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Eve whistled a cheerful tune as she strolled down a well-trodden path into the cursed forest. The gates of the Empire’s capital city loomed behind her, and in the far distance was a long line of merchants’ carriages waiting to enter. Although the Empire lacked the need for trade, this particular winter had been rough on their farms, so much to their humiliation, they relied on Eshnar and their bountiful lands to make the difference. So naturally, Eshnar charged a premium for that food, which Eve and many others had felt, with even a simple loaf of bread costing three more coppers than last year.

But despite the misery of the commoners, Eve was in a fantastic mood. She almost couldn’t help herself from raising her right hand and checking out the three golden rings that populated her fingers. Each one had a different gem that signified its spatial storage size and purpose.

“Good morning, Eve,” Zedd said as he emerged out of a cloud of black smoke and combed back his disordered hair. “You sure are in a good mood today.”

“Of course I am.” Eve stopped admiring her latest purchase and put her hands behind her head as she continued her walk. “Why would I not be happy? My debts are all paid off, and we got another lucrative mission from the guild master. Life has never been so good.”

“True. Shame Sam can’t come with us today since his master called for him to deal with some situation in the Mystical Realm, but at least we can meet up with Rock again. Assuming he even remembers us, can never tell what that dumb golem is thinking.” Zedd fell in stride beside Eve and twirled a black dagger around his finger as he talked. “I see you got some new gear since we last met up.”

Eve nodded and hummed a pleasant tune. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk today, especially with Zedd. Although they were in the same party, he had a dark side that she didn’t appreciate, making him a little awkward to be around. In the past, whenever they had planned to meet up somewhere, she always received the same story about how he was busy, yet the next day some noble was found assassinated. The first few times, Eve tossed it up to a coincidence since the Empire had some of the most ruthless politics on the continent where every noble house had to watch their backs, so a few deaths here and there were to be expected. But after years of the same pattern occurring, she had concluded that Zedd had a partial role in some or even all of those murders, making him a dangerous person to hang around. But, alas, he was one of the best scouts in the Empire, and the guild had teamed them together long ago, and it had just stayed this way for many years.

Zedd knew her all too well and returned to the shadows. He was also a man of few words, so they both appreciated the mutual silence as it would be a long walk to the south.

Although the air still had a slight chill, the harshest winter months had passed, and spring was now in full bloom. Another sign of winter ending was the return of the guild’s scum to the forest’s bounds. As Eve and Zedd fearlessly walked deeper into the cursed forest, many small groups of children and teens with wooden or bronze plates dangling from their necks via a coarse rope were busy picking various herbs for beginner guild quests. They curiously watched as the pair passed. Some whispered about them and their rank; others elected to judge silently. Eve had long gotten used to being treated like a walking celebrity, as she was one of the hundred or so Adamantite Delvers in the entire Empire.

Ignoring the low-ranked children, Eve continued deeper into the cursed forest. As the sparse trees got closer together and the thicket of the forest got denser, Eve began to pick up speed. Using combat or movement spells in or near the Empire was illegal, so Eve always put enough distance between herself and any witnesses before activating her various movement spells.

Mana trickled down to her limbs to power her spells. Her muscles bulged slightly and glowed red as she upped her pace. Soon the trees whizzed by her, and the foliage was a mere blur beneath her feet. Every few hours, she would summon food or water from a storage ring with a green stone that kept organic material fresh, perfect for storing ready-made meals.

Before she knew it, darkness blanketed the forest. The day shifted to night with the passing of hours; usually traveling during the night was dangerous, but Eve had yet to run into a single monster. The cursed forest had remained as dead as last time. “Do you need to rest, Zedd? I could go for another few hours.” Eve said the first words in twelve hours to her traveling companion, and within a second, the rogue appeared beside her, casually running without any buffs yet matching her speed.

“No. But there is something bizarre up ahead. Around a mile in front of us is a dirt road.”

“A dirt road?” she asked with disbelief. She had never heard of anything other than untamed wilderness and monsters in the cursed forest. The idea of something man-made, like a dirt road, baffled her. “You sure?”

“And that’s not all. I saw something even more ridiculous,” Zedd said mysteriously but refused to elaborate.

Eve focused more power on her legs and ran even faster. As an Adamantite Delver, she had seen some of the craziest things this world had to offer, but Zedd had definitely seen worse. Despite their long relationship, they had never joined a System party together and kept their level and class secret. She was obviously curious about Zedd’s true might, but she liked staying alive, and it seemed anyone who knew his secrets had never lived for very long.

Soon enough, Eve saw the sight Zedd had described. The dense forest had been cleaved through with a dirt road. It was nothing impressive, about wide enough to allow two large carriages to pass side by side, although it was slightly sloped with trenches along the sides for rainwater, which was a nice touch that was missing on a lot of the less-used paths.

Now other than its unusual location, a dirt road in the middle of the forest wouldn’t faze Eve or Zedd, but a question immediately answered was how it got there.

There was a horde of goblins at the end of the road. Some hacked away at the foliage in their path with cleavers and axes, while others smashed and compacted the dirt with large hammers. They were silent and efficient, working in perfect harmony as they constructed the dirt road toward the Empire, one step at a time.

Eve and Zedd emerged from the foliage and made themselves known with an awkward cough. The duo could slaughter these goblins in seconds, so they decided to confirm if they were working for the zombie merchants they had befriended down to the south first. A goblin wearing a makeshift robe of grass standing on a cart pulled by two undead horses noticed the two humans. Without delay, he hopped off his throne and strolled over to them.

“Howdy, humans! You must pay one bronze if you want to use Necron’s new toll road.” The goblin stood a meter away and held out his hand, palm up. Then, after a few seconds, he gestured with his bone fingers for them to pay up. “Not going to use the road? That is fine, but travel should be far easier on a lovely flat surface like this instead of shoving through the forest like some barbarian. Don’t you agree?”

“Do you work for Toby or Andrew?” Zedd questioned as he dropped two copper coins into the goblin’s waiting palm.

The goblin pocketed the coins into a small leather pouch hanging from its ribs. “Oh, you know His Excellency, Sir Andrew? Yes, we work under him. He is the director of finance and development for Necron. Now you two seem rather capable. If you plan to go at full speed, please keep to the right side of the road. Have a pleasant and safe journey, and thanks for choosing to travel with Necron!” Without another word, the goblin returned to his work, whatever that may be.

Eve shrugged and walked past the goblins that were busy at work. For many miles ahead was a perfectly straight road. “With this, we should be able to reach there by morning. Ready?”

“Always,” Zedd said as he vanished, and Eve felt something speed past her.

“Bastard,” she muttered as she willed her tiring muscles back into action. To her great surprise, the road was lit with the occasional glowing rock placed upon wooden poles that cast their soft blue hue for a few meters around them. They were the layman glowstone, producing far less light, but were also a lot cheaper. Another surprise was under each of these light posts was a waiting goblin kitted out in crude armor and holding a spear of wood with a sharpened metal tip. Nothing impressive, but for the average traveler, knowing the road was guarded made it even more valuable, even if the guards were undead.

The skeleton goblins didn’t even react as she sped past. Hours passed by as the sun crested the horizon once more. Then, as Eve devoured her breakfast, the road ended and entered a large clearing. She skidded to a halt and scrutinized the land. The cleared area was at least the size of a city. She saw goblins dragging wood or hauling chopped trees on carts and then trekking back toward the center where a wooden town stood.

Eve watched the little worker goblins for a few seconds in silent amazement. The Empire and the human realm had long outlawed necromancy, but seeing how efficient they worked made her think about how humanity had missed out on an opportunity. She continued to follow the dirt path that led all the way to the town gate. Two zombie ogres wielding clubs stood like statues. As she approached, they crossed their clubs in an X shape. “State your name and business. Necron is not currently expecting guests.”

“We come on official guild business from the Empire. The merchants guild has sent us to discuss a potential partnership…” Eve’s eyes wandered past the guards as she noticed a carriage that was partially obscured by a building. But the matte-black material, lack of windows, and scarlet eye emblem were all she needed to know the occupant’s identity.

Zedd appeared beside her, briefly startling the guards. “You noticed them?”

Eve nodded. “Why the hell is vampire nobility here?”