Some survivors hesitated about being left alone, but Nick knew how important it was to follow a trail while it was still warm. Unless he wanted to wait for the next attack—and there definitely would be one—he had to get moving.

  Still, he wasn’t heartless, so he promised the villagers he'd clear the path for them.

  They hadn’t been happy, but there wasn’t much they could do about it, so they accepted it, gathered what few belongings they could salvage from their burning homes, and headed toward the nearest friendly settlement, which turned out to be a town known as Long Reach.

  Orion led his team ahead of the group, casually swinging his staff whenever a monster dared to cross his path, or even entered his senses at all, really.

  The Shard provided him with so much range that he could eliminate entire colonies of monsters without detouring or slowing down, and this was eventually noticed by the others.

  “What was that?” Yvonne asked warily as the Shard’s orb flashed with yellow light, and a moment later, she got her answer, as lightning descended from the sky, hitting a flock of vulture-like monsters that had caught their scent.

  “Just a flock,” he answered, drifting forward and scanning the new terrain that opened up to his senses for any further threats.

  Considering that almost all fighters among the villagers they’d rescued had fallen either during the initial massacre or when Barron attacked, he was pretty sure they would have all died if the vultures had gotten to them.

  “Levels?” Monte asked, showing that he had a sharper mind than one would think at first glance.

  “Thirty-five to thirty-nine,” he replied with a grim nod, and saw the realization dawn on the two adventurers.

  Monsters of that level weren’t necessarily rare in the wilds, but larger groups, whether they be flocks, nests, or prides, tended to have lower levels. A single beast at level forty wouldn’t have raised eyebrows, and one that could be considered the alpha of the ecosystem might reach as high as seventy or even eighty.

  But the flock wasn’t the first group to be that high, nor would they be the last, because they were slowly getting closer to the dungeon, which had caused the local fauna to grow beyond what the balance between the species should normally allow.

  The Thunderhoof herd was a similar sign of instability, only that time it was coming from the north. If the monsters here are already growing this quickly, the dungeon might be more advanced than we thought.

  They kept marching southeast, since there wasn’t much else they could do besides clearing the path for the villagers, and a few hours later, they arrived at Long Reach.

  It was a quaint little town with red-brick houses and paved streets, protected by a curtain wall of the same color, and situated on the shore of a tributary of the Valis River, which had been diverted from its natural course, giving the place its name.

  Whether that was due to magic or a great cataclysm, it was hard to tell. But even from a distance, Orion could see that the population exceeded what the housing could support, as there was a spread of tents along the shore that didn’t look normal.

  There seems to be a lot of tension there, but I can’t imagine that being forced to leave your home helps keep things calm.

  “More refugees?” Monte muttered as they slowed down. They’d been making good time, aided by the winds Nick kept coming from behind and his quick responses whenever something dared approach, but rushing into the town at full speed would only unnerve the guards unnecessarily.

  “They look like they’d been there a while,” Malik said, and it was the truth. While the tents they lived in couldn’t be a permanent home, there wasn’t the chaos he would associate with new refugee camps.

  “Halt!” a commanding voice called, and they paused, stopping a few hundred feet from the brick wall.

  “What is your purpose here?!” Another voice called, this one calmer. One look at their appearance should have made it clear they were adventurers of some kind, and Nick doubted they were the only ones to come through. Word of the dungeon might have just reached Alluria, but it had to be a known fact to the locals, which would mean more and more hopefuls would come trickling by.

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  Nick was fully aware of how much a dungeon could be worth.

  “Balar, is that you, you old goat?” Malik shouted, apparently recognizing the voice.

  There was a brief pause, and Nick noticed several people snickering quietly to themselves before the second voice rose again, this time with irritation but also less wariness. “Malik, I see you haven’t annoyed anyone into killing you yet. I was sure you’d do it when you went to the big city up north.”

  Yvonne laughed openly, earning an annoyed look from her companion. “You must know him very well!” she said, and the atmosphere relaxed enough that the gate was thrown open without further requests.

  And that’s why Master Tholm had us bring these people along. I’m sure our results wouldn’t have changed much overall, but having locals on our side makes everything run smoother, and not just because they know the lay of the land.

  Balar turned out to be a stout, short man with a thick beard that Nick might have thought was a dwarf, and while he kept an annoyed expression on his face, he could clearly see that he was happy to reunite with Malik.

  The two quickly embraced, slapping each other’s backs roughly, then separated.

  “You know, if you let your beard grow much more, you’ll be recruited to fight up north, and not on our side,” Malik said.

  Balar rolled his eyes, spitting on the ground, “damn dwarves, they give us all short guys with a beautiful beard a bad rep.”

  Soon enough, they were allowed into the town, where they passed through the gates with little further inspection. It was a much more relaxed approach than he would have expected from a place that was clearly hosting many non-natives, but that was the power of having friends in the right places.

  Nick expanded his senses while Malik and Yvonne kept the guards occupied with their constant banter, searching for the spots he’d glimpsed in his divination.

  It wasn’t easy, since what he felt through scapulimancy didn’t exactly translate one-to-one to the real world, but he eventually managed to identify the seedy bar where Barron had received his orders, and where he’d have gone back to once he’d completed his mission.

  He quietly signaled to the others, and they gave a small twitch of acknowledgment before starting to disentangle themselves from the conversation.

  “When does your shift end?” Malik asked.

  “Ugh, don’t make me think about that. I’ve got until tonight. Lord Rohm increased the hours again yesterday. Captain Blunderbuss isn’t happy about that, let me tell you. But then again, the good Captain hasn’t been happy with the lord for a long time,” Balar grunted, getting a sympathetic pat on the back from Malik.

  Nick was surprised that the common watchman was talking so openly about his superiors' feud, but his instincts told him Balar wasn’t exaggerating. It seemed common knowledge, something that had been going on for a long time.

  “Listen, man. We’re gonna find a place to stay, but I’ll look for you for a drink at the Beaten Cat this evening. My offer.”

  Balar grimaced. “There ain’t many places left with rooms these days. You should be prepared to pay double the usual if you want a small room.”

  That matched the influx they had seen from outside, although Nick doubted the refugees had much money to spend on decent inns. Malik eyed him, and he gave a reassuring wave to show it wasn’t a problem.

  I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the ground if it were necessary, but I have the money to pay for it, and I can just ask Tholm for a refund once we’re back at the main camp. This is a business expense.

  Balar left them once they reached the main plaza, a paved area made of the same red bricks as the rest of the town, but with more people out and about.

  There was a tense gloom hanging over the town, and Nick had listened in on enough conversations to know everyone was wondering if more people would arrive, and more importantly, when the reinforcements the local lord had promised would get here.

  This specific lord was merely a landed knight, holding the same degree of nobility that House Crowley once had, and he answered directly to the southern Marquisate of Dathor, whose main city was many miles further south and on the other side of where the dungeon was believed to be.

  I doubt they’ll have the manpower to send this far north, especially since they'd need to take a huge detour or go straight through the monster-infested areas.

  Yet the lord had explicitly promised that they would receive aid soon. That, coupled with the activity he already knew was underway in the town, told Nick this was yet another hotbed of infiltration by House Hone and its allies.

  It was still unclear whether they would find real proof or just another trail to follow.

  Getting a room large enough to accommodate all four of them had been a little more challenging than he had expected. The first inn, the Province, had the empty rooms, but charged five silver coins per night, a price that was so unreasonable that Nick didn’t even bother to haggle, since he could tell the owner wouldn’t budge without significant intimidation or revealing who they truly were. However, that wasn’t worth risking, as their appearance as adventurers kept them from much scrutiny.

  The second inn had rooms and a more reasonable price, but Nick immediately clocked the owner as a swindler and a lecher. While he wouldn’t have minded staying if it was just him, he wouldn’t put his companions through that, especially since Monte had almost socked the man when he made the first comment about Yvonne staying in his room.

  That the woman had been smiling through the murderous rage building in her only confirmed they needed to leave before they drew too much attention by murdering the pervert.

  The last inn they checked had a decent room and reasonable prices, though still higher than they should have been in a small town like this.

  But they were all tired and cranky from dealing with so many annoying people, so they accepted with only minimal back-and-forth.

  Still, Malik managed to negotiate the man down to just one and a half silvers per night, roughly what they would have paid in Alluria for similar lodging.

  Once they were in their room and Nick had cast the necessary privacy spells to speak freely, he began giving orders. “I will be gone for much of tonight. I have places to check, and I know one of them will definitely have something. In the meantime, you three should try to learn as much as possible about the local situation, and especially focus on these promised troops that should come to relieve the town from its woes.”

  Malik nodded with a relaxed smile, “I can definitely do that. Balar will know much more about this tension with the Captain of the Watch, and while I might have to buy him drinks, he won’t lie to an old friend.”

  Monte stood up, went to the window overlooking the main street, and stared down. “I will try to infiltrate the manor. I don’t like how freely Lord Rohm is talking about getting help, nor the fact that he’s leaning on his men so hard.”

  Knowing that the older teen had an assassin class of some kind and would therefore have little trouble infiltrating any location, Nick nodded and turned to the last person.

  Yvonne had stayed quiet so far, lacking the local connections or the stealth skills needed for the sleuthing work, but Nick had something in mind for her.

  “You’ll be with me,” he said. “The place we’ll be visiting needs a woman’s touch.”

  She tilted her head and looked at him curiously, but there wasn’t wariness in her gaze, and eventually, she agreed.

  I certainly wouldn’t have expected Barron to arrange a meeting in a Lady’s Parlor, but I suppose it’s as good a place as any to talk privately.

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