Chapter 87: Farewells And New Paths [FIXED!] [24/05!]

The vampires left the arena the moment it was done.

No goodbyes. No farewells. No lingering glances. The two sisters turned and walked into the tree line, their pale skin disappearing into the shadows like ghosts fading at dawn. Caelus paused for a moment, his red eyes fixed on Jason. There was something in that gaze—curiosity, maybe, or warning—but he said nothing.

Then he was gone.

Jason watched them leave. "Friendly bunch."

Kaelen grunted. "Vampires are never friendly. They’re just... tolerant."

"They tolerated us?" Jason questioned.

"Barely." Kaelen responded with a grunt.

The reptile’s yellow eyes drifted to the ant king. The creature stood at Jason’s side, small and unassuming, his red chitin gleaming in the fading light. His black and gold eyes blinked slowly. His mandibles clicked once, twice.

Kaelen had no idea what to make of it.

"He killed the queen," Kaelen said. It wasn’t a question.

"He did," Jason replied.

"In one hit?" This was a question, he hoped that Jason was exaggerating.

"One hit," Jason responded firmly but he understood why Kaelen was skeptical. It was so small and adorable right now.

Kaelen stared at the ant king. The creature stared back. Neither blinked.

"Terrifying," Kaelen muttered.

Jason shrugged. "He’s on our side."

"For now." Kaelen warned him but if Jason wasn’t the kind of person to take risks, Thalion would have been abandoned long ago.

"For always." Jason’s voice was firm. "He doesn’t have a choice."

Kaelen didn’t argue. Jason had seen the ant king—seen the blur of red, the wet sound of the queen’s head leaving her body. He had felt the pressure in the air, the weight of something that should not exist.

Helga and Mira stood a few feet away, their arms crossed, their eyes fixed on Jason. They had both seen the collapsed tunnel. They had both assumed the worst.

And yet, here he was. Alive despite being bruised, covered in dust and ichor but alive.

Helga shook her head. "I didn’t think you’d make it."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"That’s not what I meant." Helga’s voice was rough, almost reluctant. "I mean... you went back. For Kaelen. You didn’t have to."

"Yes, I did," Jason shut her down right away.

"No." Helga stepped closer. "You didn’t. You’re weak. You have no combat training. No magic. No weapons that matter. You should have died in there."

Jason’s smirk faded. "I didn’t."

"No." Helga’s dark eyes held his. "You didn’t. And that’s why Kaelen is going to offer you a spot in the guild."

Kaelen’s head snapped toward her. "I was going to—"

"I know." Helga cut him off. "You’re predictable."

Kaelen’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t deny it. He turned to Jason, his yellow eyes serious.

"She’s right," Kaelen said. "I was going to offer you a spot. You proved yourself. You risked your life to save mine—and you’re weak. Pathetically weak. But you did it anyway."

"That’s not—" Jason was interrupted.

"It is." Kaelen raised a clawed hand. "Strength isn’t just muscles and magic. It’s heart. It’s loyalty. It’s doing the right thing even when you know you might die." He paused. "You have that. And that already makes you the strongest person I know."

Jason opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

"I... thank you," he said. "That means a lot."

"So you’ll join?"

Jason looked at Ylva.

She stood a few feet away, her eyes watchful, her tail flicking. Her arms were crossed. Her expression was neutral—but Jason could see the tension in her shoulders. The way her claws tapped against her elbow alongside the fading wounds on her skin.

He looked at Mae. The cow woman was holding the ant king’s gaze, her brown eyes wide, her hand hovering near her sword hilt. She was nervous. Scared, even.

He looked at Thalion. The elf’s pale eyes were distant, his silver hair blowing in the wind. He was thinking about something—someone—far away.

Jason realized how close these people had become to him.

Ylva, his mate. Violent, jealous, loyal to a fault. Mae, the healer with the healing milk and the wandering hands. Thalion, the broken elf with the dark past and the darker future.

They weren’t just traveling companions. They were... something else. Something he didn’t have words for.

And he knew he couldn’t keep doing this.

Dungeon crawls. Queen spiders. Collapsing caves. The risks were permanent in this world. Death wasn’t a game over screen. It was the end and there were worse ways to die than a clean blade.

Jason looked at the ant king.

The creature stood at his side, small and quiet. His black and gold eyes reflected the setting sun. His mandibles clicked softly.

"He’s all I need," Jason thought. "With him beside me, I’m safe."

He didn’t need a guild. He didn’t need Kaelen’s protection. He didn’t need to risk his life for coin and glory.

He just needed to enjoy this world for a little while. Cool off and mess around. See the sights without something trying to eat him.

"Kaelen," Jason said. "I’m honored. Really. But I can’t join your guild."

Kaelen’s yellow eyes widened. "What?"

"I’m not built for this. Not yet." Jason gestured at himself. "I’m weak. You said it yourself. I have no combat training. No magic. No weapons. I got lucky in there. Luckier than I had any right to be."

"Luck is a skill." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Luck runs out." Jason met his gaze. "I need time. Time to get stronger. Time to figure out what I am and what I can do. And I can’t do that while I’m crawling through dungeons every other day."

Kaelen stared at him for a long moment.

Then he nodded.

"Fine," Kaelen said. "But the spot is always open. If you change your mind—when you change your mind—you come find us. Understand?"

Jason smiled. "I understand. Thank you, Kaelen. For everything."

Kaelen grunted. He turned to Helga and Mira. "Let’s go. We’ve got a long walk back."

Helga nodded. She looked at Jason one last time. "You’re still an idiot."

"Probably," Jason shrugged.

"But you’re a brave idiot. That counts for something."

She walked after Kaelen. Mira lingered for a moment, her amber eyes fixed on the ant king. Her tail flicked once.

"Keep that thing on a leash," she said.

Then she was gone.

Jason watched them disappear over the hill. Ylva moved to his side, her shoulder brushing against his.

"That was stupid," she said.

"Turning them down?" Jason questioned.

"Turning them down. Lying about your reasons."

Jason looked at her. "I wasn’t lying. I am weak."

"You’re not weak." Ylva’s voice was quiet. "You’re just... not strong yet."

Jason chuckled. "That’s the same thing."

"No. It’s not." She grabbed his hand. Her claws were retracted. Her palm was warm. "Weak is giving up. Weak is not trying. You do neither."

Jason squeezed her hand. "Thanks."

Thalion approached, his silver hair catching the fading light. His pale eyes were troubled.

"Jason," Thalion said. "I need to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"My friends. The ones from the Velveteen Watch." Thalion’s voice was tight. "I need to find them. Or what remains of them. I need to know what happened."

Jason nodded. He had known this was coming. Thalion had been carrying that weight since they escaped the dungeon.

"We’ll find them," Jason said. "Or we’ll find out what happened. Either way, you’ll get closure."

Thalion’s shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you."

"Don’t thank me yet. We have no idea where to start."

"We’ll figure it out." Ylva’s tail flicked. "We always do."

Mae joined them, her hooves clicking against the grass. She was still staring at the ant king.

"So," she said slowly. "What exactly is that thing?"

Jason looked down at the creature. The ant king looked back up at him. His black and gold eyes blinked.

"He’s mine," Jason said. "That’s all I know."

"And he just... follows you?"

"He doesn’t have a choice." Jason paused. "Neither do I, apparently."

The ant king tilted his head. His mandibles clicked.

Jason sighed.

-

That night, they made camp in a clearing near the base of the mountain. The ant king sat at Jason’s feet, small and still, his red chitin reflecting the firelight.

Jason stared into the flames.

He thought about everything that had happened. The system. The adaptations. The ant king.

He had adapted to boiling water—a minor thing, but useful. He had adapted to blunt force trauma at forty percent—which explained why Ylva’s punches hurt less than they should. And he had adapted to mana manipulation at forty percent—which was why Thalion’s mental suggestions had failed.

But he couldn’t adapt to anything else until he upgraded his system.

"How do I upgrade?" he wondered. "More experience? More danger? More near-death experiences?"

He didn’t have the answers.

But for the first time since waking up in this world, he didn’t feel so utterly pathetic because he was proving to himself that he wasn’t a coward.