Level Up: Voidwalker

[Al-Mawt al-Aswad - The Black Death]

***

[Soraya's POV]

Circe guided them to Megara, nestled within a towering mountain. The formidable Al-Sahraa Guardians guarded its entrances. Each sentinel offered a respectful salute to the green-haired elf as she strode past them.

When they entered one of the caves, it stretched deep into the mountain until it stopped at a bridge that bridged a massive gaping abyss. Soraya knew the Easterners found this place and made it their home to hide from the Achaemenidian armies that invaded the desert.

The bridge was a vital connection, fashioned from dry wood sourced from the World's Edge Mountains encircling the Blue Dune Desert. Should the Achaemenidians breach the mountains, the Rahbar commanded every tribe in the east to retreat to Megara.

After that, the fighters burned the bridges to keep the enemy away from the capital. Once Soraya took this all in, she followed Circe across without looking down, which gave her the creeps.

When the desert elf crossed, she started to see the underground city stretching out as far as the eyes could see. All the buildings on the street level were made from blue stone from the desert above, which Soraya found interesting.

She stopped walking and took in the second level, which stretched toward the ceiling. Walkways and bridges crisscrossed the city, which amazed her. Soraya noticed it was made from Starwood harvested from the Southern Moonwood Jungle.

The city was busy with all kinds of Saharaelians going about their business. Soraya even spotted a group of Asadani Warriors escorting a noble down the main street, lined with all sorts of shops.

Soraya had been to the Eastern Capital a few times when her Nonna traveled with her, but she tended to stay in the West. Thanks to her attire, which consisted of blue scorched silk armor and a scarf that covered her fair hair, only leaving her eyes visible.

While she looked around, Circe's voice reached her ears, ''Soraya, come on. You will get lost in Megera if you're not careful.''

She looked at the green-haired girl and nodded before following behind her. Circe led her down the main street until they reached the city square. When they arrived, Soraya spotted a group of men and women praying.

Circe spoke as they maneuvered through the crowds; she spotted some people praying in the corner of the square, ''These are the followers of the Path. They've constructed temples throughout the city, and the citizens seem to regard them as skilled warriors.'"

Soraya nodded in understanding, on the verge of replying when her gaze was drawn to a mesmerizing sight: a towering pyramid looming before her. Its majestic form exuded a palpable aura of potent mana, captivating her completely.

Entering the pyramid alongside Circe, they were met by the Div-e Afsan, renowned as the second-best fighters in the Blue Dune Desert. The Companions only surpassed them—elite warriors personally trained by her father.

Soraya halted her thoughts as she followed the girl through corridors that twisted and turned, eventually arriving at a spacious meeting room dominated by a large table in the center.

She was drawn to a tall, muscular man with Circe's distinctive green hair. 'Is that her Father? The leader of the Eastern Tribes of the desert? '

Just as Circe was about to speak, the man introduced himself to Soraya before questioning her, ''I am Youssef Al-Darkhan; you're the Great Mother's Granddaughter, correct?''

Soraya nodded in affirmation, prompting him to speak further, though his voice now carried a noticeable sadness. "Was your father Caspian Al-Muharib, leader of the Companions?"

"Yes, my father led them in battle against the invaders," Soraya replied solemnly, causing Circe's eyes to widen in astonishment. "But he fell during the Western Wars against the Nubians."

The green-haired girl exclaimed, "That means your mother is the Al-Mawt al-Aswad."

''Yes, that was her name; now she protects Azraq City against the monsters running wild,'' Soraya answered.

Following that, Soraya and Circe were led into a meeting hall where the eastern council was amassing. When inside, she spotted Zara, who waved at her before the meeting was underway.

The council informed the two girls that Azhar'Zul would face thirteen trials to determine whether he was the Chosen Messiah. Soraya was shocked but accepted it because the Eastern and Southern Tribes would have slain him when he stepped foot in the Blue Dune Desert.

Once the meeting was over, Soraya and Zara were led to the Al-Darkhan Mansion, where the three would stay before leaving on their journey.

***

[Grishna's POV]

Grishna quickly jumped back while casting Body Enhancement and Iron Fist before she rushed in again. The Goblin Knight recovered enough to swing again, but it was useless as she caught the blade with her left hand while throwing a devastating punch on the right.

A resounding boom echoed when her fist connected with the Goblin's head. But Grishna wasn't done yet; she quickly cast several Razorwind Blades and an Earth Bolt at her foe—the spells sliced through the air, striking the creature with precision.

Though the Warrior Goblin was incapacitated, it wasn't dead yet. Grishna swiftly drew her spear, lunged forward, and plunged it into its skull, ensuring its demise. When the Goblin Warrior vanished into particles, leaving behind a pile of silver coins, a gold amulet, and a Boss Token, which could be traded for 5 silver.

This caught her attention, and she picked it up. However, she couldn't figure out what else to do with it, so she put it in her space bag along with the coins and a bundle of Blue Grass, which is used in creating Mana Potions.

Following this, Grishna saw a portal to the outside open up; she stepped through it and appeared in front of the dungeon, shocking the surrounding soldiers. This caused her to smirk before heading back to Suncrest City.

It took her an hour to run back, and the sun was setting when she reached the Guild. When Grishna entered the building, she spotted Throne and his women waiting at the bar, but she ignored them and made her way over to Callie behind the counter.

The woman's pink eyes lit up. "Grish! You're back so quickly. Did you complete the quest and dungeon?" she said with a big smile.

Grishna nodded while taking out the Quest Coin and the Boss Token as proof, causing Callie's smile to grow even wider. The receptionist shook her head, asked for her Guild Card, and marked down the completed quest and dungeon.

The two spoke briefly before Grishna approached the Slayers, who turned to face her. Throne smiled and commented, "You truly are an Orc, aren't you, girl?"

"Shut up, human! What are ya waffling on about?" Grishna retorted, sitting next to the wolf demi-human Mia, who smiled at the exchange.

"You do what you want when you want, even though you agreed to meet us this morning," the big man said in an amused tone.

That's when the elf woman commented with narrowed eyes, ''I don't see why you're so smitten with such a savage Darling.''

Mia cringed while Jenna slunk back as Grishna's eyes locked onto the brown-haired elf. "You've never introduced me to your two newest members," she said with a growing grin, turning her attention to Throne.

The big man gulped before replying, "The elf is our healer, Mei Greenleaf." He pointed to the woman who had just spoken and then motioned to the human, "And this is Sophia, another attacker like Mia."

Grishna nodded as she swiftly got up, casting Body Enhancement. In a blur of movement, she circled the table and placed a knife at Mei's neck, shocking the elf. "If you ever say anything about me again," Grishna hissed, "I will cut off your head and feed your remains to the monsters."

The elf went pale, but Throne quickly intervened. "Grish, she's new to the harem and doesn't know you. I promise she or Sophia won't say anything about you again."

Mei nodded frantically, like a scared chicken, prompting Grishna to release her. "Let's go get the train south. I want to kill some monsters," Grishna said curtly.

With that, she left the Guild behind, striding purposefully toward the Suncrest Train Station. The Slayers followed, arguing among themselves as they trailed behind her. When Grishna reached the station, she paid the 4 gold coins for a ticket south.

After that, Grishna sat in the station waiting for the train as the Slayers joined her. Mia spoke up while sitting beside her, "I have a quest from Suncrest City. A top merchant's brother went missing in the Darkheart Jungle; it's said he had a store in Setoria City."

"Why are you telling me this?" Grishna questioned.

"If you help us with it, we'll split the reward. Six gold spilt two ways," Mia explained. "Plus, you'll be able to kill monsters in the jungle. Rumors speak of Monster Waves and overpopulated dungeons."

Grishna's interest was piqued, and she nodded just as the train pulled into the station. The group entered after showing their tickets to the Morozov Guards, who allowed them on board.

Following that, the journey continued without a hitch. Mei apologized, and Grishna accepted it. When they reached Greenglade City, the two moons of Gorath and Drakkar hung high in the sky.

The city was lively, resembling a Western medieval town with a fantasy touch. The buildings were crafted from beautiful white stone, and glowing Elderwood illuminated the streets with Gorath's silver light.

Throne suggested, "Let's get a carriage down to Setoria first thing tomorrow morning. We can complete our quest before hitting the dungeons."