With the battle over, Anna and I approached the cave that the adventurers were hiding in. We proceeded with caution. The adventurers had just endured a grueling and harrowing ordeal. Right now, they were still jittery. We wanted to give them some time to calm down. That way, they wouldn't attack us by accident. That would be embarrassing, being attacked by the very people we came to rescue.

The sun shone high in the sky, just past its zenith. As Anna and I neared the cave, the stench of burnt mind eater wafted over. It was so thick, I could taste it. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Ugh. These things were revolting, even in death.

"Hello!" I called out when we drew close to the cave entrance. "Is anybody still alive in there?"

"Don't come any closer!" A man's voice answered.

Anna and I stopped.

"We are not enemies!" I said. "Just the opposite, in fact. We're here to help!"

A pause followed.

"How do we know that you're not with the demons?" The man asked. "You could be fiends, or even demon summoners!"

"My name is Gabriel Sturm! I swear on my House's name that we are not fiends or demon summoners!"

An even longer pause followed.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," the man said, "Approach the cave. Alone. No funny business either. If you try anything, we'll kill you."

"Alright!"

Anna touched my arm.

"Be careful." She said, a serious expression on her face.

I gave her a smile.

"I will." I said. "After all, I need to protect my pretty face. Why do you think I bought this?" I tapped the wooden mask covering my face. "It's my best feature."

Anna chuckled at my lame joke.

"It's one of them, yes." She said.

I gave my sword a quick wipe and sheathed it, before heading towards the cave entrance. When I arrived, I saw the group of adventurers. There were five of them, three sitting and two standing. I sensed that they were all at Third Rank. However, the cave's gloomy interior made it difficult to discern anything more than that.

"That's close enough." The man said, his voice coming from one of the standing adventurers. "Remove your mask. Show us your face. Prove that you're really Lord Gabriel."

I removed my mask.

"Oh my," the other standing adventurer, a woman, said, "That's really him. I'd recognize that face anywhere."

"Do you believe me now?" I asked.

The man sighed loud enough for me to hear, despite the distance between us.

"Yes." He said. "You can come in, Lord Gabriel. Your friends too."

I turned towards the others and gestured for them to come over, before I put my mask back on and headed inside the cave. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the gloom. The cave turned out to be shallower than I expected. The walls were also smooth, suggesting that it had been dug out with magic.

As for the adventurers, the three sitting down were all unconscious, their legs broken. Mind eaters liked to take their time when consuming a being's mind. To prevent their prey from running away, mind eaters often crippled them. That was what made them so terrifying.

The two standing adventurers looked similar enough that I assumed they were siblings. Both had fair skin, short black hair, and brown eyes. They wore the tough and practical clothing typical of adventurers. While haggard, neither appeared injured.

All five adventurers looked familiar. While I hadn't talked with any of them, I saw them from time to time at the Icefall Adventurers Guild.

"I never thought I'd be happy to see a House scion." The man said in a wry tone.

The woman elbowed him.

"Crispin," she said, a warning in her tone, "Don't be rude."

"I'm sure he doesn't mind, Vivian. He's one of us now. Isn't that right, Lord Gabriel?"

I shrugged.

"I'm fine," I said, "As long as you don't cross the line."

That's when Anna arrived. The two adventurers, Crispin and Vivian, relaxed when they saw her. I guess they were more comfortable around her than me. Then again, unlike me, her true identity remained a secret.

"Anna," Vivian said, "It's good to see you."

Anna frowned.

"Vivian?" she said. "Crispin? What are you guys doing here?"

The two siblings gave her a wry smile.

"We were out on a job when the mind eaters attacked us." Crispin said. "We tried to run, but they were too fast." He gestured to the cave around them. "So, we dug this out and made our last stand. However, thanks to you two, it wasn't much of a last stand." He wore a grateful expression on his face. "Thank you. I mean it. If you hadn't arrived when you did…"

He trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished. Not that he needed to finish it. There were few things more terrifying than being eaten alive.

"Let's save the chatter for later." I said. "We don't know how many demons are roaming the area. The sooner we leave, the better."

Crispin and Vivian nodded. Captain Shannon arrived at this point. Black blood covered her armor. With her help, we tended to the three unconscious adventurers, before carrying them out. Crispin and Vivian followed behind us. We met up with the scouts, who waited nearby, and handed off the three adventurers to them. Afterwards, we headed out to reunite with the rest of our group. Along the way, I picked up a dead mind eater, just in case we needed physical proof.

"So, do you guys know each other?" I asked as we walked.

I gestured to Anna, Crispin, and Vivian.

"They helped me out when I first arrived in the Icefall region." Anna said. "Taught me the basics of adventuring."

Vivian scoffed.

"That's being generous." She said. "You already knew everything."

Anna shrugged, before she grinned at the other woman.

"True." She said. "Still, you showed me the best places to drink. I owe you for that, if nothing else."

Vivian smiled and shook her head. I admit, I felt a twinge of jealousy, as unhinged as that sounded.

"I've been meaning to ask," Crisping said, eyeing Captain Shannon and the scouts, "What are you two doing out here? It seems like you're up to something serious."

Anna and I shared a look.

"We were looking into something when demons attacked us." I said. "Considering the circumstances, we decided that returning to Icefall City and warning everyone took priority."

Crispin shook his head.

"Talk about unlucky." He said. "Well, unlucky for you. Lucky for us."

"True. Thanks to that, we arrived in time to save you."

"Well, that too. Once again, thank you." Crispin paused. "However, that wasn't what I meant."

I gave him a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Crispin gave me a grim smile in return.

"The job we were on? That was for the commission you put out, Lord Gabriel."

I blinked at him. Oh! Right. With everything going on, I had forgotten about that.

"What job commission?" Anna asked, glancing between the two of us.

I pretended I didn't hear her, too embarrassed to answer. To my shame, Vivian answered for me.

"According to the guildmaster," she said, "Lord Gabriel put up a commission to keep searching for demon summoners, just in case they were still around. We thought it was a waste of time. However, we took the commission since it was easy money." Her expression grew haunted. "It turned out not to be a waste of time after all, or easy money for that matter."

Anna blinked at her, before she turned and looked at me with a baffled expression on her face. I turned away, my cheeks heating up. That didn't deter her. I heard Anna walk up to me.

"So," she said, speaking in a low voice so that the others didn't overhear her, "Let me get this straight. You put out a commission to have adventurers keep searching for the demon summoners."

"Yes." I said, strained.

"You then went out to find the demon summoners yourself and found them, or at least the demons, rendering the commission moot."

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

"Yes."

"However, before leaving, you didn't think to cancel the commission. Therefore, you're obligated to pay it out even though it was completely unnecessary."

I sighed and nodded. Anna put a hand on my shoulder. I looked at her. She regarded me with a serious expression on her face.

"When we get married," she said, "You're not allowed to handle the money."

I wanted to protest, but couldn't. Instead, I just nodded.

"Yes."

It didn't take us long to reunite with the others, even with the unconscious and injured adventurers slowing us down. We knew their route, so it wasn't difficult to find them. When Crispin and Vivian saw the squad of Anna's people, their eyes widened. However, they kept their thoughts to themselves.

Anna and I gave the others a brief rundown of what happened. They looked shocked when they heard about the mind eaters, before their expressions turned grim. Third Tier demons were much more difficult to summon. However, they were also much more powerful. If dozens of Tier Two demons were a significant threat to the Icefall region, then dozens of Tier Three demons were equivalent to a natural disaster.

If our enemies had this many at their disposal, then they were more powerful than anticipated. Worst of all, I didn't think this was the extent of it. My intuition warned me that our enemies had a lot more in reserve. In fact, our enemies might even have Tier Four demons. That would be the worst case scenario in this situation.

Cally said that the demonic incursion destroyed Icefall City in the First Timeline. The only way that could happen was if the demons somehow killed Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Charity, who were a Fourth Circle wizard and a Fourth Star martial artist respectively. Either an absurd number of less powerful demons killed them, or they fought Tier Four demons and lost.

After reuniting with everyone, we all marched towards Icefall City. Even with the addition of five more people, three of whom were too injured to walk, we still made good time. Icefall City came within sight a few days later. It was mid morning. The sky above was cloudy and overcast. I hoped it wasn't a portent of events to come.

Before we even reached the city gates, a group of people approached us. They were retainers of House Icefall. As they drew closer, I noticed that they seemed tense. Not a good sign. They stopped a fair distance away from us, close enough to hold a conversation.

Their leader was a young man in his mid-twenties. He was a Third Ranked Awakened, with pale skin, short dark hair, and dark eyes. He wore a mix of chain mail and leather armor.

"Lord Gabriel Sturm?" The lead retainer called out.

I stepped forward.

"That would be me." I said.

The lead retainer bowed.

"Greetings," he said, "My name is Barrett Hayden. I am a retainer of House Icefall."

I held back a snort and a sarcastic reply. Of course he was. Anyone with a pair of eyes and a brain could tell that much.

"Lord Icefall wishes to meet with you at Icefall Manor." Barret Hayden said.

While he spoke in a respectful tone, it was clear this was a summons not an invitation. Such arrogance. Still, I saw now reason to cause a conflict right now.

"I decline." I said in a cheerful voice, keeping my anger in check.

Barrett Hayden seemed surprised by this, but didn't press the issue. However, the other House Icefall retainers bristled at my refusal.

"How dare you?" One of them, a woman, said. "Who do you think you-"

I cut the retainer off.

"In case you hadn't noticed," I said, speaking in a cold voice, "Some of our people are injured and need to see healers. Not only that, but we spent the past few days marching over rough terrain. Rest and recovery takes priority." I snorted. "Even if that weren't the case, I am not obligated to accept Lord Icefall's invitation. Unless you're claiming that House Sturm is subordinate to House Icefall."

The uppity retainer blanched at that. Barret Hayden stepped between us, as if to shield her from me.

"I apologize on my subordinate's behalf." He said. "She meant no disrespect."

The hell she didn't. However, I decided to let it go. As I said earlier, rest and recovery took priority. The sooner we got into the city, the better.

"Very well." I said. "I accept your apology. This time. It better not happen again." I gestured to Icefall City. "If Lord Icefall wishes to speak with us, he can find us at the Adventurers Guild." I bared my teeth at him in a smile. "May we pass?"

Barrett Hayden clenched his jaw, no doubt angered by my words. Despite this, he nodded and gestured for the House Icefall retainers to step aside. They obeyed, allowing our group to pass by unimpeded. However, when I neared him, Barret Hayden called out to me.

"May I ask you one question, Lord Gabriel?"

I stopped, but gestured for the others to keep going.

"You may." I said.

"A few days ago, every Awakened in Icefall City felt a pulse of powerful magic. Do you know what that was?"

I nodded.

"My companions and I found the demon summoners' hideout. The real one." I gestured to Crispin and Vivian, who were walking away. "Don't believe me? Ask them. A swarm of mind eaters almost killed their entire team."

Barrett Hayden sucked in a breath.

"Impossible." He said.

"I'm afraid not." I said in a grim tone. "I suggest you make peace with the gods while you can. You might not get another chance."

And on that cheerful note, I walked off and rejoined my companions.

Our group attracted a lot of attention as we headed towards the Icefall Adventurers Guild. People pointed at us and whispered. Not that I blamed them. There were more than thirty of us, most of whom were Second Ranked Awakened. Not only that, but Anna's people looked like House retainers but didn't belong to House Icefall. That was enough to earn us more than a few wide-eyed stares.

We attracted even more attention when we arrived at the Icefall Adventurers Guild. The adventurers there recognized Crispin, Vivian, and the rest of their team. The commotion grew loud enough to draw Guildmaster Charity's attention. She arrived at the front entrance and studied us with an angry expression on her face. It grew sharper when she noticed her daughter, Lorelei, among us. Her right eye fell on me.

"Lord Gabriel," she said in a heated voice, "Why is it that every time you leave the city and come back, something happens? Are you trying to make my life difficult on purpose?"

I shrugged.

"Things happen around me." I said, grinning. "I can't help it." My expression grew serious. "Jokes aside, we have injured that need tending to."

Guildmaster Charity gestured for us to follow her.

"Come along." She said. Her tone made it clear that she would have answers, one way or another.

Captain Shannon and the rest of Anna's people remained outside, while the rest of us entered the Icefall Adventurers Guild. Guildmaster Sinclair led us to the infirmary. At first the other adventurers tagged along. However, they dispersed after the guildmaster glared at them.

After we reached the infirmary, the guild's healers took a look at everyone. As the least injured, Anna and I remained standing while everyone else laid down. As this went on, Guildmaster Charity had a quiet conversation with Lorelei, her expression a mix of affection and worry.

Lord Icefall arrived in the midst of all this, which surprised me. I expected him to show up at some point, but not this soon. He scanned the infirmary, before his gaze landed on me. His eyes narrowed and he marched in my direction.

"Lord Gabriel," Lord Icefall said, stopping in front of me, "What the hell is going on? That pulse of magic a few days ago was your work, I assume."

"I would like to know that as well." Guildmaster Charity said, moving to stand beside him.

If this was an attempt to intimidate me, it failed. I endured a lot during my life as Brandon Norwood. Not the least of which was Teacher's method. Damn shrew. I still had nightmares about the things she put me through.

In fact, Lord Icefall's words and actions just pissed me off. At least Guildmaster Charity never crossed the line. Lord Icefall had. I decided to fuck with him a bit.

"Well," I said, stretching the word out, "Technically it was Cally's work. She was the one who gave us the magical tracking device." I glanced at Anna. "Isn't that right?"

Anna nodded, following my lead.

"You're right." She said. "If you want to know about it, perhaps you should ask her."

Lord Icefall's nostrils flared.

"Do you think this is a game?" He asked. "You-"

Before he could continue, Guildmaster Charity put a hand on his shoulder. When he glanced at her, she shook her head. I wondered if the guildmaster was Lord Icefall's Leroy. She kept him grounded and helped him from making stupid mistakes.

"To answer your question, Lord Icefall," I said, in a cold tone, "No, I don't think this is a game. The demons and their summoners are still out there. Cally tried to warn you, but you didn't listen to her." I gestured in the general direction of our enemies' hideout. "The pulse that everyone felt a few days ago? That was from a magical tracking device that Cally gave us. We used it when we discovered their hideout, an underground tunnel system infested with demons and fiends."

Lord Icefall narrowed his eyes at me.

"That's impossible." He said. "We already destroyed the demon summoners' hideout."

"Then how do you explain this?"

I pulled out the dead mind eater and dumped it on the ground. Both Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Charity recoiled at the sight of it. The nauseating smell of dead mind eater filled the infirmary.

"Put that away, you insufferable fool!" One of the healers snapped. "Before I shove it down your throat! Are you trying to make everyone here ill?"

Feeling sheepish, I put the dead mind eater away. However, the smell lingered so the healers opened the infirmary's windows to air out the room. Afterwards, they gave me dirty looks whenever they glanced in my direction.

"Tell us exactly what happened." Guildmaster Charity said, a grim expression on her face. "Be as concise as possible."

Anna and I complied. We started with our group setting out to search for the enemy hideout, and ended with us rescuing Crispin and Vivian's team from the mind eaters. Our companions chimed in from time to time, but Anna and I did most of the work. We told Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Charity everything, though we stuck to the relevant details to avoid bogging the story down. I even revealed Aurora's existence, which earned me a narrowed-eyed look from Guildmaster Charity.

Afterwards, Crispin and Vivian told their story as well, to give a more complete picture. Like us, they set out to complete the job commission that I put out. However, along the way, the swarm of mind eaters attacked them. Crispin and Vivian's team survived by digging out a cave and holding out until we arrived.

When we finished telling our tale, Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Charity looked like they had aged a few years. Their shoulders slumped as they realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Are you telling me that the hideout we destroyed was a mere decoy?" Lord Icefall asked in a weary voice.

I nodded. "It appears so."

"We killed dozens of demon summoners, demons, and fiends." Guildmaster Charity said. "If they were willing to sacrifice that much just to throw us off their trail, then they must have a lot more in reserve."

"Well," Anna said, "We killed many of their Third Tier demons, so there are a lot less of them." Her expression grew serious. "However, if we want to get rid of them for good, we need to hit them while they're still weak. If we give them time to build up their strength, they'll grow powerful enough to destroy Icefall City."

Lord Icefall nodded.

"Yes." He said. "These demon summoners are like vermin. If we don't exterminate them all, they'll keep coming back." He paused. "Thank you. All of you. If you hadn't risked your lives, we wouldn't have realized the full extent of the threat until it was too late." He bowed to me and Anna. "I'm sorry for my behavior thus far. You have worked hard for the sake of the Icefall region, yet I have treated you with blatant disrespect. You have my deepest apologies."

Huh. Considering his behavior thus far, I hadn't expected Lord Icefall to apologize like this. Then again, his actions hadn't been born of malice. He was a man trying his best to protect his people and his daughter. Besides, my own actions hadn't endeared me to him. I was a bit of a dick.

"You have my thanks as well." Guildmaster Charity said. She gestured to me. "Considering the circumstances, I'm even willing to forgive the fact that you stole from me."

Stole? What was she…? Ah, she meant Aurora.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said, feigning nonchalance.

Guildmaster Charity snorted, but didn't call me out.

"If you'll excuse us," Lord Icefall said, "My cousin and I need to prepare for war. We'll leave you to your rest." He turned to leave, but paused. "We'll hold a meeting later today to discuss the details. Will you join us, Lord Gabriel?"

I glanced at Anna and Andre.

"May I bring a few of my companions?" I asked.

Lord Icefall followed my gaze. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.

"We'll be there." I said.

"Thank you. I'll send a servant when it's time."

"Come see me after you've recovered." Guildmaster Charity said to Lorelei.

The heir to Clan Frostheart nodded. Afterwards, Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Charity left the infirmary. A heavy silence fell over the room. Whatever happened in the next few days would determine the fate of the Icefall region, and everyone here knew it.

Would Icefall City suffer the same fate as it had in the First Timeline? Or had we changed enough to save it? Only time would tell.

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