Slea respected her Thiefmaster.

  She was grateful to her, so much so that she might even sacrifice her life for Floundea. The Thiefmaster had listened to her cries and worries when she felt alone and when she was at her most vulnerable.

  Anyway, in short, Slea held Floundea in high regard—but, currently, she has begun to lose this respect slowly.

  “We should go help them,” Slea growled under her breath, clutching her wand and pacing in circles in front of Floundea’s tent, where the Thiefmaster was in some action with her returning husband. An action that neither Min nor Slea wanted to intrude upon.

  She stomped hard, and snow splashed into Min’s cloak.

  The woman gave her an impassive stare, and Slea blushed.

  “Sorry.”

  “For what it's worth,” Min sighed. “I’m glad to get some mana back first,” she said as she chugged down more potions.

  A Tiefling arrived with more mana potions, five of them, and handed them to Min.

  “Honorable humans! I thank you for arriving so fast with this… this urgent news!” The Tiefling half-exclaimed. “Jack is alive, I see?” The red creature's ears perked up in excitement.

  Another Tiefling, who had been lounging in guard duty in front of their weaponry wagon, ran toward them, leaving his fellow guard to shout after him.

  “I heard the Third was attacked,” the new Tiefling said, breathless. “Jack returned? I could have sworn I saw him with some strange weapon earlier.”

  “Eto and Rudy, right?” Slea asked, slowly remembering their names.

  “That is right, Slea! You finally remembered,” Rudy grinned, ignoring his guard mate's call for him to return to his position. He looked at Min and asked, “Well?” Honorable human, was it right?”

  Honorable human… Min raised her eyebrow in amusement. She glanced at Slea, who smiled. Slea had gotten close to Floundea’s faction. So much so that the Tiefling had finally called her by name, even though she was still struggling to put their names to their faces.

  “You see, right, the Tiefling called Jack came with me,” Min answered, bobbing her head up and down to shrug off snow that lay atop her hair.

  “You could hear them,” Slea added, and Eto and Rudy went silent.

  “Lucky bastard,” Rudy mumbled.

  Eto bobbed his head. “One day I will be a Runebearer.”

  Slea saw Min biting her cheek, and the woman shot her another look of disbelief. Yeah, this will take some time to adjust.

  “Considering what they are doing, can I surmise that we will just wait and not risk our Thiefmistress?” Eto asked.

  Slea scowled at that question, because she also wanted to know.

  “I think so, Tiefling,” Min said. “I admit protecting Floundea was important,” then, in a not-so-forward way, she added, “For you guys.”

  For the third time, Min caught Slea’s eyes, and Slea met hers.

  Judging.

  Slea could see that Min wanted to go too. Not only that, she was willing to risk Floundea's safety by leaving her and going to save the others. The humans.

  Noa, Reki, and…

  And Suna.

  He is still alive.

  Slea perhaps was the only one who believed that Suna was still alive. The others had thought he was dead, so when she heard that he was alive, her reaction was, of course, surprise, but more like in the way of: Ah, I knew it!

  “Slea, do you have your own tent here? I could use a bed to rest,” Min asked, stretching like a cat. Slea had noticed Min’s body had changed. Not as drastic as Slea’s scales. Her body was more nimble and sleek. When she stretched, Slea saw her muscles lean, and her body bent much more than possible.

  This world changed them in a way more than they realized.

  “Sure do,” Slea said, despite knowing Min just wanted to talk. “Later, Eto, Rudy.” She waved as Min took her by the hand and dragged her.

  They walked out of any Tiefling ears’ shot.

  Min, knowing where the Runebearers’ tents were, led them in the opposite direction.

  They settled under the shadow of a tent, and still had to suffer the snow on their heads.

  “This changes everything,” Min said as she leaned against the tent’s lumber.

  “What does?”

  “Don’t ‘what does’ me. You know what I’m talking about.”

  Slea bit her bottom lip.

  Min continued, “With Suna with us, I think we can just make our way toward this Gateway.”

  “I still want to help them.”

  Min was about to raise a complaint, but Slea cut her off.

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  “Besides, the gate! It was sealed! Patriche told us, remember? Before his head snapped by that green energy, and I also killed the queen. You think the King will let me in?”

  “We can sneak in and open them,” Min shrugged. “The Necromancer sounds like he was at a dead end, according to extra information I got from Jack. I think he will let us through if all of us go.”

  Yes, Slea could see that happening.

  And based on the information they got from Reki’s god, they would still retain their blessings, too.

  “Sneak in how? What about the wall?”

  “Suna and I could use Gale Step. There will be an option. I don’t know, you can get him to princess carry you up.”

  Slea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

  “Well, what about—”

  “You kept making reasons, child.”

  And there it is. Min still considers her as one, a child.

  “Pito, what about Pito?”

  “Pito?” Min blinked, staying silent before she palmed her face. “Ah, right, the damn Monk. Fuck.”

  In Slea's personal opinion, if they passed the gateway without him, then he deserves it for not following them in the first place. Pito being here was just a convenient reason for Slea; what she really wanted is…

  “I want the Tiefling to have the world, Min,” Slea said. “Can you imagine it? The entire world for them? Just like the quest they got promised. Besides, without them, we wouldn’t have made it here. Remember the witches? Do you think we could get past them the way we were?”

  “How could I forget?” Min mumbled, tipping her head up, sighing. “I have a fiancée, you know.”

  “Really?” Slea blinked. The woman never mentioned anything about that!

  “And guess what? We’re about to get married in another day… then the teleportation happened.”

  “The god must really hate you,” Slea mumbled.

  “Don’t say that,” Min smirked, somehow still in good spirits. She raised a finger and pointed to the sky. “The gods are real.”

  Silence drifted between them, and Slea leaned against Min, fiddling with her thumb and muttering. “You will make it back, we will. I want to go back too.”

  “Yes, we will,” Min murmured. “It just… Slea. If I decide that we have a better chance of going through the Gateway with just us, then I would not hesitate to bring it up with the others. I owe James and Floundea, of course. I want the best for them—but, I’m not selfless enough to risk not seeing my fiancé again.”

  What was she supposed to say to that?

  Selfless…

  Is she selfless? Slea wanted to see her parents again, and so many people back home. But if she created a weighing scale between her desire to go back to them and the Tiefling’s freedom… She wants the Tiefling to have more freedom.

  Slea jolted up, the realization brimming inside her. Now she sounded like Noa and Pito. Those two publicly declared they wanted the best for the Tiefling. Pito willingly left them to go with Desha, and Noa overcame his cowardice and got strong for the sake of the Tiefling.

  What of Reki? Slea thought Reki actually quite enjoys being here. The others might not see it, but Slea spent quite a lot of time with Reki when they were cracking runes with the Tieflings, chatting with them, and understanding their culture and lives.

  What about Suna?

  Well, there’s no way for her to have any idea. But he was indeed someone who adapted to the world faster than anyone else. If she had to guess, he probably would want to fight.

  Yes, she did not have to worry. Min would be outvoted anyway.

  “I get it, Min,” Slea said. “When that time comes, then I—”

  “Slea! Slea! And the other human! Where are they!”

  A voice shouted out, panicked and full of despair.

  “I’m here!” Slea called out, running toward the source, which was one of the Runebearers—Joan.

  Min slunk behind her, and they met the pale face of the Runebearer.

  “James is dead,” the Runebearer suddenly declared.

  “What?” Min squeaked.

  James? Dead? That force of nature? Floundea had warned Slea repeatedly that if James turned on them, then there was almost nothing she could do. That’s just how powerful the Thiefmaster was…

  And he was dead.

  “How? How did you know?” Min demanded in a half-shout.

  “The quest tells us!” Joan said, then gestured around, where around them Tieflings began to chatter, and their voice carried a strained worry that rippled across the makeshift camp.

  Now, Floundea was their only hope for their own planet.

  “Come on, both of you,” Joan said, “Floundea calls for both of you.”

  Slea looked at Min, who was dazed. Min had spent a brief time training with James, so she must have taken this quite a bit…

  “Let’s go,”

  Slea nodded and followed Joan.

  What happened to the others then? Reki, Noa, and Suna. Did they survive?

  Anger flared inside Slea. Anger at Floundea—why did she waste time?

  “Judging by the timing, we wouldn’t make it there anyway,” Min said beside her as they ran.

  Slea gave her a tight nod.

  They went inside the tent, and the twelve Runebearers were already there.

  Floundea’s camp was sparse, since it was just a quickly erected tent. So there were not many inside except a makeshift bed where the new Tiefling—Jack sat, with that strange shadow spear across his lap.

  Jack had his hands on his head and muttered. “I shouldn’t have left them.”

  He softly cursed and stood abruptly, leaving Floundea, who was naked, covered by a blanket.

  “Jack,” Escanor, one of the Runebearers, laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “We will talk about strategy now.”

  “Let me go,” Jack shrugged off Escanor roughly, and suddenly, that spear he held blared with dark flame that spiraled around the Tiefling.

  Slea tensed; she could sense that flame. It was different from the Pyreflame some Undead used. It was much more dangerous, an aspect of darkness and flame that somehow mixed together.

  Floundea calmly stood, letting the blanket drape on the ground below.

  Slea could see her Thiefmaster's gait was… nervous. Nervous about that flame.

  That was dangerous. That Tiefling was dangerous.

  “Even if you left earlier, you would not make it in time,” Floundea said.

  The Runebearers, all eleven of them, discreetly filed close to Floundea.

  Slea could tell they did not want to insult this Jack, who made it back to them, but the threat this Tiefling posed…

  “Which was why I shouldn’t have gone…”

  Jack raised his hand. Forming a fist and letting it fall.

  Floundea pushed aside Escanor in front of her and wrapped her body around Jack in a hug despite the complaints of the Runebearers behind her.

  “I owe the human who saved me, Floundea. I know he was about to face this Godknight, but I—I want to see you more.” Jack choked out, ashamed of himself; tears flowed down his face.

  “And I will be forever honored, dear husband,” Floundea said. “And don’t lose hope yet. This doesn’t mean he is dead.”

  “I know,” Jack said. “I know.”

  “Floundea!” Slea stepped up. She glanced at the gathering Runebearers. All twelve of them. Now with James dead, and possibly most of the third’s Runebearers, everyone in this room held the biggest power on their side. “Send me to go,”

  Floundea’s hug around James loosened, and she stared at her.

  Slea hated how hesitation was so clear behind those eyes.

  “If I die, then my whole race will have to endure until another chance like this comes. Which possibly never will.” Floundea said, then in a soft, small voice, she muttered. “Oh, James, you fool…”

  “All the more reason we pour everything against this Godknight,” Min said, standing beside Slea. “Based on information from Jack, the Godknight possibly holds the same power as the necromancer, both at level 70.”

  Slea nodded along, despite knowing that did not mean this [Undead Godknight] was the same threat as the [Necromancer]. One could raise the dead, and the others couldn’t, after all. Not to mention, it seemed the [Undead Godknight] served the king and was under his command.

  That damn king.

  “A strike force, Floundea,” Jack said, clenching his hand on Floundea’s shoulder.

  “I agree with Jack,” Escanor declared, striding forward and taking Jack's side by standing beside him. “I will go with him.”

  “And I too,” another Runebearer said.

  Slea saw Moldert and Joshua step beside them.

  Floundea crossed her arms and sighed. “No need for this.”

  “Floundea!” Jack complained.

  Floundea held up a hand as Slea was about to join in.

  “Everyone is going. Break the camp. Spread the scouts. I want this Knight to be found, and we will kill him.”