It’s been two months since Jeremy’s great mistake back in Felispar, and still, to this day, he regretted it. It was an accident, but he still got sent to this backwater station, noble or not. He sighed and drooped his shoulders as he folded his cards.

He looked across the small wooden table at the mother misfits unfortunate enough to be placed at ‘The wall.’ The great divide that holds the ‘monsters’ at bay. Meriah fiddled with her spectacles and was definitely trying to cheat somehow. Belgrate was half asleep, and Kendri was trying to drink his life away.

He mentally rolled his eyes as he saw his next hand. It was hard to believe all of the horror stories of The Wall when nothing ever happened. Every single day was the same. Wake up, clean your bunk, go to morning training, then ‘defend our land’.

There was never any defending; it was always just sitting around and wasting the day away. A solid 90% of the personnel stationed here weren’t fit to be in any part of the army. This is where they sent everybody who were the rejects.

He stared at Meriah. Without her flaws, she would be a fine soldier. She was lean, physically in shape, and followed orders well. She just had the tendency to panic.

“Fold.” Jeremy said as he threw his card down.

Meriah’s spectacles shifted down her small nose as she gave a small grin.

“I’m all in!” She exclaimed.

“Fold.” Said a drunk Kendri.

Looking at Kendri, that was enough to realize why he was here—a severe alcoholic.

“Fold.” Belgrate sleepily muttered.

Jeremy thought that Belgrate could be a good solder as well, if only he weren’t late to everything and generally lazy. When he actually tried, he was above average in spars, and his ability augmented his unarmed strikes.

Meriah’s grin slipped off her face as she glumly raked in the small pile of copper coins to her side of the table. Jeremy tilted his head back and sighed.

This was boring.

“Hey!”

Three card players instantly sat straight. Jeremy adopted a stoic face and straightened his shoulders. Meriah hastily slid the cards and coins off the table into her small Bag of Holding as Belgrate’s sleepy, narrow eyes sprung wide.

Kendri just took another drink.

Jeremy watched the small staircase in anticipation of Wall Commander Timberson, but after a few seconds, he never appeared.

“Hey! You four!” The voice rang out once more.

Jeremy strained his ears and realized that this was not the dreaded voice of Wall Commander Timberson but an unfamiliar one. He narrowed his eyes as looked around the table at his compatriots. They were also growing looks of confusion.

“Down here!”

Jeremy leaned through the gap of one of the crenellations and looked down, spotting a figure dressed in an astonishingly well-made white robe with delicate silver filigreed lining. A hefty tome hung from his waist by a metal chain.

A priest?

He paused as he took in the figure. The white hood clouded any facial features, but the voice was masculine.

After a long, awkward silence and staring contest, Meriah also leaned over the side of the wall. She instantly wailed with an ear-piercing scream, causing Jeremy to clench his hands and cover his ears.

The figure down below just drooped his shoulders and looked down at the ground.

“Monster attack!” Meriah wailed as she toppled out of her chair and ran towards an old rusty bell stationed every few hundred feet along The Wall.

“Wait! Stop, you idiot!” Jeremy angrily spat as he tried to grab Meriah.

Meriah didn’t seem to be in any state of coherence as she body-checked the bell, causing it to send out a loud, low vibrating thrum through the air.

Jeremy stood next to the wailing and frightened Meriah for a few seconds, trying his best not to lose his noble cool. He failed.

“Meriah, you fucking idiot! It’s one person! You rang the fucking bell, you absolute fucking imbecile! Wall Commander Timberson is going to nail us to the wall itself! I’m never going to get to leave this fucking post!”

Jeremy’s impressive litany of curses and listing of misfortunes ground to a halt as Belgrate tried to speak up.

Jeremy snapped again as he spun towards Belgrate, hearing his sleepy murmurs.

“WHAT!”

Belgrate sheepishly pointed down at the figure with a slightly trembling finger.

“He’s on the wrong side of the wall.”

Jeremy stopped dead in his tracks and lost all of his anger. He looked from the now wide-awake Belgrate to the hysterical Meriah as the reality of the situation dawned on him.

“Oh.”

---

I tried my best.

That was the only thought Lee had when he heard the ringing of the bell and the absolute piercing wail from up above.

He had hoped for an accessible entrance past the wall. But, after scouting around the base for a bit, there was no easy way to pass. The wall was made of solid blocks of gray stone. There were no handhelds or loose bricks. There were some heavy-duty iron doors every few hundred feet, but if he had to guess, they only opened from the inside.

This left him with no option to bypass the wall easily. So, instead, Lee found a spot where some of the guards were and tried to be civil and friendly.

He heard the yelling of a man from up above, mouth about as bad as a sailor.

“Hey! I’m a Human! A healer! There are no monsters!” Lee yelled out.

Soon, a head popped out over the top of the wall, and a young man with shaggy blonde hair shouted back.

“I am Jeremy Blight, third son of Jeremiah Blight, Lord of Felispar. Speak your peace!”

Lee didn’t know who, what, or where that was, but if Jeremy’s father was a Lord, that meant he was a noble?

This could either be a chance at peace or a disaster.

Lee lowered his hood, revealing his face, and gave a wave and an awkward bow. He then said something he wished would never be spoken of, as it was very embarrassing.

“I am Lee Barnes, first son of Steve Barnes, common born. I seek entrance into the Kingdom of Thexis.”

Lee usually wouldn’t have been too upset with the skill Identify being used on him, but the skill didn't come from Jeremy. Lee instantly swiveled his head to the right and cast Aquavista, targeting the location of the failed attempt.

A swirling blue pool of water materialized in front of Lee, and as soon as the water lens calmed, he got a view of an older gentleman with a swirling mustache in his forties, closing a metal tube and tucking it into his waistband.

Lee used Identify himself.

Lee paused momentarily, realizing that this was the first time he had used Identify successfully on another person. He slightly admired the accuracy of the description given to Humans as he watched Tomas Timberson stride hastily down the wall toward the group of guards above him.

He canceled his cast of Aquavista, causing the water to fall to the ground and create a puddle on the vibrant green grass.

Tomas Timberson must have been a higher rank than the four above him, as the only thing he heard from up above was a vicious talking down.

“YOU MAGGOTS! THE BELL HAS BEEN RUNG! MAY DEATH HAVE MERCY ON YOUR POOR AND PATHETIC SOULS. GET OUT OF MY SIGHT THIS INSTANT, OR YOU WILL CLEAN THE LATRENES FOR THE MONTHS TO COME.”

Lee awkwardly stood in his small puddle of water as he tried not to feel sorry for those up above. After a few more expletives launched at the younger group of guards, Tomas’s head popped over the side of the wall. He coughed and twirled his mustache as he spoke with confidence but also with respect.

“Sir Genesis of Healing and Worker of Miracles. I am Wall Commander Timberson, Commander of the Wall of Shadows. I am terribly sorry for the commotion caused by my wards. Please meet with me by the door on your right, I will be down in just a moment to discuss your circumstances.”

Lee mentally cringed as he realized he forgot to turn off his titles. At least they seemed to help out in this scenario, but he would turn them off the second he was past this wall. He nodded and made his way to the sturdy steel door.

After a few moments, the door made a series of clicks and clangs. Slowly, the door opened towards him, revealing Wall Commander Timberson. Lee decided to break the ice; he also wanted to be honest.

“Hello. My name is Lee Barnes, and I am a healer. I come from Neldam, home of the Dark Elves. I am a Human and wish to enter the Kingdom of Thexis to spread my healing magics.”

Tomas gave a small salute and stood to the side, gesturing for Lee to enter.

“That can be arranged, but first, I must ask some questions before you are able to enter. It’s a matter of security.”

Well, it’s not like I expected anything less.

Lee entered into the doorway and followed after Wall Commander Timberland through the narrow passages of stone. It smelled of mildew and was quite damp inside, causing Lee to cover his nose.

After a minute of following Tomas, they entered into a small room, no more than 10x10 feet. It had a rough wooden desk, papers, quills, ink, and other random office supplies. Lee sat down in the open chair as Tomas sat at the desk. Tomas twirled his mustache once more as he started his questioning.

“Firstly, I must ask some control questions. Is your name Lee Barnes?”

Lee stilled in his seat and looked confused.

Control questions?

After an awkward pause, Lee simply answered.

“Yes.”

A small orb on the side of the desk, about the size of a closed fist, morphed from its formerly gray stone color into a pale blue.

Oh. This is Ruven 2.0.