As they walked toward the imposing casino, it didn’t take long for them to spot a few tents and makeshift shelters scattered around the camp’s outskirts. And the further they walked, the more eyes they caught.

  “They’re watching us,” Marko whispered.

  “Looks like you got fans, bossman,” Sooty said from atop his own wolf.

  Aaron smiled and waved back, leading the mounted group along a worn path trodden into the ground between the camps.

  As they neared the Bellagio, they spotted what appeared to be a few patrols keeping watch of the camp, and they too took immediate notice of the strange group. Aaron watched as they sent their comrades racing back toward the casino, whilst others kept a vigilant watch on them.

  Calling for help already, huh? Well, I hadn’t intended on sneaking in anyway.

  Despite the patrols going for help, the camp seemed pretty liberal in regard to their defenses. Across from them, Aaron spotted another group of people. They looked equally out of place, climbing out from the surrounding vegetation. There were four of them, and they were looking around at the tents and patrols with curiosity.

  The leader of the small group spotted his gaze, and Aaron waved. But the man’s gaze went straight through him, and to the wolves. A panic seemed to wash through him, and he raised his arms, stopping his group and freezing in place as his eyes locked on Zero.

  Oh, right. I guess Zero is pretty intimidating for most. Oh well, I’m sure they’ll come around.

  His thoughts didn’t linger on them long, though. Moments later, dozens of armed people started to appear around them. Their weapons were drawn, and they quickly formed a perimeter around Aaron and his companions, with more coming by the second.

  Once a formidable formation had been formed, one man stepped through them, wielding a large, two-handed sword.

  “Always causing trouble. Some things never change. Now answer me, who is this, Becky? Are they your friends? We’ve said it a thousand times, beasts aren’t welcome here!”

  The man shouting at Becky had a buzz cut and held his chest out. Aaron had no way of knowing whether or not the man had been a soldier once, but he sure looked like he wanted to give off that energy.

  However, for all the bluff and bluster, when the wolves reacted by growling and inching forward, the formation of guards flinched backward, raising their weapons shakily.

  “Easy, boy,” Aaron said, patting Zero and calming him.

  He wasn’t in the least worried about the confrontation, at least not his own safety. But he definitely didn’t want his first impression to be fighting other humans, especially not ones in Talia’s camp.

  “Those guys?” Becky scrunched up her nose at Aaron and his group. “I wouldn’t call them friends. Besides Zero. He’s a good boy. Oh, actually, all the wolves are pretty cute. The humans? You can keep them,” Becky said, only turning to look back at them for a second, and then continuing.

  “Halt!” The man screamed at her. “Not one step further until you answer my damn questions! Who are these people, and why are you with them?!”

  Charlie Mathers [ Level 77 ]

  Titles: [ Monster Slayer ]

  Planetary ranking: 102,891 of 5,127,246,874

  Charlie, who seemed to be some kind of defense leader, was at least five levels higher than anybody else who had come to the camp’s defense and surrounded them, and ten or more levels higher than most of them.

  That mightn’t have intimidated Aaron, but still, compared to Marko, Zach, and the goblins, this would have been a rather frightening confrontation if he weren’t here.

  “And what the hell are those?” Charlie, the guard leader, continued, turning to the goblins and pointing. “This is a human camp! Do you see any monsters around here?”

  “Oh, go suck one of Julius’ digits, loser,” Becky waved him away. “We’ve been through this a thousand times, Chucky, Shadow won’t hurt anybody unless I tell her to.”

  “I’m not talking about Shadow!”

  “Then why are you still talking to me?”

  “She’s right, talk to me,” Aaron said from atop Zero, and patted the wolf’s side, and it walked forward.

  Becky had already passed the guards, but they seemed to have forgotten about her, their focus firmly set on Zero.

  Every step the wolf took, it drew a reaction from the armed group, and Aaron couldn’t blame them. He might have had some nice Titles on display, as well as a high rank, but he was still just a level 53. Zero, on the other hand, was D-grade. After all, as far as they were aware, maybe he had his high rank because he was rich.

  Charlie swallowed and straightened, as if fighting back a tremor. “Do you speak for this group?” He asked Aaron.

  “I do. How’s it going, mate? You’re not scared of Zero here, are you? He’s a good boy.”

  “I’m, no—” Charlie cleared his throat. “I mean, where are you from? Why are you traveling with goblins and wolves? What do you want with our settlement?”

  “The wolves? That’s easy. I’m their pack leader. They’re loyal to me,” Aaron smiled, and hushed whispers bounced back and forth amongst the guards. “As for the goblins, they’re my wards. I’m protecting them, and if anyone hurts them, they’ll have to answer to me.”

  “W-what… That thing’s a D-grade beast. You expect me to believe any of that nonsense? How do I know it’s not mind controlling you, or something?”

  “Mind control? Really? Look, I’m sure you’re doing your best. But are you the leader around here, or is there someone else I can talk to?” Aaron said.

  “I’m the leader of the guard, that’s all you need to know!”

  “Psst, Chuck, he has a point,” a woman behind Charlie said, sword in hand. “Maybe we should call Julius for this. He did say to call him if any D-grades are spotted.”

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  The guard leader glared at Aaron for a moment before turning back to his companion.

  “Fine! But you stay right here until Julius arrives, got it?” He huffed, pointing at Aaron.

  “Fine,” Aaron shrugged. “We won’t go anywhere, promise.”

  He didn’t really appreciate the way he was being talked to, but wasn’t about to start a fight over it. And more so than anything else, he was curious to find out who exactly this Julius fellow was. And where was Talia? She was the leader of her group, wasn’t she? And if this was where her group was, why wasn’t she the one in charge?

  Chuck turned to leave, but then stopped and looked back. “And make sure the goblins stay in place, got it?”

  “Yeah, yeah, just hurry up with it. We’re going to stay right where you are until you get your boss. Don’t you worry about it, mate.”

  Chuck eyed them all for a long moment and then took his leave, trailed by two others.

  Several minutes later, as the crowd of curious onlookers grew larger and larger, they returned, walking alongside a rather big man.

  The big man had thick, dark curls, a broad brow line, and a very square chin. He was also dressed in a pin-stripe suit, but unlike most suits, it was armored, with plates of metal dotted across it like he was about to go medieval rollerskating.

  “You weren’t lying. Wolves and goblins in my camp. What a peculiar sight it is.”

  Julius Caparelli [ Level 86 ]

  Titles: [ Tutorial Champion ] [ Builder of the New World ]

  Planetary ranking: 89 of 5,127,246,211

  “Wait, I know you,” he raised a stubby finger toward Aaron as he separated from the group and marched toward him. “It’s you! Everyone, put down your arms immediately. These are our guests!”

  The guards all looked at one another, confused, but did as they were ordered.

  “You know me?” Aaron tilted his head, confused.

  “Of course I do. I was a little late, so you probably didn’t spot me, and the crowds were quite large by the time I got there. But I remember you,” Julius said, waving his finger as he walked toward Aaron. “The insane man, unfazed by death. Over and over again, you threw yourself at those trials. It was nothing short of inspirational. Hah, amazing. So, what can I do for you? For what honor do we have the great Aaron Dober visiting my little camp?”

  “Your camp?” Aaron’s brows rose a little. “I was actually looking for Talia. Is she here?”

  “Talia? Of course,” Julius threw his hands up, exaggeratingly, and smacked his forehead. “Now I remember. I saw you with her on many occasions in the trials. Of course, you want to see Talia. Please, come with me. I’ll take you straight to her.”

  “Ah, boss.”

  “What is it?” He turned to Chuck with a scowl.

  “What about the wolves and the goblins?”

  “If they’re with Aaron, then you show them hospitality, dammit! Do I have to spell everything out for you? These are our honored guests!”

  “Yes, boss!”

  Chuck scampered off, ordering his subordinates around and leading Aaron’s group off somewhere else within the camp, which drew Aaron’s gaze.

  “Don’t worry about them. I’m not stupid enough to make enemies with the man who is too stubborn to die. They’ll be fed and offered somewhere to rest. Come, let me take you to Talia. But perhaps the wolf goes with them. A D-grade beast will cause quite a ruckus.”

  Julius spoke loudly, which was mildly annoying, since he was right next to Aaron. For a moment, Aaron wondered if the man was perhaps a bit deaf until he saw the gazes of the people they passed by. Then, it dawned on him. Julius’ loud speech and excessive praise were as much for their benefit as anything else. Why he wanted them all to hear it, Aaron wasn’t sure, though, and he didn’t really have the time to think it through.

  “You heard him, Zero. Go with the others. I’ll be fine,” Aaron said, and then turned to the group. “And Sooty, keep an eye on everyone,” he called out as they were led off.

  “Will do, bossman!”

  “Okay,” Aaron said, turning back to Julius and following him.

  “Impressive, no?” Julius said as they walked deeper into camp.

  There was action going on all around them. Timber frames were being covered in metal sheets to make walls. System-purchased buildings were constructing themselves, and several layers of defenses were being put together.

  Everywhere he looked, people were doing something.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “It’s still some way off, but this place will be the safest place in the world soon. I swear by it,” Julius said as they stepped onto the tiled courtyard before the Bellagio, where the fountain had once been.

  The closer they got, the thicker the crowds grew. There was commerce and trade passing hands, with stalls step up, and sentries on watch around them.

  “Quite a number of people you have here. This isn’t all from Talia’s Tutorial, is it?”

  “No, not at all. Both myself and Talia were leaders of our own Tutorials. Both having our own Waypoints. As leaders, we were given Quests on arrival to this world. It was those quests that led us here to find and claim an Obelisk. Some complications have followed… and some tense moments…” Julius trailed off.

  “Tense moments?”

  “Oh, I don’t want to bother you with details,” he waved his hands.

  “Please, bother me,” Aaron said.

  “It’s politics. Nasty stuff. You see, only one of us can fully complete the Quest. As you can imagine, that has created some complications.”

  “Wait, so you haven’t claimed it yet?”

  “Not fully. I’m sure it all sounds rather confusing,” Julius said as he led him through the casino doors, and soon they were before the huge obelisk that extended out from the ground in the middle of the main foyer, crushing through the roof above, and extending up through at least a couple of floors.

  “There it is. The heart of our marvelous settlement. Impressive, isn’t it?” Julius continued.

  Aaron just looked at him, like he was waiting for him to finish his earlier explanation.

  “Come, come,” Julius beckoned him forth. “Anastasia,” he snapped his fingers, and a young redhead appeared a second later. “Please, call Talia. I have a friend of hers with me.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  As Anastasia disappeared, Julius turned back to Aaron. “I’m sure this is all very confusing. The truth is, these obelisks are quite devilish with how they work. Up to five people can claim the damn things if they do it within twenty-four hours of the first claimant, which in this case was me. Then, it gives you a full month to figure out who will become the true leader. If you fail to pick a leader, then the obelisk will disappear and reappear somewhere else in the world.”

  “I see,” Aaron nodded.

  “You can probably already see where this is going. I claimed this a little over four days ago. And it has been tense here ever since. It’s not to the point of open conflict… but it’s not good either. I’m not sure what Talia has been telling her people, but they don’t seem to trust mine at all. I just want to make a peaceful settlement.

  “When I saw you, I had a great idea. I’m afraid that Talia and I are talking past each other at the moment. I honestly don’t understand her stance, but she doesn’t seem willing to let go of her position, no matter what I say. So, I was hoping that you might be able to act as a sort of go-between, and maybe help us understand each other better.”

  Aaron looked unsure. There was logic to what Julius was saying. But he also didn’t want to throw his trust behind someone he had just met. Especially not when Talia didn’t trust him. He hadn’t known her for that long, but he more or less trusted her, and if she didn’t trust Julius, that was more than enough for him to be wary.

  “I’ve been hospitable,” Julius continued. “Things have been tense, but I’ve never once turned away requests from her people, and I’ve offered them all the same things I’ve given to my own. There’s definitely some mistrust, but things are peaceful, and I’m certain that once the obelisk is fully claimed, things will finish settling down. I really just want the tension to be gone, so we can focus on building up this community without the threat of conflict breaking out.”

  “Yeah, I understand. It makes sense. But I’m not deciding on anything until I see Talia.”

  “Oh, of course. Completely reasonable and rational. My assistant should be collecting her as we speak. She should be here any moment now.”

  Across the foyer’s marble tiles, Aaron spotted them. Talia and her small entourage were walking toward him. And with them was someone he hadn’t expected to see.

  “Ryan, mate! What the fuck are you doing here!”

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