When Aura first chose to become a firefighter, it had been because she wanted to save other people. In doing so, it would mean that she would be pushed to her limits both physically and mentally. It had been hard work doing so, but she managed to accomplish her dream. And while she had only been one for around a year, she had witnessed things that would stick with her forever.

  Even those sights didn’t compare to what she witnessed on entering this horrible place deep inside of the Giant Spiders den. Seeing people, mostly women, stripped and reduced to incubators had been terrible. And while they killed the monster responsible for it, there had been a cost to be paid. So, while she felt a sense of accomplishment with each woman they freed, the numb feeling persisted. Kaelen had not been the first person she had seen die, but his death felt different.

  It was not just her emotions feeling so numb that kept her from dwelling on that, but her exhaustion as well. By her best guess, it was around midday. Despite that, it had been a long one. While the wounds on her body spoke of heavy injuries, the exacts escaped her. So, in between lowering one of the captive women down after the webbing had been burned off, she checked her character sheet. Seeing her HP listed as [30/180] was a wakeup call. The fight had been a close one, and had Violet not done as they did... She refused to think of that.

  Given that she was in her character sheet, she also checked the strange thing she had noticed during that brief lull during the fight. Not only did she confirm that her ATU somehow went up five points to 35, but she still had the unassigned stat points from leveling up as well.

  So, it didn’t auto assign my points. I wonder, when I chose Mage it said that I’d get one ATU point per level. Did it count that retroactively or something? Maybe if I had not focused on it so much and boosted my AGI I could have…

  Aura shook her head to get rid of those intrusive thoughts, causing the human ladder of Maul, herself, and Ryse to wobble a little bit. That served as a better distraction, and she brought her focus away from both blaming herself and everything game-like of this world. Which included the flashing notification symbol in the corner of her vision.

  Slowly and carefully, they worked together to free all the captives. Unlike both Calen and Jackie, they stir after being freed and lowered to the ground. Their eyes were still empty, and they remained nonverbal. But they walked out of sight with Violet on reaching the ground. And she listened to them being checked over as well. She knew her own wounds needed treatment. While they weren’t bleeding, they were giving off a constant aching pain.

  Eventually, the last of the captive people were freed from the webbing. There were still various beasts and the like bound in the webbing, but nobody seemed to be particularly interested in freeing them. Dismantling their human ladder took some figuring out, and when it was her turn to kneel so Ryse could get off her shoulders, the exhaustion hit Aura hard. Violet was by her side quickly and was already chanting her Wound Closure spell. Letting out a groan of relief as the wound on her stomach was mostly healed, she glanced Violet’s way.

  “Thanks, but you should be focusing on getting the captives healed up.”

  Preparing to stand up, a gentle hand on her shoulder kept her from doing so. Locking eyes with Violet, there was a serious expression on their face.

  “They are all fine. Well, not really fine, but they aren’t injured or anything. Jackie and Calen had some cuts on them, but you and Maul look terrible. He’s applying his own poultice, so for now you are my priority. So please kneel here while I put some poultice on you. I… really don’t want to have to use my skill to force you.”

  With words that broker no disagreement, Aura sighed lightly and followed Violet’s desires. Part of her wanted to argue, to say that she doesn’t deserve the healing being offered. But she pushed that part down. While she was exhausted and numb, she had enough mental awareness to not get lost in her depression. The rescue was not yet done, as they needed to get all these people back to Fortress.

  Lifting her arms as directed to allow poultice to be applied to her sides, she became very aware just how tattered her armor is. The sides were gone, as was a good chunk covering her stomach. A fair bit of her skin was showing, meaning that as she lifted her arms it rode up and her breasts threatened to spill out. It was not that surprising, as the armor was just a padded tunic after all. The fact that it held up as well as it did was a miracle. Whether or not it was still offering protection, she decided to play it safe and not change into the normal tunic.

  “Alright, I split the poultice between both of your sides. Just try not to let your arms fall too much so you don’t rub it away.”

  As Violet finished up, Aura was about to ask about some cloth to cover the wounds. On seeing the various freed captives just standing around listlessly, she held her tongue. Something she had not noticed was that Violet seemed to have handed out the various scraps of cloth to them for covering. It was not much, but it at least served to protect their modesty. Which, given how they were behaving may be all they really had left.

  Standing up, she caught both Maul and Ryse standing nearby. As they made their way over, Violet returned her Leather Gloves and Boots. She was about to protest but lost the chance on reaching the men. She noticed how both men’s eyes roamed her figure briefly, but that was the extent of it all. Before she got the chance to speak, Maul beat her to it.

  “We need to take care of some things before we head out of here. I was speaking with Ryse, and he says that you all hadn’t yet been taught your people’s funeral rites yet.”

  She blinked in surprise, as the topic was not what she expected it to be. It took some effort to not lock eyes with Ryse, so she nodded in confirmation. Without bodies to bury, the funeral rites for this world were obviously going to be different. With her confirmation, Maul gestured for them all to follow and they head back towards where Kaelen had disappeared. Not only were his armor and weapons resting on the ground, but a variety of items were scattered about. From the light stone he had used constantly, to the remains of the food that they had been given before setting out on this mission.

  “Back in Fortress, if you die of illness or old age then your belongings are simply gathered and redistributed. However, for us Soldiers it was different. Dying in combat was a sign of weakness, but also a message to your fellows to grow stronger. As such, the other Soldiers will stand vigil until the dead was gone. After which, they will each take one possession from the dead. On taking that possession, they will swear to use it so that they do not die as well.”

  The funeral rite had Aura’s gut twist in discomfort, pushing numbness away. It was both a pragmatic but somewhat disrespectful funeral rite. But in a world as harsh as this one had proven to be, pragmatism was probably needed. Herself, Ryse, and Violet watched as Maul demonstrates, crouching down and taking the empty gloves and swearing upon them.

  He stepped aside once done and invited them all to do so as well. Ryse approached next, taking the discarded sling. As he swore upon it, he softly added in his condolences and a farewell. It was more polite than emotional, which was not too surprising since the two barely knew each other. Seeing Violet’s hesitation, Aura crouched down above the discarded items. Breathing deeply to keep her emotions intact, she grabbed the discarded light stone.

  “Kaelen… I am so sorry… I swear that… that I will somehow tell your friends how brave you were. And I swear I will do my best to make sure that nobody else suffers this fate.”

  Her own swearing, or rather her oath, was a soft whisper. Even as she said it, she knew that it may not be one she could keep. Squeezing the Light Stone tightly, both it and her oath would be a reminder of what happened today. Both serving as motivation, to ensure that she tried to keep as many people safe as she could.

  Stepping back Violet approached next, uncertainty in their expression. Looking everything over, they eventually took the discarded Stone Club. As the oath was made, they mix in an apology and a farewell. It was only a combination of exhaustion and having already cried too much that kept them from breaking down again. After standing up, Maul nodded briefly before taking them all aside for a bit to continue the conversation.

  “Alright. The next thing we need to do is distribute everything we got from all of this. At this point, I am sure that… my father is nearly here. He won’t force any of us to part with what we got, but if he brought other Soldiers beyond his squad with him, they may give us a hard time.”

  While Aura had been ready to leave everything to either rot or be taken care of later, she must admit that Maul was speaking pragmatically. Everything they have been through had clearly affected him. His tone even sounded of distrust as he spoke of his father. Either way, she had no issues with distributing the loot now. Nor did Violet and Ryse, though the latter pointed out a very noticeable drop.

  “Just as a suggestion, maybe we should offer that to Fortress? He may expect something for coming out here to rescue us, even if we didn’t need it. And as far as I’ve seen meat is not really that plentiful.”

  He was pointing towards where she had finished off the Broodweaver. While there were somethings on the ground, the obvious drop was the thorax of the monster. Still covered in that chitinous white shell, the rest of the monster had dissolved and left it behind. Just looking at it, the places where anything connected to it disappeared were smoothly gone, leaving behind what looked like butcher perfect cuts. There was a fair bit of protein in it, but the thought of eating it caused her stomach to turn.

  “That’s probably not a bad idea. The chitin could be used by him as well. That aside, let’s see what we all got.”

  With Maul confirming the idea, they began to gather the few drops that were scattered around the room. While the other three Giant Spiders had dropped their Essence Crystals, which were bigger than the normal Giant Spider, only the Silkweaver that Kaelen had been fighting gave an extra drop. It is a chunk of chitin, with one side of it was covered in sticky webbing. Then, from the Broodweaver, beyond the flesh and Essence Crystal, two additional drops had been left.

  One of them looked to be the shattered remains of the chitin that had covered the more humanoid part of the monster. The other, was quite a bit odder. While it looked like one of the things fangs, there was a handle to it made of more chitin. Looking at it, the shape was not the same as when it had been inside of the monster’s head. Violet took both into their inventory, as they had all the other drops, and announced that they were called Shattered Royal Cuirass and Weaver’s Fang.

  The vast number of Essence Crystals were easy enough to distribute. One-hundred and four spiders were killed by them collectively, Kaelen included, and not including the Broodweaver. As such, each of them got five Giant Spider, 20 Evolving Giant Spider, and one of the either Venom or Silkweaver’s crystals. While she killed it, Ryse ended up getting the Mana Giant Spider’s crystal, which Aura doesn’t argue. He was the reason the monster evolved that way after all. Which just left the four unique items, and the variety of other Giant Spider pieces to distribute.

  “Given how… poorly that one night hunt went for you all. I am guessing that Aura didn’t end up getting any special drops. So, I think she should get two of these more unique items.”

  While Aura had no preference on the matter, it seemed that Ryse had a different opinion. He was right that during that failed night, they had not been able to gather any drops. But getting any extra loot from all this was never her real goal. Before she could protest Violet nodded in agreement, and Maul spoke up.

  “He’s right, for more than that. When I claimed this weapon, I already knew that I wouldn’t be getting as much of the loot. Were… were things different then maybe it would not be the case. But I think you should take an extra item here Aura.”

  They were clearly being careful about talking about Kaelen, something she appreciated. And with all three of them seeming to agree on the matter, it would be rude to refuse. Looking over the four more unique items, her eyes fell onto the Shattered Royal Cuirass. Even though it was in pieces, it was obviously meant for a slender body shape. Getting it fixed would not be easy, but if she didn’t then Violet would probably be forced to take it. Adding the pieces to her inventory, she also snagged the strange webbed up piece of chitin as well. That way, even if she couldn’t get the Cuirass repaired easily something could possibly be made from this.

  After taking her two items, she watched as Ryse went not for the Weaver’s Fang, but for the bundle of silk that had dropped from the Mana Giant Spider. Which left just the fang turned dagger for Violet, who took it with a look of uncertainty. With the big items and Essence Crystals done, it was just the random other Giant Spider parts that remain. They all got a few chunks of the chitin, with Violet getting the intact fang.

  With the loot now distributed, Maul took the hunk of flesh that they all agreed upon presenting to Fortress and stored it in his inventory. It made the most sense, considering the relationship between the two of them. And thinking about it, Aura was sure that even though she was the one who really formed this whole expedition, that Maul would be given credit. With all the business done one thing was certain; The time to get out of these caves had come.

  While the freed captives were standing around listlessly, they listened when spoken to. Looking them over Aura counted fifteen of them total, not counting the still unresponsive Calen and Jackie. The two of them were laid onto the ground after being lowered and have had their modesty restored as best as possible. Looking at the two of them, she doesn’t hesitate to pick Jackie up. She didn’t do a fireman’s carry, but rather a cradle carry to help preserve the other girl’s modesty.

  With her own STR being as high as possible for a normal person, Jackie’s weight was not a strain. When combined with her own exhaustion and injures, that was likely to change as time went on. Maul came over as well, picking up Calen in the way she had corrected him in back on that first night. The two of them exchanged a glance and nod, before he spoke up.

  “Alright, it’s time to get moving. Aura and I will be at the front of the pack leading the way. Ryse, Violet I want you two in the back to make sure nobody gets caught on the walls. Everyone else, form a line and follow behind us.”

  The way he took command told Aura that, much like Calen, Maul had a natural talent for it. There was exhaustion in his voice, even as he did well to hide it by being loud. And looking at his injured chest, he was probably still in pain. Sure, there was a layer of poultice covering his wounds getting to work. But unlike how she took damage in various parts of her body, all his damage was to the chest. While his wounds were not critical anymore, just from the depth of some of them had he taken much more damage, bone would be visible.

  A clearing throat had her gaze torn away from his damaged chest and looking at his face. He had an amused expression and clearly caught her staring. She doesn’t stammer out an apology or even act embarrassed at being caught. Between her exhaustion and the numb feeling, her gaze had been purely clinical. With a small nod, she turned from him and made her way towards the exit from this nightmarish chamber. Before leaving she glanced one last time to where Kaelen’s remaining items lay. Taking it in what would probably be for the last time, she mentally restated that vow she made.

  Much like when they first made their way to the depths of these tunnels, the journey was done without much talking. While she felt the poultice getting to work on her sides, which was doing wonders for her stamina, more talking would only exhaust her further. The only sounds were the shuffling of the newly freed captives, and a muttered conversation coming from the back of the line where Ryse and Violet were quietly speaking. Aura noticed the distinct lack of the smaller spiders that had been covering the walls before. Given that they had killed what was essentially their queen it wasn’t too surprising.

  After a time, the glow of the web covered walls cuts off for a time. Soon enough that opening to even deeper into the earth, to the entrance of the [Insect Kingdom] dungeon was within sight. The question of where the tiny spiders had been retreating to was answered at the sight of the walls. Pitch black from their bodies, all the small spiders were moving down and into the dungeon itself.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  So, they retreat down there when the bigger monsters that keep them safe are gone? It makes sense I guess, since I can imagine that some of the animals will break free from the webbing and attack when they are able to. But… but what if they aren’t retreating but going to get help? Maybe they aren’t doing it intentionally, but the bigger Spiders were smart enough to make traps, to plan things. If there is anything smart down there, which there probably is, then they will know what this means.

  Plus, Maul has mentioned before that new insect monsters come by every year. So even if these little spiders don’t cause bigger ones to come this way, then something else will come through eventually. And then… and then this cycle will start all over again.

  Glancing down into her arms, where Jackie’s unresponsive form was cradled, her gaze locked onto the bloated stomach of the girl. It wasn’t just her, but the procession of women walking behind them as well. All their gazes were empty, and they have been rendered non-verbal from what they went through. While Fortress was likely somewhat responsible, the monsters were just as much. And then, her mind flashed towards Kaelen and how he had been slain by one of them. The numbness started to retreat from her, a heat rising within. On reaching the opening she came to a stop, something that Maul noticed quickly.

  “Maul… I think we need to change our formation. While nothing has been able to get us from behind before, something could come up from down there.”

  Gesturing with her head to the dungeon entrance, Aura watched as Maul frowned on gazing at it. He had an uneasy look on his face as he took in the retreating spiders, one of his hands instinctively reaching for the basic Stone Club on his waist. The procession had stopped with them, and there was a questioning call from the back. She ignored it as she waited for his response.

  “You are probably right. Going forwards from here we will need to be more careful. Are you fine to go to the back then? Are you going to pass her off?”

  “Yes, I should be fine. I think… that I will pass Jackie off as well. Not for long, just enough to let my arms rest a bit.”

  Keeping her tone flat was a challenge as the heat rose with in her, and given the strange look Maul gave her, Aura knew something about her expression was giving away what she was feeling. Still, he nodded in capitulation and said that he would wait until someone else came forwards to resume the walk. And with that, she gave him a nod before heading to the back of the procession.

  The women allowed her to pass without word, and some of them were starting to stand a little straighter. The light was gradually starting to come back to their eyes as they realized they were free at last. This only made that heat within her rise further.

  I won’t let it happen again.

  Reaching the back of the procession, both Ryse and Violet looked worried when they saw her approach. Given how everything had stopped moving without a word, she couldn’t blame them for doing so. Before they got the chance to question what was going on, she turned to Ryse and spoke up.

  “We’ve reached that hole leading to that dungeon entrance. All the smaller spiders are flooding down into it, so we need someone to watch the back going forwards. Head up to the front and start walking alongside Maul, I’ll be taking your place back here.”

  Her words, and the small fervor in them, stop any questions that may have been forming. She watched as the two exchanged look for a moment before, with a small nod, Ryse walked past her and made his way towards Maul. Violet was giving her a worried look as she took a place beside them.

  “Aura, is everything okay? Maul didn’t do any—.”

  “Everything is fine Violet. He didn’t do anything.”

  Shutting down the implications behind that question, it was after a couple of minutes pass that the procession started moving once more. Violet wanted to say something, but that they seemed to be unsure of how to phrase it. As they pass by the gave entrance, Aura approached Violet and pressed the still unresponsive Jackie into their arms.

  “Aura, why are you—.”

  “Violet, I need you to trust me. I’m… I’m going to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again. So, take Jackie and keep moving with everyone else. I promise, I will catch up okay.”

  The fervor was leaking into her voice more, and even now she was trembling. That heat within her was threatening to burst out, and she watched as Violet swallowed heavily after locking eyes for a moment. Nodding, they took Jackie from her carry and did their best to mimic it before slowly starting to catch up with the retreating procession. She watched them go, mentally counting for a minute, before turning her attention to the cave entrance.

  Stepping inside, the sound of her heart pounding in her chest filled her ears. Being at this precipice to a dungeon, a dungeon that was responsible for those monsters. Monsters which kidnapped, raped, killed, and who knew what other things caused that heat to rise. The image of Kaelen impaled, of Jackie and Calen captured, all of it gave her assurance that what she was doing was right.

  Through her anger she knew that she’d only have one shot at this. So, finally acknowledging the flashing icon she saw exactly what kind of notifications were waiting for her.

  Seeing the notifications, while they were useful, they would not serve well for what she needed to do. Dismissing them with a wave of her hand, she went to her Menu and brought up her Character Sheet. She briefly noticed that her HP had gone up to [86/180] and her MP was at [6/20]. While the former was good to know, it was the latter she was focused on. Not only that, but seeing that she still had unassigned stat points, she pushed all five of them into her STR, bringing it up to thirty.

  Whatever change there might have been she didn’t notice right away, for she was as ready as she could be. Taking her Stone Club in hand, she stepped into the tunnel until she was just at the threshold of the slope. Then, turning to the wall, she took a trembling breath before gripping her club tight and crashing it into the tunnel. Specifically, in the area where the roof began to slant downwards with the path.

  The crash of stone on stone caused a reverberation to travel through her arms. And with the poison having faded a while ago it wasn’t the most pleasant sensation. Still, she continued to bash her club into the juncture, the smaller spiders fleeing and the sound of her attacks ringing out. It was after a dozen of such strikes that some rocks began to chunk off and fall to the ground. Another dozen had dust falling from the ceiling. And while she was panting hard and sweating now, that fire of anger was also starting to die out.

  Bringing the club back, Aura took a deep breath to focus on her Mana before pushing it into the weapon as she called out.

  “Crushing Blow!”

  Her words echo for a moment before the attack carried through and struck the tunnel. There was a sound of an explosion, not from the tunnel, but from her club. Between all the fighting that had been done, and being used as an improvised torch, the stress had become too much for her weapon and the attack pushed it over the edge. The shrapnel that hit her face stung, but the crack that formed in the ceiling of the tunnel were enough to tell her that she had to move.

  Stumbling back into the webbed tunnel, she watched as chunks of rock began to fall as the crack spread further. Doing this was dangerous and could well lead to these tunnels they were in collapsing. And while the crack was spreading, it wasn’t coming this way just yet, so she figured they have time. It was to the sound of rocks hitting the ground that she turned and made her way back to the group. The fire inside her burned out, with a cool satisfaction taking place alongside her rising exhaustion. After all, she may have just prevented more monsters from coming through.

  Catching up with Violet took a little while, as Aura had been attacking the wall for longer than she thought. They asked concernedly what happened, and why she had stayed back. She doesn’t answer and instead simply took Jackie from their grasp and continued to march along. A bit of an awkward silence followed, with Violet eventually breaking it with some whispered words.

  “Aura… can you tell me what things were like for you before all of this?”

  Through the exhaustion, a small smile worked its way onto her face. Remembering how she had been unable to hear what Ryse and Violet had been discussing earlier, and considering how the women walking still seemed listless, there was no harm in telling a bit of her life. And, glancing down at Jackie, maybe it would help her come out of this traumatized state she was in.

  So, as they walk, Aura spoke of her life before this game in a hushed tone. Some of it was retellings from the brief times they had spoken before, but it was all soothing for her to say. Doing so caused her exhaustion to rise a little bit, but she felt lighter while doing so. After talking for an hour, based on her Mana regeneration, that lightness disappeared.

  The notification that popped up was simple but caused both her and Violet to stumble a bit. Sharing a look with each other first and then looking at the procession it doesn’t appear that anybody had suddenly fallen over and died. And the lack of sounds of conflict ahead meant that Maul and Ryse probably had not run into anything either. Still, the notification was ominous, and both quickly grew guarded.

  After walking for a while longer, sounds started to echo from further ahead in the tunnel. The sounds were that of shouting, and occasional shrieking. There was no call out from Maul or Ryse yet, but before too long, when the tunnel began to widen as they approach that first chamber, a firm voice became distinct.

  “Maul?! Maul, it looks like you’ve survived.”

  The voice of Fortress, firm but booming, echoed through the tunnels. The sound of a cheer was let out shortly afterwards, hiding whatever else was being said. Aura watched Violet grow pale, before her open mouth became a thin line. Instead, they continue to follow the onwards procession. On reaching the cavern, it was to a rather brutal sight.

  Soldiers were in the cavern, some of them scaling the walls and bashing the silk webbed cocoons that likely held animals. They were attacking them with glee until the cocoons deflated, before tearing them open for the contents inside. As the various women have begun to walk in, they have been ushered to the sides. Any earlier changes in their demeanor have reverted as they keep their heads down. At the center of it all meanwhile, surrounded by his men, was Fortress. He was speaking with Maul, exclaiming how proud he was that he survived. As she and Violet enter the chamber, he looked their way.

  A chill ran down her spine from the look, from the blatant hunger in his eyes. He and his men were making it obvious that they were ogling her, and part of her regrated not having put on that normal tunic right now. While his gaze briefly flickered towards Violet and Jackie, it was mainly focused on her.

  “Well, it looks like you managed to survive as well. And while not unscathed, I’m sure you provided some excellent… motivation for Maul here. It’s good to see that you are learning your place.”

  He then turned to Maul once more, giving him a proud smile. Maul looked to be a mixture of emotions, pride at being acknowledged so heavily, but also some measure of anxiety for what was being said as well. The fact that any anxiety was there caused Aura’s chest to grow warm. It was a vast difference from the arrogant man she had first encountered.

  After the procession was completed, Fortress called out and got the attention of the various Soldiers. He declared that Maul personally lead an extermination out here and killed the lead Spider monster. Hoisting the chunk of flesh that they had intended to give as a sign of respect up, he declared that while it would be early, that the traditional “Slumbering Night” celebration would be held tomorrow. The cheers that rose had Aura wince rom the volume, and that chill that ran down her spine on entering returned.

  Of course, they couldn’t hold the celebration here. So, Fortress ordered all the soldiers to descend so that they could begin to march back. As they hasten to do so, some of them got in one last smack at one of the captured animals. It was then that she realized why exactly that primary objective had failed. While they had saved all the captive humans from the Giant Spiders and their brood, they had ignored the animals entirely.

  A bit of organized chaos followed, with all the Soldiers getting into formation. Looking them over, she recognized that most of them were from the older groups of Soldiers. With some of them even being the ones that had refused to train her unless she essentially put out. And while all of them were looking at her with leering eyes, their expressions were disgusted as well. Considering just how much filth she was covered in, that was probably her only saving grace.

  As far as the formation itself, Aura found herself closer towards the center, with all the former captives. It was only the fact that Ryse, who was now carrying Calen, and Violet were nearby, with Maul just ahead and being spoken to by his father, that she felt any level of comfort with what was going on. The formation began moving then, taking a much brisker pace than they had. And with all the monsters dead, caution was no longer needed.

  It was after another hour, at least according to her Mana regeneration, that they step out of the stuffy caves and into the open air once more. The sun was shining bright in the sky, and in this pit mine surrounded by white silky webs she felt a bit hotter than normal. There wasn’t much time to relish the fresh air and warmth, as the formation continued to move. Surprisingly, there were a series of worn wooden ramps leading out of the tunnels. She listened to Fortress exclaiming to Maul how the ramps were used whenever an extermination hunt happened. Mainly to help bring any injured Soldiers to safety.

  After escaping the mine, another notification symbol appeared in her vision. It was greyed out, which added onto the unease she had been feeling since encountering all the Soldiers. After all, the symbol had only ever been grey when she was in danger. And with all the leering eyes on her right now, that feeling of danger was certain.

  Despite her worries, nothing happened as the last of the soldiers left the tunnels. While the wooden ramps were packed up, she took the restful moment to withdraw some of the grains that Violet had gotten from Taryn. The tasteless grains crunched unpleasantly in her mouth, but between the clenching in her stomach and what was looking be a long march ahead of them, she figured she needed the energy.

  And, as she expected, once the wooden ramps were up Fortress set them on a hard march back towards the settlement. With how surrounded they were by other Soldiers, as well as with how loudly they were conversing, talking with Ryse or Violet was next to impossible. She occasionally caught Maul looking back her way, which caused Fortress to do so as well and give her that grin that sent chills down her spine. It went far to reassure her that at the first opportunity she needed to get out of Fortress. And glancing towards Violet, they feel the same.

  Making those kinds of plans would have to be put off, for as the march through the wilds continued her exhaustion only grew. While her wounds were mostly healed, leg notwithstanding, with all the fighting and emotional turmoil of today a large part of her just wanted to collapse and sleep. But, doing so would mean handing the still unresponsive Jackie off to someone else. So, she pushed her fatigue aside and marched along as best she could, focusing all her energy inwards to keep herself going.

  Night fell before they reached Fortress, the light of the moon providing illumination for their journey. Having been silently marching along, it took Violet grabbing her shoulder before she came to a stop with everyone else. The other Soldiers that had been marching were exhausted as well, based on their expressions anyways.

  “Alright men, we have made it back home. I’m sure that this extermination was not what you were expecting, but it is still cause to celebrate! You should have a Runner waiting at each of your barracks with a meal, so eat it and then rest well for tomorrow.”

  At his call, there was a cheer before the various soldiers began to disperse. While they do so, they didn’t get in the way of Fortress who was standing tall at the front of the procession. As they disperse, she spotted the Matron weaving her way through the crowd and towards him. The conversation they have was hushed, and it was too dark to read any expressions. After a nod from the Matron, she approached the formerly captive women one at a time and said something to them in a hushed tone. The women then began to listlessly walk away, and soon enough all that remained were Fortress’s group, the Matron, and her own group.

  “Hmph, the three of you look terrible. You especially girl, you look like you are ready to collapse. The both of you can hand off your friends to the Matron, she will get them taken care of.”

  Fortress spoke up, his tone brokering no argument. Aura met his eyes briefly, and there was anticipation in his gaze. As if he wanted her to argue once again. Considering what happened last time, she refused to rise to the bait. And while it was a little worrying to pass Jackie off, the Matron was probably her best choice. It was a little surprising to see the once more hunched over woman taking both Jackie and Calen with ease but considering the armor she had been wearing on confronting them, being a former soldier was likely.

  “Now, for the three of you… We will discuss what the future holds for you after the celebration. Know this, for all anyone is concerned you did this under Maul’s command. It was his idea to undertake this early extermination. Understood?”

  From his position next to Fortress, Maul shifted uncomfortably at that statement. Aura knew better than to expect him to dispute his father, and while the crowd had dispersed the chill she felt had only grew. It could be from the fact that her armor was in tatters, but the glare Fortress gave contributed. After herself, Ryse, and Violet give a verbal understanding, the glare relaxed and Fortress’s expression turned dismissive.

  “Good. Now, girl, you’ve clearly taken a beating. While there are no Herbalists awake right now, you are to head to the building and rest there for the night. I can smell you from here, and we do not need your squad waking. You other two, head back to your bunkhouses. As I said, we will talk more later.”

  And with those words, Fortress and his squad turn and began to walk away. Maul was forced to go along with them, due to his father’s hand on his shoulder. And soon enough it was just the three of them standing in the cool night air.

  “We… should probably do as he says right now. I don’t want to imagine what he might do if we don’t listen.”

  Violet was the one who spoke up, her voice as timid as that first day. A clearly unnerved Ryse agrees, leaving her with no choice to as well. The two of them silently walked alongside her as they head to the Herbalists shop, and with knowledge of sleep so close her exhaustion really started to kick in. One of them, she wasn’t sure who, ended up catching her from falling forwards. Meanwhile, the other quickly moved beneath her arm and supported her as they walk. With vision fading in and out, it was only when she felt herself being laid down on a table that it became too much and exhaustion finally claimed her.