I whistled in relief as I stumbled on yet another Item containing (G) Essence.

Like the others, it was in the form of a crystal and was within a portal.

The area was deserted like the others and I didn’t sense any opposition.

I reached within and retrieved it satisfied that my search had come to an end. The necessary precautions for the impending Scenario had been taken.

All the pieces had been gathered.

I was relieved that it was the last one I needed as it had taken a considerable amount of time to track down the location.

Their ever moving quality didn’t make it easy as they were prone to switching locations.

The good thing was that it was within their catchment area so the search was more narrowed down if you could pinpoint the location.

Fortunately, I had done so before I started the search.

The map I had created had certainly speeded up the process.

Out of routine, I absorbed the Essence while my mind shifted to the next pressing matter.

Lyra and her group.

I had promised to meet her up after I was done with what I was doing.

I intended to act on it as I needed the stimulation in the otherwise boring place.

I had found the weird vague answer about her location funny.

No doubt she wanted to test my problem solving skills and expected me to have a hard time tracking them down.

She wasn’t the only one who could see ahead and have a counter measure in place.

What she didn’t know was that I was already a step ahead of her.

I had planted a tracker on her without her knowledge while we were talking.

I simply had to go to her location as shown on the tracker.

It was that simple.

After all, why stress myself over a trivial issue when there was an easier way around it.

I had prepared measures in the form of devices like this one for issues like this.

The best thing was that at no point would she suspect a thing. It was practically undectable given its small size.

I threw the empty crystal, the glow of its absorbed Essence fading as I began my journey to her location.

The tracker I had planted on her pointed me towards a city not far from my current position.

From what I remembered, the city was a fortified stronghold, a massive wall encircling it to keep threats at bay.

I didn’t know if that still remained the case.

The anticipation of seeing it again made me quicken my steps.

The road was treacherous, but it wasn’t anything that I couldn’t handle.

~BOOOOMMMMMMM!~

The monsters I met on my way all met the same treatment from my hands as I used brute force to take them out.

Granted, I could ignore them as they were small frys in the grand scheme of things but my hatred for them made me resort to force.

The rest of the way was smooth sailing as I navigated it with practiced ease.

My mind was already planning my next moves. Lyra and her group were resourceful, but I had my own set of skills and advantages.

The tracker, for one was a testament to my foresight.

Looking up, I saw that I was within the reach of the city.

As I neared the city, the towering walls loomed in the distance. They were imposing, a testament to the city’s determination to survive.

The gates were heavily guarded, a mix of technology and manpower ensuring no unauthorized entry.

It was all in vain though if I wanted to raze the whole place down.

The foolish people really thought it could keep out the horrors if it really came to that.

I was the only one who had an idea of what would happen.

It was with disgust that I approached the gate. I saw the guards at the post drawing out their swords as soon as they saw me approaching.

One of the guards shouted as soon as I came closer, "Halt! State your business!"

I could see that they were all on edge which I found quite unnecessary.

They should be used to Gifteds trooping into their city for refuge at this point.

The only conclusion I could come to was that they had been told that I was a special case.

No doubt, they were unsure if I was a friend or foe regardless of what they had been told.

For a moment, I thought of simply killing all of the guards.

After some thought, I decided against it, it wasn’t prudent for me to show my hand just yet.

It also wasn’t a sensible thing to do considering we were allies now. For now, I had to appear to extend the olive branch.

"I’m here to see Lyra," I called back, stopping in my tracks. "She’s expecting me."

The guards exchanged glances, and one of them spoke into a communicator.

After a tense moment, he nodded and waved me forward. "Come on in, but keep your hands where we can see them. No funny business"

The gate creaked open, and I walked into the city. Inside, it was eerily quiet, the streets devoid of the usual hustle and bustle of urban life.

Instead, there was a palpable sense of vigilance, of a community constantly on edge.

A guard escorted me to a central building, where I presumed the headquarters would be.

Halfway we met three guards hurrying to meet us. They had courteous expressions unlike the stoic faced guard walking with me.

I knew then that Lyra had been alerted of my presence and she had sent them to meet me before she came to see me herself.

"Greetings. Hope you had no issues coming here? Lyra would be with you shortly," They said with a bow as they reached where we were.

"No, there was no problem. Please lead the way," I said with a smile as I walked behind them.