A day or so passes in the City of Light as the expedition prepares. The decision has been reached to head to Omega, Capitol of the Free Guilds, golden city of the Humans; the ultimate goal being the Great Temple of Omega Mammon, scarab god of gold and commerce. A small contingent of thirty soldiers gathers at the North Gate of the city. Among them are three large supply wagons pulled by draft horses. Though some of the higher ranking officers are mounted, the vast majority are on foot. Though not much special treatment is given to the party, they are allowed a horse if requested, whereas there is an empty space on one of the wagons for Ahelair and Mort, given their advanced age. The humans of the expedition seem particularly enthused, this is their best chance to see their homelands once again before they die. The rest however, have already resigned themselves to the decision and express little to no open resentment.

As the double gates swing open, the expedition marches forward; like an army going to war, the streets are lined with civilians sending them off, but it is a solemn affair. Once the entire contingent has passed through, the gates swing shut and an eerie silence falls on the band. Some of them haven't been outside the city walls in months, maybe years. However, the surrounding land was still being desperately protected by Councillor Graft's army, so the expedition wasn't yet completely unprotected. Be that as it may, a commanding officer still shouted, "Watch for Pathfinders, and refrain from looking them in the eye. Some say that's how the madness spreads."

Pathfinders were the followers of the Dark Ones, specifically, Halgdurion the Seeker. Men and women from all walks of life who had been taken by the Madness. Their ability to blend in with normal folk had been instrumental in infiltrating the cities and separating their means of communication. The madness spread like a plague, and even now, the City of Light's City Watch still continued to carry out witch-hunt-like sweeps of the city to root out Pathfinders.

For the time being, things were relatively safe for the expedition, and it was a ripe moment for some last-minute preparation.