The display of brutality Alliot had just witnessed was overwhelming. He had never seen anything like that in all the years of his training and service. Of course, it was hard to tell if he had experienced fights of a similar caliber before his transformation. But none of the enlightened really considered any memories from their human past worth exploring.

  Even if they had access to them. And they didn't.

  For Alliot, it was hard to measure how far his skills spread. But it was a fair distance. During their mock battles, he was always the one who noticed the other teams first. Alliot's friends always said he was on the fast track to the highest positions.

  Well… friends… it wasn't only friends. Even some shamans mentioned to him that he had the eyes of some more powerful figures. That was probably the reason Ainorrh chose Alliot for this mission. At least one of the reasons.

  So, here he was, patrolling the woods and hills around that remnant of the old civilization. If he had come to this world just a bit earlier, he may have had a chance to visit this place before the Dawn of the Enlightenment. But he was destined to be born to a barbarian mother after everything had already changed.

  Still, when he saw buildings of that kind, he couldn't help himself but to be a bit envious. His people mastered the techniques of reinforcing grand structures through their connection with the Nexus. But these ancient humans have built something that withstood centuries. And the vast facility that occupied a reasonable part of the valley wasn't going to crumble any time soon. Unless it was helped.

  Days went by, and little has changed. The two women, tenants of the building, have found their own rhythm, exploring its halls and recovering the old tech. And now Alliot was sure that they were women. Even if one of them didn't feel human.

  Alliot also fell into a repetitive routine. It wasn't hard for him to survive in this wilderness, even without any permanent shelter or months' worth of provisions. He didn't need any of that besides some water. And ambient energy was enough to compensate for his needs even when he exerted himself.

  When his charges didn't provide much action, Alliot targeted the forest animals and tracked them, following their daily chores. Just to keep practicing. And he felt his magical skills improving gradually even during this quiet assignment.

  But of course, Ainorrh's wisdom was proved right at the moment when Alliot started to question it and his mission. He wouldn't deny that the energy signature of one of the people he was tasked to follow was unusual. It didn't compare to any human or enlightened he had ever met before. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit useless after days and days of seeing his charges doing nothing that supposedly would have any real interest to him or his superiors.

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  And then he sensed scores of humans approaching.

  At first, Alliot supposed it was a trade caravan that moved between human settlements and didn't pay much attention to it. Even while this group of people moved at night.

  Alliot should have thought about it earlier. But he forgot how much human society depended on day and night cycles. For him, there wasn't much difference. The only factor that affected his choices was the availability of light. He would choose any appropriate time to fulfill his duties in the city, not relying on the positioning of the celestial bodies. Or he would follow the orders and recommendations of his superiors.

  Here, in the wilderness, he had to do more during the day, though. And humans were supposed to do the same.

  However, he only remembered about this peculiarity of the barbarians after the siege began.

  That act of naked aggression startled Alliot. And he found himself not able to move until the last human attackers had removed themselves from the scene.

  In the first morning light, he could see that the once snowy and white area before the old building was now covered in splotches of red, with several human bodies still remaining as silent witnesses of the night's brutality.

  "Humans…" thought Alliot. "So typical of them… Barbarians…"

  Why did they always have to kill each other? Why were these two groups at odds with each other? Did the attackers know something about the person he was charged to follow? It seemed that many interests had converged on her.

  Unsurprisingly, the whole day didn't conform with any of the previous patterns for Alliot's charges. They weren't interested in the old tech anymore. But they brought more bodies from within the building and dug a large grave for them.

  In total, more than twenty humans were buried in the frozen ground that day.

  "What a waste!" thought Alliot. "It would have been so much better if they were transformed. Our numbers may start going lower soon. And they just choose to expend so many lives for no obvious reason. Humans…"

  While he was momentarily lost in thought, one of the women stopped digging and perked up. And then, something strange happened. It felt like she looked right into his eyes. Even while Alliot was sure she couldn't notice him from that distance. Ultimately, he was hidden in the forest, and she worked in a clear area in plain daylight.

  But then, the fleeting moment passed, and the two women continued their gruesome task.

  Was Alliot spotted? Did he have to return to the city, or should he stay where he was? He couldn't contact Ainorrh right now. The distance was too large. So, after briefly reflecting on his orders, Alliot decided to remain in the valley for a bit longer.

  No one told him he had to abandon it even if he was spotted. But maybe he could use this incident to his own benefit.

  The High Shaman wanted to get this strange being. So, why not just lead these people to Wentouk.

  But for now, he just had to continue his watch.