"Listen to me! I'm the most qualified to lead this army!"

An adult male drow warrior shouted as he quarreled with another adventurer.

"I'm the oldest and most experienced! I will lead this army!"

The old male dwarf archer retorted.

"You're both unqualified! I used to belong to the Hero's Party and defeated the traitor Hero himself! So, I will bring this army to glory!"

Another adventurer, an adult male elf swordsman, interrupted them, claiming authority as the commander of the army of adventurers.

"You? Defeated the Hero? Don't make me laugh!"

The drow warrior remarked, smirking at the elf swordsman.

"What did you say? I dare you to say that again!" the elf swordsman shouted, brandishing his sword in a threatening manner.

 

Aria looked at the squabbling men and sighed, holding Layla.

"Are we going to find mommy?"

Layla asked, looking at Aria with excited eyes. Aria looked back at her and squatted to face the little elf girl.

"We'll find her, okay? But what is your mom's name?" Aria asked the child.

"Do-Do... Mommy is mommy!"

Layla exclaimed, not knowing her mom's real name. Aria chuckled in confusion, half-expecting the child not to know her parent's real name.

"Okay, but do you know what she looks like?"

Aria asked, trying her best to help Layla. The child thought for a moment and explained as best she could.

"Mom is tall," she said, raising her arms and standing on her tiptoes to indicate height.

"She has long ears," she added, pulling on her own long ears.

"She has long black hair." Layla touched her short black hair and looked at it.

"That could be anyone..." Aria sighed, looking at the poor child.

 

"That awfully sounds like someone I know!" A human female mage chimed in, having overheard their conversation.

Aria looked at the human mage who sat down in front of the child.

"Is your mom's name Dorothy?" the human mage casually asked.

Layla lit up as she remembered. "Yes! Mommy is Dorithee!" Layla exclaimed as her elf ears moves in excitement.

Aria was taken aback and turned to the human mage.

"Dorothy? As in Dorothiel Aephine?" Aria asked with curious eyes.

"What's with this girl?" The human mage thought to herself. She sighed and answered, "Yeah, that's her. Do you know her?"

Aria suddenly stood up. "Where is she? Wait, she has a kid?" Aria asked, her mind a whirlwind of confusion.

"Calm down, sis. Yeah, I was in her party. I'm Julia, by the way, thanks for asking," Julia replied with her usual sass.

"Wait, is she okay? Where is she?" Aria asked again, her thoughts starting to clear. Julia looked at Aria and pointed at the golem.

"As I've told the guild administrator, Dorothy and two of our party members are right there, fighting the golem. I'm heading there as soon as they give the signal to advance."

Aria looked at the golem, unable to sigh in relief as she still didn't know if Dorothy was okay. A gentle tug on Aria's clothes made her look down at Layla, who was holding onto her.

"Where's mommy?" Layla asked softly.

Aria squatted down again and patted Layla's head. "We're going to see mommy soon, okay?" Aria assured Layla, who smiled at her in expectation.

"I'm sorry about earlier, and thank you, Julia. I'm Alice, by the way," Aria introduced herself, extending her hand to Julia.

"Don't worry, Alice. I'm sure Dorothy is fine," Julia responded, shaking Alice's hand. "And besides, I'm sure she'll be beyond overjoyed to see her kid cured of the blight," Julia added. "By the way, do you know what happened? Why did the blight suddenly disappear?" Julia suddenly asked as she got curious.

Aria didn't want to lie anymore and risked herself as she told Julia that it was the Dark Goddess who cleared the blight. Julia looked at Aria and decided to believe her. Julia sensed that Aria knew more than she was letting on but ultimately decided to let it be for now.

"The important thing is that the blight is no more!" Julia happily remarked.

 

A voice suddenly rang out from the guild administrator who stood on a makeshift stage.

"Greetings, my brave adventurers. I will now give the command for our upcoming battle," the guild administrator began. "Steel-ranked and above will fight the golem while the lower ranks shall stay and provide support," he ordered. "Gold-ranked adventurers will lead their own parties of five, with silver and steel ranks," he commanded. "As we discussed before, the plan is to take down the golem's legs and kill whoever or whatever controls it. Coordinate your attacks!" the guild administrator urged the adventurers.

 

Finally, he began his speech. "My brave adventurers. In front of us lies a monster golem, unlike anything we've seen in the history of Solandis. The last war was against the Demon General, six years ago, and I know some of you witnessed that event firsthand. Please lend us your strength once again. I urge you, mighty adventurers, fight as one! Today we shall bring down that monstrosity, bring glory, and go down in history as heroes!" The guild administrator shouted with dignity and determination in his heart as he delivered his speech.

A deafening roar of a war cry echoed as the adventurers were empowered. It wasn't the guild administrator's mundane speech that stirred them, but the promise of glory and rewards. The guild administrator, moved by the sight of the adventurers' enthusiasm, felt a tear welling up in his eye. He believed that his speech had indeed inspired them. The adventurers then readied themselves and advanced towards the golem with enthusiasm.

 

Aria, who was Bronze-ranked, couldn't go against the guild administrator's orders like she almost did when she came to the Blighted Town alone. And perhaps also because she had Dorothy's child with her. Left with no choice, she stayed behind.

"Don't worry, I'll bring Dorothy and the others back," Julia, who knew Aria's predicament, assured her, hoping to alleviate some of her worry.

Aria nodded at Julia, who then left. Aria held Layla's hand tightly, causing Layla to look at Aria with worry.

 

* * *

 

On top of the golem's right shoulder, Carwen stared into the lifeless eyes of Elbereth's severed head, she laughs hysterically mixed with tears as she cradled it in her arms. In the midst of her madness, she inadvertently let go of the red orb, allowing it to roll on the ground. Calanis, filled with disgust, looked upon Carwen with disdain.

"You have outlived your usefulness, worm!" she declared, snatching the red orb from her.

Asmodea observed the scene with a twisted smile, while Wynn and the others watched in horror.

 

Calanis shifted her attention to the enemies before her, her eyes devoid of compassion.

"I am a Queen of mercy. I shall give you one chance," she taunted, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Prostrate yourselves before me and recognize me as your Queen, and I shall reward you."

Ruda responded stoically, knocking her mechanical gauntlets together, producing sparks. "Not in a million years, old hag!" Iris, in her true beastman form, assumed an offensive stance, while Dorothy readied her minicrossbow, reloading it. Wynn also took an offensive stance, defiantly proclaiming, "I'd rather die than bow to scum." Thalia remained silent, prepared for the impending battle.

 

Asmodea scoffed at their words, while Calanis found amusement in their defiance.

"Famous last words," she sneered.

Before any of them could react, Calanis consumed the red orb, breaking it apart bit by bit. She grimaced, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief. Surprised by her actions, Wynn and the others watched as Calanis chanted in an ancient language, commanding the golem. Suddenly, the golem starts to move again.

 

Wynn, Dorothy, and their companions mobilized to stop Calanis, but Thalia intercepted them.

"I'll take her on. Stop that woman!" Wynn exclaimed as he lunged at Thalia, engaging her in a fierce swordfight.

Iris, Ruda, and Dorothy launched simultaneous attacks on Calanis, but she effortlessly dodged their strikes. Ruda attempted to punch Calanis, but Calanis swiftly grabbed her face and slammed her head into the ground, rendering her unconscious. Iris hurled her spear with lightning speed, only to have it caught by Calanis, who hurled it back at Iris with even greater force. The spear impaled Iris through her stomach, pinning her to the golem's neck and knocking her unconscious. Calanis then turned her attention to Dorothy, but a canister rolled at her feet, releasing smoke and obstructing her vision. Calanis, experienced in dealing with such tactics, screamed, dispersing the smoke and blasting Dorothy away, rendering her unconscious as well. Satisfied with her victory over the three adventurers, Calanis composed herself, fixing her hair, and mocked Thalia,

"Do you need help, darling?". Thalia grunts in response.

 

As Wynn witnessed Dorothy and her comrades fall, he summoned all his strength to overpower Thalia, pushing her back. Seizing an opportunity, Wynn unleashed a barrage of multi-sword combo attacks upon Thalia, surprising her with his power and speed. It felt as if she was fighting someone familiar, though she couldn't recall who. As Thalia struggled to dodge and block the onslaught, Wynn finally landed a blow to her helmet, shattering the face guard. With half of the helmet still intact, Thalia's face was revealed and Wynn recognized her.

"You... you're with the hero," he uttered, staring at her expressionless face in shock.

But his moment of hesitation proved fatal, as he blinked when he felt a gust of wind pass through him. Wynn suddenly grew cold and collapsed to the ground, a diagonal slash across his torso, severing his platinum necklace in the process.

As Calanis surveyed the defenseless Sylvenspire castle, she heard a snide remark from Asmodea, the dark goddess.

"Saving them for a later snack?" Asmodea taunted, observing Calanis' hesitation to finish off the adventurers.

Calanis turned to face the dark goddess and knelt before her. "If it is the will of my goddess, it shall be done," she proclaimed. Asmodea smiled at Calanis and gave her permission to proceed, knowing Calanis had a voracious appetite.

"Carry on," she responded.

 

Calanis stood back up and commanded the golem Balsathor, "Destroy this unsightly castle!"

With a slow and deliberate movement, the golem raised its left arm and delivered a powerful punch, demolishing the castle with a thunderous boom. The once majestic Sylvenspire castle crumbled to dust, leaving only the lower half standing. Calanis prepared to finish the job, but to her surprise, the golem suddenly slowed down, its movements becoming sluggish. She looked down and saw a group of mage adventurers casting a slow spell on the golem in unison.

"Annoying worms!," Calanis muttered, annoyed by their interference.

 

As Calanis moved to retaliate, she heard the sounds of impact from below. Looking down, she saw a cluster of adventurers attacking the golem's leg. Anger welled up within her, and she cast a spell from her red book, preparing to unleash a powerful offensive attack. However, before she could finish chanting, flying mages attacked her with ranged magic, impaling her with frost and rock spikes. Furious, Calanis tried to erect a barrier, but then she noticed a grappling hook planted beside her.

 

Without warning, Ruda delivered a powerful punch to Calanis' face, utilizing the propelling force of the grappling hook to gain momentum coupled with her mechanical gauntlet's destructive power. The force of the punch caused Calanis' head to rotate to the opposite side. Enraged, she attempted to stab Ruda with her hand, but both of her arms were swiftly severed by Iris and Wynn. With her head turned to the opposite side, Calanis locked gazes with Dorothy, who had her mini crossbow aimed at her. Without time to speak, she was shot straight between the eyes with a holy bolt. Calanis screamed as she burned with holy flames.