God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

They all stared at the map at the center of the table.

Cain huffed to himself, 'What's with the maps these days? How do these people even find the time to draw these?'

Drawing new maps had become a rather important task since the expansion and topographic change of Urbus. The Cartographer set of skills wasn't limited to one person. Many people could possess skills within the same family such as this one.

However, each individual was different in their application of mana to chart these maps.

Take the one at the center of the table for example...

It was quite detailed, but not too detailed. The simplicity in the design of the map managed to capture all the important details necessary.

Cain was quite impressed.

Speaking of maps, this one contained most of the geographical information within the Dome of Sands.

Both the Military Camp and the Main Camp were separated at the center by a large stretch or arid land.

Most of the buildings within the Dome had been pushed to the edges, the East and the West.

A large sea of dunes separated both camps at the center.

Cain sighed,

"This... might be a bit difficult."

Boulder shook his head,

"We don't make the journey often, but most of the time, it is nothing to worry about."

Cain raised a brow, "Are you sure?"

He tapped on a certain point on the map,

"Then tell me, why is this place called Death's Barrow?!"

They all fell silent...

Khan cleared his throat,

"That's because..."

Boulder cut in, "That's because that place contains the corpses of thousands of deceased, humans, Devils, ans Aether Beasts alike."

Cain frowned, "Explain..."

Boulder shrugged, "During the fight for this place, we lost a lot of people, soldiers and civilians alike. It wasn't easy in the slightest. Death's Barrow was where the final battle took place."

Cain's face turned dark.

Boulder shook his head, "You don't have to worry. We aren't going anywhere near that place. The {Sand Wraiths} live there."

Cain sighed, 'More monsters?!'

This time, Khan took over,

"The {Sand Wraiths} aren't Mutant Creatures, or Aether Beasts. I guess you can call them monsters in every sense of the word."

"What are they?" Cain asked.

"Apparently, they are supposed to be a product of the undeparted souls of the dead reacting with the mana in the atmosphere, as well as the influence of Balangol. Their souls are constrained into grotesque sand shells that are neither human nor beast. Very terrifying creatures indeed." Khan said with a sigh.

Cain was at his wits end,

"Why on earth are those types of creatures inside here, a place that's meant to be a safe zone for humans?!"

Boulder shrugged, "Well, the {Sand Wraiths are just the beginning..."

He pointed to another corner at the center of the map,

"See there? An Aether Gate opened within that sea of dunes, one connected to a region of the Aether with {Stone Lions} and {Frost Segrons}. These creatures don't react negatively to the arid environment here, so they fit in quite perfectly. They truly are a chore to handle, especially with their flesh being inedible."

Cain scratched his head, "There's an Aether Gate in here?! I thought only the Blood Goddess of the Moon could open them."

Khan shook his head, "All Celestials can exert enough influence to bend the boundaries between realms. Breaking a hole or two into the Aether realm is no big deal for Balangol."

Cain glared at him, "Why do you say that like its a good thing."

Khan chuckled then shook his head,

"Relax. We aren't going to be passing through those areas. Take a look..."

Khan pointed at the map, drawing a line from their current camp, around Death's Barrow and the Sea of Dunes.

It was quite a bit longer than the alternatives, but Cain noticed it made sure they steered clear of both dangerous areas.

Although he wasn't scared of facing new opponents, he would rather not, as fighting would only waste more time and resources.

He absolutely, couldn't and wouldn't fight a few monsters just for the minute amount of exp they might give him. It wasn't worth it.

Cain nodded, "This isn't bad at all. We'll have to take a lot of detours, but I think this is manageable."

The fourth member of this meeting at the table finally opened her mouth.

"Isn't that just stupid?"

Cain frowned, "What do you mean?"

Lucia shrugged, "Taking such a large detour just because of a few {Sand Wraiths} is absurd."

Boulder shook his head,

"We need to conserve energy. That's what is most important. You've never been to the main camp besides that one time, right?"

Lucia nodded. Boulder sighed,

"Well, besides the {Sand Wraiths} and {Stone Lions}, there's something else we need to worry about."

"And that is?" Cain asked.

Boulder pointed at the map, drawing a large circle that encircled the entirety of the territory between the two camps.

"Aridrys, the second weapon of Balangol, is said to be responsible for all this sand. However, besides creating sand and diffusing this place with the earth element, ut is also responsible for another thing."

Boulder's eyes friend dark as he spoke,

"Vitality Draining..."

Cain chuckled to himself,

'Of course... The difficulty always has to be higher. Never an easy moment in my life anymore.'

"Simply standing in the Sand can kill a man. The summoned Aether Beasts don't have to worry about a thing because they have particularly strong vitality, so even if they don't do anything for years, they'll live normally. We humans are different."

Lucia glared at Boulder, "Why didn't I know about this?"

Boulder shrugged, "Was it really important for you to know?"

Boulder stared at her, his dark, impassive eyes showing not even a ripple,

"Remember, each of us have our roles. My job is to make sure none of those roles get mixed up. You knowing more than you need to know won't do you any good."

Lucia grunted, "Still..."

Khan tapped the table gently, his signature smile spread across his face,

"Now, now... Let's not start any arguments."

Cain sighed, "Either way, we have two options. Either we take the long route and avoid any fights, or we take the shorter one and risk it."

Boulder turned to the map,

"Vitality Draining doesn't just get your life force, it drains everything; stamina, energy, Ki, all of it. Before you know it, you'll be dead, already turning into sand."

Cain furrowed his brows,

"How do you avoid it then?" Cain asked.

Boulder crossed his arms,

"Khan usually casts a blessing, {Mortal Aegis}, that shields us from the Vitality Drain. However, the blessing immediately comes undone the moment a fight begins."

Cain sighed, 'So that's how it is...'

Even fighting was risking it too much. It was asking for a dead sentence. Not only was outside the Dome dangerous, even the inside wasn't safe at all.

"I thought you couldn't use magic, Khan..."

Khan smiled, "I can't. There's a different between Magic and Blessings, much like the difference between Magic and Mana Tech."

"Is that so..." Cain said.

"In the end, it all comes down to how well we manage our resources. The journey will not be lethal, as long as we make it so. Remember, the moment we engage in combat, the Blessing will come undone."

Khan nodded, "And I usually can't cast the Blessing for a few hours, so we'll have to do whatever we can."

Lucia sighed, "Alright, alright, I get it. We won't fight."

The three men let out audible sighs. The battle hungry maiden had finally relented.

"Then..." Cain said.

"Let's move on to the finer details." A grin spread across his face.

He reached into his inventory and pulled something an egg-shaped item out.

Boulder frowned, "What is that?"

Cain chuckled, "This? Why, this is an explosive created by yours truly. Very lethal, very effective, a single one can probably wipe out an entire mini-horde of Level 50 and below creatures."

Lucia's eyes widened. Before Cain was able to react, she snatched it out of his arms.

"Interesting... How interesting..."

Khan whispered to him,

"She's a weapon's enthusiast. Things like this get her riled up."

Cain was skeptical, "Really?"

Khan nodded, "It's true. She makes her weapons and bullets herself."

Lucia, religiously analysing the {Dark Egg} snorted,

"I can hear you... Both of you..."

Cain cleared his throat, "What do you think? I have many iterations. Smoke bombs, Magic Dispell bombs, explosive charges, you name it."

For some time in the past, Cain had made it his mission to create more variants of the {Dark Egg}. Magic Items were very useful depending on the situation, almost as useful as real weapons and equipment.

However, it was all situational. If they found themselves in an awful situation, then maybe just one of these might come in handy.

Besides...

Cain turned to Boulder, "You said if we engage in battle, the Blessing will wear off, right?"

Boulder nodded. Cain grinned,

"Then what if we don't need to engage in battle. Does setting traps count as engaging in battle?"

Boulder fell silent. He seemed to think about it for a while,

"I... I don't think so."

Cain nodded, "In that case, these will come in handy."

They talked more for a few more hours before deciding when to embark on their journey.

It was set to be in three days...