It was sickening to see such a grotesque when the flame grew closer. We all looked at it with sheer disgust and terror wondering what did that but already knew in the back of their heads who was the culprit. The odd question they all had was where were all the goblins? That question was shortly answered after a few extra minutes of going deeper inside the grotto finding all the corpses of the goblins piled up into two separate areas. There were hundreds, children slayed without mercy nor care with the adults ripped apart viciously with only a pair of hands. The room was far larger than all the other rooms with even torches lit up around the area presumably where the leader resided in. There they saw Hunter standing just before the so called 'boss' of the grotto afraid and defenseless. His hands were drenched in blood with nothing else shockingly touched. Not so much as a stain or droplet of wet crimson anywhere on his clothes, only his hands. He kneeled down toward the goblin far larger than him in size only wanting answers.

"I want answers understand me? No~.. That's not right. I need answers."

He proclaimed with a dangerous expression on his face.

The rest stared in shock watching the blood bath around Hunter. The leader refused to make even a peep only enraging his emotions. He began to torture the poor monster of the dungeon ripping, and tearing limbs with the goblins screams echoing throughout the dungeon you'd like to think it was but a mere farm animal being killed. And that is what most would recognize it as when heard. A mere animal. A mule being slaughtered. Hunter looked down with a condescending stance as blood fell from the monster's eyeballs. His galaxy red with the monsters dull black. With that the monster spoke with little accuracy of the human language.

"𝒴-...𝒴-𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾-....𝓁𝓁... 𝓃𝑜𝓉... 𝑔𝑒--𝓉...𝓌𝒽-...𝒶𝓉... 𝓎𝑜𝓊... 𝒹𝑒--𝓈....-𝒾𝓇𝑒."

He was more than fed up with his presence and gripped onto the goblins throat crushing it with his monstrous strength. He flung the corpse across the way as it crashed into the wall side as the boys all witness that moment. Afraid Nick and Cloudy raised their weapons by instinct at Hunter thinking he was possessed unable to discern what was ally and foe. Royal lowered their weapons and walked over to him gently with a sad look on him. He looked into his crimson galaxy as Hunter looked into his violet hue.

"Do you think this is what she wants? To murder something so horribly that others can't bare the sight of it~? If she saw this do you think she would agree to coming back knowing what you had to do?"

He was unable to face Royal when he was saying all of that. He couldn't. He knew the boys couldn't possibly understand what horrors he had seen and what trials he had to face. And so he stayed quite only to talk when necessary.

"No~.. She will hate me for doing this~. But it's what needs to be done. I will do whatever it takes to bring her back. No matter the cost~."

His eyes glowed a strong crimson red riled up by his active emotions. Royal sighed before turning back to the other two now defending Hunter this time.

"We knew what we came for. We knew something like this was possible. So why are we pointing our weapons at the man who took us in? Gave us a home, taught us and fed us! We will do exactly as needed of us! If it means killing that is what we will do! Understand?!"

Both Nick and Cloudy were ashamed now thinking thinks thoroughly and were just scared. They apologized for raising their weapons at him as they bowed their heads showing their gratitude for even giving them a place to call home. Hunter looks up at the ceiling accepting their apology only thinking to himself at that moment.

"I can understand.. I really do~. I was the same way when I faced the brutal reality that this world offers. Just.. please.. don't go down the same path as me~."

He moved himself away and found an area that was buried underneath something. Using his strength he moved dirt and debris away finding a small puddle where he washed his hands of the blood away and eventually dug enough to spot a rusty chest that looked old. He brought it out taking a good look at the chest itself before opening it. He snapped the lock that seemed to have been there for a long time and saw nothing but a letter from the inside.

Royal peeked over Hunter's shoulder seeing the letter.

"This is the treasure that old lady was talking about?"

"When did you hear that?"

Hunter spoke turning toward his side.

"I stayed nearby and spotted you talking with that lady. She looked really gentle and sweet."

"A-alright."

He said a bit put off but let it slide.

Cloudy butted in adding to what Royal said before.

"This is what you desired? A letter?"

Hunter carefully held the letter seeing it was a slightly worn out while Royal read it out for the other two to hear.

"Hunter.. My dear ol' friend. For as long as we've known each other we've been combatants at arms battling in wars that seem to have no end to the bloodshed. The key of what you seek is the ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕟𝕖. Yes it is a delicacy.. But the price for obtaining it will be more than excruciating. Don't give up ol' friend even the ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕟𝕖 is connected with fate in due time... You will find it. It's within the I. O. D. V. S. -𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧."

Confused Nick asked who this so called Gatekeeper was. Royal adds into the mix of what i o d v s means. They all give him confused stares as if he knew the answers to all their questions. He looked away from them all feeling uncomfortable and revealed to them what he knows.

"The ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕟𝕖 is capable of granting any kind of wish imaginable. That is what I'm aiming for. In order to bring my wife back I will do what it takes to see her again. Now about Gatekeeper.. He is a long time friend that I had stopped talking to over twenty one years ago. He is very~... how do I put this~. Hostile. He is extraordinarily powerful that even if you guys had fifty years to beat him it would be in vain. About those jumble of letters he may know what to do with them so we need to head to him. There is a high chance he will attack us so be prepared. I have somewhat of an idea of where he could be lurking."

Nick and Cloudy both looked at one another as if they wanted to say something but were hesitant to speak up. Hunter took notice wondering what they wanted to say to him.

"Umm~. We want to know more about your wife~. What was she like?"

Hunter moved his sight somewhere else telling them that he wasn't ready to speak about her yet to them. He got up and walked off going back up the grotto where all the blood was dripping off the walls and the ceiling. They followed behind like little pups not wanting to get lost again. By the time they made it to the surface the moon was already showing itself to the land. Hunter made the decision that camping nearby would be the smartest thing to do and started to set up on the grassy plains. The rest were mentally and physically exhausted learning so much in only a single day yet knowing how cruel the world can be at times. From afar they spotted Hunter training doing exercises and some form of martial art while the rest laid on their makeshift beds to rest for the night. It wasn't until midnight that Hunter finally stopped and laid nearby wanting to keep watching from afar before dozing off for the night. At the crack of dawn the sun's light was shining on Hunter's eyes waking him up early. Around six in the morning to be exact. He waited a while before waking the rest up. The first he had woken up was Royal as he went straight to work knowing what he had to do next. He kicked Nick awake as he complained it was far too early to be getting up while Cloudy had little complaints but was a little upset of not getting enough sleep. Hunter collected his things as he lifted his arms up high getting a good stretch in. His diary and his photo of his wife and himself with his coat he would use for preventing the cold from bothering him.

"So do you know where he is?"

Royal said still shaking off the sleepiness in his eyes.

"Remember that I said I haven't seen him for over two decades. But I do have somewhat of an idea. He doesn't go very many places so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle except for traveling to those places."

Nick and Cloudy could barely process what was going on as they wobbled around like ducks out of water. Royal glared over at the two gesturing that if they didn't wake up he would personally ensure they would be up for the rest of the day in pain. They both quickly slapped one another trying their best to wake up their senses so they wouldn't have to face Royal's wrath. Hunter chuckled commenting on Royal's way of doing things.

"He really is the parent of the three."

The three peek over at him laughing making them giggle aloud as well. The adventurer's from there marched onward toward unknown territory in order to find Hunter's old time friend. It took an entire two days worth of traveling but they finally made it to the first place he could reside in. It was a thick dense spruce forest which the leaves were large enough to cover an entire human whole. With the roots from the spruce trees massive enough to entangle a person without trying as most of the roots from the ground were not inside the ground but just above it. The place is known as 𝒮𝓅𝓁𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝐹𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉.