The hobgoblins had little to loot in their buildings. Owin was surprised to see so little furniture inside the manor-like building as they rushed through the entrance. There were ten different hobgoblins in the building, all spread through different rooms. Owin led the way, ransacking and killing.

Overall, it was a quick and decisive attack.

Quest Complete

Choose Your Reward

Artisan Item

“Quest complete?” Owin asked.

They were on the second floor of the manor. Artivan stood at the window beside a dead hobgoblin magus. He could see the hallway door from his position.

“Apparently the ones housing themselves in the jail don’t count.” Artivan shifted his attention from the hallway and rolled a dead hobgoblin over. A single coin fell out. He picked it up and looked closely at the golden coin.

Blood ran from the bodies, soaking into the extravagant rug that covered the center of the room. Owin watched the red blood pool over the wooden floorboards as it all moved toward one side of the room.

The ogre quest didn’t finish until all three were dead. Something was off. “It said annihilate.”

“Yes.” Artivan checked the other body for loot and found nothing. He lifted his visor and looked at Owin. “What are you thinking?”

“What if someone killed the ones in jail.”

“Who—” Artivan quickly stood. “The mender?”

“It’s possible, isn’t it?”

Artivan turned back to the window. He couldn’t see the castle ruins that held the jail and crypt from that position. “If we fight them, the others will join in.”

“We should’ve killed them when we had the chance.” Owin waved the Thunderstrike Maul, slowly building its charge.

“Owin, we need to flee north. We can find our way into the secret on this floor.”

“We can kill Siora right now.”

Artivan held his sword out. “This has one charge. It will take another day for me to get more. My mana is useless, and my abilities can only handle so much of the combat. Their mender will keep them feeling fresh. Owin, we cannot handle all four. If we rush to the hallway right now, we will be giving the others time to find us. Our only choice is to flee.”

“This is your fault,” Owin said.

Artivan sighed. “I know. But they’re coming after you, and I’m not going to let them kill you. Blame me as much as you want.”

Owin gripped the Thunderstrike Maul with both hands, squeezing as hard as he could manage.

“We can follow the lake to the secret. I don’t know how to get in, so I’ll be relying on you to help figure it out. Are we on the same page?”

Owin nodded. What else could he say? Artivan wouldn’t follow if Owin went to kill the other humans, and Owin absolutely couldn’t handle fighting them on his own. He had already fled from Nikoletta and Miklos once.

“Did you claim your quest reward?” Artivan asked.

Owin quickly scrolled through the list until he found a purple constitution buff. It appeared in his hand, and he immediately drank it. The sweet, fruity taste was nearly overwhelming.

Constitution +30

Constitution: 140

His health bar stretched farther, now almost twice as big as his mana bar. When he actually looked at his stats, his constitution was still lower than his intelligence, but he was getting it up there. During a fight, he at least wasn’t worried about a random attack outright killing him anymore.

“What did you get?” Owin asked.

“Nothing. One quest reward per party.” Artivan set out, quickly passing through the door. Owin ran after as the knight jogged through the manor, stepping over dead hobgoblins without a second look.

“What do you mean?”

“You got the two rewards for those quests,” Artivan said without stopping. He left the same door they had come through on the east side of the manor. The forest was calm again as birds sang nearby. Blood still clung to the white birch bark outside the kennel where they had fought Siora’s team.

Owin glanced at the hallway leading from the stairs. The door was still closed. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“I did now. It’s fine, really.”

“You should’ve taken at least one of the rewards!”

“No,” Artivan said. He placed a finger to his mouth and nodded to the castle ruins. “Let’s not help them find us.”

Artivan followed the manor walls north, through a small grove of trees and past the kennel, into a denser area of birch forest. Owin only saw the castle ruins for a brief moment, but didn’t spot anything in that time.

Owin followed silently through the calm, bright woods. Birch trees were beautiful with their white bark. Some had bark that was peeling, curling in on itself. Owin ran his hand along the trees they passed, admiring the serene calmness of the forest, even as fighting and slaughter happened all around.

So far on the fourth floor, they had left a trail of death in their wake. That wasn’t out of the ordinary for Owin. From the moment he awoke, people had wanted to kill him. Artivan was right. People only recognized strength. It took killing two of her party for Siora to recognize Owin and Artivan’s strength.

What would it take for them to recognize Owin’s alone?

Squirrels jumped from branch to branch and hares ran into underbrush all through the woods. Life moved all around them. Did the wildlife also respawn thirty minutes after dying? Could someone hunt the same hare all day?

Artivan, the huge armored figure he was, walked so calmly through the woods. His strides were twice the size of Owin’s, carrying him swiftly onward. The first time they met, Artivan didn’t hesitate to protect Owin. He had never once hesitated to protect Owin, despite Owin doing nothing to help Artivan. If anything, traveling with Owin had made the dungeon significantly more difficult for him. The humans wouldn’t have bothered Artivan at all if he hadn’t gotten involved.

“Can I talk?” Owin asked.

“We should be far enough away by now.” Artivan slowed down, allowing Owin to catch up and walk at his side. The tall knight did have to make an effort not to simply walk normally. “What’s on your mind?”

“Why are you really helping me?”

“Hm?” Artivan took a drink of water and yawned. “What do you mean?”

“All the humans I’ve met have tried to kill me. All but you.” Even most of the mobs that were humans had wanted to kill Owin. Nosolus and Naxile hung in his mind, growing that deep anger.

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“I don’t have some motive for helping you, Owin. Look at the way you’re talking. The way you’re acting. The way you have managed to climb to the fourth floor. You aren’t a mob. You aren’t a monster. You may be a goblin, but that doesn’t make you less of a person than anyone else. If that mender had been chasing someone else, I would have stepped in to help in the exact same way.”

Artivan hiked the rest of the way down to the lake and stopped beside the blue water. Small waves washed ashore, passing over a short, pebble-covered beach. His boots crunched on the rocks.

Owin stood higher on the hill, watching as the knight crouched and pulled a gauntlet off to pass his hand through the water. Artivan was also so calm. Fighting Siora had brought out anger and passion Owin hadn’t seen before, but now, only a short while after the fight, he was calm again.

It didn’t make sense. Owin was still angry at Cato from the first floor. He was still furious at Ponk and Naxile. He still wanted to kill Nosolus, even knowing that the magus had already died.

Owin wanted to kill Nikoletta, Miklos, Siora, and Placus. More than kill. He wanted them to feel the same fear he had felt. He wanted them to be terrified for their lives.

“I think we should leave,” Artivan said.

Owin relaxed his grip on the hammer. His knuckles ached from squeezing so aggressively. “Leave what?”

“The dungeon. I had planned to finish the fifth floor. The mobs up there are more similar to my level. But there’s no reason to continue. We can go straight to the stairs now and leave.”

No.

“I can’t.”

Artivan cupped his hand and scooped water to his mouth. He drank, wiped his hand off, and put his gauntlet back on. He slowly stood, sighing. “Why not?”

“Ruvaine has told me that I must climb the tower.”

“You can’t. You’ve grown, but you’re not strong enough. Above the fifth floor is beyond what you can imagine, Owin.”

Climb.

“I have to keep going or I’ll die.”

Artivan secured his gauntlet. His visor was down, hiding his features as he stared at Owin. “I can’t stay with you to the top.”

“I know.”

Artivan looked over his shoulder, out across the lake. A castle stood off shore. Its dark stones clashed with the white forest surrounding the lake. “We’ll need to find our way into the secret. This one is less hidden, but the way inside is a closely guarded secret for those who know.”

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I’ll guide you through as far as I can. I don’t think I can ascend to the sixth floor, but that will give us enough time to prepare you the best we can.” Artivan set off along the pebble-covered shore.

Owin ran after him, keeping to the grassy hillside. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, little goblin. I’ve been at this for a long time.” Artivan continued staring at the castle in the distance. “I’ve never even fully tried getting inside. I didn’t know about the secrets on each level before and assumed the castle was for some quest I had missed. When the drawbridge wouldn’t open, I just left.”

Owin stopped on the grassy hill. He leaned on a birch tree, watching Artivan slowly walk away. The knight continued down the beach, wobbling a bit whenever the pebbles rolled under his boots.

Owin wasn’t going to be responsible for Artivan’s death. Watching him walk away hurt Owin’s stomach, but he couldn’t follow. Not if he wanted Artivan to escape.

Once the old man was gone, Owin would go right back to town. He couldn’t give Siora the opportunity to try again. She would die. The forest was quiet for now between the lake and the ruined town. But Owin wouldn’t let the humans sneak up on him again.

Metal boots loudly crunched on rocks, quickly approaching behind Owin. He turned back to the lake to see Artivan rapidly approaching. The old knight had moved incredibly fast.

“What are you doing?” Owin squealed as he turned to run.

Artivan grabbed the back of Owin’s shirt and effortlessly yanked him from the ground. Owin managed to drop his hammer as he was shaken in the air. “What are you doing!”

It wasn’t even phrased as a question. The knight shouted so loud that it made Owin wince.

“I was letting you leave me,” Owin said quietly.

“No, you moron.” Artivan set him down, picked up the hammer, and shoved it into Owin’s hands. “I did not say we’re parting ways. We’re a team. We’re together until we absolutely have to split. Even then, we will find each other again.” Artivan grabbed both of Owin’s shoulders. “Do you understand?”

Owin nodded slowly. The intensity. That quick switch from calmness. It was as though Artivan was always fired up, but was able to keep a surprisingly calm persona most of the time.

“Do I need to carry you or can you walk with me?”

“I can walk,” Owin quickly said.

“Then walk, little goblin. We have a castle in the middle of the lake to explore.”

Owin walked in front of Artivan, sparing a few quick glances at the old knight. He was like a massive metal wall looming behind.

“Why are you so set on this? I’m not helpless. You haven’t even known me that long!”

Artivan grabbed the back of Owin’s shirt and lifted him again, picking up the pace as he walked along the pebble-covered beach. “You haven’t known yourself long either, little goblin.” He gently set Owin back on the ground, allowing him to walk quickly to keep pace.

“Despite how tough you act,” Artivan continued, “you are scared and trying to learn. Trying to prove yourself. Trying to find your place in the world. We all go through that at some point in our lives. Every single person. Even those heroes we killed had once, or would have one day, questioned who they were and tried to find ways to better themselves. Does that mean they were good people or would have become good people?”

The question hung in the air. Owin looked up at Artivan, who kept his visor down as he focused on the dark stone castle in the middle of the lake.

“No?”

“Unfortunately, you’re correct, Owin. Bettering oneself does not make someone good or bad. There is no evil or just. There is only . . . this.” He gestured out to the forest. “Life. Good, bad, right, wrong. It’s what we make of it, and more importantly, how it makes you feel. If you met your younger self, would they be proud of who you became? Of who you are now? For me, I know that to be true. When I turned fifteen, I knew I would be a knight because I had struggled for it. I worked on my family’s farm outside Kriergow everyday, and every day after my chores, I worked on my attributes. I read and studied to raise my intelligence. I ran and found sparring partners who I let hit me, just to raise my constitution. I joined a wrestling team of berserkers in training, and I got pummeled. Everything I did, I did to become a hero.”

Artivan casually reached out, bumping Owin’s head with his armored hand. “I know that’s not a question you can ask. You haven’t aged like a human would. Who but Ruvaine knows how long you spent in that cave. Does even Ruvaine know if you will age once you leave? For you, there are more than just unknowns. There are things that have never been studied before. But the same question still stands: In ten years, in twenty years, in one hundred years, will you be proud of the decisions you made today? Would you be proud of who you are right now? If you live forever, would you tell stories of when you awoke in the Great Forest or would you hide the details of this adventure in shame?”

Owin stared at the beach ahead. The way to the lake was long and the forest on the right was dense with white trees. His mind turned at Artivan’s questions. What did it mean to be proud? What did it mean to regret? He hadn’t had many opportunities to learn how those things felt. The meanings might have appeared in his mind when his intelligence jumped, but a meaning and an understanding weren’t the same thing.

“How do I know?” Owin asked.

Artivan fished through his bag without looking, bumping around glass jars, until he pulled two red sticks from his bag. He lifted his visor and sniffed. “Do you actually get hungry or did you just steal some of my mango when we first met?”

There had been a few rumbles in Owin’s stomach, though the concept of hunger was a distant one. Would anything happen if he didn’t eat?

“I don’t know.”

Artivan grunted. “Eat this meat stick.” He held out one of the small red sticks. It looked like a branch, but floppy.

Owin sniffed it, accidentally almost slipping it up his nostril. It smelled of spice, though it was all unfamiliar. “What is it?”

Artivan shrugged as he took a bite and ripped a chunk free. “Meat.” He quickly devoured the whole stick as Owin slowly chewed on the first bite. It tasted fine, though it wasn’t as good as the other couple of things Owin had eaten.

“How do you know if you would be ashamed?” Artivan asked.

Owin nodded as he worked on the snack.

“You don’t. That’s the difficult part. I was seventeen when I tried my first dungeon. I rushed right from Kriergow into the Subterranean Dungeon, thinking I would conquer it. Certain I would conquer it. My mentors called me a prodigy with the way I leveled from my fifteen to my seventeenth birthday. Levels flew past. I was level thirteen when I entered. Strong enough for the first floor, sure, but the second floor was immediately difficult. I struggled onto the third floor and refused to leave.” He slapped the armor right under his armpit.

“If it wasn’t so difficult to remove all my armor, I’d show you the scar. I was lucky I had made it to the end of the floor before becoming truly overwhelmed. I crawled out of the exit, leaving a trail of blood the whole way. I swore I bled enough for three people. There was a mender approaching the dungeon who was kind enough to force the wound closed.” Artivan patted the spot on his armor again before letting his arm drop.

“How old are you now?” Owin asked.

Artivan rubbed his armored fingers along his cheek. “Fifty three.”

“It took thirty six years to go up nineteen levels?”

“It took me seven years to gain nineteen levels.” Artivan grinned. “That’s where Chorsay Eoghet comes into my story.” Artivan sighed, taking a moment to drink water and admire the castle that slowly grew in the distance. “I quit adventuring right after I escaped the Subterranean Dungeon. I took odd jobs for years until I ended up in Izylia tending a bar.”

Artivan chuckled quietly to himself. “There’s a lot of my story that won’t mean much to you. Not until you’ve seen the outside world. You have a lot to learn. A lot to see.” He grinned and patted Owin’s shoulder. “You’re going to have fun once we’re out. I’ll make sure of it. Let’s save the rest of the story for another time. We need to focus. How does one get into a castle in the middle of a lake?”

“I could—”

“If you say jump, I will throw you into the woods.”

“I . . . I don’t know. You said a bridge?”