As we circumvented the Basin, the commander, who now revealed his name as Muller, began pointing out the workings of their operations.

There was nothing overly complex, or so it seemed.

They stole shipments from caravans.

Which would be morally wrong if not from who now runs the caravans.

It is no longer the farmer or local merchant, but the once adventurers like the Baldwin Brothers.

Muller also noted that the farmers and other people of the realm are given free aid in their plight across the roads.

Morality in Bandits.

What a time to be alive...

As we began walking up a ramp, the mundane operations began to dissipate.

The upper layers spoke of everything that I hadn't predicted.

A small colony had been forged into the rocks of their once savage homes.

A blacksmith outfitted with the highest ranked forge rung my eardrums with resonating hammer swings on ores that looked every part rare and no parts what a group of bandits should be outfitted with.

Spell weaving enchanters were inscribing runes which floated overhead, filling the air with a sense of power that only runic words could invoke.

Master chefs crafting cuisine which enriched the air in a waves of a growing appetite were busy at work.

Everything found in a guild hall.

Was here.

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

Tucked away in the far reaches of the Mountain Pass.

By God.

I uttered

By God indeed.

But you haven't seen what truly puts everyone else to shame

Smiling, the Young Captain, now showed himself younger than I once pegged him for.

As we crossed the crafting stations we moved into an opening in which a mass of people had congregated.

There was a hum and a buzz in the air.

A silence that preceded a storm

This is what separates.

He muttered as he serpentined through the crowd of onlookers.

As we waited for what was coming next, Muller, using his station, was able to secure us seats alongside the arena.

I began taking more than I knew before.

With each question answered, subjects that I never thought of questioning became full of doubt.

Why the mountain pass of all locations?

The mountain pass allowed them to maneuver past the tariffs and taxes that came with operating such an operation. The city's punishing politics are gone in these cliffs.

Not only that, but also the shady tactics that the larger guilds used to destroy up-and-coming guilds.

It was a cutthroat business in which they needed each edge they could muster.

Then, Muller's face grew stern and serious.

You understand that you either join or die with that knowledge?

Swallowing hard, I nodded my head.

Pressing forward always came with an understanding that the path backwards is never an option.

Around us the crowds became frantic.

Our competitors were making their way in.

The first was a figure that looked out of place.

Through one entrance a beauty blossomed.

Jet black hair, stoney blue eyes, and an expression to match.

A Queen of Ice.

"How does the demon look now, in the light of day?"

Muller whispered to me as the whole arena had grown quite in respect.

It was as if the moment she walked out we no longer had the right to clammer.

This was her show.

And we were graced with her presence.

How dare we talk and spoil the moment…

"The demon is an angel…"

I whispered back.

Muller laughed in turn.

No, the demon is a demon.

But that ain't our leader…

Muller paused mid sentence...

From the other end a figure began making his own grand entrance.

I thought I had known silence.

Alexandria's Libraries, who practiced limb separation if caught disrespecting their halls of knowledge, would be swallowed in this silence.

Awe inspiring.

You never know quiet until it sucks everything in it.

Until you realize that true silence consumes, transmuting itself into something else.

This was reverence not silence.

I thought I had known power.

But my soul quaked and my instincts turned animalistic, wishing to flee, to scurry away.

Armageddon loomed.

Thoughts of daring destiny, of fighting fate, were all replaced by the single notion- if I don't leave I will perish.

Muller settled my nerves with a calm hand and eyes that spoke understanding.

I thought I knew something...

I thought my wit would get me somewhere...

I quickly came to a new understanding.

I knew nothing of this realm.

Everything has been a build up for this very moment…

Life was about to teach me about the monsters that reside in the mountains.

The ones that look like men

That ones that act like men.

But are much grander than any one man.

I swallowed hard as he appeared.