"My husband wouldn't do such a thing!" Tina shouted, guarding George with her outspread arms and protruding belly. Brunette locks fell down her shoulders where a scarf she had knitted herself lay.

"Look around you," Dexter sighed. "How many of the people you arrived with at the temple are now missing? How many have died to the wolven beasts out there?"

"My husband had nothing to do with that!" Tina yelled, "he wasn't here with us."

They had been arguing for ten minutes, and Dexter felt a migraine coming on. It wasn't that the lady simply refused to have him account for his actions, she refused to accept that her husband could do such a thing and that it had to be someone else. For another five minutes, it was as if Dexter talked to a wall, and the ideals he expressed fell on death ears. Technically, he understood that George hadn't broken a law, but there were basic truths that had to be upheld even when society fell.

Ignoring the pregnant woman to speed things up before Alina took matters into her own hands, Dexter let his spear fall into his hand. "George," he sighed. "It's time."

Dexter saw a hint of defiance in the man's face, and he truly wondered if he would have to kill him. Laws had to be enforced with strength; otherwise they didn't exist. Before, Dexter foolishly thought he'd have Yassa imprison George in her vines for a month. The punishment was the cruelest he could come up with, without outright mutilating the man. Expulsion was another punishment he had thought of, but found pity in his heart for George's unborn child. Though if it had to come to that, then so be it.

"It's either exile, or you face the punishment we've laid out for you," Dexter said. "The longer you make me wait, the more months I'll give you."

"I won't leave my wife," George said. "You have no authority over me. I'm sorry for the girl, but if you had listened to me earlier—"

"Her name is Anna!" Alina shouted. Like a gun, her hand recoiled, and she leapt forward, Razor Claw reflecting the light of the beautiful sunset.

"Fuck," Dexter intervened, only to get outmaneuvered by a perfectly timed Quick Step. She had anticipated his action and activated her skill before he even moved. Damned strategist. Using Advanced Wind Manipulation, Dexter pulled Alina's claws away from George's throat. They had drawn blood, flexing into a grip mere seconds before she ripped out his spine.

Tina was in shock, not understanding what just happened, while one of Grav's statues started laughing. "Hahaha! I think she can take you, Zone Lord."

Without canceling his momentum, Dexter pushed Alina into Grav's arms, who locked her in place with a giggle. Side stepping George's wife, Dexter's spear rose to smack George's sword out his hand. Then he hit the man in the temples, knocking him unconscious.

Tina screamed throughout the ordeal, hitting Dexter as he picked up the big man and carried him to one of Grav's statues. "Yassa," he said. "Give him two days out of the week to spend with his wife. Grav will make sure he doesn't try anything stupid."

It took Alina a minute to gather herself before she finally spoke up. "I can't be around him, I can't stay here."

"Don't be silly," Dexter said. "You need somewhere safe to rest. Even I have to let my guard down eventually." As Dexter spoke, he knew nothing he said would compel her. She would leave first thing in the morning, all he could do was offer support. "I'm going to clear the perimeter around the temple tonight," Dexter continued. "Then I'll push for unlocking a Class. I suggest you do the same before you venture out too far. Once you find the trail, come back and find me."

"Thanks," Alina said, taking his plans into consideration. She reached into her pocket and pulled out his compass. "I was going to take it," she apologized. "But with this tracking skill, I can find my way back."

An hour passed after Dexter brought Alina up to speed on all he had learned. He emphasized carrying a teleporter around at all times. The two would likely venture the farthest from Skyfall, and he wanted to claim as many interesting places as possible. Heaven's Fury wasn't the only hidden trial out there, and if either one of them located another one, it would help to bolster the strength of their group.

A group of strangers, Dexter realized. The thought of getting to know everyone gave him a headache. If only a village could be run by five people. Perhaps Yassa and Baskoro could help select teams that would delve into the rifts. The sooner they learned to work together, the better.

Just thinking about organizing people caused Dexter to sigh, and he hoped there was a veteran or even a military enthusiast around to pick up his slack. But truthfully, he wasn't picky. He'd start worrying about experts rising in Skyfall when he didn't have to rely on his wind affinity to enhance his fighting abilities. Alina's proficiency in her skills were insulting him every time he saw her move.

After chatting with Alina, Dexter gathered Nyo and Kwame on the roof of the citadel to explain his plans. He would have to inform Yassa, but he wanted Alina's last day to be just the four of them. Before he knew it, his guitar was out and they ate barbecue as the sky darkened. His plans to inspect the perimeter on the outside of the temple had been pushed back until morning.

"This roof," Kwame said, with a frown. "It's different, yet I can't put my finger on why."

"You can thank Grav for that. There is a gathering formation inscribed in the bedrock of the trees he planted. We're right in the middle of it. I'll see if he can make you one," Dexter said. "You too," he said to Nyo when she perked up.

Silence fell when they all looked at Alina, but she smiled and tossed a rib at Asha, and the twin tailed cat purred in delight. "I know what my affinity is."

"And?" everyone said with weighted breath.

Rather than answering, Alina held up her hand, and the fire light bouncing off her palm vanished. A flickering shadow took its place until she got her aura under control. Her pale hand had vanished, coated in a dark shadow.

Dexter recalled the shadow claws of the drake, and knew that she would be a problem. His worry for her had lessened, and he suspected she would raze the night stalker's lair to the ground without an ounce of his help. The elites he faced were still trouble, however, and he warned her not to get arrogant. The seriousness put a damper on the mood, but Dexter quickly cheered everyone up by informing them of the bonded skills they could acquire from Grav. And after sending for the Zone spirit, one of its draconic stone monks joined them, attesting to the fact.

An eager Nyo had her mind set on the Mountain Spear perk, and Dexter could see molten lava smash into a pack of night stalkers in her eyes.

"But you two are going to have to fight for a perk," Grav said, winking at Dexter as he pointed to Nyo and Alina. "I can only grant one perk to two people."

"Bikini mud fight," Kwame said. "What? It could help increase your earth affinity, you never know." He added when everyone looked at him.

"He's right," Grav said. "And I can create a mud bath right here, just tell me when."

The girls threw their ribs at the golem, who simply laughed. "Is that a no?"

After a night of song and drink, where Dexter learned that a strong buff from Breeze of Vitality could increase alcohol tolerance, he woke up without an ounce of a hangover.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Did she leave?" Dexter asked Grav, shocked that Kwame and Nyo had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

"No, she decided to stay until she unlocked a Bronze Class," Grav said. "She's testing out her new skills as we speak."

"You managed to get through to her, huh?" Dexter asked.

"Not exactly," Grav said. "I suspect that after pummeling my golems, she will get tired of chasing the carrot. Then you won't see her unless she wants to be seen."

"I see," Dexter said. After freshening up, he went to find Yassa when he saw Asha by herself and realized Nyo and Kwame were still sleeping. "Tell those two I don't want any stains on my bed."

Grav's laughter echoed in Dexter's room as he began to teleport Dexter to the old woman. She sat in silence, meditating with her grandson sleeping in her lap. Their meeting lasted for half an hour where Dexter informed her about preparing for the corrupted rifts, and gave tips on how to achieve aura resonance. Surprisingly, she wrote it down and planned to start classes in the afternoon. The more true Sages they had the better, Dexter thought, taking his leave.

It was still morning when Dexter left Skyfall, scouting around the Zone's perimeter. As he expected, the biomes that he and Alina had passed through contained large swaths of wild beasts. And the more he explored the areas, the higher leveled beasts he encountered. They fell to his new skill as he began to grind.

[ Wind Scythe proficiency has increased! ]

[ Advanced Wind Manipulation proficiency has drastically increased! ]

The soaring blade chopped through a charging hog, spilling the foul content of its bowels on the ground. With the help of his new skill Advanced Wind Manipulation, his scythe's range of motion increased, guarding up to a full two meters around his person. With it, he killed a dozen of the feral hogs when the last beast dropped a skill stone.

[ Skill Stone: Power Strike (Uncommon) ]

Dexter placed the stone in his pocket and then delved deeper into the forest. With Shade Sight he kept an eye out for energy dense resources. After killing one of the hogs, he headed to the mushroom it was attempting to eat and found that the fungus had fire properties.

Whether it was a defense mechanism, he couldn't tell, but the mushroom combusted when it came in contact with his aura. Dexter almost lost a hand trying to place it in the inventory he bought. But after suppressing his aura, he managed to collect ten of the boiler pot mushrooms, when he found himself at the entrance of a cave. Glowing moss lined the cave's interior, and quickly lined the inside of his inventory. He collected so much that his only light source quickly ran out. Fortunately, he now had the ability to see in the dark.

[ Shade Sight proficiency has increased! ]

Dexter searched the cave for over an hour, using Munchkin as a pickaxe to carve away at minerals embedded in the rock. Due to the death of a strange worm creature, there were calcified pockets of a purple colored ore. Dexter had tried to inspect it, but got nothing in return. He could confirm however that it was more durable than ordinary stone, and he suspected Grav would have a use for it.

On his way out of the cave, Dexter took a long swig of his canteen, when he saw a red-hot fox chasing a squirrel.

He gave chase to the ball of fire, wondering if he could tame it, but the spry little thing darted over roots, slinking through the forest like a spring. Even with the fox's aura magnified for his perception, Dexter had trouble following it. And after the fox caused him to run into a tree, he vowed to turn the beast into a designer scarf.

Unfortunately, two days passed where Dexter had failed to locate the little bastard. Traps he bought from the Shop were suspiciously burned as well, causing him a considerable amount of annoyance.

However, his luck wasn't too bad because as he ventured deeper into the forest, he had come across his first lair and made contact with the bear that ruled over the area.

[ Kanuk Grand Claw, Forest Marauder - lvl ?? ]

The beast was an elite variant of the forest marauders he had stumbled upon, and it made a grizzly bear look like a cub. Standing over two and a half meters tall, its fur was a dark brown with red orange streaks flowing over its shoulders. The bear even had a bit of orange fur on the crown of its head, shaped into a shaggy Mohawk.

Dexter couldn't help but laugh, picturing the big fella as a biker reject. In doing so, he alerted the giant bear to his presence. Standing on its hind legs, the giant bear roared with a challenge that sent the forest birds in a frenzy. They flocked away, racing from the growing danger. Dexter fled as well, vowing to return and claim the beast for his quest.

At night, he returned to Skyfall, and fought a golem imitation of the giant bear in one of the instant training rooms in the citadel. The room spanned the size of a football field, with a terrain adjusted to resemble the grassy stone area of the giant bear's lair.

Dexter was only in there for an hour when his crew walked in. Instantly he knew something was wrong. For one, Alina was smiling. A relaxed stride in her walk as she approached him. Her usual edge, replaced by a striking beauty. Unfortunately, she had trouble maintaining the casual atmosphere as she walked onto the training field.

The mishap revealed the tension in her bearing. It was just a hint, but her recovery failed under Dexter's gaze. He frowned, exchanging glances with Kwame and Nyo, whose faces were a blank canvas.

"Hey?" Dexter started, "Everything okay…" he stopped mid-sentence after his vision changed color, and a pearlescent white bled into his irises. Shade Sight had activated, revealing the movement of aura in the room. Energy was unobstructed from his sight, and as a result, he saw the new pattern that worked its way through Alina's slim form. She had attained a mastery skill.

Now that her surprise had been foiled, Alina lunged forward, skirting around the rocky terrain with Quick Step. Dexter chuckled, maneuvering, so the bear golem blocked her path. However, the Russian woman was hell-bent on testing all of her abilities, and thanks to Lesser Giant Strength, she smashed through the stone golem.

Her Razor Claw sent debris flying into the air, and Dexter felt the familiar dominance of the sky hunter's aura resonant with his Wind Scythe. But it was his mastery skill that he would use to accept her challenge.

Raising his spear, Dexter began to dance with Alina. Her strikes were short and abrupt, pushing their bodies closer as she stepped past his spear's range. Although she was easily outmatched, the fluidity in her movement skill kept her on the attack.

Seeing through the strikes, Dexter twirled his spear, blocking her advancements. When suddenly the aura in her claws changed. What were once quick jabs, blended into a series of sword slashes. The new style was short in nature, but now her hand had taken on the semblance of a blade. Like a butterfly knife, her hand flicked back and forth, forcing Dexter to take her seriously.

As he upped his spear's resonance, flaring his mastery skill, the seal on his shoulder began to itch. He winced from the pain, expecting to double over on the floor. Instead, his vision swayed. It was brief, however, when his eyesight cleared he noticed that Alina's face had distorted. No, she wore a different face entirely.

Her silk black hair flowed into brunette curls. Her deep blue eyes took on a slant. The new angle accentuated their changed color, which had become the polished silver of a razor. But what he noticed most were her lips. She had bit down on her bottom lip in concentration, and it had set a cast of worry on her forehead.

Dexter had seen this face in his memory, yet it was never as clear. This woman had been the one who called out to him on his dying breath. Only for a few seconds, her voice had forestalled his death. He tried to recall her name when her image faded.

"No…" he found himself saying.

"You don't want to continue?" Alina's voice questioned. It was odd hearing her accent from the fleeting face before him.

"Yeah, let's… take a break," Dexter rubbed his eyes. When he finally looked back at Alina, the woman's face was gone, but her name had returned. Sayen…

"Cheer up," Kwame said to Dexter as Nyo ran to congratulate Alina. "I've seen her take down an Aberration with her bare hands. "It was only a matter of time before a genius like her surpassed you."

Dexter snorted. "That's not the issue," he looked at the girls celebrating when he frowned. Or was it?

A big hand entered Dexter's vision as Kwame shook a protein bar in his face. "Eat up. This will help you build muscle mass."

"You've already eaten half of it."

Kwame shrugged. "I'm cutting, got to stay lean."

Over the course of a week, Alina and Dexter continued their sparring. She helped him hone his spear mastery, while he in turn helped her development with dagger mastery. During this time, Dexter continued to venture back into the forest, training among the lesser forest marauders when he reached level 20.

The achievement had unlocked his Dexterity attribute skill slot, and wasted no time linking Advanced Spear Mastery. The action gave him a free point, but more importantly, the new connection he felt to the mastery skill had doubled. He had felt he was on the verge of increasing his synergy with the Dexterity-based skill, and now it was time to return to the giant marauder.

At sunset, Dexter entered the beast's lair, channeling the insights of Advanced Spear Mastery into his blade. This time, when Kanuk Grand Claw spotted him, he accepted its challenge.