Level Up: Voidwalker

As Atlas approached the group while carrying Lilith, he saw Estelle rushing toward him, equipping her shield and wrapping an arm around his shoulders before casting a spell, ''Holy Barrier.''

A white barrier enveloped them moments before an explosion shattered the street. The two were sent flying, but Atlas grabbed the blonde knight while casting Void Step, only to crash through the inn's entrance.

The rest of the girls hurried to their side, but Estelle jumped up and quickly cast Healing Light on both, prompting Atlas to exhale with relief. He sat up, rubbed his head, and said, ''Thanks for that blondie.''

''Don't call me that, you little shit,'' Estelle said with a smile. ''Luckily, I saw the mana shell heading straight for the spot you were standing and reacted in time.''

Atlas nodded as the owner quickly locked the door and activated some Runes that lit up the wall. The older man turned to them and offered, ''You young ones may rent out a room, and I'll do it for half price as the city is under siege by the Southmen's slaves.''

The group accepted and rented a room until morning. As they approached the chamber that was theirs for the night, Atlas turned to the blonde knight and asked, "When are we meeting your contact?"

''Tomorrow before the sun rises,'' she answered. ''He wants us to meet them at the last dock in the military quarters. I have five passes, but you'll need to hide Lily in your shirt while we enter the place.''

Atlas smiled and stroked the furry monster, who let out a happy chirp and climbed into his shirt, flattening against him to prove she could fit. Estelle's eyes widened as she spoke while staring at Lilith, who was poking her head out of his shirt, "She understood?"

"Yes, Lilith is brilliant and understands most things. For example, she bites me when I kill because she doesn't like it when I lose myself to it," Atlas explained, prompting a nod from the honey badger.

Estelle nodded, ''That's understandable, though, because the void is known as dark magic, but that's what the churches across Valoria want you to believe. It's the person and not the evil affinity.''

''I agree. I'm not evil, but I'm not a hero either, as I would kill my enemies and not let them live like the good guys do. It always backfires.''

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The blonde knight smiled, ''Get some rest; we will be in Volantis tomorrow, and I'll take you to a few weapon shops to get you some new blades,'' she said.

''Thanks, Estelle; when can we train next?'' Atlas asked while getting to his feet and putting Lilith on the bed, which caused her to curl up before falling asleep.

''Not yet. We can't use the garden because of the risk of mana shells landing on us,'' she replied with a frown.

Atlas shrugged, ''So what? I need to get better, and I have you to protect me if any do appear.''

Before the blonde could reply, Grishna spoke up, ''Why don't we all train? He can't fight each of us to get a different experience.''

His eyes gleamed when hearing this, but Estelle was going to reject the idea until Artemis commented with an amused voice, ''I'm down for that; the little shit needs a good beating.''

Everyone agreed and went downstairs, with Lilith eagerly chasing after them. Atlas approached the owner and asked for access to the garden. He nodded and led the group outside.

When stepping out, Atlas noticed a stone wall encasing the inn's garden, but the black smoke covering the sky made visibility difficult. A small fire was starting in the back corner, prompting Artemis to cast Aqua Bomb to extinguish it.

Estelle saw this and spoke, ''We have to be careful. I think the siege is intensifying. I recommend staying out here for a couple of hours.''

''Sounds good to me,'' Atlas commented before turning to the four ladies, ''Who am I fighting first?''

Amethyst's hand flew up as she announced, ''Me!''

Atlas nodded, but Estelle stepped forward with a knowing smile, ''I will join her in fighting you as you have someone on your side.''

He was confused before gazing down and spotted Lilith standing beside him while growling at Amethyst and Estelle. This made Atlas laugh, but they nodded at the blonde before the four of them faced each other.

The match began shortly after that as Atlas aimed for Estelle and sped towards her while swinging his dagger, but the knight deflected it before stepping forward and kicking him in the chest, which caught him off guard.

Atlas flew backward only to see Lilith nibbling Amethyst, who was too busy giggling at the silly monster attacking her. Artemis and Grishna were too busy laughing so much that they had to hold their stomachs, making Estelle smile.

The group continued to battle, but the blonde knight ultimately overcame him. She then turned her attention to Lilith, stunned to suddenly find herself beside a groaning Atlas. Grisha and Artemis moved forward, but the brunette shouted, "Everyone, move now!"

When Atlas heard this, he jumped up while grabbing Lilith, only to look up and see a wave of mana shells heading for the garden. Estelle quickly moved to cast Holy Barrier around the group just as they struck the inn.

A massive explosion threw them into the stone wall at the back of the garden with a crash as the inn rose in flames. Atlas and the girls were coughing while getting back to their feet while coughing.

''The Ravenians are using explosive shells! We need to find cover until the morning,'' Artemis said while brushing the dust off her dress.

Everyone agreed before rushing out of the garden to see most of the buildings around them either destroyed or on fire. Lilith led the group through the smoke as Atlas shouted, ''Follow me!''

They made their way through the chaotic city as fires raged everywhere. When Estelle saw this, she shouted, ''Head to the docks, everyone! We need to find the smuggler before this place falls.''

Atlas and the girls turned toward the main street that led to the military quarter, where they had to meet their contact. While running, he noticed the explosive shells stopped falling, which allowed the people to try to put out the fires using water magic.

When Atlas saw this, he thought, 'Are they looking to destroy the city? Don't they want to occupy it?'

It took them ten minutes to reach the meeting place, and Atlas saw a tall man and woman waiting around the last pier. Estelle took point and approached the couple, who turned to her before bowing, ''Princess. I knew you would come now. We are ready to leave.''

Estelle nodded, causing the couple to lead them to a big rowboat as the man spoke, ''We have to use this to get past the sea wall. Our ship is anchored in a hidden bay just up the coast.''

The group boarded the rowboat as the man and woman took opposite sides before activating a Rune that got the vessel moving. Atlas wondered what it was, but as soon as they started speeding through the water, he thought, 'It's a magic speedboat!'

Following that, the man and woman didn't speak but drove the boat out of the harbor before they sailed along the coast. The Ravenians' cannons started firing again, but it was much worse this time as the city walls were brought down.

The woman spotted this and spoke, ''You see that, Gareth. I told you we should have left earlier; the mercenaries are rushing to take Wildreach due to the Achaemenidians arriving in the next few days.''

When Atlas heard her, he questioned, ''They are coming this far north already?''

She nodded, ''Yes, Little One. The Emperor has sent his Nightowls north to deal with the stronger fights from the Everglade and Moonhare Kingdoms.

''Yes, boy. They have sent the Cataphracts, Bow Devils, and the Nightowls north to pave the way for the main force that will be here in a few months once they deal with the southern realms.''

''Juliette, you're forgetting that the king has an alliance with the Achaemenidians that will allow the Argonia Kingdom to avoid invasion, but they have to join the war effort by invading their neighbors.''

''Why would your kingdom ally themselves with the Southmen?'' Grishna questioned Estelle.

The blonde shrugged, ''No doubt to keep its independence as a nation.''

Grisha was about to speak, but Amethyst cut in, saying, "Cyrus the Great is known for being a fair ruler. If you surrender to the empire, they let you keep ruling as before, but you have to pay taxes to the empire and send soldiers to fight in the Achaemenid armies."

''Then why won't the desert people submit to the empire?'' Grishna questioned with a curious expression.

Amethyst turned her head toward the orc girl before answering, ''We lost our homeland to the devils; we were forced into the desert after the emperor sacrificed himself to fight the Achaemenidian ancestors who drove us from the Zarandar Continent.''

The phoenix girl turned away from the group and continued, ''My ancestors found a home on Aridonia far from the growing Achaemenid Kingdom. When they cornered our people with their allies, our Emperor detonated his core, which created the Blue Dune Desert, but we believe Luxia also had a hand in it.''

''How long have your people been in the desert?'' Atlas asked while taking Amethyst's hand, which caused her to smile.

''I'm not entirely sure, to be honest,'' she answered. ''I know the elders speak of the Red Stars that passed over Valoria.''