Meera was shaken awake and found Tamas' concerned face blocking her vision. Relief filled his face right away.

"Oh, thank the Mother, you are okay," Tamas whispered.

"Wha-What time is it?" Meera asked. "Did I oversleep?"

"Not just you." Tamas sat back down with a wince. "I've done the same. We've slept for too long. It is almost evening."

"What!" Meera cried.

"Shh!" He threw a fearful eye to the opening. "Or do you wish to bring them down upon us?"

"Sorry," she whispered. "We slept the whole day away."

"I'm afraid so. But can we be blamed for it? I mean, look at us." He gave Meera a look over. "Well, look at me. You still look good enough to dine with nobility."

"How did we sleep so long with those screams?" Meera pondered. The screams hadn't stopped. They became more distant, but they were still there. She could only imagine the Mistblades doing rounds in the mists while they were hiding in this dank hole.

The cook shrugged. "This cave or grotto, or whatever you wish to call it, must've kept most of the noise out, and then there is also the fact that we were both exhausted."

Meera saw Tamas was in pretty bad shape through the waning light coming from between the shrubbery. He had multiple cuts on both arms, and his left leg was heavily damaged, though the bleeding seemed to have stopped. His eye was still swollen black. Meera wished she had some skill to help him. Her healing skill only worked on herself.

"You're in bad shape," Meera commented.

Tamas nodded. "Don't I know it? But believe it or not. I was in worse shape when we fled the dungeons."

"How did you escape the dungeons in the first place?"

"It wasn't just us three, as you may have guessed," he said. "It was a whole lot of us. Three hundred, in fact."

Meera's eyes widened. "Three hundred?"

"Yes, of which, I'm the lone survivor. Though, a lot of us split up after that first night. But those who decided to stay in Azeria were even bigger fools."

"You're going to have to tell me this from the top."

His head fell as he sighed. "All my life, I served the royal family like a good, loyal servant, but then one day, the food wasn't up to his standards, and the King threw me in this dungeon to be whipped and fed food unfit for a dog. I begged and begged for His Majesty's forgiveness, but he is not the forgiving kind. Oh, no, not the King nor the queen, and the less that can be said about his brother, the better."

"You mean Narikas, the Shadowsteel Warlord?" Meera inquired.

"That's right. The Shadowsteel Warlord…you know he doesn't even leave Tearsfell Prison."

Meera frowned.

"Oh no, it's not a prison. He just calls it that. In actuality, it's a dread fortress, the strongest fortress in Azeria, nay, all of Rhione, I would say. It holds his two personal armies, the Shadow Vanguard and the Steel Sentinels. These armies are the terror of any kingdom on this world."

Meera made a mental note to find out more about these armies. She had a feeling she would end up fighting soldiers from one or both of these groups. And she was practically drooling at all the fantastic skills they had.

"Anyways, you wanted to know about how we broke out. Call it a twist of fate or a gift from the gods, but we escaped because a lightning bolt pulverized the prison walls. And it happened on the very day the king was visiting for an inspection or a personal torture." He shrugged. "Who can say."

"It had been raining all day. Lightning lit up the night sky, and I was looking out of my cell when this bright lightning bolt hit the prison. I believe half of the prisoners ran away. As I said, we must have been three hundred, if not more. We were too big a group for the prison guards to round up. And with the king there, they had to ensure his safety first. So, they focused on containing all those poor souls who did not find salvation from that shithole that day. As for us, they figured the Bloodstone Watchmen would round us up."

Tamas sighed. "By the gods, they were right. I almost wish I was one of the unlucky fools who did not attain freedom that day. Nearly half of our numbers perished on the first day. The Bloodstone Watchmen are thorough, and practically a small army of prisoners is hard to miss. After that, people started splitting up and going their own way. Twenty of us decided to make for the borders and leave Azeria once and for all. We knew the risks that posed, but none of us could have guessed that the mist wall and its guardian would come for us in pursuit. Now, I am the last, and I wonder if I would've had a better chance if I had stayed in Azeria."

Meera gave him a reassuring smile. "We can never know, and my father used to say, you only waste time dwelling on what-ifs. You're here now, and so am I. That's all that matters. Let's find a way to escape this mist and away from those hunting us." She paused. "Uh, those Bloodstone Watchmen, are they people or more constructs like…"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"No, they're real people," the cook replied. "Fanatics, but they're flesh and blood."

"Oh, thank god," Meera sighed.

Tamas snorted. "You might not be so thankful once you see them."

"You leave them to me. Now, how do we get out of this Border of Azeria and into the kingdom itself?"

Tamas's lone working eye widened. "Are you mad? I go back there, and I'm dead within a day. In case you forgot, I'm a wanted slave who escaped from—"

"Wait, you said slave, but I thought you were a prisoner?"

"The terms are interchangeable in Azeria. Rokibor is and has been known to exploit his prisoners in any way he pleases. That is not to say he doesn't do that to the local populace. That's why he was in the prison to select his fresh new victims. Some say he sacrifices them to the gods for more power, as whoever he selects is never seen again. You know, despite all the tortures and brutality, I thought he was a good man. That he had his reasons but…"

"You didn't see his true self until it happened to you."

Tamas nodded. "Some say he's been slipping of late. Folk have even taken to calling him Rokibor the Mad. You can imagine what happens to anyone caught calling our illustrious king that name."

"And his brother is worse?" Meera asked.

"Oh, believe me, everyone should avoid him like he has the plague."

Great. For once, I would like to go to someone friendly and helpful.

"So, how do I get there?" Meera asked. "I had a compass, but it broke."

"Even after everything I've said, you still want to go there?"

"I have no other choice, and from where I am sitting, neither do you." Meera took this one from the witch and hated herself for it. "You can either come with me to Azeria or make your own luck in the mist wall."

Tamas was taken aback. "I did not think you could be so cruel."

"I'm sorry, Tamas, but I'm being realistic. You cannot expect me to give up on my quest solely to help you." He looked away at that. "Let's say, even if I do the impossible and get you out of this mist, then what? By your own admission, these Mistblades would not stop coming for you as long as the border wall keeps expanding…" She paused as she realized something.

"What?"

"The border is expanding. That's it." Meera nearly jumped to her feet. "If the border wall is expanding, we just need to wait out the mist wall. If we keep hiding here, the wall will eventually pass us by. Do the Mistblades not enter the realm?"

He shook his head.

"Great. We'll be free without having to do anything."

Though the loss of experience from not killing the Mistblades would be keenly felt on her levels, it was the safer option.

"That is a wise strategy, but…" Tamas sighed. "I'm afraid it might not work as well as you think. For one, the border wall is miles wide. We've been here almost a day, and it still hasn't passed us. How do we know it is still moving and hasn't stopped? And, finally, do you have enough food and water for two people to sustain themselves for days?"

They were all excellent points. Out of the three, she had only one thing under her control. She quickly checked her Lunar Hoard Belt and cursed internally. All she had left after feeding the three of them was a few fruits, a couple of carrots, and a loaf of bread. If it were just her, she could ration this out for days, but with Tamas. She'd be lucky if it even survived two days.

"I see your point," she finally conceded. "Then that means we're headed into Azeria."

"What else could be expected of a Varshan?" Tamas grumbled. "Always looking out for themselves."

It'd been a while since she'd been called a Varshan, but it didn't make it any less annoying.

"Firstly, I'm not a Varshan, and second, I'm the only thing standing between you and certain death. So, please be nice." She flashed him a dangerous smile.

"I-I apologize."

"Accepted. Let me quickly check my notifications, and then let's head out."

He nodded and said nothing more.

*ding!*

[You have killed 3 Warriors of Whispers – Level 154 – Level 158. For killing an enemy 20 levels higher than your own, you have gained bonus experience.]

*ding!*

[Congratulation. Mirror Image Hunter has gained 5 levels and has reached Level 140. You have been awarded 15 stat points]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Chakram of Echoes effect activated. Upon reaching Level 140 in your main class, you have earned one more Chakram.]

A chakram appeared on her arm, bringing her total back to twelve.

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror's Affinity has gained 3 levels and reached Level 103. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 106% boost.]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Ambush Tactics has gained 5 levels and reached Level 48]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Shroud of Shadows has gained 3 levels and reached Level 39]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Shadow Affinity has reached Level 23. All of your shadow-based attacks will get a 25% boost.]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Step has reached Level 71]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Eagle's Perceptivity has reached Level 60]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Wing has gained 2 levels and reached Level 13]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mistwalk has gained 5 levels and reached Level 6]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Nimbus has gained 4 levels and reached Level 5]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Tactician's Gaze has gained 2 levels and reached Level 42]

For the first Mistblade, she got a choice between Mistwalk and Mist Strike, and since she needed Mist Affinity for Mist Strike, she ended up choosing Mistwalk. For the next, she got Nimbus and Mist Telepathy—she chose Nimbus. And for the last, she got Whispering Mists for the first one, and the second was something new, but the Mistblades had used it on her.

*ding!*

[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Mistbound Illusions. Mistbound Illusions – Type: Active. You can manipulate the mists in your surroundings to create lifelike illusions to distract and confuse your enemies. Would you like to acquire this skill?]

Now, once again, Meera was stumped. Whispering Mists allowed her to meld with the mists and become invisible, which would be amazing in getting through them, but she already had Shroud of Shadows for invisibility. The illusions might be able to fool the Mistblades and let them pass through undetected.

*ding!*

[You have acquired the skill Mistbound Illusions – Level 1]

Once she was done, she stood. "I'm ready. Let's go."

"We'll be going the wrong way, but sure, let's go."