Ethan got up from his bed because he heard a loud sound. Looking to his side, he saw the rest of his squad mates waking up. Egor was already up, dressed in his uniform, and holding a pan and spoon.

  ‘As you all know, the honor of being the first ones going in is ours, so get up and let’s get going.’ Egor turned around and got out of the tent.

  After he got out, Asher scratched the back of his head and looked around. The others were preparing themselves, putting on their clothes, or cleaning their rifles. He was nervous, even after all the situations he was in, that he would be the first one to get into.

  ‘Why are we always in the front?’ Asher sigh.

  ‘Because it is the most fun.’ Samal laughed.

  ‘Didn’t you almost die twice, Samal?’ Asher shook his head.

  ‘It was just scratches, nothing too serious.’ He went up and walked to the door.

  ‘I was there; if it weren’t for Eliza, you would be dead.’ Asher shouted.

  ‘The Goddess will protect me like before; don’t worry about it.’ Samal smiled at Asher.

  Asher shook his head in disapproval. Ethan put his hand on Asher's shoulder and, in response, looked at him. Ethan just smiled at him and patted him.

  ‘We are doomed.’ Asher sigh.

  Outside the tent, Ethan and the others were confronted by soldiers walking around preparing for the operation. They were close to the dungeon gate location, and he could see it. A structure was being built toward the gate, but Ethan did not know what it was. There was no time to think about it as he entered the command tent with the rest of his squad mates.

  On the other side of a table, Ariadne was wearing a red leather coat over her shoulders, using it only to cover a black shirt that was thicker and covered with light armor in a pattern he had never seen, ?tight to her body; her pants were like those she used on her training with Edmund.

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  Edmund wasn’t different, but not ?equal, as he only saw the white-haired young man wearing simple clothes, even in the most dire situations; his coat was black and over his shoulders, not wearing it; the shirt was black too, ?tight to the body; the pants were too black with a silver belt around the waist holding everything in place; and his expression was of happiness at all times; it looked like he was proud of himself. Like everyone else, Alon, Bartel, and Egor wore the duchy uniform.

  ‘I called you here because the duchess wanted to see you out, but don’t forget, this is a scout mission.’ Alon looks at them across the table.

  ‘As the captain said, I wanted to see the faces of the brave soldiers to be at the tip of the spear in this endeavor, but again, like he said, it is a scout mission, don’t throw your lives away, that would sadden me deeply.’ Ariadne took a deep breath, and her expression was one of frustration and sadness.

  Her words and how her expression moved the soldiers on the other side of the table. Ethan almost saw his wife on Ariadne for a moment; it was strange; he felt terrible for her; there was a rush inside of him to comfort her with words, but someone else spoke first.

  ‘Don’t worry, Your Highness; we feel how much you care for us.’ Caleb looks to his squad mates and them to Ariadne again. ‘ We will not let you down, never, our goddess.’

  He saluted her, and like clockwork, every soldier did the same, closing their eyes and bowing their heads with their fists in the center of their chest. This moved Ariadne more than she imagined. Full of emotion, a tear dropped from her left eye; she wanted to cry but didn’t know why.

  Edmund saw all of this again with a sense of strangeness. Still, he could see the link they had working by how they treated her and how she reacted to everything, but it could all be brushed off as someone being emotional, so he, in the end, did not care much to explore more of them; he already knows about this.

  ‘I know everyone will do their best, but now I'm going to leave for my tent. Continue, Alon.’ She turned around and walked but looked back. ‘Let’s go, peasant; entertain me as I await their safe return.’

  ‘I’m not going even to say anything.’ Edmund followed Ariadne out of the tent.

  Alon chuckled, and the other soldiers did the same. The air in the tent was lighter than before; it was as if everyone was at full strength, relaxed, and sharp-minded.

  ‘Ok, everyone knows about this map here, but Edmund told us that to the sides of the hallway, there are entrances for rooms or more elaborate structures; he just doesn’t know. You must clear those rooms and mark those more complex for later clearing.’ Alon passes his finger on top of the map.

  ‘Why don’t we use a platoon to clear everything in one go, sir?’ Ethan raised his hand.

  ‘Good question because we can’t afford to lose an entire platoon. It is as simple as that soldier; don’t let this map fool you. It is a huge hallway but not far from the city.’ He looks at Ethan with a serious face.

  ‘Communications will be complicated; inside the dungeon, there is a huge concentration of magic, so someone will carry a backpack and be at Egor's side so that reports can be passed through.' Bartel looked at Egor.

  Egor looked at a black-haired and brown-eyed A-Dam, pointed at him, and nodded at Egor, giving him a salute.

  ‘Kurt will handle it; nothing major.’ Egor nodded at Bartel.

  ‘Well, this is it. Everyone packs up and moves. I hope everyone is familiar with the flashlights. The inside is pitch black, so watch your back. Dismissed.’ Alon gave a salute.

  Everyone did the same, turned around, and walked outside while putting their helmets on their heads. As the two walked towards the dungeon gates, Egor was now at the front with Ethan.