Creamont's skyline rose in the distance, leaving a jagged scar on the horizon. Helga brought her mount to a halt on the ridge that overlooks the sprawling city below.

After she and the others saw how useful summoned creatures were back in the valley, once she got back to her settlement, she bought some for herself, especially those that would make traveling easier.

The creature beneath her was a mountain of muscle and scale bought from a Gravenport vendor. It was a sort of lizard-like horse with a barrel chest and powerful limbs that not only promised but also delivered the presence and the power of dozens of warhorses.

The Ironsides behind her were riding on similar beasts, but of course, there were more at different points of the long column of humans following her on other kinds of summons, which Helga forced them to buy.

Initially, they were all unsure of the purchase, as getting survival points wasn't easy, but after they got a taste of faster and safer travels, they got pretty happy about the skills.

Aldric's Sun Chasers followed in a similar column. Their mounts were just plain horses, all white but equally imposing.

"This city has seen better days," Helga said. She counted the buildings inside the barriers created by the various settlement tokens, the fortified districts, and the many patrols. The city was in shambles, but it was clear that whoever was living there was doing their best to put it back into an acceptable state.

"Someone's been busy down there."

Aldric guided his mount closer to the woman. "Are they all Seraphine's people?"

"I doubt it," Helga grinned. "Where's Seraphine's territory, by the way?"

"Western district. The giant skyscraper."

Helga studied the towering building. It was a perfect example of Seraphine's style: a straightforward person, and a building so easy to see fit her persona perfectly. "Let's hope she's still alive. I would hate to have wasted a trip."

Aldric's expression darkened. "We can't actually rule out the chance of it happening. The monsters from the valley are naturally attracted to this place."

"Go tell it to the ones that almost wiped out my settlement," Helga said.

"It happened to us too," Aldric replied. "I'm just saying, we can't rule the chance out."

"Good then." Helga hefted her warhammer. "We need the points."

"We need Reidar," Aldric said. "Without him, we're dead."

Helga's jaw tightened. The summoner had saved them more times than she cared to admit.

"Don't worry, he is probably with Seraphine. We are going to find him." She kicked her mount forward. "Ironsides! Move out!"

The column stretched behind them. The strongest warriors rode at the front. Behind them, the heart of the group was mainly composed of crafters, healers, and families huddled beneath tarps.

As the mounts trod through Creamont's skeletal streets, children clutched their parents' backs while their small fingers dug into leather and fabric. Shattered glass crunched under hooves, while buckled asphalt groaned beneath their weight.

Helga led them toward the western district, causing the towering skyscraper to grow larger with each street they crossed. Defensive walls surrounded the building, while watchtowers bristled with ranged fighters, among whom were mages, archers, and the like.

Guards manned the walls as the column approached, their crossbows raised and spells gathered in outstretched hands.

A man stepped forward at the main gate.

—[Mark Fencer—Level 69]—

"That's far enough," Mark said. His voice carried authority despite the level gap between him and the newcomers. "State your business."

Helga reined her mount to a stop. "We're here to see Seraphine Wolf."

Mark's eyes swept across the massive column. Warriors, crafters, children. There were thousands of them. His hand moved to his crossbow because he wasn't sure what was happening exactly, nor what these people's goal was. "Seraphine's not here."

"Then where is she?" Aldric asked.

"Out on—"

But then a shadow passed above, causing Mark's head to snap up as every guard on the wall followed his gaze.

A massive crow descended from the clouds. Its wings were broad enough to blot out the sun from that distance, and it got worse as it descended more toward the skyscraper. More crows followed — about a dozen, each carrying a rider.

Seraphine stood on the lead crow's back, where her white braid whipped in the wind as she looked at the scene below.

Her eyes found Helga, Aldric, and the thousands of survivors stretching behind them, causing understanding to cross her face as she processed the sight.

"All riders, land!" Seraphine's voice was carried across the district. "Mark, stand down! They're with us!"

The crows descended. Seraphine's mount landed. The other riders and their mounts followed.

Seraphine dismounted before her crow came to a halt, then strode toward Helga and Aldric. John and Matthias accompanied her. Helga's eyes locked onto Seraphine's level tag.

—[Seraphine Wolf—Level 130]—

"By my hammer," Helga said. Her gaze shifted to the others dismounting around Seraphine. Level 94, Level 102. Level 118. "What happened to you lot?"

Aldric's grip on his spear loosened. "You were far weaker when we left the valley. That was less than a week ago."

Seraphine stopped a few paces away. She was calm but worn out, as she'd been through battles they couldn't imagine. "You came to join us?"

Helga nodded. "That's what we decided back in the valley. The Ironsides follow strength, and you have it."

She gestured to the thousands behind her. "We all do. Warriors, crafters, families. Everyone who survived the raid and wanted something better than scraping by in dying settlements."

Of course, it was because of the monsters, not because of incompetence.

"The Sun Chasers came for the same reason," Aldric said. "We think numbers will make us safer, and we want to have a chance to get stronger."

The results of Reidar's presence were plain to see. Now that he wasn't holding back, the advantages of having him close were unambiguously clear.

Seraphine's eyes moved across the column. Thousands of faces stared back at her, appearing exhausted but hopeful. She turned toward John. "Open the gates. Let them in."

John hesitated. "Seraphine, are you sure about this? That's a lot of mouths to feed, and there are many people who might not follow our rules."

"I'm sure. With the monsters here, we might not have enough people to mount a proper defense." She paused. "Reidar's help is great and all, but remember he is not going to stay with us forever."

"Everyone followed Helga and Aldric through the valley," Seraphine said. "They'll follow our rules here." She looked back at the two faction leaders. "Won't they?"

"We didn't come here to cause trouble," Helga said. "We came here to survive."

Aldric nodded in agreement.

John's jaw worked, but he didn't argue further. He turned to the guards on the wall. "You heard her! Open the gates!"

The gate opened. The column began to move forward, with mounts and people flooding into the outer district of the Spriggan base.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.