From the top of the enclave, I noticed some banners with dragons on their sides, the mythical creatures drawn in the style of the Eastern provinces, with their wavy bodies that danced along the flags as if dancing in the wind. Those long creatures with scales of every color of fire and eyes like shattered jewels sent a shiver down my spine. It was the banner of the old regime, of when the people of the realm fought and conquered their land before the blight before the adventurers fell from the sky and decided to take up the mantle of war. Reducing the people of the realm to where they stood now, tools and suppliers to the adventurers of their land. Taking a literal backseat in their world, watching cynically, boiling inside as the gear and glory went to the invaders

It made me feel uneasy. I knew Jude was a proud person of the realm, looking to improve her people, but that banner stood for so much more. It stood for a resentment harbored in the hearts of the realm's people for over two centuries—an anger that had been festering and growing bolder with each expansion. As the adventurers grew stronger with new gear and added levels, so did the people's anger grow adjacently.

How did we not see this? Or did we not care?

Right now, the world's top players, seated at the council of guilds, think of only the system and its bosses. Here, dug into the realm's cavern, a fiery woman looks to throw a blastbomb into the fire, which represents the people's indignation for a history they felt betrayed them. A rebellion was brewing, and here we were in its conception.

Fiery laughs could be overhead as we grew near. The encampment's whole nature was severe, yet that's usually where you found these kinds of laughs. When moments are challenging and times are tense, you hear the laughter of a man who doesn't think he's up to the task. I knew for one. I had laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the realm's trials more times than my fingers, toes, and every other limb could count.

We found a natural stalagmite stairway from the rear that took us up to the main camp, where the laughter originated. Around a table on which a map, daggers, jewels, and pens lay scattered for reasons beyond my understanding, Jude laughed along with her main men.

Around her, the captain of the band of men, Paul, stood firm and tall. Not so tall, a man with the posture of a hunchback and the glasses of a studious scholar was next to him. Across from the little man, the older, more refined of the two elven sisters who had healed me stood straight back without the laughter of the others. No, she wouldn't laugh, not like this, and not surrounded by those types of men. Finally, the fourth was a new face that caught me off guard. With the makings of a pirate, a man with a solid beard in which gray began to encroach on a face taciturn, cold, and riddled with scars, the final man laughed the loudest. His laugh was on who engulfed and swallowed all the others.

Before they could notice our entrance, Rodger whispered in my ear.

Be careful with the last one. I worked for him at the ports for years as a worker and him as my captain. He may be a con man, but he's a damn clever one and damn strong too. The only man that ever truly worried me at Sharkbite's Reach.

Rodger's words held a faint glint of fear in them. It was as if he was still worried about the man. Watching him with my inner eye, I could see an aura of fire around him, one that shouldn't be there. It was as if he was part of something larger, a man meant for more, but he got lost on the seas and drifted into foreign lands.

Stepping into the light that spawned from the corners of the walls, that mesmerizing green glow slowly became commonplace, as if my eyes were growing accustomed to the normality of verdant light. It's odd how quickly we adapt; maybe that's why we were able to begin the takeover of the realm as soon as we had. Like a storm, they say our ancestors were. A defining moment in time in which everything was flipped. Their eyes caught my own. I did not waver from the intensity of their glares. I stood proud and confident, regardless of the outcome.

Seconds stretched and felt like minutes, which in turn felt like an eternity when, in reality, moments were simply seconds that only felt longer.

The pirate broke the silence with a cackle that reminded me of crows and the dark sea. A rough, couscous thing it was. Grating my ears, I was delighted when the rest joined in, drowning out the man's singular laugh.

With a raised hand, Jude brought the silence to a halt just as quickly as it had erupted; it died out without a whimper, without a sound.

Our prayers have been answered.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Caught off guard, I replied with:

Huh?

My face matched my voice's confusion.

You see, Ronald. We've hit an impasse. The next boss was here, yet we didn't have the confidence to begin the run as if we were waiting for something. Which we were. Something none of us wish to admit. Not out loud, at least...

Then, Jude began to laugh, which swept the room in her voice, making everyone listen to her and join in with awkward, forced laughter. It was as if swept up in a dance in which they only knew the rudimentary movements, tripping up every other step as they tried desperately to follow along.

No one here would admit it. But each excuse, each prerequisite we placed before tackling the next boss, was merely a ploy to buy time. We would have kept the farce going until, well, until you woke up.

I responded honestly.

Well, that's both good and bad. Something anyone would like to hear just on waking up.

What do you mean by that?

The soft, elven voice broke in, sending shivers down my spine in that odd, excellent way—almost making me forget myself for the moment. I had to delve into my soul and steel myself with the overflowing void. A calmness came with an awareness of a force that held my gaze. They all did, but one of them had grown more aware—as if they knew what I did.

I mean that it's great to be needed, but damn does taking on the boss room about the last thing I wanted to tackle on awakening.

Jude retook control of the conversation; moving a few markers on her map, she motioned for me to watch her machinations. Playing along, I watched as she explained the plan, the process, and the difficulties. She didn't know that I was the last person who should be spoken to, like a strategist. When on the battlefield, I followed orders from those who did what Jude did and constructed the battle plans with meticulous detail. Still, they had always left the instructions open-ended, giving me room to work as I always did: instinctively. This instinct came from within my soul or, sometimes, from that faint golden trail that flittered around, helping and leading me down its path.

Jude had explained it all after what felt like an hour but was most likely no more than fifteen minutes.

As it turned out, the first boss hadn't been a walk in the park. Another Golemn, a hydra formed from pure emerald, resided at the core of the pond, whose depths are still being studied. Their first attempt had been a retreat with only a few casualties and one fatality. The second run should be better now that they have the information from the first failed run. Well, you would be wrong with that assumption. On their second attempt, they made it past the boss's first stage and into the second when an onslaught of energy beams cut half of the tanks in half. Just like that, they were down a handful of good men. But, thankfully, that was at the end of the second stage, and through this unlikely second wind that typically happens when bosses' health bars are now under thirty percent, everyone picked up the slack for the fallen warriors. Fighting perfectly, every mechanic dodged, every opportunity to strike taken, and they were able to clear the Emerald Hydra on the second attempt.

By checking my system, I could see the announcements that spread throughout the realm.

Congratulations to Astra's Party for being the first group to defeat (Emerald Hydra) REALM FIRST!

That was all, just an announcement of a victory that would become a monster of problems. Taverns would bustle, and inns would be packed to the brim as information would begin to pass mouths and enter ears, some information becoming more lie than truth, and some truths hidden in lies would never come to light. The elite guilds at the top of the realm were the only ones with the real power to discover the truth. With their syndicate of spies and eyes across the realm, it was only a matter of time before someone here would sell the coordinates for a fist full of gold and a villa at the world's edge.

Has anyone got a whiff of the location yet?

I asked instantly.

Jude responded resolutely.

From what I know, no. But then again, if important people went to important ends for me not to know, I would be none the wiser.

Hmmm, I chewed on her words. If someone of Jude's caliber was susceptible to spies and information leaking, it made me doubt that my secrets were secure.

The longer we take, the more likely the information will become public knowledge.

This time, it was the small, hunchbacked man who chimed in. His words were precise and succinct, but then he made himself even smaller as if shying away from the spotlight his words had given him. Not all are meant for the frontline, I thought as the group began to muddle on the shy man's words.

Time is short, lasses. I say we get this show on the road.

The rough captain finally added his two cents, which was meant by a resounding hum of agreement. It was great to know that they agreed, but as I watched the eyes of those who spoke and felt the room's dynamics, I knew that the only power rested in her mouth, and not even in their combined efforts could they veto her decision, whatever it may be. They could scream, cry, beg, and plead, and still, her word would hold supreme.

So, what do you say, Reaper? Are you up for it?

The name caught me off guard, recoiling. My stoic nature broke down without much of a fight.

What's with that? I said as I did my best to remain somewhat composed, but my eyes kept darting back and forth between the glare of the pirate and the fluttering lashes of the elven beauty.

I'm sorry. This is just what the raids have been calling you. The Reaper sleeps, the Reaper slumbers, when he awakes, a cavern will be defeated sate his hunger.

Or something to that effect. Some pretty bard made it up, and the catchy thing took over the group like wildfire.

Damn, Rafael, this was your doing, I sneered as I could picture it now. Rafael, over an open flame singing my deeds like some fairy tale, comes to life. Embellishing every detail, scraping the truth from the bone, and replacing it with fabricated flesh.

Anyway, Now that you've awakened. I suggest you and Paul get together and go over the nitty gritty. Tonight, we'll go for the first attempt on the boss room.

That was it.

The air settled as Jude grabbed a couple of items on the table, snatched them, and led Astra, making her way down into the cavern below. No doubt on matters more pressing. Or so she deemed. And so we obeyed.