Once Grant disappeared from sight, Colm let out a sigh.

Well, that escort mission was something else. I was expecting something a bit more relaxing based on what everyone said… but I guess life can be unpredictable.

Shaking his head, he turned and headed toward the familiar path leading to Luke and Tessa's place.

As he walked, his mind wandered.

I wonder how much a house costs here? The thought lingered. Might be nice to have a place all to myself in the city.

But with everything else on his plate, he pushed the idea aside. I'll chalk that up as something to think about later. Too much else to focus on right now.

After a few minutes, he strolled through the familiar streets; the surroundings feeling more like home than ever. Soon enough, he reached their house and stepped up to the front door, knocking twice.

He waited.

A few moments passed.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, thinking no one was home, he heard scuffling from inside. A second later, the door swung open, revealing Tessa.

"Hey!" Colm greeted with a smile, lifting a hand in a casual wave.

"Colm!" Tessa practically shouted before launching forward, wrapping him in a hug.

Colm laughed. "Good to see you too." He gave her a light squeeze before pulling back. "Just got back from that job, so I figured I'd stop by and check in on you two."

"Aww, look at you, still thinking about us," Tessa teased, grinning. "Come on in—we were just about to eat breakfast. Want a plate?"

Colm nodded. "That sounds good to me."

Tessa stepped aside, motioning for him to enter.

Inside, Luke sat at the table, already eating. He looked up as Colm walked in, a smile crossing his face.

"Hey, Colm. Glad to see you in one piece," he said. "How'd the trip go?"

Colm let out a sigh. "It… it was something."

He pulled out a chair and sat down in the empty seat, glancing up as Tessa brought over plates of food for all three of them.

Tessa tilted her head at his response. "Did something go wrong? That mission's usually cut and dry—nothing ever happens."

Colm let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Well, that wasn't the case this time."

He tapped his temple, thinking over where to begin as he took his first bite.

"Oh—this is delicious," he said, glancing up at Tessa. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Tessa said, motioning for him to continue.

"Ah, right." Colm gathered his thoughts. "So, pretty much, the first few days were exactly what I expected—easy going, regular shifts guarding the caravan when we stopped for the night."

He paused to take another bite before continuing. "We made it to the beach outlet with no major issues. We ran into a couple of undead on the way, but they were low-level."

Luke nodded. "I know it's rare to see undead that far out, but it's not unheard of," he said between bites.

"Yeah, that's what I gathered," Colm replied. "But once we actually got to the beach… It was beautiful. I honestly hadn't felt that kind of peace in a long time." His voice softened slightly. "It felt like something I'd pushed deep down finally started to heal."

He sighed, scooping another spoonful from his plate, chewing as he let the words settle.

Swallowing, he continued. "We weren't there long—maybe a day?—but that's when everything changed."

Tessa and Luke both looked up, fully focused now.

"Undead Walkers."

Colm let the words linger.

"Hundreds of them, funneling in from the entrance. We were lucky—the terrain forced them into a bottleneck, which kept us from being completely overwhelmed."

Luke and Tessa's heads snapped toward him, their expressions sharpening.

"My phantoms held the line pretty easily, but that wasn't the worst of it."

Colm exhaled. "A few minutes in, someone spotted more undead—coming up from the ocean."

Silence settled over the table.

"We weren't as lucky there," he admitted. "With no natural barriers, they could swarm the beach. And these weren't normal Walkers. They were called Undead Mariners—stronger, faster, deadlier."

He ran a hand through his hair. "The adventurers on the mission held out as best we could. Eventually, we managed to take them all down… but not without casualties." His voice dropped slightly. "After that, we pretty much just hoofed it back here."

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A long, heavy sigh left him, the weight of the past few days finally lightening as he let the words out.

Luke and Tessa sat there, absorbing the significance of what he had just told them.

"...Shit," Luke finally broke the silence.

He ran a hand over his face, his expression conflicted. "I'm sorry, Colm. I feel like… I bear some of the blame for encouraging you to check out the northern coast."

Colm waved him off. "You couldn't have known, so don't be sorry. Honestly, I did get something good out of it for my growth… but seeing someone succumb to the infection firsthand—seeing how easily it can take a life—leaves a nasty taste in my mouth."

Luke nodded, his expression grim. "This shouldn't have happened. Undead—at least in those numbers—don't stray far from the cursed zones on the Isles. And Undead Mariners?" He shook his head. "I've never even heard of those before. That's… new. And alarming, to say the least. It opens a whole new fear for me knowing that undead could lurk in the water."

Colm exhaled. "I can't shake a bad feeling about the entire ordeal. Feels like something bigger is at play." He paused. "Jerry told me something when I first met him—about powerful undead that act as anchors for the cursed zones. I can't help but wonder if one of them is making a move."

Luke's brows furrowed. "Yeah… honestly, that's the only thing that makes sense. To amass an army like that—it had to have been orchestrated."

"But that begs the question," he continued, "Why there? Why now? What did it have to gain?"

Colm shook his head. "That… I don't know."

The trio finished their meal in relative silence, each digesting the weight of Colm's experiences on the northern coast.

A few minutes passed, and as they set down their plates, Colm was the first to break the silence.

He pushed his plate forward slightly, resting his head on his hands. "I want to level up quicker than my original plan," he admitted. "I'm thinking of tackling Tier Two or Tier Three Echoes above my level to burst through some levels fast and unlock the rest of my class abilities."

His gaze flicked between them. "Which, honestly, is part of the reason I came to see you both. Selfish on my part."

Tessa huffed playfully. "And here I thought you just wanted to see us."

Colm laughed. "Well, that too. How could I not want to visit the only two people I've actually become friends with in this world?"

Tessa smirked. "Oh? We're your only friends? I feel special."

Colm quipped back, "Don't feel too special—I met some pretty cool folks on the trip, so we might have to add them to the count."

Tessa pouted dramatically while Luke chuckled, amused by the exchange.

Then, shifting the conversation back, Luke leaned forward. "I think that's a solid plan. Flesh out your skill set, see what options open up to you, and get a better grasp of where you want to go from here. That way, you'll be more prepared for whatever's coming."

He paused, his expression darkening slightly. "Because if what we've been theorizing about the undead leader for this isle is true…" A slight shudder ran through him. "Then things will not be good. You'll want to be as strong as possible."

Colm nodded. "You took the words right out of my mouth. So—any ideas on some Echoes?"

Luke scratched his head in thought. "Hmm… There are a couple that come to mind. Narrow it down for me—Tier Two or Tier Three?"

Colm exhaled. "I was originally leaning toward Tier Two, just to make things easier on myself. But…" He hesitated for only a second before shaking his head. "No. If I really want to grow, I need to push myself. At least for this grind session, I'm thinking Tier Three—ideally around Level 100 or so."

He leaned back slightly, calculating aloud. "Since I'm at Level 65, that gives me a 325 total spread for my stats. If I'm fighting Tier Three monsters at Level 100, their attributes should average around 300 per stat—which means it'll be a challenge, but high enough to push my levels up significantly."

Colm tapped the table. "But once I hit a wall and the level gain slows down, I'll want another jump in difficulty. So, ideally, I'll need a progression path—something I can move up to when this method stops being efficient."

Luke nodded, deep in thought. "Alright… in that case, let me think of some Echoes that fit."

Colm watched as he sat there, tapping the table absently. "With your phantoms…" Luke muttered, deep in thought.

Tessa smirked. "I think I see smoke coming out of his ears. You got him thinking hard."

Colm chuckled at the playful jab. It had been ages since he'd heard something that childish, and something about it felt oddly comforting.

Before the laughter could settle, Luke finally spoke up. "Alright, I've got two that might be a good fit for you. Let me know what you think."

Colm leaned in as Luke continued. "First is Everfrost Ruins—a snow-themed Echo set in the remains of a ruined city. It's basically a massive labyrinth, filled with snow elementals and imps. The boss is a bit scary, though—it's a frost wyrm."

Colm nodded, already intrigued.

"The second," Luke went on, "is The Sunken Temple. It's a temple, mostly submerged—"

Colm immediately raised a hand. "Yeah, no. Sorry to interrupt, but no water levels, please."

Luke blinked before chuckling. "Fair enough."

Colm smirked, inwardly amused as he thought back to an old favorite game back on Earth—the water temple he had gotten stuck in for days. He had caved and bought a strategy guide just to finally beat it.

I don't want that to be me in real life.

"So, how does Everfrost Ruins sound?" Luke asked.

Colm nodded. "I think that sounds like a solid choice. I never got to see much snow where I'm from, so it might be nice for a change." A thought struck him. "Actually… will I need warm clothes?"

Luke nodded. "Wouldn't hurt to get some warm undergarments to wear under your armor. I think I have some spares I can give you."

"That'd be perfect," Colm said.

Luke stood up and left the table to grab the gear while Tessa chimed in. "I've heard about Everfrost Ruins—people get lost in there all the time. It's a bit of a maze, so be careful."

Colm nodded. "Anything else to watch out for? Anything worth harvesting? What about the boss?"

Just as Luke returned, handing Colm a set of warm clothes which he promptly put in his inventory, Tessa continued.

"The elementals are the main profit there," she explained. "They have cores in their chests—you can harvest them and sell them for a pretty penny."

She paused before adding, "Oh, and the boss—make sure to get its fangs."

"They're as strong as steel but infused with ice properties from what I've heard, it can be pretty profitable if you bring back enough and since you're doing this solo you'll be set."

She glanced toward Luke. "I think you might have more details on the frost wyrm itself?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, so the boss—like I said—is a Frost Wyrm. It's basically a serpentine creature, but its body is encased in thick layers of ice, acting as natural armor. You'll need to hit it hard to break through."

He crossed his arms. "I'd say that's going to be the biggest challenge in the Echo. It could potentially be Tier 4, which means it'll already be above your level—so you need to be extremely cautious."

Colm nodded, absorbing the information.

Luke continued, "Other than its sheer physical strength, the biggest thing to watch out for is its frost breath. If you get hit by that, it can freeze you in place—and if that happens while it's coming in for a body slam, things won't end well."

Colm grinned. "This is sounding like fun."

Luke smirked. "Yeah… your definition of fun is very different from mine, man."

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