"I never expected you to contact me so soon." smiled Pyra as she spoke, sipping from a fragrant cup of tea as only she and Rex party sat at the personal lounge provided for them.

  "Was not in plans to begin with, but since some fools decided to stir the hornet's nest and got wiped out in the process, we reasoned why not utilise the fact your sect is basically the overlord in these parts. By the way, how did you get back so fast? I don't remember you having flying mounts with you?"

  "Nothing quite as fancy, I assure you." Sighed Pyra. ''It's just that this place is out of the way, allowing me to rache home in a timely manner, and I have an entire sect of the inner continent behind me. I should be fast. It's your mode of travel that's just absurd."

  "I suppose there is truth to that, but tell me. What has brought you here personally? I doubt it's just a desire to bee in my magnificent presence. Do share will you?" Rex asked as he took a sip from his own cup, the atmosphere changing immediately as Pyra's somewhat forced smile dropped, replaced by worry and hints of fear, the elven lady not even trying to hide her distress at the moment.

  "Emanai, my sister has gone missing. We know her last known location and that she is still alive, but due to the unique circumstances we cannot send our elders to try and save her. Thus, I have come to beg of you, please help and save her. I will do anything you ask of me. Any price. Just please, save her." Each word was harder and harder for pyra to push out, though she did nonetheless, her strict training and pride pushed aside out of her concern for the safety of a very special relative.

  Rex just sighed, sensing the two sets of eyes almost burning holes in his sides, as well noticing the hung low head of Pyra as tears streamed down her face. "I am not one to do rescue and protection missions and I have noted so to both the coachmen and adventurer's guild." Rex started, the worry and sniffles from Pyra slightly rising followed by attempts by his two lovers to pinch the ever living shit out of his sides, stopping only as he continued his response, the pinchers were aware that this was Rex's originally planned response, the pinching having achieved nothing "But I also am in need of an elven maid, so might as well acquire one now. I am reserving the right to pick your sister though if I find her more to my liking."

  "As long as you save her and she is safe and taken care of." Pyra sniffled, replying on auto pilot as a giant relief washed over her.

  "Help her clean up and give orders to those lackerys staying here. I need her to lead us towards the destination. I will go and grab Wari and Sidsal. Will be waiting outside for you." Rex said, rising from his seat first and disappearing moments later, his two women quickly shimmying over to Pyra and calming her down, saying that there is no better candidate to ensure her sisters safe return than Rex,even if he might seem quite reluctant.

  Rex had left for a rather simple reason, and that was not the need to fetch his falcons, as the two were already aware and on their way here. No, his reason was simpler than that. We was not all that good with the soothing part, or so he himself at least believed, so why not leave the task in the hands of women? They would surely have a much better understanding and ability to help another person out. He also needed Pyra not to get attached to him too much. With Danica, Ria, Eve and Alurial, who would no doubt join his little harem, he was quite reluctant to have any other woman sneak in, not any time soon at least, his hands already full with the beauties he had ensnared. And so, he just waited outside, the two falcons landing by and startling the Dawning Sun members waiting outside.

  "Don't shit your pants. Those two are mine!" Rex yelled, calming the startled group notably, then walking over and showing some affection towards them, as he expressed his appreciation for their presence, promising to create a nice place for them to start their own flock soon enough. 'I just need to find a decent, yet busy enough place once I have figured a proper way to develop the correct land so your flock can grow unimpeded. Then you can go at it as much as you want." Rex transferred his thoughts to the duo, earning a couple of coos of content.

  A few minutes later the trio also came out, with Pyra not seeming like she had cried at all. She quickly gave out orders for the members of her sect to establish the new outpost and the tasks they had to perform and then asked Rex to head out, fishing out a rather interesting crystal in a glass like globe pointing in a certain direction from her storage ring and explaining its function. It was, a tracking device of sorts, made to always point towards the location of Emanai, gifted to Pyra on one of her birthdays by the elder sister herself as a way to promise she could always be reached by the younger sibling.

  "Never thought I would get to use it for a purpose like this." Pyra spoke quietly as she gazed at the crystal pointing in a certain direction. ''We just have to follow the crystal arrow, and we will reach her." Pyra added as they jumped on the back of one of the falcons. "I will explain everything I know about the place Emanai entered. You will no doubt find it helpful." She added, proceeding to tell everything her sect knew about the sealed realm they were flying towards.

  There was actually little to tell. Besides some tales about the man who had created it to serve as a testing ground for hopeful inheritors and some rules that were enforced through magical contract of sorts upon the attempt of entry, one of which was an upper limit on age of the contestants. Only those under the age of fifty could enter, automatically excluding all of the powerful elders of any organization, though Rex group were still far, far away from said threshold.

  Then there were suggestions of sorts, ways to make ones chances to progress further higher, like a weapon of choice and whatnot, though all of those were nothing more than empty words, at least for Rex. He somewhat sure he could even break through the barrier in place if he so wished, but truth be told he had no reason to do so either. With the highly limited age restrictions, he had to worry even less about some foggy sneaking in and hurting Emanai for a slight her elders had done to said foggy.

  If Rex had to complain about anything during the few day flight that they were on, tracking Emanai's whereabouts, that would be the attention his partners paid to Pyra. Though said complaints were nothing more than self deprecating humor in his mind. He was neither that needy, nor petty, especially when the focus of Danica's and Eve's attention was another woman plagued by a mountain of worry. With Snek in his sleeve, he could calmly focus on his personal development, burning his mana reserves, allowing them to recover moments later, creating the ebb and flow he was so familiar by now as he expanded the currently empty space storage or switching things up and strengthening his body, though still making sure his mana tank never truly reached zero, ensuring he would be ready for unexpected situations, no matter how rare and unlikely they were.

  Then, after the third day, they reached their destination, the falcons being the first ones to notice the relatively new town, if the freshly built buildings covering a slight slope could be considered as one, with dirt roads all leading towards a rather old, even ancient looking stone gates, reminding Rex of Japanese Torii with their design even if lacking the colour associated with them. Another stone, that seemed to be the plaque with rules stood besides the gate, several people combing through the writings, no doubt seeking either some hidden clues or maybee loopholes that could be explored.

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  As they approached, the people atop the falcons could also start to discern some smaller details, some of which caused Rex to smile. As it turned out, he was not the only one who had actually arrived on the back of a flying mount, what seemed like several stables of sort coming into their view. While not many, he his group noticed at least three other groups of large, flying creatures, tended by different groups, their attires and symbols too distinctly different.

  "Pyra, have a look ahead. Tell us if there are any particularly annoying groups we should avoid, or outright take out once they start their annoyance routine." Rex spoke as the falcons were slowing down to start their landing maneuvers. Choosing a relatively empty spot on the outskirts of the makeshift town, they landed, still earning quite a bit of attention as they did so, no doubt word of their majestic looking mounts will have spread across the town within the day.

  "Let's set up camp and a small perimeter so only the dumbest of the curious groups annoy us." Rex spoke, moving to get the place ready, moments later joined by Eve and Danica.

  "But the Dawning Sun already has their camp set up, no doubt closer to the gates as well. Why not go there?" asked Pyra, confused as she flicked her eyes between the orb that had brought them here so fast and Rex's group who were already at work.

  "Because we are helping you out to save your sister. And anything we get our grabby hands on inside will be ours," then Rex smirked, adding" your sister excluded of course, since we will have to get our grubby hands on her first to get her out after all." His little joke did it's job, planting a small smile of Pyras face. "Once the camp and perimeter is set he will head out and while I would prefer to leave you here" Rex looked at Pyra "I need you to operate that artifact of yours and recognize your sister. And you can compare the combat styles on me and your teacher as we advance. Unfortunately, Wari and Sidsal will have to remain out here, slowing us down considerably, but it is what it is."

  Since Rex spoke as he was doing his own share of the tasks, it did not take even ten minutes for the group to finish their task, leaving a few,rather nice tents, looking quite sturdy for fabric shelter, in the location they had landed, a small fence surrounding their camp spot while also a rather large tent was placed for the two falcons to hide from the weather.

  "All is ready and set up. so we can head out." Rex commanded as they were done, giving mental commands for the falcons to stay here and rest, asking Snek to remain behind as well. Let no one say Rex did not guard his camp.

  With preparations taken care of, the group of four headed towards the stone Torii, briefly stopping by the large stone tablet on Rex's insistence. By the time they were there and no doubt because of Pyra's clothing, betraying her high position in Dawning Sun sect, the people blocking their path towards the tablet parted like the sea for a certain someone in earth's myths of a certain religion. Rex spent a couple of minutes in front of the tablet, the text, though slightly paled due to age, was written in common, though there were slight deviation here and there, no doubt the result of language changing along with the people as time went on. Still, it had not changed all that much, providing Rex a generally deep understanding of said text, though as he stated before, most of it was indeed useless for his group.

  With that out of the way, their group moved on ahead, their target the Torii finally. Once in front of it, Rex stretched his arms to the sides, Danica and Eve, understanding his intention immediately, pressed in Rex's sides, hugging him tightly, damn near glueing the,selves to Rex. The next moment, with a yelp leaving Pyras mouth as she was unceremoniously picked up in Rex's arms, he stepped through the portal like gate, moments later coming out on the other side, the whole group still together.

  "The first rule fucked with." Rex smiled as he placed Pyra back on the ground, her face frozen in disbelief and shock.

  "H-how?"Pyra stammered, though quickly discard the initial question, her eyes once again locking on the magical tool in her hands, pointing in a certain direction, showing the way towards her sister. "Let's hurry. Please." she asked, her tone still filled with worry, though the slightest hint of hope hitting through, even if just a little. The whole 'though shall be scattered towards random locations on the first zone' still sitting in the back of her mind, but with her priorities straight she could ask the answer to that particular question later.

  Rex smiled reassuringly, as he spoke, the blood chains in his employ forming a small platform of sorts to stand on. Then, once the girls were also on it, he willed the rest of his chains to work, forming the rest of their temporary transportation.

  -----------------------------

  Vilko and the rest of his group had finally managed to gather, the artifact provided by their sect that allowed them to track one another performing as expected.They had to advance extremely carefully as they moved towards the center piece of their tracker set, all making sure they remained on the outskirts of the sealed realm. It had taken them almost a week , their sect being relatively close allowed them to be the first ones here, providing his group with plenty of extra time. Thus, as most other large scale sects were no doubt just barely entering, they were already gathered and ready to explore this realm, hopefully attaining plenty of rare resources and treasures.

  With the entire group together and well rested, they set their course towards the large, mountain like structure in what seemed to be the center of the zone. As they proceeded, they started to encounter all manner of beasts and eventually even monsters, the power level of the creatures encountered growing progressively stronger. They were already dealing with low to mid level B ranked creatures when they reached the foot of the mountain like structure. And while it still felt oddly unnatural, there was still surprisingly few leads to indicate it was indeed not natural. Though as they gazed towards the distance, the mountain peak in the focus of their eyes, they noticed something that finally seemed as should be.

  At the very edge of the clouds, they could barely notice the start of a staircase, indicating their next, rather obvious destination point. Whatever was hidden in this zone, was no doubt to be found up there. So, after a short rest to recover their strength, the group advanced forward, stepping on rocky land ahead and as they did so, awakened a group of monsters who had blended with rocks of the terrain rather seamlessly. The fact that their scout had not sensed this monster group was worrying, elevating the difficulty of the task at hand, but it would not hinder this group for long, or so they had thought initially.

  As they dispatched monster after monster, new ones arrived, not only replacing the ones now dead, their corpses slowly piling up, something to note for that proved they were not in a dungeon, but indeed increasing the number of creatures they had to contend with. Only by retreating away from the mountain did the numbers lessened, though they were still hard pressed to free themselves up.

  It was then that the monstrosity appeared, hulking with great speeds in their direction. A ball like object, or perhaps torso, seemed to hang in the air, numerous tentacle like legs propelling it forward, with numerous more serving as whips to trash and splatter the monsters that charged towards it into mincemeat. Every now and then, the ball like torso moved closer to the ground, a maw like mouth opening and swallowing some of the corpses in it's path whole.

  Even worse, there was little to no sound coming from the monstrosity, it's advance and movement eerily silent, adding yet another level of terror it exuded. If one was not vigilant, such a thing could easily sneak up from behind and devour said person whole. What sent a chill through their veins however was that a few dozen meters away from Vilko's group, the ball like tentacle monster stopped and seemingly turned towards them, like inspecting and considering if they would be a worthy meal for the creature, all the while it's tentacles that were used to murder monsters kept doing their job.

  Thankfully, the monster decided to leave their group alone, clearly not too interested in them, something both Vilko and his group were thankful for. Though the direction in which the monster moved afterwards caused Vilko's group's faces to sour. The monster advanced further towards the mountain top, leaving a veritable sea of corpses in it's wake.

  "What do we do now?" asked one of the party members, his eyes still locked on the path of corpses ahead of them. "I doubt it would be pleased if we followed too closely behind it."

  "Let us rest for a day and see what happens. If far more monster arrive to feast on the corpses left behind, we move to another side of the mountain. Hopefully that way the number of monster will be smaller as we climb up. Might be a problem otherwise. We don't quite have the firepower to keep going on full throttle for that long, doubly so if the rank of monsters keeps rising."