Nokken led his group to the cave over the course of a few days. He was a tamer of beasts that utilized some animals to assist him. There were names that Nokken had for the animals. Volodar couldn’t understand as the names were in a strange language. Volodar looked at the man’s animal companions as it was a strange sight to behold. A wolf that was larger than a warg also obeyed the commands of Nokken. That would be a dire wolf if he remembered correctly. Another creature under his command was a crocodile. Finally, there was a bird that he would whisper to occasionally. These three beasts seemed to his favorite as they were with him the entire journey.

Volodar was interested and watched closely when Nokken would interact with his pets as he drew parallels between them and his own skeletons. He wouldn’t talk often and seemed to command his pets in whispers. Volodar partly enjoyed the silence as he was raised by mostly quiet creatures with the exception of Lucas. Nokken’s silence was something that Volodar thought about often. He shook his mind of the thought as Adelia spoke to Drake, “How far away is the cave?”

Drake ate some preserved meats as he walked, “Should be coming up any moment now.” Hours passed before they arrived at their destination. The cave turned out to be a mining operation, though the resource wasn’t apparent. There were many tents and people outside of the entrance. Volodar examined the populace around the cave and looked at them with awe. Many adventurers waited outside of the cave with all manners of different attire. It was certainly the largest group of people he saw gathered in one location that wasn’t Strosa.

Some were obviously divine spellcasters like Drake. They wore clerical or spiritual garb that wrapped around their bodies. Others wore half-plate armors, while another group was in leather attire. Adelia pointed towards a group that had no armors on with books strapped to their side. Volodar noticed them as well, “Those are probably arcane casters. They probably expand their knowledge through practicing in conflict.”

Adelia looked at Volodar up and down, “Why don’t you have one, master?”

“I am a sorcerer, not a wizard. The practice and experimentation of my craft is my progression. It’s why I had troubles teaching you cantrips as I don’t easily grasp the fundamentals of the other arcane sources.” She accepted the answer as they made their way into the camp. Everyone seemed too busy with themselves to bother introducing themselves towards the group. The location was a hotbed of intemperance and free-willed individuals making a pathway for themselves in the world.

Gaulk pulled his pack closer, “Are we setting up inside or out here?”

“I would prefer to set up outside first,” Drake replied. “What do the two of you want?”

Adelia looked towards Volodar for confirmation. Volodar responded, “I’ll leave the choice to you as we just became adventurers.”

“Okay,” Gaulk set down his bag in an opening, “outside it is then.”

Volodar left the group as he walked into the woods a bit of the way. He channeled a spell as he connected to Hunter once more. “Are you faring well?”

“My lord,” Hunter’s spoke, “I am doing well.”

“That’s good. Give me a status report on your location.”

“We are currently outside of the encampment a bit of the way. We tucked ourselves away into an alcove near the location.

“Good. Remember to not be spotted during this time. I do not know how long this will take.” Hunter affirmed the wishes of his master before the link cut between them. Volodar waited for a moment after the link was severed as he casted another spell. He saw through the eyes of his poorly made body double in his tower. The location wasn’t attacked yet as Volodar watched the undead perform daily tasks. He felt irritated that his enemies didn’t reveal themselves at the location yet. They must believe that he was no threat to the realm if that was true.

He decided to break his line of thought by pursuing a different goal. Volodar walked along the camp trying to account for the adventurers that were currently waiting. He believed that over a hundred to two hundred people were set up at this settlement. “I have never seen a congregation of combatants like this before,” he remarked to the group.

“Aye,” Gaulk said, “It’s not too common to have bounties this widespread. I’ve seen them though, specially in a place like Strosa.”

“I see,” Volodar’s interest was piqued, “how were the other ones?”

“All of them are exactly the same as far as I’m concerned.” Gaulk grabbed a flask, “They are pocket dimensions that lead to these weird realms with a bunch of baddies within. Don’t overthink what you see in there, kid. You’ll see some weird stuff.” Volodar thought about the words, ‘pocket dimension’.

He remembered stories that Lucas told him in his past. Many about his father and the domain that he dominated. Volodar put those pieces of his mind together like a puzzle as he thought about the words that Lucas used. There wasn’t much to go one besides the fact that a portal led you to a strange land. It would be too early for him to make a confirmation that his father owned one of these pocket dimensions, although there certainly seemed to be some parallels between the two.

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Volodar sighed as he investigated his satchel for alchemical supplies. He made sure to pick up some potions before he left on this journey just in case he ran into poisons or something similar. Adelia sat next to Volodar without saying anything. They simply remained in each other’s presence for a while until the others finished their tasks.

Nokken returned with his beasts in tow. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” his deep voice was gravelly as he spoke. He didn’t elaborate as he fed a bird on his shoulder.

Adelia glanced over, “What do you mean?”

It took Nokken a moment, but he responded, “I didn’t hear wildlife within.” Drake gave more of a reaction as he recounted his equipment.

“There’s been plenty of adventurers that went in and out of that cave so far,” Drake added, “They are probably clearing it for a path to the portal.”

Gaulk nodded his head in agreement as he uncorked a bottle of wine. He offered it around as he gave a toothy grin, “Tonight’s the night. Drink up, it’ll help y’all sleep.” Everyone drank as they gathered around the fire. Adelia was getting better at wielding her magic as she could light the flames consistently. Everyone went off to their tents as they slept for the night.

It was a relatively peaceful morning as they gathered their items. Gaulk was hard to wake up, but it was done in time. They devised a plan on how to approach the cave. Gaulk and Drake would be the vanguard as they kept the attention of the enemies. Nokken was to be the logistics coordinator. He will keep our utilities and items in order as we push through with his beasts. Nokken also excelled at navigating and would lead us through this unknown area.

Volodar and Adelia were casters, pieces of artillery in the eyes of the party. They would focus on destroying enemies quickly. Adelia will watch the backlines should any injuries occur during their travels. Together, they went into the cave alongside a few other groups of adventurers. The other groups varied in how they treated each other. Some of the groups would take the time to talk to Drake or Gaulk as they walked past. It seemed to be cordial most of the time, but one group in particular was odd in their design.

Adelia noticed the group and shook her head in disapproval. Volodar asked, “What is the deal with that group?”

“My lord,” Adelia said, “it looks like an adventurer purchased slaves and is using them for the purpose of this bounty.”

“I see.” Volodar looked at the group and watched as the slaves were pulled along beside them. “They are subservient to their master?”

Adelia responded, “Sometimes, my lord. Other times they would rather kill the master and be done with it. Richer nobles will engrave their property with magic to keep them from rebelling.”

Volodar couldn’t pinpoint how he felt in the moment as he witnessed the slaves pushed forward. Gaulk spit on the floor, “I couldn’t imagine having unwilling companions through a place like this. He should’ve just used the adventurer’s guild to find allies. One wrong misstep and they’ll leave his ass to die.” The cave itself was quite grand as it had its own ecosystem within. There were plants, waterways, and the occasional creature inside. Large spiders that were the size of children would harass the surrounding parties. It was quite beneficial to travel alongside many groups at a time as the whole journey felt much safer.

Nokken shook his head, “No chance someone can tame those things, resourceful vermin though. Respect the spiders’ space.” A large room that was designated as the ‘atrium’ was just a bit ahead. It was beautiful as trees grew within this place. Even Gaulk who remained serious while in the cave, relaxed upon seeing the natural elements.

“Don’t let your guard down from here,” Drake reminded, “the many paths that lead off this room are unexplored in most part. However, Volodar was immediately distracted as this happened. He felt something that was familiar to him. His minions were starting to perish once more.

“I’ll be back in one second,” Volodar said hastily as he parted from the group. They protested as he left, and Adelia tried to control the situation.

“Sorry, please wait just a moment. Fulton has been ill for a bit. You know how it is when casters push themselves too hard.” She gave her best at a smile and held them back for now.

Drake responded, “Well, that’s not good. I can’t cure mana illness, but I know of some herbal remedies that may help. I’ll see what I can whip up.”

Volodar casted his spell and looked through the eyes of his minion once more. It was looking outside of the tower towards a mess as his skeletons clashed with soldiers. Red banners with an icon of a boar were held by several soldiers. “Bastards,” Volodar stated, “why did they wait so long before attacking?”

The eyes of the minion darted as Volodar ordered, watching critical moments of the conflict. His goblin skeletons were deadly when they outnumber the enemy, but useless against those who prepared for this moment. He could see the troll skeleton as it crashed into the metal clad men. Even their metallic armor couldn’t stop the force of this creature as it crushed spine and sternum alike. His forces are outnumbered certainly, but the fight they are giving is commendable. It looked as if the noble prepared for this as his men utilized weapons that were blunt. Most of them had a sword on the side as they crushed skeletons repeatedly.

Volodar could feel a sinking feeling in the pit of himself as all of his once used energy restored into him once more. His mana was like a pool of water that emptied during the service of his minions, only to be regained once more on the creature’s death. It would take time as his mana slowly replenished, but he knew that he would have a surplus of mana no matter the outcome of the battle. The more creatures he raised, the larger this theoretical pool would permanently become.

The fight seemed to hit a climax as a human walked towards the troll with a halberd at his side. At the edge of his blade, a flame ran down until it dripped off the edges. He slashed at the skeleton, breaking the bones of it with each dramatic swing he made. The troll closed its hand into a fist as it tried to punch through the man. He responded by holding his ground and countering with a strike of his own. The fist collided with the burning halberd as fingers fell off the troll skeleton. It didn’t take long before the troll’s animation ceased as the man repeatedly swings into it. There was no time to think as light filled the eyes of the minion and Volodar returned to his own sight.

He knelt upon the floor of that cave, gasping as he tried to gain his breath back. He could feel his flesh was warm from whatever that light was. It seemed to have affected him as well. Watching from afar was a dangerous game to play, he thought. Volodar felt something in that moment as he couldn’t think straight. He felt this exact same way when Doppel failed to animate for the first time. Regaining his composure, he made a promise to the boar with hushed breaths. “I’ll destroy the entirety of your house when I’m through with you.”