Luke sat inside Doug's tavern, sharing a table with his lumberjack partner, Jack. A plate of fried potatoes had just been dropped in front of them.

"This place is crawling with Bastion soldiers," Jack remarked.

"I know…"

Luke's gaze drifted around the room. If even one of them recognized him as Luke, things could turn ugly fast. The blond hair and eyepatch disguise helped, but now that his new wanted poster, with an actual decent likeness, was making the rounds, he couldn't afford to be careless. The door creaked open. Another group of Bastion soldiers strode in. And among them… Eleanor.

Luke nearly choked on his water.

"You good?" Jack asked.

"Perfectly fine," Luke managed, forcing composure. "Think we've got time to, uh, head somewhere else?"

Jack chuckled, assuming it was a joke.

"There's a woman I… know, here," Luke murmured.

Jack's grin faded. "Wait. Don't tell me you… mess around with married women?"

"What? No!" Luke blurted. "I don't mess around with anyone."

"Really? Funny, I've seen you chatting up plenty of women."

"I only ever get that far…"

Jack squinted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You wouldn't understand."

'Because the spy movies you studied jumped straight from flirting to the bedroom, and now you don't know how to handle the middle part?' Artemis teased inside his head.

Something like that, Luke thought back.

'Or maybe it's because you're still a painfully shy virgin. I lean toward that theory.'

Okay. Let's stick with the first one…

'Both are true.' said Artemis.

Thanks for rubbing it in.

Suddenly, a knife clattered onto the table in front of him. Instinct kicked in, his hand went straight to his holster, ready for a fight, until a familiar voice cut through.

"So, you came back to finish our match?" Eleanor asked, stepping closer with the faintest smile tugging at her lips.

Luke exhaled sharply, relieved but still uneasy under her gaze.

"A… friend dragged me here," he said.

She glanced sideways. "Oh, Jack Bean? Haven't seen you in ages. Still hanging around Bastion?"

"No. Quit that job," Jack replied flatly.

"You two know each other?" Luke asked.

"Everyone in Bastion knows Jack Bean," Eleanor said, sliding into a chair at their table. "We always figured he'd smash something, curse us out, or pull some wild stunt. But he turned out… surprisingly normal."

"Internet blew things out of proportion," Jack muttered.

Then he turned back toward Luke. "And you two?"

Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… we know each other," he admitted with an awkward laugh.

"Nice necklace," Jack said, eyeing the chain around Eleanor's throat.

"Thanks," she replied.

"Hey, James, looks a lot like the ones you give other wom—"

His words cut off with a sharp grunt as Luke's boot connected with his shin under the table. Luke cleared his throat with a forced cough.

"So, how are things around here? Any new challengers for knife throwing?" Luke asked quickly, trying to steer the conversation.

"No," Eleanor said. "No one else can hit six in a row."

Jack raised his hand toward the counter. "Doug! Drinks for the table. This is gonna be a long conversation."

When the drinks arrived, Luke's attention drifted toward the notice board. A soldier was tacking something up. As soon as the man stepped aside, Luke's stomach clenched, his new wanted poster stared back at him from the wooden frame. He choked on his drink, covering it with a cough. His eyes swept the tavern. Soldiers everywhere. Too many.

"What's on your mind?" Jack asked, catching the faraway look in his eyes.

Luke forced a smile. "What do you miss most from Earth?"

Eleanor tilted her head, considering. "The movies, definitely. And, of course, my phone. Shampoo, makeup… Honestly, the list is longer than I'd like to admit."

"I miss… a person," Jack said after a pause.

"A lover?" Eleanor teased, nudging him lightly with her elbow.

"Yeah." He took a long pull from his mug. "She's the reason I changed. The reason I became a better man."

Their eyes shifted to Luke. He was the one who'd asked the question, but now he was trapped in it. Should he answer as James, or as Luke?

"I… miss my little sister," he said finally. "The whole family, of course, but especially her. I think I hurt her before I came here. She probably thinks I'm dead."

Silence settled over the table as they drank. The weight of it hung in the air, and Luke realized some memories weren't meant to be spilled in the middle of a tavern.

"How old is she?" Eleanor asked gently.

"Six."

Jack reached across and set a hand on his shoulder. "You'll see her again someday, partner. I swear it on the Goddess of Kindness." His voice trembled with emotion.

Luke blinked. Was this guy seriously tearing up? What the hell did Doug put in his drink?

"One day, maybe," Luke muttered. "If Eleanor and the others find the mechanism, she could pull me out of this place."

Eleanor sipped from her mug, a small smile on her lips. "My job's to guard the Safe Zone and patrol against invasions. Mechanisms aren't really my department."

"Well, the only reason explorers have a Safe Zone to return to is because you're guarding it," Luke countered. "Sounds like everyone's doing their part."

"That's… a good way to look at it, James," Eleanor said.

***

The conversation dragged on for another hour. Luke had been tense at first, but the more the drinks flowed, the easier it became. For once, he silently thanked whoever invented alcohol. In a tavern like this, no one wasted time staring at the notice board.

Luke, I think the real secret is the eyepatch.

'It hides some of that dumb look on your face.'

He stopped glancing at the wall and leaned back into the game.

"I've never… been arrested," Eleanor said.

"Alright, you got me there." Jack tipped his mug back and drank.

They were playing Never Have I Ever.

Jack scratched his chin, thinking. "I've never… walked in on my parents doing that." He froze mid-thought. "Wait. Actually, I think I did. Damn, that just unlocked a few memories."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Eleanor grimaced and drank. "Thanks for reminding me of my trauma."

Both of them turned toward Luke.

"Looks like James never went through that rite of childhood," Eleanor said. "That moment you realize the world isn't all black and white."

"Hold on," Luke asked, frowning. "You two actually saw your parents…?"

"I came home early from school once," she replied. "Learned the hard way never to break routine again."

"One of the reasons my parents got divorced," Jack muttered, eyes going distant, "was because I caught my dad… but the woman wasn't my mom."

Luke and Eleanor exchanged an awkward glance, turning away from him.

This guy's got a lot of skeletons in the closet.

"For me, parents don't… do that," Luke said. "They're supposed to be sacred figures."

"And how do you think your little sister exists?" Eleanor teased.

"Storks?" he shot back. "Or maybe when two people love each other, the woman's belly just magically grows and a baby appears. I prefer to think of it that way."

She laughed out loud.

"Come on, we live in a world with gods, multiverses, and powers. My theory should be possible somewhere out there."

"In some corner of reality, sure," Jack admitted.

Not long after, Luke wrapped things up, saying he had to leave. Jack followed him to the counter as they paid their tab.

"Why'd you want to leave early, man?" Jack asked. "I was already thinking about ways to help you. Only a woman can change a man's heart. Marriage is the path to happiness, or so says the Goddess of Kindness."

Luke stopped in the middle of the street and raised a brow. "That sounds like some creepy small-town cult."

"Doesn't make it any less true."

"Yeah, but the way you said it made it sound more like, 'Bear children and sacrifice them to me.'"

They kept walking.

"The Goddess of Kindness teaches that everyone should marry, have families, and raise many children."

"Does the Goddess of Kindness have kids?"

"Caelina is pure. A virgin."

"Then how the hell is she recommending something she's never even tried?"

Jack hesitated, then replied, "Because it's the natural step of love."

Luke smirked. "I bet she just wants her followers to pump out kids so she'll have a steady supply of souls from birth. The bigger the families, the bigger her fanbase after the originals die off."

"That's not it. The Goddess of Kindness wants to spread love, and children are the living proof of that love."

They walked on in silence for a while.

"I'll drive the promiscuity out of your heart with kindness, James," Jack said solemnly.

'Tell your friend you're probably even more of a virgin than his goddess.' Artemis whispered in his head.

Luke almost said it out loud, but thought better of it. As they turned the corner, Luke froze. There she was again, Thyara, standing in the middle of the market, scanning the crowd as if searching for someone. He stopped and doubled back, keeping to the shadows.

She's way too close to the inn entrance.

"Something wrong, James?" Jack asked.

Luke kept his eyes on her. "Nothing… just avoiding a woman."

Better to let him think it was some fling. That would sit easier with Jack than the truth.

Jack leaned forward, peering down the street until he spotted Thyara. "She's beautiful. Gentle-looking, too. Why not calm your restless heart with her, marry, and raise children?"

"And then I start praying to the Goddess of Kindness and spread her word to my whole family, right?"

"Exactly, James. You understand love well."

Luke kept his sarcasm to himself. No point explaining.

A man walked up to Thyara, and the two of them set off side by side. Relief washed over Luke. She wasn't searching for him after all. Maybe she hadn't seen him earlier.

"I guess we can go," he said, but when he turned, Jack was staring at him in shock.

"You said you never go after married women!"

"I don't," Luke shot back. "And I don't know if that guy's her husband or just a boyfriend. That's not the point. I just didn't want to be seen."

Jack exhaled, looking relieved.

Yeah, betrayal and divorce are probably unforgivable sins in his religion.

Then Jack's face drained of color. "That man… I hope he isn't her lover. And I really hope you're not having an affair with her."

"I'm not. Who is he?"

Jack lowered his voice. "If he is who I think he is, his name's Mason. He's… a noble."

"A noble?"

"Yes. His family serves one of the great houses of the World Government. Back when I worked in Bastion, he lived there."

Luke glanced toward where Thyara and the man had gone, trailing them at a distance.

"But he's with someone from the Haven," Luke pointed out.

"A few months ago, he left Bastion after learning the Haven's new leader was an heiress from one of those same families. He pledged himself to her. Mason's the second-in-command of the Haven now. Crossing a noble is dangerous."

Second-in-command of the Haven? Which meant he was working under Allison…

"So that makes three nobles in this tutorial?" Luke asked.

"I believe so," Jack said as they walked on. "Though Mason is still technically a servant of nobility, he's a noble all the same."

Luke kept following at a measured pace, memorizing the man's face. Another noble inside the tutorial, he needed to remember every detail.

"I don't think it's him…" Jack muttered, squinting. "They're a bit far away."

Thyara and her companion stopped.

"No… I know that face. That's not Mason," Luke said, pulling back.

It was someone he recognized, one of the old Haven faces. He turned toward the inn, resuming his walk. But before stepping inside, he cast one last look at Bastion's looming fortress in the distance.

I can't wait to be done with this damned tutorial.

***

*Your profession [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya] has reached Level 56! (+5 Strength, +3 Agility, +4 Vitality, +4 Intelligence, +12 Free Points)*

The notification popped up, and Luke nearly burst with joy. Over the past few days he had spoken with countless plants, studied them, cared for them, and of course, tended his daily rounds to his crops, which would soon yield results.

Just four more levels until I hit Race Level 50 and Profession Level 60.

He didn't really have a choice, though. For now, he kept working as a woodcutter. It wasn't glamorous, but it was where the dumbest soldiers were stationed, and that made it perfect. He could quietly tag them with his skill, then use their movements to map out Bastion. By listening in, he picked up shift schedules, places they frequented, even details of the odd jobs they ran inside the fortress. Knowing their routes made choosing his targets far easier.

The risk of being recognized was always there, but the disguise, and the sheer banality of the job, seemed to keep suspicion away. Luke forced a grin as he dragged another heavy log across the yard.

There's no way any of them would imagine the most wanted man here is cutting wood right alongside them.

That was when a sharp whistle cut through the air, snapping everyone's attention in the same direction. Luke dropped the log and moved with the others, but what he saw made him stop cold. A new batch of soldiers had just arrived, and among them stood Kruger, the Phantom Assassin. And right beside him were the other killers, the ones who wielded the power of shadows.

***

It was the dead of night. Allison's group was hidden deep in the forest, watching the orc village from the shadows. The strategy, at least the beginning of it, she had learned from Luke.

The first alarms rang out. Orc horns blared from one side of the settlement. Perched high in a tree, Allison scanned the scene. In the distance, a tree was burning, collapsing against the wooden wall of the village and spreading fire across the barricade. Fireballs arced through the air as the soldiers launched their assault. The strike came all at once, hammering that single point.

The orc army roared in response, rushing to meet the attackers. From the rooftops, orcs manned their ballistae, loosing one massive bolt at a time. Deadly. Precise. But the soldiers on the ground held formation, their heavy metal shields absorbing the impact, shields forged through grueling days inside the dungeon.

And hidden in the treeline, waiting for their chance, crouched Allison, Mason, Eugene, Miriam, Gilbert, Quinn, and Malik. They faced the towering ballista nest built into the wall. Between them and that tower stretched nothing but open ground. No trees. No cover.

"It's now or never," Quinn muttered.

If they didn't make their move, the soldiers on the far side would be slaughtered.

"Not yet," Mason hissed, signaling with his hand.

"You're insane! They're going to die out there!"

"Wait for the signal," Allison ordered, her own nerves taut as wire.

She hated the delay, but they needed the orc focus. Every eye, every arrow, every bolt had to stay locked on the diversion. The orcs couldn't suspect a trap. They needed to believe this was a reckless, suicidal charge. Only then would every last one of them commit.

"Hold…" Mason's voice was a growl.

Allison drew in a breath, centering herself. Her focus sank into the steady beat of her heart, into the bloodline power that never slept. It was always there, passive, flowing. But when she let her mana flood her heart, it surged to its peak, sharpening everything.

"If I die tonight…" Eugene whispered beside her, "at least… I'll be at your side."

Her brow furrowed. "I don't plan on dying tonight."

The signal came.

The seven of them broke from the trees, sprinting across the open field. Allison dashed with her sword in hand, chaining swordsman dashes one after another. The tower was still too far for her iceball spell, but she could already hear the chaos around them, the guttural cries of orcs, the thunder of ballista bolts slamming into the soldiers' shields across the village.

Then one of the ballista crews spotted them. The massive weapon groaned as it swung toward their group.

"Now!" Miriam shouted, yanking up a heavy metal shield. Eugene mirrored her, bracing beside her.

Like Mason and Allison, the two of them could channel stamina into objects, reinforcing their shields beyond normal limits. One by one, the others fell in line behind them, a wall of iron and grit. The ballista fired. The bolt screamed through the air, slamming against the shield with brutal force. Metal shrieked, their advance slowed, but it didn't stop. They pushed forward.

Orc archers crowded the tower, bows rising, arrows nocked. But Allison was already in motion. She surged ahead, her speed unmatched. The ballista realigned, aiming for her, but she didn't give it the chance.

She leapt. Not just once. Midair, she triggered her double jump, launching higher. At the peak, level with the ballista tower, she thrust out her hand. Dozens of iceballs burst from her palm, each one layered with the frozen power of her [Heart of the Ice Dragon].

They struck all at once. Frost detonated across the tower, blasting the orcs from their posts. Shards of ice and snow cascaded down as the structure cracked and groaned. Below, the rest of the group rammed the wall with everything they had, splintering it apart and tearing a breach wide open. They were in. And now, it was time to kill the Orc Lord.

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