Kaelen Walked out of the chest room up some more stairs and came to a shrine that depicted Shan'karu there were no other doors in the room so Kaelen placed a hand upon the shrine. and words appeared in front of him

[You have passed the first trial of Shan'karu would you like to accept his blessing Y/N]

"Hey Vessira what does this say?" Kaelen asked the woman who was zoned out. She snapped to attention and her eyes glided over the words and her eyes widened with shock. "Kaelen You're being offered a blessing say yes!" Kaelen smiled and spoke "No" The words disappeared from his view. And Vessira looked at Kaelen with shock evident on her face.

"Why would you say no? Do you even realize the benefits that come with a blessing?" Vessira exclaimed.

Kaelen smiled. "You clearly weren't paying attention. I said I had no plans to be some god's pawn. I didn't ask to get sucked into the ground—he did that on his own. Besides, I doubt he'll kill me over this. I'm just one human. There are plenty of other wanderers in the desert. He'll find someone else to bother."

"Ahh, Kaelen, don't spread your blasphemy in front of a shrine! That's a sure way to face divine punishment," Vessira warned.

Kaelen ignored her. He didn't mind offering a prayer to the gods now and then, but being a divine puppet wasn't exactly appealing.

[Blessing denied. Alternative rewards given.]

As the words flashed before him, a circlet appeared—a golden band with a large red gem in the center, matching his earring. Kaelen placed it on his head, feeling another rush of energy course through him.

[Circlet of the Morning awarded. Transporting you from the trial.]

Vessira perched on Kaelen's head with a relieved sigh. "Finally, free from that horrible dungeon."

Kaelen nodded in agreement, equally sick of the cold, gray corridors. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly found himself back where he had slain the king serpent. He stood up, scooping some sand into his hand before letting it sift through his fingers. He never thought he'd be so happy to feel the coarse grains again or to have the sun warm his face.

"Feels good to be back," he muttered, a rare smile forming on his lips.

"Yes, It does Kaelen now let's get back to the village I'll lead the way."

Vessira pressed her hands to her head for a moment, then took off into the air, flying ahead as Kaelen followed closely behind. As they walked, she made small talk, flitting around him with idle questions. "How are you not roasting in that armor?" she asked, curiosity in her voice, along with other random musings as they moved along. Kaelen listened quietly, used to her chatter by now, his eyes scanning the horizon as they trekked forward.

Before long the village appeared on the Horizon and they walked into the village the nolls were alert they recognized who he was and ran to get Zharaith she arrived with the group that recognized him and she exploded with worry the moment she saw his face. "Kaelen what happened Nirathi told me you got swallowed by the sand, you were gone for two weeks we thought you were dead."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Kaelen removed the hands of the overly worried Gnoll and Vessira spoke up before Kaelen could. "Hey, I'm here too you've known me way longer than Kaelen worry about me some."

Kaelen cut off her tangent with a frown. "What do you mean two weeks? We were gone for a day at most."

Zharaith sighed, shaking his head. "No, you were definitely gone for two weeks. Time must have passed differently wherever you were. Speaking of which... what happened exactly?"

Kaelen watched as Vessira, out of breath from her shouting, landed back on his head. "Well," he began, "I fell down a hole, fought some skeletons, got a pair of gloves, fought a stronger skeleton, got a new sword, fought some tougher zombies, and ended up with this armor and these earrings."

"Kaelen!" Vessira huffed. "Don't simplify it like that! You were amazing! You beat that fat zombie with your bare hands, and the cutlass-wielding one didn't even touch you. You completely skipped the part where you leveled up!"

"Well, I covered the main points. The details of the fights aren’t that important," Kaelen argued, shrugging it off. Zharaith chuckled, clearly amused. Most people struggled to deal with Vessira, but Kaelen seemed to handle her just fine.

"Regardless," Zharaith said with a grin, "I'm glad you two made it back. We were almost ready to leave without you."

Kaelen nodded and then remembered something. "Oh, before I forget—here’s the armor you gave me. It didn’t feel right leaving it in that place," he said, pulling the stored armor from his bag.

Zharaith smiled warmly. "You could’ve left it behind, but I appreciate it. Thank you." She signaled to another Gnoll, who promptly took the armor away.

"Well, you'd better get some rest. We're heading to a city soon to resupply. You don’t have to come, but clearly, you’ve had a long day and could use the rest either way."

Kaelen walked toward the shack Zharaith had let him sleep in when Nirathi crossed his path.

"Hey, Kaelen, you're alright," she said, her tone as neutral as ever.

Kaelen smiled. "Yeah, I'm great, actually."

Nirathi nodded, her face remaining as disinterested as usual. "That's good." Without another word, she turned and walked away.

Vessira watched her leave, then sighed. "Why can't she just be expressive? I bet she was worried sick and secretly thrilled to see you back safe."

Kaelen looked at the small woman and shook his head everyone had their reasons for things and he was sure she had hers.

Kaelen trudged into the small building, his body heavy with exhaustion. As soon as he reached the bed, he collapsed onto it, barely managing to pull the blanket over himself before sleep overtook him. His eyes fluttered shut almost instantly, his breathing slowing into the steady rhythm of deep sleep.

Vessira, perched on the edge of the bed, watched him for a moment. She'd grown used to the constant tension of the dungeon, but now that they were free, something else tugged at her mind. With a soft sigh, she floated down to the floor, her body shimmering as she grew to her normal size. It had been years since she’d used this form; she preferred staying small, blending in and avoiding attention. But something about Kaelen made her feel...different.

She quietly shut the cabin door, sealing them both in the cool stillness of the desert night. Turning back to Kaelen, she knelt beside the bed and brushed a bit of sand from his dark hair, her touch light and careful. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to admire his peaceful face, the lines of tension gone from his features, leaving only the quiet strength he carried.

"I had fun, Kaelen," she whispered, a faint smile touching her lips.

His eyes twitched in his sleep, as if hearing her words. Startled, Vessira quickly shrunk back to her smaller size, feeling a sudden rush of embarrassment. She flew up and landed gently on his chest, curling into the folds of his tunic.

Resting her head against him, she listened to his heartbeat—steady and strong—and allowed herself to drift into sleep. For the first time in what felt like years, she felt safe, as if she had found a place she could belong.