"Where is Frey?" Daren asked, his voice full of contempt.
"We lost sight of him while exploring that tunnel filled with locals." Plamus smiled and answered.
Daren frowned, then looked at Marquis Gomon who shrugged his shoulders, "We don't know whether he is still alive or not, but there is more important information to share... In that tunnel far beneath the surface we found a heart."
"A heart?" Kassan squinted his closed eyes.
"Yes. It was orange and huge. The entire space around it looked like an oasis, with a small clear lake beneath it. With our combined strength we managed to destroy it; all of this..." Plamus gestured at the dead swamp, "...it is because of us."
"Excuse me! That is important and all... but! To get back to the more important topic... WE CAN'T GO HOME?!" Hadrian burst out.
Kassan raised his hand, "Not for now, no. Our only chance is to bide our time until the people back in Astafor manage to create another portal. They still have the same coordinates needed to do so, it's just that..."
"Just what?" Marquis Gomon questioned.
Kassan exhaled loudly, "When two planes are connected to another their flow of time slows down or speeds up to the same pace. This is a proven fact our ancestors discovered a long time ago... and now that this connection has been severed..." he trailed off.
"So, we are either stuck here for some days, or some years, depending on which of the two applies." Marquis Gomon touched his forehead, he sounded exhausted.
Kassan merely nodded.
Hadrian slumped to the ground, "Stupid me... I knew I shouldn't have volunteered to participate... I could be home, sipping on some champaign, and laugh at whichever sucker from my family got trapped in another plane... now that sucker is me." he quietly mumbled, his eyes were glassy and unfocused.
Marquis Gomon glared at Hadrian for a moment before shaking his head and moving on, "Sir Horun, how safe is this place? I would assume that you know this plane better than anyone else, so your judgment is vital."
"The locals did not chase my men into this dead part of the swamp. According to Daren here, it looked like an invisible barrier was preventing them from entering." Kassan explained while gesturing to Daren.
Marquis Gomon covered his mouth with his hand, he gazed to the ground while contemplating, "I noticed your scouts on the far edges of this part of the swamp, others might too, the dead plants stand out after all… We should gather all of our forces to increase our odds of survival. Hearing that the locals can't enter this place is assuring, but I do not believe that this is a complete safe zone either."
"I agree with you, but for now this is our best bet, unless anyone has a better idea." Kassan nodded, but no one spoke up.
"Marquis, would you care to elaborate on this 'heart' that you mentioned? I believe those two events might hold a stronger connection than it seems." Kassan continued.
Marquis Gomon collected his thoughts for a moment, "Miss Winny, the young Beckett, and me, we followed the boy from Aventia, Frey, through the swamp. I am still not sure how he did it, but he led us to that tunnel with ease. Then those three joined us, Plamus Starhelm, Reyna Ironhoof, and Hadrian Whitewood, and we descended without any obstruction for a long while. The first local we encountered was a strange one, it looked somewhat like a human, and was strong enough to threaten a rank three mage like Plamus."
"The rank three type, yes. I know of them." Kassan nodded.
"Indeed. Young Beckett has told us that much on our way back." Marquis Gomon nodded in unison, "Frey disappeared during our scuffle with that thing, and we were unable to find him afterwards. I am inclined to believe that he is still alive, but this plane is dangerous enough to prove me wrong."
"We arrived at a cross-section but continued on the only way down, where we found a wide cave, pillars of moss, a body of water, and above that an orange beating heart. Both the lake and the heart emitted a light, and we noticed that all sorts of locals were embedded in the walls, resting."
"I decided it was best to destroy the heart, and so we did. But its destruction awoke those locals, and we fled while fighting them off. Upon our arrival back on the surface, we noticed that the surroundings had already died." Marquis Gomon concluded; the air became tense as silence ensued.
"Light...?" Kassan mumbled; his voice revealed a hint of excitement.
"...The heart's destruction caused the locals to awaken and attack... Marquis, work with me here: is there any chance that the attack on our camp could have been some sort of retaliation for the destruction of this 'heart'?" Kassan pondered.
"That would imply that we are dealing with a sentient enemy. Perhaps even one with intelligence comparable to our own. It is a dangerous notion, but very possible." Marquis Gomon felt inclined to agree.
Kassan wiped his forehead, "Heh. A creature that felt angered by your actions, then sent out swarms of monsters to wipe us out... that almost makes it seem like this plane did not actively oppose our invasion until now... it didn't take us seriously?"
"There is something I have been thinking about since we discovered that heart, a thought for everyone present to ponder over. Since its destruction caused one part of the swamp to die, it is very likely that this heart was just one of many." Marquis Gomon spoke.
Kassan gasped, "That's it! This is how we can finally stop this nigh infinite production of locals! Besides rebuilding our camp, this shall become our main focus: to fight back and take away the locals' territory!"
"I am also rather curious about this cave… Marquis, are you interested in leading some men back there to clear the path and secure that place for us?" he continued.
Plamus raised his hand, "I volunteer to take charge of this task." he gave Reyna a sideways glance, and she quickly caught onto his intentions.
"There is still a bunch of rank threes left in there." Marquis Gomon remarked.
Plamus returned a smile, "I am fully aware, but we do not need to clear the path in one go, right? Since the locals in there have lost their 'backup'…"
"Very well. Every rank three mage shall from now on lead a part of our remaining forces, while the young man focuses on the cave, I ask that Daren, Miss Winny and Marquis Gomon help protect this place during the reconstruction. Inform the scouts to keep an eye out for any survivors out there." Kassan ordered.
"Yes Sir!" the church's warriors around him loudly acknowledged his order, and after some back and forth, a group of sixteen stood at the ready, to depart with Plamus and Reyna.
The group consisted of two rank two fire mages, three priests, and eleven regular warriors, each with heavy armour and a weapon of their choice.
"Clearing that tunnel is important, but not more important than the lives of our people. I trust that you will make a judgment befitting our situation and survival." Kassan imparted some final words to Plamus before his departure.
"Of course. No need to worry. We are all in this together, aren't we?" Plamus smiled at the blind expedition leader, then glanced over Marquis Gomon and Winny before leaving.
Plamus and his group disappeared into the veil of darkness, outside of the range of the light, only then did Kassan turn to the remaining people present, especially Marv, "I believe you offered me some aid in regard to my eyes."
Marv gulped, "My family- well, my father specialises in healing utilizing blood magic. I can't promise anything-"
"No, even if you don't succeed, we must at least try." Kassan interrupted him.
Marv was taken aback, "Are you sure? I mean, I do have some confidence, but if I mess up things could get really ugly."
"I am willing to take that risk." Kassan assured him.
Marquis Gomon grumbled on the side, "Is your sight so important you would risk death for it? I thought mages were more than capable of wielding their element even without any senses."
"I might sound cocky while saying so, but with my eyes restored our chance of survival becomes a lot more assured."
"I have been assigned the task of conquering this plane. I will not rest until I have accomplished His Majesty's order... we have suffered quite the setback, but this is nothing we cannot come back from."
"Come. I am eager to undergo treatment. Before any more unexpected events occur..." Kassan spoke as he distanced himself from the others, along with Marv.
Daren went after the two, and Marquis Gomon turned to Winny, "Quite devoted, isn't he."
Winny sceptically sized up the Marquis but ended up nodding and speaking in a hushed voice, "A fool if you ask me. Blind faith like that is going to be his downfall."
Marquis Gomon broke out into laughter, even wiping some tears into his clothes, before being reminded of the stinky goo that stuck to his clothes.
He frowned at himself, but answered, "Perhaps you aren't so bad after all. Although if anyone else heard you..." his voice trailed off, "Neither your status nor strength could save you." he spoke with a straight face.
His words sounded like a threat; Winny stared back at him, she threw her hands into the air, "And lose a rank three? In our situation? Yeah, right."
"So? Are you going to look for that boy?"
Marquis Gomon frowned, "Aventia's boy? If he is still alive, he'll find his way back to us sooner or later. If he isn't... well, then he has only his luck to blame."
Plamus and Reyna were walking ahead of the others, each kept on stealing glances at the other, waiting for them to speak up first.
The more he looked at Reyna, the more amusing he found this situation.
"What's so funny?" she glared at him.
"Nothing much, really. It's just... did you forget that you were limping?"
Her eyes shot open, she stopped walking and just stood there, like a tree.
"Don't tell me. I am not interested in what kind of artefact your family gave you ahead of the competition. All I am really interested at the moment is finding-"
"The boy." Reyna finished his sentence, "I want him dead. No, need him dead. His corpse, or at least some kind of signs of him must still be in the tunnel."
"Sure. But that's not what I wanted to say." Plamus continued walking.
"Oh yeah?" she caught back up with him.
"You heard the same thing I did. Every rank three gets to control a part of the remaining living humans in this place. Now, what's going to happen when more and more observers, who survived, start making their appearance?"
"...You lose influence?"
Plamus nodded, a malicious smile grew on his face, "That's right. But if none of them make it back... if even those in our camp get hurt... They'll only have me to rely on."
"And how are you going to help everyone survive until we get to go back? On your own, I mean." Reyna got ready to ridicule him.
"Huh? Help everyone survive? What are you on about? It's just me that needs to get out of this place alive. You all don't matter." he answered, like this was the most obvious fact.
"You are insane." she noted.
"Don't worry. You are a close second on my list." Plamus smiled at her as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him.
"Urgh!" she grunted, slightly gagging as she pushed him away from herself.
Plamus sneered, but let go of her, "You want all the benefits without putting in any effort."
Reyna remained quiet, she averted her gaze and the conversation between them died down.
... ...
Long red hair emerged from the dark headpiece that covered the face of the woman at the Ironhoof's gathering.
Next to her sat Silvana, Charles and Simon across from her, even Astore was present.
The red-haired woman was tightly clasping a piece of paper between her fingers; her breathing was fast, excited!
"This is... terrific news!" her lips parted, making way for a devilish grin.
"What is?" Simon huffed.
The woman turned the paper and held it in the air, allowing those across from her to read its contents.
Simon's head was leaning against his hand, "...Due to unforeseen circumstances... blah blah, Sunless Mire... blah blah... contestants are trapped..."
"WHAT?!" Silvana shouted at the top of her lungs.
She rose from her seat, quickly ripped the paper from out of the woman's hand and stared at it in disbelief.
Her actions were the complete opposite of the respectful behaviour everyone within the room had towards the red-haired woman, but she didn't seem to care.
Silvana slammed the paper and her hand against the table, "What do you mean 'terrific'?! Do you remember how much effort we put into nurturing Reyna?! My daughter?!"
"Calm yourself Silvana, you misunderstand." Charles interrupted her fit of rage.
Silvana was seething, but decided against saying any more irrational words she could not take back.
She sat back down and intently looked at the woman next to her.
"I am not worried about Reyna in the least. She is strong enough to handle herself." the red-haired woman folded her hands, "...This situation, it's even better than what we had planned... with this and the start of the selection for His Majesty's heir... the entire royal family will be spread thin!"
Astore bowed his head before speaking, "My Lady, should I set things into motion?"
The woman's grin grew wider, like a demon's incarnation, "Send out letters before nightfall. It is time for our 'alliance partners' to show their worth."
"As you command." Astore bowed even deeper, then excused himself and left the room.
Simon raised his eyebrow as he watched Astore leave, "I guess you are finally getting what you've wanted."
"Not what I've wanted, but what we've wanted." the woman corrected him, "Remember, everything I do is for the well-being of the Ironhoof family."
"...And in this case, it is finally time for us to continue growing. Once we are done with this, the Ironhoofs will no longer be a dukedom but a marquisate, the amount of land we own will more than double... just imagine what this means for our future armies."
She spread her arms to emphasise her point, "And that too is just the beginning. After devouring our prey and stabilising our situation, we can set our sights even higher... rank three is just the beginning."
"Hm? But isn't the way to achieve rank four a tightly guarded secret only known to the royal fami...ly... oh." Simon trailed off; he touched his forehead as he finally grasped the entirety of the red-haired woman's plan.
The feeling of understanding washed over him, like he was standing beneath a raging waterfall.
"Do you finally understand why I am in charge, Simon?" the woman looked at him, her devious smile caused him goosebumps all over his skin.
"Don't worry. Your role is just as important as mine. You are the head of the Ironhoof family after all. You will represent us in our imminent rise." her words lifted his mood, yet her face turned cold again, "But don't forget that I will not tolerate failure, no matter whose fault it turns out to be."
"Our meeting has concluded." the red-haired woman declared and rose from her seat.
The other three watched her back as she left the room, the heavy doors creaked until they fully opened, the echo of her heels hitting the ground slowly grew quieter.
"I hate her." Silvana glared at the open door, "She thinks she is so much better and more capable than us. 'It's all for the family'... as if! I have never seen a more selfish person than her!"
"You sound like you think you are any better." Simon mused.
"Simon!" she slammed her fist onto the table.
"Well. I think I will excuse myself." Charles got up from his seat, not interested in joining those insane siblings during their quarrel.
He closed the door on his way out, unperturbed by the thought of either of the two leaving the room as a charred corpse by the hands of the other.
He shook his head and sighed, then walked down some halls before entering an icy cold room.
His breathing showed in the form of white mist.
At the centre of the room was a stone table, with a body on top, the body belonged to a human male, who only had their loin covered by a cloth.
Tons of scars covered every possible surface on his body, he had long blond hair, many carvings of runes on his torso and legs, his left arm was just a black chunk, and there was a single hole that went through the entirety of his forehead, all the way to the back.
"To think that your insubordination... not just once, but twice, would end up being the vital element to our rise... even though you fought it, your resistance ended up being futile. You ended up back in the palm of our hands, back as a part of our schemes. It seems that even in death will you be unable to properly rest, Hodwan."