Death's Favorite Child

36. Adventuring

Two hundred kilometers south from the capital of the Alampra Kingdom are located the ruins of the biggest temple to Goddess Iris in this kingdom. A temple that was destroyed 1000 years ago after the Great War and now lies in ruins. Most of the Beast people had evacuated the nearby villages after the Goddess opened a gate through her temple. Anyone left was taken as a slave or went to hiding, since they didn't know how to reach their tribe members anymore. The temple was razed to the ground, and the soldiers of the God of Light took all valuables as spoils of the war.

Over the past 1000 years, nature has reclaimed this area. As it is mana-rich, it gradually became a dent of monsters. Lured by the prospect of finding hidden treasures and magical artifacts within the ruins, groups of adventurers would come to this area from time to time. Hunting a few monsters would pay for the trip, while finding some hidden treasure would be the golden ticket.

One such C-rank group was 'The Razers'. A group of four adventures, two male and two female, all in their late teens. While the group was a C-rank, their equipment was shabby and their clothes worn out. This was not because they were not good at their job but because they refused to take the more lucrative jobs, such as escorting slavers, hunting runaway slaves, smuggling stolen goods, or protecting criminals.

"Hey Pit, are we setting camp already? We haven't found a single beast today. At this rate, we'll have to eat a herb soup again!" the female rogue, Joan, asked the male leader of the group.

"Tsk. Is it my fault? You are a rogue and a scout! You are supposed to find the beasts!" Pit replied, clearly irritated.

Lana, the group's female mage, chuckled and cast a spell to flatten the area around them for camping. Rey, the group's shield-bearer, started silently gathering wood for the fire. Pit and Joan were constantly at each other's throats since Joan claimed the leader position.

As they started setting the camping equipment, a flash of light blinded them from a couple of kilometers away, near the abandoned temple. Although the light source was so far, it was so strong that it made them all stagger for a moment. The four adventurers looked at each other with a smile plastered on their faces. Only an artifact could make this flash in the middle of the night. If they were lucky, they could be rich and set for life. They quickly packed their staff and dashed towards the temple.

Daniel and Alis found themselves in the middle of a clearing. It was obvious that adventurers used this place to camp. There was no light source around as far as they could see.

"Tsk," Daniel said as he realized how far they were from the closest settlement. He looked at the stars and oriented himself. The gate is south of the Capital of Alampra, so he must move north.

"Hmm. Human. What- what should I call you now that we are in the human territories? Calling you human might get confusing if we meet more humans!" Alis spoke after emptying her stomach, affected by the teleportation magic.

Daniel threw her a waterskin and replied,

"Daniel, for now."

"Where will we go from here?" she followed up.

"Home," Daniel replied reluctantly.

"Where is home?" she asked again.

Daniel, visibly irritated, answered,

"North."

Alis looked at the human glaring at her and realized that it wasn't the language barrier that kept him from talking with her. 'It's going to be a long trip,' she thought.

Then, she remembered how the human single-handedly destroyed an entire army of Lizard Warriors and Champions. He even killed a Lizard General. Although she knew that his divine powers played a significant role, it was clear that this person was a mighty warrior. His fighting style was refined and based on fluid movements, agility, and lethal blows. If they would spend lots of time together, it was a unique opportunity for her!