That was Silvano’s story. His arrival was a pure coincidence. That was the reason Se’ky had followed him here.

"There you have it," he said, his mouth dry from talking so much. But his chest and mind were light after taking that burden. "I need to go back to help Lidia and Arnold; they could be alive, and the members of the tribe too. If they wanted to take us as slaves, it makes sense they are still alive."

Silas understood, but he had no way of confirming if Silvano’s story was real or not. He looked around at the others and saw the conviction on their faces. In any case, being on good terms with Silvano was beneficial. The power to open portals to the other worlds of the System was a necessity.

For exploring and discovering more items, minerals, and information, we need to make more allies and travel to other places. This could be a gold mine if we protect them from the Crimson Caravan attack.

"Silvano, instead of going alone, what if we helped you?"

"Help me? That is, I don’t know what to say. You saw how strong that red guy with four arms was, and there was also the problem with the new ant colony. If you come, you’ll be risking your life."

"That’s nothing new; we have been fighting since day one." Emily said. "We can help you. We need to learn more, and if we work together, then we have better chances. Didn’t you say that when you were in that big group of 100, you were feeling good about your chances of surviving?"

"That was a long time ago."

"We already picked up a fight with the tolgar, partner. Let us help you reclaim your home."

"It was that bastard who picked a fight with us. He invaded our territory and almost killed us." Franco was on board.

Everyone was supporting Silvano and wanted to help him retake his people and land from the ants and the enslavers. The mood improved, and Cink gave him a warm smile. It had been a long time since Silvano felt this sensation; it was the same when he found the way outside the Rock and met Lidia and Arnold in the desert.

humanity, his lost humanity, which he threw away in order to survive. You can only afford to act with humanity when you’re in a good position. Struggling to survive everyday looking behind and wondering if your portal is going to take you into a death end.

All of them had their humanity. He bit his lip and swallowed his pride. "If you can, please help me. I can’t do it alone. I’m too weak, but I want to save them. The chief and the tribe, Lidia and Arnold, this is the least I can do with my life."

Yes, he had to repay Edward for saving his worthless life in the desert.

"I see we all agree to help Silvano, but first we need to prepare supplies and decide who is going on the expedition." Silas walked to a small drawer and grabbed some white sheets and ink. He started to write down all the information he had gained from listening to Silvano.

It was a list with the most important points, and next he wrote the names of everyone present. "Ok, Silvano needs to come. Your power is essential to escape in case things go wrong. Can you take us to the exact place you were before?"

"I don’t know, the more familiar I am with a place, the easier it is, but my precision drops with long distances. Traveling to another world. We can end up in another place." He still doubted his power, but Nora spoke.

"Don’t worry, if you trust me, I can help you find your way back to the Rock; that is my power."

"Thanks Nora. On the other hand, we can’t leave our land unattended. Cink you can deal with the council on your own, right?"

"It's going to be a pain, but yes. Although I don’t recommend all eight of you go there, Who knows what could happen here while you are away?"

"Don’t worry, Emily is going to stay here, and in case anything happens, she can fight with the servant. I also need you to keep an eye on our prisoner. Maybe we can use him as a bargaining chip." He meant Se’ky.

"I told you his name is Meliae. I can keep that troublemaker in check, but if he tries something, I’m killing him."

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"Yeah, yeah. The group that is going on this expedition is going to be Silvano, Nathan, Rebecca, and myself."

It was the standard formation, with Nathan as their tank and Rebecca as their healer. Silas had to go in case of things going badly. The problem was the DPS; there was one spot missing, but he couldn’t choose.

The others didn’t take long to notice his doubt, and they raised their hands and offered themselves.

"I can shoot down any ant inside the tunnels from afar. I’m the best for going on the expedition, buddy."

"That is only for long distances. In cramped tunnels, we need someone who can hold his own with Nathan on the frontline. Sorry, Jacob, but I’m clearly the best choice. I’ll go."

"You are only focusing on the fighting aspect. What if something happens, such as tunnels collapsing or ants releasing poison gas or traps? If it’s earth or rock, it doesn’t matter; I can move it with my power and make tons of stuff. Anything could happen; I’m the best at making something out of an improvised plan."

"You have a point, Nadine, but the ultimate safe plan is to escape. In that case, my power is suited to making sure that Silvano’s portals can work and take us to safety. I can also increase Nathan's fighting ability, so we aren’t helpless."

"Mmm, all of you are correct." That was the problem: Silas wasn’t sure who was the better choice to take. He knew nothing more than what Silvano had told them.

There were arguments for all kinds of events, but they had no way to prepare. He didn’t want to leave the territory unprotected, only depending on Emily and her servant. Protecting the base was the most essential thing in PvP. He entertained a dozen simulations in his mind and made the choice.

"Franco and Nora should come. Nadine and Jacob will stay here to help Cink and Emily. That is the best formation."

"Seriously?"

"I have my own opinion, but you’re our strategist, buddy."

"Then let’s prepare the equipment. I’m counting on you, Nadine."

Things went smoothly after that, and about a day later they had their bags ready to depart. It would have taken more time, but since the lives of Silvano’s companions and the pix tribe were in danger, they had to work fast and put everything together in a hurry.

During that time, Se’ky had regained consciousness. The tolgar tried to get free, but the massive root held him in place like a doll in a child’s hand. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t overcome the incredible regeneration of Meliae.

"Stop struggling. You’re annoying." Emily said with disdain as she gave a piece of meat to Meliae who ate it with delight.

"You, the master of this monster! Why am I still alive? Are you planning to make me spill the secrets of the Crimson Caravans?"

"Hey, you aren’t a complete idiot. If you talk and tell everything about your little group, I won’t have to break your arms and legs." It was a lie; Silas told her to keep him alive and healthy in case they had to make negotiations to free the pix tribe or the other humans. She was trying to gain more information by pretending she was going to torture him.

"Then kill me; I would never betray the master. If I die or don’t return in time, the outcome is the same. The others in the caravan will take over the Rock. All of the beasts or anyone else inside will be our slaves." He had no hesitation in revealing that information; in fact, he was proud of it.

"Who is your master? How many members are in your group?" The root became tighter around him as she spoke.

"I can answer only one thing. My master is the leader of the Crimson Caravans, the Crimson Baron. Let his name be heard across the worlds! The one who deals with everything, nothing escapes his intelligence and his power is unbounded. When you look from the ground at his armies, know that you brought this upon yourself. This forest and everyone of you will die."

"I don’t care about your presentation. I want to know your numbers and their abilities."

"…" He was done; Se’ky had no intention of revealing more.

Emily didn’t hesitate to grab the arms with her roots. "You have four arms; that’s pretty good for fighting. Remember how you mocked my friends after you punched them? We have a very good healer; you didn’t kill anyone, but I know you wanted to."

"She told me about how you broke their skulls and their ribs with those hands. How about I return the favor?" She broke two of his hands with a loud crack.

Se’ky made a face, but he didn’t say anything, he only looked forward with determination and loyalty.

"Tch, if you move an inch for that root, I’m squishing you like a bug." That was the last thing she said before walking back inside Dawn’s base. She wanted to try more, but Silas and the others would get mad if she hurt him too much.

In the cave, everyone was ready to depart. Silvano was concentrating his energy in preparation for opening the portal. After talking with Nora, he let her power enter. Her voice echoed inside his mind, and his heart was at peace.

"Your power is amazing. You can do so much; I saw another bard increasing power, but I had no idea classes worked like that."

"Focus in opening to the place you left the desert. Try to get as close as possible in your mind, and your power will follow."

He took a deep breath and raised his thump. "I’m ready."

"Ok, we have to go in order. First Nathan, me, Franco, Rebecca, Nora, and Silvano. We don’t know if you have enough energy to take us across the world. That’s why you need to go last."

"I get it." He assumed a posture and called forth the portal. The purple swirl mixed with the yellow power and gave it a royal flair. "Go!"

They ran inside the portal in formation. Nathan had his shield in hand, ready for any attack. He looked around, but he wasn’t in the desert; he was inside some cave. There were stones around and some houses in the distance.

"By the size, those are made for pix. Are we in the village?" Silvano crossed the portal just in time before it closed.

He was exhausted and sweating, like he had run a marathon. "W-what? The village, I failed."

"No, you didn’t fail, Silvano. Your heart was just thinking about someone else." Nora pointed to the small stone with a single name on it.

It said "Edward."