In the midst of the sweltering desert, Kazien stood staring at the city walls that shimmered faintly in the distance. He decided to return and report his findings to the other four.
Once again, he concentrated his magical energy. For the second time, he split his form; another clone of Kazien now stood beside his original body. The two figures quickly divided their tasks: one would return to the cave, while the other remained to hold their coordinates in the desert.
Meanwhile, back inside the cold and damp ruins of the cave, a white light shimmered brilliantly. Kazien's figure reappeared before Allen, Alvin, Arken, and Hudeon, who had been anxiously awaiting his return.
"Well?" Allen asked immediately, unable to hide his impatience for the report from the second scouting trip.
"I found myself in the middle of a vast desert the moment I stepped through the door for the second time." Kazien answered plainly, brushing a few stray grains of sand from his shoulder. "The weather is scorching. But the good news is, I spotted a sturdy city wall in the distance. It seems there is civilization there. Let's head out!"
At the mention of a city, the faces of Kazien's three fiancés brightened instantly. Without needing to be told twice, Alvin, Allen, and Arken moved closer and linked hands, forming a human chain so the teleportation magic could reach them all. They closed their eyes, bracing for the transition.
Kazien turned to Hudeon, who stood hesitantly beside them.
"Do you want to come too?" Kazien asked softly.
Hudeon looked up, gazing into Kazien's sapphire blue eyes with newfound excitement. His earlier fear seemed to have vanished, replaced by a burning curiosity.
"I'm coming, Brother!" Hudeon exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Then you and the other three must hold hands and close your eyes so I can move you there safely!" Kazien commanded.
Hudeon quickly gripped Alvin and Allen's hands tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut, his heart racing with anticipation for the place he was about to visit.
Then, Kazien activated his teleportation magic. A complex magic circle, glowing with a brilliant white light, erupted beneath their feet, illuminating the dark, jagged walls of the cave.
ZAP!
In the blink of an eye, the cold, damp, and stuffy air of the underground ruins vanished. It was replaced by a sudden, searing heat that lashed against their skin, as if they had just swung open the door to a giant oven.
They all snapped their eyes open, startled by the extreme shift in temperature. The first thing they saw was a vast, unending expanse of sand surrounding them.
"Whoa..." Hudeon's mouth hung wide open.
However, Hudeon's shock wasn't just caused by the desert landscape. His eyes widened even further when he saw another figure standing there to greet them.
Before him, stood the other Kazien, the clone left behind to guard the location. Hudeon looked at the Kazien who had just teleported them, then at the Kazien standing in the dunes, utterly confused as to which one was the original.
Kazien smiled, then canceled his 'Sui Reflection' spell. The clone slowly faded into a puff of black smoke before merging back into Kazien's body.
"So we really are in a desert!" Allen cried out in amazement, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun. "This is incredible... but, ugh, it's so hot here!"
Within seconds of their arrival, beads of sweat began to roll down their temples.
"Let's head toward the city!" Kazien said, pointing toward the faint structure of city walls on the eastern horizon. "Perhaps we can find out exactly where we are."
Everyone agreed. Without wasting another moment, they began their trek across the sea of sand.
However, the journey was far from easy. The soft sand made every step feel heavy, and the relentless sun seemed to drain their energy by force.
"Hah... hah..."
Their breathing became labored.
"We've only been walking for twenty minutes, but this feels like it's draining our stamina ten times faster than usual!" Alvin complained, wiping sweat from his elegant neck.
"Hang in there, we're almost there!" Kazien said, trying to soothe them even as he felt the sting of the heat himself. "Think of this as physical training, the first step before our true adventure begins!"
Hearing these words of encouragement from their fiancé, Allen, Arken, and Alvin felt their spirits reignite. They didn't want to appear weak in Kazien's eyes.
Hudeon, however, was a different story. His body had reached its limit. His face was flushed crimson, and his footsteps began to falter. Seeing this, Kazien stopped immediately. Without a word, he knelt down in front of Hudeon.
"Climb on!" Kazien ordered.
Exhausted, Hudeon didn't refuse. He climbed onto Kazien's back and wrapped his arms around the young man's neck. He stood up, carrying Hudeon as easily as if the boy were made of feathers.
"Cold..." Hudeon murmured softly.
As it turned out, Kazien was circulating a faint aura of wind and ice magic around Hudeon's body. The cool mist enveloped the dark-green-haired boy, protecting him from the desert's bite.
"Rest on my back, Hudeon." Kazien whispered gently.
After forty-two minutes of walking that felt like hours, they finally reached their destination.
Before them towered city walls built from massive, sturdy stones. They stood before a grand main gate, guarded by two sentries wielding spears and iron shields. They wore thick brown leather armor that looked incredibly durable.
But what shocked Kazien's group wasn't their weaponry. It was the guards' physical appearance.
They were not humans, nor were they elves. They were short and stocky, their height barely reaching Allen's shoulder. Yet, their arm muscles were immensely powerful, and their faces were adorned with thick, neatly braided beards.
They were the Dwarfrace.
The two dwarven guards were just as surprised to see the strange party emerging from the deep desert. Their eyes rounded at the sight of four humans and an elf.
"Stop!" one of the guards barked in a deep baritone. Their spears crossed to block the path. "Who are you, and where do you come from?"
Kazien lowered Hudeon gently, then stepped forward to take the lead.
"Greetings. I am Kazien." he answered politely but firmly. "And we come from the Kingdom of Garveon, on the AzvelContinent."
Silence fell. The desert wind whistled softly between them.
"Huh?!"
The two guards exchanged looks, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads. They stared at Kazien as if he had just claimed to be from the moon.
"Azvel Continent? Don't joke with us, kid!" the other guard scoffed in disbelief. "That continent is halfway across the world, across the great ocean!"
"Here is the proof. My adventurer's license." Kazien said calmly.
One of the guards took the card hesitantly. He read it carefully, and his eyes bulged even further as he took in the engraved details.
"Rank S..." the guard whispered, his voice catching. He gulped. He hadn't expected the delicate-faced young man before him to be an elite-tier adventurer.
"How did you end up here?" the guard asked, his tone shifting to one of profound respect as he returned the card with both hands.
"We arrived here due to a random teleportation trap inside an ancient ruin." Kazien answered honestly. He then produced the mission scroll given to him by Liona at the Haslott Guild. "This is our mission document."
The guard accepted the parchment, unfurling it to read. There, clear as day, was the official seal of the Adventurer Guild of the Azvel Continent.
The proof was undeniable. The guards finally believed that the people standing before them had indeed been cast across the world from another continent.
"Incredible... intercontinental teleportation..." the guard muttered, shaking his head in awe.
"If I may ask, where exactly are we?" Kazien asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.
The guard rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Kazien. He straightened his short frame with pride.
"Currently, you are on the YovelContinent!" the guard announced loudly. "Specifically, in Gaterland City, within the territory of Dwargon Kingdom, the Great Kingdom of the Dwarves!"
The information hit them like a bolt from the blue, making them nearly forget how to breathe.
Allen, Arken, Alvin, and even Kazien stood in stunned silence. They looked at each other, eyes wide with shock. They never imagined the door in that cave would have hurled them across the vast ocean to an entirely different continent.
Kazien struggled to remain calm and think pragmatically. "And what is the currency used here? We only carry money from the Kingdom of Garveon."
"The currency here is called Saxth." the guard answered kindly. "But don't worry. If you need more information, just visit the Adventurer Guild in the city center!"
"Are we permitted to enter the city?" Kazien asked to confirm, knowing they were foreigners without local identification.
The guard laughed heartily, pulling his spear back to open the path wide.
"Of course you are!" the guard replied warmly. "It's not every day we see humans and elf visiting this city, let alone a Rank S! Welcome to Gaterland!"
"Thank you."
With permission from the guards, the five of them stepped through the massive gates.
For the first time in their lives, Kazien and his three fiancés set foot on the soil of another continent. And for Hudeon, who had never before left the comforts of Haslott, this was the beginning of an adventure far beyond his wildest dreams.