### Arthur ###

“So that’s what happened…”

Arthur sat in a circle with the rest, deep in his thoughts, struggling to reach a decisive choice. Their stories sounded incredulous initially—a crypt spawning out of nowhere—but he’d seen stranger things.

Now that he’d heard their story…

He cast a glance at the tall beacon. Losing it would hurt. But certainly not worth everyone’s life. If he must, he’d rather see it fall than stare at their lifeless eyes.

Justine… Desmond… Adrian… The three were unlikely group starkly apart in terms of age and experience, yet, they worked well together despite their differences. What they valued might not always match what he valued. Hell, what he valued often clashed with Valkyrie’s desires; she had made her displeasure well-known.

Gods and their strange requests… She had helped him tremendously in the past—Arthur would’ve died without her help. He owed her, that much was clear… and she knew that.

“Arthur?”

Justine’s calloused hand tapped his shoulder. “What do we do, Boss?”

He brushed a lock of wet hair away from his eyes. They’d gotten greasy. “Banding together is favorable… yet losing this beacon will serve us poorly in the long run. There are other dangers out there; not as threatening as the invasion, but still…”

“You said you split up with another group before,” Damon said, “Is this about them?”

“I wish they are our only problem right now…” Arthur sighed. “But far from it. The invasion’s just beginning… what comes after-“

“What do you mean, after?” Sarah raised her voice, “We must focus on the-“

Arthur held up his hand, “-I’m not finished. The beacon. When I claimed it as ours… Valkyrie told me never to let it go.”

“Why?” Damon shot a curious look. Everyone present leaned forward.

“There’s another event after the invasion… Some kind of a conquest,” Arthur’s gaze drifted below. “I don’t know the exact details—Valkyrie’s a bit… cagey with it—but I do know this much; Owning multiple beacons is necessary to complete the tutorial.”

“So that’s why you’re so damn adamant about not leaving this behind.” Justine ran her fingers through her hair, “Why hide it?”

“I only knew it recently.” Arthur dipped his head.

At times, Valkryie spared concise information without a shred of hesitancy. But she’d gotten… quieter lately; Arthur couldn’t grasp why. Was it because of their constant disagreement?

If she left… Their fates would be sealed.

Arthur only saw her once… when she imparted him her blessings. Her beauty stunned him… so pretty his human eyes couldn’t tell if he found her attractive or divinely.

“So…” Damon placed his hands on the table, avoiding the map at its center, “What’s the decision?”

“It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” Desmond said. “What if we split the invasion into halves? They deal with a chunk of the army, and we fight the rest here. The goblins aren’t particularly intelligent, there must be a way to divert their forces, fight where we are advantageous.”

“I doubt it’s that easy.” Agil chimed in, “The Draugrs have a chosen by their side... and they still lost. It wouldn’t happen unless the invasion was that difficult.”

“Arthur.” Desmond motioned him to listen, “This conquest you mentioned… what if we join forces with the skeletons? Take the rest of the land with them?”

That’ll be superb. Arthur shook his head. But unlikely.

Entities and drifters would naturally clash with one another. Well, Valkyrie said that with absolute confidence. Though his experience so far veered away from her words. He’d g so far as to say they were in amicable terms. Not friendly… but they could work things out.

“Conquest… it mostly likely means that only one of us makes it to the end.” Arthur looked away, “Do you think the skeletons will bow to us? I doubt that. I don’t think we have enough strength to pull them to our side, either. We can only hope that our goals don’t clash… if we do… We’ll have to cross arms with them.”

A possibility Arthur dearly hoped he wouldn’t need to face.

Damon’s face whitened. “You mean…”

“I shouldn’t have given it that orb, She disapproves of my gift—but I can’t ask its assistance and not give anything in return. Feels wrong.” He sighed, slouching.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Whoa, whoa… We’re looking way too far ahead,” Sarah added, “None of this matters if we die in the invasion. I say we suck up our pride and work with them.”

“Agreed.” Agil raised his hand. A few more followed. Even Adrian agreed to her statement; Sarah said he’d spoken once during their leave. He’d love to see that. “Survival comes first.”

A sound argument. Arthur leaned into his left arm, looking aside. What do you think, Valkyrie?

The Goddess didn’t answer.

Still nothing, huh? Arthur chuckled. “Well… I’m leaning toward that decision. I haven’t seen that Eldritch Skeleton you mentioned, but I’m certain it could contend with the goblin army.” He stood up and rubbed his hands together.

I better get my shit together. Don’t show fear.

“I’ll talk to him. Damon, you come with me. The rest go level up and get stronger. Tell Judas to whip up the rest into shape.”

“We’re going there again?” Damon said, raising his head, “To the skeletons?”

“Yeah. It’ll be rude if I don’t come there myself, won’t it?” Arthur grinned.

###

Arthur hopped over a small mound of roots, taking in the forest air as his mind wandered. He couldn’t ignore that tightness in his chest… and it had only grown after he left Haven.

“What do you plan to say?” Damon sidestepped a tall shrub. “’ I got nothing.”

“I don’t know… We don’t have leverage.”

Damon expected a better answer. He shouldn’t have.

No more cards to play. Arthur looked down. He wished he could go back to Earth and treat the last week as if a dream, but alas…

He noticed Damon’s shadow behind his back. “Even if the skeletons do not help us… we may survive, still.” Damon pointed at the crypt above a patch of deceased land. “They won’t ignore that; at least we won’t face their entire might at once.”

What he and Justine said. The goblins wouldn’t leave this massive crypt unchecked.

“Are we going in?” Damon asked. The trepidation of tomorrow hadn’t left its impression on his face. Seeing the impervious crypt eased it. It was a role Haven should’ve served—a place where people could seek refuge.

Frankly, even Arthur himself would prefer to stay here. Impervious walls; the defensive edge that trait brought…

“Arthur?”

He took a deep breath and nodded. Screwing up here meant they’d fight off the invasion without help from the skeletons… and the draugrs they spoke off; they sounded more than capable.

Their footsteps rang endlessly when the shadow of the crypt overwhelmed their presence.

Invulnerable. He scanned the walls, giving it a gentle tap. Sure enough, the message appeared.

“You’re back.”

A ghastly, hoarse voice bellowed from beyond the passage leading to another chamber. The draugrs? A dark-skinned human entered his view—a tall, well-equipped, dead man with a greatsword sheathed behind his back. A skeletal warrior stood beside the imposing humanoid, its jaw racketing as if it had tried to speak.

Here we go.

### The Entity ###

They came. As promised.

“We meet again.” Arthur lowered his head when he faced the entire might of Frail’s army. Between his lieutenant, his throngs of skeletons, the imposing elites, and then…

The final piece. The Risen Watcher. Its watchful eyes studied them as they stood before his domain lord.

Damon didn’t hide his surprise as well as Arthur. His eyes went up and down, unable to decide where to look.

The domain lord lifted its chin.

‘Good… afternoon.” Arthur cleared his throat. “I shall not waste your time. We are here to request your assistance. The invasion-”

“We do not need to help you.” One of the draugrs spoke.

“Silence-” Grimright announced. “The Entity makes the decisions. Not us. Be mindful.”

The human lowered his head. “I understand you’ve encountered some of our… kind. But I promise we’re not cut from the same cloth.”

Every living person turned their attention toward his domain lord, waiting for Frail’s response.

In the end… what was this about? Unity? The collective desire for survival? The invasion would inevitably rile things up; everybody blessed with thought knew that. Frail had little reason to aid them—and frankly, he had little reason to not help either. The goblins would come, he would kill whoever dared approach his home, and then he’d reap the corpses of those slain outside—humans or otherwise.

The best outcome would be the demise of both sides. More corpses. More power. Unless they had something else to give…

“I have nothing worthwhile to give,” Arthur rested his hands on the sides of his hip. “But shall a time come where you need our assistance… I promise I—no, we—will be on your side.” His glare and expression appeared genuine… but they were hardly a guarantee.

Frankly, the notion of him needing their help sounded far-fetched.

However… Frail hadn’t faced any true adversaries yet. His resistance and immunities were the linchpin against the foes outside the walls of his domain. What would happen if he faced a foe that countered undead? Would his army still be relevant then?

Hecratia. If Frail came across a time where he ever needed help, it’d be against Her chosen.

“Although…” Arthur placed his gaze at his floating watcher. “Your forces… they come from the deceased, are they not? I assume the dead makes you stronger?”

“It was a dungeon boss.” Grimright plainly said.

That was the moment when a spark flickered in Arthur’s eyes.

Damon raised his voice. “Arth-“

Arthur held his hand up. The spark dissipated instantly, replaced with a cautious, yet optimistic look. “If that is true…. Then I may have something that you desire.”

It didn’t take Frail long before he realized what Arthur implied.

There was more than one dungeon… and Arthur knew the location of another.

“Our previous dungeon is too far away,” Grimright caught on. “It is unrealistic to go that far when the invasion is before our doorstep.”

Arthur’s voice found life. “There are also monsters we’ve personally slain. Their corpses remain, too… We have the men and the means. All you have to do is help us in return.”

Frail’s sources of essences had come primarily from those that had invaded his dungeon. With the human’s access to the land, his coverage would increase dramatically.

The draugrs waited for Frail’s answer.

If he had one more unique construct in his palm and the humans survived… He’d be more than ready for what came next.

There was one massive but, however.

Frail needed to know what their goals were after the invasion ended. An alliance wrought from need wouldn’t last after said need disappeared. Frail didn’t doubt his army’s strength over the humans, but he’d loved not worrying about them when he set his eyes beyond his domain.

There might come a time when they must face each other head-on. Neither side wanted to say that aloud, but that possibility rang true in their heads.

If they perished… he wouldn’t need to entertain that possibility.

“Entity.” Arthur pressed on. “I-“

[The Goddess of the Spear, Valkyrie wishes to speak with you, a Myrkul’s acolyte.]

[Requesting permission from The God of Death, Myrkul.]

[Permission granted.]

“So, now, you talk.” Arthur smiled.