Piper took off down the street after her group, only for Lukas to grab her arm and point her in the opposite direction. With a sigh, she motioned for him to take the lead. Together, they jogged down the street toward the Echoforos Bridge.

  As they ran, Ophelia kept shooting glances back toward the inn. Sulking, she glared at Piper. “I swear you want me to starve to death.”

  “You know that’s not true,” Piper replied. “I just need to make sure that my group is alright.”

  “It’s not like they would have been eaten by a monster before we finished breakfast.”

  “I’m not worried about monsters…”

  “Oh… you think that group is a bunch of cutthroats? In that case, I’m coming with you. I bet taking out some traitors would give me an amazing class.”

  “You’re not coming with me,” Piper said firmly. “Once Lukas shows me the way to my group, you can go back with him and enjoy your breakfast.”

  Ophelia looked torn, her gaze switching between the approaching bridge and then back toward the inn. Finally, she almost seemed to deflate. “Fine. But you’re never going to send me away once I awaken.”

  “I promise that I won’t.” Piper felt relieved and more than a little surprised that Ophelia had given in so easily. “Just don’t do anything reckless while I’m gone.”

  “When have I ever done anything reckless?”

  Piper stared at her incredulously.

  “Aside from that one time?” Ophelia kicked a rock in the street, not looking over at her friend.

  “Really?”

  “Alright, a few times.”

  Piper decided not to argue with her friend. But Ophelia being reckless was almost a guarantee in any situation. She’d have to remind Lukas to keep an eye on her when they caught up with Basil and the others.

  They soon arrived at the Echoforos Bridge. The silvery structure spanned the vast river, with no sign of supports. It was a miracle the wafer-thin material didn’t collapse under the weight of the dozens of people, horses, and carts crossing its length.

  Piper reached the shining edge and touched it with her toe. Surprisingly, the gossamer-thin material didn’t shift. During her time in the city, she’d only glimpsed the magical bridge from a distance. But she’d never crossed over it.

  “What’s this thing made of?”

  Lukas shrugged. “Legend says it was constructed before Thronefall. No magic can replicate it now.”

  With a deep breath, she stepped onto the bridge only to find firm footing. She bounced a few times—which garnered her looks from the passersby—but the span didn’t shift underfoot. While she knew it was magic, she didn’t like walking on something that looked like a stiff breeze could send it crashing into the river. Especially when she couldn’t swim.

  I have to get Selene to teach me soon.

  She closed her eyes and walked straight forward on the bridge. Every few steps, she cracked her eyelids open to make sure she wasn’t about to collide with anyone. About halfway across, she started to feel more confident.

  At least until Ophelia raced up beside her and dragged her over to the edge of the bridge.

  “Isn’t this thing amazing?” her friend gushed. “I can’t believe it’s not falling into the water.”

  Piper shut her eyes again. She did not like looking down into the water. Her heart jumped into her throat as Ophelia clapped her back before sprinting away.

  Lukas approached her side and glanced over the finely wrought railing. “Don’t you like water?”

  “I can’t swim,” she said, swallowing hard.

  “In that case, it’s understandable. Did you not have any lakes in the mountains?”

  She shook her head.

  “If you ever want any instruction in swimming, I’d be happy to help.”

  “Thank you, but Selene has already offered.”

  “Is she the dark-haired jester?”

  Piper nodded.

  “Well, should you change your mind, please let me know.” With that, he headed across the bridge, leaving her alone.

  Piper wasn’t scared of heights, and she didn’t know why walking across the water bothered her so much. Still, she wasn’t going to be left behind. With her gaze fixed straight ahead, she continued across the bridge.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the far side of the river. Beyond were farmer fields, with tiny villages visible in the distance. But there was no sign of her group.

  “Is that them?” Lukas asked, pointing into the distance.

  Piper shielded her eyes from the sun and peered down the road. She could barely make out a group marching toward the northern mountains. Since there was no one else visible, that had to be them.

  She took a step forward but then paused. What would she say when she reached them? It wasn’t like she could warn them about Platon when he’d probably be standing right there.

  Alternatively, she could just shadow the group for a while. But she’d probably be noticed before too long.

  She’d just have to catch up with them and hope she was welcomed on the quest. What was the quest anyway? She really should have asked them about it before they left.

  Making sure all her illusion spells were in place, she set out at a jog toward the distant targets. With a fair bit of grumbling, her two companions fell in behind her on the road.

  Even though they had set out at nearly the same time, it took them nearly an hour to catch up. She suspected a skill was at play, since she knew she was faster than the others.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  When they were only a hundred meters away, the group slowed before turning in their direction. Besides her group, there were three men and a woman. Most likely, they were in their late teens. She didn’t recognize any of them from the aspirant hall. They had a variety of badges, ranging from bronze all the way up to silver.

  “What do you want?” A man with spiky blond hair and a silver badge shining on his chest stepped forward. He had a narrow face and hard eyes. A shield hung from a strap on one arm, while a mace was slung on his belt.

  Selene turned toward the man. “She’s the other member of our group.”

  “I see.” The man swept his gaze over Piper’s companions before returning to look at her.

  She felt her skin prickle and watched as a grin split the man’s face.

  “My name is Platon, and you’re welcome to join us.” He pointed at the man holding a staff with a crystal at the top. “This is our mage, Aeson.” He then gestured at the woman, who was wearing a fine purple dress with flared shoulders and a low-cut bodice. “And this lovely specimen is Sophia. Meanwhile, the big fellow over there is Theo.”

  The big man with a thick beard sprouting from his square jaw grunted at Piper.

  Piper inclined her head slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”

  Selene hurried over and took her hand. “I’m so glad that you changed your mind. This quest gives 10 tallies!”

  Piper pulled her hands free and shrugged awkwardly. “I just wanted to make sure you were all safe.”

  “What could happen to us with an experienced group like this?”

  “You never know.”

  “Regardless, I’m happy that you’re here.”

  Piper adjusted her bow slightly. “What was the quest anyway?”

  “Oh, we didn’t tell you, did we?” Selene pushed back a stray strand of dark hair over her ear. “A few low-level undead pierced the veil close to here. We have a quest to remove them.”

  “Undead?” She pressed her lips together. “Like zombies and skeletons?”

  “Have you fought them before?”

  “Not really,” she replied, remembering seeing them in anime. “But I’m familiar with them. Aim for the brain, right?”

  Selene nodded, her blue eyes sparkling. “Exactly. Though it takes a bit more work to take down a skeleton.”

  As they’d been talking, Platon and his companions had turned and resumed their trek toward the quest location. With each step, the ground almost seemed to shift under them, propelling them forward.

  “Hurry up,” Selene said, racing after Platon. “Otherwise, we’re going to miss the journey aura.”

  Piper turned toward Lukas. She reached into her money pouch and retrieved a handful of coppers. Pressing the money into his hand, she glanced back to see the others quickly moving away.

  “Take this in case I’m not back by nightfall. Make sure you take care of Ophelia.”

  “I will watch over her like a father griffin.”

  “Is that good?”

  “Very.”

  Piper waved at Ophelia and then sprinted after the group. They were already almost 100 metres away. She didn’t know what a journey aura was, but it had shot right to the top of things she wanted to buy when she became fabulously wealthy someday. Hopefully, the spell could be inscribed on her boots or something similar.

  Racing forward, she reached the others a few minutes later. When she did, both Basil and Althea greeted her. The tall man patted her shoulder, while Althea drew her in for an awkward hug.

  She returned the embrace, still not sure how she felt about the healer. After all, Althea had practically accused her of being a coward the previous day. But then again, she had been stabbed repeatedly by ratfolk and probably hadn’t been thinking straight. Plus, she had apologized.

  Piper took a step forward and almost stumbled. Her tottering forward was greeted by a round of laughter from everyone except for Selene.

  The dark-haired female jester hurried over and took her arm. “You’ll get used to the aura after a bit.”

  With a few tentative steps, she slowly grew accustomed to the shifting ground. Soon, she was walking without difficulty, watching the landscape fly by. The next time she travelled to the Infernal Realm, she needed to ask Astaroth if demons could get spells like this one.

  As she marvelled at the aura, she couldn’t figure out why Platon had brought them with his group. Including herself, three members of her group had poor quality classes, while only Basil had a common one.

  She leaned in close to Selene. “Why do they even need us?”

  Selene arched her perfect eyebrow. “Because this quest requires a minimum of eight aspirants. They felt they could do it alone, but the rules prohibit it. So, we get to tag along and do nothing.”

  Piper chewed over Selene’s words. Were they only doing what she had planned to do—using a weaker group to tackle harder quests on their own? Maybe there was nothing to worry about after all.

  They traveled in silence for a few minutes before she leaned in again. “Lukas said that they’re… unlucky.”

  “We’ve heard that,” Selene said. “But they promised we wouldn’t have to do any fighting.”

  “Are you sure there’s not more to it?”

  “What do you mean?” Selene cocked her head to the side, her dark tresses falling over her shoulder.

  Lowering her voice even further into a conspiratorial whisper, Piper continued, “Like they’re killing their group members?”

  Selene opened her mouth to reply but then shut it. Her lips twisted, and she frowned slightly. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

  “Wow, a smart pink ape,” Gorebark quipped from her back.

  Selene’s mouth dropped open. “Did your bow just talk?”

  “It does that sometimes.”

  “I see…”

  Before they could continue, Platon pointed at a distant village nestled at the base of a hill. Unlike most of the settlements they had passed, not a single resident was visible. And more alarmingly, no smoke rose from the chimneys. A few of the doors gaped open, revealing dark interiors.

  Platon lifted his mace from his belt, the head glowing with a faint white light. “That should be the village described in the quest. Keep on your toes, everyone.”

  They spread out and slowly approached the village. No one said a word, a deathly hush hanging in the air. The silence was oppressive, making everyone glance around nervously.

  As they neared the first house, a figure draped in black robes stepped out from behind the wall. A white beard overflowed the bottom of his cowl, the rest of his face lost in shadows.

  “I’ve been expecting you,” the man intoned in a deep voice. “Now prepare to join the Pale Crusade.”

  Piper hurriedly used Identify on the robed figure.

  Human, Level 175.

  The result wasn’t as bad as she had feared. Unless he had a rare class or better, in which case, all bets were off. She really needed to evolve her [Identify] so she could see classes.

  “By the Abyss,” Platon cursed, readying his shield. “It’s a bloody necromancer. Basil, take your group and retreat. Get to the town and warn them the quest was a trap.”

  When Basil didn’t move, Platon stalked over and pushed the tall man. “Go! We’ll handle this bastard.”

  Basil nodded and spun around. He gestured at the others and dashed back toward the road. But before he’d taken ten steps, a wall of warped bones erupted from the ground and blocked his path. The twisted mass of ribcages and skulls writhed as it flowed out of the ground, forming an impenetrable barrier taller than a house.

  The robed figure raised his hand, and green gas flowed around his fingers. “I’m afraid you’ll find leaving to be most impossible.”

  As the man spoke, nearly two dozen zombies boiled out of the buildings. Most of them were dressed in torn peasant clothing. However, mixed among them were four figures wearing aspirant badges. Apparently, Piper’s group wasn’t the first to fall victim to the trap.

  “Stay close to me,” Basil barked out, a globe of water forming in his hands. “If we stick together, we’ll make it out of here alive.”

  Piper nocked an arrow, preparing to fire. If she could take out the necromancer fast with [Demonic Mark], then the rest of them could handle the zombies.

  Before she could loose, the gas eddying around the man’s hand surged forward. It burst at her feet like a bomb, exploding outward into a dense green fog.

  Piper held her breath as the others crumpled to the ground. Beside her, Selene dropped to her knees. The young woman clawed at Piper’s dress, a panicked expression on her face.

  She grabbed her friend and dragged her toward the skeletal wall. If they could just escape from the poison cloud, they might survive. As she tried to climb over the barrier, hands covered in rotting flesh burst forth and grappled with her.

  Tearing herself free of their grasp, she stumbled back and heard the robed man guffawing.

  “There is no escape,” he called out. “Soon, you will know the bliss of undeath.”

  Her lungs screamed for air, and her skin burned from the contact with the gas. As drowsiness overtook her, she sagged to her knees. The unconscious form of Selene tumbled from her suddenly limp fingers and crumpled to the ground.

  Piper realized in horror that the toxic substance must be absorbing through her skin.

  I have to kill him before it’s too late.

  But before she could do anything, her eyes rolled up in her head, and she toppled forward. She face-planted into the soft earth, a terrible weariness stealing over her body. The last thing she saw through the dense fog was the necromancer gesturing in her direction before she succumbed to the darkness.