The next morning, Finn woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. Rubbing his eyes, he saw the clock hanging on the wall next to his bed, indicating that it wasn't time to leave yet.
"It's 5 in the morning... who could be?" Finn wondered, getting up and walking to the door.
Opening the door, Finn saw Lornar and his group smiling broadly, who walked in without question.
"Good morning, Finn!" Lornar greeted, sitting down on the bed. "I see you had a drink yesterday. You left a mess at the door."
"Drink? I don't drink..." Finn replied, confused. He then looked at the door. It had some strange marks on it, like scratches made by nails. "What the heck is this?" Finn wondered, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"And I see Darwin had fun too!" Lornar said again, touching the bracelet and opening the page of My Tale.
"Why didn't you tell us you had met a descendant of a giant!? We would have gone with you!" exclaimed halordim, pointing to a picture.
Finn approached, seeing a post from Darwin where he was with noona at the lake, followed by hundreds of comments. Then he saw another post below, also from Darwin, that said: Tamed.
"Didn't they say anything to you for showing nude images?" asked Finn, seeing noona naked at the lake.
"Why would they? Several adventurers have posted images of themselves, and there haven't been any problems!" exclaimed klamli, showing a post of a naked woman in her 30s with a long list of her skills and magic under the photo, followed by a message that said: Looking for class B groups with open spots for female magicians, only groups from the Blacklion guild.
'It's like applying for a job, but instead of dressing formally, the idiots undress' Finn thought, sighing before touching his chest with a grimace. The stabbing pains in his chest became more constant and painful.
"Are you okay, Finn?" Klamli asked, seeing Finn's grimace.
"Uh, yeah, it's just that I fell down drunk yesterday and ended up hitting my chest. I think I got a bruise" Finn lied, and the dwarves nodded, laughing.
"HAHAHA, it's happened to me several times!" Duraz laughed.
"When you get so drunk, there are times you even lose consciousness. We found Zarasiss once in the middle of a stable in Snowvein; a horse had messed him up!" Lornar laughed, remembering those moments.
"Hey, I told you not to tell that!" Zarasiss shouted angrily.
The dwarves continued talking and laughing for a few minutes until a knock on the door caught their attention. It was Darwin, who was wearing a victorious and confident smile.
"Oh, but look who's here! It's the giant-fucker, our dear friend Darwin!" Lornar exclaimed happily.
"How was it, kid? Wasn't it too much meat for you?!" Duraz asked, and Darwin simply shrugged without losing his smile.
"What can I say… I'm a beast" Darwin replied, throwing his armband to Duraz, which had dozens of images and videos of him and Noona.
"Was it useful?" Finn asked subtly, referring to the slime.
"More than useful, this thing made Noona fall at my feet!" Darwin exclaimed, whispering as he handed the slime back to Finn. "And don't worry, I made sure to clean it well in the lake, I even put soap on it."
"I'm glad it was useful, but next time get yours… now we have to start packing. We'll be leaving in just over an hour" Finn said, pointing to some luggage, which belonged to the dwarves, who were already ready to leave.
—
At 8 a.m., everyone had left the village heading for Everland; they were only four days away. The dwarves and wizards in the wagon were still preoccupied with the bracelet, as was Darwin, who was answering all sorts of questions about his encounter with Noona.
The journey was peaceful for most of the adventurers, except for Finn, who still felt the pang in his chest. It wasn't as strong as the one he'd felt that morning, but it was constant and uncomfortable. He had also noticed that the mark had grown, covering much of his chest and almost reaching his shoulders.
"Darwin, Finn, yesterday you met a giant in these lands. Did she tell you about her migration?" Rodrick asked, since it wasn't normal for a Giant to move from his home, much less to such a distant and different place.
"Yes, she said it was because of the monsters in the Southern Kingdoms. Noona said she couldn't be safe being alone there" Finn explained, and Rodrick nodded.
"And she didn't tell you why in these lands specifically? The Firorn Kingdom isn't known for accepting other races" Rodrick said.
"I didn't ask her. I left a little earlier than Darwin…" Finn said, unsure why Noona came to Firorn.
Rodrick turned to look at Darwin, who was still engrossed in the screen.
"Darwin?" Rodrick called again.
"Uh? Oh, right! Noona said she tried to go to other kingdoms like Dawnia and Wayport, but she couldn't stay for more than a week. Wayport immediately expelled her, and Dawnia began to hunt her down. She also tried to go to the Animalia Kingdom, but it was simply too hot. She said she had no choice but to hide here…" Darwin explained.
"I understand…" Rodrick nodded, analyzing the information. 'They don't even accept giants in Dawnia? And why did the elves expel the giant? I thought they were on good terms…'
"Sir… Will we reveal the information about Noona's whereabouts?" Darwin asked seriously.
"Obviously, it's our obligation to expel unwanted races for the queen" Reynolds replied, nodding along with his group and the hunters.
"We won't…" Rodrick replied, surprising the adventurers.
"But sir, it's our duty!" Ava exclaimed.
"On March 17th, two years ago, the queen declared that any adventurer who failed to fulfill their role properly and hindered their team should be arrested and eliminated as punishment. Should we kill you and your team? You broke both of those rules" Rodrick asked back.
Ava fell silent at Rodrick's response, tightening her grip on the reins.
"The queen isn't… she's not exactly sane, okay? If she remains in power today, it's because of her former husband, the King, and the great influence she has with the dukes and the elders" Rodrick revealed. "To this day, her word is still law, but don't take too much notice of what she says; put more importance on the teachings of your masters."
"But wouldn't that be going against the kingdom and its leaders?" Lucy asked, confused.
"If we had followed the Queen's orders from her last years to the letter, we would be at war with the Animalia Kingdom by now" Rodrick revealed, surprising everyone.
"Just because someone is on the throne doesn't mean they're wise and kind. Have you ever seen Merlin sit on a throne?" Rodrick asked. "The greatest example of that is our Queen, Graciella, and the current King of the Dawnia Kingdom, Orlando."
The adventurers nodded, knowing full well the history of Orlando and Dawnia. What was once a prosperous and beautiful Kingdom is now nothing more than a military and lifeless Kingdom.
"So no, we won't report anything and let that… Noona, continue living peacefully" Rodrick said.
"Who would have thought… You have a kind side!" Lornar laughed.
"Tch, it's not all rules and fights…" Rodrick replied with a slight smile.
—
The group continued traveling until nightfall, where they stopped at the edge of the forest to form a small camp. The groups quickly settled into different parts of the forest. The Bluegate adventurers had positioned themselves a little further away from the others. The Slayers stood a few feet away from Rodrick and the Blacklion mages, while Finn and Darwin stood a few feet away from the dwarves.
As the night wore on, the breeze and the cold grew more intense, and with them came a strange fragrance and mist that would ensure everyone stayed asleep. From the mist, a female figure slowly emerged and stopped right in front of Finn. It was the same girl who had visited him a while ago.
"Long time no see, dear" the girl said, bending down to Finn and stroking his hair. "I've been trying to visit you as promised, but it's getting harder and harder... and that strange wooden wall yesterday also prevented me from seeing you... Don't go into those places again, okay?"
The girl lay on Finn's chest, gently caressing him and peeking under his shirt to see the mark, which was glowing brightly, and noticing Finn's heavy, labored breathing.
"Oh, my poor love, look at you, suffering for your own noble heart. Who would have thought it would be your soul that would betray you like that? Life is so unfair, but don't worry... I'm here now, and I'm not leaving without you" the girl said, taking Finn's face and giving him a kiss.
As the kiss continued, Finn's mark receded and the pain decreased, but at the same time other faint lines appeared from the mark to Finn's face, ending at his lips, becoming more and more intense.
Within minutes, the girl tightened her grip on Finn and deepened their kiss. The mark on Finn's chest had receded to where Finn had first seen it, but the marks on his neck and face intensified, glowing a deep black. Little by little, a light blue color appeared from the mark, slowly rising through Finn's black marks.
Just as the light blue color was about to reach Finn's lips and completely replace the black marks, a sword flew out, slamming into a tree just above the girl's head, scaring her enough to make her back away.
"Stop, you're killing him!" Lornar shouted, his hand outstretched, but without turning to look at the girl. The scream alerted everyone, who began to wake up quickly.
The girl fell onto her back in fear, looking at Lornar and then Finn, before running away, disappearing into the mist.
"What's wrong?" Ava asked in confusion, rubbing her sleepy eyes, but all she got in response was Finn's deep cough.
"COUGH… COUGH… COUGH!!!" Finn's cough caught the adventurers' attention as he struggled to stand, clutching his throat and chest.
Finn held his throat, gasping for air, and clutched his own chest, trying to relieve the pressure inside him. Darwin immediately stood up, seeing the strange blue marks on Finn's neck that were receding toward his chest slowly.
"What's wrong with him!?" Darwin asked, worried, not knowing what the marks were. By then, Rodrick had also stood up and approached Finn.
"A nymph!" Lornar replied, approaching Finn and lifting his shirtsleeve. "Back off!" Lornar ordered, and black marks began to appear on his arm.
Seeing the marks, Rodrick held Finn tightly before saying, "This is going to hurt, but you have to hold on!" Then he nodded at Lornar.
Lornar placed his hand on Finn's back, emitting a strange vapor as if it were burning something. Finn tried to wriggle out of Rodrick's grip due to the pain he felt, but after a few seconds, Finn yelled in pain, and the marks instantly receded, allowing Finn to breathe again.
"AGHH!" Finn moaned before taking a deep breath.
Rodrick finally released Finn, leaving him on the grass. He then looked at Lornar, who was visibly shaken.
"The wretch almost took Finn's soul…" Lornar explained, lying down on the grass. "If it weren't for Freyja's protection, I wouldn't have been able to save Finn…" Lornar took out a strange necklace that had a stone with a rune on it.
"His soul!? Why would she want his soul?!" Darwin asked, taking a water bottle out of his backpack and handing it to Finn.
"She didn't want it, she wanted Finn as such" Rodrick explained, earning everyone's interest. "It's not uncommon for Nymphs to care for and fall in love with adventurers, but sometimes this love turns into obsession, making their emotions for adventurers very strong. But this doesn't usually happen with normal adventurers; it usually only happens with explorers" Rodrick explained.
"Like Finn…" Darwin said, and Lornar nodded.
"But then why only Finn? Why not Darwin?" Ava asked.
"Because of purity, Nymphs notice the purity of adventurers' hearts. She must have seen that Finn had a purer heart than Darwin… a much purer one, enough to become obsessed with him so quickly" Duraz explained.
"Is she coming back?" Darwin asked, and Lornar shook his head.
"Not for the moment, and even if she comes back, she won't be able to get close to Finn again. I've made sure of that" Lornar said.
"That thing you did to me... is it to keep her away?" Finn asked tiredly.
"Yeah, it's a simple protection, but it'll do the job," Lornar said.
"Sigh… Fuck, I almost died and I couldn't even defend myself…" Finn said, touching his chest. The feeling of pressure had already disappeared.
—
After that incident, the remaining three days passed quickly and without any problems. Things returned to normal, and there were no sightings of the nymph anywhere.
At 4 p.m., the group arrived at a city almost twice the size of any town they had passed on their journey. At first glance, the city had neglected stone roads and large wooden houses in poor condition due to termites. At the entrance to the city, there was a large, arched structure made of stone, somewhat poorly maintained due to its age and neglect. At the top of the arch was a wooden sign, also in poor condition due to termites and rain, with the word "Everland" written on it.
Rodrick guided the wagon into the city without worrying about being inspected by the city guards. The city seemed more like a ghost town; there was no sign of a single person or animal other than the rats. Traveling along the stone paths in the wagon, Finn could see that all the houses seemed to have been abandoned for years, and vegetation had already taken over every structure in the city.
"Is this Everland? I thought it would be more lived-in" Gellen said, disappointed.
"Or at least show signs of life" Salma said.
"Don't despair. This is just the old city; the new one is right up ahead" Rodrick said, pointing toward a road leading out of the city.
At the end of the road, the adventurers could see another arch like the one at the city entrance, but this one was in good condition and very well decorated.
"Everland… how strange, there's an entrance, but no city" John said, reading the sign.
However, as soon as they passed the entrance, everyone could see how the surroundings distorted, and the panorama in front of them changed completely. Rodrick turned to look at the adventurers with a smile, seeing their astonished gazes at the vast city hidden behind the entrance.
"An illusion spell in such a large city!?" Charles asked incredulously.
"Sigh, this is my second time here, but it's still just as impressive as the first" Lornar said, taking off his Viking helmet.
The entire city was a single road that connected to itself, forming a large circle with a huge well in the middle and stairs leading down into the well. The city was filled with shops, hotels, parks, and traveling merchants who only cared to supply the adventurers who passed through.
"As simple and as beautiful as ever" Klamli said.
"Is this the city with the dungeon?" Darwin asked.
"Yes, but no" Halordim said, pointing toward the well. "This is nothing more than the deck where adventurers come to buy and stock up. The real city is down there... that's where the danger lies."
Halordim took a piece of bread he had and threw it toward the well. Everyone watched as the piece bounced and hovered above the well as if gravity had no effect on it.
"Nothing goes in and nothing comes out. That's the shield that prevents the monsters from coming out if they were to kill everyone down there" Rodrick said.
"Have they already come close to doing it?" Reynolds asked curiously.
"They already did it once," Rodrick revealed as he headed toward a hotel. "That's why they put up the shield, so no monsters would leave the dungeon again."
Rodrick stopped in front of a hotel, tying the horses in a small stable and leaving the wagon to one side of the stable.
"Okay, this is our last stop. Get a room, get some rest, and meet me at that establishment tomorrow at 8 a.m." Rodrick ordered, pointing to a place that appeared to be a restaurant. "Understood?" he asked, and everyone nodded.
They quickly dispersed with their respective groups, leaving only Finn and Darwin in front of the hotel.
"Okay, we're finally here. There's no turning back" Finn thought.