Dalius found a bit of stone, gripped it so tightly it began to frost over, and then handed it to Cara. She gingerly numbed her blistered feet. She’d burst a few blisters already, but her well-worn shoes had saved her from the pain…until now. As she sat there, Dalius spoke.

“A Goblin Lord, eh? The Dawn Patrol being unknown does not surprise me. Such groups come and go. It might have even been an adventurer’s group. Though she was a [Paladin]…a crusading unit. Not surprising. Goblin Lords? They’re still appearing, then.”

“That’s…normal? Goblins? They have Goblin Lords?”

Dalius sighed.

“Entire civilizations. Monstrous creatures. They look fairly humanoid and they think—can even trade or fight for righteous causes. Yet their very…nature compels them to do evil. Goblin Lords unify tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of them. And when a Goblin King arises…”

He clenched his fist.

“Nations burn. I was lucky enough not to be born in an era when one appeared, but that is something else I know will come time and time again; Goblins are impossible to exterminate entirely. And they will plague the world…just as they did for this Arteis. But can one fight a ghost?”

He truly wanted to set the world’s wrongs to right with his sword. Cara eyed him and handed the rock back. He sighed, held it, then handed the frozen stone back.

“Well, the living rise to great calamity. A [Paladin]. A noble class, to be sure.”

“Which is better? [Paladin] or [Knight]? Aren’t [Paladins]…appointed by royalty?”

She was thinking of the historical paladins of Charlemagne, but Dalius seemed astonished.

“I suppose they could be, but a [Paladin] is dedicated to battling evil.”

“…And [Knights] aren’t?”

He lifted a finger, raising his brows, and began to speak like he was a teacher in front of a class.

“A [Knight] is sword to a liege-lord or the crown itself. We uphold order and law, which also translates into doing battle against enemies that threaten such things. We are a military body who fight in concert with other [Soldiers] in war, and form Knight-Orders. [Paladins] fight evil as a concept, and are much more individual. Roaming crusaders. Their abilities hew more to magical. Technically, their class is rarer, and I suppose…superior…without consolidation.”

“Uh, consolidation?”

“Upgrading your class.”

“Oh, right. You told me. How common is that?”

Dalius smiled.

“Very. I’ve done it. Most who pass Level 30 will change their class at least once. So you see, even a

[Knight] can surpass a [Paladin] depending on our level or Skills. Not to disparage this Arteis…if her grave was magically marked, she was a valorous warrior and much beloved. Ah, what level was she?”

“Um…only Level 43. So lower than yours, right?”

Dalius visibly hesitated.

“Oh. That’s, er…not bad, actually. She and I are fairly close in level. Level 43, you said?”

Cara nodded. Dalius swallowed.