Orion was neither surprised nor at ease upon spotting Felsteg standing alongside Frida and her party among the collection of adventurers.

He’d guessed the former enemy joining Monte Cristo’s Hand was a possibility, but he still felt the man to be… unnerving. Arika clearly felt the same, but made no comment. Shadow stared them down, but also said nothing. Honeypot, magnanimous as ever, simply made a silly face at Truth, who made a hideous face back by leveraging her fingers inside her nose and mouth at odd angles.

Every head present turned towards the hastily constructed stage to the front and side of the hall as movement caught their attention. The susurration and murmur of voices tapered off as Captain Blanc took the stage and walked towards the sound-amplifying construct of Dave’s design.

The Captain cleared his throat.

“Thank you for coming early, everyone,” the stern voice broadcast out. “We, the townsfolk, have been in serious discussion since the siege, and have reached a decision that is, by its nature, of vital importance to all present.”

Silence surrounded the area as Captain Blanc paused.

“Despite the words of the creator, we have decided that no adventurers may stay inside the walls of Valbrand for the foreseeable future.”

Murmurs sprung forth from the crowd as heads turned to talk to each other, some yelling out in protest at the revelation. Orion looked around to where he had seen Rue, to find the same implacable smile as usual on her face.

At least someone isn’t worried…

“Please, let me explain myself,” the voice of Captain Blanc yelled over the crowd. Most of the voices quieted in response.

“There is no doubt that the adventurers’ contributions to the siege were paramount, and that were the siege to have occurred without you here, we would have been annihilated—”

“Exactly!” a large, red-headed bear of a man screamed. “It’s not right to force us out!”

“However!” Captain Blanc continued. “It is also true that the siege would never have occurred had you not been here. We have been used as nothing but pawns in a game between adventurers and the Creator! We do not wish for you to continue placing the lives of us and our children in danger merely by existing here.”

“You can’t make us, even if you wanted to!” the same large man protested.

“We cannot. You are correct. We humbly request that you leave, however. Should you stay, you will not be provided food, water, or even friendship. You are no longer welcome here.”

Orion took in the words, disappointing as they were. He knew the townsfolk had good reason to dislike, even distrust the adventurers, but he still felt forcing even the noncombatants away was driving a wedge further between them.

“And what if we just take food and water? Will you be able to stop the strongest of us?” the foolish, red-headed man continued.

“And there lies the issue,” Captain Blanc said in a disgusted tone. “I’m sure most of you already know this, but the reason for the southern gate falling, and the death of dozens of townsfolk, was a betrayal by adventurers. A rogue team of adventurers slaughtered the defenders there, allowing the monsters to enter the town unmolested.”

“Adventurers died in that attack too!” someone yelled.

“Yeah!” another agreed.

“Townsfolk aren’t the only people affected!” a third chimed in.

“What you may not know!” Captain Blanc’s voice boomed over the voices. “Is that one of the people, the ringleader, in fact, was someone that I knew personally. He was a charming, seemingly trustworthy fellow that appeared to be just trying to do his best by his team.”

Captain Blanc tried to keep his face neutral, but his upper lip twitched, displaying his disgust.

“He slaughtered my fellow captain and turned on his party of friends who had done him no wrong. This man had, by all accounts, completely lost his mind by the end. The problem is—”

“Where will we go then?” someone yelled.

“You would condemn us to battle and die, simply because you’re scared of dying yourself?” the red-headed man yelled. “Cowards!”

“The second floor is a peaceful place! We know this, as has been reported by the rare few that, on occasion, travel between floors. No one is forcing you to ‘battle and die’. We cannot force you to go, but we’ll also neither interact, nor help any adventurer that so blatantly disregards our wishes.”

He glared at the outspoken red-head, daring him to say something, but nothing came. He continued.

“The problem is, we do not know enough about you. We do not know why you are here. Hell, we no longer understand our own place in this world. We do not trust you, and nothing you say will change our opinion on the matter. I’m sure you’ve all realized by now, but the defensive array has not returned, and we believe it may never do so. There is nothing protecting us should any of you lose your minds and decide to attack and killing us.”

No one yelled to answer Captain Blanc’s statement, and silence hung as he let his words sink in.

“That is all I had to say. Thank you again for your help in the siege, and we wish you luck on the second floor.”

Captain Blanc got down off the stage without further ado and walked inside the doors to the hall. Two guards, the same two, Jarvis and Dion, that had been guarding the doors when Orion and the rest of the Malignant Miscreants had tried to enter and confer with the defenders, were guarding the doors. They now bore the emblems of veterans, representing their contributions in the siege. They closed the doors behind him and stared out at the adventurers with indifference—a newfound hardness in their expressions.

The crowd burst into noise as everyone turned to talk to each other. Orion looked at his friends, who all appeared unsurprised, yet as melancholy as he was.

“Well,” he said, “That was—”

“A bunch of bullshit!” Dave said as he stomped through the crowd towards them, Carl and Tash in tow.

Orion smiled at the arrival.

“Can I assume that the decision wasn’t unanimous, then?”

Dave chortled. “Unanimous? Not even our dear Captain Blanc feels that way.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Really?” Arika asked. “We were there when he found out about the betrayal. He seemed rather—”

“He was fuckin’ pissed,” Honeypot finished.

“Understandably so,” Orion added.

“Maybe he was at the start, but I know him better than most.” Dave stared at the door that the captain had disappeared behind. “That man is acutely pragmatic, and like us, wouldn’t harbor ill-feelings for the herd based on the actions of a few.”

Orion glanced at the door. “Why, then?”

“Pressure,” Carl said with an air of finality. “The man is under a lot of pressure right now to keep control of everything. We have no walls, over a quarter of the town is burned to the ground, and he has just allied us with monsters. Don’t look at me like that, Orion. I used the word monsters intentionally, because that is how the average citizen sees them. Monsters that previously confined us to the walls for almost a century now make up a large part of the city’s defensive power.”

“Isn’t that exactly why you should keep adventurers around?” Shadow asked. “If I’m not mistaken, the monsters could annihilate everyone if they had a mind to, right? Why not have adventurers present as a sort of stop-gap?”

“They could.” Carl nodded. “But the creatures are a known entity. They will work to further their own interests, and so long as we are aligned in that, they are trustworthy bedfellows. Adventurers, on the other hand…” Carl shot them an apologetic look. “Are a complete unknown. You strive for power, sure, but what would you be willing to sacrifice for that power? We’ve already seen at least one person who gains power from hurting others…”

Orion glanced in Felsteg’s direction subconsciously. The man was staring at the ground, looking more like a beaten dog than the alpha-wolf he’d once proclaimed himself to be.

He turned to Tash. “What will you do, then?”

Carl answered for her. “She’s coming with you, as are we.”

“You’re coming with us to the second tier?” Orion raised a brow. “Why?”

“Aye, lad. I think we’ve outgrown this little town. We’ve had another taste of adventure, and we aren’t so ready to let go.”

“Bedsides,” Dave added, “Gizmo is going with you. Someone has to keep you idiots from killing yourselves the first time you see an opportunity for sacrifice. If you die, my prodigal apprentice here will cease to exist.” He knocked Gizmo on the head sharply with his staff to emphasize the point.

“Harder, please.”

Orion grimaced. “We do sacrifice ourselves a fair bit, don’t we?”

“Speak for yourself,” Honeypot said. “Unaliving myself once in my previous life was enough for me, and it should be for you, too.” He looked between Orion and Arika. “I’m starting to think it’s a weird, masochistic fetish thing between you two.”

“Oh shut up, Honeypot. Can you be serious for a second?”

“Well, I have never!” Honeypot leaned back, hand to heart and mouth agape—the very picture of indignation. “Don’t get mad at me for calling you out. You two sexual-deviants are the ones—”

“Excuse me!” a feminine voice came over the audio system.

Miriam stood on the stage, her white robe pressed and immaculate.

“Thank you for your patience. I understand that waiting a week to hear bout your futures must have been—”

A roar from the adventurers assaulted her—too many whispering, speaking, and yelling at once for any one voice to be heard. Orion could hear Honeypot’s adamant booing, however, and his friend held both his hands high, giving her a double thumbs-down.

Something pressed down on the crowd, the stifling force squashing every complaint.

“I understand that you all have some questions, but they will have to wait for now. Time is of the essence, and I have other tasks to complete this day.”

Orion looked at Honeypot, and saw the priest glancing at him and the rest of their party, his eyes screaming, “I told you so!”

“First, I have to congratulate you all. You have done well to make it this far, despite the initial actions of some.”

She smiled at the crowd, her eyes crinkling and making Orion believe her words were genuine—she really meant it, and she was happy that they’d survived.

“Now, let’s cut to the meat of it, shall we? You will soon receive an item called a Mark of the Ascendant. Using this mark will allow you to travel between the first and second floors as soon as you hit level ten, which every adventurer will be after receiving your rewards for the Battle for Valbrand quest. These marks will become active exactly two minutes after you receive them, and you’ll be able to activate them at will.”

She paused for a moment before continuing, letting her words sink in.

“The marks will only need to be used by one team member. It will summon a portal, and anyone going through the same portal will arrive in the same location. It is not recommended that you go through different portals—you will arrive in a different location, and there is no way of knowing just how far apart your portals will take you.”

She cast her eyes over the crowd, seeming both sad, and something else…

Is she… excited? Orion thought, unable to place the emotion seen in her eyes.

“Finally, I have a detail of vital importance to all—townsfolk included: native residents of Valbrand will be able to join you through the portals if they choose to go of their own free will. You will understand why this is a possibility upon your arrival through the portal.”

She gave them one last smile, and a portal appeared behind her.

She stepped into it, and the overwhelming presence vanished with her.

The clamor of hundreds of people regaining autonomy and turning to speak to their friends immediately roared into existence.

“I told you that charlatan was up to some janky shit!” Honeypot yelled over the top of the other voices.

Arika rolled her eyes. “We don’t know she was doing anything fishy, Honeypot. She might be a victim in all this—”

“Oh, you would say that! You…”

Orion tuned their bickering out as his attention was drawn to something else. He could feel a strange welling of power surrounding him, and he had only a moment to panic before a ridiculous series of notifications put him at ease.

You have advanced Dark Vision from level 4 to level 5. Congratulations!

You have advanced Dark Vision from level 5 to level 6. Congratulations!

You have advanced Portal from level 9 to level 10. Congratulations!

You have advanced Portal from Tier 1 to Tier 2. Congratulations! Ascend to the next floor to learn more.

You have advanced Swap from level 9 to level 10. Congratulations!

You have advanced Swap from Tier 1 to Tier 2. Congratulations! Ascend to the next floor to learn more.

You have advanced Time Bomb from level 4 to level 5. Congratulations!

You have advanced Time Bomb from level 5 to level 6. Congratulations!

You have advanced Time Bomb from level 6 to level 7. Congratulations!

You have advanced Time Bomb from level 7 to level 8. Congratulations!

You have advanced Time Bomb from level 9 to level 10. Congratulations!

You have advanced Time Bomb from Tier 1 to Tier 2. Congratulations! Ascend to the next floor to learn more.

You have advanced from level 10 to level 11. Congratulations!

You have advanced from level 11 to level 12. Congratulations!

You have advanced from level 12 to level 13. Congratulations!

You have advanced from level 13 to level 14. Congratulations!

You have advanced from level 14 to level 15. Congratulations!

World Quest complete: the Battle for Valbrand!

You have successfully defended the town of Valbrand in the siege.

All participants receive the following rewards:

You have received ‘Mark of the Ascendant’. This mark allows you to ascend from the first floor.

You have received a legendary ability token! Use this token to gain a new class relevant ability.

Due to your party’s contribution to the Battle of Valbrand, you receive the following reward:

You have earned a new title! Congratulations!

For being the top contributors in the Battle of Valbrand, you have earned the title: Prime Defender of Valbrand.

Title: Prime Defender of Valbrand has been automatically equipped.

You have received a legendary augment token! This token will automatically be applied to the ability gained from the legendary ability token provided as a reward for finishing the World Quest: The Battle for Valbrand.

You have received a legendary cloak. A cloak granted by the System for outstanding contribution to the Battle for Valbrand.

Cloak of the Prime Defender

Legendary

Back

Armor: +3

Speed: +10

I’m told that you spent a lot of the battle rushing to defend different points of conflict. I, however, know the truth: you were likely running for your life, leaving a trail of piss in your passing. At least this cloak will help you flee faster. Coward.

Orion was speechless. He checked the new title.

Active title: Prime Defender of Valbrand

Earned by being the highest contributing party of the Battle of Valbrand.

Bonus: +15% to all stats.

Bonus is doubled for active title. (+30%)

Th-thirty percent modifier?