Emery looked around and noticed a glimmer. He walked to it and noticed it was a medallion. He picked it up and left.
Meanwhile on the other side of the portal.
Rye walked out, he squinted as he tried to shield his eyes from the bright sun.
"Where are we?" Rye asked with his hand over his face.
"We are on the third floor, precisely level five," Lava explained as they stared at the horizon.
Lava flung her hand and an almost invisible string stuck to corpses.
"I will keep the bodies safe while you help me with my problem."
The corpses got up and Rye flinched.
"Calm down," Lava added.
"What about your friend?" Rye asked as he watched the man drag out Yash.
"You don't need to worry about him," Lava said and attached a string to Yash's body too. Yash and the others picked up their heads and placed them on their necks.
"Is this some kind of necromancy?" Rye asked, and he leaned in watching how the heads attached.
" Yes, something like that. Of late there has been a string of murders. I want you to find the killer," Lava said as she walked down the hill.
Rye walked close by and behind them were the zombies. He turned around and looked at the zombies.
"You know you didn't have to bring them all," Rye mentioned and all the zombies dropped to the floor.
"Which ones are coming with us?" Lava asked and Rye pointed at Yash, Juvita, and Ariya. Immediately they rose like puppets on strings.
"I don't think I will get used to this," Rye mentioned and watched the zombies walk past him.
Down the hill was a settlement. People gathered as they saw them coming. As they got closer Rye noticed they were not ordinary people.
Their hands and feet were bigger than normal.
' These are not humans, from afar they could maybe pass as humans. They feel all wrong, like an exaggeration,' Rye thought, making sure he kept his opinions to himself.
"These are the Oumfs. We will be spending the night in their settlement." As they made their way through the settlement, every Oumfs tried to touch them.
"It's okay they are friendly," Lava said to Rye as he pulled away.
"Just don't talk to them like you would a baby," Lava added.
"Why?" Rye asked as he forced a smile.
"You don't want to know," Lava replied.
"Are they part of the forge?" Rye asked.
"What? No. The forge only needs one. And that is the forge master, the one we met," Lava explained.
"If the forge is not a group then what is it?" Rye stopped and turned around.
"I will tell you all you need to know just not now," Lava said gnashing her teeth.
Suddenly, the sweet smell of candy and pastry disappeared. The whole place started to smell like burnt sugar and burning pastries.
"See, I told you I was not even talking to them," Lava said loud and clear.
Rye did not notice it at first. He looked around and saw the Oumfs were smiling. The blank stare and stiff smile sent shivers down his spine.