Reidar checked the area. The creatures he summoned—the hundreds of them—did the same. The giant redwoods were tall enough to allow large monsters to roam around, and Reidar didn't like it, especially because these were even taller and larger than they normally were. Calling them towers would be diminutive.

"This is the place you meant? Where your father used to bring you?"

Lena nodded.

"Yes. I had to hide here with Torren at some point. I couldn't stay for long because something arrived. We barely got out."

"And you are sure there will be enough of these things for us to level up? Not only that, but you said they were strong enough for me to get a lot of levels?"

"Indeed," the woman nodded again.

"Why can't you simply tell me what these things are?"

"And ruin the chance of seeing you surprised?" Lena's voice held a teasing edge, something Reidar hadn't expected from her, since she was usually so serious.

He watched her push off from the tree. She wasn't wounded anymore, but she still lost a lot of blood, so for now she wasn't going to fight in the usual way; however, Reidar was going to share some skills with her so that she could fight, at least indirectly.

"Regardless, what did you say your trait, Predator's Echo, does?"

"Did you really not understand?"

"I just want to be certain," he said.

She sighed. "It's like I can feel monsters' instincts. The hunger, the fear, the paths they take. Their echoes pull me toward them, to their nests and ambush spots within a kilometer. It is incredibly useful for finding prey, and based on what they feel, I'm able to understand if they are good prey or not."

She paused.

"That was how I and the others got strong so fast. It wasn't just Martin pooling resources for us to grow. I played a part in it too by choosing the most suitable targets."

She paused, flexing her fingers as if gripping invisible threads.

Reidar tilted his head.

"Sounds useful. If the effects are really as you described them, it explains how you guys were so strong."

Lena gave a slight shrug, her eyes fixed on something far away. "Guess it comes from all those excursions Dad made me do. I loved them, by the way. I just wish I would have spent more time with him."

"Right…" He paused. "For me, it is the same, I guess. I was never a greedy person and used to share everything I had with others. In a reasonable way, after all. I think traits come from our personality."

"I thought the same."

Reidar paused. "Did Lysa and Torren have one too?"

Lena's face fell, hearing their names. She shook her head.

"No, but Jorik did. His trait made defensive spells much stronger. Otherwise, his barriers would have never lasted that long against so many monsters."

But at that point she could not say he told the truth. Maybe he had another trait, or maybe none at all.

"Makes sense; I found it weird that he could protect us that well. His trait must be powerful."

Lena nodded. "It was, and extremely useful at that, because it made it safer for us to hunt, and you know how hard hunting is."

The two kept walking. "So, care to explain why you decided not to simply head back to Havenwood and tell Martin what happened?"

Her look turned cold. "I would have been killed on the spot. Silas must have sent his people to Havenwood. I'm not you; I can't fight against hundreds of people at the same time."

"True, but you might have done something regardless."

"And what if Mara is mind-controlling Martin?"

"You seem sure she is already doing it."

"I am not sure, but mind-controlling skills exist. They cost a lot of survival points, but with the church funding Mara, I don't think she would have had problems buying it."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Reidar said. "If Silas thinks he has already won, he might see that as an unnecessary expense."

"Let's hope you are right, but this would also mean that he is planning a move soon. He can't leave Havenwood under Martin's control."

Reidar nodded and stopped his mount. He heard something beyond the rustling leaves. A faint skittering sound came from the bushes, like claws scraping against tree bark. There were dozens of them, maybe even more.

"What the hell was that?" He gripped his Shepherd's Crook tighter.

Lena's lips curved into a smile, faint but real, her eyes lighting with something fierce.

"You'll see."

The trail dipped into a ravine, walls slick with moss and vine. Reidar sent a single Aqua Rift-Sprite to scout ahead. The air grew thick, charged with a low vibration that set his teeth on edge. Lena pushed through a curtain of ferns, and the ravine opened to a vast cavern mouth, jagged rocks framing an entrance alive with that same skittering.

Thousands of chitinous legs scraped and clicked against the cave floor, a relentless rhythm echoing through the stone. Glowing amber eyes blinked in the darkness, dozens at first, then hundreds, locking onto them with cold, alien focus.

"Welcome to what I call the Skittering Abyss," Lena said. "Home of the Vorathid Ants. Level 50s, all of them. The workers, at least."

Reidar stared into the cave opening as the skittering grew louder. More and more amber eyes lit up in the shadows, and enormous bodies, big as cattle, began swarming out from cracks in the walls.

"You brought me to a monster ants' nest?" His voice cracked with disbelief, grip tightening on his wand as the ants lumbered toward them.

Lena nodded. "You needed strong monsters. In large numbers. These are, and there should be stronger ones inside."

"Ah… shit…"

Regular ants chewed through wood, tunneled miles underground, and lifted loads ten times their weight. Their monster kin would swarm faster, hit harder, and overwhelm in waves. Strength meant speed too. "These things have legs as strong as pistons, and that is an understatement."

He looked at the hundreds of monsters skittering their way.

"How the fuck did you and Torren survive these things?"

Lena looked him in the eyes. We ran.

(A.N: This narrative arc is almost done.)

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