She studied him with an intensity that made Reidar uncomfortable. It was not hostile, but assessing, as if she were reading something in him that others couldn't see.

"You," she said. "Summoner. What's your name?"

Reidar finally saw someone making sense, even if Aldric's first impression had been strange.

At first, the man stood with them, then against them. But Helga's words explained it: he had some kind of double personality. Otherwise, his sudden shifts made no sense at all. This was a man clearly fighting his own demons.

"Reidar."

"Reidar," Seraphine repeated, as if testing the sound of it. "You came here for the raid?"

"Not exactly," Reidar said. "I came to know if I could get past through the valley without having to join the raid."

Seraphine made a disappointed look.

"You can't," she said. "I guess you went through the fog surrounding it, right?"

Reidar nodded. "Good. I sent one of my people back to warn my group back home, but they weren't able to get out of the fog. You can only go through the forest to get in, but not out."

"The system its making it clear it wants the raid to be done," Lena said.

"Fuck…" To reach Creamont, they had to get through the valley, and to get through the valley they had to complete the quest.

Seraphine then turned to Helga.

"See? He didn't even want to join the raid. You just made yourself a fool. Now stop arguing; I'm hungry."

Helga wanted to bark back but she remained silent.

Aldric lowered his spear completely. It looked like his good personality came back in charge of the man's body.

Reidar had heard enough.

He turned to Lena and Jake. "Come on. We're leaving."

"What? Didn't you hear what she said?" Lena asked.

"I don't believe her," Reidar said and sighed.

Reidar began walking, moving away from the circle of survivors, away from Helga, Aldric and Seraphine. Lena followed after a moment's hesitation, and Jake scrambled to keep up.

Behind them, Reidar could hear Seraphine's voice continuing to speak, trying to de-escalate the situation. He didn't care. These people could sort out their leadership issues on their own time.

"What if what she said is true?"

Reidar kept going forward. "Then I will bulldoze my way out of this quest."

"I don't want to go…" Jake said. It looked like one of the quests offered something of interest to him, but whatever he wanted, with all the survival points he gained thanks to Reidar, it could just be bought from a vendor. Unless it was a title.

"Let's rest a little," Reidar said. "We are going to leave in a couple of hours."

They found a spot near the eastern edge of the camp, away from the larger groups but close enough to remain part of the camp. Reidar summoned a few wolves to establish a perimeter, then began setting up their supplies.

Jake sat on a fallen log, his hands shaking slightly. "Those people were scary."

"They were," Reidar agreed. He didn't believe in sugar-coating the truth. "And if they can't get their act together, this entire raid is going to fail." He paused.

"Not that I care at this point. Although, if what Seraphine said was true, I will get mad if they reap the benefits without doing nothing while I complete the raid."

"I don't think this is the right move."

"Wha—? Why?"

"Because these people are from around here, Reidar. If they are weak the whole region is weak. The church is still out there."

"So are my parents, and did you forget I talked about them to Jorik? I was an idiot back then…"

"That's exactly the point. If your parents are part of one of their groups they will be safer if they are stronger."

"They will only abuse their power."

Lena fell silent. Then she sighed. "Reidar, they will likely get the rewards regardless of who they are, or what they do. If they complete it, we will get the rewards but lose time, if we do it, the quest will be completed quickly, but they will get the rewards too."

She paused. "Remember, if what Seraphine said is true, then to get out of here the quest must be completed. Wouldn't it be better for us to make sure that only the worthy ones see it to the end?"

Jake looked between them. "Are you talking about killing them" He asked.

Lena didn't reply.

"Why is the system forcing us to take the raid?" He asked again.

"Because it doesn't care about people, it cares about the monsters getting killed," Reidar said.

He sighed. "We will see how the situation is… If we can't get out, we will complete the quest and go on our way…"

…

…

…

Two hours passed in silence.

Reidar checked their supplies, distributed what they'd need for travel. Lena sharpened her blades. Jake sat close to one of the remaining wolves, drawing what comfort he could from its warmth.

When the time came, they left without fanfare.

The camp was quieter now, most survivors having settled in for the night. A few sentries watched them go but made no move to stop them. Why would they? Three more leaving just meant three fewer to share the rewards with.

They walked past the dying fires, past the clusters of tents, past the edge of the encampment, and into the tree line beyond.

None of them noticed the figure watching them from the shadows.

Seraphine stood on the branches of a giant oak. She'd positioned herself where the firelight couldn't reach, where even enhanced senses would struggle to detect her presence.

She watched Reidar's group disappear into the darkness.

Seraphine's face was a mask of quiet thought. Her brow furrowed as she replayed the encounter with Reidar, searching for whatever had snagged her attention earlier. The answer escaped her. It was just out of reach, teasing at the edge of her mind.

It was more a feeling than anything solid.

Her fingers found the familiar curve of her bow, tracing the wood as if it might give her answers. But it stayed quiet in her hands.

After a moment, she turned and slipped back toward the camp, vanishing without a sound.

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