Level Up: Voidwalker

Atlas pulled the chest out of the hole before inspecting it, only to find a strange-looking padlock. He used the tomahawk and struck it a few times, but nothing happened, causing Amethyst to giggle while watching him.

He looked at the Phoenix girl, who motioned to move out of the way while pointing the finger at the lock and casting the Cosmic Bullet. The purple projectile made a whirling noise as it sliced through the air before hitting the lock, disintegrating it into ash.

When he saw what she did, he was shocked and looked between the chest and Amethyst with wonder. Without wasting more time, Atlas opened the chest to see a few pouches of coins containing 100 gold, 500 silver, and 1,000 copper coins.

Atlas stored his newfound wealth in his space bag before turning his attention to the three blue crystals the size of tennis balls. When Amethyst saw this, her eyes widened in shock before excitedly exclaiming, ''That's a Blue Core Stone!''

''What's that?'' he questioned.

''They are found in the Blue Dune Desert in the far south. Many of the Trade Federations use them to power their machines, while the empires and kingdoms use them to boost their defensive shields, among many other things,'' Amethyst explained.

Atlas took the three stones and left the tent, followed by the Phoenix girl. When they arrived outside, the rescued people were ready and thanked him as Biric led the way to Frostwood Village.

While they walked, Atlas felt a bad feeling creeping over him, which spurred him to hide his space bag by putting a tunic over it. After doing that, Amethyst giggled before asking, ''Why hide the bag? It's just cold.''

He looked at the purple-haired girl before shrugging, ''I'm getting a bad feeling for some reason, and that usually means something's going to happen.''

Amethyst giggled as she nudged him, ''Nothing is wrong, you worry wart. You killed the bandits and freed the people. What else could happen?''

Atlas rolled his eyes, ''Don't jinx it, pigeon,'' he said playfully, which earned him a punch in the arm.

''Shut it, idiot! I am not a PIGEON!' Amethyst declared as she held a purple Cosmic Bullet in her hand while turning her head to him.

''Oi, put that spell away, young lady! I am merely stating facts!'' Atlas replied before quickly dodging as Amethyst threw the bullet in his direction, causing him to dodge the attack while the two laughed.

Soon after, they approached a ridge, only for Biric to comment as he approached the duo from behind, ''Just over the hill lies Frostwood Village. When we get there, I will have a hot meal and warm bed for you love birds.''

Atlas chuckled while Amethyst blushed, casting a sideways glance at him. Meanwhile, Biric walked off, humming as if nothing had happened. The two watched the freed people pass by, each thanking him for helping them.

Once the last person reached the top of the hill, they followed behind, and when Atlas saw the village, he was taken aback. It resembled a medieval village, with wooden buildings huddled behind the ten-foot-tall wooden wall.

He saw plenty of people wandering around even though it was late afternoon and dark clouds hung overhead. Atlas turned to her and questioned, ''What season is it?''

''I believe it's the last month of Goldenfall, Harvestmoon, which means Frostwinter is about to start,'' she answered with a smile.

Atlas guessed Goldenfall was Autumn and Frostwinter was obliviously winter. It made him internally chuckle until she questioned him suspiciously, ''How do you not know that? Children are taught about it from a young.''

He scratched the back of his head, wondering what to say, but as they made their way down the hill, Biric stood at the bottom with a big smile as he spoke, ''You two are welcome to stay at my home, where my wife will cook you a lovely meal.''

When hearing Biric's offer, Atlas looked at Amethyst, who shrugged, ''I'm cold and hungry. I'm sure Biric isn't a child snatcher.''

Atlas chuckled, but Biric went pale. He didn't know where that came from and retorted, ''I am no child snatcher! I have seven children, and most are older than the two of you.''

''Okay, so you're not a child snatcher,'' Amethyst commented while nodding as she tried not to laugh.

Biric sighed before leading them through the village gate, where the residents tended to the people. Atlas noticed three guards standing outside the gate dressed in shabby-looking armor.

Atlas thought they looked like Viking warriors from Earth. Once inside, I noticed it was quiet, with two dozen buildings made from a mix of stone and wood on the sides of the main street while homes were behind those.

The roads were cobblestone and only had enough room for one carriage to travel down. While walking, Biric spoke, ''So where do you come from, Atlas? You look like an elf, but your mana clearly shows you ain't one.''

''What makes you think that?'' Atlas answered, but he soon felt Amethyst staring at him even though she had a blindfold on, which was freaky.

''Your eyes,'' Biric answered. ''I've never seen such a color; they are glowing.''

Atlas was confused and turned to Amethyst, who shrugged, ''I can't see the color, but there is a glow that my Cosmic Sight can see.''

He shrugged, ''I don't know; I woke up like this a couple of days ago when we escaped Ironclad Pass.''

Biric looked confused and clarified, ''The Thalassian Colony set up on Echo Isles?''

Atlas nodded, ''Yeah, I was the only survivor from the colony; a Monster Wave wiped them out.''

When the older man heard this, his eyes widened in shock, ''Are you speaking the truth?''

''Yes, why would I lie? I get nothing from it,'' Atlas answered.

This caused Biric to sigh before replying, ''In the morning, I will head to Avalanche Hollow. and inform the commander about the Monster Wave as it may hit the Frostmark Kingdom next.''

Atlas nodded, but Amethyst kept her gaze fixed on him until Biric continued walking. They followed him to a large house on the north side of the village. When he saw the house, it was a medium-sized house that came straight out of a medieval videogame.

It was two stories tall and made from light brown wood that looked like oak but gave off a strange glow. This interested Atlas, so he decided to ask Amethyst later. Atlas quickly noticed the windows dotted the outside, but curtains prevented him from seeing inside.

A well-maintained garden greeted them at the entrance, and a neigh emanated from a large shed nearby. Atlas shook his head slightly as Biric spoke. "Come on in, Neryssa will love to meet the both of you," he invited warmly.

Amethyst looked at Atlas, who nodded as the two approached the door as it opened, and a beautiful woman answered the door with three children in tow. They all greeted Biric while screaming in happiness.

When Atlas saw that, he felt jealous as he had never had anything like that since his early days before his mother dumped him at the orphanage, but he shook his head to clear those bad thoughts as Biric introduced his wife.

''This is Neryssa, my gorgeous wife and mother to my children,'' Biric said while motioning to the brown-haired woman with bright blue eyes.

The older woman regarded them with a kind, maternal gaze as if they were lost children, which wasn't far from the truth. With a warm smile, Neryssa said, "Oh, look at you two darlings. Come inside and get warm; I can cook a lovely stew you both will love."

She ushered them into the house, and Atlas immediately felt welcome. The interior was cozy, with sofas in one corner and a kitchen in the other. He took in the well-decorated space, noting the carpeted floors that added to the homely atmosphere.

Biric followed them inside, accompanied by one of the children, while the other two curiously stared at Atlas and Amethyst. Then Neryssa pushed them toward the sofa as she spoke, ''Sit down and get comfortable. The moon is high, and the dark spirits roam the forest. We must stay indoors during the night.''

When Atlas heard this, his body stiffened, but Amethyst grabbed his hand. She managed to calm him down, but then Biric entered the room, followed by four older children who looked to be in their teens.

The older group comprised two boys and two girls, while the younger group included two girls and one boy. Biric motioned for the other three children to join them as he introduced them.

Biric placed his hand on the oldest boy's shoulder and said, "This is Aldric, my eldest."

Atlas nodded in acknowledgment, while Amethyst offered a similar gesture as Biric continued, "This is my second eldest, Branor, and the youngest, Jareth."

Each of the children greeted Atlas and Amethyst with a simple nod, lacking any verbal response. Meanwhile, the four girls stared at Atlas as if he were a rare monster their father had captured, which irked him.

However, Amethyst's gentle touch reassured him as Biric introduced the girls. "My oldest daughter is named Adara," he began, "while the other three darlings are Wrenna, Talia, and Phaedra."

Atlas gave each of them a nod, but Aldric commented while sitting at the dinner table, ''Where are you two from?''

''I'm from the Thalassia Empire,'' Atlas answered while turning to Amethyst.

She answered, ''I lived on an island off the coast of the Nubian Empire in the south.''

''How are you so far north, then?'' Branor questioned while taking off a pair of boots.