Rocky Mountains surround Arka and Neferah within the border. There was a dirt road so the path ahead appears to be laid out already for the two. It was convenient for them to travel without any more trouble of figuring out which way to go.

A plunge pool reflecting the rust-colored sky with a thin waterfall was seen westward from their current location as they continued their stroll. There was a narrow stream below this thin waterfall with insect carcasses indicating the uninhabitable state of this mountain border's environment for any type of mammal, fish, reptile or insect to live peacefully.

Aside from this, Arka was having trouble opening her friends list. She wanted to try and check to see whoever was available to travel with her among her three friends, but the window kept either closing itself, or pops up a strange error message in an unfamiliar language she does not understand.

"What are you doing, hero?" Neferah noticed her strange behavior.

"W-well u-um... I'm... trying to send a message to my friends,"

"You are sending a message?" Neferah looked around Arakar's character.

"Y-Yeah."

"I do not understand what you mean by this in relation to whatever you are accomplishing," Neferah said.

She clarified, "I-I mean, well, when I wanna talk with my friends from far away... I-I can talk with them in direct messages using this floating box that appears in front of me,"

Neferah's eyes flickered. She was fascinated by her mentioning this.

"Interesting... there is a semblance of this method you pertain to as if it was a way of thought-speak; An ancient form of magic," Neferah felt even more curious. She wanted to learn more about this feature from Arka.

"May I take a look at this direct messaging?"

They both stopped in their tracks briefly

"Well, sure. But I don't think you can see it,"

"You mean you are currently accessing this 'direct message' right now?"

"Yup,"

Neferah tried to look at whatever Arka was looking at. She inched closer and standed next to her. She even went behind her and looked over her shoulder to see whatever Arka was looking at.

Arka felt her hairs stand as the tall lore master leaned closer, towering over her to take a peek at this direct message that she has. There was a clear distinction between their height differences and it made Arka hyper-aware of this. She was not used to new company standing so close to her.

Neferah sounded a "Hmm..." to express her reflection. "Is this not a jest, in repayment of my teasing, hero?"

"N-No, I swear I wasn't j-joking..."

Neferah even squinted. Perhaps the attributes of this direct messaging may be smaller to the naked eye of other persons?

But to no avail, she indeed cannot see what Arka was pertaining to.

"Peculiar..." She said. "Alas, I cannot see this direct messaging that you mention, but I may have a theory to assuage any internal doubts about this problem that you have present. The city that you used to dwell within; has this enormous monolith with a crystal attached, does it not?"

Arka thinks she was talking about the Obelisk of Anastasis. It served as a checkpoint for teleportation, or a resurrection point where players return on death.

"Y-Yeah, they do."

"Aside from accomplishing resuscitation for you lot of adventurers upon death, what if it was also used as a means of communication?"

The same idea clicked for Arka as Neferah mentioned this. There was a certain plausibility to her theory.

"It could be that that accessibility for communication from your precious monolith has been damaged. Would this not make sense?"

So it's kinda like a wifi-signal... Arka thought.

"Yes, actually... that does make sense now that you mention it,"

"I knew that you would agree with my suggestion."

"W... We call this monolith the Obelisk of Anastasis by the way if that's of any help to your records,"

"I see," Neferah said. "An Obelisk of Anastasis... such plenteous wording for an enchanted rock. Pretentious."

It definitely doesn't roll off the tongue well. Arka thought

"At any rate, it seems with the circumstances present of this direct message of yours, what we can do for now, is naught. Best that we resume our cureent trek at this time,"

"I-I agree," Arka said.

Arka and Neferah continued to walk together in sync.

"N-Neferah, how do you travel so free with all these monsters around?" Arka asked as she was curious about Neferah and her kind.

Neferah listened to Arka's question in a wary manner. Almost as if she was highly aware of her surroundings.

"To answer your question... simply put, this privilege was due to my demonic heritage. 'twas distinct among monsters upon a glance or nuance of my presence. Hence, I need not trouble myself with being bothered by these lowly creatures... and so, I can go anywhere I please."

"I see... t-that's quite convenient."

"Indeed, 'tis," Neferah agreed.

They stopped in their tracks as they noticed something huge in the distance blocking the way ahead.

"Speaking of monsters..." Neferah said.

There was a Plainruiner. It aimlessly wandered about within as it scanned its surroundings with its numerous, oscillating, tendril eyes. It didn't take long for the creature to notice Arka as it made a bellowed cry.

"It noticed us," Arka said, readying herself.

"It noticed you," Neferah clarified.

"R-Right, Demonic heritage... got it," Arka recalled their topic just now. "It seems it wants to attack me now that it's seen me."

"Certain monsters like the Plainruiner are ordinarily aggressive against humans since they reckon them unthreatening," Neferah said.

"S-So, you're saying that it thinks I'm weak, w-which explains its violent behavior against me?" Arka said.

"It thinks? No, that is not the correct assumption whenever you battle these sorts of creatures," Neferah clarified. "'Tis all not a matter of opinion. 'Tis a matter of fact," Neferah made a brief pause. "Your race is human, after all."

Arka didn't like Neferah's phrasing. It made her recall Lily saying the same thought about her. She pursed her lips. It seems she can't avoid being perceived with this discrimination in this world.

In her world, every human was taught that they were on top of the food chain. It appears to be that on Helsim, this role was reversed.

Arka was humored strangely... were monsters able to smell weakness from a mile away? A comical thought.

"This should be a good chance for you to try the Willesse, hero,"

"I was just thinking the same," Arka stepped forward and drew the Willesse that was sheathed behind her back hidden in her cloak. Battle stance at the ready, she began to wield the unearthly sword gripped in her hands.

The Plainruiner commenced its approach cautiously toward her as it was still trying to gain its bearings.

Arka charged forward to take the initiative of attack. She followed her usual method. Severe its eyes first... make the Plainruiner blind.

She and the monster closed the gap according to their attack ranges. The Plainruiner's was longer, but Arka, regardless of her smaller stature was faster.

The Plainruiner reacted, and she swung the Willesse.

Without looking back, the monster's vision was torn asunder. The creature didn't have time to try defending itself.

It was the same behavior as she expected. The same type of battle, the same type outcome...

The feeling of her sword cleaving through the Plainruiner however, begs to differ.

There was hardly any resistance to that! she thought. She felt that the current weapon she wields was sharper than any other she has held.

She stopped her attack with a lowered stance. She looked back to observe the Plainruiner. It was the same battle, but with a different weapon... How will the battle conclude?

Several of the eyes she struck started to have an apparent glow of a faint red. It was all erratic. The creature was too distracted as if fathoming what had happened to it.

There was no distinct form of damage on the creature though... Arka was confused at this point.

"You disrupted its mana flow on its eyes, rendering the creature blind," Neferah told Arka. "However, that is not how you use the Willesse! Attempt this time in striking, intent for a killing blow,"

Does she mean I can be more aggressive when using this weapon?

With the same battle stance, holding the Willesse in both hands; she rushed toward the creature without a moment's hesitation.

The Plainruiner turned to Arka that was still able to see with its remaining, three, eyes. Arka continued her charge forward. Being highly familiar against Plainruiners, she was prepared and had the foresight in anticipating the next actions the creature may take.

The Plainruiner lifted its gigantic, demonic hands—

A wide area of attack. Two hits. The first hit starts by swinging its arms in an outward motion, then inward. Not duckable...

Usually, Arka had to wait again for it to make an opening after the beast committed such an attack.

But, with this weapon...!

The Plainruiner attacked with an outward swing of its demonic claws. Arka intuitively stepped back avoiding the fatal hit.

Outward...!

The creature was wide open.

With the Willesse in hand, Arka charged in and committed a counterattack.

As Arka was within striking range of the Plainruiner, the creature ensued for the second phase of its attack.

Inward...!

A powerful crash between the Plainruiner's claws and Arka's darkened steel armor resounded. Arka was crushed in-between.

Yet, she remained standing with the killing blow of the Willesse lunged into the Plainruiner's chest.

The Plainruiner's muscles weakened, almost slumping over. And then, Arka made a jumping upward slash passing through the bone and ligaments of the creature tearing it in two. Fragments of a glowing, red trail followed with the wicked blade she held as she exited the creature's body.

The Plainruiner's body started to glow a bright red. Its body melted into the barren soil leaving a patch of grass behind.

The fight concluded with Arka's armor crushed, and her virtual body's bones and joints bent into strange angles. 86% of her HP still remained.

It didn't take long until her body's regeneration process started.

After she was healed, she stood up, sheathed the Willesse, and returned to Neferah.

"Not bad," Neferah commented. "I even saw that you intended to take that creature's attack knowing that the next move was more favorable for you,"

"So, you noticed..." Arka said. "I try to gauge how much I can t-take a hit, and consider the risks involved when trad... trading attacks,"

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"A fascinating way of fighting..." Neferah commented, then she uttered under her breath, "'Tis almost like—"

"Although Neferah, i...it feels like I can cut through anything with this weapon... and most importantly, I-I don't understand what happened just now."

"Is that so..." Neferah answered. "In that case, if I will have to explain; I think I need to give you a basic explanation of mana, and our life essence in order for you to understand."

"I see... t-that's alright, I think I want to know more about it."

"Very well," Neferah pondered how she will tell her brief lecture. She crossed her arms, with her finger and thumb beneath her chin. It didn't take long until she had completed pondering, and felt it clear in her mind to talk about the topic she mentioned.

"Every living creature in this world has mana. Some have more, and some have less than others. As for how much mana a creature can carry, it varies for every individual. This mana can be used to fuel our abilities to give it a slight boost in strength, or it can be used for magic. The mana a creature can hold can be exhausted for the day, and it can be replenished after rest. 'Tis inheres in every fabric of an individual. A creature can even improve how much mana they can potentially possess through harsh training. Although, I will save you the nitty-gritty details about that."

"O-Okay," Arka said.

"Now, the important detail that all you have to know when using the Willesse is that the nature of this mana behaves like an outer layer of a life essence of a creature. You could say that this mana acts not only as fuel for our actions but also as a shield that protects a creature's life essence. This shield of mana is what the Willesse intends to disrupt, in order for it to cut away the life essence of your opponent."

Arka nodded to express that she understood what Neferah said. "When you said disrupt, y-you mean this mana doesn't go away?"

Neferah made a soft smile. "'tis as you have said. Because a creature's mana cannot be destroyed,"

So, this mana thing behaves kinda like the first law of thermodynamics in my world... Arka thought.

"Now, to explain our life essence... to put it roughly, it is the fundamental accumulation of your thoughts, your feelings, and your will that makes up who you are. You could also say that this is your soul."

"So, our mana is a shield... t-that protects my soul... I think I get it."

"I am glad that you catch on quickly, hero." Neferah smiled at Arka, showing her satisfaction in creating her meticulous, well-thought-out explanation.

"I see... well... any idea why it does that...?"

"Why it does that...?" Neferah reiterated as if asking for Arka to clarify her question.

"I-I mean... why... why did the Plainruiner... turn to grass then?"

"Ah, that... That is simply the consequence of the life essence being cut away by the Willesse. The Willesse was designed to break the life essence of a living creature. However, the properties of our life essences are not meant to behave this way. It does not just break. In fact, just like mana, it cannot be destroyed. To compensate for this effect from the Willesse, the life essence instead, leaks out into Helamir and begins to conflict with the behavior it was being imposed on which was, the act of destruction. So instead of destruction, the life essence will be forced to try and transform itself from its own composition to its most basic form. This subsequent form would depend on the current environment and circumstances; whatever it may sustain."

"S-so... you mean, because of the way the life essence behaved after getting hit by this weapon, and because of where we are right now, it gave life to this soil..." Arka said to confirm the information that was just fed out to her.

"That is correct," Neferah nodded with a smile, pleased with the hero's sharp understanding.

"Something... doesn't seem to make sense though... From... from how you explained it, it's as if... our life essence has a mind of its own."

Neferah couldn't help but smile at Arka's question. It only piques her interest for a lore master such as herself.

"Brilliant question. To tell you the truth, hero, even I have not a single clue about this odd behavior. To be clear, no researcher or scholar knows. There are elements in this world that go through change just from mere measurements, or observation. From what I can induce, it looks like our life essences happen to be one of these sorts of elements."

I think I've heard of something similar like that before too in my world... Arka thought.

"I see... so how this life essence reacts with the Willese is... is a matter of nature,"

"That is the principal assumption, yes. You catch on quickly. In fact, I am impressed,"

So, the Willese is really an odd weapon. Arka thought.

"I think that is all I have to let you know. Any more questions?"

Arka shook her head. "Not... Not for now."

"So then, how does the weapon fare? Is it to your liking?"

"Honestly, it's made a huge difference. I've never been able to fight all-out like that before. In fact, fighting these monsters has felt way easier."

Neferah made a wide smile that looked like it would reach from ear to ear. "That is good to hear. Presumably, it looks like you know now how largely that weapon can help you on your journey."

She's right... I can only imagine how absurdly difficult it would be for me to complete my journey if I hadn't met her. Arka thought.

"I suppose there is only one thing I have left to let you know about the Willesse then... Rather, a firm reminder,"

Neferah's eyes fixated on the Willesse's grotesque handle—the weapon; sheathed behind Arka's back.

"You say that you feel as if you can cut through anything with the Willesse... do not let this presupposition misguide your confidence," Neferah, who was speaking in a serious tone then looked at the darkened-armor swordsman in the eyes through her close-helmet.

"The Willesse is still just a weapon. Its blade only grows sharper according to the user's skill, and prowess. You must understand your own limits,"

Arka sweated from the sudden change of mood as Neferah told her this.

"A-Alright, I won't do anything too reckless then," Arka reassured her as she too, looked at Neferah in the eyes through her dark helmet.

"Very good," Neferah said, seemingly satisfied with Arka's answer.

"Then, that is all for the topic of the Willesse, there is another matter now that we must discuss,"

"O-Okay. What is it?" Arka said.

Neferah began to instinctively scratch her arms that were still crossed.

"Ever since we arrived here, I have been sensing a naggingly consistent tugging and pulling... Life, fighting over life, vegetation repulsed—unnatural tampering of mana," Neferah paused and closed her eyes as if deducing what she has observed.

"It appears, the soil here is still capable of furnishing life, which would mean that the damage here is still reversible..."

"Meaning...?" As Arka asked this question, Neferah opened her eyes in turn.

"Recall what I have said about our mana... this one feels as if it is feeding off the mana that retains this domain—a powerful monster or demon, brought. It could affect you if you stay for an extended time."

"A powerful monster..." Arka said. "Then... if it's that bad, I think we should put a stop to that first whatever's messing with this place."

"It still does not make sense..." Neferah was lost in her thoughts.

"N-Neferah...?" Arka called out to her.

"Hmm... yes?" Neferah reacted to Arka as she heard her name.

"I—I s-said... we... should put a stop to whatever is messing up with this place."

"Oh, that, I agree on... but hero, do you not just want to focus on defeating the demon lord? I was only proposing that perhaps we should not tarry here for long," Neferah said.

Upon hearing this, Arka remembered Halvund who was saving NPCs in the burning village on their way to Fellmoria.

What drove him to save these NPCs? This strange, shield-bearing person's actions were something Arka wanted to find out. Halvund caught her interest. She wanted to know what that person was thinking and whether he found out about something in Helsim.

More than that, however—

"I think reaching that goal should come at one step at a time. Besides, what's the point of defeating the great evil, if it still has its cronies lurking around and terrorizing the place?"

She thought that it was how every hero should be obviously. Besides that, it would probably help as a way for any resident of this world to rebuild things as it once was.

Neferah gave Arka a smile. Her demonic yellow eyes seemed to smile as well in reaction to Arka's answer.

"Protecting the individuals foremost before the whole... I condone such a just mindset," Neferah said.

"I-If we both agree on what to do, we should probably head off."

And so, they continued their journey.

================

There were no other distractions as only the barren earth that lay beneath the soles of their feet, and the dead plants of this mountainous border that surround them guided them forward.

If there was anything that would be keeping Arka alert though, it would be her tinnitus that just acts up due to the silence, coupled with the light splash of mud on their trek.

Arka and Neferah soon reached the end of the border. They were standing on a cliff as they spotted a small town surrounded by tall, thick, spiked wooden walls. A bell tower stood out among the differing sizes of houses and other stone buildings within it.

Arka was kneeling trying to make a reconnaissance of the place just like how her friend Banelfsing would try to do.

Although, from her current distance, she could not make out any information about the people or other resources of the area.

If only I had Banelfsing's binoculars... She thought.

Neferah's eyes squinted as if she discerned something.

"The concentration of mana gathers at that point,"

"W-With the powerful monster?"

"The disturbance stems from nowhere else,"

Arka could at least admire the view from the small town from afar.

The sunshine at the horizon complemented that place, along with the dead trees and the mountains beyond the small town.

Arka and Neferah found a path to hike downhill. The edge of the border they explored was but, now, mere fleeting thoughts. A new region was now set forth for Arka to explore.

The map she holds within her bag needs to be updated soon...

Aside from the dead trees, there were also rigid roots that lay among the barren soil path ahead of them.

As they neared the entrance into the small town—

"Let's stop here briefly," Neferah stopped Arka.

"S-Something wrong?"

Neferah took Arka by her gauntlet pulling her away toward some nearby dead trees. They pushed their backs against the bark of these trees to hide themselves from whatever was ahead upon Neferah's gesture.

"Nafuri fohr," Neferah said.

"What?"

"The town is occupied by Nafuri fohr—dark goblins namely, would how this would be roughly translated for you, humans. Presumably, they should live in freshwater mountains and be packed together in tribes. However, recently for the past twenty years, in lieu of fulfilling their most basic needs of survival; they began to develop their own culture and civilization." Neferah told Arka this slew of background information for this monster tribe.

"Regardless of the fact as to how primitive they still are in performing their simpleton life; the fact remains that they are still ferocious in battle."

Arakar continued to listen attentively to Neferah's brief crash course into Nafuri fohr history. She was fascinated by this. All the more, she was interested in seeing this side of her as her demon kindred's lore master. She felt more appreciative of her company. Other than this, Arakar thought that Neferah truly deserved this title for being able to inform her of a certain race with such a fantastic description.

"—They have excellent marksmanship with their ranged weaponry, and most try to hunt their prey stealthily. They are cunning and possess intelligence... compared to humans, however, they are still inferior. Do not be tricked by their appearance as they have tough skin, furnished with one of the world's keenest of sights," Neferah finished describing the Nafuri fohr.

"Well, not as keen as mine eyes," Neferah boasted.

"I see... then is that why we're hiding?"

Neferah nodded. "I should have said a word of caution prior to us arriving within this proximity... I always had a notion of suspicion of that town. After seeing it from the leveled ground we briefly posted, I see no man, woman, or child walking amongst the strips."

"So, they're probably occupying this place f-for themselves," Arka said.

"That is what it appears to be... it may be part of their advancement as a civilization. They may also be keeping your own kind as slaves."

Does she mean... the NPCs? Arka thought.

"Slaves..." Arka uttered.

Neferah continued, "If Nafuri fohr would see me, they would attempt to pay no heed to my presence as they fancy no trouble from any of my race. As for you, however, they will kill you for sport utilizing their lustrious vision and marksmanship," Neferah placed a thumb and index finger on her chin and began to stroke it with her two fingers lightly. "You would definitely not see it coming."

"I-I see..." Arka felt a cold sweat drop down her temple. "T-Then, how do we get in there?"

Neferah made a brief pause to think about their next move. And then, still with the calm expression on her face—a flicker of insight.

"Stay close to me... and keep the Willesse hidden."

They left their hiding place and continued to advance toward the small town.

Arka can finally see the Nofuri fohr within the midst of her vision. They were humanoid-like creatures that had a jet-black exo-skeleton with thick fur on their forearms, chests, and legs. They also had small, single, jagged spikes protruding from each of their limbs.

There were two nofuri fohr equipped in light, leather armor, both having thick chest fur exposed. Two of them held a spear in hand. They acted as guardsmen for the small town.

Upon Arka and Neferah arriving, they crossed their spears together to deny them entry.

"State your business, demon!" One of the dark goblins spoke with a gurgled-like, nasal voice.

"My business?" Neferah stated this rhetorical question as if there was a supposed, unquestionable, authority. "I am a lore master for the demon capital who tracks, and records history—"

"A loremaster?" The nafuri fohr interrupted Neferah before she could finish. "We thought we already made it clear that this place was seized for ourselves. The nafuri fohr took over this territory! It is ours!" It reacted to Neferah aggressively, stepping one of its rugged-like feet forward.

Neferah raised a hand at the Nofuri fohr to gesture for it to calm itself down. "Do worry not, as I was assigned to your humble dwelling only to discharge my duties of documenting a census of this town you have occupied, and to foresee if whether you have met the requisites to be recognized amongst civilization in Helamir,"

The dark goblin that acted belligerent calmed down as it seemed to have understood Neferah's said intentions for the village. Other than that, the creature mellowed upon hearing the village they are occupying being called humble. It returned to its bearings regaining its peace of mind. "A census?" The Nafuri fohr guardsman asked out of curiosity. "Does it seem... like our kind is finally being given the recognition we deserve?"

"Indeed," Neferah nodded. "There have been deliberations of your race of establishing its own government. The demon capital gives cognizance to that,"

The two dark goblins seemed confused at Neferah's articulate speech. However, they still looked at each other and smiled upon hearing her say this.

A dark goblin spoke, "And what are you doing traveling with a human?" It asked out of casual chit-chat, losing their suspicion.

"This is my helper, and she works for me of carrying any of my possessions."

The two dark goblin guardsmen looked at Arka directly within her close-helmet as if to discern her face.

Arka tried to look to the side avoiding their eye contact.

"Your human looks timid. How can you rely on that? Me thinks we have better humans to rely on for any manual labor,"

"Maybe, for the time being," Neferah said. She then placed her fingers on her temple and a hand on her hip while looking down as if to express agitation. "However, gentlemen, I grow impatient of this idle chitchat. I must report back to the capital as soon as possible. I would like to forward my request that you grant me permission to enter your town,"

"Yes, of course," One of the dark goblins said. "We will call our chieftain. He will be meeting you personally. And then, you may perform your duties,"

The dark goblins returned to their positions, with one of them entering the small town leaving the other dark goblin behind to stay and watch them near the large wooden gates.

It looks like she convinced them... Arka thought.

"They are rather, verbose, aren't they?" Neferah suddenly spoke.

"Y-Yeah. I'm actually surprised," Arka said in a quiet tone to avoid being heard. "But not more than you, though."

Neferah looks pleased hearing Arka's compliment, making her crack a smile.

"I expected goblins t-to be more... uhh... simpler if they'll talk."

Neferah found humor in Arka's presumption of these dark goblins. "Their capacity to learn letters and whatsoever worldly is one of their talents. Even I am surprised as to how their guardsmen have learned to speak the common tongue so fluently. Only common folk such as yourself should be able to speak this language."

"Then, they must have picked up speaking that way just based on their encounters with humans then?"

"That may be so, or they have humans teaching them within this town. You have heard have you not? That they are forcing your kin to act on manual labor?"

"R-Right... that would be another explanation." Arka said. "S-Say, Neferah, shouldn't we be talking so casually like this...? I... I mean... one of the dark goblin's still there."

"Do not be concerned. Even if their vision surpasses yours, they have one of the poorest hearing out of all of the races,"

The large, wooden gate of the small town opened; and an overweight, giant dark goblin, 11"4 in height appeared. It began to step out of the gate. It had a wide, bald, head; and giant, protruding canines past its underbite. It wore a gigantic, half-chainmail vest covering its chest, a chainmail loincloth, salmon-colored pants, and brown, caligaes. The giant dark goblin's humongous belly was left exposed. It was carrying an enormous mace over its shoulder.

Just like its fellow dark goblins, it had the same thick fur on its forearms, chest, and legs; and jagged spikes protruding outward from its limbs.

"Allow me to guide you personally on a tour around our town for your census, m'lady. You may bring your human along." Its voice produced a deeper, gurgled-like sound, unlike the other nofuri fohr.

"I am pleased with your kind gesture," Neferah nodded while looking up. "To whom do we owe this acquaintance?"

"Bolo."

"Very well, Bolo. Do lead the way."

Neferah walked beside Bolo with Arka following behind Neferah as the large wooden gates closed them in by the Nafuri fohr guardsmen.