“Congratulations, Zareth. We finally arrived within the planned borders of your future territory. How does it feel?”

Zareth swept his gaze across the surrounding featureless sand dunes, no different from the ones he’d seen since leaving Tal’Hadin, before looking back at Rizok’s shit-eating grin.

“It feels wonderful. I’m so very excited,” Zareth replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he lounged in the wagon. A disk-shaped, Sunstone powered artifact in the center of the wagon created a ward which kept its interior relatively comfortable despite the desert sun’s searing heat. “There’s just something so fascinating about a barren wasteland filled with rabid sand elementals.”

Their journey from Tal’Hadin had been fairly uneventful and monotonous up until now. Zareth had been anticipating some sort of attack from House Khysar ever since he left the city, but the only interesting part of their trip was that the Living Sands grew more aggressive the farther south they traveled.

Although, perhaps that lack of anything exciting should have been expected given that High Command was sending consistent patrols through the route traveling south from Tal’Hadin. It was an essential route to the frontlines being held by the Tal’Qamari Southern Legion, which prevented Anket from marching their forces up a relatively clear path all the way to Tal’Hadin.

“Oh, come now! Surely, a future ruler should be more excited about seeing his domain,” Rizok said with a teasing chuckle as he leaned against the polished wooden frame of the wagon.

Rizok had been relatively relaxed since leaving Tal’Hadin despite the threat of attack on their caravan.

Zareth had a feeling that the soldier felt more comfortable out here in the open desert, his hand resting nonchalantly on his sword as he occasionally scanned the horizon, than within the confines of a city. It would make sense, given that Rizok had spent far more of his life traveling and fighting wars than staying in a single city.

The contingent of soldiers escorting the caravan all seemed to behave the same way, so Zareth’s impression of Rizok was likely correct.

“I am confused. Why would you choose such a land if you perceive no value in it?” Vidhatri asked while walking alongside the ghorak’s pulling their caravan and surveyed the arid landscape with a puzzled expression.

Ever since they had unfortunately lost one of the beasts to an adult Dune Drake, Vidhatri, Rizok, and the soldiers had started taking turns closely guarding the ghoraks. Even if they were strong enough to travel the Qahtani Desert by foot, losing the caravan’s beasts of burden would severely cripple their expedition and add several weeks to their journey.

Zareth really didn’t want to deal with that, even if it meant protecting the horrible little spit monster from being eaten by random creatures.

“Rizok is just teasing me,” said Zareth, glaring half-heartedly at his friend. “I… may have said a few things that I shouldn't have about my future prospects while I was drunk on beetles.”

“He went on a long and very dramatic monologue about his glorious destiny to become the great lord of a rich trade city more prosperous than Tal’Qamar,” said Rizok, his eyes mischievous as he shared a glance with Vidhatri. “Zareth spoke extensively about how he would bring in [Cooks] from every continent in the world to compete for his attention and make me the head of his security forces. I just wanted to show gratitude to my glorious leader and remind him of his grand aspirations.”

Zareth blushed a little and groaned when he heard his drunken rambling repeated back to him. So, what if he dreamt of living in luxury? Anyone would enjoy those kinds of things after growing up without them.

Of course, founding and ruling such a wealthy city where none existed was… a bit too ambitious for most people to take seriously, but what was the harm in dreaming big?

Vidhatri turned her gaze to a Qahtani Glintworm in the distance that suddenly emerged from beneath the sands and swallowed an unsuspecting Behemoth Twin-Tailed Scorpion. There was only a short fight before the giant worm disappeared again beneath the dunes, leaving behind a pristine sand dune that showed no evidence the violence which had just occurred.

“Somehow, I feel that your ambitions may be difficult to realize,” said Vidhatri, her voice as dry as the desert itself as she turned back to look at him. “These lands are not as hostile as the jungles of Zumair, but this place does not seem particularly hospitable.”

“My actual territory will expand from Shabail’s Pass all the way to the coastline,” Zareth quickly explained, feeling a bit defensive about his plans. “There are fertile lands further west of here where the largest settlements will be built. I imagine that we should start seeing less sand and more rocky ground fairly soon, since our path to Jabal-Alma is taking us in that direction.”

While he hadn’t wanted to share his plans before, Zareth had no problems doing so now that he’d been forced to go semi-public. High Command had recently demanded that all of the factions in Tal’Qamar submit claims on the lands that they wished to acquire after the war was over. The deadline for these submissions was several months from now, but Zareth had decided that it was in his cult’s best interest to act early.

According to his contacts in the Tessik, who continued to keep Zareth up to date with Tal’Qamar’s internal politics via his golem, High Command was trying to keep relations between the Great Houses stable. Forcing them to explicitly state their intentions for territorial expansion was the best way to prevent future conflicts.

This change of policy was apparently made in response to private meetings between the Great Houses becoming increasingly hostile. It was a good idea in Zareth’s opinion and demonstrated to him that General Nasrith had enough autonomy from the Great Houses to both know about and act in response to those meetings.

It was good to know. Especially with High Command showing favor to the Cult of Cerebon.

“I’ve never been there myself, but the land is said to be good,” said Rizok, expression growing thoughtful. “Were it not for the Narakanai, I’m certain that this region would be more populated. Their raids are incredibly troublesome to deal with unless you have a decent navy, like Anket does, or are built far enough inland.”

The underwater kingdom of aggressive fish people would definitely be a problem, but not one that Zareth had to deal with right now.

“I hope High Command manages to hold Anket back while we’re completing our mission,” Zareth said, feeling a little bit worried when he recalled that their destination was uncomfortably close to the frontlines. “It’d be pretty unfortunate if we all suddenly found ourselves behind enemy lines. Maybe they could even push the lines further west so that I can scout a decent spot to place a future settlement. Doing so from just a map is almost impossible.”

“Hmph. If there was a chance of things changing so drastically any time soon, I would have spoken against this little adventure,” said Rizok, the firmness in his eyes making clear his commitment to their safety. “The Southern Legion is highly specialized in defensive engagements and has secured a very entrenched position in some ravines near Anket. The terrain is rocky due to the nearby mountains, and the enemy has sent the bulk of their forces to the northern front. The southern front will almost certainly stay stagnant unless the war’s dynamics change significantly.”

Zareth had already done some research into the military situation since leaving Tal’Hadin, but it was still nice to have his assessment reaffirmed.

Scouting the lands further west was actually a fairly important objective that Zareth wanted to accomplish before he left. If the frontlines did in fact stay stagnant like Rizok predicted, then Zareth would need to see if he could find a safe way to explore behind enemy lines. Perhaps through the use of a flesh golem imbedded with an [Eye of Cerebon] or something similar.

He hoped that the locals of Jabal-Alma might have an idea since they knew the area better than himself, but he might just have to give up the idea if it proved too risky.

Zareth was pulled from his thoughts by the chuckles of the middle-aged lizardkin seated at the front of the wagon and driving the caravan. Her name was Skaara, and she was a member of the Tessik who had been assigned to guide them to Jabal-Alma as she possessed the [Desert Pathfinder] Class.

While the Desharin served the role of guiding people in Tal’Qamar through the Qahtani Desert, other cities tended to train their own experts in desert navigation.

“Speaking of mountains, sir, we aren’t too far off from the Emperor’s Range now,” said Skaara, gesturing towards the horizon where a faint outline of towering peaks could be seen, slicing through the sky like serrated blades. “That means it’ll only be a short while before we come across the damned mirage that’s swallowing folks. I have a few special Skills that’ll allow us to navigate it for a while, but the caravan’s gonna have to move pretty carefully when we reach it.”

“Do you have a lot of experience with the mirage?” Zareth asked curiously, ignoring the trace of tension that clouded Rizok’s expression. “Given that it’s been there for nearly nine months and that only relatively high-level guides are capable of getting close to it safely, I imagine that you likely helped investigate it at some point. We’re lucky to have you.”

For more reasons than one, Zareth thought but didn’t say in front of Vidhatri and the surrounding soldiers.

When the caravan wasn’t attacked shortly after leaving Tal’Hadin, it’d been determined that the next most likely moment for a potential ambush was once they started approaching the mirage. The safest and most direct path to Jabal-Alma would take them fairly close to the mirage, giving House Khysar a place where they knew that Zareth would reliably pass and could stage an ambush from. The fact that the mirage would disorientate the caravan would definitely help the attackers as well.

Having a trustworthy, competent guide who Zareth knew hadn’t been paid off by House Khysar was truly fortunate.

“Yeah, I’ve been to the mirage. I even entered and exited its outer edges to help Tal’Hadin’s [Mages] figure out what was happening inside,” Skaara said, her voice upbeat despite the dangerous situation that they were approaching. “Whatever’s causing the mirage, it’s much spookier than the ones made by System Spawn. It messes up your perception of space and makes you feel as if you’re in an entirely different world. Gets stronger the deeper you go in, as well. Even I’ll get trapped if I’m not careful.”

Zareth nodded in understanding before opening his third eye and sweeping his gaze across the horizon. Now that the chance of them being ambushed had risen dramatically, Zareth couldn’t afford to let himself be distracted by idle conversation.

[Eye of Cerebon] was the most potent tool that their caravan had against illusion and other means of obfuscation that potential ambushers might use. He couldn’t see anything of note aside from an abnormally large cluster of Living Sands off in the distance, but Zareth forced himself to remain vigilant over the next hour of travel.

Their caravan remained relatively quiet as the landscape began to change the closer they got to the Emperor’s Range. Sand gave way to rockier terrain, the sparse vegetation of the desert was replaced by a more varied flora, and the local monsters gradually became more suited for the rougher terrain. By now, they were close enough to the mountains that Zareth could see snow gathering on their tips and large creatures flying near the peaks.

However, neither Zareth nor anyone else in the caravan spotted anything that would imply that they were about to be ambushed. Zareth wasn’t sure if that should make him feel relieved or even more on edge. The Tessik were fairly confident that House Khysar was up to something nefarious, even if they couldn’t determine the specifics, but that didn’t mean that the attack necessarily had to come now.

It would be just as effective to ambush Zareth and his caravan during the journey back to Tal’Hadin or even find a way to hinder them that was a bit more creative. As dangerous as being attacked by the Great House’s paid [Assassins] might be, Zareth honestly hoped for something so straightforward given that he had both Rizok and Vidhatri protecting him.

Not to mention the many life preserving augmentations that he’d added to his body, which bolstered his confidence when it came to surviving direct confrontation.

Just as Zareth was about to ask Rizok for his perspective on the lack of any threat, there was a sudden change in their surroundings that had everyone tensing on high alert.

“Ha! No need to worry, friends. It seems like we stumbled into that pesky mirage, but I’ll have us out of here in a jiffy,” Sakaara declared confidently.

Zareth was glad that their guide seemed so sure of themselves, but that did little to reassure him as he and the rest of the caravan gaped dumbfoundedly at the sight before them.

Between one heartbeat and the next, Zareth had gone from admiring the gradually changing environment while keeping an eye out for [Assassins] to standing in what looked to be the ruins of an underground city built into the walls of a vast cavern. Rows upon rows of empty dwelling carved into rock stretched far off into the distance as a veritable maze of streets and alleyways unfolded before them. Looking above, Zareth could see several long and decrepit stone walkways connecting different levels of the city, creating a complex network high above them.

When Zareth glanced back toward their path of arrival, he couldn’t help but stumble back as he realized their caravan was now standing atop of a ledge that overlooked a steep drop, plunging into an abyss that seemed to consume any light.

“Scary, isn’t it? This is one of the reasons why I said this illusion is so much more dangerous than those nasty System Spawn,” said Skaara as she calmed down the panicked ghoraks with a few soothing touches. “We probably stumbled into the borders of the mirage a while back, but it only activated once we got in deep enough that we couldn’t immediately turn around and leave. At least, that’s what that group of fancy [Mages] the Swarm Lord hired to investigate told me when I brought ‘em here. Makes it hard to pin down exactly where it starts and ends, and before you know it, you’re in the thick of it.”

Zareth had already known from past reports that the magical phenomenon was uncomfortably close to Jabal-Alma. There had always been a good chance of the caravan encountering it on their journey, even if he didn’t need to investigate and get rid of the thing himself.

However, experiencing the mirage first-hand was entirely different from reading about it in reports.

“Is… this truly an illusion?” Vidhatri asked, her voice shaking with a rare tremor of awe and uncertainty. “It’s difficult to believe. I feel as if I’ve suddenly stepped into another world entirely. I have never even heard of illusions capable of feeling so real.”

Zareth traded a subtle glance with Rizok, who had been organizing the caravan’s unsettled soldiers in a defensive formation around the wagons. They were both quite familiar with a faction who had once been able to make uncommonly sophisticated illusions. Contemporary magic was generally superior to the magic of ancient times, but the illusions of the Nephalan Empire were a definite exception.

Likely because the Conclave seemed to have made efforts to expurgate any information about that time in history, and there hadn’t been much research since into a relatively esoteric niche branch of magic. Nobody besides Zareth, Rizok, and presumably Skaara knew that one of the goals of this mission was for them to find the Nephalan Empire ruins, which the Tessik believed were hidden somewhere in this area.

Apart from lessening the influence that the Conclave had on Jabal-Alma and ensuring that the settlement could be integrated into the greater Tal’Qamari polity, everyone believed that their only other objective was to resolve the mirage problem. Now that Zareth had seen just how advanced the mirage actually was, he had suspicion that some of his objectives might just be a bit more interconnected than he initially thought.

“How are we supposed to know which way to go if we can’t trust our sense of direction?” Zareth asked as he glanced distrustfully toward the bottomless chasm behind them. “I’d normally assume that we could just go back the way we came, but I somehow feel like that would be a bad idea…”

[Eye of Cerebon] could tell that there was something… off with his surroundings and Zareth could sense that the Etherveil was highly concentrated here, but none of his senses told him how to navigate the illusion.

“Well, that’s what you have me for, darling,” Skaara said with a cheeky smirk before turning her gaze to the cityscape. “[Banish Obfuscation] [Undeviating Path]. [Share Route] ”

Zareth wasn’t sure why Skaara spoke the names of her Skills outloud, until he felt them directly affecting him and realized that the lizardkin had only done so to warn them. It would have been unwise to covertly use her Skills on a bunch of tense soldiers.

The first seemed to somehow weaken the illusion around them, allowing Zareth to better sense the Ether fluctuating in the surroundings even if his third eye still couldn’t pierce the mirage completely. The second presumably created an intuitive understanding of the path that they needed to follow while the last of Skaara’s skills shared it with everyone in the caravan via some form of telepathic link and also provided them with an awareness of each other’s positions.

Zareth couldn’t help but feel impressed and a bit reassured that they had someone with Skaara’s expertise guiding them.

“Alright. That should do it,” Skaara said brightly before returning to the driving seat of the wagon and grabbing the ghorak’s reins. “Everyone stay close and keep your eyes peeled! Even if there’s little chance of [Assassins] being able to navigate this place to find us, that doesn’t mean we’re safe. I heard some of my colleagues talk about things jumping out of dark places to attack ‘em when they tried to delve in too deep, so we better be careful.”

With that reassuring little announcement, Skaara gave the caravan a few moments to prepare before urging the ghorak’s forward into the underground city. The path they took followed no rhyme or reason, constantly turning into random alleyways or diverting into seemingly inconsequential streets, but it did give Zareth a good opportunity to study the illusory city in great detail.

And the more he looked, the more Zareth became convinced that what he was seeing was far too detailed to have been crafted for a simple illusion. Peering into the ruined buildings carved into the cavern walls, he could make out the remnants of furnishings, the faded colors of once-vibrant murals, and the subtle signs of a city that had once been teeming with life. The craftsmanship was exquisite, each detail meticulously rendered to create a sense of authenticity that was almost unnerving.

He had no doubt in his mind that the mirage was showing Zareth scenes of a very real place.

Of course, that didn’t tell him very much.

None of the architecture seemed similar to what he would expect from Nephalan Empire ruins, or any other civilization that Zareth could recall. For all he knew, the underground city could be anywhere in the world or even from an entirely different period of time.

It was nearly impossible to know for certain without figuring out the source of the mirage, so Zareth decided not to waste more time speculating.

“Well… this is a bit more eerie than I’d been hoping my day would turn out,” said Zareth as their caravan passed through a destroyed courtyard, the utter silence of the place adding to the unsettling atmosphere. “I can’t help but feel glad that I never became an Adventurer if these are the kinds of situations they regularly find themselves in.”

“A wise choice on your part. I’ve never seen the appeal in delving into strange ruins for no good purpose,” Rizok said with a trace of disdain as he looked around warily. “I’d prefer a straightforward battlefield over this any day. At least there I can see my enemies charging and wouldn’t need to worry about [Aura of Greater Perception] being suppressed.”

“Only dwarves and lunatics would willingly live beneath the ground like this,” said Vidhatri, seeming to be even more unenthused about their surroundings than Rizok. “I find myself curious about the fate of the heathens who once lived here. I see no signs of battle, yet this place stands empty and forsaken. It is as if this city’s inhabitants disappeared all at once.”

Zareth hadn’t noticed that at first, but he could see signs that Vidhatri was correct that the illusion of the city seemed to have been in the midst of everyday life now that he looked closer. Plates were set on tables as if expecting diners, tools were left where workers might have just set them down, wooden toys similar to those enjoyed by the children of most sapient races were scattered in the streets. It made little sense, as even a city that was about to face some sort of sudden cataclysmic event would show signs of disruption…

“It makes me wonder what we would find in the deeper parts of the city instead of skirting along its edges,” Zareth murmured thoughtfully as he looked toward the shadowy tunnels winding into the heart of the underground metropolis.

“Well, nobody that ever went that way has managed to come back, so let’s not find out,” said Skaara, her tone still upbeat but carrying an undercurrent of tension. “It shouldn’t be long now until we exit the mirage, though we’ll probably stumble into it every now and again until we actually reach Jabal-Alma. It's sort of like walking through a patchwork quilt, where some patches of land are what we’d expect and the others are… whatever this place is.”

True to Skaara’s words, their caravan eventually emerged from the mirage while passing over a deep chasm via a distressingly deteriorated bridge. The abrupt shift in environment was disorientating as Zareth found himself standing above ground once again.

His pessimistic side expected an ambush to happen right then and there, but everything remained quiet as the caravan continued on its path.

Everyone kept on high alert over the next few hours as Skaara led them westward to Jabal-Alma. There were several more times when they were pulled back into the mirage, but nothing overly dramatic occurred, and Zareth found his tension fading and his sense of curiosity coming to the forefront.

Now that he had the opportunity, Zareth began to use [Eye of Cerenbon] and his familiarity with the Etherveil to analyze the mirage both from the inside and out. All of the Skill Points that he had invested into his third eye proved useful as the slowed sense of perception and heightened visual acuity allowed Zareth to notice details that he might have otherwise missed.

While he was still convinced that the people who once lived here weren’t expecting whatever catastrophe took them out, the city did seem like it was preparing for some kind of military attack. Any streets leading to higher levels and presumably to the surface, were fortified, and there were traces of what might have been barriers or checkpoints. It was as if the city was on high alert, bracing for a threat from above, but there were no signs of a successful defense – or any conflict at all.

Zareth couldn’t help but wonder if the city’s anticipated attackers managed to somehow defeat them in a way they never saw coming…

Likewise, the mirage was just as much of a mystery from a purely magical perspective as well. The Etherveil inside of the mirage felt like a tempestuous, pulsing storm while the outside felt as calm and as solid as the high-grade wards used by High Command’s [War Mages]. Not only that, but there was something about the Ether which felt almost… raw and unrefined, much like the magic from Meldorath’s temple.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The mirage quickly proved itself to be even more fascinating than Zareth expected, and he was soon enthralled with his attempts to unravel its mysteries.

In retrospect… it was probably unwise of him to have grown so distracted when he’d spent most of the trip anticipating an ambush. Especially when they had just exited the mirage and were thus more vulnerable.

“Everyone, down!”

The sound of Rizok’s shouting was followed by a sudden surge of power as the [Aura Blade] activated his many auras. Rizok must not have trusted him to react quickly enough, because he pulled Zareth down into the wagon’s interior just before he heard the sharp sound of some manner of mechanism being triggered.

Half a second later, the wooden walls of the wagon were pierced by a barrage of sharp, needle-like projectiles. Eager to see what was happening, Zareth poked his head out of the wagon immediately after the initial attack and used the slowed perception of his third eye to assess the situation.

The contingent of soldiers had all taken a defensive formation, shields raised quickly enough to protect them from the same projectiles that had struck the wagon while Skaara hid behind them with wide, frightened eyes. Every member of Zareth’s retinue had received augmentation templates most appropriate for their roles, and the massive Bulwarks proved just how effective they were by only suffering a few scratches from the sudden ambush.

Vidhatri was completely safe within a barrier of bone and flesh formed from her many arms that surrounded both her and the ghoraks. Zareth saw her glaring at something and followed her gaze to a strange, spherical device covered in small holes and runes that was buried partially in the nearby dirt.

It was likely some kind of [Artificer] device that had been placed along the caravan's anticipated route by the heavily armed figures, all of which seemed to be humans with Eldamiri features, currently emerging from under the sand and rocks in every direction like a group of murderous gophers. Just as Zareth and Rizok jumped out of the wagon to help fend off the ambush, he caught sight of the runes along the trap beginning to glow out of the corner of his eye.

Rizok must have noticed as well, because he let out a curse and shouted. “[Trapsetter Assassin]! Everyone, prepare for a second volley!”

Zareth’s heart hammered in his chest as he used [Template Body] to quickly shift into his Bulwark form and hide behind a shield of bone. Not only had he been surprised and caught out in the open after leaving the wagon, but the enemy must have used a Skill to enhance the traps because the second volley was far worse than the first.

Zareth watched in slow motion as the traps rose into the air and spewed forth a hail of needles toward their position. They pierced deeply into his reinforced bone defenses and impacted with such force that he was nearly sent tumbling over by the sheer momentum. Zareth could sense that the projectiles were laced with some kind of poison, but none of them managed to get into his body so it hardly mattered.

A quick glance toward Vidhatri showed her detaching clumps of her flesh shield where it was struck, so the poison must have been fairly potent.

Rizok’s warning had been enough for everyone to get behind defenses in time, but the surprise second volley pinned them down long enough for the [Assassins] to get in close and attack.

Given that the enemy had known the composition of his caravan, Zareth was unsurprised to see that they were heavily outnumbered. However, the favor he’d earned with High Command showed its value as the soldiers assigned to him, all of which were veteran combatants, surged forward with an organized precision that spoke of countless hours of training and real battle experience.

Before long, the area was filled with the sound of clashing steel and grunts of exertion as the battle began. Zareth knew that it would be foolish and reckless for him to jump into a melee when he was likely the least experienced combatant on the battlefield, with the possible exception of Skaara, but he still intended to contribute.

Zareth positioned himself behind a large ogre [Shieldbearer], who had been even further enlarged with the Bulwark template. The massive soldier was heavily armored and looked as if he spent his time wrestling elephants for fun, making him the perfect meat shield to hide behind.

He sent forward several spiked tendrils that curved around the ogre and struck at a female [Assassin]. She dodged his attacks with ease, but the ogre soldier quickly exploited the distraction with a swing of his sword that the [Assassin] barely avoided followed by an immediate [Shield Charge] which she didn’t.

The [Shieldbearer] had clearly learned how to take advantage of the Bulwark’s bone spikes, because the woman suffered several deep puncture wounds after the ogre charged toward her with unnatural speed.

Zareth reacted by firing a volley of poisoned quills at the woman when she frantically fell back to treat her wound with a healing potion. Several of the quills pierced her back until a dome of solid stone was raised around the injured [Assassin], most likely by whichever [Geomancer] had helped the enemy hide in the ground for their ambush.

He had no way to finish off his target while they were being protected, so he turned his attention to providing assistance to his allies.

Zareth lost himself to the frenzy of battle as spiked tendrils stuck opportunistically at enemy blindspots, quills were fired to make openings, and any injuries were healed with a touch of his hand.

It became clear almost immediately to him why Rizok had seemed so confident in their caravan’s ability to deal with an ambush as his auras turned their small group into a deadly fighting force that could fight well above its weight.

The enemy [Assassins] were a heavily armed and diverse group of well prepared professionals, but each of the soldiers seemed to become a blur of steel as they held their own against multiple assailants at once. Zareth had equipped his retinue’s [Archer] with the Mirage Stalker template, and they were making good use of it to launch devastating attacks from concealed locations, greatly impeding the enemy’s ability to coordinate their ambush.

It was an impressive sight and clearly demonstrated that the true power of Rizok’s Class lay in its ability to act as a force multiplier, but Zareth didn’t allow himself to grow overconfident. The ambushers must have known exactly what they were getting into when they attacked the caravan and would have devised a plan to deal with them.

Even as he continued to provide support, Zareth frantically swept the battlefield in search of any hidden dangers.

He had never stopped training with Rizok, and he had done his best to memorize the most common kinds of Classes and tactics that he was likely to face.

Rizok was being pinned down by what could only be a high level human [Weapon Master], her every movement flawless and precise as her weapon morphed from a halberd to a rapier to a large greatsword, keeping the [Aura Blade] off balance whenever he tried to adapt.

Predictably, Vidhatri had turned into a horrorshow of pulsing flesh and teeth that barely even resembled a shivarath anymore. Dozens of tentacles whipped around her at speeds fast enough to break the sound barrier, each of them completely covered in vicious maws filled with razor sharp teeth. Her already tall body had grown several feet and surrounded itself in a cocoon of spikes and bone, her four eyes filled with murderous intent the only thing visible through the protective barrier.

It was obvious that the enemy had known the least about Vidhatri as several eviscerated corpses lay in pieces around her and five [Assassins] focused solely on attacking her. Even as Zareth watched, one of them began screaming when they were too slow to avoid being captured by a tentacle and promptly devoured by dozens of ravenous maws.

The gruesome scene proved that Vidhatri needed no assistance and that the enemy wouldn’t be able to sustain the skirmish forever, so Zareth continued to search for hidden threats.

His vigilance was likely the only reason why he noticed the traces of Ether moving below him in time to respond.

“Shit!”

Zareth grabbed Skaara by the arm and pulled them both to the side just as the ground beneath her exploded upward. He only had a moment to register the scene of the ghorak’s being skewered by spikes of earth before he was forced to block a roundhouse kick from a lightly armored ogre that broke the reinforced bone around his arm and sent him flying several feet back. Zareth attempted to attack the man with his tendrils, but a single kick from them blurred into six different strikes that immediately severed them from his body.

What is he? Some kind of [Martial Artist] mixed with a [Geomancer]? Zareth pondered as he studied his opponent and noticed that the stone beneath their feet rippled subtly with each of the man’s movements. This guy is the only one among the attackers who isn’t a human. Was he hired for this job specifically, or is it just a coincidence?

Zareth expected that he would be the man’s primary target, but the moment he saw his opponent turn their attention to Skaara, he immediately understood the ambushers’ plan.

It was no accident that the ghoraks had been killed and the wagon destroyed. If Skaara was to be killed as well, then their caravan would not only be stuck in the middle of nowhere, but they would also have no way to get out of the mirage. Realizing this, Zareth hurriedly directed his golem in Tal’Qamar to hide away in the cult’s spire so that he couldn’t be fully isolated. However, it would still likely take High Command months to send people capable of rescuing them even if he maintained the means of contacting them.

By then, who knew what would happen.

Glancing at his allies, Zareth determined that they were still all effectively engaged in battle and wouldn’t be able to help.

That meant he would need to act on his own if he wanted to prevent Skaara from being killed and the rest of them being stranded for who knows how long.

His decision made, Zareth charged forward as the ogre began stalking toward Skaara, who was still reeling from the near miss. He had already regenerated his tendrils in the time he took to assess the situation and attacked with them again from a variety of angles while thrusting forward a spear of bone that emerged from his right hand, aiming directly at the ogre’s center mass.

The ogre leaned to the side and casually shattered the spear with a swift, precise punch before stomping his feet and blocked the incoming tendrils with a dome of stone that surrounded him. Zareth waited several moments for an attack, only to sense a trail of Ether moving beneath the ground toward Skaara again and immediately began running in the lizardkin’s direction.

After pulling Skaara away for a second time moments before the man emerged just beneath where she had been standing, Zareth’s opponent seemed to understand that he wouldn’t be able to take out the [Pathfinder] without dealing with him first. Zareth’s heart raced as the eight-foot-tall ogre, who was almost certainly capable of decapitating him with a well-placed kick to the neck, began charging toward him with violent intent.

He’d already seen that the Bulwark’s defenses were unable to withstand the ogre’s strikes, so Zareth used [Template Body] to shift to his much more agile, personal template. While his ability to change the biologies of other people had few limits, [Permanent Flesh Manipulation] became progressively more difficult to use on a person the further they were modified from their natural state. This meant that the templates he had designed for High Command were generalized and designed to be as universally applicable as possible.

The increased ‘flesh malleability’ provided by [Cerebon’s Boon] meant that Zareth’s body could be modified a bit more than most people, a fact which he had thoroughly exploited when designing his own form.

In addition to the tendrils, quills, and all of the other useful features that he’d been using since he acquired [Permanent Flesh Manipulation], Zareth had also added the most useful parts of the templates provided to High Command. Consequently, its defensive capabilities were only slightly worse than the Bulwark’s and it could also create most of the virulent toxins of the Plaguebringer.

The Mirage Stalker’s stealth capabilities were impossible to replicate without making the body more fragile, so those modifications had been left out. Zareth could still become invisible by using [Template Body], but the Skill could only be used once every ten seconds.

Zareth’s augmentations were the only reason why he could withstand or dodge the flurry of blows sent by his opponent while also emitting a concoction of several scentless substances into the air. It would be a while until most of them took effect, so Zareth was still forced to use every trick that he’d been taught by Rizok to survive the ogre’s onslaught.

He was actually able to avoid a surprising number of the strikes, likely due to his aura-induced enhancements, while his redundant organs and potent defenses allowed him to deal with the rest. For some reason, Zareth had the impression that the ogre didn’t seem all that interested in finishing him off, but the constant glances toward Skaara and the steadily stronger blows made it clear that their patience was wearing thin. Zareth realized that he was being herded even farther away from his allies, but there was little he could do.

Besides, that might just work to his benefit soon enough if he didn’t need to worry about any allies being close to the substances he was still emitting.

Leaning away from an uppercut that would have utterly shattered his jaw, Zareth ejected a stream of acid toward the ogre’s face from both palms while leaping backward to gain distance. He expected his opponent to dodge the attack, but the ogre merely ignored the acid as it splashed across his skin while charging forward and launching a precise kick toward his left leg which practically turned everything below his knee into a gorey mess.

The ogre must have expected such a devastating attack to put him out of commission, but [Deaden Nerves] meant that Zareth felt nothing and could thus retaliate with a dozen, venom-bearing tendrils and a volley of quills from a range too close to avoid. Zareth felt a surge of triumph as the ogre’s eyes widened in surprise, and the many attacks made impact, only to himself be caught off guard when all of them failed to have any effect.

Both the quills and the tendrils were unable to pierce his skin, while the acid sizzled across the ogre's chest with no discernable result. Even the tendril which Zareth had wrapped around the ogre’s leg before activating [Corrode Flesh] failed to do anything, and he couldn’t even sense any of his opponent’s biology as he should.

It was only after scanning the ogre with his third eye and spotting a small crack where one of the tendrils hit that Zareth concluded that his opponent’s body seemed to be acting more like stone instead of flesh.

Well… I guess that’s one way to deal with a caravan that has two people capable of manipulating flesh, Zareth thought to himself, heart dropping as he realized that he was outmatched. Depending on how his Class works, even my toxins might end up being useless.

Not only was his opponent likely higher-level than him and more experienced, but he’d almost certainly been hired specifically to counter his and Vidhatri’s abilities. Sometimes… he really wished that his enemies would just be slightly less thoughtful.

“Impressive.”

That deep voiced acknowledgement was all that the ogre said before charging toward Zareth again, this time no longer bothering to dodge his counterattacks. While he’d already begun the process of healing his destroyed limb, he wasn’t like Vidhatri and couldn’t recreate an entire leg from nothing in seconds.

This meant that he was forced to use his tendrils as a type of pseudo limb to pull himself away from the ogre. Zareth knew that he wouldn’t be able to run from his opponent for very long, so he used his third eye to swiftly scan the battlefield before deciding on a course of action.

Rizok had managed to significantly wound his enemy, but the [Weapon Master] had seemingly managed to shatter his sword and was leveraging the long reach of a halberd to keep the lizardkin occupied. The soldiers seemed to have only suffered a single fatality while dealing several more to their opponents, but they too were stuck in an apparent stalemate.

That meant that there was only one route to take.

“Skaara! Go to Vidhatri!” Zareth shouted as he barely pulled himself away from a large spike of earth that threatened to impale him through the stomach.

His shout was loud enough to catch the attention of everyone on the battlefield, but he had little other choice. Thankfully, Zareth’s allies seemed to have understood that Skaara was being targeted and moved to intercept anyone who tried to attack her as the [Pathfinder] scurried toward Vidhatri. The shivarath had already torn most of her enemies to pieces and would be the most capable of protecting Skaara.

The ogre attempted to sprint past Zareth in pursuit of Skaara, likely trusting his defenses to handle anything that was thrown at him. That may have worked, if not for Zareth’s Sigils.

Activating the magical organ in his hands responsible for his Minor Pyrokinesis, Zareth created a small flame several feet in front of him a moment after surrounding himself in the strongest barrier of reinforced bone that he could create. He braced himself as the fire ignited the combustible gas that he’d been spewing ever since he had engaged the ogre.

The subsequent explosion was loud enough that Zareth was forced to regenerate his destroyed ear drums even as the shockwaves tore through his barrier. The barrier took a significant amount of damage, but it barely managed to hold on long enough for him to emerge mostly unscathed from his defenses.

Surveying the explosion’s aftermath, Zareth was relieved to see that the ogre had herded him far enough from his allies that they were out of the explosion range. Both the wagon and the corpses of the ghoraks had obviously been blown to bits, but that didn’t matter all that much to Zareth.

What did matter, was that the ogre had somehow reacted quickly enough to create a barrier of stone against the explosion and survive! Albeit with a litany of cracks across his gray skin that made it look like he was about to shatter into pieces at any second, but still!

Zareth knew that high-level combatants were tough to put down, but this was ridiculous.

Despite his frustration, Zareth’s surprise attack had successfully managed to catch his opponent off guard and allowed him to defeat someone who should have been out of his league. When the ogre burrowed into the ground and Zareth sensed a subsequent trail of Ether headed away from the battlefield, he knew that he’d won.

Unfortunately, that didn’t mean that the battle was over.

Zareth quickly glanced toward Skaara, and saw that she’d reached halfway to Vidhatri and was hiding behind the same armored ogre soldier who he’d used as cover earlier from several [Assassins] who had attempted to intercept her. The battle seemed to be turning in their favor overall, but the enemy’s increased desperation still posed a significant threat.

He wanted to help, but he had only managed to regrow the bones in his left leg and didn’t trust them to hold up in a prolonged melee. He could use his Toxic Cloud Sigil to direct a cloud of paralytic toxins toward the attackers, but there was a good chance that it would also affect his allies.

Therefore, Zareth prepared to activate the most useful of his recently acquired abilities. The complex Sigil had taken up the rest of his body’s Sigil Capacity which hadn’t been used to sustain his Toxic Cloud and Minor Pyrokinesis, but seeing the results now made it clear to him that it was worth it.

As one of the [Assassins] attacking Skaara leapt forward to exploit her distracted state, Zareth activated the Sigil that he’d derived in his perpetual research into flight, which he’d aptly named ‘Minor Decrease Gravity’. He nearly laughed when the [Assassin] went flying awkwardly into the air, his trajectory far higher and longer than expected, only to be killed by an arrow from one of his retinue’s [Archers] when the momentary surprise faded.

Continuing to make use of Minor Decrease Gravity to sabotage anyone who tried to attack Skaara, the lizardkin was able to make her way to the safety of Vidhatri’s protective tentacles. Seeing that she was safe, Zareth promptly created a straight piece of reinforced bone approximately as long as Rizok’s sword and threw it towards the [Aura Blade].

Rizok didn’t even need to look to catch it before immediately using [Temporary Blade], transforming the bone into a sharp saber, and charging towards the injured [Weapon Master]. While Zareth’s friend hadn’t shared information about every Skill he possessed, he’d sparred Rizok often enough to have a good idea of what he could do.

It didn’t take long after that for the enemy to realize that there was little chance of them successfully killing the [Pathfinder] and called for a retreat. Their [Trapsetter Assassin] must have managed to survive, because an annoying number of traps similar to the ones from before suddenly activated, providing perfect cover for most of them to withdraw.

Zareth emerged from his cover after the dust settled, his hearts pounding as adrenaline began to fade. The battlefield was a grim tableau of the brutal skirmish that had just occurred. Soldiers were already moving to secure the area, their faces grim as they checked for any lingering threats or traps left behind by the retreating assailants. The corpses of the two soldiers who had fallen in battle were carefully gathered and wrapped in the crimson cloaks that all Tal’Qamari soldiers wore.

Zareth and Vidhatri both began using their abilities to heal the wounds of anyone who needed it. Meanwhile, Rizok began to organize the caravan in preparation for a quick march to Jabal-Alma. They should be fairly close, so it would be best for them to get to safety as quickly as possible.

“You really saved my scales out there, huh?” Skaara said once Zareth began approaching her for healing, voice still upbeat but clearly shaken. “I knew that we’d probably be attacked once we left Tal’Hadin, but I didn’t expect ‘em to be so eager to get rid of me in particular. Shame that they managed to destroy the wagon and those poor ghoraks.”

“If it’s any comfort, I doubt that they’ll try again any time soon,” Zareth said, attempting to reassure her as he began tending to her injuries. “They took far more casualties than we did, and we now have a good idea of their Class composition. It would be suicide to attack again without getting reinforcements, which we should get first given our proximity to the Southern Legion.”

That seemed to relieve the frightened lizardkin somewhat, allowing Zareth to focus on his task. Most of her wounds were fairly simple to handle and weren’t particularly serious. Just as he was about to finish, he was startled as Skaara suddenly coughed up a small splatter of blood, her face contorting in pain. At the same time, he discovered a trace of strange poison within one of her knife wounds that he hadn’t noticed before.

Zareth’s hearts skipped a beat as the poison slowly disappeared from his perception once again, and he quickly activated [Minor Purify Flesh] where he last sensed the poison in an effort to cleanse Skaara’s body of any residual toxins. That immediately proved to be a mistake as the lizardkin began coughing even more violently, her body convulsing with intense spasms.

“Fuck! Vidhatri!” Zareth called out in panic as the poison began raving Skaara’s body.

It only took a second for Vidhatri to arrive and attempt to heal the lizardkin, her expression growing frustrated after a few moments. “It’s no use. [Greater Purify Flesh] can put the poison into some kind of stasis, but it’s only temporary. She needs to be brought to a dedicated [Healer] if she is to live.”

Zareth let out another curse before turning to Rizok, who was already shouting at everyone to organize into a defensive formation. Jabal-Alma was their best hope at finding that [Healer], and they couldn’t afford to send Skaara ahead without risking the rest of the caravan being picked off. Zareth and Vidhatri, who carried the sickly lizardkin with her lower four arms so that she could continue using [Greater Purify Flesh], were placed in the center of the group as the soldiers surrounded them.

The armored ogre soldier, whose name eluded him, activated his [Swift March] Skill, while Rizok reactivated his [Aura of Bolstering] and [Aura of Quickness]. Their group moved at full speed as they followed Skaara’s [Undeviating Path] toward Jabal-Alma, the landscape a blur.

They would eventually have to come back for the supplies and bodies that they’d been forced to leave behind, but the consequences if Skaara died made this an emergency. They ran past monsters, through the mirage, and over treacherous terrain at a frantic pace. Zareth wasn’t sure how fast or how far they traveled, but he quickly noticed their surroundings begin to change as they sprinted westward.

Their relative proximity to the coast meant that these lands were fairly fertile and supported a more diverse array of flora than Zareth had ever seen during his second life. He also started to see several sinkholes dotting the landscape, which wasn’t surprising given that Jabal-Alma was built around a cenote.

When he finally spotted a large stonewall off in the distance, Zareth could have cheered in relief. Skaara’s condition had remained stable, but he could see that Vidhatri was beginning to sweat from exertion, Skill Exhaustion likely creeping up on her after such a long battle and continuous activations of [Greater Purify Flesh].

It seemed like the locals had somehow seen them coming, as a large group of ogres wearing leather armor and carrying strange, glowing spears were waiting for them atop the wall. Their skin was significantly smoother and far more pale than the ogres of Tal’Qamar, while also possessing sharper, more elf-like ears.

Zareth would normally be interested in studying these differences, but this obviously wasn’t the right time.

“Greetings, people of Jabal-Alma. I am Apostle Zareth, leader of the Cult of Cerebon,” Zareth shouted as soon as he was close enough to be heard, not wanting to deal with a long back and forth. “As you should have been informed, I have been sent here to represent Tal’Qamar. But our [Pathfinder] was attacked during the journey and needs to see a [Healer] immediately! We ask that you allow us entrance into your settlement as quickly as possible.”

The tall, pale ogres began glancing at each other. Zareth’s enhanced senses didn’t see or hear any of them speaking, so they must have had some other means of communicating privately. After several tense moments, the largest of the ogres stepped forward and spoke aloud for the first time.

“You may enter. Your weapons will be confiscated, and your injured tended to.”

There was a faint, ethereal quality to the ogre’s voice that set Zareth on edge, especially when he was told that his group would be disarmed. However, there was little time to argue and it wasn’t completely unreasonable for foreign visitors to be relieved of their weapons before being allowed into a city.

Something about the ogres told him that they wouldn’t be impressed or intimidated by Zareth’s eventual claim on these lands, so it was best to simply play along.

Rizok and the soldiers were reluctant to give up their weapons, but did so without complaint and handed them to one of the ogres who jumped down from the walls once Zareth agreed. Thankfully, the ogres didn’t waste any time opening the gates and allowing them inside. The city consisted of a collection of buildings surrounding a large sinkhole. There wasn’t anything special about the buildings themselves besides being made from a dark, wood-like material that Zareth didn’t recognize, so he focused on the large sinkhole instead.

These buildings were likely just for the guards anyway as the majority of Jabal-Alma’s citizens reportedly lived within the underground cenote.

The pale ogres were completely silent as their group was led down a staircase, made from the same material as the buildings, into the sinkhole. As they descended, the light of the sun began to dim until the only source of illumination was the glowing spears carried by the ogres. Zareth hadn’t realized just how deep underground the city was and grew increasingly surprised with every passing minute.

Just as he was about to ask the ogres how much longer it would take for Skaara to be brought to their [Healer], he noticed a light emanating at the bottom of the staircase.

Zareth got his first good look at Jabal-Alma after a few more minutes of descent and almost couldn’t help but stop to stare in astonishment.

A sparkling pool of water rested at the bottom of the cenote encircled by a group of modest, but well-crafted structures. All along the walls of the cenote, glowing crystals of various sizes illuminated the city of Jabal-Alma. Pale skinned ogres moved about their daily lives, tending to gardens of massive ogre-sized mushrooms, catching strange-looking fish from the waters of their cenote, and disappearing into large tunnels that led to who knows where.

It was a captivating scene and much more impressive than Zareth had been expecting from a relatively small settlement, but it was the strange movements of the Etherveil which surprised him the most about this place…

Zareth was pulled from his thoughts by the proud voice of the ogre who had been leading them. “Welcome to Jabal-Alma, the Oasis Below. May you treat it well and receive its gifts in return. Come, outsiders. You will be escorted to your accommodations and be readied to see our [Speaker] while your wounded guide is tended to.”

Without another word, the pale ogre turned and continued through the cavernous streets of Jabal-Alma. Zareth took a moment to trade a cautious glance with Rizok before following shortly after.