Tales of the Endless Empire
Chapter 186: A Tricky Situation

Garrick had a good life in his little camp. The beasts in the area were weak, and no powerful faction had discovered him yet. He had faced several close encounters with the undead, but one day, they simply vanished. Now, life was better than ever.

He exited the system shop after purchasing a new armor set, one that suited his needs perfectly. Towering trees stretched high above his camp, their dense canopy rendering it nearly invisible, even to creatures flying overhead. His base was filled with strong individuals, each striving for the perfect evolution. Some had even begun learning professions. They now had smiths, builders, runemakers, and alchemists. It was a remarkable achievement for such a small settlement, and Garrick took great pride in his people.

No one dared challenge his position. He had only needed to kill one of his fighters, a man who had been unfortunate enough to possess a legendary helmet that Garrick wanted. To everyone else, he spun a tale about a powerful beast attacking them and how, despite his efforts, he couldn’t save the man. A tragic loss, truly. He wasn’t foolish enough to wear the helmet immediately. Instead, he stored it safely in his spatial ring, along with the corpse. He was confident that nothing could shake his mood at the moment.

Then, a notification appeared on his status screen.

Survivors, the tutorial will end soon.

In two weeks, all participants will be teleported to the fifth stage.

In three weeks, the next special quest will appear. More information will be provided in two weeks.

The tutorial will conclude in six weeks.

At that time, you will be teleported to a random location in the new world.

Garrick’s eyes widened as he reread the message. What the hell was going on? Had the system lost its mind? Why grant them spatial rings only to take them away? They would have to start from scratch in the new world, carrying only what they could physically hold. Perhaps the system shop offered more spatial rings, but if they would be confiscated, what would be the point? None of this made sense.

The worst part was that they would be forced into the fifth stage against their will. If one of the true powerhouses discovered them, they would be slaughtered without a chance to resist. Hopefully, the special quest would be completed before then. Otherwise, that cursed Ankhet would be coming for their heads.

They needed stronger defenses. But if the system was going to reclaim everything, would they still receive rewards if their buildings were destroyed? Probably not. That meant buying more structures was a waste of resources. Garrick didn’t have many credits to spare, and he wasn’t about to throw them away. It was smarter to run and hide. He had no confidence in winning a fight against the vampires, so why sacrifice precious resources protecting others?

That didn’t mean he had to burn all his bridges just yet. He could still use the people in his base to his advantage, at least until it was too late for them to realize what was happening. If he saved his money during the next system shop visit, he might be able to afford an escape token. That was a far better investment than fortifications that wouldn’t last.

The others continued about their business, oblivious to the notification. They probably hadn’t seen it yet. Without hesitation, Garrick slipped out of the gate, setting off on another hunting trip. He had no intention of being there when they finally realized their fate.

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Thalion’s time for tea and relaxation had come to an end. With a sigh, he placed the massage chair and his empty teacup into his spatial ring. His expression was grim, his mind set. From this moment forward, the true struggle would begin. It was the start of the endgame. By the end of the day, they would be teleported to the fifth stage, where they would have to locate the catacombs and prevent Ankhet’s reincarnation. Most of the details still had to be discussed with the council, but trust had become a luxury.

Thalion was no longer certain who among them was still on his side. Jim’s influence had been growing steadily, and both he and Amalia were obstacles that had to be removed before the tutorial concluded. The catacombs would be the perfect place for that, a battlefield where teleportation tokens would be rendered useless. He had initially planned to use his time in the system shop to prepare for the ritual, but first, he had to evolve the elemental. That was why he had allowed himself these last few hours of rest. From now on, there would be no more time for such luxuries.

His priorities were clear. First, he had to feed the elemental until it evolved. He hoped that a single darkness crystal would be enough. Next, the council meeting to finalize their strategy for the fifth stage. After that, fusion and teleportation. He was confident the crystal would accelerate the elemental’s growth. With a final goodbye to the system shop, he stepped out and appeared in his basement, where a dark, swirling cloud awaited him.

The elemental was growing impatient. The energy it had been absorbing was no longer sufficient to sustain its rapid evolution. It was understandable, given the unnatural speed at which it had progressed. Thalion retrieved one of the powerful darkness crystals and tossed it into the vortex. The darkness coiled around it like an octopus seizing its prey. The entity had until the end of the day to evolve. If it failed, he would absorb it regardless. Time was up, and he needed to be at full strength before stepping into the fifth stage.

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Who knew what awaited him there? He doubted there would be another termite hive, but there would certainly be powerful individuals present. He also had to consider how to deal with his former comrades when they met again. He was thinking of Kael and the others, not Annie, Jakob, Evelyn, or Kargul. If he encountered them alone in the catacombs, he would eliminate them without hesitation.

A scenario he dreaded was Kael meeting Amalia or Jim first. That would change everything. Kael was no weakling, and his patron had likely accelerated his growth. While Thalion had spent his time on body tempering, Kael had gained weeks of experience hunting vampires and undead. Still, Thalion remained confident. Even though body tempering didn’t improve his stats, it had made him significantly stronger. More importantly, he was cultivating four bodies, whereas Kael had only one.

Even so, Thalion wasn’t entirely certain he could defeat his former friend. It would all depend on how much Kael had progressed. Thalion had his experience in the Golden Palace and with the Outsider, but that advantage would vanish if Kael fell under Jim’s influence. Even if Jim and Amalia didn’t reach Kael themselves, one of their followers could be enough to establish a connection. Kael, empowered by Jim’s formations, would be a nightmare to deal with.

On top of that, Kael wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t confront Thalion alone. He would bring Kai and Sylas. Kael wanted the Sanguine Thorn, and Sylas desired his amulet. As for Kai, Thalion wasn’t sure what motivated him. Perhaps he was simply following Kael as a friend and leader. It didn’t matter in the end. The real danger was that Amalia or Jim could find a powerful fighter and elevate them to ridiculous levels through their followers.

Thalion needed an escape plan. He should make it a priority to locate a water source. As a shapeshifter, he had no natural weaknesses and could adapt to nearly any situation. If he reached water, he was confident he could escape. If no water was nearby, he would take to the skies as eagly. Sylas’s domain ability had been formidable the last time they fought, but Thalion had grown stronger. While he couldn’t sustain his domain for extended periods, he had no trouble channeling both of his domains simultaneously.

The real question was whether Kael or Kai had acquired flight abilities. Thalion had never seen them use such skills, but he doubted their patrons had neglected to provide them with one. Flight was too valuable to ignore. That aside, the likelihood of Jim’s or Amalia’s people encountering his former comrades was far greater than his own.

So, what was the solution?

He had no clear answer yet. Perhaps the best course of action was to keep them close and eliminate them the moment they were no longer useful. Amalia remained valuable for controlling the Blessed in the base, while Jim’s followers were necessary for channeling powerful arrays. Especially the one used to break open enemy strongholds. For now, they lived. But the moment their usefulness ended, so would they.

Keeping them alive would be too great a risk with no real reward. That brought him to the next problem. What was the best way to eliminate both of them? More importantly, how would their followers react once they discovered their leaders were dead?

Thalion considered killing Amalia immediately after she finished interrogating the vampire, once he had extracted all the valuable information. If he left the basement alone, it would not take long before people started asking questions about her disappearance. On the other hand, he might be able to fabricate a story in which the vampire had unexpectedly broken free and killed her before he could intervene. Unfortunately, he doubted that her coven would be foolish enough to believe such a lie.

Speaking of her coven, those witches would also have to be dealt with. But how? He needed a list of names, yet the moment he started asking for one, they would realize what he was planning. Another question troubled him. Was Jim the only one enslaved by them, or had they ensnared more of his people? Thalion suspected the latter. He doubted the witches would willingly forgo such an easy source of power. The entire structure had been allowed to grow for far too long, and no solution presented itself that did not involve a massacre.

A large-scale slaughter would bring its own complications. The vampires would find it much easier to attack their base once the coven was eliminated. The entire situation was becoming too convoluted, and for the first time in a while, Thalion felt cornered. The best course of action seemed to be waiting until they reached the catacombs. If he killed them there, he could simply claim that they had been ambushed by vampires and that he had been the only survivor.

Even then, the risk of encountering one of his former friends in the catacombs was far too high for his liking. He saw no better way to resolve this predicament, but the uncertainty gnawed at him. Another troubling thought arose. What if Kael or one of the others found his base while he was away? Would Kaldrek be strong enough to keep them at bay?

Killing such elite fighters would not be easy. More importantly, was it even possible? With the constant threat of the undead looming over them, most people were reluctant to turn their weapons on other humans. These thoughts continued to plague Thalion’s mind as he slowly ascended the steps from his basement, wondering if the undead were plagued by as many internal conflicts as he was.