Dark Magus Returns

For a short while, Barlan looked at the DM marking. He had seen a few pills but not many since it wasn't something he bothered with taking himself. From those he had seen, he had never witnessed a marking like this on them. However, that was all he thought it was, just a marking, and he placed them in his inner pocket for safekeeping.

The group had managed to enter the city with ease. There were some Pagna warriors on the outside from one of the Demonic Clans, not one that Raze had seen before. The members of the clan in the city were quite recognizable, since all of them had a band on their shoulder.

The city itself was different from Reptum. The floor was paved with round stones and uneven at parts, and the buildings by the side were close together, a mixture of wood and a different hard rock type of material. The architectural style was also more plain, being more upright and standing. However, the streets were extremely wide, allowing for multiple carriages to go through as well as people, and there seemed to be nearly just as much here as there would be in Reptum. Only the characters were more diverse.

"These places are a wanderer's Paradise," Marcus explained. "You know, all of the factions are at each other's throats, so if you're from a clan that doesn't belong, then you need to get permission from the relevant factions to even enter.

"However, for wanderers that belong to no clan, we can stay at cities like these that are on the very border."

"If it's on the border, though, doesn't that mean that it'll get attacked a lot as well?" Raze asked.

The group continued to pace through the city, and Raze was still taking in the sights. He could even see several warriors looking from above; they were standing on rooftops just observing the situation. It certainly felt more militarized compared to any of the other places that he had been to before.

"You are right, disagreements tend to happen, but very rarely do fights occur in the city. Usually, a clash will happen on the land somewhere before it even reaches the city," Ponyo, the young warrior, answered.

"However, there is no doubt that there are those that just ignore the norm and start trouble here, which means this place right here is cheap, and warriors just like Marcus are very cheap."

Marcus went to give the young warrior a stare of death, but the others laughed at the comment, knowing fully well that it's true.

"This city is perhaps one of the safest points of access to the Dark Faction," Barlan explained. "Because we're not actually at the territory border. You see the valley of mountains that go on and on from this point.

"Well, there is a tunnel that goes through the tunnel that takes you all the way to another city, and that city is occupied by the Dark Faction. Fights just don't occur here because of this issue.

"Although I do hear of deaths occurring in the tunnel from time to time, never has there been an outright war or battle that has occurred."

Raze thought the whole thing was interesting, to say the least. He knew on Alterian there were several disputes between different nations. There was a large struggle as Mages became an ultimate power.

Yet one thing that the Grand Magus did manage to do was the fact that their existence had stopped the disputes. They weren't the ultimate government or seen as above them, but working with them nearly all matters were settled.

Yet Raze still didn't care what happened to the rest of Alterian, regardless of what good their existence did. They needed to be rid of for the wrongdoings they had done.

"The Lethal Bite clan is the one in charge of this city right? Is it someone we should be careful of?" Tanya asked.

"Yes," Marcus answered instantly, as the group walked past two men in cloth with the yellow armband around their bicep.

"You have to remember, all the clans that are in charge of the borders have to be strong and have a large say in each faction because at the end of the day, they are the first line of defense."

After walking around for a while, Raze could see them stopping at a fairly large building, and people who were entering inside were coming out with different packages that were wrapped up.

Marcus had entered on his own, informing the others to wait on the outside. After a short while, he had returned, and he had a circle emblem held in his hand.

It was the size of one's palm, made of a metallic bronze and had an X in the middle. When Marcus arrived, he handed it over to Raze.

"What is this?" Raze asked.

"That is the marking of a Wanderer. With that, you will be able to enter and go out of different areas, but in some cases, they're quite tricky to get," Marcus explained. "If you are a wanderer who was born in the Demonic faction, then you would have to go through the process in the Demonic Faction to get one of those things.

"The process for wanderers is different depending on where they come from, and since you are not originally from the Demonic Faction, it would have been near impossible for you to get one.

"Which is why I contacted Himmy to send one over, and of course just sending it it would have been stopped if there weren't some other methods involved," Marcus explained.

Right now, in Raze's hand, another great tool had been added. Speaking to the others so far, Wanderers could enter any faction including that of the Light Faction. If there was some business there, he could perhaps help.

Or maybe even learn their cultivation technique and teach it to Safa. With that, she should grow her light magic powers.The Dark Factionw orked well for Raze's magic core so he assumed it would for her as well.

'Right… Safa and the others,' Raze thought as he quickly used his magic to place the emblem away.

For a brief moment, the weight of their success hung palpably in the air, unspoken yet deeply felt among them. As Marcus voiced his relief, Raze sensed the tension dissipating from the group. With each step away from the city, their spirits lifted, and laughter and chatter filled the air.

"I suppose your mission was a success," Raze ventured, breaking the buoyant atmosphere with his question.

"A success, indeed. For me, a mission is successful if we make it out alive," Marcus replied with a hint of gravity. "I hope you won't need to return here once you're with Himmy's squad. But fate works in mysterious ways."

Raze pondered Marcus's words, his thoughts swirling around a particular detail mentioned earlier. With a specific inquiry in mind, he directed his question to the group.

"Do you happen to know which clan oversees the city on the other side of the tunnel?" Raze inquired, his curiosity piqued.

Ponny, without hesitation, provided the answer. "Yes, it's the Lethal Bite Clan," he confirmed, adding another layer of intrigue to their journey.