Before everyone got up and got ready to move, I had another task to do.

It was time to remake my hammer.

I didn't get up any earlier than I usually did but that was still enough time to complete it before everyone else was ready to go. My poor sleep schedule was thoroughly shot.

It was okay though, 19 more days and I could sleep all I wanted.

Remaking my hammer was similar to the last time except I didn't have to make the haft. The wood took to the ice nicely and it all froze together flawlessly. I even made the same pommel and sigil as last time.

The hammerhead was a different story. I wanted to try out something different than before and venture away from the double-headed hammer. Having one hammerhead would be fine and I could add a spike to the other side.

I originally decided against doing so for balance reasons. So I could swing it both ways without having to flip it.

Now that I had more experience with the weapon and was better at fighting, I didn't need the crutch of both hammerheads. Plus, a spike could come in handy for certain monsters when blunt damage failed.

I had thought that if I ever needed anything other than blunt damage I could make something else out of ice on the spot but that was short-sighted.

The process of molding the weapon and saturating it in my Law and Mana made it stronger than just doing it on the fly. My hammer would have broken long ago if that wasn't the case.

My trip to the mountains which had once taken half a day only took an hour. Most of the beasts in my path ran from me and the ones who stayed didn't take long to defeat.

I was used to fighting armies of the things, taking down a handful at a time was a breeze even without my weapon.

The reason I went back to the mountains again was for the Ice Mana in the area. I wanted to use the purest ice mana I could and that was in the mountains.

During the remolding, or refreezing, I attempted to push my law like I had last time but nothing happened. It would seem doing the same thing twice wasn't how to proceed.

The weapon ended up a beaut. The hammerhead stayed mostly the same with all of my concentration on density and hardness while the other side extended out the back in a brutal spike.

One central spike extended out the back of the hammer for about a foot, tapering off to a point. There were smaller spikes ringing the edge of the hammer but only one main one.

For the spike, I focused on making it as sharp as possible without compromising its structure. I wanted something that would pierce easily without breaking immediately.

It was fine if it broke after the hit but not during.

The weapon turned out better than I had hoped. Now if it broke again, and the wooden shaft didn't, I would only have to refreeze the head and not the whole thing.

Plus, I could switch out the different heads while keeping the same shaft if I wanted to as well. I probably wouldn't, but the option was still there if I ever needed a glaive or halberd.

It was with a new hammer and a small pep in my step that we started the journey south. As much I loathed the weather down there it was where we were headed. At least it wasn't the desert.

Our caravan of 20 people wasn't the fastest mode of travel but the new stats we had made it tolerable. Super strength was good for more than smashing things.

The few physical warriors left carried massive packs on their backs with most of our gear with everyone else carrying what they could. The pack on my back was particularly massive.

I had to wonder how Sam and Diana were able to make something strong enough to hold all the weight I was carrying. A mixture of strong leather and hope most likely but it felt like they took it to the extreme.

With my initial clearing of the path, our trip began smoothly. We started running into some trouble when we reached the end of where I got to the previous night but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle.

A quick arrow from Hal or spear from Austin was enough to end most things in our way. Only a few required more than that and even then, it wasn't too bad.

As we got closer to our destination I couldn't help but get nervous. I hadn't explicitly told her we were coming but I did leave a giant ass sign. Now that I was looking for them I had begun to see the birds she used to scout.

They weren't obvious but I could notice them if I was trying. I didn't have the best perception but I was specifically looking for them now which made it easier. After I told Austin to look out for them, he had caught one of them watching before we attacked the Mindbreaker's camp.

I used it to show off a bit. I didn't think that she would betray us after offering to merge but I wanted to drive the point home anyway. Sort of a way to say 'Don't mess with us.'

I wasn't sure what their response to it was but I thought it was clear. The two of us, Austin and I, decimated the camp.

It seemed she got the message based on the welcome party we received when we arrived. People were waiting outside the open gate to help us carry stuff in and get settled.

Abigail worked with another woman to make sure everything was in the right spot. Birds constantly flitted around her so I assumed she was the one in control of them.

Tracy came out to welcome us herself and I finally got a good feel for her. With more clarity, I could tell that she was slightly ahead of Rachel in terms of strength.

After Jonathan's power up from his Spirit Anchor, he was third strongest behind Austin and I. Tracy would fall behind Jonathan and ahead of Rachel based on what I could feel.

The new feeling of how strong someone felt was still inexperienced and I didn't trust it completely. I didn't even know what it was I was 'feeling' exactly either.

After we were directed inside Tracy broke off to speak with me.

"I didn't expect you to agree." She said to start.

"Do you not want us here?" I asked.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I just didn't think you would abandon your pylon given your strength is all." She clarified.

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So she did see it. That was good. Seeing was believing so they say and now she would be more wary of trying something... nefarious.

"It's what is best for my family. I feel the waves will only get stronger and standing alone isn't an option anymore. We could probably make it through but why risk it. If even one person could have been saved by merging, it would be worth it."

She nodded to that.

"Well, you can set up near the western gate in the free space. We cleared it out after we saw your sign. Quite large that was. We have crafting stations closer to the center for all manner of professions as well." She said pointing at both areas.

"Kathy here is my second and who you should coordinate with." She gestured toward the bird lady. "I assume the woman with the clipboard is in charge of managing everything?"

"Yes, that is my sister, Abigail. Any questions can go to her. I don't really focus on running things. My focus is more on hitting things."

I did still focus on the big things and made decisions when they were needed but if saying that made Tracy underestimate me by thinking I was a meathead, all the better.

Playing down my intelligence and craftiness wasn't what I intended to do when I accepted her deal but Abigail had talked my ear off on the way here about how to present myself.

She said I needed to choose how I would carry myself and what I wanted to portray to others. I didn't care for the cloak and dagger but played along anyway.

It was too close to lying for me to like it. I wanted to be upfront with what I wanted out of this but I was lectured against that.

Saying 'We will help you fight the waves while enjoying the safety of your walls' was too blunt.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out though which made me confused as to why I couldn't just come out and say it.

Still, it wouldn't do to have Abigail lecture me about it again. She was already in for a surprise when I didn't stay. I didn't need to give her any more ammunition.

While I still had Tracy alone I explained what I was going to do.

"While my family will stay and help you fight, I will not," I stated.

Her face scrunched up at that and confusion was clear on her face.

"What are you going to do? Your strength will help tremendously during the waves, are you just going to sit and watch?"

"My family is strong enough, they could probably defend a wall on their own, but no, I won't be watching. I won't be staying." I said.

Her confusion grew after I said that. Bafflement and bewilderment warred on her face for dominance.

"What? What will-... No, that's-... Why-... How-..." She went through a deluge of facial expressions to match the questions she was thinking through out loud.

"Why?" That was the question she settled on. It seemed she worked through all of the different thoughts and concluded what I would be doing.

Why was her only question.

"How far into the future have you thought? To the end of the tutorial? To what we will be returning to? Or to how humanity will change afterward?" I questioned.

She was quiet for a beat and her hair swayed back and forth in her ponytail.

"Why? Why go that far?" She repeated.

"I feel I must." It felt like a good place to end the conversation so I walked away. Leaving her to process. I felt there was no need for threats. She understood what would happen if she hurt my family.

After thinking about it for most of the night and following 6-hour trip, I made a decision.

I meant what I said to Tracy. I felt I must, but it was more than that. It was what I wanted.

For the first time in a while, it was something I wanted to do. To finally let loose.

It was something I couldn't give up. No matter how much Abigail and my Dad were going to yell at me later.

After coming to a decision, telling them about it hung over my head. They wouldn't like it and would try their best to change my mind. There was only one thing I had to do before telling them.

I had made plans for what I was going to do after coming to my decision and those plans were for me not to stay here long. I would see them settled and comfortable in the new camp, then I would leave.

There were things I needed to do before the wave and I couldn't waste time here. This would be dangerous and I wanted as much time to prepare as I could.

The trip itself took 6 hours and subsequent activity of settling in took a few more. We left at sunrise and it was after dinner near sunset everything was done.

It wasn't complete, it would be a while before that, but I'd done enough that my job was done. We were given areas to set up that were cleared and ready to be built on. We were welcomed into the camp and it felt like the people knew how much of a help we would be. I wasn't sure what Tracy had told them but they were more welcoming than I had expected them to be.

We were here to help them after all so I didn't think it was that unexpected, just a nice change of things. I had been dealing with the scum of humanity lately in the Mindbreaker, it was nice to see average people again who were actually decent.

With only a few things left to do, I found Austin after dinner.

He was practicing his spear work sparring with Jonathan. Jonathan's two shields were the best for him to practice against and both were getting proficient with the weapons.

"Austin, come over here," I called with a wave.

Their fighting broke up and he jogged over to me. He was only slightly sweaty from the light spar and looked confused at my beckoning.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Have you thought about what will happen to our camp?"

"What do you mean? It will fall to the monsters like all the rest."

"What if it didn't?" I asked.

He tilted his head to the side before his expression changed as he realized, "You can't be serious. That's suicide!"

"The waves scale with number of people. What would a wave look like for one person? Or two people?" I asked hopefully.

Austin had been by my side the entire time and I wanted it to stay that way. He was my best friend and I knew he wouldn't stay with me for much longer. He was itching to see the world while I was planning to do the opposite. Cities didn't move after all.

He grew animated as what I said registered, "That's insane! We are strong, yes, but fighting an entire wave?!"

"We fought that camp," I stated.

"That's different! They were low leveled and couldn't even think for themselves. You're talking about a wave of monsters with the specific purpose of killing all defenders."

The back and forth continued and we were getting nowhere at this rate. My mind wouldn't be swayed. I was as bad as Austin with some things and stubbornness was one of them.

"Will you join me?" I asked. Nothing more needed to be said. He understood what I was asking of him.

His internal fight was easy enough to see as it played out. Trying to rationalize and feel out the possibilities of what I asked. His mind whirled to work through all the information.

It didn't take him long to come to a decision and it wasn't the one I wanted.

A look of resignation fell onto his face and he looked slightly crestfallen. It wasn't a look I had seen from him before.

"I can't." He huffed out. Almost defeated even. "I have tried my best to keep up with you but for this, I can't anymore. I don't have the defense you do. The stats you do. Nor the survivability. For as much as I enjoy the fight and challenge, I need to be realistic. All it would take is one bad hit. One mistake and I would die."

"I can't risk it." He seemed sad that he had to admit it.

Hearing my friend say that I wanted to challenge him, say it would be fine. Say he was strong enough but I didn't. This was his decision, not mine, and I needed to accept that just the same as he needed to except mine.

Dragging him along anyway would do more harm than good, literally.

"That's fine my friend." I clapped him on the shoulder, "In that case watch over everyone here. I trusted Jonathan and Rachel to do it if you came with me but now I won't have to. You are more than enough to protect everyone while I am gone." I said.

"Are you leaving now?" Austin asked.

"I have one more thing to do but yes, I'm leaving tonight," I answered.

"In that case goodbye and good luck. You're going to need it." He said before muttering, "You crazy bastard."

I stuck out my hand for him to shake. "It isn't goodbye. I'll be back."

He took my hand and said something we hadn't done in years.

"Live with honor." He said with a smirk on his face.

It took me a second to recognize what he said and think up the other half of the quote.

"Die with glory." I finished and we shook before breaking apart.

Walking away like that made me laugh.

I wasn't sure how it started, but it was back when we were both in high school. It was some game or movie at the time and after hearing it I clung to it, like most kids that age did. They found an aspect of a TV show or movie they liked and incorporated it into their personality for a time before moving on to the next.

Everyone, at least I did, loves the heroic last stand. When a warrior turns to face his end and fights gloriously. The 300 from history. The last stand of knights and warriors alike in fantasy. Gandalf and his 'You shall not pass'.

I didn't know what it was that made me love them so much but I did. That saying was from something like that and it had stuck with me ever since. Austin made fun of me for it but I didn't care.

It was why he said it now. I was going off to fight alone. One against an army. Just like in the stories.

Live with honor. Huh.

I would try my best not to but dying like that didn't sound so bad.

I would die gloriously at least.