The Smoke Brigade was out of Zenken less than half an hour after the altercation with Averin, marching in perfect formation. They watched the residents of the city begin to repair the damage done with dubious looks, and Jerik knew they were wondering if they shouldn’t stay to help. Several of them looked back at their commander as if seeking guidance, but Jerik remained expressionless, giving nothing of his own thoughts away. And so they continued on, remaining silent until they were outside the city.

“Now?” Morgan asked, drawing level with Jerik.

“Not until we’re out of sight,” Jerik replied with a shake of his head. “I want Magnus to think we’re going through the mountains.”

“You think he’d dare ambush a platoon on his own?” She asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“We’re hardly the size of an actual platoon,” Jerik pointed out.

She gave a slight nod. “That’s true. But still, we should outnumber him at this point. And we’re highly trained.”

“Either way, I don’t want to give him the chance. We’ll get into the forest, and then we’ll teleport ahead.”

“Alright.”

She rode away to join Nicholas and started a quiet conversation with him. Jerik saw the young man smile at what she said and leaned closer to reply. Those two had grown closer, he thought, watching them now. Definitely an odd pair, the eager young man and the cool, calculated woman in her mid-twenties. But it also kind of worked in his eyes, and he could see them forming a bonding relationship. Of course, his interest in the prospect was minimal, but it was still interesting to consider.

“Not jealous, I hope.”

Benji had managed to draw level with him and get within arm’s reach without his noticing. He gave a small jump of surprise and turned to face her. “What?”

Benji inclined her head in the pair’s direction. “Not jealous of them, are you?”

“Of course not,” he said with a snort. “What about you? Nick’s your age, isn’t he?”

“You really think I’m that young?”

“It’s not like he’s a child. He’s nineteen, right?”

“Never thought to ask. It’s taboo, after all.”

She leaned back in her saddle, supporting her weight with arms on the horse’s rump. Of all the people in the platoon, save for perhaps Morgan, she was the best rider. She rode the motion of the horse easily, swaying loosely and with a relaxed grip in the legs. Jerik couldn’t hope to match her. He sat like a rock. He didn’t do anything to make the horse uncomfortable, but it wasn’t his preferred method of travel for sure.

“I’m not the type to get jealous,” he said, returning his attention to Morgan and Nick. “Emotions aren’t really my thing.”

“I noticed.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, wondering if she was possibly bitter about that. They’d had no hint of intimacy after their night together in the settlement, but she’d remained her usual friendly self, treating him as affably as ever. He’d expected her to be shy or distraught at his cold, uncaring demeanor, but she was unfazed. He was quietly grateful that she hadn’t started the ‘we need to talk about last night' conversation. That was definitely an experience he didn’t want or need.

“Is it hard?” She asked suddenly. When she caught sight of his confused expression, she elaborated, “Is it hard to struggle with emotions so much?”

“Sometimes,” he said slowly. “It’d probably get easier with practice, but I don’t care to try.”

She hummed thoughtfully at that but said nothing more. A long stretch of silence fell over them, and they both kept their eyes looking forward. Jerik wondered if the awkwardness was felt on her side. He supposed it would be a fitting emotion, even if he couldn’t sense it himself. Perhaps he should say something to break the ice and move to a more pleasant topic. But before he could, Katrina called out for her sister, and she moved ahead, leaving Jerik to his own thoughts once again.

Still perhaps twenty minutes to go until they reached the forest, he thought. In the real world, he’d use such a stretch of free time to read a book or listen to some music. But neither luxury existed in Menora, of course. He wondered briefly, as he’d done before, what Earth was like in their absence. Ten thousand people going missing on the same night was bound to draw some attention, after all. Had there been a search party launched? Surely there were plenty of distraught parents missing their children.

That thought led to another, one he was surprised he hadn’t recognized before. There were no children taken from Earth when they’d been summoned. At the very least, each person had been eighteen or older. Well, that was hardly surprising. Children weren’t good choices when it came to fighting a war. None of them had aged in Menora, either. They’d been summoned with the same appearance they’d had on earth, and their bodies remained constant. Hair didn’t grow, and they didn’t grow hungry or thirsty.

He thought of his apartment on Earth, which was bound to be inhabited by a new tenant by now. He’d been estranged from his family for years before disappearing. There were several reasons for that, he reflected, the biggest of all being his condition. Raising a child with sociopathy had to be a challenge. No affection. No empathy. It became even harder to maintain their fragile connection after he’d graduated college and joined the Marines. When he’d returned, his family had been strangers.

A spot of darkness flashed across his field of vision, and he looked up, surprised to find himself under a tree. He’d spent so much time in silent thought that they’d reached the forest without him noticing. He looked back over his shoulder to see if anyone was following, and saw nothing but a clear road. Well, time to go. He let out a piercing whistle to get the others to stop and swung down from his horse.

“Let’s get started,” he called to Morgan. “I’ll go through with the front squad and establish a defensive line.”

She nodded her understanding and dismounted as well, directing the majority of the front squad to move off to the side. She began drawing a teleportation circle even as they moved over to form up, checking and loading their weapons. If they had to fight right at the start, they would be ready. Likewise, Jerik readied the rifle Benji had given him, pulling back the slide to make sure he was ready. Then he activated his helmet and stood ready. Morgan finished the circle and stood erect to give him a small nod.

“Good luck,” she said, raising her hands. She muttered an incantation, and his field of vision was flooded with light. An instant later, it cleared, and he blinked, finding himself on the road on the far side of the forest, standing in front of the large open plains that took up most of the continent.

“Eyes open,” he warned the others, activating his suit’s magnetic flight and hovering a few feet above them. The western side of the plains was particularly dangerous. “Call out anything you spot.”

Once he was sure that there weren’t any immediate threats, he pulled Paragon off of his back and replaced it with the rifle. Nicholas had made modifications to Paragon while they’d rested in Haven, making the weapon much lighter and reducing its recoil. He was perfectly capable of holding it and firing while flying now, with nothing more than a slight sway.

Through the scope of the rifle, he could make out several signs of movement in the tall grass to either side. He didn’t fire at any of them, for they showed no sign of moving closer to the front squad, but memorized their position and continued scanning. He did shoot down a few lions that were prowling hopefully in the direction of the body of the troops. Several of the front squad looked around in mild interest, wondering what he’d killed.

“Don’t get distracted,” he ordered, his aim moving on. “Tek lion approaching from ten o’clock.”

They swiveled their rifles in that direction, looking for what he’d sighted. A moment later, the beast came into view, crouched low and sniffing the air curiously. It was only Rare-Class, but it was reinforced, which gave it extra defensive power. At once, several rifles in the line began firing, and the lion fell quickly. Jerik was satisfied to notice that those with lower-powered rifles hadn’t bothered to waste their ammunition, knowing that their weapons weren’t capable of inflicting any damage. Their discipline was still excellent, even after the break in Haven.

Other monsters approached, no doubt drawn by the sound of the gunfire. Jerik took care of a stray wyvern that had ventured too far from the mountain, shooting it down before most of the others were even aware of its presence. But they continued to hold a steady position without any major challenges, and more members were arriving every ten minutes. Within an hour, everyone had crossed over and Morgan had sat in the back of the last cart, exhausted by the chain of teleportation spells.

“Let’s keep moving,” Jerik said. “We should make contact with the Menoran army in three hours.”

He remained in the air as a scout until the actual scouts were in place, then flew ahead, picking the optimal route. It was a peaceful march, especially when compared to the chaotic past few days they’d enjoyed. Nothing more than Rare-Class monsters crossed their paths, and he was able to deal with the majority of them before they could reach the platoon.

About half an hour through the journey, he started to notice that the number of monsters in the area was much lower than normal. That perplexed him, as he remembered the past times that he’d crossed through the area. It was supposedly home to a dense population of monsters, nearly enough to make it a raid zone. But he could only see evidence of a couple dozen, even with Athena’s increased vision.

“Where did all the monsters go?” He said quietly to himself. Then, to the command group via intercom, he said, “Monster population is a lot lower than expected. Any ideas?”

A few seconds of silent consideration, then Nick suggested, “Maybe the army’s presence nearby scared them off.”

“Could be a natural result of player movement too,” Benji added. “We’ve killed hundreds by now. Maybe we’re slowly purging them all.”

“I doubt it,” Jerik said. “Every monster I’ve seen is moving in the same direction.”

“Towards the Western Mountains?” Morgan guessed.

“Yeah,” Jerik confirmed, the fact only just sinking in for him. “That’s even more strange. Why do you think that is?”

Again, several seconds of silence elapsed before he got a reply. Predictably, it was Morgan who gave it. “I have an idea, but I don’t like it.”

“And that is?”

“I think they’re regrouping. They’re all moving towards the mountain, right as we begin our march to confront and kill Kan-Menora? It’s too much of a coincidence.”

“That’s a good point,” Katrina said, speaking for the first time. “We already know that he’s got control of them. Maybe he’s amassing an army to stop us.”

“But he’s never done that before,” Jerik said. “When the Golden Dawn went after him, their path was clear until they reached the raid zone.”

“Well, scout ahead and see,” Morgan suggested. “Find out where they’re going. If there’s an army, then we’ll have to speed up the training of our own forces. They’ll have to learn to fight as a single force if we want to stand a chance.”

“That’s a good point,” Jerik agreed. “Alright, I’ll fly ahead. Call me if you encounter any trouble.”