Finally, the night ended and the dawn came - bringing forth the sunlight I so much craved.

The night wasn't to my liking, not this one. Thoughts raced through my mind at insane speeds, as I dreamed and dreaded alike, about what we might find in the dungeon, or what may find us there.

Really, finding out you are to enter a previously unconquered place the next day wasn't the best remedy for sleep. That is if the one taking it hoped to close his or her eyes for the night, otherwise - it was excellent.

I was finally able to fall asleep, but it was way too late - which made me wake up later than normal, and still fatigued.

As I crawled out of my tent, pushing Parcas off of my body, I saw nearly every one of my comrades sat beside the campfire - above which a pot hung on a big rack. It seemed that they too, hadn't slept well. Nice for me, as it meant I wasn't late for breakfast.

"Oh, Adam! Come join us after you pack your things - we are already already, so.. hurry up!"

Gravis, that little shit. He tried to make me nervous, even though I was clearly seeing that they started to make food only recently - which meant I had plenty of time to pack my things.

Despite his efforts, which included a few comments after I started to work, I finished packing ay before the food was ready.

"What are you cooking?"

I asked Marvin, who sat near the fire and stirred the contents of the pot with a huge wooden spoon.

"A stew, you will like it - I added a lot of potatoes."

That fucker, he lied to me!

Not only the number of potatoes I received in my bowl was at most 'moderate' but also it was full of corn!

I hate corn.

But I pressed on, and with a lot of effort put into navigating my spoon around the treacherous yellow seeds - or whatever those corn pieces were - I managed to fill up my stomach with the delight of the divine plant, and other, non-potato things that were much more acceptable than that devil spawn they call corn.

After the tiering breakfast, full of hateful gazes towards the blond-haired archer, I took my packed bags and mounted them on Los - who was already saddled, meaning that at least one soul in our group cared about me a bit.

Talking about our group - they got ready around the time I was, all but Gravis, who was the last one to get on his horse - staring at him judgmentally as he prepared was quite funny, to be honest. Also, it was effective, he didn't try his jokes on me for the rest of the day.

Slowly, we moved towards the Monolith, and the Gate etched to its side. As we started to move, Commander Gaius spotted us and walked over.

"So, we are going in already?"

He asked, without any greeting.

"Good morning commander, and yes, we are going into the Gate. You will have your outpost return to its normal state in about an hour."

Algier responded, as timidly as before.

"Good, I get that you will probably not complete the dungeon, but be sure to put some effort towards such a goal - A Master like me has many, many things more interesting to do than taking in an outpost all of the time, believe me."

It seems our worries were correct. The main reason we as a group hadn't run away was the possibility of a master being stationed here, or even multiple of them. We didn't want to risk it, and as dungeons are never impossible to survive in, it was wiser to enter, than try the guards.

Even if none of the commander's subordinates were as powerful as he, there were plenty of them - they outnumbered at least five to one. Even having one more master and an advanced mage, would not defend us from casualties.

"Surely, you must have it hard here, commander."

Algier replied with pity clear in his voice.

"You couldn't imagine..."

I didn't like that guy's attitude, so, I stopped listening to the conversation between the two bigshots.

Instead, I asked Stellmo about how will we ensure the safety of our animals. There is no way we will take the horses with us to battle, not to mention Parcas. The steeds may have some ability to defend themself, but my cat? What is he supposed to do? Arch his back and hiss?

"You heard when the commander explained the environment to us?"

I nodded.

"So, that's where we will leave them - it acts as a safe area, like in any other dungeon. Monsters and beasts appear only in instances further inside."

It made some sense... Nah, who am I lying to? Nothing about the Gates and dungeons attached to them made any sense. It is like with The Goddess, a deity that supposedly cares for us, yet allows the beast tides to happen and plagues to descend...

Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in the god's existence - too many things point towards them being real... Actually, even if the only signs were the miracles performed by priests of Pruinia - who had no power themselves whatsoever - I would be inclined to believe she exists.

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But just as with the gates and dungeons, the difference between believing in their existence is so far from putting my faith in them or understanding them.

I may think that Pruinia exists, but I doubt that I will ever believe in her church's teachings, the same applies to dungeons - I know they exist, but I simply refuse to acknowledge the rules adventurers found and accepted as something unchangeable, stable and believable.

So, as I always do, I asked further questions - in search of imperfections in logic. Even though I knew people smarter and wiser considered those matters before. It's just my nature.

"What if they appear in the grasslands?"

As I asked, we already could see the gate etched in the monolith in the distance. Our horses walked slowly, but steadily. And we were about to reach our destination in a few minutes at most.

"I think... that's when the beast wave arrives. I am not sure, to be honest, I have never heard about Moster invading a safe area."

Stellmo seemed perplexed, he furrowed his brows and looked at me curiously.

"But that doesn't mean it didn't happen..." He concluded. "Don't worry, nothing like this will happen with us, and even if - we are a capable group, we will survive."

I think he wanted to say more, but the ears on the heads of the few guardsmen who walked with us to the gate, made him reconsider.

"Okay, I will trust you. But if either of my boys will die - I will haunt you to the end of creation, both while alive and not."

I boldly proclaimed. And to clarify - I am adamant about keeping that promise.

Stellmo didn't respond, in fact, he acted as if he didn't hear me for the rest of the ride.

Which didn't really mean that we didn't talk for a lot of time - the monolith was close.

"Do you... Need anything else before you go in?"

I was surprised when the commander asked that. It just didn't fit in how he acted up until now.

"No, thank you." Algier turned towards us, leaving Gaius behind him. "Take a deep breath and check your things - we are going in in five minutes." He told us.

As I checked my things - mainly the satchels around Los's saddle - a man came from the outpost's entrance. His breath was shaken and his face full of confusion, as he ran towards the Commander, his full armour rattling with every stride.

"What is it, Seth?"

From my perspective, it looked as if the commander was relieved, that something else happened so that he doesn't have to talk pleasantries with Algier anymore.

"Commander, there are people at the gates, Claiming to be Adventurers who were sent from the Northern Overseer."

Now, that's when the scenery changed for the worse.

In a flash, Stellmo, Fenfallal and Alger seemed to communicate and come to a decision.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared through the outpost- as Fenfallal slashed at the commander with his sabre covered in golden lightning. Royal Swordmaster disappeared from his saddle and appeared next to the metal-covered foe at a speed far higher than I thought he was capable of - even after seeing him clash with that gigantic spider.

Commander Gaius, as expected of a master, managed to react by raising his arm high, in the way of the golden warrior's sabre. The lightning clashed with a blue force enveloping the commander's arm - but apart from throwing him backwards, It didn't seem to affect our enemy.

At the same time, Algier and Stellmo moved between me and the guardsmen stationed in the outpost, who watched as we were about to enter the Gate.

Around me, the rest of my companions gathered, still on their horses. Marvin and Tensyn - our archers - took out their bows and started shooting around, while the rest of the warriors took hold of all the horses.

A second or two later, walls of fire raised around us, creating a passage towards the Gate but blocking us from the world in all other directions. Parcas stirred in his pocket, looking at the combination of efforts of the wind mage and fiery warrior in fright.

All the while, I was useless, and even if I were able to react in time - none of my efforts would make a change in the storm of this battle. Which was at a completely different level than what I have ever experienced myself, even if short-lived.

Then, the commander once again appeared in my sight, charging at the Royal Swordmaster in rage, with a horrifying roar coming from his mouth.

Fortunately, the golden warrior was ready - and in a few exchanges full of flashing moves and booming impacts, we envoys were once again alone in the circle of fire.

"Move to the Gate!"

Algier roared while waving his hands around - the winds responded to his call and carried Stellmo's flames as he wished.

Obeying the leader's command, the three warriors who took hold of the horses directed them towards the monolith - through the corridor of fire. Along with the lone animals, they pulled on the archer's steeds, while I directed Los myself. Taking care of myself was the least I could do.

As we rode - not as fast as I would like - the sounds of clashing swords increased in frequency, which prompted me to look behind.

There, Algier and Stellmo walked backwards while still maintaining the wall of fire they conjured, while Fenfallal flashed from place to place.

Sometimes, he was outside of the fiery circle cutting the throats or crippling the guards that moved in our direction. Then, he appeared back inside, once again fighting with the commander - who couldn't keep up with Fenfallal's speed.

Their clashes were the loudest, but also the least frequent - and to be honest, the commander didn't fare well against my friend. Also, I got the impression that he was more focused on shouting names than attacking Fenfallal seriously. With all my respect for the royal swordmaster; I don't believe he is capable of dominating a fight against another master so much.

As we neared the monolith, I was distracted by watching my back and didn't notice Los turned a bit askew and stepped near the firewall.

Fortunately, he corrected himself immediately, as the frightening heat of Stellmo's flames rose drastically with every centimetre I got closer to it.

"Step In! We will join you in a few seconds!"

Another order fell, and thus, the rest of the warriors and I stepped into the swirl of colours between the frames of the Gate, still on the backs of our horses.

The wind mage and both of the masters remained behind, while their horses and belongings followed right behind us.

Entering the Gate for the first time was something I will never forget. The colours swirled in my vision, dazing me and blinding my sight while the mysterious energy I observed the day before enveloped my whole body, sealing me from everything that was not myself. Such as my clothes, the horse I rode, and even breath inside my lungs.

Dazed, blind and suffocating, I felt as if flying before reality hit me once again, and I found myself in the middle of a vast plain. Green and vibrant, so different from the ever-present white I endured for so many months.

After catching my breath, and adjusting my eyes to the soothing sight before me, I looked around.

Just before me, Marvin was off his horse - pulling on Los's reins and taking me and my animals out of a defensive circle the warriors formed immediately after they appeared inside the Gate's space. They acted so fast that when I was finally able to see again; they were already in defensive positions, ready to fight anything that may come after us from the Gate.

The Gate itself looked much different on this side. Instead of a black, ominous monolith, the multicoloured swirl was bound between the gateframe made out of white marble that shined radiantly as the sunlight reflected off of it.

"Stand back, Adam. You may prepare some spell if you can, but don't you dare come close to the Gate."

Marvin commanded me when Los was finally out of the warrior's circle.

I took his words to my heart and rushed Los to move further away - I didn't summon any of my spells though, none of them would cause any damage to the fighters.

Just as I stopped Los some distance away the Gate stirred once again. Spewing out a figure clad in armour from head to toe - which was quickly revealed when the colours returned from its body to the Gate's surface.

Next, three others appeared from between the colours, much more gracefully than the figure that had fallen to the grass-covered ground head-first.