Farmers, by their nature, weren’t scary. But encountering them in a Hidden Realm was profoundly unsettling.

  Kael motioned for his team to halt as he walked forward alone. The farmers ahead spotted the group, and their faces instantly paled. Two of them turned and bolted, leaving the remaining two to stand their ground. They gripped their hoes like weapons, their eyes darting around nervously, pointedly avoiding looking directly at Kael.

  Seeing their skittishness, Kael understood their terror. He slowly raised both his hands.

  “Hello,” he said, his voice calm and even. “We’re adventurers from the outside world. We mean you no harm.”

  The two men started at the sound of his voice.

  “He can talk,” the one in the straw hat whispered. “He must be real.”

  The other, a man with a thick beard, grabbed his companion’s arm. “Don’t be fooled. It could be an illusion.”

  “I don’t think so,” the straw-hatted man argued. “Nothing else around us has changed.”

  “The Mawflowers could have evolved again,” the bearded man retorted, his voice tight with paranoia.

  Despite his friend’s warning, the man in the straw hat lowered his hoe. He took a few cautious steps toward Kael. “Are you… are you really from the outside?”

  Kael nodded. “We are. We heard this was once the lair of the Behemoth. We came to see if anyone needed help.”

  At those words, the farmer dropped his hoe entirely. He rushed forward excitedly, his hands outstretched, and grabbed Kael by the shoulders, as if to confirm he was solid. The firm reality of Kael’s presence seemed to overwhelm him. Tears of joy welled in his eyes.

  He turned back to his friend. “Cooper! He’s real! He’s really real!”

  Only then did Cooper finally relax. He too walked over, touching Kael’s arm as if for proof. Once convinced, he looked to the sky with a great, shuddering sigh. “Thank the heavens! Someone has finally come to save us!”

  Once the tension eased, the two farmers eagerly beckoned the group to follow. After a walk of more than a thousand yards, they arrived at a village called [Behemoth's Watch]. Just as they approached the gate, the two farmers who had fled earlier returned, now accompanied by four armed men. They looked just as surprised to see Kael’s party entering their settlement.

  Cooper stepped forward to address their leader. “Captain Simbra! These people are adventurers from the outside world!”

  The young man named Simbra gave Kael’s party a long, scrutinizing look. Their gear was unlike anything he had ever seen. But his suspicion didn’t fade. Instead, he snapped at Cooper.

  “Stop spouting nonsense, Cooper. There is no ‘outside world.’ That’s a lie. Our ancestors have lived here for generations. This is our home!”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Kael froze. Hidden Realms were artificially created pocket dimensions. How could there be natives?

  Hazel stepped forward. “You’re the one who’s lying. Dawnbreaker told us the people here were captured by a monster called the Behemoth.”

  Captain Simbra’s face flushed with rage. He drew his saber in a flash. “How dare you slander the name of Great Behemoth! Men, kill these heretics for spreading their poisonous lies!”

  Hazel, stunned by the sudden turn of events, threw up her shield just as Kael slung his bow from his back. The air crackled with tension, the two groups on a knife’s edge. Just as blades were about to clash, a powerful, resonant voice echoed from the sky.

  “Simbra. Bring them to me.”

  Simbra flinched, his anger instantly vanishing. He reluctantly sheathed his blade. With a grunt, he turned and marched into the village. Kael’s party exchanged glances before cautiously following.

  Once inside the gates, they discovered a hidden sanctuary. The village was vast, easily the size of Beryl Creek, but its population was much larger, numbering in the thousands. Kael was surprised to see small but operational weapon shops and general stores lining the main path. A settlement this large should have been visible from miles away. It had to be concealed by some kind of powerful magic.

  The villagers stopped and stared as they passed, their faces a mixture of curiosity and fear.

  After a five-minute walk, Simbra led them to a large clearing. In the center sat a white-haired old man, his back turned to them.

  Simbra approached the elder, dropping to one knee. “Elder. The outsiders are here.”

  “You may leave.”

  “Yes, Elder!” Simbra and his men departed without another word.

  The old man slowly turned, his nameplate becoming visible: [Guardian Elder of Behemoth's Watch]. He studied Kael and his companions for a long time, and the hopeful light that had first sparked in his eyes gradually dimmed.

  He sighed and waved a dismissive hand. “Go back. Return to wherever you came from.”

  The party was taken aback. Kael stepped forward. “Elder, we came here to uncover the secrets of this place. Why would you send us away?”

  “Because you are too weak,” the Guardian Elder said, his voice heavy with disappointment. “You cannot possibly succeed.”

  Too weak? The group looked at each other, bewildered.

  The Elder continued, “The Behemoth was slain by Apollo, and even in death, its corpse is imbued with a sliver of Apollo’s divine aura. Our ancestors tried countless times to conquer the Behemoth’s Temple, but they were always defeated at the final moment, struck down by a devastating surge of the [Breath of Apollo].”

  He looked at them again, his gaze unwavering. “You are not strong enough. You will not survive its holy fire.”

  The party’s initial excitement curdled into disappointment. Was this really an impossible quest? They all looked to Kael, waiting for his decision.

  Kael, however, was simply standing there, staring into space with a blank expression.

  “Sir Dawnbreaker!” Hazel started toward him, but Lila quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her. Lila sensed that Kael wasn't dazed; he was engaged with the system.

  She was right. A strange quest notification was displayed in Kael’s vision.

  System: Obtain the recognition of the Guardian Elder of Behemoth's Watch.

  How do you get an NPC’s recognition? Better gear? A higher level? Or a specific, hidden condition? Anyone else would have been stumped. But for Kael, this was a freebie.

  He blinked, his focus returning. He addressed the Elder, his tone sincere and respectful. “Elder, I possess the legacy of Apollo. I wonder if that might be enough to resist the [Breath of Apollo]?”

  “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

  The Elder shot to his feet, his weariness gone. He strode over to Kael and seized his hand, closing his eyes in deep concentration, trying to sense the energy within him.

  PING!

  A brilliant flash of golden light erupted from Kael, forcing the Elder to stumble back, clutching his slightly trembling hand. A look of utter astonishment and ecstatic joy spread across his face.

  “The heavens have answered! The heavens have answered!”