Ariadne and Edmund exited the truck and saw the giant crystal on the dungeon's ceiling. The surrounding soldiers found it interesting that neither of them reacted to this; the crystal alone took everyone who got out of the transports aback.

  At that moment, the hero’s memories transported Edmund to the past. He remembered the farms between the city and the hallway, the people who walked by him as he sat there acting like a guardian, his hands on top of the pommel of his sword. These memories, filled with both nostalgia and regret, reminded him of his past failures and the weight of his responsibilities. However, the hero let out a sigh of sadness, which pulled him back to the present.

  ‘What a joke... thinking for a moment he was a guardian.’ Edmund spoke, ?whispered to himself.

  ‘There is a problem, peasant?’ Ariadne looked at him from the corner of her eye.

  ‘No, but this place was used as farmland in the past; it can be used again.’ He let out a momentary smile.

  ‘Perhaps, but before that, let’s plan the invasion; those buildings will have a problem.’ She walked toward the bigger tent.

  As Ariadne entered the tent, everyone inside saluted her at the same time. The air was heavy, and ?everyone was nervous about even being in such an absurd location; the situation was unreal.

  ‘Your Highness, with all due respect, I think we should call this off. Those buildings are dangerous; I don’t think we have the men for this mission.’ The blond-haired A-Dam's voice trembled with concern, mirroring the unease of the other soldiers.

  Before Alon opened his mouth and reprimanded the platoon leader, Ariadne took a step forward and motioned her hand, and the captain just nodded at the duchess in a sign of respect.

  ‘I understand your concern, Lieutenant Orfar, but this is all we got. The rest, as you all know, is protecting the people of the duchy. We have nothing to spare.’ Ariadne looked at all the platoon leaders.

  ‘Her Highness is right, but I understand your concern; this will be challenging.’ Alon put his two hands on the table, looking at his lieutenants.

  They expressed frustration. The buildings were too tall and would need to be taken individually. There was no way around that.

  ‘I think we have the people. The real problem is the enemies. If they are the same demons Egor’s platoon fought against, it will be a hard fight.' Zaken crossed his brownish fur arms.

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  ‘We will advance?; the only time we will need to push and give or all will be when the duchess and Edmund here are fighting against the dungeon guardian.’ Alon frowns his eyebrows, pointing at the map on the table.

  ‘Yes, I don’t want any of you to die in vain; if it is too much fallback, me and the peasant here are going to provide you all with the opportunity to save yourselves. Don’t die for me.’ Ariadne looked right into their eyes as she spoke.

  ‘And don’t worry, I will die before letting anything happen to her.’ Edmund gave a quick smile.

  His words were valid but only because, for him, if they failed. It was better for him to die inside the dungeon as there was no point in returning alive; he didn’t believe their power now would be enough to resist the full power of Lavan or Velvent.

  The platoon leaders and Alon looked at one another and smirked. They saluted Ariadne but stopped for a moment with their eyes closed. She took a deep breath like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on her head, and it traveled through her body's extremities until it reached her heart. She couldn’t control the urge to smile.

  Edmund found her behavior strange but remembered her words about the link she felt with some people; in the end, he shrugged it off like it didn’t matter. Maybe it was the only thing pushing those soldiers forward into doing this dangerous mission.

  ‘Don’t worry, Your Highness; it will be done by your will.’ Alon saluted her again, echoing the soldiers' commitment and duty to their mission. The soldiers were dedicated to their cause and ready to face challenges.

  The initial plan remained unchanged, but it only served to complicate matters. Even with the rechargers, their ammunition was not unlimited. They also needed to prioritize soldiers' lives, as they couldn’t be replaced. Each death would take a toll on everyone inside the dungeon. Yet, the soldiers remained resilient, determined to face the challenges ahead with courage and determination.

  As time passed inside the dungeon, they noticed that the light started to dim and became darker, but not totally. The light on the ceiling was now blueish, and it was starting to get cold. That alone wasn’t out of the ordinary, and that was the problem; it was like they were outside under the moon.

  ‘Ethan, what do you think?’ Samal spoke while throwing one card on top of another on the ground.

  ‘Think about what?’ Ethan tapped the ground two times.

  ‘He is asking if we are going to die tomorrow, Ethan.’ Asher spoke in an annoyed manner.

  ‘Come on, Asher.’ Oran threw a card on the pile in the middle.

  ‘Why are you so negative?’ Caleb taps the ground, holding four cards in his hand.

  ‘Negative? I was there patching you guys up; you and I died in every mission.’ Asher scratched his head, annoyed at his squad mates.

  ‘I didn’t die; I’m right here.’ Samal threw a card into the pile with a confused expression.

  Ethan was just observing his team talk and looking at the distance, where he could occasionally see the silhouettes of the buildings. He thought about how things would be tomorrow if his child saw his father.

  'Like I said before in the hallway, if it wasn’t for Eliza, we would have died a long time ago. What are you talking about? Sir, put some sense into this lunatic.’ Asher slammed his hand on the ground.

  ‘Well, Asher is not wrong, but let’s worry about that when it happens, ok? Try to stay alive and watch each other's backs; we can do this, all right?’ Ethan looked everyone in the eye.

  The soldiers continued their card game, symbolizing their unity and shared purpose. Others engaged in similar activities, creating a sense of camaraderie. The only sound was the bustling noise from the duchess's camp. Edmund stepped outside his tent momentarily, observing the soldiers walking around, playing cards, laughing, or conversing. It was a scene of unity and shared purpose, starkly contrasting the impending danger.

  ‘The effects of her presence are crazy; we are on vacation, not fighting against ancient monsters.’ Edmund spoke to himself in a lower tone.