looked at Rargnes.
"Choose whichever you want."
"What do they do?"
"The scroll has information but, apparently, has a chance of disappearing. Maybe we can only take one. And the scepter is an item that facilitates and enhances the power of your spells—like a magic wand, you know."
He grabbed the wand and returned shortly after. Everything had gone well. No dangers, the same words on the scroll before it disappeared. All identical. No excitement. Rargnes knew what to expect. It was now just a matter of doing things quickly, always more efficiently, like a robot.
"Is this life without a touch of magic what I'm seeking?"
He felt empty, acting in the third person, never truly present in the now. He was not feeling bad or great. He was just there, physically present like he had always been in his job. Was this the kind of life he wanted to maintain for eternity?
He shook his head. Doing more of what wasn't working wouldn't work by doing more. His problem was precisely overthinking. He looked at the present situation.
Sengrar waved his wand in all directions, quickly climbing the stairs to test it outside. Left behind, Rargnes climbed the stairs laboriously, hearing the sounds of magic flowing.
When he reached the top of the stairs, the noises had already faded with a panting Sengrar. The buildings above him were all penetrated, windows broken, immense metal blocks cut.
Fear and jealousy occupied his mind, as did a little anxiety and sometimes anger towards this world. Not joy. He never felt joy. He dreamed of this power. But could he kill the noble and then kill Sengrar? It was logistically impossible. Leaving alone the power of the noble himself, he had an army guarding him. They were stronger than him, even individually, and the chances of Sengrar and the noble being both heavily injured at the same time were inexistent.
Or, if he played his cards right, if he managed to validate that he wouldn't die at the creation of another world... As long as he looked into the fields where his first life should be, or more recently where Roaes should be, and if he managed to retain his memories somehow, he could kill Sengrar in his sleep, steal his energy, and let another Rargnes deal with the noble.
The remaining opportunities in the area were taken in the following two days. Sengrar turned out to be a good hunter, and in addition to Rargnes's locations, they found more opportunities. Each was equipped with a significant number of magical items.
There was only one day left before the portals were reactivated. Throughout, Rargnes guided Sengrar on magic. Then, they filled their bags with food, and after a good night's sleep, unafraid of their surroundings, they positioned themselves in front of the portals.
Where their prey would appear.